Chapter 25

The sky gradually darkened. The ground, which had been melted by the midday sun, was now slightly frozen, making it soft and silent underfoot.

Shunzi and Huzi crept along, quietly approaching the barracks. About fifty meters from the barracks, they crouched down. The isolated military camp, far from civilian houses, made it easy for the two to reach their hiding spot. They crossed their guns, blocking the entrance to the barracks.

In the deepening darkness, Liu Zhong and three others silently approached the vehicle yard. Once they confirmed there were four targets, they each locked onto one and quietly moved in.

Dong Ku led Mazi and three others to a mound about a hundred meters from the military camp, where an underground arsenal was located.

Liu Zhong and Mazi silently approached the two Japanese soldiers standing guard. Before the two guards could react, Liu Zhong and Mazi covered their mouths from behind, and with a quick twist, they silenced them.

Before they could gently place the bodies down, Sun Tao and Liu Hai suddenly leaped out from under the truck, each covering the mouth of a patrolling guard with their left hand and swiftly slicing their throats with knives hidden in their right hands. They then grabbed the falling guns and gently laid the bodies down.

"Clear the ammunition, quickly."

Liu Zhong whispered to Mazi and then quietly moved toward Sun Tao and Liu Hai.

Dong Ku and Mazi, along with three others, also approached the ammunition depot. After a careful observation in the dark, he signaled the attack. They then silently moved toward two patrolling guards.

Mazi and Shanzi crept to the entrance of the ammunition depot. Dog Egg followed Dong Ku, quietly stepping on the soft ground, approaching the two patrolling guards.

Mazi held his breath and silently moved to the left of the Japanese soldier, while Shanzi approached from the right. Under the cover of darkness, they pounced, each grabbing their target's neck. Mazi's hands twisted, and with a crack, he nearly decapitated the Japanese soldier. Shanzi quickly drew his knife and slit the other's throat, then extended his foot to catch the falling rifle of the Japanese soldier on Mazi's side.

Dong Ku silently emerged behind the two patrolling guards, pouncing like a leopard. He grabbed the head of the guard on the left and twisted it, then turned and chopped the throat of the other guard with a swift motion. He quickly supported the first guard and laid him down. The entire sequence was lightning-fast.

At the moment Dong Ku's knife struck the guard's throat, Dog Egg's hand was already reaching for the guard's neck, but before he could grab it, the guard fell backward with a soft thud.

He quickly grabbed the guard's neck and swiftly slit his throat with his right hand, his heart pounding as he slowly laid the body down.

Dong Ku quickly grabbed the grenade bag from the body and silently moved toward the entrance of the ammunition depot.

Dog Egg removed the ammunition from the two bodies, turned, and followed the shadowy figure toward Mazi's position.

"Target eliminated, the lock on the door."

Shanzi reported in a low voice.

"Move, circle back to the front of the camp."

Dong Ku, seeing the targets safely eliminated and the locked door showing no signs of occupancy from earlier observations, ordered them to head to the front gate of the camp.

Upon reaching the rendezvous point, they waited less than three minutes before Liu Zhong and his group quietly approached.

"Shunzi, Huzi, you two head west to guard the village."

Dong Ku whispered.

Shunzi, with Dong Ku's night vision device, nodded and led Huzi and the grenades they had been given, quietly moving toward the west of the village.

After Shunzi disappeared, Dong Ku and the others lay in wait. Five minutes later, he signaled the advance into the camp.

The two Japanese soldiers standing guard at the entrance were silently eliminated by Liu Zhong and Dong Ku. Liu Zhong led four others to the left barracks, while Mazi, Shanzi, and Dog Egg hid on the right. Dong Ku approached the middle barracks alone.

Listening carefully, he heard snoring inside. Liu Zhong and Shanzi simultaneously pushed open the doors and quietly entered.

The Japanese soldiers, far from the border and with no roads nearby, felt safe and were deeply asleep, believing no one would dare attack them.

Liu Zhong pushed open the door and quietly entered. Inside was a kitchen, and beyond that, two large beds.

Liu Zhong, holding a thick-bladed knife, signaled to split up. In the loud snoring, he and Liu Hai moved toward the western bed.

The sleeping Japanese soldiers were unaware of the approaching death. With a soft sound of a blade slicing through skin, one snore abruptly stopped, and the room filled with the smell of blood.

Mazi and Shanzi, who had observed the right barracks during the day, found only five or six Japanese soldiers inside. They silently entered and, in less than a minute, eliminated the eight sleeping soldiers.

Dong Ku encountered some trouble. When he pushed the door, it was locked from the inside. He took out his knife and gently moved the bar aside. As Liu Zhong and the others disappeared into the rooms, he quietly pushed the door open and slipped inside. After a quick look, he closed the door and moved toward the inner room on the right.

In the dim light, Dong Ku saw two people on the bed. He slowly approached one, covered his mouth, and gently slit his throat, silencing the snore. As he turned, the other person seemed to be alert and opened his eyes.

In the darkness, a ghostly face suddenly appeared before him. Before he could scream, his mouth and nose were covered by a strong hand. Before he could struggle, his neck was cut, and the air was sucked out of his lungs.

Is it a ghost?

This thought crossed his mind as his consciousness stopped at the sight of the ghostly face.

Dong Ku quickly checked the other side of the bed, finding no one. He left the room and searched the other room, which turned out to be an office. He then exited the room.

As he stepped out, Liu Zhong and Mazi also exited their rooms and gathered around Dong Ku.

"Eight here."

Shanzi whispered.

"Eighteen at the vehicle yard."

Liu Zhong knelt and whispered.

Liu Zhong's group had eighteen, Shanzi's group had eight, plus the four at the ammunition depot and the two in the room, making a total of thirty-two. After a quick calculation, Dong Ku waved and ordered, "Clear the area, meet at the ammunition depot, Mazi, follow me."

Five minutes later, Mazi carried a machine gun, and the others each had two pistols, quietly moving toward the west of the village.

The village was pitch black and silent, so quiet that the sound of a leaf falling could be heard. Unlike the modern era with electricity, televisions, and computers, the village was dark and quiet by eight in the evening. People went to bed early, and the village was as quiet as if it were deserted. As for dogs, there were many, including some good hunting dogs, but they had all been stewed by the Japanese, leaving no barking.

The puppet army camp on the west side of the village, like the Japanese camp, had east and west wings and a main building, but no barbed wire. Dong Ku had observed it during the day, noting that the west wing had more people, while the east wing and the main building had similar numbers.

Mazi quietly lay next to Shunzi, setting up the machine gun and aiming at the dark barracks. Huzi lay beside him, with five ammunition belts next to his gun.

Shunzi, with the night vision device, could direct Mazi and not miss any puppet soldiers trying to escape.

Dong Ku quietly arranged the plan. Liu Zhong, Sun Tao, and Liu Hai formed one group, while Mazi, Shanzi, and Dog Egg formed another, each responsible for one room. Dong Ku, alone, was responsible for the main building.

At the camp entrance, a puppet soldier shivered in the cold, leaning against the guard tower, yawning and looking bored.

Another puppet soldier leaned against the barbed wire, swaying, clearly trying to fall asleep.

Liu Zhong and Dong Ku quietly approached. Before the yawning soldier could close his mouth, Dong Ku snapped his neck with a crack.

Liu Zhong was equally quick, sending the swaying soldier to sleep permanently.

They quietly clapped their hands and knelt at the camp entrance, waiting for the others.

Mazi and the others quietly approached. Once everyone was in place, Dong Ku signaled the advance, and they silently moved toward the main building.

Liu Zhong led two others to the crowded west wing; Shanzi led Mazi and Dog Egg to the east wing; Dong Ku, holding a dagger, entered the main building alone.

He gently pushed the door, relieved to find it unlocked. He quietly opened a small gap and slipped inside, quickly closing the door.

Standing still, he listened. Both rooms had breathing and teeth-grinding sounds, and a strong smell of alcohol came from the east room.

"Looks like the officers are in the east room."

Knowing the northeastern custom of placing the most important people on the east side, Dong Ku quietly moved to the west room. Seeing people on both beds, he quickly and silently slit their throats, eliminating six people.

Confirming no one was left, he entered the east room. Seeing only one person on a bed, he cut the throat of the man, who was reeking of alcohol, and checked the surroundings to ensure no one was left. He then carefully opened the door and prepared to leave the main building.

At that moment, a sliver of light appeared through the gap in the door, causing Dong Ku's eyes to narrow. He quickly stepped out, identified the source of the light, and pulled out his pistol, rushing toward the east room.

As he moved, the door of the west room opened, and Liu Zhong cautiously poked his head out, preparing to leave. Seeing the light, he reacted almost as quickly as Dong Ku, dashing out and drawing his pistol and thick-bladed knife, rushing toward the east room.

Infiltration and assassination, once exposed to light, could be deadly. The light in the east room suggested that Mazi and the others might have encountered trouble.

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