Chapter 44

The entire raid took less than an hour, including the time to gather the loot. During this period, over a hundred Japanese soldiers in the military camp on the outskirts of the town were still sound asleep.

As they moved through the mountains, heading straight for Baoqing, a deafening explosion echoed behind them, causing the roe deer and hares in the forest to panic, but they did not dare to move or cry out, making the forest even more silent.

When the trucks on the road below rushed toward the explosion site, Dong Ku and his team had already been away from the largest coal mine in Shuangyazi Mountain for four hours, heading straight for Baoqing through the jungle.

They continued their journey until midnight, resting in a mountain hollow until dawn, then crossed the road, heading for Longtou Village, bypassing Baoqing, and preparing to hike back to Dahuishan.

As they were walking, Dong Ku suddenly saw thick smoke rising in the distance.

"There's a situation!"

Dong Ku, who was familiar with the behavior of the Japanese, immediately realized that there was probably a village ahead.

Everyone quickly took their guns in hand and darted through the bushes, heading straight for the source of the smoke.

Through the gaps in the branches, Dong Ku saw two trucks parked not far from the village entrance, and six or seven mud-and-thatch houses were emitting thick smoke, burning fiercely.

The moment the binoculars were set up, time seemed to stand still.

With heavy breathing, everyone turned their gaze to Dong Ku, whose clenched jaw and burning eyes seemed to be about to set him on fire.

Dong Ku's eyes narrowed sharply, and he quickly put away the binoculars, slung the M4A1 over his backpack, and pulled out two pistols. Just as he was about to give the order, he saw the angry eyes of his team.

Without using gestures, he said succinctly, "Shan Zi and Sun Tao, provide sniper cover. Liu Zhong and Liu Hai to the west, Shun Zi and Meng Zi to the east. Meng Zi, follow me. Work in pairs, provide alternating cover, and leave no one alive!"

The order, full of killing intent, made the already red-eyed team members move quickly, preparing to launch the attack.

Shan Zi and Sun Tao moved nimbly through the bushes and took up positions on a high ridge at the eastern end of the village.

With the signal from Shan Zi's binoculars, Dong Ku waved his hand to order the attack.

In the jungle, figures darted, quickly approaching the village. The moment they saw the figures, Dong Ku raised his pistol without hesitation and fired two shots, killing two Japanese soldiers who were using bayonets to stab the already dead villagers.

The sound of Dong Ku's gun was like a bugle call, and gunshots immediately rang out from three directions, the sound of pistols in quick succession.

In the gunfire, a Japanese soldier, still holding his gun and pulling up his pants, ran out of a mud-and-thatch house. Before he could see anything clearly, a red spot appeared on his forehead, and his back sprayed a mist of red and white.

Immediately after, his companion, who was bare-chested and dragging his gun, followed him to his death.

Meng Zi and Dong Ku's gun barrels moved back and forth, providing cover for each other as they advanced into the village.

Liu Zhong and Liu Hai, with their pistols, stuck closely together, covering each other's blind spots, and the sound of gunfire continued, with disheveled figures falling one after another.

Bang!

Sun Tao's gun fired.

With his shot, a gun barrel that had been poking out from behind a window dropped.

Bang! Shan Zi's gun also fired.

A Japanese soldier who had just rounded the corner of a house and raised his gun behind Meng Zi and Shun Zi fell to the ground, a stream of fresh blood flowing from his chest.

Rattling...

Meng Zi's machine gun fired.

Having emptied his pistol, he quickly switched to the Type 11 light machine gun, and a burst of fire sent five or six figures flying out of the house, blood misting the air.

Dong Ku quickly changed the magazine, fired two shots, and killed a Japanese soldier at the corner of a house, making his gun fall to the ground.

Meng Zi pulled the ammunition box from the left side of his backpack, chambered a round, and, as a blood mist appeared on his left arm, fired a long burst, knocking down the figure in the opposite window. He then took a step forward and charged into the house.

Inside the house, a Japanese soldier, the moment Meng Zi stepped in, was about to fire his gun but was quickly shot in the face by Dong Ku, who was behind him, the bullet drilling into his brain without resistance.

Before the Japanese soldier could fall, Meng Zi had already charged into the inner room. The moment he entered, he stopped.

Dong Ku squeezed past him and quickly searched the room with his pistol.

He saw a middle-aged man half-lying against the wall, his mouth wide open, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, a black and red stream of blood hanging from his old cotton jacket. A large wound on his stomach had spilled his intestines onto the floor.

On the kang (a traditional Chinese bed), two emaciated bodies lay naked, one at each end, their legs spread, a mixture of blood and pus flowing from between them.

In the middle, a naked Japanese soldier, shot in the chest, lay face down, his gun hanging on the window.

Dong Ku quickly scanned the room, jumped onto the kang, and checked the woman at the head of the kang, finding no pulse. He then hurried to the other end of the kang to check the other.

The girl at the end of the kang was no more than twelve or thirteen years old, her facial muscles twisted, her eyes wide open. Without needing to check, Dong Ku could see the result; her pupils were dilated.

Meng Zi stood dumbfounded as Dong Ku jumped off the kang. In the gunfire outside, he suddenly came to his senses, roared like a thunderclap, and, holding the Type 11 light machine gun, charged out of the house toward the last two houses.

At the moment Meng Zi charged out, Dong Ku did not stop him but quickly followed, closely guarding the charging Meng Zi.

Shun Zi and Meng Zi's target was also the last two houses. They provided cover for each other, moving quickly toward their target.

Rattling...

Meng Zi's machine gun fired, and the nearest house door was shattered into pieces, a Japanese soldier riddled with holes falling backward.

Bang! Bang! Dong Ku fired two shots, hitting the blurry figure behind the glass, following Meng Zi closely.

Meng Zi's eyes were bloodshot. As he ran, the machine gun spewed fire, shattering the doors and windows in front of him. With the empty clicks of the trigger, he charged into the house, kicking the Japanese soldier on the ground before he could get up.

Crack!

The Japanese soldier's head snapped back, his body falling backward, smashing the steaming pot lid. Water and steam splashed, and his head fell into the boiling water, chicken claws covering his face.

Without stopping, Meng Zi charged into the inner room.

Dong Ku followed closely, and the moment Meng Zi stepped into the room, he extended his pistol into the room.

Inside the room, a naked body lay on the kang, and a man with several holes in his back lay on the floor.

"Damn you!!"

Meng Zi roared, desperately pulling the trigger at the Japanese soldier by the window, but the hammer clicked empty, not realizing he was out of ammunition.

"Meng Zi!"

Dong Ku grabbed his hand and pressed it down forcefully.

"Let go!!"

Meng Zi's neck veins bulged, and he struggled several times but could not break free from the iron grip. His eyes wide open, he roared at Dong Ku.

"Enough!!"

Dong Ku roared, snatched the Type 11 light machine gun, and jumped onto the kang, quickly checking the vital signs of the naked body. Finding no pulse and the body already cold, he pulled over a nearby blanket to cover the body, then jumped off the kang, handed the Type 11 to Meng Zi, and shouted, "Assemble outside the door!!"

Sun Tao and Shan Zi had thoroughly searched the area. As Dong Ku and Meng Zi came out of the house, the two men, with their guns, cautiously descended from the high ridge, searching for targets as they approached the village.

Liu Zhong and Liu Hai also came out of a house, their expressions showing the horror they had witnessed.

Shun Zi and Meng Zi, having completed their cleanup, came out of the house with bloodshot eyes, heading straight for Dong Ku's position.

"Brother Dong..."

Liu Zhong's eyes were blazing, and his hand, gripping the gun, had lost its color.

"Brother Dong!"

Shun Zi's face was twisted with anger, and a thin trail of blood ran from his torn eye.

Dong Ku took several deep breaths, exhaled heavily, and, as Sun Tao and Shan Zi entered the village, said sternly, "Anger is fine, but don't lose your reason! You are the ones who will kill hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of Japanese. Don't lose your lives to these few Japanese because of anger!"

Seeing the team's emotions calm down and Meng Zi's eyes narrow, Dong Ku ordered, "Clean up the battlefield and transport the Japanese bodies to the trucks!"

"Yes!"

Shan Zi and Sun Tao, who had not seen the horrific scenes in the village, only the bodies of the villagers, loudly acknowledged the order.

Liu Zhong and the others, however, were taken aback and did not immediately respond.

"Attention!"

Dong Ku barked.

The days of drill training made Liu Zhong and the others straighten up.

"Repeat the order!"

"Clean up the battlefield!"

Liu Zhong and the others shouted.

"Put down your backpacks and execute the order!"

Dong Ku said coldly.

"Yes!"

Liu Zhong and the others quickly put down their guns and backpacks, working in pairs to clean up the battlefield.

Meng Zi stood there, still breathing heavily, the blood on his arm soaking through his sleeve, dripping down his hand.

"Meng Zi! Execute the order and bandage your wound!"

Dong Ku looked at Meng Zi coldly and ordered.

"Yes!"

Encased in Dong Ku's cold aura, Meng Zi came to his senses, quickly put down his backpack, unbuttoned his jacket, and sprinkled the medicine made by Shan Zi on his arm wound.

Dong Ku, seeing Meng Zi regain his composure, stepped forward to check his wound. Seeing only a hole in his arm, he pulled out a piece of cloth and quickly bandaged it...

"Hang the Japanese bodies on the trees and set the remaining houses on fire."

Following Dong Ku's order, the bodies were hung on the trees by the roadside with their intestines hanging down from their open stomachs...

In the thick smoke, the figures disappeared into the jungle. They moved silently, their hearts yearning for Dong Ku to give them an order to release their anger. These thirty or so Japanese were far from enough to quench their rage...

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