Chapter 6

Liu Zhong and his companions seemed to have forgotten about the pursuers behind them. They drew an arc along Cucao Pond and rushed forward. From the mountain, it was clear to see that they had detoured for more than a kilometer, which gave Nishikiguchi Koji the opportunity to catch up with them.

The Japanese soldiers finally saw the figures of those they were chasing, and they all let out strange cries as they charged straight into Cucao Pond. As long as they crossed this area of Cucao Pond, the flat and open ditch ahead would leave no place for the pursued to hide. The low shrubs would not be able to block the fleeing figures, and they could start shooting to slow down their speed.

More than a hundred Japanese soldiers spread out and rushed into Cucao Pond, trudging through the snow that was more than half a meter deep, striving to move forward. In just a moment, they had entered the area where the green plants were more than half a meter above the snow.

Just as they were trudging through the deep snow, the Japanese soldiers in front heard a strange snorting sound. This sound made the pursuing group stop, and the Japanese soldiers raised their guns, cautiously surrounding the area.

"What is going on?"

Nishikiguchi Koji followed the group with his pistol, not knowing what had happened to make the pursuing group stop.

Bang!

Before he could finish his sentence, a gunshot suddenly rang out from the front.

The moment the gunshot sounded, a strange noise erupted from the Cucao Pond, followed by the sound of running.

The Japanese soldiers, startled by the gunshot, were about to look for a target when they suddenly saw the grass in front of them moving rapidly.

"There's an ambush!!"

As the warning cries rang out, the leading Japanese soldiers raised their guns and aimed at the front, ready to shoot anyone they saw.

"Wild boar!"

When a brown-black pig head with tusks appeared through the grass, the leading Japanese soldier shouted in surprise.

Before he could finish his sentence, his companion had already instinctively pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The bullet instantly penetrated the wild boar's body.

Ouch!!!

The wild boar, more than a meter tall and as wide as a door, shuddered, let out a roar, and charged at the Japanese soldier who had fired the shot. Before the panicked Japanese soldier could dodge, the wild boar's head swung, and its tusks, more than half a meter long, flashed. The Japanese soldier let out a muffled groan and was thrown into the air, rolling and landing several meters away in the snow. As his body flew through the air, a trail of steaming blood splattered on the snow, turning the area a vivid red.

"Fire! Fire!!"

"Get out of the way!!"

The sudden incident threw the Japanese soldiers into chaos. Amidst the panicked shouts, two gunshots rang out, and the wild boar, which was still charging forward, was hit again.

This wild boar was indeed fierce. Despite being hit, it did not fall but lowered its head, spitting blood, and charged at the nearby Japanese soldier.

"Ah!!!"

The deep snow made it impossible for the Japanese soldier to dodge. He was hit head-on by the wild boar, and his scream pierced the sky, echoing into the distant forest.

Before the Japanese soldier could hit the ground, and while the other Japanese soldiers were still turning to look, the swaying Cucao grass brought more wild boars into view, their tusks bared.

"Run!!"

"Fire!!"

The wild boars, grunting, lowered their heads and charged through the snow, colliding head-on with the Japanese soldiers. In the midst of the Japanese soldiers' panicked cries, they crashed into the group.

Faced with wild boars weighing three to four hundred kilograms, the Japanese soldiers' frail bodies were thrown in all directions, their screams and the grunts of the wild boars mingling together.

The Japanese soldiers who were a bit further away, though not in the direct path of the wild boars, were surrounded by their comrades. They could not shoot, and could only watch in horror as their comrades were sprayed with blood and thrown around.

Nishikiguchi Koji, holding his pistol, moved his hand left and right but could not fire a single shot. There were too many wild boars, far more than their numbers.

The wild boars charged through, knocking down the Japanese soldiers, trampling over their bodies, and continued their charge out of Cucao Pond. After the leading wild boars, more followed, charging forward along the path cleared by the larger boars, ignoring the Japanese soldiers with their guns.

Where the wild boars passed, the snow turned dark red. The search team, spread out over twenty to thirty meters, was torn apart by a bloody path. The smell of blood quickly spread in the cold wind, becoming so thick it was almost sticky. The snow, soaked in blood, was no longer white or bright red but a deep purple, like the floor of a slaughterhouse.

The Japanese soldiers on both sides of the path were stunned, holding their guns and watching the wild boars pass by without any hesitation. No one dared to shoot, and no one tried to stop the charging herd.

Time seemed to slow down. The Japanese soldiers, holding their breath, saw nothing but pig heads and heard nothing but grunts. Their guns were useless, and they simply stood there, watching the wild boars pass by. As the wild boars became smaller and smaller, the entire herd passed by the Japanese soldiers in less than a minute, charging up the hill.

When the last wild boar ran past, a Japanese soldier, whose legs were already weak and trembling, leaned on his rifle, almost falling over.

Just as he was about to fall, a grunting sound came from the front again. A young wild boar, about half a meter tall, ran over and, without hesitation, charged at the Japanese soldier blocking its path. With a muffled groan, the Japanese soldier curled up and fell backward like a shrimp.

The young wild boar, after knocking down the Japanese soldier, paused for a moment, grunted, and stepped on his body, then calmly ran forward under the watchful eyes of six or seven guns.

"Ugh..."

The moment the young wild boar disappeared, a loud, relieved vomit echoed through the bloody Cucao Pond. More vomiting sounds followed, and the Japanese soldiers, holding their rifles, bent over and vomited.

They had seen blood before. To consolidate their control over the three northeastern provinces, they had killed many Chinese. This army unit had honed their bayonet skills on the banks of the Songhua River in Harbin, using the lives of thousands of northeastern Chinese. The Chinese, tied together with wire, had been dragged by their still-standing comrades, their intestines spilling on the ground. The blood had been even thicker than here. But this time, it was their own, and they had personally experienced the terror of death, which was different from being the executioners. At this moment, they finally had a normal human reaction.

Nishikiguchi Koji, only two meters from the bloody path, trembled, his eyes fixed on the intestines dragged by the wild boar's hooves in the snow.

On the snow, the bodies of the Japanese soldiers, no longer human, lay in piles, their intestines spilling out, still steaming, telling him that they had been alive just moments ago.

"Save... me..."

A weak cry for help brought Nishikiguchi Koji back to his senses. He turned his stiff neck and looked around. As he turned his head, he saw the terrified eyes and pale faces of his comrades.

"Bakana!"

Forcing himself to calm down, Nishikiguchi Koji shouted and fired his gun.

The two crisp gunshots startled all the standing Japanese soldiers, who came back to their senses, raised their guns, and gathered at the spot where the wild boars had passed.

Nishikiguchi Koji, holding his smoking pistol, stepped on the frozen blood, his steps unsteady, and walked to the source of the cry. When he got close, he felt a jolt and instinctively wanted to leave, but he forced himself to approach and slowly knelt down.

The soldier lying in the snow was breathing rapidly, his eyes unfocused. A terrifying gash on his left side, torn by the wild boar's tusks, exposed his abdomen, extending diagonally to his right rib. At the end of the wound, a rib protruded into the cold air, already cold. His stomach, outside the open wound, was still slowly moving, trying to digest the meat he had eaten not long ago.

"Sakura... I see... Sakura..."

The Japanese soldier, breathing rapidly, was in his final moments, his voice weak and barely audible.

Nishikiguchi Koji, leaning down, heard him clearly. His heart pounded, and he forced himself to endure the pain. He took off his left glove, switched his pistol to his right hand, and slowly extended it, pressing the barrel to the soldier's head. Turning his face, he gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger, ending his suffering.

Sigh...

The gunshot silenced the soldier's rapid breathing. A long, nauseating breath escaped his open mouth, and his eyes still held the happy "glow" of seeing the cherry blossoms...

"Check the casualties!!!"

Nishikiguchi Koji, without looking at the soldier, stood up and shouted.

At his command, all the Japanese soldiers came to their senses and quickly scattered to check the injured and count the casualties.

"Report! Only one injured, Fujiwara Kaji. Fujiwara's lower body was hit, but he is not severely injured and can still move."

A medical soldier reported loudly.

"Casualties?"

Nishikiguchi Koji, with a grim face, did not ask about the injured but wanted to know the losses.

"Hai!"

The medical soldier stood at attention and reported loudly, "Eighteen dead, one injured!"

"Bakana!!!!"

Nishikiguchi Koji's face turned purple. The moment the medical soldier finished speaking, he angrily drew his command sword and pointed it in the direction where Liu Zhong and his companions had disappeared, roaring, "Assemble! Pursue the Chinese pigs at all costs—!!"

Liu Zhong and his companions, who had already crossed the ditch and were running towards Heikoufeng, knew that the wild boars in the area would be startled and charge up the mountain after the gunshot. However, they did not know the extent of the Japanese soldiers' losses.

Hearing the successive gunshots, Mengzi, while running, laughed, "Daring to cross Cucao Pond in this season, it's no wonder the wild boars didn't spare them!"

"Exactly."

Liu Hai, panting, added, "Cucao Pond is the wild boars' territory. Besides the oak forest, it's the only place they can find food in groups. Even tigers wouldn't dare enter the Cucao Pond in this season, let alone the Japanese soldiers."

"Stop talking! Save your energy and run faster!"

Liu Zhong, at the back of the group, shouted. Although he did not know the extent of the Japanese soldiers' retaliation, the earlier dense gunfire on the mountain had already told him the outcome. The sooner they reached Heikoufeng, the greater their chances of escaping successfully. Despite the advantage they had gained, if the Japanese soldiers caught up, the dense gunfire on the mountain would be their fate.

PS: Cucao is a unique leafless herb found in the mountains of Heilongjiang. It has hard stems, likes water, and can grow up to one and a half meters in good years, usually about one meter. Due to its high water content and low-lying terrain, it does not wither in frost and remains frozen until the ground is covered in snow. It is a favorite of omnivorous wild boars. Because of the low-lying terrain, the snow depth is at least half a meter, making it inaccessible to herbivores like roe deer and sika deer, turning it into a private dining area for wild boars. Wild boars, besides digging for acorns in the oak forest, also forage in Cucao Pond every morning.