Chapter 98

It was said to be a relief, but he only breathed a sigh of relief after He Sizhang finally ran away by the river. Although they had prepared meticulously and inflicted heavy damage on He Sizhang with intense artillery fire and precise shooting, the enemy's numbers were overwhelming. If they abandoned the camp and flanked around, the thirty-odd men would not be able to resist. Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and He Sizhang ultimately chose to escape through the gap left behind, allowing the attack to proceed as planned.

"Two men to a team, clean up the battlefield, no talking, watch out for snipers, and shoot any bodies you see!"

"Yes!"

All the gathered team members, their faces glowing with the excitement of victory, responded in unison with a low roar.

Each carrying a sniper rifle on their back and holding two Mauser pistols, they nimbly rushed into the trench, quickly clearing the battlefield. They would shoot any body from a distance, whether dead or alive. If a body moved, a companion would immediately follow up with another shot.

Their tactical vests were stuffed with magazines, and the sound of the Mauser pistols never ceased. As the Flying Tigers searched the trenches, their excitement made them less affected by the bodies. However, when they entered the camp, they could no longer bear the sight.

The ground was covered in flesh and gore, making it impossible to recognize human forms, let alone find a complete body. The machine guns had fired from the edge of the grass, at a height just above the calves or knees, and the highest point of the muzzle was only at chest level. Thus, the bodies were torn apart and shredded by the dense bullets as they fell.

"Move past this area quickly!!"

When the first team member stopped to cover his mouth, Dong Ku shouted loudly.

"Shaleng! What's the big deal."

Mangzi, holding his Mauser pistol, stepped through the blood and ran forward quickly, completely forgetting the vomiting fit he had in Dahan Town when he saw a similar scene.

The members of Hu Ya remained unperturbed, trampling through the gore and rushing into the camp.

The Flying Tigers, who were no strangers to bloodshed, were inspired by their example. They suppressed their churning stomachs, held their breath, and charged into the camp, eyes fixed forward.

As Dong Ku and his team rushed into the camp, He Sizhang and his men sprinted across the barbed wire, over the Baoqing Bridge, and towards Dahan Town, wishing they had four legs to run faster. The sound of gunfire behind them spurred them on in a desperate race.

The phrase "defeat comes like a collapsing mountain" was fully realized at this moment.

Dong Ku's team had no trouble clearing the battlefield. Any injured Japanese soldiers who tried to resist were mercilessly shot, even from a distance of thirty-four meters, without giving them a chance.

After clearing the last Japanese escape route and finding no officers of the rank of major or above, Dong Ku holstered his Mauser pistol and ordered, "Huzi and Dog Egg, take your teams and stay behind. Transport all the supplies you can carry to Laotuzi Mountain. Make sure to cover the truck tracks. You have one hour here. If you can't move it, leave someone to watch it. The rest return to the first camp at Laotuzi Mountain, with Dog Egg in charge."

"Yes!"

Dog Egg and Huzi, along with two team members, stood at attention and prepared to find trucks in the parking lot outside the camp. After a moment's thought, Dong Ku said, "Liu Hai and Mengzi, stay behind and follow Dog Egg."

"Yes!"

Liu Hai and Mengzi accepted the order and joined Dog Egg's team.

"Everyone, except for bullets and necessary items, put everything down and travel light!" Dong Ku said, leaving only bullets, a pack of compressed biscuits, and some tactical attachments for his M4A1 in his backpack. He left the rest, including grenades and a Mauser pistol, on the ground.

The team members quickly followed the order, clearing their backpacks and tactical vests to reduce their load. Their faces, painted with camouflage, glowed with excitement.

After everyone had finished, Dong Ku waved his hand and led the team in pursuit of He Sizhang's escape route.

By now, the Japanese, who had been running for about twenty minutes, were showing signs of fatigue, especially the wounded. Shinzan Yumi, supported by two Japanese soldiers, struggled to keep up with the main group. It was clear that if they continued at this pace, they would not reach Dahan Town, which was a hundred kilometers away.

If not for his repeated advice to avoid the forest, and He Sizhang's belief that the road was faster and better for meeting up with reinforcements, they would have already entered the dense forest and taken a straight path.

On the mountain ridge, Dong Ku led his team in a rapid sprint. After about ten minutes, he stopped, took out his binoculars, and pointed to a location, making several gestures.

There, the road passed between two mountain slopes, the perfect spot for an ambush.

Shunzi waved his hand and led his sniper team quietly towards the road, then crossed it and disappeared into the forest.

Dong Ku led the remaining team members straight to the front of the mountain pass, hiding in the dense forest.

Near the mountain pass, a Japanese squad of about fifty men was lying in the grass on both sides of the road, their guns pointed at the road, clearly preparing for an ambush or a defensive position.

After Shunzi was in position and saw the Japanese, he raised his binoculars and looked at the opposite mountain top. After a moment, he found Dong Ku, who was also looking at him through binoculars, and saw the attack signal.

The Japanese at the bottom of the mountain had no idea they had been discovered and were exposed to the deadly guns.

Seeing the attack signal, Shunzi quietly passed the order to each team member who had already locked onto their targets.

From his position on the mountain ridge, about five hundred meters away, Dong Ku extended his M4A1 out of the grass and fired a meteor-like flash towards the unsuspecting target.

Following the tracer bullet's attack signal, the sniper rifles made a soft "puff" sound, and bullets silently flew towards their targets.

A Japanese lieutenant, who was looking through his binoculars at the road, suddenly felt a pain in his head. With a "pfft," his head exploded like a watermelon, and a foul smell of burnt flesh and blood rose.

The soldier next to him didn't have time to react. As soon as he heard the "pfft" sound, his head fell forward, and a cloud of blood mist sprayed out.

The "puff" sounds continued to rise among the Japanese, one after another.

One Japanese soldier, startled by the sudden death of his companion, quickly rolled over and turned his gun to find the source of the attack. But before he could fully turn, a bullet drilled into his temple and exited the other side, spraying red and white fluid.

"They're behind us!!!"

A Japanese soldier screamed in terror, rolled out of the grass, and quickly crawled to find a hiding spot.

The other surviving Japanese soldiers also became alert and quickly sought cover, raising their guns to find the source of the attack. Unfortunately, the dense grass hid all traces, making it impossible for them to spot the camouflaged Flying Tigers.

Most terrifyingly, no matter where they hid, they could not escape the silent, deadly shots. In just over a minute, the entire squad was wiped out.

After confirming there were no more living targets, Dong Ku raised his binoculars to look at Shunzi's position. Seeing Shunzi raise his binoculars, he made a gesture to move out, leaving the battlefield uncleared.

About ten kilometers ahead in the forest, He Sizhang and his men heard no gunfire. The lieutenant in charge of the rear guard had not sent a report about any pursuit, but he still dared not stop. With only about three hundred men left, they could not withstand a large enemy force.

As He Sizhang and his men ran like dogs fleeing from their homes, Dong Ku and Shunzi met up and followed the mountain ridge, looking down at the road, and pursued at high speed. By now, it was clear that He Sizhang had not abandoned the road but was fleeing towards Dahan Town.

After an hour of rapid running through the forest, Dong Ku found no more sniper positions. When He Sizhang lost contact with the rear guard and sensed something was wrong, he finally saw discarded items on the road.

"They're just ahead!"

Dong Ku muttered to himself, pointed to the mountain ahead, and led the way through the bushes.

After crossing the mountain, he saw the weary figures of the Japanese on the mountain road through his binoculars. By this time, Dong Ku and his team were also drenched in sweat and exhausted.

But when they saw the Japanese, the team members immediately became excited, their fatigue forgotten. Following Dong Ku's gesture, they quickly moved forward, reaching the side of the marching Japanese in about ten minutes.

The Japanese were already exhausted, struggling to walk on the mountain road. If not for the knowledge that they would meet up with reinforcements in two hours, they would have collapsed on the road to rest.

Suddenly, the wounded soldiers at the back began to fall silently. In less than two seconds, over twenty wounded soldiers were dead.

The sound of bodies hitting the ground made the less severely wounded Japanese soldiers' hair stand on end. They turned around like frightened rabbits, raising their guns.

But what greeted them was a hail of deadly bullets. Before they could even see their attackers, the sound of heads exploding and clouds of blood and white fluid filled the road. In a brief moment, over twenty more were killed.

"The enemy has caught up!!!"

"Return fire!!!"

The Japanese at the rear of the column, hearing the commotion, shouted and fell to the ground, turning to fire into the forest.

Hearing the gunfire and shouts, He Sizhang pulled out his command sword and roared, "Take cover! Defend!!!"

The soldiers on the road immediately hid by the roadside, raising their guns to find the attackers.

The gunfire and bullets from the rear of the column did not reveal a single figure. Instead, the Japanese lying on the ground were one by one shot in the head, falling dead.

"From the side!!!"

The soldiers who were shot in the head provided the direction of the attack for the surviving Japanese. All the Japanese aimed their guns in the direction of the bullets.

But they could see no one, hear no gunfire, and see no muzzle flashes. Even hiding behind rocks did not protect them from the deadly bullets.

"Escort Major He to safety, I will hold off the enemy!"

Kiyama Ichio shouted with determination.

"Let me go!"

He Sizhang struggled and shouted, trying to break free from the two soldiers holding his arms.

Shinzan Yumi, too weak to struggle, was carried by two soldiers, following the forcibly dragged He Sizhang as they fled towards Dahan Town.

Dong Ku's scope followed the group of over a hundred Japanese, trying to shoot the three major officers inside. But with the heads moving, he had no chance to shoot. Missing the target, he would not pull the trigger. Instead, he turned his gun to search for targets in the grass and rocks, firing quickly.

Kiyama Ichio, hiding behind a large tree, panted heavily. He knew he could not stop the enemy. But as a soldier, he could not let He Sizhang and Shinzan Yumi be captured. If that happened, even if he survived, his only fate would be to commit seppuku.

Shunzi's scope swept over potential targets, searching for the well-hidden Japanese. Suddenly, a foot, a foot in a leather boot, appeared in his scope.

"An officer!"

Shunzi's heart raced, and he stopped, looking for a chance to shoot.

But Kiyama Ichio had no intention of showing himself. He held his pistol, leaning against a large poplar tree, waiting to fight to the death when the enemy got close.

Just as he was fully alert, waiting for the enemy to appear, his ankle suddenly hurt, his leg gave way, and his body fell out from behind the tree.

Before he hit the ground, his head went numb, and his consciousness was swallowed by darkness.

Kiyama Ichio's death caused the dozen soldiers around him to immediately panic and reveal themselves.

But in that split second, the "puff" sounds rang out, and seven or eight Japanese soldiers fell silently into the grass.

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