The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Chapter 351: Night Forest Tracking: Map Puzzles and Unexpected Gunshots

The absence of anyone in the shack didn't relax Lei Tao and Li Shuiniu's nerves; instead, they became even more vigilant. They exchanged a tacit glance and slowly entered the shack. Lei Tao's sharp eyes swiftly scanned the interior, leaving no corner untouched, trying to find any trace of the enemy in this narrow space.

The shack was sparsely furnished, containing only a few scattered, worn-out garments and a simple wooden box. Li Shuiniu stepped forward to examine the clothing, while Lei Tao squatted down to examine the box. He slowly opened it, revealing nothing of importance except some rations and scraps. Just as Lei Tao was about to rise, he caught a glimpse of a blurry, dark shadow on the ground. Bending down and taking a closer look, he discovered a half-burned piece of paper.

Lei Tao instantly became alert and pulled out a blacklight flashlight from his belt. He covered the light source with his fingers and turned on the flashlight. The light leaking from between his fingers shone on the half-burned paper on the ground, which turned out to be a Japanese military map.

"Brother Lei, this..." Li Shuiniu lowered his voice, his eyes full of confusion and vigilance.

Lei Tao frowned, squatted down, carefully picked up the half of the map, and examined it carefully. Although part of the map was burned, the edges still had traces of scorch, and the paper had turned brittle and yellow, some key information could still be made out. Several winding rivers, like the blood vessels of the earth, twisted and spread across the map. The lines were drawn so finely that one could even see the direction of the water flow. The marked mountains stood tall, and the contour lines clearly showed the undulations of the terrain. The positions of the peaks were emphasized, and there were some Japanese annotations next to them. Lei Tao roughly understood that the meaning of the annotations above was related to the geographical features or strategic significance of the mountains.

There were also a few pencil lines in several places, distorted and seemingly random, yet seemingly concealing a deeper meaning. The marking of the nearest mine bore a hole, seemingly from a cigarette burn. The edge of the hole was black and charred, and the surrounding paper was slightly curled. Lei Tao thought, this couldn't be accidental. Shangshan Heye was most likely trying to conceal key information about the mine, or perhaps hint at something. Could the mine contain something important? Or perhaps a strategic resource?

"Is he planning to evacuate the mines?" Lei Tao muttered to himself. If that were the case, the area around the mines would surely be filled with traps and hidden sentries. If Kazuya Uesugi escaped into the mines, the complex terrain and the possible presence of Japanese defenses would make it extremely difficult to kill him.

Lei Tao took a deep breath and turned to look at his teammates behind him. Their eyes were filled with trust and expectation. "Brothers," Lei Tao whispered, "There's a big secret hidden in this half of the map. Shangshan Kazuya is likely heading to the mines. It's very dangerous there, but we must give chase and completely crush his conspiracy." The team members nodded.

Chen Feiyang tightened his grip on the gun and said, "Brother Lei, we'll follow you. We won't retreat, even if it means facing a sea of ​​fire and swords!" Liu Zishan gritted his teeth, a resolute look on his face. "That's right. We can't let that bastard Shangshan Kazuya succeed. He has so much blood on his hands. Today is his death!"

"Captain Lei, please give the orders!" "This time we must kill the devil Shangshan Heye!" "I will listen to you, Brother Lei. If you tell me to go east, I will never go west." Yi Guang and the two Li brothers expressed their opinions one after another.

Lei Tao felt a warm feeling in his heart when he heard everyone's opinions. He nodded and said, "Okay, let's go! Remember, stay alert and pay attention to the movements around you at all times."

The team advanced steadily toward the mine through the quiet forest. Aside from the occasional rustle of wind and leaves, there was complete silence. Li Shuiniu's expression was tense yet tinged with excitement. He periodically glanced back to check for any enemy ambush from behind. His finger trembled slightly on the trigger, his breathing quickened, his chest heaving with nervousness.

At this moment, Li Shuiyang walked lightly through the team, patted Li Shuiniu's shoulder gently, and whispered, "Brother, don't be too nervous. There are so many of us, so there will be no problem." Li Shuiyang had a gentle smile on his face, and his eyes showed determination and confidence.

Li Shuiniu took a deep breath, forced a smile, and replied, "Shuiyang, I know, it's just that this journey has been too quiet. I always feel like there's some danger watching us from the dark."

Liu Zishan crouched, following closely behind Lei Tao, his gaze scanning the surroundings, not missing any suspicious signs. Chen Feiyang and Yi Guang, two members of the team, formed a pair behind the three men, maintaining appropriate spacing and coordinating with each other, forming a well-organized yet tightly connected search formation.

Meanwhile, on another path in the forest, Xu Keming, Zheng Cheng, and the rest of the Military Control Team were advancing toward the mine. Xu Keming's face was stern, his eyes sharp as a hawk's, constantly monitoring his surroundings. He lowered his voice to Zheng Cheng, "Uesugi Kazuya is definitely planning something at the mine. We must get there before he does and not let him succeed."

Zheng Cheng nodded solemnly, turned around and made a gesture to the team members behind him, signaling everyone to stay alert. The team fanned out and moved forward cautiously. The fog in the mountains gradually thickened, adding a bit of oppression to the tense atmosphere. Lei Tao's team and Xu Keming's team were both advancing cautiously on their respective routes, but they were unaware that they were gradually approaching each other. Suddenly, a crisp gunshot came from the front, breaking the silence. Lei Tao's expression was stern, and he immediately made a gesture, asking the team members to find cover and hide, and whispered: "It seems that there is a situation ahead, everyone be careful." Xu Keming also responded quickly. He raised his hand to signal the team to stop advancing, and then whispered with Zheng Cheng about the response strategy: "The gunshot came from a strange source. It may be a trap set by Kazuya Kamishima. Let's not act rashly."