The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Chapter 320: Smoke Trick: Uesugi Kazuya's Escape and Lei Tao's Counterattack

Kazuya Uesugi huddled behind a boulder, barely daring to breathe, his hands trembling slightly as he frantically changed the magazine. Extreme nervousness made his movements slow and clumsy, and it took a great deal of effort for the new magazine to click into the gun. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, a plan struck him, and he impatiently pulled a grenade from his belt. With a firm pull of his thumb, the safety pin popped out, and with a fierce flick of his wrist, the grenade traced a pale arc through the air before plunging headfirst into the withered grass nearby.

"Boom!" Instantly, a resounding explosion shook the entire forest, sending shudders through the mountains and forests, their eardrums buzzing as if struck by a sledgehammer. The powerful force of the grenade explosion, like a raging beast, sent dirt and rocks carelessly flying. The heat wave, swirling with surging air, ignited the dry grass like a ferocious fire dragon. The flames greedily devoured everything around them, spreading with alarming speed. In the blink of an eye, a raging sea of ​​fire raged before their eyes. Thick smoke billowed toward Lei Tao, surging and spreading like a venomous black curtain, obscuring everything in its path.

At this moment, Lei Tao, tightly wrapped in thick smoke, felt his eyes sting, tears welled up uncontrollably, and flowed freely down his cheeks. He quickly covered his mouth and nose with his hands, trying to block the pungent, suffocating smoke, but it was all in vain. The smoke permeated every pore, choking his throat and making him nauseous. The rage in Lei Tao's heart suddenly flared up again. He gritted his teeth and roared in his heart: "Want to run? Not so easy! Today is your death!" Lei Tao took a deep breath, endured the burning sensation in his lungs and the stinging pain in his eyes, and with the cover of the smoke, like a lurking cheetah, he quietly moved towards the general direction of Shangshan Kazuya.

Taking advantage of the rapidly spreading smoke, Shangshan Heye crouched down, holding his breath, like a frightened mouse. Under the cover of the smoke, relying on his familiarity with the terrain of the mountain forest, he nimbly circumvented Lei Tao's possible route from the side, using his hands and feet to quickly crawl towards the unconscious Zhu Erba. He crawled to Zhu Erba's side, without even a glance, and reached out his hands, grabbed Zhu Erba's collar, and with a fierce throw, he lifted him onto his shoulder. Zhu Erba's limp body swayed violently with this rough movement, and his head drooped limply to the side.

Shang Shanhe didn't even have time to catch his breath. He pushed forward with all his might, sprinting towards the deep mountains and ancient forests. His heart pounded wildly in his chest, like the rapid beating of a war drum, each beat causing pain in his eardrums. His breathing was rapid and heavy, and each inhale carried the thick smell of gunpowder, choking his throat dry and burning. As he ran, he frequently glanced back vigilantly, his eyes filled with fear and panic, afraid that Lei Tao would suddenly burst out from the smoke like a ghost and intercept him.

When Lei Tao finally broke through the smoke and regained consciousness, he realized he had been tricked by the cunning devil. Furious and annoyed, he turned around and punched the tree trunk beside him, roaring, "Damn it!" After a brief moment of frustration, he quickly adjusted himself and looked up. Although the bandit leader Zhu Erba had been rescued, his group of small bandits were still resisting stubbornly.

Lei Tao took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He knew he couldn't lose his composure at this moment. Looking up, he saw the bandits, like frightened rabbits, hiding behind jagged trees, occasionally cautiously poking their heads out to fire a sniper shot. Bullets whizzed through the air, striking the surrounding tree trunks and rocks, sending up showers of debris.

"Listen up!" Lei Tao shouted at the militia behind him, his voice firm and powerful, echoing through the forest for a long time. "These bandits are at the end of their strength. Let's redouble our efforts and don't let them escape!" With that, he crouched down, using the trees for cover, and began to carefully weave his way towards the bandits. He took every step with extreme caution, his eyes constantly observing his surroundings, not missing any slightest movement.

Suddenly, a bullet flew from the darkness and hit Lei Tao's shoulder with a "puff". Fortunately, his body armor worked, and the bullet was firmly stuck. But the huge impact still made Lei Tao feel like he had been hit hard by a club. He staggered uncontrollably, and the burning pain instantly spread from his shoulder to his whole body.

Lei Tao gritted his teeth, endured the pain, and quickly ducked behind a tree that was so large it took three people to hug it. His breathing was rapid and heavy, and the excruciating pain made beads of sweat form on his forehead, which slid down his cheeks and dripped into the dirt at his feet.

He quickly examined the wound. While the bulletproof vest had stopped the bullet, the impact had still bruised his shoulder, and a bruise was spreading at a visible rate. Lei Tao took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He quickly pulled out his pistol, leaned forward, and fired two shots in the direction of the bullet. With two "bangs," accompanied by a painful scream, a bandit clutched his shoulder and rolled out from behind the tree in agony.

Seeing this, the other bandits grew increasingly panicked, their firing becoming chaotic and unsystematic. Lei Tao, seizing this opportunity, gestured to the militiamen, who fanned out, gradually closing the encirclement. The bandits were caught off guard by this sudden attack, their resistance growing weaker, their faces filled with fear and despair.

At that moment, a rather burly bandit suddenly burst out from his hiding place, brandishing a broadsword, the blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight, and rushed madly towards Lei Tao. His eyes were filled with madness and determination, and he shouted, "I will fight you!" Lei Tao's eyes shone, his pupils shrinking instantly. He quickly dodged the sharp blade, and the wind from the blade scraped across his cheek, chilling him to the bone. Then, taking advantage of the bandit's inability to retract the blade, he fiercely kicked him in the abdomen. The bandit grunted, his body flying backwards, hitting the ground heavily, raising a cloud of dust, and the broadsword in his hand fell to the side with a clang.

As time went on, the bandits' resistance weakened, their psychological defenses completely crumbling. One after another, they laid down their weapons, their hands trembling as they raised their hands in surrender. Lei Tao watched these subdued bandits, but he felt no sense of triumph. He knew that Zhu Erba's rescue by Shangshan Kazuya, an elite Japanese officer proficient in the rudiments of special operations, must have been a significant event. He knew that Zhu Erba's rescue by Shangshan Kazuya, an elite Japanese officer proficient in the rudiments of special operations, must have been a significant event. He had heard Zhu Erba ask Shangshan to rescue him and agree to certain conditions. Could this be interpreted as Shangshan Kazuya wanting to recruit this bandit group to provide services for his own forces?