The expeditionary force began to dominate Southeast Asia by recruiting defeated soldiers

On an island off the northeast coast of Sumatra, a troop equipped with the Nanyang Defense Force's new tropical camouflage combat uniforms is hiding in the camp.

The camp was located deep in the hot and humid jungle, and its camouflage was almost perfect. It repeatedly evaded detection by the small Japanese troops who came to search and the local native puppet troops.

At this moment, Colonel Lin Laisheng from the Nanyang Defense Force, who was in charge of commanding the 277th Special Operations Regiment, was staring at a map of Palembang city spread out on an ammunition box.

On the map, a courtyard located in the center of the city's edge, near the refinery area, was circled heavily in red.

"After repeated investigations, I can confirm that Tanabe Moritake, commander of the Japanese 25th Army, is here," Lin Laisheng said in a low voice. As an excellent special operations commander, he dared to make a judgment. "This old Japanese is very cunning. He stays in this courtyard most of the day, but at the slightest sign of trouble, especially the sound of aircraft engines, he will immediately sneak into the reinforced concrete headquarters deep underground."

"So conventional daytime bombing is ineffective against him?" asked Harriman, a former White Eagle electrical engineer, current commander and technical advisor of the 277th Regiment and a battlefield modification fanatic.

As for night bombing, the accuracy was too low. After the Japanese implemented the blackout, it was pitch dark, and the bombing targets could be several miles or even dozens of miles away.

"Operation Thunderbolt is scheduled for 5:2 AM on February 2nd. Our regiment's mission is to…" Lin Laisheng nodded and poked the red circle with his finger before the operation begins. "Pull out this nail and ensure that Thunderbolt's first punch can destroy the enemy's command center."

The beheading of Moritake Tanabe was intended to paralyze the Japanese army's highest command in Sumatra and clear the way for the upcoming large-scale offensive.

But storming the heavily guarded courtyard and underground headquarters? That would be tantamount to suicide.

Most members of the 277th Special Operations Regiment are still local natives. Even though they have received training from Chinese instructors and weapons provided by Nanyang, they cannot all transform into Rambo and fight against a hundred enemies alone.

"So, we need this." Lin Laisheng turned around and carefully took out two long cylindrical instruments that shone with a cold metallic luster from a metal box covered with velvet.

They have strange shapes and are full of futuristic technology, which is out of tune with the simple jungle environment around them.

Harriman's eyes widened instantly.

He couldn't help but move closer and examine it carefully as if it were a rare treasure.

The barrel is made of lightweight alloy, covered with precise cooling fins and adjustment knobs, with a protective cover at the front and thick cables and a heavy battery pack connected to the rear.

The most eye-catching thing is a line of small words etched on the barrel: "ND:YAG laser indicator - top secret - made by Nanyang Radio Institute No. 3".

"Oh my God... Is this a laser pointer? Nd:YAG? Neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet?" Harriman muttered to himself. As a senior electrical engineer before joining the army, he certainly understood what these words meant.

The concept of LASER is still in the stage of theoretical exploration and laboratory verification in the scientific community and is absolutely cutting-edge technology.

And Zhang Chi, the time traveler, naturally just wrote down the corresponding translation noun as "laser" instead of simply transliterating it as "laser".

Then, after exchanging the corresponding laser production line within the system, Nanyang Radio Institute No. 3 decided to use neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet as the primary generation medium.

In fact, as a laser working material, Nd:YAG crystal emits lasers with extremely strong directionality, extremely small divergence angle, and a wavelength (1.06 microns) in the near-infrared band with good penetration... This is an excellent carrier for accurately indicating targets.

Lin Laisheng was also a little excited. He didn't expect that the laser-guided weapon proposed by Zhang Chi, who came to give a lecture in person during the special warfare class, had become a reality.

As for Harriman, who was already deeply tied to Nanyang, showing him the appearance of this sophisticated item was also in line with confidentiality regulations.

"How...how is this thing made?" Harriman's voice trembled with disbelief. He gently stroked the cold barrel. "Ruby...no, synthetic ruby ​​crystal? Such a high purity?"

"A stable resonant cavity design, as well as this miniaturized excitation source and cooling system—how did you manage to accomplish this despite so many challenges? My God, the level of materials science, optical processing precision, and electronic control required... Even Bell Labs, no, even the entire White Eagle, might not be able to consistently produce experimental products of this level right now."

Harriman was deeply shocked. The technical prowess displayed by Nanyang constantly overturned his understanding.

From sophisticated individual equipment to efficient communication equipment, to the sci-fi laser pointer in front of us... behind this emerging country, there seems to be an unfathomable source of technology.

His awe and curiosity towards Zhang Chi and the United States of Nanyang reached an unprecedented level.

At the same time, a strong thought arose in his mind: What is this thing used to indicate? What kind of weapon requires such precise guidance?

Lin Laisheng looked at Harriman's shocked expression and offered no explanation. He simply said in a deep voice, "Yes, they were test subjects, so there were two of them."

Harriman, your task is to ensure that they are in the best condition before the operation, especially the power supply, which must be foolproof."

"No problem, my colonel." Harriman immediately straightened his back, his eyes flashing with the excitement of a technology fanatic.

He immediately called out to his men, "Quick, push the Lightning Donkey over here and prepare to charge it to full capacity."

In a corner of the camp, there are several "Lightning Donkeys" that have been modified by Harriman.

In fact, it is an ordinary bicycle with the rear wheel removed and modified with a hand-cranked generator and voltage-stabilizing circuit, connected to a heavy lead-acid battery.

As the soldiers began to cycle furiously, the generators hummed, pumping electricity into the specialized battery packs used for the laser designators.

Lin Laisheng picked up one of the laser pointers with both hands. It felt heavy. There was also a matching tripod in the box to keep it stable.

"Tanabe Moritake... your time of death has come."

-----

At 2:17 a.m. on January 31, a hot and sticky darkness enveloped the courtyard that was "expropriated" from the mansion of a local wealthy businessman.

The chirping of cicadas and the low hum of a distant oil refinery are the only background sounds.

Days of false alarms and the Nanyang Air Force's careless harassment had long worn down the defenders' vigilance.

Suddenly, a low roar coming from far away broke the silence of the night.

It's the roar of a large aircraft engine!

A staff officer on duty suddenly changed his expression and almost stumbled into Tanabe Moritake's bedroom.

"Sir! Sir! Emergency! Engine sounds in the air. It's a large bomber from Nanyang. Please move to the underground bunker immediately."