The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

The moment it touched down, the F-35B's belly scraped against the snow, its stealth coating scraped off by the rough ice particles, revealing the gleaming titanium alloy frame beneath. A blizzard of snow, like steel needles, lashed the cockpit, and Lei Tao's eyelashes instantly froze with ice crystals. Through his blurred vision, the knife-like cliffs on either side of the snowy valley loomed—there, hidden by Japanese anti-aircraft batteries disguised as mountains, the cold gleam of their muzzles faintly visible.

"Boom!" The moment the fighter plane crashed into the snowdrift, Lei Tao slammed the emergency brake button. The rocket thrusters beneath his seat erupted in flames, plowing a hundred-meter-long trench through the snow. The engine abruptly stopped, and the temperature in the cockpit plummeted to an icy low. The white mist from his breath quickly condensed into ferocious icy crystals on the windshield.

"Report: 23% structural damage to the fuselage, stealth coating failure, weapon systems disabled." An electronic voice, with a rare electrical hum, said, "A human heat source has been detected nearby, 3 kilometers away."

Lei Tao activated the Bagua gyroscope system, and golden runes appeared on the watch's surface. The F-35B shrank into a cocoon of light amidst the twisting ripples of space, embedding itself within the dial. "Come out, Black Dragon!" Before he could finish his words, the air suddenly trembled like ripples on water. The Black Dragon materialized from thin air, and the metal dog tag clashed with a resounding sound.

The military dog ​​was incredibly excited the moment it landed, its tail thrashing like a propeller, the air it created sending snow flying. It lunged at Lei Tao, its front paws suspended in mid-air, fearful of rubbing against its master's wounds. It rubbed its furry head repeatedly against the back of the hand sporting the tactical watch, whimpering with delight. The blue light of the intelligent bio-prosthetic eye flickered violently, and data streams exploded and reassembled like fireworks, revealing its current level of excitement.

"Calm down, we've got a tough battle ahead." Lei Tao smiled, rubbing the sensitive spot behind Heilong's ear, earning an even more enthusiastic tail wag in response. The military dog ​​nudged its master's palm with the tip of its nose, as if begging for a mission. The moment Lei Tao flipped the neural synchronization switch, Heilong suddenly straightened his back. The blue light of his prosthetic eye instantly turned a cold, dark blue, and the thermal image on his retina overlapped with Lei Tao's. The distant Japanese sentries lurking beneath the snowdrifts and the heat waves from the ventilation vents in the underground fortifications were all visible in the dual field of vision.

"Three heat sources detected, at the three o'clock position." As Lei Tao finished speaking, the black dragon lowered itself, a low growl emanating from its throat, a battle-like growl. Its tail stopped waving, its muscles tensed like bowstrings, ready to tear through the snow at its master's command.

Deep underground in Changbai Mountain, Lieutenant Colonel Sato Wuye was using tweezers to pick up a wriggling plague bacillus from a petri dish. "Report! An unidentified aircraft has crashed into the snowy valley!"

"Baga!" He slammed the petri dish on the table, and the purple liquid splashed on the slogan "Completely eliminate all life in China". "Is it a ghost fighter? Send out the snowmobile team immediately, and find him alive! That pilot will be a perfect sample for testing the new virus." He stroked the photos of human experiments hanging on the wall, and a morbid smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Ice crystals rippled from the snow, reflecting the pale moonlight. The Black Dragon suddenly arched its back, its shoulder blades bulging beneath its fur like a cheetah poised for action. Its front paws furiously scraped at the snow, its sharp metal claws rubbing against the ice, sparking sparks. Within three seconds, the EMP launcher hidden beneath the snow was exposed. At the same moment, the synchronized image on Lei Tao's retina suddenly turned red—the Black Dragon's intelligent prosthetic eye had mapped three outflanking Japanese heat sources, its location data holographically projected onto the right side of his field of vision.

"Three o'clock, attack!" The moment Lei Tao slapped Black Dragon's flank, the military dog ​​shot out like an arrow. It sprinted low to the ground, using the natural cover of snowdrifts to perform zigzag maneuvers, each turn precisely avoiding the enemy's predicted trajectory. As tracer rounds from the Type 92 heavy machine gun grazed the snow, Black Dragon suddenly stopped, gripping the ice with its front paws to gain leverage and leaping upward, carving a strange parabola through the air. A low growl mingled with the wind and snow, successfully drawing the Japanese fire towards itself.

Lei Tao seized the opportunity, carrying the launcher and tumbling into the snow pit, his back hitting the solid ice wall. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Black Dragon deftly roll sideways behind a snowy mound twenty meters away, avoiding the blast from the Japanese grenade launcher. "Synchronize thermal vision!" With the command, his field of view instantly switched—in the frame, a Japanese machine gunner was emptying scorching shell casings from the magazine, exposing the blind spot between his throat and ribs.

"Now!" Lei Tao pulled the trigger, and the rocket, trailing a dark blue flame, tore through the snow. The electromagnetic pulse ripped through the electronic equipment like a tide, sparks blazing from the armored vehicle's dashboard, and the onboard radio emitted a shrill whine. Japanese soldiers, bleeding from their ears and noses, fell to their knees. One soldier, panicking, pulled the trigger on his Type 38 rifle, but the bolt jammed and failed to fire due to the abnormal magnetization of the metal components caused by the EMP shock.

Black Dragon seized the opportunity, taking advantage of the moment when the enemy's vision was obscured by chaos, and pounced at the nearest machine gunner like a flash of black lightning. His intelligent prosthetic eye projected a red aiming frame, accurately locking onto the opponent's carotid artery. The moment his canine teeth cut into flesh, warm blood splattered onto the snow, congealing into dark red ice crystals.

"Black Dragon, take turns providing cover!" Lei Tao advanced through the smoke from the explosion, his HK14 assault rifle emitting flames. Black Dragon immediately retreated to his left rear, his intelligent prosthetic eye rapidly scanning the battlefield, marking the remaining Japanese troops' positions and movement paths with dotted lines in Lei Tao's field of vision.

As they entered the underground fortifications, the howling of the blizzard gradually gave way to the eerie silence of the underground passage. Black Dragon's nose rested against the ground, its intelligent prosthetic eye projecting holographic lines onto Lei Tao's retina, revealing the wall's internal steel structure and the direction of the pipes. When the prosthetic eye detected a booby trap in the corner, Lei Tao grabbed Black Dragon's tactical harness just in time. The bullet grazed the dog's ear, sending sparks flying against the rock wall.

A strange sound of metal rubbing echoed in the darkness. Black Dragon's hairy neck suddenly stood up, and a deep roar rolled from deep in his throat. Lei Tao's intelligent prosthetic eye suddenly flashed a blood-red warning. The holographic projection of the wall's steel structure suddenly rippled chaotically. "Get down!" He threw Black Dragon to the ground, and three fragmentation grenades rolled out from the cracks in the wall. Lei Tao instantly activated the hydraulic support rods of his tactical harness, pinning Black Dragon and himself within the blast buffer zone. Amid the roar, his prosthetic eye continued to calculate frantically. When it detected a flashing red dot in the shadows, he had already pulled the trigger of his tactical rifle. Amidst the roar, the firing pin of the HK14 assault rifle crackled through the smoke. The 7.62mm bullet whistled through the air, and the gunpowder gas bursting from the barrel, wrapped in the smoke, hit Lei Tao's face. The butt of the rifle slammed into Lei Tao's shoulder. The gun body shook violently as he pulled the trigger, and hot shell casings ejected from the ejection port one after another, hitting the ground with a clanging sound.

A dense hail of bullets plowed through the darkness, blazing trajectories. The muzzle flashes of the HK14s cast a flickering light all around them. In the brief burst of light, Lei Tao glimpsed three figures in black tactical uniforms falling to the ground like puppets with their strings severed. But more shadows were pouring in from the collapsed wall, their MP35 submachine guns gleaming coldly.

The black dragon suddenly growled, its claws digging into the ground. Lei Tao instantly fell backward and rolled. Bullets scraped against the concrete, sending up gravel and leaving a row of bullet holes in the wall behind him. He ripped the smoke grenade from his tactical belt and hurled it with all his might. Amidst the acrid white smoke, the butt of his HK14 rifle smashed accurately into the oncoming figure, a sound of bone breaking mixed with a muffled groan.

Lei Tao scurried along the wall, his boot soles crushing bullet casings with a subtle, crisp sound. Two enemies suddenly rushed out from around the corner. He spun into a half-crouch, raised his rifle, and pulled the trigger, sending two bullets piercing their throats. Warm blood splattered on his tactical eyepiece, blurring his vision. A bayonet grazed his ear.

"You're looking for death!" Lei Tao grabbed the enemy's wrist with his backhand, slammed his knee into his abdomen, snatched the bayonet, and pressed his rifle against his chest, firing three times. The smell of blood mixed with gunpowder smoke filled his nostrils. He pulled off his shirt to wipe his eyepiece, but then he heard the sound of heavy footsteps at the end of the corridor—at least a squad of enemies were outflanking him.

The black dragon suddenly lunged at the right ventilation duct, its claws scratching and causing Lei Tao's pupils to shrink. He immediately turned his gun and pulled the trigger, aiming at the duct opening. The sound of metal tearing and screams echoed simultaneously. Taking advantage of the enemy's brief panic, he rolled his last grenade into the corridor. In the flash of the explosion, the HK14's muzzle once again spurted flames, and bullets rained down on the surging crowd like a torrential rain.

When the last enemy fell, Lei Tao's rifle fired an empty chamber sound. He gasped and changed the magazine, but heard the roar of a truck engine outside the building - reinforcements were coming.