The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Lei Tao instructed Meng Yan and Lao Qiao to retreat with Black Dragon while he quietly returned to the scene of the operation. Under cover of darkness, he moved like a ghost through the rubble. Arriving at his designated location, he retrieved pre-printed leaflets from his Bagua spinning wheel. Climbing a high ledge, he cautiously scanned his surroundings, making sure no one was watching. Then, clutching the leaflets with both hands, he suddenly threw them into the air. The sheets scattered in the bitter night wind, like ominous snowflakes, falling in all directions. To ensure widespread distribution, Lei Tao moved swiftly along the rubble, scattering them from different positions. Some landed on the burning ruins, licked by the flames; some drifted into the Japanese camp; and still others caught on the barrels of damaged armored vehicles.

The leaflet reads as follows:

Letter to the Anti-Japanese United Army Traitors

Traitor! When you point your gun at your compatriots, you become a dog traitor who deserves to be killed by everyone! The glory bought with the blood of brothers is nothing but a rope to the gallows!

Remember—the Nether Assassin is coming to take your life!

Traitors, be torn into pieces! Those who surrender to the enemy, be reduced to ashes! Wherever they flee, we will pursue them! This is the final judgment!

——Netherworld Xuan

The background of the paper is a bloody skull, and a sharp sword splits the red sun in half.

After completing all this, Lei Tao hid in the shadows of the broken wall, observing the reaction of the Japanese camp. Soon, a Japanese soldier spotted a leaflet at his feet, frowned, and picked it up. Upon seeing the blood-red skull and threatening words on it, his expression froze, his eyes filled with fear. His unusual behavior caught the attention of his fellow soldiers, and more Japanese soldiers gathered to investigate, causing a cacophony of exclamations from the camp. Lei Tao's lips curled slightly at the sight, a cold glint in his eyes. The Japanese officers quickly reacted, shouting at their soldiers to stabilize the situation and organizing a search for any suspicious signs. Knowing he couldn't stay long, Lei Tao quietly evacuated the scene before the Japanese could conduct a thorough investigation. After reuniting with Meng Yan and Hei Long, they quickly disappeared into the night.

In this war-torn land, the situation is complex and intertwined, with various factions intertwined. A major thoroughfare, like a scar on the earth, bears witness to the cruelty of war. Along the road, driven by middle-aged vendor Wang Er, a stocky man with rough, dark skin, his face etched with the hardship of life, he makes his living in these turbulent times, selling groceries to and from surrounding towns on a mule cart. Suddenly, a fierce noise erupts in the distance, a cacophony of gunfire and explosions shattering the stillness. Startled, Wang Er's mule raises its front hooves and neighs. Straining to steady the animal, his face pale, he is torn between two paths: reason tells him to take a detour and escape danger, but the pressures of making a living make him worry about missing the market. Just then, a gust of wind blows a flyer to his feet.

Wang Er frowned and picked it up, struggling to identify it. As his gaze moved, a complex expression gradually emerged on his tense face. "This... this says to deal with traitors." He muttered to himself. Although he had a vague concept of "Ghost Assassin", words like "traitor" and "torn into pieces" reminded him of the evil deeds of traitors. Anger welled up in his heart, and he couldn't help cursing: "Someone should deal with these dog traitors!" The young man came over and Wang Er asked him to read it. After the man finished reading, his eyes were as bright as stars: "Boss, the 'Ghost Assassin' is so powerful, he can really deal with the traitors, and we ordinary people don't have to worry!" Wang Er nodded, his eyes showing expectation: "I hope the 'Ghost Assassin' can do what he says and let the traitors get retribution. I just don't know if the sound of gunfire just now was caused by them."

As the two talked, several passersby gathered around, drawn by the noise. A man who looked like a teacher took the flyer, examined it, and said, "If this 'Ghost Assassin' is truly a hero, he's done a great deed. Judging by the wording, they'll likely face a fierce battle with the Japanese and the traitors." An old man carrying firewood sighed, "It doesn't matter who it is, as long as they can deal with the Japanese and the traitors. We ordinary people just want a peaceful life." Everyone nodded, filled with curiosity and anticipation about the "Ghost Assassin." In these turbulent times, this flyer was like a ray of hope in the darkness, bringing hope and comfort to the people.

In the underground intelligence station behind the Soviet consulate, the crisp sound of vodka bottles colliding mixed with the clicking of an old typewriter. Vasily used tweezers to pick up a leaflet that had fallen on the windowsill, and his blue eyes behind the lenses suddenly narrowed. "Siberian wolf cubs, come and see this!" He pulled off the wool scarf wrapped around his neck and cursed in Russian and Chinese. "This 'ghost assassin' ruined the "foot basin chicken" entry ceremony in Nanjing last year, and then in Shanghai, he bombarded warships docked at the Huangpu River pier and the arsenal on the shore, and then bombarded the Shanghai Expeditionary Force Headquarters... Now he's actually extending his fangs to Harbin?"

Anna, who was deciphering the message in the corner, suddenly looked up, her scarlet-painted nails tracing the bloody skull on the flyer. "They're using a new type of quick-drying ink." She held the flyer up to the ultraviolet light, and dense micro-text emerged. "This isn't an ordinary threat—every stroke contains coded coordinates, clearly a signal for the lurker to contact her."

Meanwhile, in the attic on the third floor of the American Chamber of Commerce in Harbin, Williams, wearing tortoise-shell glasses, carefully studied leaflets with a magnifying glass. He spread yellowed newspaper clippings across the table—the Nanjing "Foot Basin Chicken" entry ceremony, the Shanghai bombardment of warships docked at the Huangpu River pier, the shore arsenal, the Shanghai Expeditionary Force headquarters—each scene bore a similar bloody skull mark. "This ghost has finally appeared," he said, dropping ice cubes into his whiskey, the clinking of the glasses resonating distinctly in the silence.

When the assistant pushed the door open, he saw him stuffing the flyers into the shredder. "Sir, do I need to report this to my superiors?" Williams sneered at the spinning blades. "Tell the Pentagon that our old friend might have found a new toy. Those precise blasting devices, encryption technology that's ahead of its time..." He twirled the gold pocket watch in his hand, the miniature camera on the inside of the watch cover facing the shredder. "I want to know: is the arms dealer behind him the Red Soviet Union, or our ally who likes to play with fire?"

In the nearby woods, the bandit Zuoshan Diao was leading his men in disguise, heading to Harbin to secretly acquire munitions from Soviet arms dealers. A young bandit picked up a leaflet and trotted over to Zuoshan Diao. He glanced at it and said, "What a boastful 'Ghost Assassin'! But if he succeeds, we'll make the Japanese and the traitors suffer." Another bandit suggested joining in to reap the benefits. After a moment's reflection, Zuoshan Diao said, "Don't rush. We don't know his background. If he's truly capable, we can find a chance to lend a hand and share in the profits. If not, stay out of the way." The bandits nodded in agreement.

At a secret Military Intelligence Bureau liaison point, intelligence officers Li Tang and Chen Wulin were gathering intelligence when a leaflet floated through the window. Upon discovering it, Li Tang and Chen Wulin discussed it. Chen Wulin believed the "Ghost Assassin" was no ordinary individual, openly declaring war on a traitor in an attempt to sow panic within the Japanese army. Li Tang felt that if they could truly eliminate the traitor, they would be doing the people a disservice and potentially disrupting Japanese military deployments. Chen, however, worried that increased Japanese defenses would affect the Military Intelligence Bureau's operations, but he also pledged to report the matter to his superiors.

At a secret liaison station of the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces deep in the mountains, intelligence officer Lu Qiang picked up a leaflet on his way back from a mission and brought it back to the station. After circulating it among the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces, they expressed their surprise and anticipation for the "Ghost Assassin," believing it to be a great help. Li Ming urged everyone to proceed with caution and to investigate the details before taking action. Everyone agreed, determined to go all out to fight the Japanese and punish the traitors.

Because of this leaflet, various forces have become concerned about and speculated about the "Ghost Assassin", and a storm is slowly unfolding on this land.