The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Lei Tao, Meng Yan, Lao Qiao, and other anti-Japanese fighters struggled through the snow-covered forest, sinking into the thick snow with every step, making a "crunching" sound. The cold wind cut across their cheeks like a knife, but they didn't care about that. They only wanted to escape the pursuit of the Japanese army.

"If this goes on, the Japanese will find out something is wrong sooner or later." Meng Yan exhaled a breath of white air and said worriedly.

Lei Tao remained calm and composed: "Don't worry, they won't be able to figure out our tactics for a while. This forest is our best cover. As long as we stay vigilant, we can fight them to the end."

The old woodcutter nodded. "Captain Lei is right. We have a much greater advantage fighting guerrilla warfare in this forest than in the open. However, according to intelligence, the commander of the Kwantung Army in this area, Yoshijima Ueya, is a formidable opponent. This devil is formidable and ruthless in his tactics. A brigade of the Second Army of the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces suffered heavy losses at his hands..."

As he spoke, the military dog, Black Dragon, suddenly arched its back, a deep growl emanating from its throat, and the tactical collar around its neck flashed red. Lei Tao raised his hand and pressed down on Black Dragon's prosthetic steel eye. The retinal projection instantly lit up with a thermal image—three kilometers away, on the snowy plain, eight treacherous heat sources were moving at high speed in a fan-shaped array, their skis leaving trails like the twisted tongues of a venomous snake.

"Infrared identification: Japanese ninja attire, carrying cold weapons and ninja tools." The electronic voice of the Black Dragon AI, mixed with the wind and snow, poured into his mind. Lei Tao's pupils suddenly constricted. "That old fox Fangdao Wuya has even sent out the ninja troops." He pulled off his frosted mask, and the white mist from his breath formed ice crystals on his eyelashes. "We can't let them seize the entire team. Meng Yan, take Lao Qiao and the others to Area Three. I'll set up an ambush in Huting."

"Captain Lei! This is too dangerous!" The veins in Meng Yan's hand bulged as he gripped the Mauser pistol.

Meng Yan wanted to argue, but was pulled back by Lao Qiao. Lao Qiao patted his shoulder and said in a hoarse voice, "Listen to Captain Lei! We must find the main force alive!"

The team quickly split into two groups. The logistics personnel carried wicker boxes filled with important documents and medicine, while the young soldiers, rifles in hand, watched their surroundings vigilantly. Meng Yan, gripping his pistol tightly, led the group in a rapid march toward Area 3. The snow was so deep that many soldiers sunk to their knees.

Wu Yezhu, a young soldier in the team, suddenly slipped and nearly fell. The old woodcutter quickly caught him and whispered, "Be careful, don't make any noise." Wu Yezhu bit his lip, nodded, and regained his footing.

They advanced along a stream almost covered by snow. Lei Tao had planned this route in advance, allowing them to use the stream to conceal their tracks while also utilizing the cliffs on either side as natural barriers. The team advanced quickly but also in silence, with only the occasional clink of weapons and heavy breathing.

As the outline of Huting loomed in the morning mist, Meng Yan turned his head to look in the direction of Lei Tao's ambush, his eyes filled with worry. As if reading his mind, the old woodcutter whispered, "Captain Lei has a plan. Let's go!" They quickened their pace and quickly disappeared into the winding mountain path, leaving behind only a trail of footprints that were quickly obscured by the wind and snow.

Lei Tao took out a high-precision sniper rifle from the Bagua gyroscope space and stuffed the spare magazine into his tactical vest. The Black Dragon had already tacitly brought the camouflage net. Lei Tao raised the barrel of the high-precision sniper and kept it aimed at the nine ghostly black shadows on the skyline.

Morning mist, swirling with ice crystals, swirled through the pine forest. Eight shadowy figures, treading on pine-slicked skis, sliced ​​through the snow like ghosts. Their white feather cloaks rustled in the cold wind, blending seamlessly with the freshly fallen snow. Their specially crafted narrow-bladed skis plowed shallow ruts into the snow, like natural traces of wind.

The leading ninja suddenly raised his hand, the ninja crests on his bronze wristband gleaming coldly in the morning light. He leaned low to the ground, his ear pressed against the snow-crusted, rotting wood, and a short, owl-like cry emanated from his throat. The other seven immediately dispersed, their kunai catching the rising sunlight like a venomous snake's tongue. The ninjas' snow boots, with their specially designed steel claws, were now deliberately relaxed, leaving only a faint indentation as they glided.

The sky in the east was pale, ice crystals reflecting tiny rainbow lights. The snow on the right spruce branches suddenly fell, and nine figures instantly disappeared into the tree's shadow. The youngest ninja was about to draw his sword, but the elder beside him stopped him with a gesture. The elder produced a copper cicada-shaped ninja weapon and tapped it three times into the morning mist. The unique sound waves startled the hazel grouse in the tree hole. Startled birds flew across the snowy plain, their wings sweeping away the falling snow, revealing the faint trace of a fresh deer hoof print.

The eight formed a "Hidden Moon Formation," their skis tracing strange arcs. They held their breath, their ninja bells, soaked in snow, trembling only slightly. Morning light pierced the clouds, stretching the figures of these foreign assassins across the snowy landscape like nine cold blades, searching the area where Lei Tao and his companions had appeared.

Lei Tao half-knelt in a rocky depression covered in icicles, the carbon fiber barrel of his high-precision sniper rifle gleaming with a cold sheen. His tactical eyepiece automatically adjusted its focus, clearly locking onto the figures moving through the forest eight hundred meters away. In thermal imaging mode, the eight dark shadows burned like dark red flames against the snow.

"Black Dragon, alert," Lei Tao whispered. The military dog ​​immediately crouched, its robotic eye scanning the surroundings. The moment he pulled the trigger, the specially designed silencer muffled the gunshot to a low, muffled thud. The ninja, bearing the brunt of the impact, suddenly erupted in a crimson mist from his helmet, and he fell backward onto his skis like a kite with its string cut.

Before the other ninjas could react, the second armor-piercing round had already torn through the morning mist, accurately striking the chest of the ninja on the right. The body was thrown back by the impact, breaking the thick spruce tree, and a dazzling blood flower bloomed on the black haori cloak.

"Retreat!" Lei Tao quickly stored his high-precision sniper rifle in the Bagua Gyro's space handle. He then pulled out a modified Scorpion submachine gun, specifically designed to combat Japanese ninjas, and replaced it with a Desert Eagle 45-round magazine of .50-inch ammunition. Black Dragon cleared the snowy path ahead, and he skied down it. Behind him, the shrieking of ninja weapons pierced the air, but only icy flowers blew across the snow. Morning light penetrated the pine forest, revealing two warm bodies rapidly being covered by the snow. Only the remaining bloodstains glared like blades against the white snow.