The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Lei Tao rode his motorcycle into downtown Shanghai like a gust of wind. The huge roar was deafening, and pedestrians were terrified and scattered. However, he was soon stopped by a checkpoint set up by the Japanese Marines. The soldiers pointed their guns at him, with a fierce look in their eyes, as if Lei Tao was their prey.

Lei Tao's eyes instantly became fierce, anger written across his face, and he cursed. He quickly turned off the engine, pulled out the key, and got out of the car. He walked towards a soldier with a rage and slapped him hard. "Pa!" The soldier staggered and almost fell, with a red hand mark on his face and blood at the corner of his mouth.

Lei Tao took out a forged major officer certificate and waved it in front of the soldiers, cursing in pure Tokyo Japanese: "Baga! You bunch of idiots!" His eyes were wide open, his eyeballs seemed to pop out, his facial muscles were trembling with anger, and veins on his forehead were bulging.

The beaten soldier covered his face with his hands, terrified, not daring to say a word, his body shaking violently.

Lei Tao roared: "Open your dog eyes and look! If you dare to stop me and cause delays, I will send you to a military court!" This roar made the other soldiers panic and look at each other in confusion.

A soldier stammered, "(Major, we...we didn't know it was you, please don't be angry.)" As he spoke, he bowed tremblingly.

Lei Tao snorted coldly: "(Hmph! A bunch of blind guys! Let me pass!)" He crossed his arms across his chest and stared down at them condescendingly.

The soldiers nodded and bowed hurriedly: "(Yes! Yes! Your Excellency, Major, please pass.)"

Lei Tao glared at them fiercely, got on his motorcycle and left. The soldiers were so scared that they dared not make a sound.

Soon, Lei Tao arrived at the East Asia Hotel, across from the Huaxia branch of the 82nd Bank of Japan. Posing as a member of a Japanese chaebol, he checked into the penthouse suite. Once inside, he locked the door and carefully checked every corner. Once he was sure it was safe, he retrieved the miniature Hummingbird drone from the Bagua Gyro space and released it through the balcony window.

Lei Tao stood on the balcony and controlled the drone to fly towards the bank with a serious expression, knowing that this investigation was crucial for subsequent operations.

The drone approached the bank, first hovering overhead. The building was imposing, its exterior walls fortified, and its gates imposing. Soldiers stood guard at the gate, their eyes alert. The drone lowered its altitude and flew along the exterior walls, spotting ventilation holes and surveillance cameras. Flying to the side parking lot, Lei Tao observed the make and license plate of the officer's car. Then, he flew to the rear loading area and saw Japanese workers carrying what appeared to be important documents and valuables, supervised by a Japanese officer.

During the reconnaissance, a Japanese soldier heard the drone and looked up. Lei Tao's heartbeat quickened, but he calmly controlled the drone to hide behind a billboard, waited until the soldier was not paying attention, and continued the reconnaissance. After obtaining the information, he controlled the drone to return.

Just then, Lei Tao spotted several suspicious figures in the footage. Their agility and alert eyes made him suspect they were members of the underground Communist Party. He decided to follow them, piloting his drone. They were wary, constantly taking detours and weaving through alleyways. Once, a child ran into the middle of the street, nearly revealing the drone. Nervously, Lei Tao maneuvered the drone behind a laundry drying line, and after the child left, he resumed tracking.

Finally, the men entered the vine-covered courtyard, where several people were talking in low voices with serious expressions. Lei Tao did not act rashly. He found a secluded observation point nearby and waited patiently.

After a while, a member of the underground party came out of the yard. Lei Tao looked carefully and found that his walking posture was a little strange. His left foot seemed to be a little lame, but it was difficult to notice without careful observation. Lei Tao remembered the intelligence he had received before. There was an underground party member code-named "Lone Eagle" who was injured in the leg during a battle and left this characteristic.

After waiting for a while, someone in the yard took out a handkerchief with a special pattern printed on it and wiped his sweat. Lei Tao had seen this pattern in another piece of intelligence. It was the contact mark of a certain underground party group.

Lei Tao also noticed that these people used some code words when talking, some of which he had heard from a reliable anti-Japanese comrade. They were words used to identify identities within the underground party.

After these observations, Lei Tao had essentially confirmed their identities. He grabbed two suitcases filled with grenades, time bombs, five M1911 pistols, three Thompson submachine guns, and a quantity of ammunition, then quietly left the hotel and headed towards the courtyard. He cautiously observed his surroundings as he walked, his steps light. Arriving at the courtyard door, he paused, took a deep breath, and knocked.

The door opened a crack, and a wary voice asked, "Who?"

Lei Tao lowered his voice and said, "Don't be nervous, my friends. I have something important to talk to you about."

The door opened wider, and a young man poked his head out, his eyes suspicious. "Who are you? How can we trust you?"

Lei Tao said: "I am a friend of Lao Wang in Nanjing. I just found you when I was investigating the Japanese bank. I know you are fighting against the Japanese, and so am I. I want to find you to do something big together."

The young man asked doubtfully, "Old Wang? We can't believe what you say. There are so many traitors these days. Do you have any evidence?"

Lei Tao said: "Lao Wang told me that you have a brother here who is very good at disguising himself. Once he was almost exposed because of a mole during a mission, and it was Lao Wang who helped him."

The young man said, "That doesn't prove anything. There are probably many people who know about this."

Lei Tao added, "Old Wang often goes to the Fulaiju tavern in the south of the city and sits in the second seat by the window. He and the owner have an agreement that when he's not there, the owner will place a bunch of daisies in that seat."

The young man was silent for a moment, then said, "Even if you know Lao Wang, this cooperation is too dangerous and we can't agree to it lightly."