The War of Resistance Against Japan: Starting with a Calm View of Life and Death

"Oh?" Zhou Jindong put down his teacup, the lid clinking against the cup. "Lei Laohu? I've heard of him. He used to be a pig butcher, but later he built up a gang. They say he's quite skilled, but he has a bad temper and is ruthless. He often robs people."

"Should we send them away?" Sun Erniu asked.

"No." Zhou Jindong stood up, straightened his uniform, and said, "Let's go take a look. Since they've come to 'seek refuge,' we should let them know the rules."

In an open space in Dongzhai Town, more than 300 new and veteran soldiers formed a large circle.

In the middle of the circle stood a burly man with a face full of scars, shirtless, revealing a body covered in black hair, holding a Mauser pistol in his hand, and standing on a large rock.

This man was Lei Laohu—he had a scar on his face that stretched from his forehead to his cheek, like a centipede, making him look particularly ferocious.

Behind him stood more than thirty henchmen, each wearing their hats askew, squinting, and looking slovenly.

Some of the henchmen were carrying homemade guns, some were carrying broadswords, and some were carrying hoes.

"Where's Zhou Jindong? Bring him out!" Lei Laohu shouted. "I heard you raided the Japanese warehouse and made a fortune? We Black Wind Ridge warriors aren't pushovers either. If we're going to merge, then we have to follow the rules of the underworld: might makes right!"

He twirled his pistol in his hand, the tassel swaying back and forth.

Zhou Jindong led Wang Yuan and Zhang Fang out and stood ten meters away from Lei Laohu.

He was wearing a faded old military uniform, with a pistol tucked into his waistband, and nothing in his hands.

But his eyes were like knives, coldly staring at Lei Laohu, making Lei Laohu feel uneasy.

"So you're Lei Laohu?" Zhou Jindong asked calmly, his voice cutting through the noise of the crowd.

"It's your Grandpa Lei!" Lei Laohu twirled his pistol in his hand. "Zhou Jindong, don't think you can become the boss just because you killed two Japanese devils."

These days, guns are the only thing that matters. I won't bully you; let's have a go. If I win, we'll split the Japanese spoils in half.

"If you win, I, Lei Laohu, will sell you these thirty-odd pounds of meat!"

His henchmen started clamoring: "Our boss has excellent marksmanship! Let's have a go! Let's have a go!"

"Share it in half! Share it in half!"

"Sharing half with everyone?" Zhou Jindong laughed. "Lei Laohu, you dare to challenge me? Do you know how many Japanese soldiers are in the Cangshan'ao stronghold? More than sixty!"

Do you know how many machine guns we captured? Twelve!

How dare you make such a request! It's like a toad trying to eat a swan's leg!

Lei Laohu's face twitched, but he still forced a smile and shouted, "Stop bragging! Who knows if it's true! Seeing is believing, let's settle this with our skills!"

His voice lacked confidence, yet he was still trying to hold on.

"Okay." Zhou Jindong nodded. "How do you want to compete?"

"Let's have a marksmanship contest!" Lei Laohu pointed to a dead tree a hundred meters away. "See that crow on the branch? Whoever can shoot it down in one shot wins!"

The tree was far away, and the crows on its branches were only the size of a palm, and they were still moving.

Lei Laohu's henchmen started chanting, "Get ready to enjoy our boss's excellent marksmanship! Shoot it down! Shoot it down!"

"Zhou Jindong definitely wouldn't dare to compare!"

Lei Laohu looked at Zhou Jindong smugly: "Captain Zhou, would you like to go first? Don't say I'm bullying you."

His eyes were defiant, but he didn't notice the sneers of the soldiers behind Zhou Jindong.

They knew the vice-captain's marksmanship.

Zhou Jindong didn't speak, but turned to Zhang Fang and said, "Bring me that Type 98 sniper rifle with the scope."

Zhang Fang was taken aback for a moment: "Dongzi, that was just captured, we haven't tried it yet. Do you know how to use it?"

His voice was filled with worry, but he still turned around to grab his gun.

"Just give it to me," Zhou Jindong said casually, extending his hand.

Zhang Fang handed over the gun. It was a sniper rifle used by the Japanese special forces, equipped with a 4x scope.

In that era, this was an absolute weapon of mass destruction—there were only a handful in the entire Shanxi-Northwest region.

Zhou Jindong took the gun, but instead of holding it with the butt, he held it with one hand, standing straight like a pine tree.

His eyes were pressed against the scope, and he could clearly see the crow's black feathers, even its eyes—like two small black beans.

Wind speed, humidity, distance.

He silently calculated in his mind: wind speed level 2, humidity moderate, distance 100 meters, deviation almost zero.

He silently calculated in his mind, and then—

"Bang!"

A crisp gunshot pierced the air, like the sound of tearing silk.

A hundred meters away, the crow that was preening its feathers was struck as if by a heavy hammer, instantly bursting into a cloud of blood mist and falling straight down.

Its feathers danced in the air like black snowflakes.

The entire place was deathly silent. Even the wind had stopped, and the only sound was the rustling of the leaves.

Lei Laohu's mouth dropped open, his jaw almost falling to the ground.

His eyes were wide open like copper bells, filled with terror.

To hit a moving target from 100 meters away and kill it with a single shot is simply divine skill!

His original idea was that no one could hit him, so he would find a close-range target and compare their skills.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Jindong didn't leave him any suspense at all and opened it directly!

Lei Laohu's henchmen also shut their mouths.

Zhou Jindong tossed the gun to Zhang Fang, clapped his hands, and said, "Your turn."

His voice remained calm, as if nothing had happened.

Lei Laohu's face was ashen, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and the sweat dripped down his cheeks onto the stone.

He steeled himself, raised his pistol, and fired three shots at the tree.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Several pieces of bark were shaved off by the bullets, and a few leaves were shaken off the tree.

Apart from that, there was no other activity.

The crow had long since fallen to the ground; his three shots were completely in vain.

"You flatter me." Zhou Jindong clasped his hands in a fist salute, a hint of sarcasm on his lips.

Lei Laohu's face turned a deep liver color, like a ripe eggplant.

His henchmen dared not cause any more trouble and all lowered their heads.

"This...this doesn't count!" Lei Laohu was still stubborn, but his voice had softened considerably. "Good marksmanship doesn't mean you can lead troops! We need to compete in hand-to-hand combat! Let's do it one-on-one!"

He pointed at Wang Yuan, wanting to pick a seemingly weak opponent.

"Fists and kicks?" Wang Yuan stepped forward, carrying a Type 38 rifle with a fixed bayonet that gleamed coldly in the sunlight. "Dongzi, the vice-captain, is in charge. As the rightful captain, I can't refuse. But fists and kicks are boring. Let's fight for real!"

Come on, let's have a bayonet fight! I'll play with you.

Lei Laohu glanced at Wang Yuan and saw that although Wang Yuan was muscular, he wasn't as bulky as himself, which rekindled his hope: "Alright! I'll compete with you! If I win, the bet from before still stands!"

His henchmen started chanting again: "Go, boss! Kill him!"