Chapter 38: When it is time for me, Chu Yunfei, to strike, I strike without a moment’s hesitation!

"Commander! We have yet to receive a reply from the Second War Zone Headquarters... Should we proceed with the operation as planned?"

Three hours had passed.

Chu Yunfei furrowed his brows. He could not fathom what was going on in the mind of Old Man Yan. To have such a golden opportunity and yet hesitate—it was incomprehensible. When it was time to strike, one should strike. There was absolutely no room for ambiguity.

Chu Yunfei nodded and stepped toward the telephone. "Is that you, Bian Fucheng?"

"Commander, it is!"

Chu Yunfei glanced down at his wristwatch. The hands pointed to nine o'clock in the evening. It was the scheduled time for the operation to begin. At this point, there was no reason to hesitate further.

Chu Yunfei’s firm voice echoed through the receiver: "I order the operation to begin!"

"Yes, sir!"

Bian Fucheng hung up the phone and looked at the twenty-odd men standing before him. "Brothers, there is no need to emphasize the importance of this mission again. I will say it once more: the mission comes first, the mission is paramount!"

Though he wore his military cap, Bian Fucheng had already stripped off his tunic. Bare-chested, with four or five grenades strapped to his body, he stepped in front of the men. The hulking Northeasterner emphasized loudly once more, "Once the mission is accomplished, I will claim credit for you all from the Battalion Commander!"

"Move out!"

Each member of the suicide squad was equipped with the Jin-manufactured Thompson submachine gun, the weapon of choice for the elite of the 358th Regiment. They carried Mauser pistols in holsters at their waists, grenades strapped to their chests, and broadswords slung across their backs as a precaution against sudden close-quarters combat with the Japanese invaders. In every sense, this suicide squad—or rather, this assault team—was armed to the teeth.

Because of the heavy fighting, Yuanping City was still without power. Small groups of Japanese soldiers were busy clearing corpses from the streets. For their own dead, they built large bonfires to cremate them. Officers of rank were granted the privilege of having their ashes collected in individual urns, sometimes even with a memorial tablet. As for the common foot soldiers... they were simply tossed onto the pyres, their remains indistinguishable from one another. Sending ashes back to the homeland was a privilege reserved for officers; the common infantryman naturally received no such treatment.

Bypassing the firelight, the assault team remained silent, moving in a straight line toward the breach in the city wall. Soon, they reached the hole that the special intelligence platoon had blown open. Though there were no guards stationed there, temporary barbed wire had been installed.

"Company Commander, these devils are truly fast. Had we not been in a rush to attack, this spot would have been sealed off completely!" one soldier remarked. "If we had waited until tomorrow night to strike, this place would surely have been repaired."

Bian Fucheng frowned and whispered, "These devils are not easy to deal with." He gestured to the men behind him. Two soldiers quickly stepped forward, pulled tools from their pockets, and began cutting through the wire.

"Company Commander, it’s done!"

Bian Fucheng nodded, signaling for the team to move forward. The point man suddenly stopped and looked outside the breach. After a tactical hand signal, the lead unit halted. Under the watchful eyes of his comrades, the scout carefully crouched down. A moment later, he removed a wooden-handled grenade that had been rigged as a tripwire trap at the entrance.

Seeing this, Bian Fucheng cursed under his breath: "Damn it, these devils are truly cunning; they even set up tripwire mines."

The soldiers continued forward, navigating toward the city gate according to the map of the interior recalled by the intelligence platoon. The darkness of the night served as their best cover. While the fires outside the city illuminated many areas, the interior was pitch black. Though the soldiers did not move at high speed, they made no sound, ensuring there was no chance of alerting the Japanese.

Following the base of the city wall, the soldiers soon arrived at the South Gate. Hiding in the shadows, they observed the activity at the gate. After a moment, they had assessed the situation.

"Company Commander, four below, four above. We don't know if there are others, but judging by their positions, there are no blind spots. We can't sneak up on the sentries. What do we do?"

"It seems that completing this mission without being discovered is impossible!" Bian Fucheng frowned slightly and whispered, "Once the firing starts, the devils will rush to reinforce the area. Listen: Platoon Leader, you take the first team and head straight for the wall to secure our objective once the shooting begins. I will lead the second team to provide cover. Remember, once you succeed, do not get bogged down in a fight!"

Bian Fucheng crouched before his men and asked, "Is that clear?"

"Clear!"

"Then let's do it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Bian Fucheng charged out ahead of the rest, his broadsword raised high, cleaving one of the Japanese sentries in two.

"Baka!"

Several Japanese sentries immediately raised their rifles to fire.

"Ta-ta-ta!"

The next second, the crisp, rhythmic sound of the Jin-manufactured Thompson submachine guns rang out. The Japanese sentries were riddled with bullets and fell instantly. A shrill, piercing alarm whistle echoed through the night.

The Japanese on the city wall attempted to return fire, but they were quickly suppressed by the intense firepower of the Thompsons. Several soldiers scrambled up the wall and gunned down the remaining Japanese defenders.

The Japanese, alerted by the commotion, began rushing in from all directions to provide support. Time was short for Bian Fucheng and his men, but it was enough.

"Company Commander, we have it!"

"Return the way we came!"

"Yes, sir!"

Back in the command post next to the Li family compound, Shinichiro Shinohara woke with a start at the sound of gunfire. "What is happening!"

His first instinct upon hearing the shots was that the enemy was launching a raid on the command post. Two minutes later, the gunfire grew denser and closer. Yosuke Morinaga led his guard detachment to quickly occupy the high ground in the surrounding area. As flares rose into the sky, Shinichiro Shinohara realized what was happening. A cruel smile curled his lips: "Those rats... I know what they came for. Dispatch soldiers immediately to block the rat hole and exterminate them!"

Yosuke Morinaga nodded instantly: "Hai!"

"Boom!" "Ta-ta-ta!"

Explosions and gunfire erupted. From the intensity of the shooting, Morinaga could tell that the enemy’s firepower was unusually strong. He swallowed hard, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He drew his Nambu pistol, wiped his brow, and turned to wave his hand, signaling two squads of soldiers to charge toward the breach while he followed closely behind, directing the deployment of his troops.

Less than three hundred meters away, the assault team, led by Bian Fucheng, was fighting as they retreated. The heavy firepower of the Thompson submachine guns was perfectly suited for urban street fighting. The pursuing Japanese soldiers clearly were not gaining any advantage; whenever they risked an advance, they were mowed down by the team.

After losing over a dozen men in the back-and-forth, the pursuing squad leader began to hesitate. Against automatic weapons, in this kind of terrain, his men with their bolt-action rifles seemed to be nothing more than target practice.