The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Chapter 340: Bandit Suppression Operation: Surprise Attack on the Cliff and Fierce Fighting in the C

The night was deep and everything was silent except for the mountain wind howling through the cliffs. All the combatants participating in the operation assembled outside the camp. After Xu Keming made a simple pre-war mobilization, they began to act separately according to the plan.

Zheng Cheng led the Military Control Commission's feint attack team, crouching and stalking quickly toward the rope ladder. When they were about fifty meters from the ladder, they hid behind a large rock. Zheng Cheng raised his hand slightly to signal silence, and the team members stopped in unison, gripping their weapons tightly, not daring to breathe.

Meanwhile, Lei Tao led the climbing team, led by Li Shuiniu, with ropes to a hidden path on the backside of the cliff. After silently dispatching two bandit sentries and a Japanese agent sentry, Li Shuiniu took the lead and carefully checked the pre-arranged ropes and grappling hooks. After confirming they were correct, he nodded to Lei Tao. Lei Tao took a deep breath and whispered, "Move!" Li Shuiniu gripped the ropes tightly with both hands, his feet gripping the cliff face. Like an agile monkey, he swiftly climbed up. The team members followed suit, their movements skillful and swift.

The climbing team successfully reached the summit. Lei Tao and his team quickly secured one end of the rope to the trunk of a sturdy tree at the top. After repeatedly confirming its stability, Lei Tao took the lead, grasping the rope with both hands, flipping over with a deft motion, and rappelling down the rope toward the cave entrance. His nimble demeanor was evident as he approached the cave entrance, forcing his legs to push off the cliff wall, instantly landing upside down and dangling securely above the entrance.

Almost simultaneously, the two bandits inside the cave noticed the commotion and, just as they were about to raise their guns, looked up to investigate. Lei Tao's eyes flashed, and he thought to himself that there was no time to draw his gun. With a flick of his right hand, he pulled out two throwing knives from the Bagua Top. He exerted force with a sudden flick of his wrist, and with a flash of cold light, the two knives flew downward with a swift momentum, shooting down like meteors in the dark night.

The first flying knife made a whistling sound and hit a bandit's throat accurately. The bandit's eyes widened instantly and his mouth opened slightly, as if he wanted to make a sound, but the flying knife pierced his trachea. He only made a muffled "gurgle" sound and fell straight back.

The other flying knife was also accurate, hitting another bandit between the eyebrows at an extremely fast speed. The bandit's body stiffened, and the gun in his hand fell to the ground with a "bang". Then he slowly fell backwards, blood gushing from the wound on his forehead, and in the blink of an eye, he was dead.

After dealing with the two bandits at the entrance of the cave, Lei Tao landed lightly along the rope, took out his M1911 pistol, loaded it, and took off the safety. He moved to the wooden fence of the cave and stood guard facing the entrance. After the other team members descended to the entrance, Lei Tao gestured to the team members to keep moving forward and led them to advance quickly into the cave.

Zheng Cheng, who had been feinting his attack from the front, saw that the climbing team had succeeded and shouted, "Brothers, charge!" He led the team towards the rope ladder. The bandits desperately resisted in the frontal fortifications, and bullets rained down. Zheng Cheng ducked behind a rock, pulled a grenade from his waist, pulled the ring, and threw it forcefully towards the bandit fortifications. With a loud "bang," the grenade exploded among the bandits, sending several of them flying in a bloody mess.

Taking advantage of the bandits' panic caused by the explosion, Zheng Cheng led his team to quickly climb the rope ladder and reach the cliff. They began to eliminate the remaining bandits. Caught from both sides, the bandits were thrown into disarray and fled in all directions.

Just as Zheng Cheng and his group of Military Intelligence agents were advancing into the cave and rounding a corner, Muto Muraki and several other armed agents, armed with submachine guns, burst out. Suddenly, a barrage of bullets ripped through the cave walls, sending shards flying. Zheng Cheng reacted quickly, shouting, "Get down!" and ducking behind a protruding rock.

The team members all lay on the ground, using the terrain for cover. Zheng Cheng was extremely anxious, knowing that if the stalemate continued, it would not only delay the encirclement and suppression operation but also cause casualties among the team members. He quickly scanned the surroundings and found a narrow crevice on the left. Although dangerous, it might allow him to flank the enemy.

Zheng Cheng lowered his voice and shouted to his teammate, "I'm going around the crevice on the left. You keep suppressing fire!" The team nodded in agreement, then leaned forward, weapons in hand, and opened fire, targeting Muto Muraki and the others. While the enemy's attention was distracted, Zheng Cheng quickly stood up, crouched low, and rushed to the crevice. He struggled through the crevice, sharp rocks scratching his clothes and arms, but he ignored the pain, intent on getting behind the enemy as quickly as possible.