Chapter 7: Baptized by the Flames of War, Li Yunlong Possessed by the God of War

The moment the Japanese soldier driving the truck heard the gunshots, he knew trouble was brewing—but it was already too late. Suddenly, a sharp pain struck his chest, and blood began to pour out. In agony, the truck veered sharply to the side.

Several Japanese escorts were slammed aside, thrown toward the roadside by the powerful impact. The force was so great that they spat blood, screaming in pain. Yet at that moment, neither the Japanese nor the puppet troops had time to aid their comrades. Faced with the onslaught of the new regiment, they were completely overwhelmed, struggling to fend for themselves.

“Bang bang bang...”

“Rat-a-tat-tat... rat-a-tat...”

“Boom boom boom... rumble rumble... boom boom boom...”

As Wang Xikui fired his shots, the other soldiers abandoned concealment and launched a fierce assault on the enemy. Rifles and light machine guns blazed rapidly, bullets spraying like rain. Grenades were hurled immediately at the foes below.

An overwhelming force of destruction was unleashed, inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese and puppet forces alike—especially the Japanese, whom the soldiers targeted with particular ferocity. Just at the opening volley, more than twenty Japanese soldiers fell, while the rest scrambled desperately to find cover and return fire.

Li Yunlong had put considerable thought into how to deal with the Japanese. Watching them retreat toward a nearby barricade, the soldier responsible for detonating the grenades decisively pulled the ignition cord. The fuse of the buried grenades and explosive charges hissed as it burned.

Despite the continuing gunfire, the Japanese troops who had withdrawn there failed to notice anything unusual. In an instant, a series of explosions erupted.

At this stage, the grenades used by our forces were still sourced from the Nationalist government, rather than manufactured in the border region, and their power was quite formidable.

“Boom boom boom... rumble rumble... boom boom boom...”

The Japanese, just beginning to stabilize their formation, were thrown into disarray by the blast. Shrapnel and flying debris from the grenades and explosives scattered outward, inflicting significant casualties.

Shen Quan and the others watched with exhilaration and awe, amazed that the Japanese had fallen exactly as their regiment commander had predicted. This wave alone had taken down nearly ten Japanese soldiers and rendered many more combat-ineffective.

To have annihilated over half the enemy at the very outset of the battle was exhilarating.

Li Yunlong let out a relieved breath as he witnessed this. Gaining such an advantage early on would boost the soldiers’ morale and help shatter their ingrained fear of the Japanese. This, in turn, would allow their combat effectiveness to be fully realized. Otherwise, facing these fierce adversaries head-on would lead to heavy losses.

This was precisely why Li Yunlong had painstakingly prepared his deployment.

“Comrades, hit them hard!” he commanded.

“One bullet per target—one shot, one hole!”

“First squad, press forward with me! Take them out!”

“Kill!”

Leading from the front, Li Yunlong charged ahead, his Mauser pistol hammering away relentlessly. The shots rang out with near-perfect accuracy, transforming his handgun into the equivalent of a submachine gun.

This display greatly inspired the soldiers following him, their fighting spirit soaring.

Meanwhile, the Japanese and puppet troops’ expressions darkened, especially those of the puppets. Once cut off by the second squad’s assault, many puppet soldiers dared not advance and instead considered retreat.

Their judgment of the situation was astute. Surrounded on three sides, with the Japanese repeatedly ambushed and suffering heavy losses, and the enemy seemingly targeting the Japanese specifically, their morale shifted. After all, they had no desire to sacrifice themselves for the Japanese.

Still, to avoid suspicion, they kept firing—though mostly into the air or randomly.

The remaining Japanese, however, showed no sign of panic. Instead, madness flickered in their eyes as they opened fire and rapidly fixed bayonets, preparing to meet the enemy’s charge.

With Li Yunlong leading the advance, the battle soon reached a fever pitch.

Wang Gensheng pulled the pin from a grenade, waited a few seconds, then hurled it forcefully. The grenade arced gracefully through the air, detonating precisely above the Japanese formation.

An airburst.

Shrapnel sprayed outward, greatly expanding the grenade’s lethal radius.

Instantly, the Japanese fire faltered.

Pained cries echoed from their positions.

Li Yunlong cheered excitedly, “Wang Gensheng, well done!”

“Great explosion!”

Bang!

Li Yunlong dispatched a Japanese soldier ahead with a shot. His pistol emptied, he drew his broadsword, raised it high, and shouted:

“Comrades, crush these devils!”

“Charge!”

“Kill!”

At such close range, Li Yunlong and his men surged forward immediately. Wang Xikui and the others provided covering fire.

“Bang bang bang...”

Bullets sprayed relentlessly, cutting down the Japanese before they could retaliate.

One had to admit—his marksmanship was exceptional. At fifty meters, nearly every shot found its mark.

Combined with the light machine gun’s sweeping fire, the Japanese, still reeling from the grenade airburst, could not mount any effective counterattack, no matter their tactical skill.

Li Yunlong led the charge into the remaining Japanese positions, shouting, “Kill!”

With a swift slash, a Japanese soldier who had barely stood was struck down before he could react. His head rolled to the ground.

Accompanied by Li Yunlong’s fierce roar, the sight struck terror into the hearts of friend and foe alike—Japanese, puppets, and even their own new regiment soldiers were shaken by his indomitable presence.

Li Yunlong stood like a war god on the battlefield.

Before anyone could react, he fixed his gaze on another Japanese soldier. His broadsword swung with majestic power, cutting down enemy after enemy.

At this moment, Li Yunlong unleashed all his hatred for the Japanese, generating unprecedented combat vigor.

The slaughter continued.

Witnessing this, the soldiers’ morale soared, and they eagerly joined the fray.

Meanwhile, the puppet troops, faced with encirclement on three sides and demoralized by Li Yunlong’s overwhelming strength, began to lose their will to fight.

Seeing the Japanese annihilated almost entirely, puppet officers issued orders to retreat. Many fled with their confidants.

The soldiers did not pursue the fleeing puppets relentlessly; after a short chase, they ceased the hunt.

At the battle’s center, Li Yunlong shot down a Japanese soldier attempting a suicidal charge and warned the assembled troops sternly:

“Remember, never show mercy to these devils. Make sure every one of them is dead before clearing the battlefield.”

“These devils are cunning—be careful.”

As he spoke, he plunged his bayonet into a fallen enemy’s corpse, delivering a chilling final blow.

The scene left some recruits shaken, unable to recover quickly. Though mentally prepared, they were still stunned by the bloodiness and brutality of war.

Li Yunlong said nothing further—this was a trial every new soldier must endure.

At that moment, Shen Quan approached with concern.

“Regiment Commander, are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Li Yunlong waved off the worry casually.

Then, a soldier inspecting the supplies on the truck called out in confusion and surprise, “Commander, come quick and see this!”

Li Yunlong hurried over, and upon seeing the contents of the boxes on the truck, his own expression turned to one of astonishment.

No wonder the Japanese had assigned a squad to escort this.

It was indeed an unexpected windfall.

It was...