Chapter 4: Congratulations to the host for activating the battlefield side quest: Blood-soaked Spirit of the Army!
Judging by the power of that explosion just now, it was clearly foreign-made; to exaggerate a little, domestic explosives aren’t even as strong as the fireworks common folk set off. To smuggle in so much high-grade explosive within the Three Eastern Provinces, only the Kwantung Army could have secretly transported such a large quantity here. Coupled with the intelligence previously submitted by Pan Fu, the Director of Transportation, it all added up.
“Damn it, it’s definitely those Japs behind this.”
“They’ve been after control of the five railways in the Northeast for ages, but Old Zhang outwitted them—so now they blow up my train? Makes sense. It all fits.”
“Marshal, you’ve guessed right. The Japs want you dead as payback,” Jiang Bai said as he loaded his rifle.
Seeing Jiang Bai’s movements, the nearby bodyguards immediately tensed—could this kid be thinking of shooting the Marshal?
“Don’t move! What do you think you’re doing?!”
Click, click!
In an instant, every gun on the field was aimed at Jiang Bai.
He didn’t flinch in the face of all those barrels—instead, he fired back with a question:
“If you were the Kwantung Army, what would you do after successfully blowing up the military train?”
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, unsure what Jiang Bai was getting at.
“Obviously, I’d check if I was still alive!” Zhang Zuolin’s face twisted with a fierce Northeastern snarl.
He’d been the boss for years, but this was the first time someone had hunted him like a rabbit.
“So, the Japs are coming!”
With that, Jiang Bai spun his rifle and fired at a distant, emerging head.
Bang!
With the crack of a 7.92mm round, a Jap disguised as a bandit 200 meters away dropped instantly!
Realizing they’d been exposed, the Kwantung Army captain leading the operation, Higashimiya Tetsuo, abandoned all attempts at concealment.
He drew his saber without hesitation, pointed it in Zhang Zuolin’s direction, and shouted savagely:
“Advance! Kill Zhang Zuolin and earn your promotion!”
“The first soldier to bring back Zhang Zuolin’s head will be recommended immediately for the Army Officer Academy!”
At these words, a frenzy erupted among the Japanese soldiers on the field.
It had to be said—the graduates of the Army Officer Academy were the backbone of the modern Japanese military. Whether a general or a second lieutenant, almost all had trained there.
Once they graduated, they were instantly commissioned as second lieutenants and began their command careers.
This honor was the dream of every ordinary soldier!
Stepping through the gates of the academy was to set foot on the path to becoming an elite.
And if their luck held and they survived—
The whole family’s fortunes could soar; it was no longer just a dream!
Faced with such temptation, the Japanese soldiers’ eyes turned blood-red.
No longer bothering to hide, they rose from the reeds one after another, shouting at the top of their lungs:
“Long live His Majesty the Emperor!”
Hearing the desperate cries, the soldiers from the Military Academy on the scene went pale.
“This is bad! A banzai charge! The Japs are launching a banzai charge! Run! Retreat, now!”
“Stay hidden! Find cover! Build up defenses!”
“It’s really the Japs! Kill them!”
“Forget about them! Their target is the Marshal! We can die, but the Marshal must survive! Evacuate and protect the Marshal at once!”
Compared to the chaos among the bodyguards, Jiang Bai felt no fear; instead, he watched the oncoming mass of Japanese soldiers with keen interest.
This was his first time witnessing a real banzai charge.
Unlike the disorganized, bumbling actors in films from his past life, these soldiers moved in a disciplined triangular assault formation, advancing in perfect order.
They fired as they moved, picking off any Fengtian soldiers who dared show their heads.
Clearly, these men were elite Kwantung Army troops, and this assassination attempt on Zhang Zuolin had been lavishly resourced.
They were determined to succeed or die trying.
But the bodyguards, caught off guard and lacking unified command, fought as individuals.
Some fired desperately, others bolted for the nearby trenches to mount a defense.
The already fragmented defensive line was instantly torn open by the Japanese advance.
Under the deadly crossfire, three guards fell in a flash; two more were shot in the thigh, writhing in agony.
Against such overwhelming force, further resistance could only end in total annihilation.
Just as Jiang Bai was preparing to slip away, a cold, mechanical voice chimed in his mind:
[Ding! Host detected on the battlefield. Side quest “Blood-Soaked Soul of the Army” successfully activated!]
Quest Name: Return of the Battle Spirit!
Quest Description: Every inch of this land is stained with blood; every youth has shed his. In our country’s hour of peril, how can we, the hot-blooded sons of China, stand aside?
Quest Objective: Eliminate twenty Japanese soldiers to gain a permanent increase in physical attributes!
Current Progress: 0/20
A side quest?
The “Return of the Battle Spirit”?
Gazing at the blue-tinted screen and the promised reward, Jiang Bai’s breath grew rapid.
This was a free attribute point!
If he could complete the quest, his power would surge once more.
In his eyes, the previously fearsome Japanese soldiers turned into a trove of experience points.
[Ding! Ten seconds left to choose. Please decide quickly or the quest will be canceled.]
“I accept the quest!” Jiang Bai declared without hesitation.
No sooner had he spoken than a bloodied Japanese soldier, bayonet in hand, lunged at him from the reeds, eyes wild.
Before the attacker could utter a word, Jiang Bai kicked him aside.
Bang!
He squeezed the trigger, killing the enemy with a single shot.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for killing a Japanese soldier. Constitution +0.05!]
A warm current surged through Jiang Bai’s body, and his already strong muscles swelled even further.
“I can feel my power growing by the second! This is amazing!”
At first, Jiang Bai restrained himself, chuckling low in his throat.
But soon he could no longer hold back his excitement and burst into laughter.
Bang!
Click.
He looked at his now-empty Liao Type 13 rifle, displeasure on his face.
“Too slow! My kill rate is way too low!”
While the bodyguards retreated under the fierce pressure of the Japanese assault, Jiang Bai did the opposite—he advanced!
Discarding the rifle, which had only five rounds left, he slipped into the reeds like a bloodthirsty specter.
Meanwhile, at the low-lying area where Zhang Zuolin was stationed—
As the primary target of the Japanese assault team, Zhang’s position was under concentrated attack.
Though he had nearly ten bodyguards, the Japanese numbered even more.
Because the area was open terrain, the Japanese could easily spread out their skirmish lines, maximizing their firepower and numerical advantage.
At least forty or fifty Japanese soldiers were attacking head-on—double the number of the Marshal’s men.