Chapter 7: It Doesn’t Matter—I Will Take Action!

"The plan is simple—we'll do the opposite of what they expect!"

"Right now, the enemy has already spread out their formation, relying on temporary command posts and flag-bearers to maintain contact."

"If we can concentrate our strength and swiftly destroy their command posts and messengers, we can throw the enemy into chaos and use the confusion to break away from the battlefield."

Jiang Bai rose to his feet, clapped his hands, and looked around at everyone with confidence. "What do you think of this plan?"

Yet, when Jiang Bai looked up, full of confidence, the reaction of those around him was completely unexpected.

They all stared at Jiang Bai with disbelief.

A simple plan? This plan was pure fantasy!

One of the bald soldiers, visibly agitated, burst out, "Jiang Bai, you're not joking, are you? The enemy's command post is guarded by at least a dozen elite soldiers—they're all killers! Who among us could take them on?"

Jiang Bai's expression remained unchanged as he replied, "It doesn't matter. I'll do it myself."

"How can you prove you're strong enough?" the bald soldier asked, still full of suspicion.

Without missing a beat, Jiang Bai threw the pile of Meiji Type 38 rifles from his back to the ground and asked calmly, "Do you know what happened to the last owners of these rifles?"

Before the bald soldier could answer, a sly grin curled Jiang Bai's lips as he said indifferently, "Those who once doubted my strength have all been ruthlessly killed by me."

"So, do you wish to be the next?"

As soon as these words were spoken, a heavy silence fell over the group.

A violent aura erupted from Jiang Bai, radiating wave after wave of killing intent.

The soldiers present all felt an icy chill seep into their bones, their complexions shifting as they instinctively took a half-step back.

Under Jiang Bai’s gaze, the bald soldier’s face turned pale, sweat streaming down his cheeks—an uncontrollable terror welling up inside him.

For reasons he couldn't explain, although he was clearly much taller than Jiang Bai, under that gaze, he felt utterly crushed.

It seemed that if he dared to raise any objection, Jiang Bai would kill him on the spot without mercy.

In that instant, apart from the distant gunfire at the battlefield’s edge, everything fell into a tense silence.

Then, suddenly, a booming voice broke through:

"Excellent! This is the true spirit of the soldiers I, Old Zhang, have trained! This is true ferocity!"

Zhang Zuolin strode over to Jiang Bai’s side, halting with admiration.

"Like a demon of slaughter! A true, fearsome slayer!"

"If you had been born in the Qing Dynasty, you’d have spent your life behind bars!"

"But in these troubled times, you’re destined to be a man whose name will shake the world!"

"At first, I had my doubts about your plan—but now, I’m convinced."

"Whether we survive today depends entirely on you!"

"So, I agree to your plan!"

With a wave of his hand, Zhang Zuolin asked, "Tell us, what’s your next step?"

"If you agree with my plan," Jiang Bai replied, scanning the group with a smile, "then one person must be ready to face death at the heart of the plan."

"Is anyone willing to take on that role, prepared to face death itself?"

…

Meanwhile, at the edge of the reed marshes, beneath an ancient locust tree.

A handful of enemy cavalrymen tightened their reins, swinging their sabers as they patrolled the perimeter.

From within the marsh, the sounds of gunfire, soldiers’ screams, and the shouts of their excited comrades drifted to their ears.

The cavalry squad’s leader, a short, grim, unsmiling Corporal Koyanagi, frowned deeply.

"Damn it! The infantry are fighting for the spoils, while we noble cavalry are left with the scraps—what’s the meaning of this?"

Furious, Koyanagi slashed at the reeds with his saber, his face twisted with displeasure.

Suddenly, a figure clad in uniform and boots emerged from the marsh.

"That’s Zhang Zuolin! It has to be! Bring him down!"

The cavalrymen shouted excitedly, raising their carbines and firing at the escaping figure.

Bullets ripped through the reeds, but not one struck Zhang Zuolin as he fled farther away.

Seeing this, Koyanagi immediately ordered a pursuit.

The lead private, Dahe, fixed his gaze on the retreating Zhang Zuolin and shouted excitedly, "I declare, the nomination goes to—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a bullet whistled through the air, striking him down from his horse.

As some soldiers prepared to dismount and render aid, Koyanagi lashed out with his riding crop and shouted, "Dahe has already died for the Emperor! Leave him!"

"Focus everything on eliminating Zhang Zuolin!"

At first, Koyanagi paid little mind to Private Dahe’s death.

But every time the soldiers raised their guns to fire—

A bullet would come whistling through the reeds, shattering a skull with deadly precision.

When three more soldiers fell in quick succession, Koyanagi finally realized something was wrong.

"A sniper! That must be the work of a sniper over there!"

He pointed to two soldiers at the rear and barked, "Takeshita, Ozawa, you two—hunt down that damned sniper!"

"Yes, sir!"

…

However, before Takeshita and Ozawa could even dismount, two more shots rang out from the reeds—bang, bang!

Their heads burst apart like watermelons, blood and brain matter splattering the reeds—and even Koyanagi’s own face.

"Ambush! We’re under attack!"

"Find cover! Take cover, now!"

"Damn it, every shot is a headshot—it must be a sniper!"

…

Watching his men scatter in panic, searching desperately for cover, and seeing Zhang Zuolin slip farther away, Koyanagi was consumed by rage.

"Damn you, Chinese!"

He wiped the blood from his face, drew his command saber, and shouted into the dense reeds, his face dark as thunder:

"If you have any guts, come out and face me in true samurai combat!"

He hardly expected a response—but to his shock, as soon as the words left his mouth, a wild voice rang out from the reeds:

"Very well!"

Before Koyanagi could react, a burly figure burst from the rushes, hefting half a steel rail in his hands, leaping high into the air.

He charged straight toward Koyanagi’s position!

"Can you withstand my blow?"

As the steel rail loomed ever larger, and the man’s eyes burned with murderous madness, Koyanagi’s heart filled with terror and the urge to flee.

Yet for some reason, his legs were frozen in place—he could only watch as death closed in.

With a mighty crash, the steel rail struck—

In an instant, both man and horse were torn apart.

[Ding! Congratulations, host! You have eliminated an enemy cavalryman. Constitution increased by 0.05!]

[Ding! Enemy identified as Senior Corporal. Additional reward: Skin Reinforcement!]

Skill Name: Skin Reinforcement

Skill Description: When actively activated, host’s defense increases by 20%, but movement speed decreases by 20%.

A cold smile crept over Jiang Bai’s lips.

Perfect.

This skill was simply ideal!