The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Chapter 125: Lieutenant, There is a Wolf

The Japanese soldier who had narrowly escaped death from Lei Tao's booby trap stumbled back to the camp. His face was ashen, his eyes still tinged with fear, his clothes ragged, and his body bore several bruises from the explosion. Rushing into the camp, he collapsed before the Japanese second lieutenant, gasping for breath. It took him a long time to recover, and he reported haltingly, "Sir, our sentry... was attacked. We were ambushed by the guerrillas. I... nearly died."

Upon hearing this, the Japanese second lieutenant's face darkened, his brow furrowed, his eyes filled with anger and anxiety. He immediately gathered a group of soldiers and rushed to the scene where the sentry had been in trouble.

Arriving at the scene, the sentry's body was strewn across the ground, and the surroundings were in disarray. The Japanese second lieutenant cautiously approached, ready to take a closer look, when a sharp-eyed soldier shouted, "Sir, look out! There's something fishy about the body!" But it was too late.

Instantly, the booby trap beneath the sentry's corpse was triggered. With a resounding boom, flames shot into the air, and the force of the explosion spread like a tidal wave. Several Japanese soldiers near the corpse were instantly thrown overboard, their bodies shattered, blood and body parts flying everywhere. Even those unaffected were shaken to the ground, their ears ringing, and faces filled with terror.

The Japanese second lieutenant was thrown to the side by the blast, his right arm severed. After a struggle, he managed to sit up and lean against a nearby tree. He clutched the broken part of his right hand with his left hand, attempting to alleviate the excruciating pain. Enduring the agony, he roared in Japanese, "Baga Yalu! Gei Lila Wa Zilu Yi Bastard!" (Damn it! The guerrillas are so cunning!) He then ordered the remaining troops to disperse and search for any trace of the guerrillas. He also sent for a military doctor to tend to his wounds.

A Japanese soldier hurried off to find a military doctor, while the rest, following the second lieutenant's orders, scattered tremblingly. Armed with Type 38 rifles, they searched the darkness for any suspicious movements, their steps hesitant in fear.

A moment later, a military doctor arrived, his face grim. Upon seeing the second lieutenant's plight, he quickly opened the medical kit. The Japanese second lieutenant gritted his teeth, beads of sweat streaming down his forehead. He endured the excruciating pain and cooperated with the doctor's treatment. The doctor first applied a tourniquet tightly above the severed arm to slow the bleeding, then produced disinfectant and a bandage, began cleaning the wound and applying a simple bandage. Every time the wound was touched, the second lieutenant couldn't help but twitch, but he remained clenched in his teeth, refusing to utter a single groan.

While the military doctor was treating his wound, the second lieutenant still stared around fiercely, secretly vowing in his heart that he would find the guerrillas and take revenge.

The soldiers, flashlights in hand, scanned the darkness with meticulous care, as if facing a formidable enemy. The pale light flickered through the trees, casting shadows on fallen leaves and branches. They walked cautiously, their rifles probing the area ahead with every step, their eyes wide open, trying to detect even the slightest sign of guerrillas. However, after all this effort, they found nothing but the devastated remains of the bombed-out area.

The lieutenant, seeing nothing, grew even more furious, his facial muscles twitching with anger. Then, a soldier timidly approached and reported, "Lieutenant, we can't find any guerrillas. There's nothing around except us." The lieutenant gritted his teeth and fiercely spat out a single word: "Retreat!"

Just as the soldiers were about to turn and return to camp, a slight rustling sound was heard in the nearby brush. The Japanese soldiers instantly became alert, their flashlights and rifles pointed in that direction. A moment later, two large wolves and a small wolf slowly emerged. The two large wolves were sturdy, their eyes wary and wild, while the small wolf followed closely behind them.

A Japanese soldier yelled, "Second Lieutenant, there are wolves!" The lieutenant snorted, "Hmph, since we can't find the guerrillas, we might as well take out our anger on these beasts!" Then, enduring the excruciating pain of his broken right arm, he was the first to raise his rifle. The other soldiers followed suit, the click of the Type 38 rifle's bolt being pulled distinctly in the still night.

A large wolf seemed to sense danger and growled softly, trying to warn the Japanese not to act rashly. But the Japanese ignored it. "Bang!" A soldier fired first. The bullet whizzed past the wolf, and it nimbly jumped away, roaring furiously.

"Baka! You're a bunch of losers! You couldn't even hit a wolf!" the second lieutenant shouted angrily. The soldiers, rebuked, fired even more frantically. "Bang, bang, bang..." After more than a dozen shots, the little wolf was hit first. It howled and fell to the ground, twitching. Seeing this, the other big wolf, desperately pounced on the nearest Japanese soldier. The soldier's eyes widened in fear, and he frantically tried to block with his gun. The big wolf bit into the gun barrel, its sharp teeth clashing against the metal with a sharp sound.

"Shoot! Kill it!" the second lieutenant shouted. The surrounding soldiers quickly pointed their guns at the wolf, and another burst of intense gunfire rang out. Although the wolf was brave, it was no match for the bullets. After being shot multiple times, it slowly fell down. The last wolf, seeing the situation was not good, turned around and tried to escape. The Japanese fired several more shots at its back, one of which hit its hind leg. The wolf staggered, but still endured the pain and disappeared into the darkness.

"Carry these two wolf carcasses back home. We'll have wolf meat tonight!" the lieutenant ordered. The soldiers hurried over, tied the wolf carcasses with ropes, and hoisted them onto their shoulders. Along the way, they cursed the guerrillas and the escaped wolf, as if this could vent their fear and anger. Back at camp, the soldiers hurriedly started a fire and roasted the meat. The aroma of the meat gradually spread, but the atmosphere of hostility still hung heavy in the air.