The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Chapter 319: Fierce Battle in the Col: Capturing Zhu 28 and Counterattacking Kazuya Uesugi

Seeing this, Lei Tao decided to change his tactics. He split the third group of militia into two teams. One team continued to advance towards the gap, while the other team went around to the back of the tree where Zhu Erba was hiding, preparing to attack him from both sides.

The militiamen, flanking the rear, cautiously approached the tree. When they were only a dozen meters away, they suddenly launched an attack. The front-line troops also opened fire, catching Zhu Erba off guard. He attempted to flee, but was pinned down by the crossfire from Lei Tao and the militiamen.

During the fierce exchange of fire, one of Zhu Erba's capable men was killed, and the morale of the bandits was severely damaged. Zhu Erba saw that the situation was hopeless and began to think of retreating. Taking advantage of the chaos, he took a few trusted men and secretly fled to the rear.

After Lei Tao discovered Zhu Erba's escape, he immediately led several team members to chase him. They launched a chase through the mountains and forests. Zhu Erba and his companions were panicked and fled in all directions in the mountains and forests. With his excellent tracking ability, Lei Tao gradually closed the gap with Zhu Erba.

Finally, Lei Tao and his companions caught up with Zhu Erba in a valley. The cliffs here towered like they had been chopped by axes or knives, with dead trees scattered in a chaotic pattern. Layers of fallen leaves felt soft and slippery underfoot. The stillness was filled with a chilling, murderous atmosphere. Beads of sweat, mixed with dust, rolled down Zhu Erba's forehead, leaving streaks of mud on his face. He leaned against a huge rock, his chest heaving violently, his eyes filled with the frenzy and unwillingness of a trapped animal, yet he refused to surrender.

"If you want to catch me, it's too early!" Zhu Erba roared at the top of his voice, a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes, and he quickly pulled out a pistol from his waist and fired several shots at Lei Tao "bang, bang, bang".

Lei Tao reacted extremely quickly, dodging the bullet sideways and instinctively rolling on the ground to hide behind a thick tree. He knew that although Zhu Erba's spear skills were chaotic, they were still deadly at this close range, and only close combat would give him a chance to attack.

Seeing the gap when Zhu Erba was reloading, Lei Tao took a deep breath, exerted force with his legs, and rushed out like a cannonball. Zhu Erba saw this and frantically raised the pistol that had just been reloaded, but Lei Tao was too fast and he had no time to aim. Lei Tao rushed in front of Zhu Erba and swung his right fist with a whistling sound, directly at Zhu Erba's face.

Zhu Erba was not in a hurry. He took the Bagua step with his feet, and his whole body spun rapidly like a whirlwind. At the same time, his palms stretched out like nimble snakes, and he performed the Baguazhang's "Lion Rolling the Embroidered Ball", cleverly removing the power of Lei Tao's fierce punch, and then took advantage of the situation to perform the "Flower Hidden Under the Leaves", and the palm wind went straight to Lei Tao's throat like a sharp blade.

Facing Zhu Erba's fierce counterattack, Lei Tao quickly retracted his fist and defended himself, squatting slightly, firmly blocking Zhu Erba's attack with his forearms. At the same time, his knee shot up like a cannonball, aiming directly at Zhu Erba's abdomen. Zhu Erba's reaction was equally swift, and with the agility of the Bagua step, he dodged to the side and easily avoided the knee strike.

Zhu Erba, relentless in his dominance, marched relentlessly, his form elusive like a ghost. He unleashed a flurry of lightning-fast palm strikes, like two nimble white snakes, striking directly at Lei Tao's chest and abdomen. Lei Tao quickly leaned sideways, using a "hanging fist" to dissipate some of Zhu Erba's palm power. Simultaneously, his other hand, slashing like a knife, swiftly struck Zhu Erba's wrist, attempting to disrupt his attack.

After a fierce fight, Zhu Erba's strength gradually faded, his breathing became increasingly heavy and rapid, and his attacks began to show flaws. Lei Tao keenly observed this change, seizing the moment when Zhu Erba's old strength had been exhausted and his new strength had not yet been generated, and launched a fierce attack. He first feinted, causing Zhu Erba to raise his hands to block, then quickly squatted down, using the powerful force of his legs to deliver a heavy knee strike to Zhu Erba's abdomen.

Zhu Erba groaned, his body bent like a shrimp, and he nearly dropped the gun in his hand. Lei Tao seized the opportunity and attacked, elbowing Zhu Erba in the shoulder, knocking him to one knee. But Zhu Erba still fought hard, enduring the pain and suddenly exerting force, grabbing Lei Tao's legs and throwing him to the ground. The two rolled on the leaf-strewn ground, raising a cloud of dust.

Lei Tao broke free from Zhu Erba's entanglement and stood up again. At this time, Zhu Erba's face was covered with dirt, his hair was messy, but there was still a trace of ferocity in his eyes.

Lei Tao charged at Zhu Erba again, this time unleashing a combination of attacks. First, he delivered a straight punch, forcing Zhu Erba to raise his hands in defense. Then, he quickly switched tactics and delivered a fierce "whip kick" towards Zhu Erba's head. Zhu Erba quickly blocked with his arms, but was still knocked back by the powerful force.

At this moment, Shangshan Heye, who had fought with Lei Tao before, was hiding in the dark, thinking: "Zhu Erba is such a fool. I asked him to do some destruction as a token of his loyalty, but he bombarded the town wall with great fanfare... If I didn't see that he has hundreds of men and guns under his command, I would really want to let him fend for himself." He took out a pistol and aimed at Lei Tao's chest, and "bang" he shot Lei Tao in the chest.

Lei Tao felt a punch to the chest, his body stumbling backward uncontrollably. Fortunately, the bulletproof vest beneath his clothes blocked the fatal blow, and the pistol bullet became lodged in the vest. He slammed Zhu Erba to the ground and dodged behind a large tree.

Seeing that he had shot the man with his pistol, but he was still unharmed, Kazuya Uesugi thought to himself that something was wrong, so he turned his gun around and fired at the surrounding militiamen. The militiamen were unable to dodge and fell down one after another. The shrill screams instantly pierced the silence of the valley.

When Zhu Erba saw that it was Uesugami Kazuya, he shouted, "Mr. Uesugami, save me! I agree to all the conditions you proposed!" Uesugami Kazuya fired frantically to suppress him, while shouting, "Hold on! I'll get you out right now!"

Lei Tao was extremely anxious. Looking at the injured militia who fell down, he cursed angrily: "You son of a bitch, just stay still!" Then he picked up a fist-sized stone and smashed it on Zhu Erba's neck, making his eyes go black and he fainted. His body fell heavily to the ground, splashing a cloud of dust.

After getting rid of Zhu Erba, Lei Tao didn't delay at all. He quickly pulled out a pistol from his waist and rolled to hide behind a tree. He took a deep breath, calming his disordered breathing caused by anger and tension, and stared at the direction where Shangshan Kazuya was hiding with a sharp gaze.

At this time, the mountain forest was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder, and every gunshot was terrifying. Kazuya Uesugami was shooting frantically at the militiamen, and the bullets flew through the mountain forest with a sharp whistling sound, making the leaves fall. Lei Tao leaned out half of his body, and with his precise shooting skills, he fired two shots at Kazuya Uesugami. With two "bangs", the bullets grazed Kazuya Uesugami's shoulders and flew past, splashing the soil beside him. Kazuya Uesugami was so scared that his face turned pale. He quickly retreated into the shelter and secretly complained in his heart: "The shooting skills of this "ghost assassin" are still so accurate!"