I am just a bystander, Wang Diren thought, too busy to dwell on it. Seeing the soldiers had already unscrewed the caps on several grenades and placed them to their right, he hurriedly maneuvered the drone to approach from the rear. It grabbed a grenade and flew off. Fortunately, the soldiers were too occupied with fixing bayonets to their rifles to notice.
This was Wang Diren’s first time using a drone, and he wasn't sure if the payload would hold, so he manually hooked the grenade’s pull-ring onto the mechanism. He then steered the drone to a position ten meters above the mortar shells, careful not to blow himself up—that would be a disaster.
He aimed, steadied the drone, and released the payload. The grenade fell, the fuse ignited in mid-air, and a wisp of white smoke began to hiss. The Japanese soldiers, eyes fixed on the mortar shells, were secretly congratulating themselves, never imagining that death was descending from above.
With a loud "boom," the grenade and the mortar shells detonated simultaneously. The Japanese soldiers were blown to pieces, and the rest scattered in panic.
Thinking that Wang Chengzhu might soon come under concentrated enemy fire, Wang Diren figured this intervention might be fate—a chance to save him. After all, if the shells hadn't exploded, Chengzhu wouldn't have been able to jump up in excitement. He quickly guided the drone to dart in front of Wang Chengzhu.
Chengzhu was bent over, inspecting the situation, when a black shadow suddenly swooped down. Startled, he instinctively sprawled to the ground. That should keep him safe, Wang Diren thought.
As the soldiers began searching the battlefield and pursuing the remnants of the enemy, Li Yunlong rushed over, looking smug. "Haha, look at how many big fish we caught in this net! The Brigade Commander can't shoot me now. Why would he? He’ll have to treat me to a drink! That just scared the hell out of me a moment ago."
Just then, Wang Diren was being escorted out of the bushes by Wang Xikui.
"Kid, you’re pretty good at hiding. You almost fooled us. Tell me, what’s your name? What kind of intelligence are you trying to gather here?"
Having been mistaken for a spy, Wang Diren groaned inwardly and carefully prepared his response. "I’m just an overseas Chinese returnee. I wanted to send some affordable supplies to the country. My name is Wang Diren."
"An enemy? Where is the enemy?" Li Yunlong barked. The soldiers immediately raised their rifles.
Wang Diren realized he couldn't explain the nuance between "Diren" (his name) and "diren" (enemy) to a bunch of illiterate soldiers. He was exhausted. He decided to change the subject, pulling the remote controller out from his storage space and bringing the drone closer.
"This drone is mine; it only obeys me. The technology is very advanced now, but the American imperialists have blockaded us, so we aren't aware of it yet. I only know a little bit about it. I hope to report to Commander Li privately."
Li Yunlong nodded. He had seen what happened earlier and was eighty percent convinced—he had no choice but to believe it; if another grenade like that had dropped, it would have been his command post that was wiped out.
Wang Xikui was still wary. "We searched you thoroughly. Where did you get this thing?"
"Oh, move aside! What kind of spy uses a Colonel and two Lieutenant Colonels as a shield? I was standing right next to him; I don’t think he wanted to blow himself up along with me," Wang Diren countered.
They returned to Li Yunlong’s command post.
"Tell me, what’s actually going on?" Li Yunlong’s tone was much more polite now.
"I really am just an overseas Chinese returnee wanting to send affordable goods to the country. I have my ways. Having heard of Commander Li’s heroic reputation—you were a commander even during the Long March—I wanted to form a good connection. I didn't expect to be trapped by the Japanese. I am truly grateful for your rescue; I will never forget it." Wang Diren was doing his best to secure this one and only client.
"I see! My old leaders always told me: if you have no food or clothing, the enemy will send it to you; if you have no guns or cannons, the enemy will make them for us. I never thought it would come down to you," Li Yunlong said, looking quite pleased with himself.
*Is that what he thinks? Why can’t I clear up this misunderstanding?* Wang Diren thought. But then, he reasoned that he would be coming here often, and since many people had seen him, keeping it a secret was impossible. If he could successfully lead them to believe a different narrative, that was a form of secrecy in itself. The problem was, he had a supermarket and only wanted to sell food and clothes, but they were so obsessed with guns and cannons—things he neither had nor knew how to make.
"That 'chicken' thing you used earlier is pretty good. It’s quite crafty, sneaking in like that," Li Yunlong remarked.
*In his eyes, it’s just sneaking around?* Wang Diren felt a sense of indignation.
In the modern era, drones are an indispensable force on the battlefield. They perform reconnaissance, surveillance, strikes, and electronic warfare, greatly increasing the efficiency and precision of combat. Initially used for reconnaissance and surveillance to adjust artillery fire, they later began carrying grenades and small-caliber mortar shells, becoming "mini-bombers" frequently used in stagnant trench warfare to target enemy personnel and equipment. They are capable of striking tanks and positions, earning the name "budget cruise missiles."
"It was just a sudden flash of inspiration today," Wang Diren explained. "Think of it as a mini-bomber. Even if there were a tank or Yukio Itozaki down there, do you think he could outrun me?"
"That’s why I’m telling you it’s a good piece of equipment. Why don’t you understand a compliment when you hear one?"
"This is my insurance policy. I only have this one, and I don’t intend to sell it. Besides, you couldn’t afford it." It wasn’t that he didn’t want to sell it; the key was that this was a civilian version. The mounting rack was too limited, and it lacked a target acquisition system. It was pure luck that he had achieved such results today.
***
Meanwhile, at the command post of the 358th Regiment of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, Chu Yunfei, dressed in a crisp colonel’s uniform, looked up from the tactical map and stared out the window toward the direction of the artillery fire, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Regardless of which Eighth Route Army unit this was, it seemed they were in dire straits; every loss was a blow to China’s national defense.
His Chief of Staff, Fang Ligong, hurried in to report: "The forward observation post reports that this group of Eighth Route Army soldiers has actually broken through the encirclement."
"With the Eighth Route Army’s beat-up rifles? How could they break through? That’s truly incredible," Chu Yunfei said, skeptical.
"And it was a frontal breakthrough. The Sakata Regiment was beaten into a complete rout," Fang Ligong added, looking equally astonished.
"Well done! Which unit of the Eighth Route Army is it?"
Fang Ligong replied, "Regimental Commander, I’ve confirmed it. It’s the New 1st Regiment of the Eighth Route Army’s 386th Brigade."
"Who is their commander?" Chu Yunfei asked curiously.
"Regimental Commander, their commander is Li Yunlong. But the one who deserves the most credit is a person in strange clothing—not like the Eighth Route Army," Fang Ligong said cautiously.
"What do you mean? Not like the Eighth Route Army? Who is he?" Chu Yunfei wondered.
"The Eighth Route Army hit the Sakata command post, but they missed. Only one shell hit, and it seemed like a dud. Then, a strange bird flew over, carrying a grenade, and accurately detonated the mortar shells. That was the deciding moment that wiped out the entire Sakata command post."
"Hiss... that is terrifying, almost a miracle. Could it be that heaven itself is helping the Eighth Route Army?" Chu Yunfei sighed.
"It’s not exactly a miracle. The one controlling the strange bird was that person in the strange clothes. He doesn't seem familiar with the Eighth Route Army; they actually had their guns pointed at him," Fang Ligong said, sounding perplexed.
"Could he be one of our people? If I get the chance, I must meet him. If this is a new trend in future warfare, it would be extraordinary. To strike anywhere you please—that would be incredible," Chu Yunfei said, his eyes brightening.