Chapter 115

He calmly observed the amplitude and direction of the wind swaying the tips of the bushes near the battlefield, roughly estimating the wind direction, wind speed, and target distance. Then, Leitao reached out and steadily adjusted the knobs on the scope to calibrate all the parameters. Everything ready, he took a deep breath, brought his eye close to the scope, and locked onto the Japanese Army machine gunner who was frantically strafing the guerrillas at the foot of the mountain. With his index finger resting lightly on the trigger, his arm muscles taut, and his body remaining still—pausing slightly to the rhythm of his heartbeat—he decisively pulled the trigger. With a loud "bang," the bullet tore out of the chamber and whistled toward the target. Leitao's bullet flew straight and true to its target. The Japanese Army machine gunner was instantly hit in the head, his body collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut, and the machine gun fell silent. On the guerrillas' side, originally pinned down by the Japanese machine gun fire so they couldn't even raise their heads, seeing the machine gunner suddenly shot dead, they were stunned at first. Realizing someone was helping them, their previously scattered and concealed fighters began to take the initiative. Pressing against the roots of large trees or behind boulders, they used their Hanyang-type rifles to fire at the Japanese Army...