After eliminating the sniper, Leitao's mind remained fixed on the Japanese Army pilot who had parachuted down. He knew full well that if the pilot were rescued by the Japanese Army or managed to contact other enemies, it would pose a grave threat to his own side. Taking advantage of a lull in the fighting, he gave a few brief instructions to the soldiers who had just arrived at his side, then quickly slipped away in the general direction where the pilot was likely to have landed.
Leitao moved swiftly through the mountain forest, slinking like a cheetah through the jungle. From time to time, he stopped to observe his surroundings with sharp vigilance. Finally, he discovered some broken grass and snapped branches, and following these traces, he arrived at the area where the pilot had parachuted. However, what met his eyes were only the damaged parachute and patches of blood on the ground, with no sign of the pilot anywhere.
Leitao's brows furrowed deeply as a wave of unease welled up in his heart. He squatted down to examine the footprints on the ground and the surrounding environment carefully. Judging from the depth and spacing of the footprints, he deduced that the pilot was injured and had been carried away. The people who took him were numerous, and their strides were rather chaotic, not resembling the marching style of a regular army. "Could they be local mountain bandits?" Leitao pondered silently to himself.
Chapter 144