Uesugi Kazuya took a deep breath, fighting to suppress the panic rising within him. Seizing the moment when the suppression fire from Leitao and Xu Keming slackened, he abruptly stood up, hurled his final grenade toward them, and roared, "Withdraw!" Before the echoes had even faded, his right hand swiftly swapped a fresh magazine into his MP35 submachine gun, and he vanished into the darkness at the side.
The grenade traced an arc through the air. Leitao and Xu Keming’s expressions shifted instantly; their hearts tightened, and instinct drove them to dive toward either side like agile leopards. With a deafening "boom," the grenade detonated between them. The powerful blast wave, carrying dust and debris, surged outward like a tidal wave. Acrid smoke instantly filled the space, stinging their throats and blurring their vision.
Under the cover of the swirling smoke, two of the Japanese operatives hunched low, their heads nearly touching the ground, and sprinted toward the cave entrance at full speed. Their footsteps were hurried and chaotic, echoing frantically against the cave floor, every stride fueled by terror and desperation.
Chapter 354