When Leitao and the others successfully rappelled to the foot of the cliff, the horizon was already turning a pale grayish-white as the first light of dawn prepared to banish the dark. Yet the shadow of battle still hung heavy in their hearts, and pursuit by the Japanese Army could come at any moment. Leitao promptly had Zhang Weiguo, Zhou Zhiyuan, Liu Hong, and the others tally the headcount. Confirming everyone was safe, he lowered his voice and said, "This place is no place to linger. We are withdrawing deep into the primeval forest..."
Dragging their exhausted bodies, the group trudged through the mud. The muffled groans of the wounded mixed with heavy gasps, sounding particularly oppressive in the quiet dawn. Leitao scanned his surroundings with vigilance, then suddenly raised a hand to signal the unit to a dead stop. A hundred meters away in the brush came the faint, crisp sound of colliding metal, and a few steel helmets loomed indistinctly in the morning mist.
"Commander Liu, take the main force and outflank from the left. Chief of Staff Zhou, cover the rear." Leitao lowered his voice, his gaze sweeping over the members of the Netherworld squad. "We are staying to mop them up. Shuiniu, Shuiyang, use the repeating crossbows to take out the perimeter sentries. Feiyang, put the silencer on your submachine gun." He casually tossed over the matte-black silencing device, which gave a muffled thud of metal striking his palm.
Chapter 445