Leitao held his position at the top of the stairwell, his body coiled like a drawn bow. With unwavering resolve and fearless courage, he waited with bated breath for the Japanese Army to arrive. He knew a brutal battle was imminent, yet there was no trace of fear on his face; his heart was focused solely on exacting vengeance for the innocent civilians and the fallen soldiers of the Guo'an Army.
His mind raced, calculating defensive strategies, and he decided to leverage the narrow confines of the stairwell to his advantage. He meticulously checked his gear to ensure everything was in peak condition, placing his AK200 assault rifle firmly beside him, and arranging his MP443 Grach Pistol and dagger within easy reach.
While he waited, Leitao moved with light, cautious steps to scout the interior of the building. In one of the rooms, he discovered a wooden bucket used by the residents for night soil. Without a moment’s hesitation, he decided to turn it into a booby trap. He crouched down, agilely retrieving explosives and a fuse; he carefully packed the explosives into the bucket, rigged the fuse, and then placed the bucket in a strategic spot near the stairwell.
Once the trap was set, Leitao lowered his profile and hurried silently back to the roof. He pressed himself against the floor, gripped his modified Type 81 assault rifle, and peered through the sight. He scanned the movements of the Japanese Army below, waiting for the perfect moment before firing with precision, taking down two of the soldiers.
Just then, a Japanese Army sniper in the building opposite spotted Leitao. A jolt of lethal danger surged through Leitao, and he reacted instantly, lunging sideways and rolling behind cover. No sooner had he hidden than the sniper’s bullet whistled through the spot where he had been standing.
Leitao lay behind the cover, his heart hammering as his brain raced to calculate the sniper's rhythm and angle. Suddenly, he took a deep breath, rose into a crouch, and fired. The sniper reacted just as quickly, dropping down to dodge, and Leitao used the opportunity to shift his position. The two engaged in a tense standoff, each squinting to find a crack in the other’s defense.
Suddenly, Leitao noticed that the room the sniper was occupying was a kitchen, and a kerosene stove sat inside. His eyes lit up. He took aim and fired, striking the stove and causing the kerosene to leak out. The sniper was caught off guard by the sudden spill. Leitao immediately fired again, his bullet striking a kitchen knife on the floor; with a metallic "clink," sparks flew, instantly igniting a blaze in the kitchen.
The fire spread rapidly, billowing thick smoke. Choking on the fumes, the Japanese Army sniper could no longer focus on Leitao; he hunched over and staggered as he scrambled to relocate.
While Leitao was locked in his duel with the sniper, another mortar team from the Japanese Army squad began shelling the roof. Hearing the whistle of the incoming mortar, Leitao dove toward a depression in the floor. The shell exploded on the roof, kicking up a storm of dust and rubble.
Taking advantage of the chaos of the explosion, Leitao rose and took aim at the sniper once more. Just as the sniper pushed a window open slightly and raised his rifle to aim, Leitao pulled the trigger. With a sharp "bang," the sniper’s head exploded in a spray of blood and brain matter.
After downing the sniper, Leitao quickly withdrew a tracer round from his ammo pouch and expertly chambered it. Crouching, he kept his eyes fixed on the Japanese Army mortar position, holding his rifle steady as he lined up his target.
He took a deep breath and gently squeezed the trigger. The tracer round streaked from the barrel, a trail of light flying straight toward the mortar position.
The round hit a mortar shell with perfect accuracy. The moment of impact produced a blinding flash of sparks followed by a dull, thunderous roar.
The force of the massive explosion instantly tossed the surrounding Japanese soldiers aside, sending shards of the mortar flying in every direction. Fire and smoke billowed into the sky, and the entire mortar position descended into chaos.
The shockwave from the blast rippled outward, snapping nearby trees at the trunk and leaving a massive crater in the ground.
Seeing this, Leitao finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the mortar position was completely destroyed.
Just then, he felt something hanging against his chest. He reached in and pulled it out—it was the Bagua spinning top he had been fiddling with earlier, though he had no idea when or how it had ended up on a red string around his neck. He frowned, puzzled by the mystery, but the sound of footsteps climbing the stairs snapped him back to reality. He tucked the spinning top into his left arm pocket, gripped his rifle, and prepared to engage in the next battle.