After Leitao withdrew, a small squad of the Japanese Army rushed toward the building where he had been. They looked tense, their weapons clattering against each other as they ran. They had been summoned by a report from Japanese expatriates living in the building—civilians who had desperately hoped to assist the Japanese Army in capturing a suspicious person, never imagining they were walking into a death trap.
When the soldiers reached the door to the roof, the lead soldier pushed against it with all his might to no avail. He signaled for a large soldier and others to join him in ramming it.
The moment the door was struck, the directional triggered bomb Leitao had planted and the 120mm howitzer shells beside it detonated instantly. In a flash, the night sky was illuminated as brightly as day, and a deafening roar tore across the rooftop. A massive hole was blasted into the roof, and the powerful shockwave, carrying a surge of air like a tidal wave, swept outward. The stairwell collapsed under the force, and countless stones and steel bars sprayed out like rain.
Chapter 59