Leitao stood quietly at the top of the stairs, his ears keenly tuned to the approaching footsteps of the Japanese Army. As the sounds grew clearer, his heart began to race.
When the soldiers reached the stairwell and were on the verge of spotting him, Leitao performed a tactical side-step at the corner. With lightning speed, he thrust his body out and pulled the trigger of his modified AK200 assault rifle without hesitation. Instantly, the rifle spat out a tongue of flame, unleashing a torrential downpour of bullets upon the Japanese troops.
"Rat-tat-tat!" The gunfire echoed through the narrow stairwell, shattering the silence. Caught off guard, the Japanese soldiers scrambled for cover, but many were struck by the dense hail of bullets before they could even react, collapsing to the ground with shrill screams.
Leitao’s eyes were cold and focused as he adjusted his aim, ensuring every shot counted. Once the magazine was spent, he quickly ducked back into the concealment of the stairwell corner, listening intently to the enemy's movements. His breathing remained steady; though his heart pounded, his mind was exceptionally calm. He knew the Japanese would organize a counterattack, and he had to be ready.
The Japanese quickly rallied, providing covering fire for one another in an attempt to suppress Leitao. One soldier pulled out a grenade, preparing to end him. Alert, Leitao spotted the movement, aimed decisively, and shot the soldier in the arm. The grenade dropped and detonated in the corridor with a thunderous "Boom!" The shockwave sent the Japanese soldiers reeling, leaving many wounded and sprawled on the floor.
At that moment, a soldier accidentally triggered the feces bucket bomb trap Leitao had set in advance. A massive explosion erupted with a deafening "Bang!" Flames and thick smoke instantly choked the stairwell. Several soldiers were blown into mangled wrecks, their screams echoing in the confined space. Feces splattered everywhere, and a pungent, foul odor filled the air. A sergeant behind the line covered his mouth with one hand, fighting back nausea, and cursed in Japanese, "That bastard! When we kill him, I'm going to throw his corpse into a cesspit!"
Before the sergeant could finish his curse, another bomb exploded nearby. The blast knocked several soldiers against the walls; the sergeant was thrown to the ground, and as he struggled to rise, his face was smeared with dust and blood.
Leitao seized the opportunity to fire from the shadows, downing several more Japanese soldiers. The survivors panicked, firing blindly into the darkness, unable to locate his position.
While the sergeant directed his men to fight back, he simultaneously searched for an escape route. But Leitao gave them no chance, firing continuously as the Japanese soldiers kept falling.
Ultimately, under Leitao’s fierce assault, the entire Japanese squad was practically wiped out. Only the sergeant and a handful of soldiers managed to narrowly escape the stairwell.
Following the explosions, Leitao quickly shifted his position, moving nimbly through the debris on the rooftop to find a better vantage point. He knew the Japanese would not give up easily and would surely charge again.
Indeed, the Japanese Army soon launched another assault. As the bulk of the troops passed by the kerosene barrels in the stairwell, Leitao swung out from his cover, his modified AK200 assault rifle aimed directly at the fuel. He fired decisively. "Bang!" The barrels exploded, igniting a raging inferno that blew most of the Japanese soldiers away, their agonizing screams filling the air. The remaining soldiers were either engulfed in flames or fled in a panic.
Leitao switched to his Crow pistol, picking off the fleeing soldiers with quick, precise movements. One by one, they fell.
After the intense battle, Leitao had neutralized all the Japanese soldiers. Even with the fight over, he did not let his guard down; he methodically checked the bodies to ensure the enemies were truly dead.
Once he finished, he cleared the battlefield, collecting weapons and ammunition. As he picked up a grenade, he brushed against the Bagua spinning top in his left pocket. Suddenly, the Bagua spinning top emitted a glow, and a mysterious force enveloped Leitao, activating his space system. He experimented with stowing and retrieving his backpack, feeling delighted, before settling down to calmly collect the remaining weapons and store them away.
While scouring the battlefield, Leitao discovered an intact grenade launcher, spare shells, a Type 100 submachine gun, and a Type 11 light machine gun. His eyes lit up at the thought of providing these to other anti-Japanese resistance forces. Carefully, he gathered the gear, reorganized his equipment, and prepared for the fight ahead.