Leitao drove the truck steadily to the Japanese Army artillery position. The moment the vehicle came to a stop, he hopped out and scanned his surroundings. On the firing line, Japanese soldiers scurried like busy ants, transporting supplies back and forth. The rows of artillery pieces glinted with a cold, metallic sheen under the sun, resembling silent, slumbering beasts.
An artillery technical officer ran over, his face twisted in annoyance. "Why are you so slow? We’ve run out of shells for this caliber! You’re delaying the entire operation!" His eyes were full of reproach, yet he felt no suspicion toward the identity of Leitao and his men.
Leitao felt a surge of secret triumph, but he acted with cringing subservience. "My deepest apologies," he replied in Japanese. "We ran into some minor trouble on the way, but the shells have been delivered safely." As he spoke, he gave a slight bow, his peripheral vision quietly mapping out the layout of the position. In the center, several massive cannons were angled slightly upward, aimed directly toward Teng County. The surrounding area was stacked high with ammo crates of various calibers, and not far off stood several tents that likely served as the Japanese command center and storage for critical supplies.
Chapter 90