0p0 Chapter 448: The Beast Contract in the Smoke: Lei Tao trades dog meat for a glimmer of hope
Chapter 448: The Beast Contract in the Smoke: Lei Tao trades dog meat for a glimmer of hope
Lei Tao vigilantly realized that the Japanese army was planning to encircle us from both sides, so he immediately lowered his voice and said to Chen Feiyang, "This is a good opportunity for us to evacuate. Keep watch for me while I set up the minefield." Before he finished speaking, he had already taken out three anti-personnel mines, five tear gas bombs, and four smoke bombs from the Bagua gyroscope space.
Chen Feiyang quickly aimed his rifle at the bushes to the right, the AK47's sight shifting slightly with the swaying branches. Lei Tao half-knelt in a pile of rotten leaves, his finger quickly flicking the fuse of a mine. He buried the first mine on the downhill slope, where the Japanese troops would have to pass, and covered it with dead branches as camouflage. Then, he placed the second mine ten meters away, near the roots of a tree, with a tripwire tied to the intertwining vines.
"Brother Lei! There's movement on the left!" Chen Feiyang suddenly lowered his voice. Lei Tao grabbed a tear gas grenade, unscrewed the safety, and hurled two at the bushes to the left. Coughs and curses from the Japanese soldiers drifted through the white smoke, temporarily slowing their advance. Lei Tao seized the opportunity to place the final mine on the edge of the cliff and scattered caltrops around it.
At this moment, the Japanese troops on the right had broken through the smoke and rushed towards them with bayonets pointed. Lei Tao immediately pulled the pin on the smoke bomb and threw it at the Japanese. Thick white smoke instantly enveloped the entire area. He dragged Chen Feiyang back to the rear of the minefield and whispered, "Wait until they enter the minefield and run to the stream to the northwest."
Seeing the thick smoke, the Japanese commander brandished his sword and shouted, "Ignore the smoke! Chase!" Over a dozen soldiers fanned out, cautiously stepping into the minefield. The soldier in the lead suddenly stepped on a tripwire, and an anti-personnel mine exploded, knocking two men over. Then, a second mine was triggered by flying debris. Amidst the cascading explosions, the screams of the Japanese soldiers echoed.
"Baga! Halt! Engineers, clear the mines!" The commander's roar was choked by the pungent smell of tear gas. Lei Tao seized the opportunity to pull out a defensive grenade, pressing his thumb firmly on the safety grip. He took a deep breath, rose suddenly under the cover of the smoke, and hurled the grenade in a parabolic trajectory toward the high slope where the Japanese commander was standing.
"Look out!" a Japanese sergeant grabbed the commander's arm just as the blast toppled them both. Steel balls from the defensive grenades rained down like a torrential rain, instantly piercing the gas masks of three engineers. Blood and shards of glass splattered on the charred tree trunks. A brief moment of disarray descended upon the Japanese ranks, their cries mingling with the crash of metal instruments.
"Hurry up!" Lei Tao dragged Chen Feiyang along, using the smoke as cover, and ran towards the stream in the northwest direction. The sound of Japanese gunfire could be heard behind them, but the dense minefield and smoke made the pursuers dare not pursue rashly.
Lei Tao and Chen Feiyang stumbled through the rushing stream, their soaked uniforms clinging to their skin as they left a trail of water in the woods. Just as they caught their breath and parted the underbrush, they heard the roar of a wild animal not far away.
A massive South China tiger crouched low, its hind legs stomping out from the ground, and pounced like a flash of black and orange lightning. Its target was a wild boar drinking from a stream. The boar, sensing danger, was about to flee when the tiger pounced, its powerful front paws slamming into the boar's back and pinning it to the ground.
The wild boar howled horribly, struggling to break free from its deadly grip. The South China tiger remained unmoved. It opened its maw, baring its sharp fangs, and bit into the boar's neck. With the muffled crack of bones, the boar's struggles gradually weakened, and after a few twitches, its limbs spun and fell silent.
At that moment, a tiger cub poked its head out from the bushes, its amber eyes curiously gazing at the intruder. "Don't move," Lei Tao gripped Chen Feiyang's wrist, his muscles tensing beneath his clothes. The tiger suddenly looked up, ears pricked up, and let out a low, warning cry, its tail tip sweeping the ground in a dangerous arc. The cub, however, staggered to its mother's feet and rubbed its head against her blood-stained front paws, completely unaware of the approaching danger.
Chen Feiyang slowly reached for the AK47 at his waist, but Lei Tao held him down firmly. "Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. If we don't touch its cubs, it won't attack for now." Before he could finish his words, the sound of Japanese boots crushing dead branches could be heard in the distance. The tigress whipped her head around, her pupils narrowed in hostility as she shielded her cubs beneath her belly.
"Use smoke bombs." Lei Tao quickly pulled out two smoke bombs and tossed them into the air. A thick white fog instantly engulfed the battlefield. He seized the opportunity and rushed towards the tiger cub, catching it in his arms before the mother could pounce. Chen Feiyang simultaneously pulled the trigger. The bullet grazed the mother tiger's scalp, successfully drawing her towards the Japanese troops.
"Go!" Lei Tao ran, clutching the struggling cub. Behind him, the tiger's roar and the screams of the Japanese soldiers echoed. Chen Feiyang, changing his magazine as he ran, noticed the tigress kept her distance, her eyes fixed on the cub. As they retreated into the cave, the cub suddenly whimpered. The tigress lingered at the entrance for a moment before finally crouching down, watching their approach warily—now considering them her temporary protector.
Lei Tao thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and put the little tiger down. He then dropped the body of the Japanese military dog he had just killed at the entrance of the cave. He then took out a dagger and slashed several large wounds in the dog's belly. Blood immediately gushed out from the wounds, and a strong smell of blood quickly filled the air. The tigress, who had been watching them warily, was instantly attracted by the smell of blood.
"Hurry!" Lei Tao dragged Chen Feiyang back deeper into the cave. The cub whimpered, trying to follow, but the tigress held it down with a paw. The tigress slowly approached the corpse of the military dog, tentatively digging the ground around it with her sharp claws. Suddenly, she lowered her head and bit the corpse's neck, her sharp teeth easily tearing through the fur, exposing the bright red muscle tissue.
The sound of chewing, mixed with the muffled thud of tearing, echoed through the cave. The tigress held the corpse tightly with her front paws, whipping her head back and forth, tearing off chunks of flesh. The cub broke free and scrambled forward, imitating the tigress's example as it gnawed at the corpse's hind legs. Scraps of flesh flew onto the rock wall as it swung its head.
The footsteps of the Japanese troops outside the cave grew closer. Goike Ichiro's roar pierced the smoke: "Search every corner!" Before he could finish his words, the tigress suddenly raised her head and unleashed a deafening roar, her mouth dripping with blood, the remains of the military dog still dangling from her canine teeth. Just as the Japanese troops outside the cave were about to close in, the first soldier who entered barely managed to utter a cry of alarm before the tigress pounced, her throat instantly ripped apart.