27: The Dead Suzhou River

Night had fallen deep.

The clamor and gunfire of the day were temporarily covered by a thin layer of silence.

But this silence was more heart-stopping than any gunfire.

For everyone knew that this was merely a brief respite before the demon lunged for its next meal.

"Mr. Chen, do you really think this can work?"

In an observation post on the second floor of the warehouse, Shangguan Zhibiao had an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth, his brows knit into a tight knot. He lowered his voice as if sharing some shady secret.

Beside him, Chen Xi was holding a pair of binoculars, expressionlessly observing the movements on the opposite bank.

Tonight, a Girl Scout would risk her life to swim across from the opposite bank to deliver a national flag.

This news had already spread among the officers.

"Those Japanese bastards on the other side are as sharp as monkeys." Shangguan Zhibiao spat out the cigarette butt, his voice tinged with anxiety. "They must have heard us when we were shouting today. Now, on this Suzhou Creek, never mind a person—even a leaf floating by would be riddled with bullets."

His words were not an exaggeration.

Through the binoculars, Chen Xi could clearly see flashes of metallic reflection from the ruins of the bombed buildings on the opposite bank.

Those were sniper scopes.

Several type 92 heavy machine guns were cleverly camouflaged behind broken walls, their dark muzzles staring fixedly at the river surface, which was barely a hundred meters wide, like the eyes of venomous snakes.

This wasn't a river at all.

This was a road to hell, paved with bullets and death.

"The Regiment Commander is something else, actually agreeing to this," Shangguan Zhibiao continued to mutter. "Isn't this just sending that little girl to her death for nothing? A flag—can you eat it or drink it? Is it worth a human life?"

"It's worth it."

Chen Xi lowered the binoculars and softly uttered a single word.

Shangguan Zhibiao froze.

Chen Xi turned his head and looked at him, his eyes appearing exceptionally bright in the dim moonlight.

"Company Commander, some things are more important than eating and drinking."

"If a person loses their spirit, even if they're alive, they're no different from being dead."

Shangguan Zhibiao opened his mouth to retort but found he couldn't say a single word.

Looking into Chen Xi's calm eyes, an absurd thought suddenly popped into his head.

The person before him was young, yet his gaze was sometimes deeper and older than the Regiment Commander's.

It was as if he had already witnessed countless deaths and experienced things a person couldn't imagine in a lifetime.

Chen Xi didn't waste any more words on him.

He knew that relying solely on the naked eye would never allow him to fully grasp the Japanese Army's deployment.

He silently retreated into the shadows of the observation post and opened the system mall in his mind.

[Remote Control Model Aircraft - Reconnaissance Module]

[Quality: Excellent]

[Description: Utilizes the latest bionic design with silent rotors, equipped with high-definition night vision and thermal imaging lenses. It is your best choice for peeping... ahem, for conducting tactical reconnaissance.]

[Exchange Cost: 20,000 emotion points.]

"Exchange."

Chen Xi did not hesitate for a second.

In his hand, a palm-sized "toy plane" that looked like a black dragonfly appeared out of thin air.

He walked to a secluded window and, under the curious gazes of Shangguan Zhibiao and several nearby Soldiers, gave it a gentle toss.

The "dragonfly" made no sound; with just an imperceptible flutter of its wings, it silently merged into the night and flew toward the opposite bank.

The viewers in the livestream room instantly perked up when they saw this novel gadget.

[Holy crap! A new toy! Is this... a Drone?]

[Is Master Xi going to do some aerial photography? I suggest flying over the Japanese Army headquarters for a selfie!]

[How far can this thing fly? Don't let it fall halfway and get picked up by the Japs!]

A brand-new virtual screen popped up before Chen Xi's eyes.

It was the real-time footage transmitted back by the Drone.

He selected the "Thermal Imaging" mode.

In an instant, the entire world changed in his eyes.

The black night turned into a grayish-white background.

And human silhouettes emitting heat were clearly presented on the screen in a piercing bright red.

"Hiss..."

The moment he saw the image clearly, Chen Xi couldn't help but gasp.

In the seemingly peaceful ruins on the opposite bank, dozens of red dots were densely hidden!

Some were hiding behind bridge piers, some under collapsed roofs, and some had even dug holes to bury themselves in the rubble.

Each dot represented a living Japanese Soldier, armed to the teeth.

The Drone continued forward.

In the footage, two dots appeared very close together; they were lying on the top floor of a bombed-out bank building, and the long, thin, cooler "pipe" in front of them was the barrel of a sniper rifle.

It was a two-man sniper team.

On the other side, Chen Xi locked onto a larger red glow emitting even higher heat.

That was a type 92 heavy machine gun position covered by camouflage netting.

What startled Chen Xi the most were the two cold white beams of light scanning back and forth like demon eyes.

Those were military searchlights deployed by the Japanese Army on both flanks.

Their power was immense; wherever the beams reached, it was as bright as day, leaving any ripple on the water with nowhere to hide.

This wasn't just a defense network.

This was a fucking death web woven with snipers, heavy machine guns, and searchlights, leaving no way out!

Through Chen Xi's first-person perspective, the viewers in the livestream room also clearly saw this despair-inducing defense map.

After a brief moment of shock, the bullet chat was overwhelmed by endless panic and despair.

[My god... how... how are they supposed to get across?!]

[Are there landmines laid in this river?! It's a trap at every step!]

[Don't go! Please don't go! Little girl, just go home! This isn't a path a human can cross!]

[It's over, completely over. This mission is simply impossible!]

Chen Xi's face was as dark as water.

He maneuvered the Drone, etching the location of every firepower point, every sniper, and every searchlight firmly into his mind.

He closed the operation interface, turned around, and picked up the inconspicuous slingshot he had leaned against the corner.

He walked up to the worried Shangguan Zhibiao and patted him on the shoulder.

"Company Commander, do me a favor."

"Find a few brothers with loud voices. Later, on my command, have them fire a few bursts from the machine guns toward the sky from those southern windows. The more noise, the better."

Shangguan Zhibiao was stunned.

"Fire at the sky? Why?"

"A feint." Chen Xi didn't explain much, only looking out the window with cold eyes. "Tonight, we'll play the role of the... guardian deities of this Suzhou Creek."