Chapter 48: Kong Jie: Special Forces Japs? Did Old Li Do This? The Battle Record Furiously Shocks the Brigade Commander!

The commander of the first battalion found Kong Jie and reported, “Regimental Commander, there’s a new discovery!”

Kong Jie was taken aback for a moment, then quickly asked, “What is it?”

“The equipment of these little devils is incredibly advanced,” the battalion commander replied with amazement. “And it’s a complete set, neatly arranged on the ground. It seems someone took the time to organize it carefully.”

“Take me to see it,” Kong Jie said gravely.

Soon, the battalion commander led Kong Jie to the spot.

On the clearing before him lay several enemy corpses scattered haphazardly, but in the center was a meticulously arranged set of gear.

An MP38 submachine gun, a semi-automatic pistol, a tactical vest, a steel helmet, a combat dagger...

The entire ensemble was of exceptional quality, leaving Kong Jie utterly stunned.

“No wonder these devils’ fighting capability is so strong—their equipment is this sophisticated!” Kong Jie frowned deeply. “Gathering such a full set of gear must have cost a fortune.”

“This little devil faction has evidently invested heavily to build a special forces unit!”

“Our independent regiment truly suffered a justified defeat this time.”

Turning to look at the surrounding enemy bodies, Kong Jie’s mouth twitched slightly. “Ah... such a blatant humiliation.”

“Our entire regiment fought for so long and didn’t even leave a single enemy corpse behind... yet this mysterious unit finished off so many special forces devils in a swift battle.”

“Compared to that, how can our independent regiment still claim to be a main force?”

“I just don’t know who this secret unit is, and we can’t even find a way to thank them.”

The battalion commander, hearing Kong Jie’s words, pondered briefly before saying, “Commander, I think this mysterious unit might actually be someone we know.”

“After all, from the battlefield performance, these soldiers moved swiftly and executed their tasks with precision.”

“They took all the other special operations gear with them, leaving only this one neatly arranged set behind.”

“I suspect their purpose was to let us understand this group of special forces devils through their equipment, and at the same time provide an explanation to the headquarters.”

“Otherwise, why would this mysterious figure leave behind a clearly organized full set of gear?”

“That makes sense,” Kong Jie’s eyes brightened, his face deepening in thought.

“But who exactly is this mysterious unit that defeated the special forces devils?”

“This unit has formidable combat power, sophisticated equipment, and a meticulous leader.”

“From the people I know, no one commands such a unit or possesses that kind of mindset!”

At this moment, Kong Jie grew increasingly puzzled and curious about the identity of the secret unit that routed the special forces devils.

After a moment’s reflection, Kong Jie remained clueless.

In the end, Kong Jie shook his head helplessly and turned to the battalion commander. “Forget about who they are for now; we need to handle the matter at hand first.”

“Order the soldiers to bring all these enemy corpses and the full set of gear back to Yang Village. I must report the situation here to headquarters.”

“Sigh... with how this battle went, I don’t even know how the headquarters will punish me.”

“Although the enemy’s equipment was strong and that’s understandable, the poor results will surely set the deputy commander off.”

Kong Er, though a bit dense, was quite self-aware.

No matter how you looked at it, the independent regiment had indeed suffered a defeat this time.

There was no denying it.

...

Elsewhere.

Li Yunlong and Wei Dayong led the Snow Leopard Special Forces swiftly away from the vicinity of Yang Village.

Though exhausted, since Li Yunlong no longer intended to meet Kong Jie, it was best not to linger nearby.

On the road away from Yang Village, Zhou Weiguo couldn’t help but ask Li Yunlong, “Commander, why aren’t you meeting with Commander Kong?”

Zhou Weiguo had already heard about Li Yunlong’s relationship with Kong Jie, which made him curious.

After all, Li Yunlong and Kong Jie were old comrades. They were about to meet, but Li Yunlong decisively ordered a retreat.

Zhou Weiguo found this hard to understand.

Li Yunlong shook his head and softly replied, “The timing isn’t right for a meeting.”

“If it weren’t for the sudden intelligence about the Yamamoto Special Forces, I wouldn’t have planned to return to northern Shanxi at this time.”

“There’ll be chances to meet later; there’s no rush now.”

“I understand,” Zhou Weiguo responded casually, then didn’t press further.

Soon, Li Yunlong and his group traveled several kilometers until they reached a patch of woods.

The forest was sparse, with just a layer of grass on the ground and few dead branches or leaves—an ideal place to set up camp.

Since this was their return journey, Li Yunlong and the Snow Leopard Special Forces were in no hurry.

Upon seeing the woods, Li Yunlong immediately gave the order: “Everyone, we’ll rest here tonight. Get some good rest.”

“You’ve been on the move for over 40 hours without sleep, covering more than 200 kilometers, and just fought a tough battle. You must be exhausted.”

“I’ll take the first watch tonight. Everyone else, eat and sleep. We’ll march again tomorrow.”

The Snow Leopard soldiers were deeply moved by Li Yunlong’s words.

After all, they had witnessed him running alongside them all the way, and he had set the highest kill record in battle.

Now, as their commander, he insisted on keeping watch himself.

Such a leader was truly rare.

“Commander, you don’t have to do that!” Zhou Weiguo quickly said. “Let me take the watch tonight. You haven’t rested for almost two days. You should rest with the others.”

“Enough. No more arguing. I’m the commander, so my word is final!” Li Yunlong said imperiously. “All soldiers, obey orders: eat and sleep!”

...

The next day.

At first light, Li Yunlong led the well-rested Snow Leopard Special Forces back toward Jin-Sui Town.

Meanwhile, back in Yang Village.

Kong Jie also sent a messenger to the Eighth Route Army’s 386th Brigade headquarters at daybreak, intending to report the situation to the brigade commander.

Because the independent regiment had only just been assigned to Yang Village, no telephone lines had been laid, nor was there a radio, so Kong Jie had to rely on the old-fashioned method of a human courier.

And Kong Jie was truly a man of grit!

Looking seriously at the messenger, Kong Jie said, “Remember to report everything in Yang Village truthfully. Include all our losses.”

“As for the mysterious unit’s achievements, don’t take credit for them. We didn’t kill a single enemy, and that must be reported too.”

“Although I might be dismissed, I’ll take full responsibility alone. If I’m outmatched and deserve punishment, I accept it!”

“Besides, this concerns special forces devils. Our report will affect the brigade commander’s assessment of their strength. We must not fabricate anything.”

“Understood,” the messenger promptly acknowledged.

...

At the 386th Brigade headquarters.

Upon learning of the situation in Yang Village, the brigade commander swore, “Damn it... How is the independent regiment fighting? I’m going to Yang Village personally to investigate!”

“I refuse to believe those devils have superpowers!”

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