Chapter 84: That Smile as She Turned Away!

“Puff, puff, puff…”
At this moment, the soldier’s body resembled a battered sack, riddled with wounds, blood streaming from every gash, his entire form nearly torn apart by the enemy’s relentless gunfire. Yet, no matter how fiercely the Japanese troops shot at him, this soldier refused to fall. Leaning heavily on his rifle for support, blood spilling from his mouth, his body swaying on the verge of collapse—but still, he stood defiantly, refusing to go down.

Witnessing this scene, every defender on the position stared, mouths agape, worry flickering in their eyes. But mingled with their anxiety was a profound sense of admiration.
To remain upright under such a hail of enemy fire, to endure so many bullets and still not fall—what strength of will did it take to achieve that?

By now, whether he could destroy the enemy’s armored car was no longer the focus of their concern. All eyes were fixed on him, silently asking: how much longer can he endure?

Wang Zanbin looked at the soldier, trembling yet still propped up by his rifle. He wanted to speak, his lips parted, but no sound emerged.
His mouth quivered for a moment, but all that came was a sigh.

He did not know this soldier’s name; in fact, many did not. Yet—his sheer resolve moved everyone present.

Meanwhile, behind enemy lines, Lieutenant General Ichiro Katayama was observing the battle, and naturally, he too noticed this astonishing scene.
When he saw the soldier standing firm amidst the storm of machine-gun fire, Katayama lowered his binoculars.

“General…” The chief of staff also set down his binoculars, hesitating, “Should we…?”

Katayama waved him off, interrupting with a sigh, “He is a true warrior—worthy of respect from all.”

The chief of staff looked puzzled. Though he recognized the remarkable willpower of this Chinese soldier, he could not fathom what force drove him to persist.

What was the source of his strength?

The invaders could never understand. As aggressors, they would never comprehend the price a weakened nation must pay to resist them.

They did not know of the countless patriots who had sacrificed everything to strengthen their homeland and drive out the invaders.
One generation after another, fearless and unyielding, all for what?
For a strong and independent country, for the well-being of their people.

Countless martyrs had thrown aside all else for this ideal.

And now, what kept this soldier standing was precisely such faith.

This was the power of belief.

…

“Impossible! Impossible!”
On the armored car, the Japanese machine-gunner watched in disbelief as his bullets failed to bring the soldier down. His face twisted as if he had seen a ghost, and he shrieked wildly.

“If bullets can’t kill you, I’ll crush you with the Empire’s armored car! I’ll grind you to dust—you can’t possibly survive that!”
Snarling, the Japanese soldier ordered the armored car to charge forward.

By this time, he was thoroughly unnerved by the soldier’s ferocity and indomitable will. He had even forgotten the soldier’s purpose in charging forward, blindly commanding the vehicle to press on.

As the armored car rumbled closer, the soldier laboriously lifted his head, casting a final glance at his comrades on the position. Suddenly, a grin broke across his blood-stained lips, turning his teeth crimson.

Then, without hesitation, he ignited the explosive satchel and hurled himself upon the enemy armored car.

“No—!”

Seeing him light the explosives, the Japanese gunner’s viciousness instantly vanished, replaced by terror. He screamed in panic.

But it was too late.

A thunderous explosion erupted, flames engulfing the armored car, consuming both the soldier and his enemies in a shared destruction.

…

A gentle breeze swept through as the smoke cleared. Where once stood an armored vehicle and a brave, charging figure, now there was nothing but a twisted hulk of smoldering metal.
Only then did the defenders on the position come to their senses.

Gazing at the ruined vehicle, Wang Zanbin gasped for breath, as if choking. Shock was etched across his features.

Never had he imagined he would witness such a scene on the Chihe defense line.

That among the ranks of his 174th Division, there would be such a man.

He did not know what unit the soldier belonged to, nor even his name… Yet this nameless figure had performed an act of such tragic heroism that Wang Zanbin could not help but be moved.

That final turning smile, though blood-soaked and hardly handsome, struck Wang Zanbin to his core.

That turn was a farewell to his comrades, a last lingering look at life itself.

But when he faced the enemy, all else was cast aside—his life, his fears—he leapt forward, unhesitatingly, to meet his foes.

This was the choice between life and death, the collision of life and belief.

Between survival and sacrifice, the soldier chose death; between life and faith, he chose faith.

To Wang Zanbin, that violent explosion was not the end of a life, but a salute—a sending off.

A farewell to a soldier.

At this thought, Wang Zanbin suddenly burst out laughing. “Ha! If one of my 174th Division dies, how could we let the enemy go unpunished?”

“Brothers, this warrior has shown us the way—how can we fall behind? Hit them hard! Fight! Give our brother a glorious farewell!”

“Kill! Kill the enemy!”
Wang Zanbin roared, clutching his machine gun, unleashing a hail of bullets at the Japanese troops.

Teng Chong shouted and waved his arm, leading another group of men, explosives in hand, charging forward.

One by one, the soldiers’ eyes reddened with fury, bellowing as they fought.

As their commander said, their brother had died—how could the enemy not pay with their lives?

Countless soldiers poured their bullets into the enemy ranks, exploding with rage, while others rushed the armored cars with explosives in their arms.

The Japanese, still stunned by the earlier scene, failed to react until the gunfire erupted and many of their number fell. Only then did they awaken to the danger.

But by then, it was too late.

The men bearing explosives were already upon them. As the Japanese finally responded, the soldiers pulled the fuses and hurled themselves, bodies and bombs together, at the armored vehicles.

…