Wu Xin: The Monster Killer

Chapter 63 Sneak Attack

In the early morning of spring, Zhang Xianzong led a small team and quietly approached Tanggezhuang, where Gu's brigade headquarters was located.

For a surprise attack, dawn is more suitable than midnight. At dawn, people sleep most soundly, and even the guards who have held out all night are exhausted, dozing off while leaning on their rifles. The village roosters haven't crowed yet. Zhang Xianzong disappears into the pre-dawn darkness, step by step entering the territory of Tanggezhuang.

Based on the intelligence provided by the scouts, he began searching for the tallest and sturdiest house in the village. The hundred or so men behind him held their breath, gripping their rifles tightly, refusing to make a sound. With a heavy heart, he entered the village alleyways. Apart from the occasional bark of dogs and the continuous whistling of the wind, everything went smoothly. A soldier appeared ahead, leaning against a half-collapsed mud wall, looking drowsy. He vaguely heard footsteps and, yawning, said, "Password!"

Without a password, only a knife was slit across his neck; blood spurted out in a red fan shape, splashing onto the half-earthen wall.

Zhang Xianzong's troops continued forward. At the next alleyway, they encountered soldiers again. The soldiers, however, were more energetic than the dead men at the front, shouting loudly, "Password!"

Zhang Xianzong and the others, unaware of Gu Lü's password, continued walking forward with their heads down. A soldier slammed back his rifle bolt with a clang, raising his voice a notch: "Password!"

Zhang Xianzong raised his hand and fired a shot, instantly shattering the soldier's head. The gunshot roused the dogs in all directions, and Zhang Xianzong waved his hand, causing the small group to quicken their pace, heading straight for the brick courtyard ahead. As far as he knew, the garrison in Tanggezhuang was small; Gu's troops were all at the front lines!

The sky was beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn, and the sounds of roosters crowing, dogs barking, and gunfire rose and fell. Lord Gu sat bolt upright, his eyes still closed, instinctively reaching under his pillow for his pistol. Naked, he leaped out of bed and peered through the window. He saw guards carrying rifles running towards the courtyard, and quickly turned to grab his clothes, shouting, "Wuxin, Yueya! Wake up! Something's happened!"

Wuxin and Yueya slept in the next room, and were both awakened by the gunshot before Lord Gu even spoke. Yueya was still half-asleep, huddled under the covers in a daze; Wuxin, however, was quick-witted, throwing back the covers and replying, "I know! I'm awake!"

As soon as Wuxin spoke, Yueya's spirit returned to its place. She threw all his clothes at him, barely managing to keep from trembling, and whispered as if afraid of startling someone, "Hurry up and put them on. Once you're dressed, we'll hide at the back of the yard; it leads to the fields!"

While kicking his feet into his pants, Wuxin said, "Silly girl, there are no crops in the fields now, it's pointless to go there!"

Crescent Moon's fingers were practically dancing with activity as she buttoned up a long string of buttons in one go: "Oh dear, you're right!"

Without thinking, she put on her shoes, grabbed Yueya's hand, and ran outside. Just as they stepped out of the room, they came face to face with Lord Gu. Lord Gu, without a word, shouted, "Damn it, it was a sneak attack! You two, don't make things worse, get out of the way!"

To proceed, they had to pass through the courtyard ahead. Wuxin, leaving Lord Gu and Yueya behind, was the first to emerge. But the moment his eyes saw the light of day, a guard at the courtyard gate convulsed violently—he had been shot and was dead. Lord Gu cursed, shoved Wuxin aside, raised his pistol, and pulled the trigger as he walked out. Wuxin tightly gripped Yueya's hand, wanting to pull her out of the courtyard as quickly as possible—it was a square courtyard; if they didn't go outside, they would have to climb over the wall, but climbing over the wall was more dangerous because they were high up and easily spotted. But before he could take a step, someone rushed in and fired a shot at Lord Gu's head—it was Zhang Xianzong!

With a scream from Yueya, Wuxin leaped forward, slamming into Lord Gu and simultaneously drawing a small bullet hole in his waist. Lord Gu, caught off guard, fell to the ground, crashing headfirst into a large water vat in the corner of the courtyard. Taking advantage of Zhang Xianzong's momentary lapse in reaction, Wuxin rushed over to try and seize the gun. But he failed both times. Yueya ran to help Lord Gu up. Lord Gu wasn't injured on the head, but he sat there dazed and swaying, clearly disoriented from the impact!

Zhang Xianzong could no longer let his enemy escape. He frantically called for reinforcements while desperately trying to shake off Wuxin. Wuxin gripped his right wrist, trying to pry his fingers open to disarm him. Unable to fire and without a knife, he could only desperately pound on Wuxin. A squad of soldiers fought their way past the courtyard gate, bullets whistling through the air. Some seemed to want to enter to support Zhang Xianzong, but the bullets blocked their path; they were so close, yet unable to pass!

Gu Lü's reinforcements hadn't arrived yet, and Zhang Xianzong's reinforcements were on their way. The limited number of soldiers in Tanggezhuang were locked in a fierce battle; everyone had an opponent, and desertion was impossible. Unable to retract his right hand, Zhang Xianzong pulled the trigger again without aiming. The bullet struck the brick wall, and red brick fragments fell into Yueya's hair. Yueya instantly felt a chill run down her spine, cold sweat trickling down her temples. She bent down and grabbed Gu's arm, using all her strength to drag him into the house. Although there was no way out inside, the walls were thick enough to hold her for a while. Startled, Gu seemed to regain some composure, letting out a snort and muttering, "Damn it."

Then he picked up the gun again, wanting to fire, but his vision blurred and his hands trembled. Meanwhile, Wuxin and Zhang Xianzong had already fought in the corner of the courtyard. There was a small stack of firewood in the corner; Wuxin stepped onto the firewood, then leaped up, actually climbing onto Zhang Xianzong's shoulder. He wrapped his legs around the other's neck, bent down, and tightly embraced Zhang Xianzong's head. Zhang Xianzong's face was buried between Wuxin's chest and abdomen, his vision completely black, unable to see anything. He turned and charged towards the courtyard wall like a madman, repeatedly slamming his head against it, trying to knock Wuxin off. Wuxin's back slammed against the hard wall again and again; he wanted to break the other's neck, but the gunshot wound in his waist was excruciating, making him almost powerless.

Crescent Moon, crouching at the doorway, saw a small patch of blood already seeping from Wuxin's side and frantically shoved Master Gu. Zhang Xianzong, feeling the thighs and arms gripping his neck and head loosen slightly, gritted his teeth and exerted all his strength. With a powerful thrust of his legs, he charged forward, letting out a roar, and slammed his body against the courtyard wall with all his might. Wuxin closed his eyes, tensing his body to withstand the impact. But just as his back was about to hit the wall, a gunshot suddenly rang out from inside the courtyard!

Zhang Xianzong froze instantly, not even glancing up. He saw Yueya standing before him, her hands gripping Lord Gu's pistol, trembling with fear. Faint wisps of smoke curled from the muzzle, and Yueya's finger was on the trigger.

There was a moment of silence in the courtyard, then Zhang Xianzong swayed and fell down with Wuxin.

Wuxin immediately loosened her grip and scrambled to her feet, while Zhang Xianzong lay sprawled on the ground, a bloody hole blasted into his back. Guns aren't all the same; Lord Gu's Mauser C96 was only slightly less powerful and lighter than a rifle. Yueya was a strong little woman, but when she grabbed Lord Gu's pistol and ran to fire, she had to swing her arm with all her might to barely keep the gun level.

After the shot was fired, Crescent Moon's legs went stiff, and she stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. Her hands, weighed down by the gun, slowly sank, yet she still gripped the handle tightly. Wu Xin turned Zhang Xianzong over onto his back and found him with his eyes wide open, a look of unfinished death.

Just then, an adjutant rushed in, panting: "Commander, our men and the enemy have clashed outside the village! The situation is unclear, you should retreat first!"

Lord Gu, supporting himself on the doorframe, stood up. His mind was becoming increasingly clear, and with a dizzying nod, he said, "Alright, let's retreat!"

Lord Gu had ridden his tall horse all the way out of the village before he fully regained his senses. He asked Wuxin incredulously, "What? Yueya killed Zhang Xianzong?"

Wuxin lay on the horse's back and nodded, giving a soft "hmm".

Lord Gu immediately turned to look at Crescent Moon: "You little wench, you're pretty impressive! You can even shoot a gun?"

Crescent Moon's face flushed crimson. Although killing Zhang Xianzong was unavoidable, a human life was still a human life. Her face was hot, but her body was cold. She raised her hand to wipe away her tears, and answered in a sobbing voice, "Ah, when I was little, I went into the mountains with my uncle to hunt foxes, and we used Hanyang rifles."

Lord Gu stretched out his long arm and patted her on the shoulder: "Don't cry, what are you crying for? If you don't kill him, he'll kill you. Good shot. I knew you weren't an ordinary woman."

Then he turned to Wuxin: "What are you doing lying down like that?"

Before Wuxin could reply, Crescent Moon cried out, "What's wrong with your head? He took a bullet for you, and you've already forgotten?"

Lord Gu raised his hand and touched the bruise on his head, suddenly realizing what had happened.

Lord Gu and his trusted men successfully broke through the siege. Knowing that Zhang Xianzong was dead, they abandoned Tanggezhuang contentedly and sought a safer place to settle. Meanwhile, after a chaotic battle outside the village, Zhang's reinforcements, who had come to their aid, finally entered Tanggezhuang after a fierce fight.

A soldier in a courtyard cried out in alarm, "Chief of Staff! The Chief of Staff has been killed!"

A small figure floated in like a butterfly, and Yue Qiluo pressed a finger to the soldier's brow. The soldier froze for a moment, then immediately fell backward. Yue Qiluo then squatted down beside Zhang Xianzong, reached out to touch him, and found that there seemed to be a faint warmth still lingering from his nose.

In a few swift movements, she tore open his military uniform, and Yue Qiluo, dipping her brush in his blood, began drawing a talisman on his chest. Zhang Xianzong, his eyes wide open, gazed at the sky, and as if sensing something, exhaled his last breath beside Yue Qiluo.

Zhang's troops occupied Tanggezhuang, but they soon realized that the occupation was pointless. Tanggezhuang was isolated behind Gu's forces, who could launch a counterattack at any time. If that happened, their escape would be difficult because it was too far from the Wenxian headquarters.

The officers searched the village thoroughly but found nothing. Suddenly realizing their chief of staff hadn't appeared, some panicked and began calling out for Zhang Xianzong throughout the village. Just then, amidst the chaos, Zhang Xianzong appeared.

Zhang Xianzong was covered in blood, and beneath his tattered military uniform, bandages made from torn shirts were visible. He staggered to the officer, who, without saying a word, immediately gave the order to retreat.

Because the chief of staff was injured, the soldiers, at Yue Qiluo's behest, brazenly seized a large carriage from the village. Yue Qiluo helped Zhang Xianzong into the carriage, and after Zhang Xianzong sat down, he remained still.

Blood continued to seep out. Yue Qiluo reached out and touched his face; it was already cold, and his skin had lost its elasticity. Zhang Xianzong tried to blink, but his eyelids wouldn't obey him.

As the carriage began to travel, amidst the rumbling of its wheels, he whispered, "Qiluo, am I really dead?"

Yue Qiluo sat upright facing him: "Don't worry, whether you live or die, I will protect you!"

Zhang Xianzong looked at him, his face gradually stiffening as despair crept in: "I don't want to die..."

Yue Qiluo answered clearly, "If I don't want to die, then I won't die!"

(End of this chapter)