PDLP 169. Paying the price
169. Paying the price
"Keep firing, don't let them get any closer!"
Goro Yamamoto drew his sword and pointed it at the crowd. The machine gunners didn't need to aim; they only needed to keep pulling the trigger and moving their guns left and right.
"Hey, don't shoot! We're on the same side!"
"These damned Japanese devils, they don't treat us like human beings at all!"
"Why did you shoot at us? We're working for you!"
"Sir, don't fire!"
"Da da da da da~~~"
The Type 95 heavy machine gun proved incredibly lethal against this dense formation. Soon, the number of gang members killed by Japanese fire surpassed those who had died in the shootout on the gravel beach. No one could tell whether their targets were the Razor Gang or the Japanese.
Just as the Japanese soldiers were about to empty their magazines and reload, they suddenly noticed the sound of wind behind them.
A Japanese machine gunner instinctively turned around and saw a dark figure descend from the sky, a sharp knife piercing his temple and emerging from the other temple, instantly sending him to meet his Amaterasu.
The man in black, who was masked and wearing glasses, stabbed the machine gunner to death with a knife and then threw out two round objects.
Yamamoto Goro was shocked by what he saw. Before he could shout, two grenades exploded in the crowd of Japanese soldiers. The sudden bright light made them cover their eyes and roll around on the ground.
The newcomer was Zhou Hongyi himself. He used the "Master of Disguise" skill to change his height and launched a harassing attack on the Japanese squad.
After blocking the enemy's vision, the twin swords in his hands transformed into the scythe of death, ruthlessly reaping the lives of Japanese soldiers.
After the gunfire from the Japanese side ceased, the frantically surging members of the allied gang quickly broke through the roadblocks they had erected. Some ran like madmen towards the end of the road or into alleys, while others, enraged, brandished their weapons at the Japanese soldiers who had just been firing at them. They could no longer distinguish who the real enemy was.
This was all Zhou Hongyi's doing. He wanted to create chaos in the crowd so that Yamamoto Goro and the others would open fire. Yamamoto Goro was going to die today, and Saotome Yosuke and Kondo couldn't be blamed on him either. After all, with so many people, who knew who was responsible for the deaths?
"Baka! Get out of here, all of you!"
The bright light stung Goro's eyes, bringing tears to his eyes, but he forced them open a crack, brandishing his military sword to keep the men at bay.
Suddenly, he was hit hard in the lower back, lost his balance, and the military knife in his hand flew out of his hand and fell to the ground. He was kicked three or four meters away, knocking down two people. After falling to the ground, he rolled over once before coming to a stop.
"Baka yarou! Who is that?"
Goro Yamamoto got up, clutching his side, sweat beading on his forehead from the pain. He knew he had broken at least two ribs.
But no one in the chaotic crowd could answer his question; instead, he heard a whooshing sound coming from behind him.
Goro Yamamoto was well-trained; he knew something was wrong as soon as he heard the sound, and he rolled to the side to dodge.
Just as he made the evasive maneuver, a heavy iron hammer fell towards the side of his head, crashing into the ground with a loud thud and creating a shallow crater.
"Nani?"
Goro Yamamoto was puzzled. If the kick he had just received was the result of the chaotic fight between the two sides, then the fact that a hammer fell on the back of his head after he had already fallen to the ground was clearly aimed at him. Who was it? Who wanted to kill him?
Despite the pain in his ribs, Goro Yamamoto drew his pistol from his waist and pointed it at the chaotic crowd around him. He couldn't tell who had just made the move.
Suddenly, a member of the Viper Gang bumped into Yamamoto Goro from the side and behind. Yamamoto turned around like a startled bird and fired three shots at the man, each hitting his lung. It was clear that he was going to die.
But before the Viper Gang member could fall, a machete pierced through his ribs and plunged into Yamamoto Goro's side abdomen with a soft thud.
"Ugh... Baka... Bastard!"
Just as Goro Yamamoto was about to raise his gun, another flash of cold light appeared from the side. To his horror, he saw that his right hand, which was holding the gun, had completely lost feeling at the wrist. His right hand, along with the pistol, fell to the ground. The wound on his arm was clean, and there wasn't even any blood flowing out. This slash was incredibly fast.
"what--!"
But after a few seconds of pause, a wave of pain began to surge through his nerves and send information to Goro Yamamoto's brain. Blood gushed from his severed wrist, and he could only use his left hand to grip his broken right wrist tightly in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
Soon, Goro Yamamoto was struck again by a stick, which slammed into his cheek, not only making him swallow his scream but also causing him to spit out two teeth.
"Baka yarou... Who... Who is it? Step forward, or I'll shoot you all!"
"Mr. Yamamoto, you seem to have a bad memory. Do you remember me? My name is Zhou Hongyi. We met once in Kondo's office. You killed my man right in front of me. What, do you want to back out now? Go to hell and repent!"
"It's you? Sarutobi Sasuke!?"
Yamamoto Goro recognized the newcomer's face. At that moment, Zhou Hongyi stopped pretending and revealed his true identity. He plunged the knife in his hand into Yamamoto Goro's abdomen, deliberately avoiding the latter's vital organs, because he didn't want the beast to die too easily.
"Pfft pfft~!"
Two more sounds rang out, and Yamamoto Goro was stabbed in both legs, collapsing to his knees with a thud.
At this point, he was completely disoriented and lost all sense of direction. He couldn't understand why Zhou Hongyi had suddenly attacked him. Could it be that everything that woman had said that day was a lie, and her purpose was to protect the real "Four-Faced Buddha," who was now standing in front of him as "Sarutobi Sasuke"—Zhou Hongyi?
However, Goro Yamamoto realized it too late. He felt someone pulling his hair from behind, forcing him to tilt his head back. When he looked up, he saw a lifeless, grayish-white fake eye looking down at him.
The visitor was none other than the blind man, Lei Qingyang.
He grabbed Yamamoto Goro's hair with his left hand and held a cleaver in his right. Instead of chopping off his enemy's head with one blow, he used the cleaver like a saw, slowly cutting it open bit by bit.
Goro Yamamoto's desperate cries echoed in his ears, but the blind man did not pause or hesitate at all until the enemy's blood splattered on his face, at which point he revealed a ferocious smile.
"Mother... my daughter... I've avenged you—!"
The blind man roared to the sky, stopped halfway through the cut, and used his left hand, which was holding the other man's hair, to forcefully pull Yamamoto Goro's head off his neck.
"kill!"
The gang members who witnessed this scene were so frightened that they almost wet themselves. Their legs were trembling, they couldn't run, and they didn't dare to fight back. They simply dropped their weapons, knelt on the ground, and kept begging for mercy.
Other Japanese soldiers were also quickly hacked to the ground, and it was impossible to tell who did it.
Zhou Hongyi saw that the members of the united gang had lost all will to fight; apart from a few who escaped, most of them were lying on the ground surrendering.
Seeing that the situation was under control, Zhou Hongyi covered himself with the black cloth again and disappeared into the shadows amidst the chaos. At that moment, someone threw a match into the fuel tank of a Japanese soldier's motorcycle, causing an explosion and fire that made the gravel beach even more chaotic and out of control.