Not enough Japanese devils to kill? 1.4 billion people volunteer for the Battle of Shanghai.

Deep in the swamp, on a stretch of water that appears no different from its surroundings, a few reeds sway gently.

There were people below. Five people, half-suspended in the muddy water. Their bodies were completely submerged in the murky mud from the chest down, with only their shoulders and heads showing.

Moreover, their heads were wrapped in soaking wet strips of cloth, with reeds and withered grass stuck in them, making them almost blend into the surrounding swamp plants.

They use a "semi-suspended concealment method," where their feet don't touch the bottom, and their bodies are kept in the water by the buoyancy of the water and the core strength of their waist and abdomen, so that they neither sink nor float up.

In this way, no footprints will be left on the bottom of the mud, no sludge will be stirred up and bubbled, and no creatures swimming on the surface of the water will be disturbed.

They have been suspended like this for forty minutes.

"These air force squads really know how to enjoy themselves." A voice drifted from the reeds, tinged with sour envy.

This is a soldier from Northeast China who has been in the army for seven years and is the team's reconnaissance officer.

He has the best eyesight; he can distinguish a face from 300 meters away even in moonlight.

At this moment, he lay prone in the mud and water, his eyes peeking out as he looked at the distant firelight.

Beside the fire, the female captain squatted down, turning over the meat with a dagger, her movements very practiced.

Several people sat around her, each holding meat and chewing it.

The Northeast soldier's Adam's apple bobbed.

"Captain, when do we make our move?"

There was a hint of impatience in his voice.

"The air force squad has almost finished their barbecue, we need to hurry. After taking out the air force squad, we'll take over their barbecue."

Lu Chuan did not answer. He was the captain of this squad, a platoon leader in a reconnaissance company in the Eastern Theater Command, and had been in the army for twelve years. His face was painted with three black camouflage stripes.

In his hand, he held a crossbow. The crossbow body was black and did not reflect light. The string was made of nylon and made almost no sound when fully drawn.

His eyes were fixed on Lin Yun, watching her every move.

Her movements were practiced and composed.

She flipped the meat, cut the meat, handed out the meat, and then didn't eat a single bite herself.

Lu Chuan frowned slightly.

This woman is no ordinary person.

She wasn't eating, not because she wasn't hungry, but because she wanted to wait for her teammates to finish eating.

She needed to ensure her team members were strong enough to run, fight, and survive their journey out of the swamp.

She herself can go hungry, can be tired, can die.

These kinds of people are the most damn hard to deal with.

"Crocodile meat," another team member said sourly. "Damn it, I've never eaten crocodile meat before."

Lu Chuan turned around and glared at the team member.

But to be honest, Lu Chuan himself was also salivating.

He's been eating compressed biscuits lately.

Now, the white crocodile meat, sizzling and dripping with oil, wafts its aroma across the swamp, over the reeds, and into his nose.

He gritted his teeth and forced out a single word: "Fuck!!!"

He was very angry, but he couldn't move.

He wants to wait, to wait for the best opportunity.

Finally, the trap expert in the team spoke up.

"Captain, they've chosen a good position. High ground, open on all sides, good visibility."

His lips twitched slightly.

"However, we can wade through the water; they can't see us."

His gaze shifted to the reeds surrounding the high ground, which grew densely in the water.

"The reeds provided natural cover. We swam along the reed roots for fifty meters without surfacing. Once we reached the mound of grass, we stood up and fired arrows. Five men, five crossbows, firing simultaneously. They didn't have time to react."

His finger drew a line on the water's surface, from where they were hiding, to the grassy mound, and then to the high ground.

Lu Chuan listened without nodding or shaking his head.

He was also calculating.

Distance, speed, angle, time.

It would take at least two minutes to swim fifty meters across.

For two minutes, they could not make any sound or stir the water.

It's difficult, not because fifty meters is difficult.

It's because it's in a swamp, which makes it difficult.

Lu Chuan tapped his finger on the crossbow, as if knocking on a door, as if asking himself a question.

Should we launch an attack?

The trap expert continued his analysis.

"Captain, I've been observing them for a long time. That female captain is their core. She's the most alert and reacts the fastest. Take her first. Once she's down, the rest will be easier."

"Captain, we can't hesitate any longer."

Lu Chuan took a deep breath, his fingers gripping the crossbow tightly until his knuckles turned white. He decided to take the initiative.

"Five of us, five crossbows. Fire at the same time." His voice was soft, but every word was clear.

"I'll take on that female captain and that female team member."

His gaze swept over the other four team members. "The rest of you, one each. After you're done, retreat immediately and change positions. Whether you hit or not, you're not allowed to linger."

"Get ready," he said softly. "Let's go!"

Five people, five crossbows, and five dark shadows gliding silently through the water.

Lu Chuan swam at the very front, his body almost completely submerged in the water, with only his nose and eyes showing.

The four people behind him stood in a line, following his path. Their spacing was even, and their movements were synchronized, like a precisely operating machine.

Reeds slid past them, water plants entwined beneath them, and the stirred-up silt, before it could even rise to the surface, was carried away by the current as they glided through the water.

Fifty meters, forty meters, thirty meters.

The flames drew closer, the voices grew clearer, and the aroma of roasting meat grew stronger.

Lu Chuan's Adam's apple bobbed, and only one thought occupied his mind.

Closer, closer, closer.

In this complex swampy terrain, he could only be 100% certain of hitting the target within ten meters!

On the small hill, Lin Yun was still roasting crocodile meat.

She turned the meat over with a dagger, as if she were cooking in her own kitchen.

But her eyes were bright, and her ears were perked up, listening to the subtle sounds.

The sound of water, the chirping of insects, and those deliberately suppressed sounds that didn't belong to this swamp.

"Want to get within ten meters?" Lin Yun thought to himself as he grilled the meat.

The bluebird squatted beside the forest, holding the dagger in its hand, with pieces of crispy crocodile meat still hanging on it.

But her eyes were fixed on the water ahead, and her brows furrowed.

She sensed something.

"Team Leader Lin..." she began.

"Something's not right. I have a feeling something's not right."

Zhang Liang stopped chewing, but before he could swallow the meat in his mouth, he froze.

His eyes were fixed ahead, on the dark canopy of trees, on the dense, impenetrable thickets.

"Bluebird, what's wrong? Are we being watched?"

The bluebird shook its head.

"My gut feeling is that someone is watching us."

Zhao Shu stood beside the bluebird, his body leaning slightly forward, his eyes fixed on the water, on the duckweed, and on the corners where people might be hiding.

"Don't panic..." Lin Yun's voice rang out at this moment, carrying a reassuring power.

"I know there are people there."

Her gaze swept over each of her teammates.

"Think about it carefully, am I really just going to swagger around here with you guys, grilling crocodile meat like this?"

"Didn't you all notice how abrupt my decision was?"

The bluebird paused for a moment.

"Indeed, I was just wondering why the captain suddenly became so kind, not only letting us rest but also taking us to grill crocodile meat."

"I thought the captain had taken pity on me."

As it spoke, the bluebird's eyes suddenly widened.

"Captain, you're actually luring us into a trap!"

Lin Yun nodded and stuffed the roasted meat in his hand into his mouth.

Then, she turned around, facing Lu Chuan and the others, her gaze piercing.

"They thought they were in the shadows, and we were in the light. They thought they were the hunters, and we were the prey."

She paused, then continued, "But they were wrong. From the very beginning, they were the prey."

At this moment, Lu Chuan's team was finally within ten meters of Lin Yun and his group.

After they swam to the grassy mound, Lu Chuan's body slowly floated up from the water.

His gaze fell on Lin Yun, his eyes narrowing.

"Still eating?"

"We've come to collect you."

Behind him, the other four men also floated up. They were going to send some of the air force squadrons on their way before the squadron could react.

But just then, Lu Chuan saw it.

He saw the female captain, turned around, faced him, and said something.

"Stop hiding. I've seen you."