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

"I'll beat you to death!"

Lei Xiong's roar was like a thunderclap from a clear sky. His nearly two-meter-tall body lunged straight at Zhou Zhenhai, his right fist slamming towards his opponent with a whistling sound.

Zhou Zhenhai did not dodge.

He took a half step back with his left foot, slightly turned his body, and deflected seven-tenths of the force with his right arm as he blocked. His left hand, like a venomous snake, reached out and grabbed Lei Xiong's elbow joint.

boom!

The dull thud of muscles colliding.

Both of them took half a step back at the same time.

Lei Xiong's eyes grew even fiercer, and he shook his numb arm: "This is interesting."

Zhou Zhenhai's lips twitched slightly beneath the face paint: "You too."

The next second, Lei Xiong swept a low kick like an iron rod towards Zhou Zhenhai's lower body.

Zhou Zhenhai leaped into the air, twisting his waist and generating power as he flew, his right leg whipping towards Lei Xiong's side of the neck—

"No, you guys are really fighting!"

Bian Yun was less than ten meters away from the two people, so he quickly dodged backward.

He looked at him incredulously: "Are the Army and Navy really that short-tempered?"

As Bian Yun retreated, another group of people surrounded him.

In the middle of the crowd, a circle with a diameter of twenty meters was left open, and Lei Xiong and Zhou Zhenhai faced each other in the circle.

Jin Sheng stood in the front row, arms crossed, and shouted, "Lei Xiong, beat him to death! I've disliked him for a long time!"

On the navy side, a petty officer spat:

"Zhenhai, so what if you're on land? We're amphibious! Let us teach these army veterans what true versatility is!"

The crowd of onlookers grew larger and larger.

Lin Yun also walked over from the air force formation at some point.

She stood on the periphery of the crowd, her hands in the pockets of her combat uniform, watching the movements of the two people in the circle, her brows slightly furrowed.

"Your footsteps are too heavy," she commented softly, her voice not loud, but everyone around could hear her.

"The center of gravity is shifted too far forward. With this kind of movement, the aircraft would have lost speed and crashed in mid-air long ago."

An Air Force lieutenant next to her suppressed a laugh: "Captain Lin, are you applying air combat standards to ground dogfighting?"

"Fighting is fighting." Lin Yun said expressionlessly. "These two are childish kindergarten kids."

On the Rocket Force side, Jiang Xingchen also took off his sunglasses.

He squeezed to the front row, watching the two people in the circle go back and forth. His face was expressionless, but he had already taken off his tactical gloves.

He began to move his fingers.

One by one, they slowly and precisely bent and straightened.

A Rocket Force lieutenant standing nearby whispered, "Captain Jiang, do you want to go too?"

Jiang Xingchen didn't say anything.

But the way he looked at Lei Xiong and Zhou Zhenhai was like he was looking at two pieces of equipment that needed to be adjusted—he was evaluating, calculating, and looking for flaws.

That's enough.

Two words.

The voice was soft, and even sounded somewhat aged.

But those two words seemed to have a magical power, bringing all the sounds on the training field—the shouts, the cheers, the discussions—to an abrupt halt.

The two, who were just moments before like a land bear and a sea tiger, seemed to have been put on pause, their movements frozen in mid-air.

Then, they slowly turned around, lowered their heads, and looked dejected.

General Wang Kangmei stood on the edge of the observation platform, his hands resting on the railing, looking down below.

The morning light finally pierced through the clouds completely.

The first rays of golden light shone on the training ground, onto the shoulders, faces, and eyes of these young soldiers.

Sweat glistened in the sunlight, and the mud and bloodstains on the combat uniforms were clearly visible.

"I am very happy to see you all," the old general said, his voice carrying across the training ground through the loudspeaker.

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone:

"I know you are all elite soldiers, one in a hundred."

"But even so, we selected 5,733 people."

The old man took a deep breath:

"Now, I will select the sixty-four sharpest soldiers from more than five thousand elite soldiers."

"Take it with you to 1937."

The training ground was completely silent.

Only the sound of the morning breeze fluttering across the flag could be heard.

"This time," Wang Kangmei said, emphasizing each word, "we won't consider seniority or which branch of the military you belong to."

"Only look at the results."

"The top 64, follow Bian Yun."

"To 1937—"

The old man's voice suddenly rose, like a sword drawn from its sheath:

"Kill the Japanese devils! Save our brothers! Defend our homeland!"

Three seconds of absolute silence.

Then--

"clear--!!!"

Five thousand seven hundred and thirty-three voices exploded simultaneously. The sound waves merged into a rolling thunderclap, resounding throughout the training ground.

"it is good."

After the clamor from General Wang Kangmei and others subsided, he continued:

"The first assessment: teamwork ability."

"But since there are only sixty-four spots available, each team can only have five to ten people. You are free to form your own teams."

He paused, then emphasized:

"Furthermore, each team can only bring a limited number of items."

"The specific rules are as follows." The old general pointed east, "Starting point: along the Yangtze River, coordinates 121.8 degrees east longitude, 31.4 degrees north latitude."

"First challenge: Crossing the river."

"A 500-meter-wide tributary of the Yangtze River is currently flowing at a speed of three meters per second, with a water temperature of sixteen degrees Celsius. On the opposite bank, there is a platoon of 'enemy' troops stationed, equipped with simulated machine gun positions."

"Second challenge: Climbing Sheshan Mountain."

"The altitude is 470 meters, but you're not climbing the scenic trail; you're climbing the sheer cliff on the north slope. It's an almost vertical rock face, 80 meters high, with only a few climbable points. Above the cliff, there are 'enemy' snipers."

"The third challenge: five kilometers of primary and secondary forest."

"This isn't a park; it's a real wilderness. The vegetation is extremely dense, and visibility is less than five meters. There are swamps, poisonous snakes, wild boars, and—booby traps and mines laid by the 'enemy'."

Last paragraph:

"Final target: an abandoned chemical plant area in Songjiang, an eight-story main building."

"The building's interior is complex, with a large number of pipes and abandoned equipment. The 'enemy' command center is on the top floor, and the defending forces consist of two platoons, equipped with simulated heavy machine guns and snipers."

"Your mission: storm the building and 'capture' or 'kill' the commander."

The old general paused, a subtle smile playing on his lips:

"All these 'enemy forces' were played by theater special forces."

"They were very upset that they couldn't participate in this selection."

On the training ground, the eyes of all the elite soldiers changed.

Putting ourselves in their shoes, if they hadn't been able to participate in the selection, they would have had to fight as obstructors.

That would be incredibly dangerous.

Finally, General Wang Kangmei surveyed the entire audience:

Total distance: 42 kilometers.

"Limited time: eight hours."

"Did you understand?"

"clear--!!!"

The order was given, and the training ground instantly erupted in excitement.

It wasn't a chaotic frenzy, but a high-speed, orderly frenzy brimming with tactical thinking.

Jin Sheng immediately pulled Lei Xiong and Li Huai aside: "Let's make peace, the three of us. And add two more—someone who can run, someone who can fight, and someone who knows the terrain!"

Lei Xiong nodded, agreeing with Jin Sheng's suggestion. His gaze then fell on the equipment list. "What should we choose? An entrenching tool? It can be used to dig trenches, as a weapon, and to cut down trees!"

Li Huai adjusted his glasses: "No. Choose the medical kit."

"What?!" Jin Sheng and Lei Xiong turned their heads at the same time.

"Listen to me," Li Huai said rapidly. "Crossing the river—sixteen degrees Celsius water, five hundred meters wide, someone will definitely suffer from hypothermia. Rock climbing—eighty-meter cliff, someone will definitely get injured. Jungle—poisonous snakes, traps, 'enemy' ambushes, someone will definitely get hurt."

He paused:

"Medical kit, it can save lives."

"This will ensure our overall pass rate."

Jin Sheng nodded emphatically: "Okay! Medical kit!"

Lei Xiong took a deep breath: "Unanimously approved! No one left behind, no one giving up!"

In the naval formation, Zhou Zhenhai has completed the team formation.

The eight men were all elite members of the Marine Corps' amphibious reconnaissance team.

"What should we choose?" asked a sergeant with a scar on his face. "Kayaks aren't allowed. Ropes? We'll need them for rock climbing."

Zhou Zhenhai shook his head: "Choose a telescope."

"what?"

"Listen carefully." Zhou Zhenhai squatted down and used his dagger to draw a diagram on the ground. "The first challenge is crossing the river. There are 'enemy' machine gun positions on the other side. We need to find blind spots in their firepower and find the most suitable landing point."

"The second challenge is rock climbing. There are snipers on the top of the rock face. We need to observe their shift change and identify climbable spots on the rock face."

"In the third level, the jungle, the enemy's ambush points and trap locations need to be discovered in advance."

He raised his head:

"A telescope allows us to see danger."

"On the battlefield, only those who can see the danger will survive."

The air force formation had five people surrounding Lin Yun.

They were all pilots and paratroopers.

"Captain Lin, what are we bringing?" a lieutenant asked. "We can only bring one item..."

Lin Yun didn't speak. She walked to the equipment area—it was piled high with all sorts of individual soldier gear: rifles, pistols, daggers, ropes, entrenching tools, first-aid kits, communicators…

She looked at the list and remained silent for three seconds.

"Choose a signal flag."

"A flag?!" The lieutenant was bewildered. "What...what's the use of that thing?"

Lin Yun raised her head, the morning light reflecting a sharp glint in her eyes:

"When crossing the river, the current was three meters per second, and the noise was so loud that you couldn't hear anyone shouting."

"When rock climbing, you can't use a walkie-talkie while you're on the rock face."

"In the jungle, where vegetation provides cover, visual signals are more reliable than sound signals."

She picked up a set of red and yellow signal flags and unfolded them in her hands:

"This is the most primitive, yet most reliable, method of communication."

"That's the way they used it 88 years ago."

In the Rocket Force formation, six people gathered around Jiang Xingchen.

They are all elites of the Rocket Force—missile operators, electronic warfare experts, and drone pilots.

They were discussing it in hushed tones.

"What are you bringing?" a lieutenant asked. "A drone? But we can only bring one, and its range isn't enough for the entire trip."

Jiang Xingchen walked to the equipment area and picked up something that no one had noticed—

"compass."

It's an old-fashioned model with a metal casing and a luminous dial under a glass cover.

"This is it," he said.

"Captain Jiang... this..."

"Listen to me," Jiang Xingchen's voice was as calm as stating a physics formula. "Forty-two kilometers of complex terrain, eight hours to complete. The biggest threat isn't 'enemy troops,' but getting lost."

He paused:

"If you deviate from the direction after crossing the river, you will waste precious time."

"In the jungle, without precise navigation, you'll just wander around in circles for five kilometers."

"Of course, we will eventually get out of there."

"But it might be eliminated due to exceeding the time limit."

He looked at the compass in his hand:

"This thing won't run out of power, and it won't malfunction."

"It will always point north."

"Like those soldiers in 1937, even if they lost everything, they would still keep heading in the direction they were meant to go."

Ten minutes later, the team was basically formed.

Choose the people to team up with.

They are all trustworthy partners to whom one could entrust one's life.

The last moment before departure.

Jiang Xingchen walked to Lin Yun's side.

He adjusted his sunglasses, his voice calm:

"Teamwork of five to ten people not only tests teamwork but also individual combat capabilities."

He paused, then added:

"Your air force... seems to be at a great disadvantage without the J-16 and J-20."

The smell of gunpowder.

The smell of gunpowder was so strong it could be set on fire.

Lin Yun turned his head and looked at Jiang Xingchen.

In the morning light, her eyes shone brightly.

"The physical fitness of the Air Force," she began, each word clear, "is honed through all-weather, all-airspace combat training."

"Adaptation to hypoxic environments, G-force resistance training, takeoffs and landings in extreme weather—"

Lin Yun smiled, a faint but sharp smile.

"Compared to you guys, who spend all your time in launch silos pressing buttons—"

"powerful."

She turned away, leaving Jiang Xingchen with only her back to him.

"No J-16s—"

"I can still 'annihilate the enemy'."