Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

Cold, stinging, suffocating sensation...

Wang Huanbo (or rather, Instructor Li) suddenly opened his eyes, a severe headache and chest tightness making him almost vomit. A buzzing sound filled his ears, mixed with sporadic gunshots, distant explosions, and piercing cries. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, burnt smells, and… an indescribable, nauseating stench of blood.

He found himself lying in a cold pile of rubble, covered in a thick layer of dust and broken bricks. Memories flooded his mind like shattered film: he was Li Maocai, the acting company commander of a battalion in the Central Military Academy of the National Revolutionary Army, ordered to lead his troops to cover the retreat. During the retreat, they were ambushed by the Japanese army, and shells exploded around him... and then... this is it.

No, it wasn't just Li Maocai's memory. Wang Huanbo's memory was equally clear: the courtyard house, the steel mill, the system, the mission... The two memories intertwined and merged, instantly making him understand his situation—he had succeeded! He had replaced the recently fallen Instructor Li and arrived in December 1937, in the purgatory of Nanjing after its fall!

He moved his fingers with difficulty. Fortunately, although he had abrasions and bruises, his major organs seemed to be intact. He tried to activate his [Advanced Firearms Proficiency] skill, and all the data, operating procedures, and shooting techniques of the mud-covered Type 24 rifle in his hands immediately came to mind, as if he had used it a thousand times. [Intermediate Surgical Proficiency] allowed him to quickly self-examine and determine that he only had a mild concussion and soft tissue contusions. [Japanese Proficiency] allowed him to understand the shouts of the Japanese soldiers searching for him in the distance. [Intermediate Close Combat Proficiency] allowed his body to naturally adjust to a posture that was conducive to exerting force and concealment.

"Instructor! Instructor Li! You're awake?! That's wonderful! God, you're still alive!" A young voice, trembling with sobs, rang out from the side.

Wang Huanbo (Instructor Li) turned his head and saw a young soldier, his face covered in soot and bloodstains, his hat nowhere to be found, lying beside him, looking at him with bloodshot eyes that were now glistening with tears of wild joy. It was Shunzi, Instructor Li's most clever soldier, and the one who had followed him to the very end in the original story.

"Shunzi..." Wang Huanbo began, his voice hoarse and dry, carrying the tone and mannerisms of Instructor Li himself, "How's the situation? How many brothers... are left?" He quickly got into character.

"Instructor, you've been unconscious for almost an hour," Shunzi said, choking back tears. "The Japanese... there were so many Japanese, and tanks too. We... we were scattered, some died, some were broken up. Of those who retreated here, including me, there are only... twelve brothers left, all wounded. We're almost out of bullets."

Wang Huanbo's heart sank. Twelve wounded soldiers, running low on ammunition, were trapped in the ruins, surrounded by endless Japanese soldiers. The situation was worse than he had imagined.

He struggled to sit up, leaning against a section of broken wall, and quickly surveyed his surroundings. This was the ruins of a residential area; their hiding place was a half-collapsed courtyard, with a fairly open view but limited concealment.

"Water..." Wang Huanbo licked his chapped lips.

Shunzi quickly took off his water bottle, shook it, and found that there was only a little bit left inside. He carefully handed it to Wang Huanbo.

Wang Huanbo took a small sip; the icy water soothed his throat, making him more alert. He focused his mind and tried to communicate with the system space. Instantly, a 10000-cubic-meter void appeared "before his eyes," neatly storing all the supplies he had brought from the courtyard house: Colt pistol, ammunition, food, medicine, tools… nothing was missing! Success! This was his greatest asset in this hell!

But now is not the time to bring it up; there are too many people and too many eyes, making it impossible to explain its origin.

"Instructor, what do we do now? The Japanese are still searching outside. Hiding here isn't a solution." Another veteran with a scar on his face leaned over and asked in a low voice. He was the squad leader, Old Smoker.

Wang Huanbo (Instructor Li) did not answer immediately, but listened carefully to the sounds in the distance. Besides the sounds of gunfire, he seemed to vaguely hear women crying and Japanese soldiers laughing lewdly, the direction... seemed to be the street leading to the church.

Cardamom and orchid! Mission objective!

A daring plan instantly formed in Wang Huanbo's mind. Hiding in place meant certain death; they had to take the initiative, obtain supplies, and rescue people at the same time!

His gaze swept over the twelve weary, fearful faces around him, yet still bearing a glimmer of hope. He took a deep breath and said in a low, firm voice, "Brothers, our Training Corps is the model for the entire army! The Chairman's trump card! Now Nanjing has fallen, and the Japanese are massacring the city! We are soldiers, it is our duty to defend our land and protect our people! Hiding here will only lead to our demise if the Japanese discover us sooner or later!"

He paused, then pointed in the direction from which the woman's cries were coming: "I heard one of our sisters being bullied over there! Can we just stand by and watch?"

The soldiers fell silent, their faces showing humiliation and anger.

"We can't just wait to die!" Wang Huanbo's voice rose slightly, carrying an undeniable force. "The Japanese devils are made of flesh and blood too; they'll still go to hell after being shot! They've been looting and plundering; they have plenty of ammunition and food! Only by killing them can we survive! Only then can we save more people!"

He looked at Shunzi: "Shunzi, you're a good shot. Come with me and we'll sneak up from the side to check the situation. Old Smoker, you take the others and build a makeshift defensive line using the ruins, ready to provide backup! Remember, don't fire without my order! If we're going to fight, we'll catch them completely off guard!"

Perhaps it was Wang Huanbo's (Instructor Li's) unusual calmness and decisiveness after waking up that inspired everyone, or perhaps it was the instinct for survival that overwhelmed everything; the fear in the soldiers' eyes was gradually replaced by a fierce determination.

"Listen to the instructor!"

"Let's fight those bastards!"

"Steal the Japanese ammunition!"

Morale was temporarily boosted. Wang Huanbo signaled Shunzi to follow, and the two, like nimble cats, stealthily made their way towards the sound of cries, using the ruins as cover. The tactical maneuvers provided by [Advanced Firearms Proficiency] and the stealth skills provided by [Intermediate Close Combat Proficiency] allowed him to move silently.

Soon, they witnessed a horrifying scene at a street corner: a small squad (11 men) of Japanese soldiers were lewdly pulling and tugging at two young women wearing torn cheongsams. It was Doukou and Xianglan! Several Japanese soldiers stood guard around with their guns, while a sergeant-like Japanese soldier leaned on his saber and watched smugly from the side.

A cold glint flashed in Wang Huanbo's eyes as he silently calculated the distance and enemy distribution. He whispered to Shunzi, "See that sergeant and the machine gunner? I'll take out the sergeant, you take out the machine gunner. We have to take them out in the first round!"

Shunzi nodded nervously and gripped the rifle in his hand tightly.

Wang Huanbo held his breath, adjusted the scope on his Mauser 98K, and steadily aimed the muzzle at the Japanese sergeant's forehead. His [Advanced Firearms Mastery] granted him stability and accuracy far surpassing that of elite marksmen of this era.

"beat!"

"Bang!"

Wang Huanbo pulled the trigger! The bullet whistled out and precisely pierced the forehead of the Japanese sergeant, splattering a spray of blood! The sergeant didn't utter a sound and fell to the ground!

Almost simultaneously, Shunzi's gun fired! The Japanese machine gunner fell to the ground!

"Enemy attack!"

"hidden!"

The sudden attack threw the Japanese soldiers into chaos! Without hesitation, Wang Huanbo quickly pulled back the bolt, ejected the spent cartridge, loaded the gun, and aimed at his next target—a Japanese sergeant who was raising his rifle!

"Bang!" Another shot! The sergeant fell to the ground!

[Ding! Killed a Japanese sergeant major, obtained 30 rounds of 6.5mm Arisaka rifle ammunition, appearing next to the enemy corpse.]

[Ding! One Japanese sergeant killed, 2 grenades obtained and stored in system space.]

The system notification sounded as expected! Wang Huanbo's spirits soared! He'd gotten a loot drop! While continuing to fire precisely, he roared, "Brothers! Fire!"

In the ruins behind, Old Smoker and his men heard the gunfire and immediately opened fire! Although their marksmanship was uneven, the sudden burst of firepower still forced the remaining Japanese soldiers to keep their heads down.

The battle was a foregone conclusion. With Wang Huanbo's precise strikes, a true "human walking artillery platform," and the soldiers' coordinated efforts, all eleven Japanese soldiers were quickly wiped out. The two girls were terrified and collapsed to the ground, weeping.

Wang Huanbo ordered his soldiers to quickly clear the battlefield. Sure enough, in addition to the ammunition dropped by the system, they also found a considerable amount of bullets, grenades, and dry rations on the Japanese corpses. The soldiers' ammunition was replenished, and they were all overjoyed.

[Ding! Mission 1: Rescue Doukou and Xianglan, who were killed by the Japanese army. Completed! Reward settlement delayed.]

Wang Huanbo breathed a sigh of relief; the first step was a success. He assigned a soldier to look after the two girls while he checked his system space. Inside, two hand grenades lay quietly, and the medicine and compressed biscuits dropped from killing other Japanese soldiers during the battle were also lying peacefully in a corner of the space.

"Instructor, your...your marksmanship..." Shunzi looked at Wang Huanbo, his eyes filled with admiration and disbelief. The instructor's marksmanship just now was simply divine! One shot, one kill, every bullet hit its mark!

Wang Huanbo patted him on the shoulder without explaining, "Practice makes perfect. Hurry up and pack up, the gunfire will attract more Japanese soldiers. We need to get out of here as soon as possible and get to the church!"

With ammunition and lives saved, Wang Huanbo (Instructor Li) led his small team on a difficult trek towards Winchester Cathedral, a solitary island in the midst of hell. The real test was just beginning. But what ignited within him was not only the will to survive, but also a burning rage to avenge the wronged souls of this land!