Bright Sword: Starting from Obtaining the Equipment Slot

The further Hou Yue went, the more anxious he became.

Does this tunnel lead to the rear village? If the intelligence is wrong, they'll be trapped like fish in a barrel.

"Company commander, there's light ahead!" Wang Lecheng said in a low voice from behind.

Hou Yue's heart tightened, and he quickened his pace to reach forward.

At the end of the tunnel was a dark room, with sacks and wooden crates piled up in the corner, and a musty smell permeating the air.

Hou Yue carefully pushed open the door. Outside was a narrow corridor where several bandits were leaning against the wall, smoking and chatting.

"Shoot!" Hou Yue ordered.

The three soldiers rushed out instantly.

Gunshots rang out, and before the bandits could react, they fell to the ground.

"Follow me!" Hou Yue led the soldiers of the Third Company quickly toward the back gate of the village.

Most of the bandits in Houzhai were still asleep and had no idea that someone would attack from within.

The soldiers of the Third Company were as fierce as wolves and tigers, and quickly took control of several key positions in the rear village.

Meanwhile, the front and middle villages were in complete chaos.

Upon hearing the gunfire from the rear village, Wang Xiao knew that Hou Yue had succeeded and immediately led a company of soldiers in an attack.

"Brothers, kill!" Wang Xiao, wielding a submachine gun, charged towards the gate of the stronghold amidst a hail of bullets.

The soldiers followed closely behind, throwing grenades at the firing positions at the village gate. The explosions were deafening.

Seeing the flames soaring into the sky from the direction of Houzhai from his high vantage point, Zhou Huaiyuan decisively ordered, "Machine gunners, fire like mad! The rest of you, follow me and charge down!"

The soldiers of the Second Company launched an attack on the village gate from the side, and the sound of gunfire was continuous.

The entire Black Cloud Stronghold instantly transformed into a battlefield, with gunshots, shouts of killing, and screams mingling together.

Wei Dayong led his guard platoon to follow behind the company.

"Battalion Commander, Zhongzhai is just ahead!" Ma Feng reported loudly, following Wei Dayong.

Wei Dayong nodded, continuing forward without stopping.

In the main hall of Zhongzhai, Xie Baoqing was wearing pajamas, holding a pistol, his face ashen.

"What's going on? Where did these Eighth Route Army soldiers come from?" Xie Baoqing roared at his men.

"Boss, it's terrible! The rear stronghold has been breached! The front stronghold is about to fall too!" A bandit scrambled in to report.

Xie Baoqing's face turned pale, knowing that today was likely to be a terrible day.

But he was, after all, a seasoned bandit who had been around for over a decade, and he quickly calmed down, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

"Everyone assemble in the main hall of Zhongzhai! Fight them! Anyone who dares to back down, I'll personally shoot him!" Xie Baoqing shouted the order.

A dozen or so bandits, armed with various weapons and with madness in their eyes, quickly gathered in the hall.

Wei Dayong led his guard squad to the entrance of the Zhongzhai Hall, where they saw Xie Baoqing standing in the center of the hall with a gun in his hand.

"Xie Baoqing, surrender! You're surrounded!" Wei Dayong shouted.

Xie Baoqing sneered, "Surrender? I, Xie Baoqing, have lived all these years and have never surrendered to anyone!"

He raised his pistol and pulled the trigger at Wei Dayong.

Gunshots rang out. Wei Dayong dodged to the side, and the bullet grazed his shoulder, hitting the wall and sending up a spray of stone chips.

Almost simultaneously, Wei Dayong's pistol also fired.

A blood flower bloomed on Xie Baoqing's chest, his body swayed, and he fell backward to the ground, dying instantly.

Upon seeing this, the lynx, which was not far away, immediately showed a hint of fear in its eyes and turned to run away.

But he stopped abruptly, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

Taking advantage of everyone's attention being on Xie Baoqing, he quietly slipped out from the corner, aiming his rifle at Wei Dayong's back.

Just as Lynx was about to pull the trigger, Wei Dayong suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, making his hair stand on end.

This is the Autumn Cicada's premonition skill at work!

Wei Dayong almost instinctively dodged to the side. The bullet grazed his shoulder and hit a nearby pillar, scattering wood chips everywhere.

Wei Dayong fired a shot with a backhand, hitting Shanmaozi squarely in the chest.

The lynx stared wide-eyed, unable to believe that it had been killed in its own way. Its body slowly collapsed, dying with its eyes wide open.

With both leaders gone, the bandits in the hall completely collapsed. Some knelt down and begged for mercy, some turned and ran, and some were still firing their guns in resistance.

Wei Dayong coldly swept his gaze across the room: "Those who surrender will not be killed! Those who resist will be executed on the spot!"

The guards rushed forward and subdued all the remaining bandits.

Having dealt with the two leaders, Wei Dayong continued to lead the guard platoon forward.

In the courtyard of Zhongzhai, a dozen bandits hid in a house, putting up a stubborn resistance. They occupied a favorable position, blocked the entrance with machine guns, and bullets rained down on them.

"Battalion Commander, let us handle this!" Ma Feng shouted.

Wei Dayong shook his head: "No need. You guys provide cover."

He took a deep breath, his muscles tensing, power surging within him. The 20% increase in physical attributes from the two pieces of equipment made him feel like he could tear everything apart.

Wei Dayong suddenly accelerated and charged out like a tiger descending a mountain.

The bandits' bullets rained down on him, but they didn't even touch the hem of his clothes. He moved swiftly, like a bolt of lightning.

"Damn it, is this even human?" The bandits were terrified.

Wei Dayong rushed to the door and kicked it open, sending the door flying and knocking down two bandits.

Before the bandits inside could react, they were all swept down by Wei Dayong's submachine gun, blood splattering and screams echoing everywhere.

The few bandits who hadn't died were terrified, kneeling on the ground trembling, their hands raised high.

The whole process took less than ten seconds, and Wei Dayong didn't even have a scratch.

"The battalion commander is awesome!" The soldiers around him were filled with excitement when they saw this and shouted loudly.

"Invincible!"

"Invincible!!"

"Invincible!!!"

The shouts rose higher and higher, echoing through the sky, as if the entire Black Cloud Village was trembling.

With the last resistance force wiped out, the battle finally came to an end.

Black Cloud Stronghold has been completely destroyed!

Wei Dayong stood in the courtyard, looking at the corpses scattered all over the ground, and remained silent for a moment.

Wang Xiao walked over and patted him on the shoulder: "Battalion Commander, don't think too much about it. These bandits have committed countless evils and deserve to die."

Wei Dayong shook his head: "Do you know how Xie Baoqing became a bandit?"

Wang Xiao was taken aback: "I don't know."

"He came from a poor family and was bullied by local bullies from a young age," Wei Dayong said slowly. "There was a kind-hearted man in the village named Zhang, who appeared to be benevolent and charitable, but was actually a ruthless man who would devour people without spitting out the bones."

"Xie Baoqing's parents were forced to their deaths by Zhang Dashanren, and his sister was violated. He could no longer bear it and killed Zhang Dashanren's entire family. Left with no other choice, he became an outlaw."

Wang Xiao sighed: "So that's how it is."

"What a pity." Wei Dayong's gaze was deep. "The dog butcher has become the dog himself. He was originally a victim, but he went further and further down this path and eventually became the person he once hated."

"He robbed caravans and killed passersby; his hands are stained with the blood of innocent people. Today, he has finally received his just deserts."

Wang Xiao nodded: "The battalion commander is right. Good and evil will be rewarded in the end, and the cycle of karma will prevail."

Old Wu led the logistics platoon to begin cleaning up the battlefield.

"Battalion Commander, the count is complete!" Old Wu ran over with the ledger, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement. "We killed over seventy bandits and captured over eighty. Not a single one escaped!"

"What about the seized supplies?" Wei Dayong asked.

"We have enough food to last three months, plus a large amount of silver dollars, horses, and weapons and ammunition!" Old Wu exclaimed excitedly. "We've hit the jackpot this time!"

Wei Dayong nodded, a smile spreading across his face.

Just then, a prisoner was brought in.

"Battalion Commander, this kid says he knows some intelligence and insists on seeing you," the soldier said.

Wei Dayong looked at the prisoner, a young man in his twenties.

"Tell me, what do you know?" Wei Dayong asked.

The prisoner swallowed hard and whispered, "I...I know the supply convoy of the 358th Regiment of the Jin-Sui Army...will pass by the nearby highway tomorrow...The boss and the others had already made arrangements to raid them tomorrow!"