The War of Resistance Against Japan: Starting with a Calm View of Life and Death

Zhou Jindong swung his arm.

Every detail of Liu Meng's operation just now, including the force he used with his fingers, the range of motion of the trigger lever, and even the slight tremor of his wrist when pulling the rope, replayed in his mind like a slow-motion video.

He reached out and, instead of hastily pressing down on the base like Zhu Zi and the others, first stomped around the base a few times with his feet to compact the soft snow and create a stable support surface.

Then, hold the elevation/lowering knob with your right hand and rotate your wrist clockwise.

The knob seemed to lose its resistance in his hand, turning very smoothly.

He stopped after turning it less than half a turn.

The whole process took less than two seconds.

Immediately afterwards, he placed his left hand on the steering wheel knob and steadily turned it counterclockwise about one-third of a turn.

"Click...click..."

Two more clear biting sounds followed.

Then, with a deft flick of his right index finger, he moved the firing lever to the ready position, producing a crisp "click".

He picked up a grenade with his left hand, flicked his wrist, and smoothly slid it down the barrel.

"Click!"

Finally, he firmly pinched the thin rope with his right thumb and forefinger, and with a flick of his wrist, pulled his fingers backward.

"Bang!"

A short, powerful explosion!

The tube suddenly shook.

A dark shadow streaked through the air!

All eyes were fixed on the dark figure. It traced a steady arc through the air, striking precisely the middle of the half-collapsed earthen wall in the distance!

"boom!"

A muffled thud!

The entire threshing ground was quiet.

Everyone was stunned.

Zhu Zi and the others gaped, their eyes wide open, as if they had seen some incredible monster.

Wang Yuan's smile froze, and his mouth opened slightly.

Zhou Jindong's fluid and effortless movements just now... is that even humanly possible? How could he perform like that on his first time handling a cannon?

Liu Meng's pupils contracted sharply!

He's a true expert!

Zhou Jindong's actions just now... this is definitely not something a novice would do!

The skill, fluidity, and control over the equipment demonstrated in these movements were even more refined than those of a veteran who had been handling artillery for several years!

But how is that possible?

This kid clearly stood right next to me and didn't even look closely!

"Hiss..." Wang Yuan was the first to break the silence.

He suddenly stepped forward, pointed at the shell crater in the distance, then pointed at Zhou Jindong and shouted, "Dong... Dongzi! You son of a bitch... when did you learn this skill? How come I didn't know?"

Zhou Jindong dusted off his hands, slowly stood up, and his face returned to its usual smug expression, this time with a hint of smugness: "Stealing? Is that necessary? Just look and you'll understand!"

He pointed to his head and said in a self-righteous, arrogant tone, "How simple is this thing? It's just an iron pipe and a couple of screws. You can figure it out in one look! I've never played with it before because I was too lazy to learn, and I had nothing else to play with!"

"Bullshit!" Wang Yuan was infuriated by his words, feeling his worldview challenged. "You think you can learn it just by watching? You think you can brag without paying taxes? Do you think I'm stupid? You must have secretly practiced before!"

"Exactly! That's too weird!" Zhu Zi also came to his senses and shouted that he didn't believe it.

"That's impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Shui Sheng shook his head.

Liu Meng didn't speak, but his eyes were fixed on Zhou Jindong, full of inquiry.

He couldn't explain what was happening before his eyes.

Logically speaking, a hunter born and raised in a small town should have no opportunity to come into contact with a grenade launcher!

Self-taught?

Could it be that there really are geniuses in this world who are born with knowledge?

At this moment, Minister Li finished dealing with matters at the town office and strolled over with his hands behind his back. He happened to see a group of people staring blankly at the grenade launcher in the threshing ground.

The atmosphere at the scene was a bit strange.

He approached and asked, "What's wrong? How's your study going? What went wrong?"

As if he had found a pillar of support, Wang Yuan immediately pointed at Zhou Jindong and began to complain rapidly: "Minister Li! You've come at the right time! Please be the judge!"

That kid! He just touched this iron pipe for the first time, pretended to twist it a few times, and then fired it right at the wall!

He's even more accurate than Comrade Liu! What else is there to say?

He said he could learn it in one glance! I was too lazy to learn before! You tell me, isn't that just wildly inflated?

Minister Li was taken aback upon hearing this and looked at Zhou Jindong: "Oh? Is that so?"

A hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.

Zhou Jindong shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Minister Li, it's nothing. Maybe I'm just naturally good at this kind of martial arts stuff? I'm quick-witted, and I remember it after seeing it once."

"Oh? A natural talent? A photographic memory?" Minister Li's interest grew even stronger. He looked Zhou Jindong up and down as if he were examining a rare gem.

He suddenly remembered that Wang Yuan had mentioned before that Zhou Jindong could read, but couldn't write.

An idea popped into my head.

"Comrade Zhou Jindong, you say you have a good memory, and you can remember things after reading them only once?" Minister Li asked with a smile.

"More or less," Zhou Jindong replied modestly.

"Alright!" Minister Li became interested and took out a small notebook and a pencil from his pocket. "You can't write, right? Here, I'll write a few words for you, and see if you can learn to write them on the spot?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yuan immediately perked up again!

He knows Zhou Jindong too well!

Writing large characters? That's Zhou Jindong's Achilles' heel!

We grew up together, and this kid can't even write his own name properly!

He immediately chimed in loudly, "Yes, yes, yes! Minister Li's idea is great! Dongzi, aren't you so capable? Come on! Write a character and let's see! If you can write Minister Li's character on the spot, and write it well enough, I... I'll call you Brother Dong from now on!"

"The captain is right!"

"Brother Dong, show us what you've got!"

"Write! Write!"

Zhu Zi, Shui Sheng, and the others joined in the commotion, absolutely refusing to believe that Zhou Jindong could write characters after just one glance!

This is even more bizarre than firing cannons!

Zhou Jindong was overjoyed inside, but deliberately put on a troubled expression: "This...writing? I...I've never written before..."

"It's a test of your ability if you've never written one before!" Minister Li urged with a smile. "What are you afraid of? It's not shameful to write poorly. Come on, watch carefully!"

Minister Li opened his notebook and neatly wrote four large characters in pencil: "Defend the homeland and protect the country."

His handwriting is very distinctive, with strong and powerful strokes.

After writing it down, he handed the notebook to Zhou Jindong: "Just these four words. Observe them carefully. Can you remember them?"

Zhou Jindong stared at the four characters for a few seconds, pretending to look at them, then nodded: "Hmm, I've got it."

"Okay!" Minister Li handed him a pencil and notebook. "Here, write on this blank page."

All eyes were on Zhou Jindong's hands.

Wang Yuan's eyes widened, a "let's see you show your true colors" smile playing on his lips.

Clearly, this guerrilla leader was a prime example of someone who both feared his brothers' hardships and was afraid of them driving Land Rovers.