Aboard the naval fleet stationed not far from Iwo Jima, Admiral Nimitz wore an expression of outright disbelief when he received word that Liu Ren had led the Special Operations Brigade to take Mount Zheduo. "What? Liu pulled it off this fast? What on earth did that guy do?"
Looking somewhat awkward, an adjutant stepped forward and whispered a few words into his ear.
"Fuck. I knew it. That bastard will stoop to anything to win. But at least it's good news!"
A relaxed smile spread across Nimitz's face.
After all, as the most elite formation in the Marine division, even if Liu Ren managed to capture Motoyama next, Nimitz would hardly be surprised. He was only curious about what sort of "vicious" methods the man had resorted to this time.
Every American serviceman who had fought on Guadalcanal knew that this Special Operations Brigade was infamous for its sheer brutality.
Whenever prisoners were taken, they were whisked away under the pretext of testing experimental weapons.
As for where they ultimately ended up, nobody knew. After all, the brigade was the Navy's biggest "supplier."
***
On the Motoyama front, Tadamichi Kuribayashi was frantically working the telephones, ordering his subordinate units to maintain their resistance.
He knew deep down that Iwo Jima could not be held; the disparity in strength was far too vast.
Even so, he was determined to make the Americans bleed to their very last drop.
As the two sides tore into each other, the Japanese soldiers unleashed the madness ingrained in their bones, charging headlong while screaming "Banzai!"
Yet the effect was negligible. The Marines had all fought their share of battles on Guadalcanal; there wasn't a man among them who didn't know the Japanese army's usual three tricks by heart.
*Rat-tat-tat! Rat-tat-tat!*
Heavy machine guns roared in relentless bursts, ripping through the charging Japanese troops and misting the air with blood.
Watching the Japanese soldiers collapse into pools of blood ahead, Liu Ren did not carelessly send his men forward. Instead, honoring their final wishes, he had his troops put a finishing round into each body on the field.
"Surrender! I surrender!"
With hands raised high, several Japanese soldiers emerged trembling from a corner, their faces pale with terror.
Turning toward Liu Ren, Forrest asked in confusion, "We not shooting?"
"No rush. Wait until they get closer!"
A cruel smirk touched Liu Ren's lips as he raised an eyebrow. "Tell them we accept!"
"Hands in the air! We accept your surrender!" the adjutant shouted loudly in Japanese.
Overhearing the words, the surviving Japanese soldiers rushed forward in relief, their faces suddenly rekindled with the hope of living.
Yet the moment they drew near, Liu Ren's smile turned mocking. "Mow them down!"
*Rat-tat! Rat-tat-tat!*
The Gatling gun erupted, a torrential storm of bullets instantly shredding through the Japanese soldiers' bodies.
Watching them collapse into pools of blood with looks of utter despair, Liu Ren clutched his stomach and burst into raucous laughter. "Hahaha! Ahahaha! Forrest, did you see that? Did you see that?! They actually believed they were going to live! That's too fucking funny!"
His mouth twitching, Forrest shook his head and looked away. "Good God, Liu... you're definitely going to hell."
"Amen!"
Liu Ren made a mock sign of the cross and spread his hands. "What a shame, buddy. I don't believe in God. I only believe in myself..."
***
Covering his nose and mouth, Saigo Noboru huddled in a shadowed corner, trembling uncontrollably with sheer terror.
*Letters from Iwo Jima!*
He had just witnessed the Americans feign acceptance of a surrender, only to butcher the men in cold blood.
The thought of Yoichi Shimizu—who had clung desperately to the hope of returning home alive—collapsing lifeless in a pool of blood overwhelmed Saigo with dread.
If this war continued, he was going to die.
"I don't want to die... I really don't want to die!"
Kneeling on the ground in despair, tears streamed down his face as he thought of his pregnant wife back home.
Anyone with eyes could see that they were merely trapped beasts fighting a hopeless battle. There was no escaping the American encirclement, and they had neither supplies nor reinforcements. Imperial General Headquarters had abandoned them entirely.
"Ah! Why? Why did it come to this?!"
Pounding the dirt in anguish, Saigo's expression twisted with madness.
He had never wanted this war, yet he had never been given a choice in his own life, dragged by force into a slaughter whose only destination was death.
***
Several days later, on the Motoyama line.
Inside a military tent, Liu Ren stared coldly at an intelligence report while a combat medic extracted a bullet and bandaged his wound.
*Clang!*
The slug dropped into an iron basin filled with disinfectant, ringing with a crisp metallic chime.
Pulling his undershirt back on with an impassive face, cold sweat beaded on Liu Ren's forehead. "Damn, that feels miserable."
"Liu, we've warned you countless times to watch out for stray rounds on the front line, but you just won't listen!"
Howard and Forrest exchanged wordless, exasperated looks before falling silent.
After all, what brigade commander personally charged the front lines? Yet Liu Ren was the glaring exception.
Furthermore, because there were too many friendly units around Motoyama, he didn't dare casually deploy his "experimental reagents," which would have caused massive collateral casualties. Otherwise, Liu Ren would have gone full Walter White long ago.
Many might have considered such tactics despicable, but to Liu Ren, victory was justice.
No matter how filthy your methods were in the past, people would only ever remember the blinding glory of your triumph.
Fastening his uniform jacket, Liu Ren stepped out of the tent.
In the open yard, several Japanese prisoners were "playing a game" with the troops.
Watching the hysterical Japanese captives lunging desperately with bayonets, Liu Ren barked, "Enough! Stop!"
At his command, everyone froze in place.
Unbuttoning the top of his collar, Liu Ren picked up two axes and stepped forward. "Hey, why don't all of you come at me together? If you win, I might just let you live!"
Hearing Liu Ren speak in crude, broken Japanese, the captured soldiers stared in disbelief.
"*Baka!* How could warriors of the Empire allow themselves to be disgraced like this?!"
Roaring in fury, Captain Ito—a devout disciple of Bushido and a loyal subject of the Emperor—instantly lunged forward with his blade raised.
A ferocious grin spread across Liu Ren's face. Twirling the twin axes in his hands, he licked his lips and closed the distance.
*Clang!*
The furious downward slash was parried effortlessly. Ito froze in shock.
His opponent was nowhere near as frail as he appeared!
Yet in the very next instant, Ito was bewildered to find that his field of vision had swung around to face his comrades behind him.
*Squelch!*
Blood geysered like a fountain. Ito's decapitated body dropped to the dirt, devoid of all movement.
Witnessing the scene in sheer horror, the remaining Japanese captives backed away in terror.
"Come on! Little bastards, hahaha! I'm just getting warmed up!"
Liu Ren roared in excitement, his eyes gleaming with raw madness. The sensation was simply exhilarating.
Sure enough, the Orc Boyz were right: fightin' was bloody good fun!
"*Aaargh!*"
Howling in despair, the captured Japanese soldiers charged forward in unison.
Facing their frantic onslaught, Liu Ren merely swung his twin axes in a blur of motion. "Faster! Faster! Faster!"
*Slash! Squelch!*
As the last of the Japanese captives collapsed in pools of blood, Liu Ren turned his head and asked, "Forrest, any more?"
"That was the last batch!" Pointing at the bodies on the ground, Forrest spread his hands with an awkward shrug.
"Damn it. I haven't even had my fill!"
Axes in hand, Liu Ren scowled in frustration.
He had only just worked up an appetite, and then—poof—they were all gone. Fucking hell!
"Forget it. Playtime's over. Time to prep the assault!"
Shouldering his axes, Liu Ren strode back toward the command tent and bellowed, "In three hours, we storm Motoyama!"
"Yes, Colonel!"
At Liu Ren's order, the entire Special Operations Brigade leapt into motion.
Chapter 68