"Captain, my arm!"
The man from the Eastern Isles grimaced in pain, unable to shake off Peng Weiping's grip no matter how he struggled.
After all, Peng Weiping was already dead.
The captain's face darkened. He walked forward and struck Peng Weiping's head several times with his rifle butt. Even with his skull nearly shattered, Peng Weiping's jaws remained clamped shut.
The several men from the Eastern Isles fell silent.
If every Chinese person was as unyielding as Peng Weiping, what a terrifying nation it would be.
Fortunately.
They knew that China was currently inundated with effeminate young men, that the Chinese no longer valued martial prowess, and that people like Peng Weiping were becoming increasingly rare.
This provided a possibility for the Eastern Isles' millennium-long plan to be implemented.
"Captain, what should I do?" The man from the Eastern Isles felt as if his flesh had already been bitten off, his face turning increasingly pale.
The captain took a deep breath and spoke to Peng Weiping's corpse, "I apologize."
As the words fell, a sharp knife also descended instantly, severing Peng Weiping's head in one clean stroke.
Following that.
The captain continued with the knife, intending to dismember the head.
After some maneuvering, the captain showed a troubled expression, "I can't proceed. Cut open the clothing on your arm."
The man from the Eastern Isles had no choice but to comply.
After cutting open the clothing, all the men from the Eastern Isles involuntarily gasped.
Despite being on the verge of death, Peng Weiping had, with his immense willpower, held on with all his might, biting into the arm of the man from the Eastern Isles and even sinking his teeth into flesh and blood. Seeing this, the captain's scalp tingled, and he said in a deep voice, "In your condition, we can only cut away the flesh. The head is the most resilient part of the body; trying to completely obliterate it will inevitably cost us precious time."
The man from the Eastern Isles paled, but could only reply, "I'll do as you say, Captain."
The captain grunted and drew his knife, cutting away the piece of flesh.
It was only then that everyone realized Peng Weiping had almost managed to sever the flesh, which made them even more wary.
Such a person was truly formidable.
The captain sighed, "He was a tough man. If time could be rewound, I wouldn't have touched his wife and daughters."
"But I would still kill him."
"The fewer tough men in China, the better. Only then can we truly set foot on this land and become its masters."
After saying these words, the captain exhaled a foul breath and hung Peng Weiping's wide-eyed head from a tree branch.
After a long, hard look at the head, the captain ordered them to continue towards their destination.
Several eagles circled overhead in the vast forest and snowy plains, letting out sharp cries, as if bidding farewell to Peng Weiping.
A gust of wind blew.
Peng Weiping's head swayed in the wind, its gaze slowly shifting from the direction they had come to the direction the men from the Eastern Isles were leaving.
At that moment.
Chen Jin Zhao and Li Xiao Ning both heard the gunfire.
When the gunshots ceased, Chen Jin Zhao realized Peng Weiping was dead. He said with grief, "We're still half a step too late."
"It's about three kilometers from the direction the gunshots came."
There was no time.
Li Xiao Ning had watched her own men die at the hands of others last night, and now she witnessed Peng Weiping's family of three perish at the hands of the devils from the Eastern Isles. She couldn't help but murmur, "I once thought this world was as peaceful as it appeared on the surface. I never imagined that beneath that peaceful facade, storms were already brewing. The battlefield was not far from us at all."
Chen Jin Zhao also said in a low voice, "Let's go take a look first. We should be getting closer to those men from the Eastern Isles."
Li Xiao Ning collected her thoughts and followed Chen Jin Zhao's steps.
Half an hour later.
The two arrived at the location where the exchange of fire had occurred. At a glance, they could see two corpses. One was shot in the head, and the other was headless.
"The one shot in the head was a devil from the East; the headless one is Peng Weiping," Chen Jin Zhao stated.
Li Xiao Ning hesitated, "Then where did his head go..."
Chen Jin Zhao surveyed the surroundings, his gaze finally falling on a tree not far away. Peng Weiping's head was hanging there.
Li Xiao Ning followed his gaze and also saw Peng Weiping's head.
At that moment.
Her mind went blank.
Strangely, if she had seen such a gruesome scene before, she would have been terrified.
But now, all she felt was profound reverence.
Chen Jin Zhao had already reached Peng Weiping's head. He saw the unyielding glare in its eyes and the flesh and blood of the devil from the East clamped in its mouth. Chen Jin Zhao stood firm and saluted Peng Weiping in a standard military fashion, "I'm sorry, I'm too late."
Li Xiao Ning followed suit and also performed a military salute.
She softly whispered, "He is a hero, just as the inscription on the Monument to the People's Heroes says, he will be immortal!"
"Let us let him rest in peace."
Chen Jin Zhao stepped forward and took Peng Weiping's head with both hands, saying with a promise, "I will avenge you. Please rest assured."
The next moment.
Li Xiao Ning personally saw Peng Weiping's eyes close. She exclaimed in shock, "Can he... can he hear us?"
Chen Jin Zhao didn't know.
He only knew that some things were etched into Peng Weiping's very bones.
With deep respect, they buried Peng Weiping's remains together. Chen Jin Zhao then walked over to the corpse of the man from the Eastern Isles. Li Xiao Ning was astonished to see that the eagles circling in the sky were actually devouring this corpse, while Peng Weiping's body remained intact.
"To let him die so quickly and cleanly is letting him off too easy," Chen Jin Zhao muttered.
He turned to Li Xiao Ning, "We might be in mortal danger from now on. Do you still want to follow me?"
Li Xiao Ning did not hesitate and nodded, "Of course!"
"Then let's go." Chen Jin Zhao said no more.
"Increase your pace, and try to catch up to those men from the Eastern Isles before sunset."
After a long trek of more than half a day, Li Xiao Ning was extremely tired, but she also understood that if she wanted to keep up with Chen Jin Zhao, she could only push past her limits. Besides, if tough men like Peng Wei Dong feared death so little, what was a little fatigue to her?
At 5:30 in the afternoon, Chen Jin Zhao sensed people ahead and immediately stopped.
Li Xiao Ning sensed something was amiss and instantly drew a pistol from her waist, cocking it. Chen Jin Zhao whispered to Li Xiao Ning, "You don't need to do anything later. Just hide yourself properly. Understand?"
"But..." Li Xiao Ning also had the heart to kill the invaders!
"There are no 'buts.' On the battlefield, you must obey your superior's orders absolutely. I should be able to kill them all by myself." Chen Jin Zhao's gaze was firm. Li Xiao Ning realized that if she acted, she might become a burden, so she could only nod and say, "Okay, I understand."
Chen Jin Zhao put down his backpack, secured the Tai Sui to his thigh, cocked his pistol, and followed with agile steps.
Three minutes later.
Chen Jin Zhao appeared not far from the group of men from the Eastern Isles.
These men had already set up camp. Several of them were assigned clear tasks, with two individuals patrolling the perimeter.
Chen Jin Zhao's eyes narrowed.
"Next year today will be your death anniversary!"