No Japanese infantry charged from below the position under the smoke's cover. This struck Regimental Commander Chen Ruqi as deeply perplexing. Following the devils' established pattern, heavy artillery bombardment always preceded an infantry assault. Yet thirty full minutes passed without any charge materializing from below. Chen Ruqi strained his eyes, peering into the smoke's dense depths, but visibility remained hopelessly obscured.

　　Suddenly, Dong Sanshao's voice sliced through the din: "Regiment Commander! Devil soldiers wearing masks are advancing!" The instant those words rang out, Chen Ruqi grasped the bombardment's true purpose. He bellowed with urgent fury: "Quick! Cover your mouths and noses! Devils releasing poison gas!"

　　The soldiers bore bitter experience from Japanese gas attacks at Tangshan. Every man carried a towel and canteen – their sole defense against the devils' chemical weapons.

　　This was precisely why Chen Ruqi had ordered the orderly to fetch Dong Sanshao a towel and canteen. The orderly rushed over, handing both items to Dong Sanshao, who hastily wrapped the dripping-wet towel over his mouth and nose. Simultaneously, the orderly sent by Division Commander Peng Weiren arrived with ammunition, filling Dong Sanshao with fierce joy. After delivering the bullets to Chen Ruqi, the orderly immediately departed to report back to Hukou.

　　On the position, Dong Sanshao loaded bullets into his sniper rifle's chamber and fired downhill. Chen Ruqi raised his binoculars, but thick smoke completely obscured visibility below. Yet Dong Sanshao saw everything with crystal clarity – he was farsighted, a fact unknown to himself and others. When a masked devil soldier charged up aiming his gas gun at the trenches, Dong Sanshao's single shot dropped him dead at the position's edge.

　　Neither Chen Ruqi nor other soldiers could see devils advancing below. An eerie silence fell over the position, broken only by the crunching footsteps of gas troops echoing through the smoke. Dong Sanshao methodically picked them off one by one. Captain Yamaguchi Keisuke stood stunned, unable to fathom a Chinian sniper operating amid lethal mustard gas. Fear gripped him, making him linger behind his men.

　　A full gas company – 162 men (three platoons of 54 each) – fanned out across the position. Though Dong Sanshao fired rapidly, he could only kill one at a time. After ten shots, over 150 gas troops stormed the position. Yellow smoke billowed instantly as 150+ gas guns fired.

　　Dong Sanshao accelerated his firing unconsciously, searching through his scope for Captain Yamaguchi. But yellow smoke now blanketed everything, eliminating visibility. He fired at any shadow flickering in the haze, no longer confirming hits or counting bullets spent or devils killed.

　　Ten minutes later, Captain Yamaguchi Keisuke completed the gas deployment. He withdrew his chemical warfare unit from the position, leaving the assault to gas-masked infantry waiting below. Lieutenant Colonel Sasaki issued the attack order.

　　The masked devil soldiers launched a rapid charge, reaching the position's edge in just three minutes. Cold sweat broke across Chen Ruqi's back. Instinctively, he bellowed: "Fire!" Though muffled by his towel, the command triggered return fire across the position. Bullets whistled toward the attackers – yet none struck Dong Sanshao's hidden position.

　　Yellow smoke gradually dispersed with the wind, clearing Dong Sanshao's scope view. Prone in a hollow, he scanned for officers directing the charge. Lieutenant Colonel Sasaki had no proper commanders left – only hastily promoted Junior Officers without insignia.

　　Dong Sanshao noted the paradox: no visible leaders, yet disciplined coordination. He realized officers hid among ranks, shouting commands.

　　Adjusting tactics, Dong Sanshao targeted soldiers shouting themselves hoarse – these hidden commanders. Without hesitation, he eliminated each one identified. Within five minutes, the charging troops descended into chaos. With no leaders, collapse was inevitable.

　　Dong Sanshao had killed every Junior Officer Lieutenant Colonel Sasaki had just promoted. Leaderless, the devil soldiers abandoned their suicidal charge. Dong Sanshao shifted fire to those leading the assault. Regimental Commander Chen Ruqi watched in awe, recognizing the critical moment for counterattack. He seized a light machine gun, rose to full height, and roared while sweeping fire downhill.

　　Seeing their commander's courage, soldiers surged from trenches. Demoralized devil troops instantly turned and fled downhill. Through binoculars, Lieutenant Colonel Sasaki witnessed this disintegration. Volcanic rage seized him. Pistol in hand, he stormed to the position's base. Retreating soldiers froze seeing their Regimental Commander aiming at them. After executing five soldiers at point-blank range, survivors wheeled and charged uphill again.

　　Sasaki's face hardened to granite, eyes blade-sharp. Once the charge recommenced, he returned to headquarters and called General Hata Shigeyoshi: "Brigade Commander! A Chinian sniper infests our position. All Junior Officers dead. Units commanderless. Request immediate Imperial air support!"

　　General Hata Shigeyoshi stiffened. This sniper – the ghost who annihilated a full squad at Pengze County – now haunted Liusi Bridge. Artillery couldn't eliminate him. Imperial snipers were essential. "Lieutenant Colonel Sasaki," he replied, "Imperial aircraft arrive in twenty minutes. I'll demand sniper reinforcements from Army HQ. Hold fast!"

　　Grateful for the Brigade Commander's forbearance, Sasaki hung up. Raising binoculars, he saw Captain Yamaguchi's mustard gas had utterly failed. Chinese troops fiercely counter-attacked his newly driven charge.

　　The Chinese soldiers universally covered their mouths and noses with towels, rendering the poison gas completely ineffective. Lieutenant Colonel Sasaki found this perplexing. Amidst the dense smoke earlier, how had the Chinian troops detected their gas attack? Why hadn't they succumbed like at Tangshan, where gas allowed swift capture of that position? This puzzle gnawed at him.

　　He observed the charging soldiers through binoculars, acutely aware these weren't true Imperial soldiers but colonial conscripts from Taiwan. At their core, these Taiwanese soldiers remained ethnically Chinian. The Imperial Army would never appoint Chinians as officers. Thus, within the Hata Detachment, all Junior Officers and above were exclusively Japanese regulars.

　　The prolonged stalemate at Liusi Bridge fueled Sasaki's suspicion that these soldiers lacked combat effectiveness. That's precisely why he'd executed his own men earlier to force the charge.

　　On the position, Regimental Commander Chen Ruqi believed they'd repelled the devils. Yet they returned with intensified ferocity. Spotting Dong Sanshao's hideout, Chen Ruqi seized a light machine gun and charged downhill.

　　Without officer targets, Dong Sanshao tracked Chen Ruqi through his scope. Whenever a devil soldier aimed at the Regimental Commander, Dong Sanshao fired instantly. Thus, no Taiwanese devil soldier could ambush Chen Ruqi.

　　After twenty minutes of brutal combat, Japanese aircraft suddenly materialized. Screaming into dive-bombing runs, they unleashed bombs and machine gun fire. Soldiers caught in the open were slaughtered indiscriminately. The air strikes inflicted massive casualties on Chinese troops while also killing and wounding numerous Japanese soldiers.

　　Watching through binoculars, Lieutenant Colonel Sasaki exploded: "Those incompetent airmen!" He called General Hata Shigeyoshi protesting: "Brigade Commander! Our own aircraft bombed and strafed my 1st Regiment mid-assault! Causing severe additional casualties!" Recognizing the gravity, General Hata Shigeyoshi offered terse reassurances before terminating the call.

　　In truth, the air force had coordinated with General Hata Shigeyoshi before entering Liusi Bridge airspace. They sought confirmation: Proceed with bombing? General Hata Shigeyoshi weighed the decision. The prolonged stalemate at Liusi Bridge would reflect poorly before Commander-in-Chief Okamura Yasuji. His reasoning mirrored Lieutenant Colonel Sasaki's: This assault force consisted of Taiwanese conscripts, not Japanese mainland troops. Even if bombed, they could be reported as "shattered like jade against Chinian forces."

　　He authorized the strike.

　　This explained Lieutenant Colonel Sasaki's initial bewilderment. But upon later discerning the Brigade Commander's intent, his confusion gave way to grim understanding.

　　Seeing Japanese bombers disregard friendly positions, Chen Ruqi recognized enemy desperation. To minimize casualties, he urgently ordered all soldiers into trenches.

　　Japanese aircraft descended arrogantly to 500 meters, clearly observing Chinese troops in trenches. Their bombs struck with lethal precision.

　　Dong Sanshao recalled wanting to hit planes at Madang River with his rifle – impossible then with standard infantry weapons. Now, he resolved to try. Rolling onto his back, he raised his sniper rifle toward a diving plane. Through his scope, the pilot's face materialized with startling clarity.

　　Dong Sanshao aligned his crosshairs with the pilot's forehead and squeezed the trigger. The arrogant pilot never conceived a bullet could rise from below – nor strike so true. The round pierced the cockpit glass, impacting his forehead.

　　Pilotless, the plane screamed earthward toward Japanese lines. Lieutenant Colonel Sasaki watched in frozen horror – it plunged directly toward his command post. He fled desperately as the aircraft obliterated his headquarters. Seconds later, a thunderous explosion erupted, a black pillar of smoke punching skyward. Chen Ruqi knew instantly: Dong Sanshao had fired that shot.

　　Remaining Japanese aircraft ceased low-altitude attacks, climbing until the position blurred into insignificance.