Chapter 120: The Deranged Handshake Society (Extra Chapter 5/50 by Silver Sprout Leader Zhuo Xiao)

"Boom!" The roar of the bomber landing was almost entirely masked by the torrential rain and thunder!

During World War II, most aircraft were designed to take off and land on any relatively level ground—even a field would suffice. As they landed, a group of Russians silently recited the names of Marx, Lenin, or Stalin. Of course, whether some were secretly praying to the Orthodox bigwig Jesus remained unknown.

Once the plane came to a halt, the Russians disembarking were stunned to see the sheer caliber of their leader's piloting skills.

It was a terrace, only twenty meters wide, carved into a mountainside. To the right was a forty-five-degree incline, and to the left, a terrace that looked precarious enough to slide off at any moment.

The length was sufficient, but what made the leader so certain that this terrace was firm enough to support a B-24 bomber? There wasn't even anyone from the Intelligence Department sent ahead to set up landing signals.

Every Russian stood there, dumbfounded.

Mei Mumu said shamelessly, "Don't you know I'm the man who could have been the Sniper King of Stalingrad? Snipers are born with keen vision; I just happen to have a bit of night vision as well."

To put it bluntly, the System had prompted him that it was a valid landing spot, so he adjusted the plane and plunged straight down. Besides, the [Cloak of Levitation] was ready; there was no way he and the two Russian girls would be killed in a crash. As for the success of the landing, well, he chuckled to himself.

The shaken sub-lieutenant of the commando unit was the first to snap back to reality, shouting, "What are you standing there for? According to the plan, immediately establish a temporary defensive position and wait for the leader to return from his mission."

The Red Army commandos immediately scrambled to unload various light weapons from the plane. With the B-24, which carried nearly as much as a transport aircraft, they were well-equipped with everything from Maxim M1910 heavy machine guns to mortars.

Mei Mumu pointed at Yelena: "Leave no one alive within a five-kilometer radius. Be careful; this is their base. Even a five-year-old child here could throw a poisoned dart at you, so don't show mercy. Once you're done, head to the designated coordinates. If I’m there, rendezvous with me; otherwise, stay on standby."

"Understood!" Yelena nodded, her black leather outfit quickly disappearing into the downpour as she stealthily moved toward the village at the foot of the mountain.

Gunma Prefecture in Japan, being landlocked, fit the saying "harsh mountains and treacherous waters breed cunning people." Even in the 21st century, when the Tokyo metropolitan population soared to 13 million, Gunma, with its over six thousand square kilometers, only had 300,000 residents—a testament to its rugged terrain and sparse population. At that time, no industrial zone in Japan could be more than 50 kilometers from the coastline. After all, the further inland one went, the steeper the mountains became, lacking the vast plains necessary for industrial development.

An inconspicuous place that was still part of the Japanese capital circle was definitely a great spot for illicit experiments. Mei Mumu didn't know where the Hand’s lair was in the original Marvel canon, but since the Russian Intelligence Department had precise intel, he would just have to pay a visit.

Wait, this was Mount Haruna, the sacred ground for every driver in the Middle Kingdom! Mount Akina was actually a fictional name; its true name was Mount Haruna in Gunma Prefecture. Truly the holy land for those of us who drive! Let this shameless veteran driver pay his respects!

But why was one of the Hand's research centers located on Mount Haruna? Mei Mumu was annoyed.

It was a medium-sized fortress halfway up the mountain. In Japan at this time, many fortresses from the Warring States period still remained. The bosses who controlled each prefecture in ancient Japan were called Daimyo, who could be viewed as state-recognized warlords. Below the warlords were smaller feudal lords, who were often local powerful clans. The Daimyo lived in massive castles, while the smaller lords had their own small-to-medium fortresses as lairs.

The fortress before them, occupying over a thousand square meters and built against the mountain, was a typical example. Through his binoculars, Natalia saw a large number of people dressed in dark green, their faces masked.

"Brother, is this what you call a ninja?"

"Hmm, individually they aren't very strong, but they are annoying when they swarm you." Mei Mumu tilted his chin. "Go. See how many levels you can infiltrate. If you can pass three layers of defense, I'll consider you qualified."

Natalia wasn't a woman without temper; she felt belittled. Without a word, she curled her lip and vanished into the rain.

Thirty minutes after Natalia went in, Yelena arrived.

"Done?"

"Yes!" Yelena reported. "Just as you said, Master, it was treacherous. One woman pretended to beg for mercy, then threw three poisoned needles at me while kowtowing. If I hadn't received the legacy, I would likely be dead."

Just as Yelena spoke, urgent bells and shrill cries erupted from the fortress ahead.

"Enemy spotted!"

"Russian bastards!"

The seemingly calm fortress suddenly boiled over. Everywhere, ninjas in green—looking remarkably like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles—could be seen rushing toward a single direction. Other ninjas, brandishing torches and blades, charged to key locations to hold the fort.

"Yelena, did you finish practicing the poison?"

"I did."

"Use it!"

Yelena leaped a few times, reaching the cliff edge of the fortress, and blew a light breath in the direction of the wind. A group of ninjas in the fortress began to wail as they were poisoned. Some pulled out their ancestral, useless antidotes, swallowed them, and then collapsed anyway.

Unfortunately, Yelena had only recently received the legacy of Hassan-i Sabbah, so the large-scale poisoning wasn't very effective. However, the poisoned needles she crafted were incredibly potent—one hit meant certain death. It was just a shame the needles were named [Needles of Ten Thousand Deaths].

Soon, Yelena and Mei Mumu, who had followed her in, felt the madness of the ninjas.

Wave after wave of green-clad ninjas charged recklessly, launching all sorts of attacks at them. From Type 11 light machine guns and Arisaka rifles to standard ninja throwing stars and archery, a massive throng of them, eyes bloodshot, launched "Banzai charges."

Yelena, who had transcended human limits, was undoubtedly a formidable fighter. She emptied two 71-round drums of her PPSh, then exhausted her pistol ammo, killing over a hundred ninjas. But there were simply more enemies than she had bullets!

Yelena was forced to draw her twin daggers and engage in primitive close-quarters combat.

Behind her, Mei Mumu held his forehead, sighing, "Damn the Hand, this is just a watered-down version of Hydra!"