Los Angeles defector

The battle in the mist

On November 6, 1937, in the early morning, the rain stopped, and there was no wind. The aftermath of the night rain began to manifest, forming large patches of morning mist.

To the north of Playa del Rey, the 107th Division is responsible for the defense of the Barona River bank, which includes four main ferry crossings. From west to east, they are Salamanca Ferry Crossing, San Antonio Ferry Crossing, San Juan Ferry Crossing, and San Baldomero Ferry Crossing. Under the 107th Division, there are two regiments: the 319th Regiment and the 321st Regiment. The 319th Regiment consists of the 637th and 638th Battalions, and Jason is assigned to the 638th Battalion with the mission to hold the San Juan Ferry Crossing.

San Juan Ferry Crossing is located about ten miles northeast of Playa del Rey, along the banks of the Barona River. It is surrounded by hundreds of closely clustered houses of varying heights. A small street runs north-south through the town, with a dirt road leading to the Barona River at the northern end. The southern end of the street terminates at the San Juan Ferry Crossing pier. The town is surrounded by vast stretches of scattered rice fields and crisscrossing irrigation channels, forming a crescent shape that guards the San Juan Ferry Crossing on the muddy banks of the Barona River. Two days ago, news of a vampire army landing was received, and the residents had already fled, leaving behind a quiet deserted town, still asleep in the morning mist.

The forward scout, a new sentry, had been worn out by the overnight march in the pouring rain. Clad in a soaked and muddy gray uniform, he carried a dripping rifle across his chest, while his soggy cloth shoes made a squelching sound as he walked along the wet street. Suddenly, he came to a halt, his gaze piercing through the fog on the street, and noticed a figure swaying at the end of the road.

"Who goes there? Which unit?" The sentry's hoarse and resounding voice echoed through the quiet street, fading into the mist. After a moment of silence, a sharp c***k resounded, accompanied by the sound of air being torn apart, breaking the stillness. It pierced through the sentry's chest and collided with the brick wall at the side of the street, sending fragments flying. It was a vampire—a gunshot erupted, shattering the silence. The howling specter of death began to shuttle back and forth on the foggy street, shattering tiles, piercing window frames, or leaping on the cobblestone pavement, occasionally sparking and accompanied by painful groans, completely awakening the slumbering town. The 638th Regiment had just arrived at the San Juan Ferry Crossing, coincidentally encountering the 6th Division of the vampire's vanguard unit that had just disembarked. Unexpectedly facing each other, neither side was prepared. In the bewildered expressions of both parties, the battle erupted haphazardly.

"Report, we've encountered vampires."

"I'm not deaf, how many vampires are there?"

"I don't know."

"If you don't know, why bother reporting? Have the First Battalion hold the front line, Second Battalion swiftly enter the town to seize high ground and key positions, and the Third Battalion immediately set up defenses along the riverbanks on both sides of the town."

"Yes!" The messenger sprinted away into the mist, carrying the orders of the regimental commander.

Following the orders of the First Battalion commander, the platoon leader of the Third Platoon, carrying a handgun, led his platoon out of the small street and into the alley. "Quick, move your asses, Second Squad, advance along the alley and keep pushing forward until you're within sight of the vampires, then engage! First Squad, secure the buildings. We must occupy favorable positions ahead of the vampires."

"What positions are considered favorable?" The platoon leader asked the company commander as he led his team towards him.

"I don't give a damn about positions! Any position where we can engage those devils is a good position!" The platoon leader replied casually to the company commander. As he turned his head, he saw Old Blackskin leading the third platoon right behind him. He then opened his mouth and said, "Alright, you guys in the third platoon..."

Old Blackskin immediately interrupted the platoon leader and said, "Our third platoon is responsible for protecting the company headquarters."

The platoon leader, still seething from last night's incident, couldn't contain his frustration. "Not only did he force me to return the pocket watch, but that son of a b***h even took my damn rifle. And now you, Old Blackskin, have the audacity to talk about protecting the 'company headquarters'? We only have me as the platoon leader, a guard, and a communication soldier. Where is this company headquarters you speak of? Protecting what?!" He pointed towards a two-story building ahead and continued, "Do you see that? That's your third platoon's position. Hold it down for me."

Following the direction pointed by the platoon leader, Old Blackskin looked towards the small building that appeared and disappeared in the mist. Though only two stories tall, it stood out proudly among the surrounding low residential houses. Damn it, this is like sending me to heaven...

The gunfire on the small street grew increasingly intense, and the sound of machine guns from both sides joined in. Old Blackskin continued muttering curses under his breath as he led the third platoon swiftly towards the small building. As they closed in, the details of the building became clearer. The ground floor was made of brick, similar to the surrounding houses, while a wooden structure formed the second floor, with windows on all sides and a distinct southern-style roof. The overall size of the building was not large. They quickened their pace, turning the corner of the alley, and arrived at the wall adjacent to the small building, just by the entrance. Suddenly, several figures darted out from the other side of the building's corner!

Old Blackskin's heart sank as he suddenly realized what was happening. Unable to stop in time due to his momentum, he instinctively lunged forward and slid behind the low wall on the opposite side, lying flat on the ground.

Tall Guy, Brown, and Silly Boy had been following closely behind the platoon leader, running with their heads down. They witnessed the platoon leader reach the corner of the wall but failed to make the turn, instead tumbling out and freezing in shock. It was only when they turned their heads that they noticed figures darting out from the other side of the small building. Tall Guy and Brown immediately took their positions and started chambering their rifles. All of this happened in an instant. Silly Boy, still bewildered, suddenly felt a force on his back and cried out in pain as he was thrown out and rolled to Old Blackskin's side.

In fact, when they were approaching the corner of the small building, Jason, who was at the back of the group, had quietly called out to Old Blackskin, trying to alert him to stop. The small building wasn't far from the pier, and even though there was fog, vampires could potentially detect this vantage point and try to seize it. Jason had already chambered his rifle before they got close to the building, but unfortunately, Old Blackskin was too absorbed in his muttering and didn't hear Jason's call from behind.

In the moment Old Blackskin fell at the corner, Jason had already prepared for the worst. He recognized Old Blackskin's seemingly strange way of falling, the "horse prone" position, as an instinctive reaction of a seasoned soldier in a critical moment. Tall Guy and Brown, although they had participated in a few battles on California Road, were inexperienced and failed to understand, let alone Silly Boy.

In the blink of an eye, Jason swiftly kicked Silly Boy, who was still dazed, out of the way. He then positioned himself, resting his left shoulder against the corner of the wall, partially exposing his upper body. The butt of his rifle pressed against his right shoulder, touching his cheek, while he quickly raised the muzzle and exhaled. With narrowed eyes, a concave-shaped cheek weld, a perfectly aligned sight, and the figure across from him, seemingly... also wearing gray military attire... it all happened in an instant. Before Tall Guy and Brown could even chamber their rifles, Jason's index finger on the trigger was about to squeeze all the way down...