Chapter 58

The gunfire in the dead of night startled the entire Shencheng.

Translation: "The gunfire in the dead of night startled the entire Shen City."

But need to keep meaning: "The gunfire at midnight shocked the whole Shen City." Use "shocked" or "startled". Keep single line.

Inside the Public Administration Bureau building in the French Concession.

Translation: "Inside the Public Administration Bureau Building in the French Concession."

"Lin Yu is really crazy!" Director General Lei Nuo of the Public Administration Bureau paced anxiously.

"Lin Yu is really crazy!" Director General Lei Nuo of the Public Administration Bureau paced anxiously.

"Lin Yu is really crazy!" Director General Lei Nuo of the Public Administration Bureau paced anxiously.

But to be safe, we could keep the semicolons:;"Lin Yu is really crazy!"; Director General Lei Nuo of the Public Administration Bureau paced anxiously. However that starts with a semicolon which is weird. I'd go with natural English.

Given the instruction to not add explanatory words, but we can adjust punctuation for naturalness. I'd choose to translate the meaning, not preserve the exact punctuation if it's not meaningful. The semicolons likely just separate clauses; we can use a period.

Thus: ""Lin Yu is really crazy!" Director General Lei Nuo of the Public Administration Bureau paced anxiously."

"He exchanged fire with the Japanese troops at the edge of the French Concession?"

"He exchanged fire with the Japanese troops at the edge of the French Concession?"

"He thought, 'What place is this? Is this his personal battlefield?'"

Translate: ""What does he think this place is? Is it his personal battlefield?""

But no one dared to stop it.

Translation: "But no one dared to stop him."

The intense machine-gun fire and booming mortars left everyone silent as cicadas in winter.

Translation: "The dense machine-gun fire and the roar of the mortars left everyone silent as cicadas in winter."

The Security Command Headquarters.

Translation: "Security Command Headquarters."

Qin Dongzhi stood by the window, gazing at the distant flames, his eyes flickering.

Translation: "Qin Dong Zhi stood by the window, gazing at the distant firelight, his eyes flickering."

"This kid..." he muttered, "He actually dares to take on the Japanese!"

Translate: ""This kid......" he muttered, "He actually dared to fight the foreigners.""

"Moreover..." he frowned, "That firepower is perhaps too fierce."

Translate: ""Moreover......" he frowned, "That firepower is simply too fierce.""

"The rate of fire of those machine guns, the power of those mortars..."

Translate: ""The rate of fire of those machine guns, the power of those mortars......""

"Not equipment that an ordinary security force could possess."

Translate: ""It's not the kind of equipment a regular security force could possess.""

"Go investigate!" he told his deputy, "Find out clearly what kind of troops Lin Yu has!"

Translate: ""Investigate!" he told his deputy, "Find out exactly what kind of forces Lin Yu has under Lin Yu's command!""

The British Concession.

Translation: "British Concession."

Inside the Inspector General's Office.

Translation: "Inside the Chief Inspector's office."

"The intelligence has just arrived," an intelligence officer reported, "Intense fighting has broken out at the edge of the French Concession."

Translate: ""The intelligence has just arrived," a reporter said, "Intense fighting broke out at the edge of the French Concession.""

"Lin Yu's forces are clashing head-on with the Japanese troops."

Translate: ""Lin Yu's forces are clashing head-on with the Japanese troops.""

"It is said that the Japanese suffered heavy casualties."

Translate: ""It is said the Japanese suffered heavy casualties.""

"That unit's firepower is astonishing," the intelligence officer added, "Never before have we seen such terrifying weapons."

Translate: ""That unit's firepower is astonishing," the reporter added, "I have never seen such terrifying weapons.""

"Lin Yu..." the Inspector General narrowed his eyes, "This young man is far more terrifying than we imagined."

Translate: ""Lin Yu......" the Chief Inspector narrowed his eyes, "This young man is far more terrifying than we imagined.""

American Concession.

American Concession.

Inside the consulate.

Translation: "Inside the consulate."

"Interesting..." the American consul put down the telegram, "It seems the head of the Fourth Bureau is no ordinary figure."

Translate: ""Interesting......" the American consul put down the telegram, "It seems the Fourth Bureau Chief is no ordinary figure.""

"Our intelligence shows he has a well-equipped unit under his command."

Translate: ""Our intelligence shows he has a well-equipped unit under his command.""

"Such firepower, such tactics..."

Translate: ""That kind of firepower, that kind of tactics......""

"Probably even our marines couldn't match them."

Translate: ""I'm afraid even our marines might not be able to match it.""

All parties are closely watching this battle.

Translation: "All factions are closely watching this battle."

No one would have thought that a local security official...

Translation: "No one expected that a local security official..."

He dares to, and is able to, confront the Japanese troops head-on.

Translation: "... would dare, and be able to, confront the Japanese troops head-on."

What's even more shocking is that...

Translation: "What is even more shocking is..."

His displayed military strength is simply shocking to hear.

Translation: "The military strength he has displayed is simply shocking to hear."

That terrifying firepower, that precise tactic.

Translation: "That terrifying firepower, that precise tactic."

It is completely unlike what a security department should possess.

Translation: "It is completely not the level a security department should possess."

"Lin Yu..."

Translate: ""Lin Yu......""

All parties' gazes are focused on this young man.

Translation: "The gazes of all factions are focused on this young man."

Just who is this madman?

Translation: "Just who is this madman?"

Just how terrifying is his strength?

Translation: "Just how terrifying is his strength?"

No one knows the answer.

Translation: "No one knows the answer."

But one thing is certain.

Translation: "But one thing is certain."

After this night.

Translation: "After this night."

The landscape of Shencheng will be completely transformed!

Translation: "The pattern of Shen City will be completely changed!"

Zhenglin Street has become a hell on earth.

Translation: "Zhenglin Street has already become a hell on earth."

Bomb craters litter the streets, each filled with dark reddish blood-water.

Translation: "Dense craters cover the streets, each filled with dark red bloodwater."

Shattered corpses and severed limbs float within, emitting a nauseating stench.

Translation: "Shattered corpses and severed limbs float therein, emitting a nauseating stench."

The buildings' outer walls are riddled with holes. Bullet holes pockmark the surface, bloodstains speckled here and there. Occasionally walls collapse, bricks and glass shards tumbling down onto the piled corpses below.

Translation: "The buildings' outer walls are riddled with holes. Bullet holes are dense, bloodstains speckled. Occasionally walls collapse, bricks and glass shards tumble down onto the piled corpses below."

"Rat-a-tat-tat!"

This is an onomatopoeia: "Rat-a-tat-tat!"

The German-equipment battalion's machine-gun fire continues.

Translation: "The German-equipment battalion's machine-gun fire continues."

German-equipment battalion

That terrifying rate of fire causes each machine gun to trail a long tongue of flame in the darkness. Scorching shell casings rain down, piling up into small mounds on the ground.

Translation: "That terrifying rate of fire causes each machine gun in the night to trail a long tongue of flame. Scorching shell casings fall like rain, piling up into small mounds on the ground."

A group of Japanese soldiers attempted to break out of the alley.

Translation: "A group of Japanese soldiers attempted to break out through the alley."

But what awaited them was a crossfire.

Translation: "But what awaited them was a crossfire net."

The dense hail of bullets tore them apart. Fresh blood arced through the air, staining the walls on both sides. Organs and broken bones mixed with flesh spread across the ground.

Translation: "The dense rain of bullets shattered them. Fresh blood traced arcs in the air, dyeing the walls on both sides red. Organs and broken bones mixed with flesh spread across the ground."

"Boom!"

A mortar shell accurately struck a Japanese officer and his nearby soldiers.

The blast's shockwave hurled them into the air. Limbs flew apart like rags, and amid the smoke came shrill screams, soon drowned by new explosions.

Translation: "A mortar shell accurately struck a Japanese officer and his surrounding soldiers."

In the rear, the Security Regiment's firepower continued as well.

Translation: "The blast's shockwave flung them into the air. Severed limbs flew apart like rags. Shrill screams came from the smoke, soon drowned by new explosions."

Although their equipment was not as good as the German-equipment battalion's, the volley of two thousand rifles was still astonishingly powerful.

Translation: "In the rear, the security regiment's fire also continued."

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Translation: "Although their equipment was inferior to that of the German-equipment battalion, the volley of two thousand rifles was still astonishingly powerful."

The dense gunfire came in waves.

""Bang! Bang! Bang!""

"The dense gunfire came in waves."

Translation: "The dense gunfire rose and fell."

The Japanese soldiers who were hit kept falling down. Some died on the spot, some writhed in pain on the ground until they bled to death.

Gun smoke filled the entire street.

The strong smell of blood and gunpowder made people suffocate.

Firelight flickered in the smoke, illuminating this hellish scene.

The Japanese army had completely lost its combat effectiveness.

Some knelt to surrender, but were quickly shot full of holes.

Some charged madly, but were blown to pieces by artillery fire.

Some curled up in corners, waiting for death to come.

"Damn!" Ling Mu roared inside the command vehicle, "Retreat! Full retreat!"

But this order came too late.

His proud elite forces had already lost more than half in this encounter.

The street was littered with the corpses of the Japanese army.

Some were riddled with thousands of bullet holes by machine guns.

Some were blown to pieces by artillery shells.

Some were mutilated beyond recognition by shrapnel.

Blood had already stained the whole street red.

Amid the broken walls and ruins came the groans of the dying.

The firepower of the German-equipped battalion was like the Grim Reaper's scythe, harvesting life after life.

The Security Regiment's volley was like a torrential downpour, leaving the enemy nowhere to escape.

The battle was nearing its end.

But the shock this night brought will forever remain in Shen City's memory!

"Damn! Break through the alleys!" Ling Mu hysterically ordered.

But soon, an even greater despair descended.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The piercing sound of shotgun blasts echoed from the dark alley.

Lin Yu's Military Police Special Task Group had long been waiting there.

These five-man teams, armed with Winchester shotguns, hid in the shadows of various alleys.

The first group of Japanese soldiers had just rushed into the alley—

"Bang!"

At close range, the shotgun's power was terrifying beyond belief.

Each shell contained dozens of steel balls that spread in a fan, instantly turning the leading Japanese soldiers into bloody sieves.

Blood and flesh spattered, leaving large bloodstains on the alley walls.

"Ambush!" the Japanese soldiers shouted in terror.

But those behind were shoved forward, continuing onward.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two more shotgun blasts rang out.

The fan-shaped barrage was virtually unavoidable in the narrow alley.

The Japanese soldiers who charged in were instantly blown to bloody pulp.

Some had their chests shattered on the spot, entrails mixed with broken bone spraying out.

Some had their heads smashed, brains and blood splattering across a wall.

"Withdraw! Withdraw quickly!"

But the machine-gun fire of the German-equipped battalion on the street still roared.

The Security Regiment's shooting also did not cease.

The Japanese soldiers were trapped in a desperate situation.

Ahead lay machine-gun and artillery fire, behind the Security Regiment blocked the retreat, and on both sides the alleys were ambushes of the Military Police's shotguns.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Whenever someone tried to charge into the alley, they met close-range shotgun sweeps.

At such close range, the shotgun's lethality was downright terrifying.

The dull thud of steel balls piercing flesh, the crisp crack of bones breaking, rose and fell.

Soon the alley was piled high with broken corpses.

Blood slowly flowed down the alley's slope.

"Damn! Damn!" Ling Mu frantically pounded the command vehicle's tabletop.

His proud elite forces were being gradually strangled in this meticulously designed ambush.

All retreat routes were cut off.

All hope had been shattered.

This is Lin Yu's terror.

The German-equipped battalion's frontal assault.

The Security Regiment's rear encirclement.

The Military Police's ambush in the side alleys.

Every link was meticulously designed.

Every unit operated with seamless coordination.

What kind of police bureau is this?

This is clearly a terrifying elite iron-blooded army!