Anthropoid

Operation: Anthropoid part I/II

I want to put this right at the beginning. This story will have no fluff, only pain... This story has been inspired by true events that had happened during WWII, in 1942 in Central Europe, the operation called Anthropoid. I have transferred it to mainland China occupied by Japan to match the characters, so the horrors depicted here had been actually done by Nazis, I know very little about the China-Japan war then, but because of Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan being Chinese, I couldn't possibly place them in Central Europe in 1942 - I would kill the immersion. XD Operation Anthropoid was a very significant mission that resulted in some political post-war decisions of the Allied Forces, however the revenge of the Nazis was horrible and cost many lives... to not spoil the story, I will elaborate more closely in the end. Enjoy!

The circle of life and death had repeated itself again. Kunlun's nth reincarnation was born the day the Titanic had sunk and now he was already reaching his usual life-span with no family to start, heavily and deeply involved with anti-Japan resistance in the middle of World War II all around.

Dragon City had been long occupied by the Japanese Army and Kunlun - or Colonnel Zhao Yunlan as he had been called in this era - was hiding with his guerilla men in the near mountain range. They were a mix of nationalists and communists, a band of rogues put together by trust and common interest in defeating the strangers sucking their homes dry of all the food, medicine and so on, leaving millions of China's citizens suffering from famine, poverty, illnesses and overall collateral damage of the large scale China-Japan War.

Zhao Yunlan himself didn't really belong to any political group which was a rare thing these days. He himself said it was because his father used to own a big steel factory (which was nowadays in the hands of the enemy army), so he was seen as a filthy rich by the communists but his own ideals were too socialistic for the mainstream of the nationalists. However, he was a capable leader and a mighty warrior so he was trusted by both sides and directly joined by a mix of misfits. Frequently, of course, inner-group conflicts occurred but Chief Zhao had managed each and every one of them to the satisfaction of both sides.

During these times, I myself had had my hands full with fighting. I didn't exactly join the petty and cruel fights of men but with any chaos arrising on Earth, there will be demons and ghosts trying to use the opportunity and escape from Hell.

Oftentimes, I'd watch then with concern, as the Four Pillars of Heaven shook with each bomb detonating... oh, how Nuwa would be sad to see what had become of her beloved mankind... Kunlun would be, as well... the one I knew tens of thousands of years ago, at least...

I knew his group was planning a sabotage mission, I wasn't sure what kind but with Zhao Yunlan as a main actor and with how many months they'd planned it, it must have been something big, dangerous... and probably lethal for the love of my life... again. I thought, after seeing Kunlun's death so many times, I'd become accustomed to it but every single time was painful and heartwrenching.

I just came back from Hell after throwing a demon back to the dark abyss it belonged in. Hightening my senses I quickly tracked Zhao Yunlan and portalled myself close to his location, exiting an Apothecary near a highly populated tram station. The young warrior was dressed in casual clothes with a long coat that could hide many things underneath and he was smoking a cigarette. He stood away from the tram station, on the outer side of a sharp turn, watching the incomming cars. I could feel his whole being on edge, concentrating, he was on a hunt. He wanted to kill someone... An assassination mission? Who...?

Zhao Yunlan had been standing at the roadside for an hour already. He arrived at around 10 AM by a bicykle he'd left a few streets away. He had his pistol ready and 2 granates under the long worn-out coat. It might have been risky to do this by himself but he didn't want anyone else risking their lives directly. It was his plan and his deal. If he can show to the Allied Forces that the Chinese can fight, there will be more support from America, more weapons and provisions sent over the mountains.