In this nearby land, the place most likely to hide people was this seemingly dense forest.
The forest extended to the nearby hills, densely covered with weeds and bushes, which, combined with the lush foliage, clearly made it the best place to hide people.
Precisely because of this, this forest, along with the nearby hills, became a focal point of concern during the Australasian Air Force bombings.
Since it was a heavily targeted area, the bombing could not be casual.
Hundreds of bombs, plus dozens of missiles, were dropped on the relatively small forest at the foot of the hills alone, completely leveling the forest to the ground.
Not to mention finding a single tree in the post-bombing forest, even intact branches were almost impossible to find. The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and blood, and the ground beneath the forest had been plowed over several times by bombs, exposing charred, wet soil that drifted with white smoke.
Division Commander Murai Norio and Infantry Brigade Commander Tanaka Taro happened to be hiding in the forest, specifically in the area where the air force's bombing was most intense.
Almost at the very beginning of the bombing, Murai Norio and Tanaka Taro were unluckily hit.
The good news was that the bomb landed on a rock right beside them. The bad news was that the bomb caused the rock to dislodge and pinned them down heavily.
Such injuries were not fatal, but they certainly left Murai Norio and Tanaka Taro panicked beyond measure. Understandably, the Australasian bombardment was still ongoing, and being pinned down by the rock without the ability to move meant they had lost the chance to actively evade.
The good news was that Murai Norio and Tanaka Taro did not need to panic too much either.