WW2!AU

At the close of the end of World War II, Japan found itself in a dire situation. The United States had won numerous battles and continued to drive Japan back, while the Soviet Union posed a growing threat from the north.

In 1944, the Japanese government began conscripting soldiers, including in Taiwan where Yao Zhang, a young man who had little interest in war, was drafted into the military. Yao underwent intense training and became an IJA Private First Class. Despite Germany's surrender to the Allies in mid-1945, Japan refused to give up the fight. The closer the Allies got to mainland Japan, the fiercer the battles became.

For Yao, there were two possible endings to his story:

In the first scenario, Yao was stationed in Balikpapan in the Dutch East Indies. He was defeated by Australian and Dutch troops, and Japan surrendered. Yao was captured by a soldier named Ronald van den Berg. Despite initially treating prisoners of war kindly, Ronald became angry upon learning of the atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers and ultimately tortured Yao to death.

In the second scenario, Yao was assigned to the northern region and stationed in Manchuria. He was defeated by Soviet Union troops, and Japan surrendered. Yao was captured by a soldier named Artur Alizade and placed in a labor camp for two years. The conditions were terrible, and Yao often went without food. He was also subjected to torture by Soviet soldiers. Eventually, Yao was repatriated to Taiwan, where he reunited with his only surviving family member, a younger sister named Yue. At the time, Taiwan was governed by the KMT, who held a strong hatred for Japan and its collaborators.