497

The salty sea breeze, carrying sand, lashed against the corrugated iron walls of the Chinese army's coastal outpost, jolting the soldier on night watch awake. He rubbed his eyes and leaned closer to the bulky AN/FRR-10 radio direction finder; the pointer on the dial was swinging wildly.

"Report! An unusual radio frequency has been detected 30 nautical miles southeast of the sea!" The soldier gripped the old-fashioned hand-cranked telephone, the sound of the crank turning particularly jarring in the quiet night.

Inside Commander Han's office, a large vacuum tube radio crackled, while a teletype machine beside it spewed out densely packed intelligence reports. The commander's finger jabbed heavily into a yellowed military map, his nails almost scraping the paper.

"The high-frequency radio station for the underwater project is still operational! News from Base 5 has already been leaked!" Commander Han slammed his hand heavily on the table in front of him. These American soldiers are truly insidious.

The staff officers huddled around a Mark II slide rule, pencils flying across graph paper. "Commander, the U.S. Seventh Fleet's Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ships have crossed the 17th parallel north, and their CH-46 helicopter squadron is ready to launch a surprise attack at any moment!"

Before the words were finished, a communications soldier carrying a damaged R-390A receiver burst through the door: "The US military is using co-channel jamming! All frequency bands are covered by static!"

Commander Han tore down the battle map from the wall, spread it on the long table, and circled the area surrounding Base 5 with a red pencil: "Immediately activate the Level 3 defense plan! Order the 127th Regiment stationed in the border country to construct fortifications around the base, and have the air defense company set up ZPU-4 anti-aircraft guns on the northwest highlands!"

He turned to the communications officer: "Send a communications officer on a motorcycle to the US Army's Base 3. The message must reach Chang Yin!" At this moment, the gains and losses of other bases were not important; the US Army's attack this time must be extremely fierce.

At this moment, at Base 5, Chang Yin, Tang Yue, and Tang Shengkai had just waded ashore in waist-deep water. In the distance, towards the base, several old-fashioned searchlights were still stubbornly turning, their beams sweeping over the A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft that were flying low overhead.

Tang Shengkai ripped off his seawater-filled cloth shoes and watched as planes streaked across the sky, his eyes grave. "The US military's support is coming very quickly."

As Chang Yin ran towards the command center, he replied, "Base 5 was built with a great deal of effort by the US military. The underwater engineering, in particular, should be a top priority for the US military. The fact that our advance was thwarted shows how deep the US military's anger is."

As the group passed by the outer perimeter, soldiers of the 127th Regiment of the Chinese Army were racing against time to build defensive fortifications. They were digging foxholes with shovels and piling sandbags into bunkers. The company commander shouted through a megaphone, "Hurry up! Dig the anti-tank trenches another half meter deeper!"

The piercing air raid siren tore through the night, and Base 5 was instantly engulfed in flames. U.S. AA-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft circled like black phantoms, dropping MMk 82 high-explosive aerial bombs that exploded with deafening roars. The blast waves rising from the ground overturned reinforced concrete fortifications, and shrapnel rained down everywhere.

From the beach, LLCVP landing craft cleaved through the surging waves, and US soldiers wearing helmets and carrying MM16 rifles filed out, while the MM60 general-purpose machine guns spewed fire, suppressing the Chinese soldiers so they couldn't raise their heads.

In the sky, the rotors of a group of CCH-46 helicopters churned up the airflow, carrying elite troops who were preparing to launch a vertical assault.

Chang Yin, Tang Yue, and Tang Shengkai struggled through the hail of bullets and finally arrived at the command post.

Pushing open the door, one sees Commander Han with bloodshot eyes and bulging veins on his forehead, roaring at the battle map. The vacuum tube radio on the wall emits a piercing "buzzing" sound, and all communication equipment is paralyzed, demonstrating the intensity of the US military's jamming.

"How come they're back so quickly?" Commander Han turned around abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief. Given the speed at which he sent messengers, Chang Yin and the others couldn't possibly have returned so quickly.

However, the situation is urgent now, and this is not the time to ask those questions. "Look at this situation! The US military has launched a full-scale offensive from the sea, land, and air, completely surrounding us!"

The US military's signal jamming is something we can't break through at all; we're now an isolated island with no one to rely on!

Commander Han calmly observed everything before him. They had only captured Base 5 less than a day ago, and even though signals were failing, they had still managed to send people out to relay messages. However, they didn't even know if those messengers were safe now.

Chang Yin stared at the densely packed US military deployment markings on the map, his expression grave: "Commander, they are determined to win this time. They not only want to retake Base 5, but also want to completely block the news. In their eyes, we are already dead men."

Tang Yue narrowed her eyes slightly. The United States is truly ruthless. Did they consider such a contingency plan when building Base 5? Otherwise, why would they react so quickly? It seems this underwater project has this important purpose.

Tang Shengkai clenched his fists, his tone resolute: "At worst, I'll fight them to the death!"

Commander Han glanced at Tang Shengkai, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself: "No, we can't make pointless sacrifices. The equipment and data in Base 5 are crucial to our country!"

"Even if it costs us our last breath, we must get these things back!" His gaze swept over the three men in turn. "You immediately organize your men, disassemble and pack up the critical equipment, and prepare for a breakout! I'll stay behind to direct the defense and buy as much time as possible!"

"Commander, you should go first! It's too dangerous here!" Chang Yin urged urgently.

"Enough with the nonsense!" Commander Han interrupted sharply. "Execute the order!"

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