On the back hill of Jincheng, figures flickered.
Ten soldiers from the second squad of the first platoon of the fifth company of the 102nd Airborne Brigade crouched at the highest point of the mountain, looking down at the city below that had fallen into darkness.
Five mortars had been set up. One soldier adjusted the elevation and traverse parameters of the mortar barrels, while another soldier opened an ammunition box containing ten shells. There were five such boxes.
The squad leader observed the city lights through binoculars. It was wartime, and blackouts were enforced at night to prevent enemy air raids.
However, there are always some people who disregard discipline. Moreover, this is the rear area, so the control is more relaxed. Lights can be seen everywhere in the city, and some Fass guards on duty on cold nights will even light fires outdoors.
The telescope captured several unusual bonfires. Three points of light formed an equilateral triangle, surrounding a building in the center. This was a marker given by a comrade.
"10 o'clock ahead, coordinates 161.3, 50, one test shot."
"put!"
Chirp—
The shell traced a beautiful parabola and landed precisely in the courtyard of the target building, exploding in the center.
boom!
"Three rapid-fire shots, fire!"
Chirp chirp chirp—
Five mortars rained down shells in a continuous stream.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo
A piercing air raid siren blared throughout the city. This was the rear area of the Fas Khan army, so the bombing was naturally assumed to be an air raid; no one realized the shells were coming from the mountains behind the city.
Everyone ran out and crawled into the air-raid shelter.
Officers of the General Logistics and Equipment Department of the Fas Khan Army's Milan Star Theater, escorted by Fas Khan guards, urgently went to the air-raid shelter for refuge.
Bang!
Zhang Fan shot and killed the Fass officer who was surrounded by Fass guards in the center.
"Enemy attack!"
With their commander killed, the escort team was thrown into chaos.
It seems this large eagle regiment of the Fashan army is quite unprofessional. This kind of escort tactic, using a human wall to form a barrier, is no longer used on Earth, because it's tantamount to openly telling the enemy snipers that the person in the middle is their key figure, and to take aim at him!
Da da da!
Soldiers from the Fifth Company, who were hiding in other directions, also began to fire their automatic rifles at the group.
Caught off guard and unaware of the enemy's location, the group of Fass guards had no choice but to retreat back into the courtyard.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several shells exploded in the courtyard, causing the Fass guards to fall to their knees and the city to descend into chaos.
The armory was the first to explode, followed by a secondary explosion; the shockwave could be felt throughout the city. Then, the oil depot caught fire, its flames illuminating half the city's night sky.
The soldiers of the Fifth Company fired sniper shots everywhere, confusing the Fas Khan Army's Eagle Regiment stationed in the city. In addition, the Fifth Company itself was wearing Fas Khan Army uniforms. After suffering several losses, the Eagle Regiment was both angry and afraid, and saw everyone as an enemy. They even began to kill the miscellaneous troops in the city who were not their own regiment.
The Phas troops in the city were a mixed bag, but no one was a fool and would not sit idly by and wait to be killed, so a new round of chaotic fighting began.
The Fass "Red Scarf Army" joined in with other miscellaneous troops, continuing to fan the flames, and the two sides eventually turned into a battle of defense and siege.
The Great Eagle Regiment's headquarters were in the suburbs, and its main force was also stationed there. Relying on its numerical and equipment advantages, the Great Eagle Regiment surrounded the entire city and then gradually tightened the encirclement, killing anyone who refused to surrender.
As dawn broke, more and more ragtag troops surrendered in the city, and the soldiers of the Fifth Company, wearing red scarves, were eventually surrounded in a warehouse in the north of the city, unable to move.
Outside the warehouse, loudspeakers continuously broadcast declarations urging surrender, essentially saying that those who surrender would be treated well, given priority in prisoner exchanges, and that their families would be allowed to ransom them to return home.
"Brandon, how many men do we have left?" Zhang Fan looked out the second-floor window of the warehouse at the approaching armored vehicles, his anxiety growing.
“The specific situation outside is unclear, but as for inside the warehouse,” Brandon reported, “we still have 68 men, 9 of whom are injured.”
"Only half the people are left." Zhang Fan sniffed, feeling a pang of sadness.
“No, it’s that we still have half of us.” Brandon forced a smile.
Zhang Fan looked around at the soldiers of the Fifth Company. Not one of them was without injuries. The nine wounded soldiers were all seriously injured; those with minor injuries who were still able to fight were not included.
Zhang Fan stood up, walked among the wounded soldiers, and stopped in front of a soldier who had lost an arm. He was the most seriously wounded soldier; a shell had exploded beside him, and when he pushed away his comrade, shrapnel had severed his arm, and half of his face was almost unrecognizable.
The soldier remained conscious, gritting his teeth and refusing to utter a sound, large beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The female medic beside him, who was caring for him, was already in tears.
Due to a lack of medication, she could only perform some simple bandaging, which was not even able to stop the bleeding, and blood was still seeping out under the gauze.
"Brigade Commander." The wounded soldier smiled when he saw Zhang Fan. "I look terrible right now."
“No.” Zhang Fan grasped the soldier’s hand. “Men with scars are the most handsome and charming.”
"Really? Commander, you're not lying to me."
“Really, you can ask her if you don’t believe me.” Zhang Fan pointed to the female medical worker next to him.
"Mmm-hmm-hmm." The female medic nodded repeatedly with her big eyes wide open.
"That's great! I've never had a girlfriend before." The soldier laughed again. "I don't even know what kissing feels like."
The soldiers around him laughed, but their laughter was bittersweet, more painful than tears.
Pop!
Almost without hesitation, the female medic leaned down and kissed the soldier on the lips. Zhang Fan and the surrounding soldiers were stunned for a moment, and the soldier who was kissed was even more dazed for a few seconds.
Finally, the soldier let out a long sigh of relief, his eyes clear and gentle.
"Brigade Commander, I want to ask you for a favor."
"explain."
"Give me a bomb."
"..."
“Brigade Commander, I know exactly what I’m doing. I’ve never been so clear about it in my life.” The soldier looked ahead, his eyes shining. “I’ve always been timid and afraid of trouble since I was a child, which is why my parents sent me to military school. Actually, I don’t like being a soldier at all. I just drifted through my days at school.”
“But now, I know exactly what I’m doing.” The soldier gripped Zhang Fan’s hand. “I know I don’t have long to live, and I don’t want my parents to see me like this. I don’t want to waste my last precious time.”
"So, brigade commander, comrades, please give me a bomb. This is my only request."
"Brandon, give it to him!" Zhang Fan stood up, turning his back to the soldiers, not wanting them to see him in his current state.
"Thanks!"
The soldier stood up, holding the explosive charge in one hand, and under the watchful eyes of all his comrades, he walked through the shattered glass of the second-floor window and out onto the warehouse roof.
All the soldiers in the Fifth Company stared intently. Sunlight streamed in through the window, making the silhouette of the soldier appear as if he were a god descending to earth.
The soldier bit the fuse, leaped into the air, and flames erupted outside the window. A Fass armored vehicle was destroyed, and flames shot into the sky.
What lovely people! These are the soldiers of the 102nd Airborne Brigade today!
Tears blurred Zhang Fan's vision. He held back his tears and turned around, only to find all the soldiers silently wiping away their tears.
"Check the ammunition!"
Click, click, click.
The sound of magazines being pulled back echoed through the warehouse.
But no one spoke.
There are no bullets left.
"Alright." Zhang Fan glanced around at everyone. "Now I'm going to teach you your last lesson. After this lesson, you will officially graduate from the 102nd Airborne Brigade."
"Everyone has one!"
"Fix bayonets!"
Inside the warehouse, blades stood in rows.
“We’ll teach those sissies from Fass a lesson too,” Zhang Fan sneered. “Let them see what a real man’s war looks like.”
"no!"
A voice sounded from behind, and Ruthia stepped forward.
"We female soldiers also demand to fight!"
“Unless all the men are dead.” Brandon hugged Ruthia and kissed her. “The brigadier said this is a battle between men.”
"We'll charge from the front to draw the enemy's attention. Then you can lead the female soldiers and the wounded to break out from behind the warehouse. There's an alley there, and maybe there's still a chance of survival."
"But……"
“There are no buts.” Brandon looked at Ruthia gently. “Ruthia, don’t think your mission will be easy. Even if you manage to break through, it will be a near-death experience, and the road ahead will be even harder than it is now.”
"Thanks a lot."
Ruthia hugged Brandon tightly and nodded with tears in her eyes.
"Fifth Company!" Brandon stepped to the front of the charging column. "Remember the poem the brigade commander taught us? Let's recite it together!"
All the soldiers of the Fifth Company began to recite in unison.
"On this journey to the netherworld, I will summon my old comrades."
"With ten thousand banners, we will slay Yama!"
"Slay! Yama!"
You bunch of brats, stop misusing what I said! And now you're going to add another emotional twist to it all. Zhang Fan felt his blood surging, a powerful force welling up inside him.
"kill!"
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