Chapter 51
The alarm blared, and rapid and turbulent footsteps came from behind Song Ran.
The soldiers and civilians who were attending the wedding a moment ago poured out of the alley. Several groups of soldiers quickly lined up and rushed towards the direction of the gunfire, and the groom in red was inside; civilians, including women, shouted to direct the rear; teenagers and girls gathered the children and hid in the air-raid shelter.
At the entrance of the hospital, Li Zan and several Cook soldiers who got off the hospital bed drove away on motorcycles.
In the direction where the motorcycle taillight disappeared, the shells streaked across the sky, like shooting stars in the middle of the night.
Song Ran put on her bag and ran towards the university. In the distance behind her, the artillery shells made a mournful cry when they took off, and then exploded with a loud bang when they landed. The houses on both sides of the road shook violently, and layers of mud fell from the walls, hitting her on the head.
There was still a street away from the university. Suddenly a car passed by behind him. Song Ran held his waist and shouted: "Jose! I'm here! Jose!"
The car suddenly braked and turned around. Song Ran ran to the other side of the street. Before the car stopped in front of her, she pulled out the passenger seat and jumped in.
Jose said: "I was just going to pick you up from the university!"
"I know, so I ran towards it." She quickly put on her helmet and put on her body armor.
Heading towards the battlefield, the night sky ahead has been ignited by the flames of war. On the horizon, artillery fire and smoke exploded into rising mushroom clouds; in the night sky, staggered artillery shells woven into a silver net like a meteor shower.
You can only speak by shouting:
"Why did it suddenly break out?!"
"The rebels launched a large-scale sneak attack!"
"Is the situation serious?"
"It's okay! The government troops were the first to get the information and were already prepared!"
Song Ran asked: "What about the Ku soldiers?"
"They only fight terrorists!" Jose shouted, "If the terrorists don't take action in this battle, they won't take action for the time being!"
"What if we are dispatched?"
"It's up to you to die!"
Song Ran gritted her teeth, her hands and feet trembling slightly.
Outside the car window, it was as if a picture of the floating world unfolded along the way - teenagers of fifteen or sixteen years old were carrying the elderly on their backs and dragging children to evacuate and evacuate into air-raid shelters. Women were carrying simple handmade stretchers from home, ready to go to the front line to carry the wounded at any time. , men in their forties and fifties were running on the streets with guns looking for lone homeless people.
And men in their 18s, 19s, 20s, and 30s are all on the battlefield.
Approaching the battlefield, the ground under the wheels began to tremble, and gravel danced on the broken cement road. Song Ran put on earplugs to protect her ears. Jose stopped the car, and Song Ran quickly jumped out and ran with him to the rear of the government's fire line.
The rear seemed to be in chaos, with people coming and going, everyone looking serious and walking in a hurry, but everything was in order. The signal corps came and went to deliver news. The generals in the temporary headquarters were formulating strategies according to the war situation. Some soldiers gathered in rows and waited to go to the front line. Some had already loaded their guns and ran towards the front line, while the soldiers in the trenches in the distance were making their way to the front line. Meet the enemy. Snipers, artillery, armored troops, tank troops, and soldiers of all types were stationed in their respective positions, like tightened screws.
After Song Ran finished shooting a circle in the back, Jose gestured to her and asked, "Would you like to go take a look in the trench?"
She nodded vigorously.
The two men approached the front along the ditch and alley, firing bursts of gunfire, causing debris and mud to crackle and hit their helmets. Finally, he sneaked into a trench near the rear. A trench more than one meter deep and one meter wide was dug underground, and sandbags more than half a meter high were piled on the ground. Soldiers carrying guns and ammunition lurked and shuttled quickly inside.
Close to the front line, the sound of artillery fire was deafening, and it was difficult to shout to each other. Song Ran followed Jose's gesture and groped forward along the winding trench. In the trench, soldiers whose hands and feet were blown up and who were shot were carried away on stretchers by medical soldiers. More soldiers with minor injuries and bleeding were still fighting.
Song Ran saw a sniper with a bleeding forehead leaning against the wall and receiving a simple bandage. She glanced at him one more time, and the sniper saw her, smiled at her, and winked.
Song Ran also smiled and said, "You are so brave."
The sniper said: "You are braver, my dear girl."
Song Ran and Jose found a corner location and took diagonal shots, recording a microcosm of this long front across the city of Aare.
Rifles, grenades, machine guns...
Mortars, thunderbolts, howitzers, cannons, rocket launchers...
The flying gunfire ignited the night. The sky tore and the earth trembled.
It was useless to put earplugs in. Song Ran's brain was shaking, like shaking half a bucket of water. Splashes of gravel and dirt blurred her vision and knocked against her goggles. The helmets and body armor were already covered with soot and dust.
She lay down in the trench, holding the machine, focusing on adjusting the parameters and shooting the best angle.
But at this moment, a hand grenade in the picture ahead was thrown into the ditch, and landed right in the middle of a group of soldiers who were about to step forward. Before everyone could react, a soldier next to him hugged a sandbag and rushed towards the grenade. .
There was a muffled "bang", the sandbag on his abdomen exploded, and the soldier's body suddenly bounced and he lay motionless on the ground.
The medical soldier immediately went over and turned him over. Song Ran saw clearly from the camera that it was the sniper who had bandaged his forehead just now. He had no external injuries, but his face was pale, and he might have injured some internal organs. Song Ran ran over and asked, "Are you okay?"
He was being carried on a stretcher by medical soldiers. His expression was originally painful, but when he saw her, he tried his best to smile: "If I get better, can you go on a date with me?"
The nervous and worried comrades on the side all burst into laughter.
Song Ran didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said, "But I already have a boyfriend."
"Oh..." He raised his eyebrows and said sadly, "Honey, this news hurts me more than the bomb just now. It just killed me."
Song Ran felt sad about his injury, but couldn't help but laugh.
He waved to her and was carried away by the medics.
The battle continued until early morning, and the sound of bombing gradually became smaller. The soldiers began to cross the trench under the cover of their own tanks and bullets, pushing the line of fire forward.
Song Ran stopped following. She stayed behind to take photos and records, watching them advance inch by inch, occupying more ruins and buildings in the city, and opening up positions bit by bit.
It is said that soldiers are warriors of steel, but they are not steel. Bullets will penetrate their chests and fire will burn their faces.
A young body of flesh and blood marched forward bravely in the face of a hail of bullets. The so-called regaining the territory is just relying on them to move forward step by step, pushing forward with their bodies, measuring with their footsteps, and clinging to the land under their feet.
Amidst the gunfire, Song Ran heard the roars and shouts from the front; he heard a wounded soldier in the trench who was gasping for breath reciting a long Dongguo language; gradually, he heard the soldiers who had just been bandaged and were about to return to the battlefield. The soldiers also chanted that language.
They are determined and determined.
Song Ran had heard this sentence before, on the university campus, during the defense parade on the street,
Next to him, Jose also started to read, but he was translating to Song Ran in English:
"If we lose, the history of our country will be wiped out. My dear motherland, if she perishes, all the suffering that has happened on this land will be wiped out. All the pain and torture her people have endured will be wiped out. Forgotten, forgotten by the whole world.
You must not retreat. Even if I die, my soul will get up and fight. Even if we die, we must tell those who come after us that we have fought against the world. I fought against my enemies for her! "
Song Ran's eyes were hot, and the battlefield in front of him was a little blurry, as if he was soaked in water.
She said: "Jose, I hope you win. You must win."
However, this war was far from being won smoothly.
It's daybreak and it's dark again.
The sun rises again and sets again.
On the night of the third day, although the government forces tried their best to push the fire line forward seven or eight kilometers, the rebels still resisted stubbornly and tore through the remaining northern city of Ale.
Government troops also persisted.
The battle ahead was extremely fierce. They used their last strength to fight to the end. The soldiers were covered in blood and mud, their eyes were bloodshot, and they were holding on with the belief that they would die.
Song Ran managed to sleep for three or four hours during the day. When he came to the rear again, he found that because some of the injured were discharged, many young students and middle-aged people, and even women, had taken their place.
In a crowded alley, a soldier was explaining various knowledge and precautions to the temporarily formed "recruits". Song Ran saw a short-haired girl in her early twenties standing in the middle, listening and thinking seriously.
When the team disbanded, Song Ran caught her eye and asked, "Are you scared?"
The pretty girl shrugged: "Is there a scarier moment than this? But I choose to stride through it."
Song Ran laughed and pointed at the gun in her hand: "You know how to use it."
"You don't have to worry about this." The girl said with a hearty smile, "In today's Dongguo, even children can use guns. Everyone is an expert and knows how to use various guns. You can tell the type and distance just by listening to the sound."
Afraid that Song Ran wouldn't believe it, she turned around and looked around, just in time to see a clever child running past holding a gun picked up from the battlefield recovery area, and called out: "Hi, kid!"
The little boy stopped and looked at them with his big black eyes, not happy: "What are you doing? I have something else to do."
A cannonball was fired just in front, with a "boom".
The girl asked: "Tell this sister, what was that just now?"
The little boy sighed, rolled his eyes, and said, "The M777 howitzer is probably five or six kilometers away." After speaking, he raised his eyebrows and said, "Can I leave?"
"Go." Seeing him running away, the short-haired girl shouted, "Don't get hit by bullets!"
The little boy turned around and complained: "Worry about yourself!"
Song Ran: "..."
"Okay. I have to leave too." The short-haired girl left with a gun on her back.
Song Ran: "I wish you good luck."
"the same as you!"
Song Ran found Jose and asked him if he knew what was going on with the Cook soldiers.
Jose said that the terrorists were out in the northwest suburbs early the morning before yesterday, preparing to take advantage of the chaotic fighting between government troops and rebels to sneak into the rear and launch an attack, but they were intercepted by the Cook soldiers who were on guard. Have been fighting for two full days.
Song Ran wanted to go filming, but was afraid of involving Jose. When he was hesitating whether to act alone, Jose asked: "I want to go and have a look. Do you dare to go?"
Song Ran naturally agreed and asked, "You want to go too?"
Jose said: "Who wouldn't want to fight terrorists?"
The two drove toward the northwest suburbs along the fire line. The fighting lasted three nights and three days in the city, and the roaring sound of guns and artillery became an eternal background sound.
The cannonballs flying into the sky lit up the night sky like fireworks.
Arriving in the northwest suburbs, the battle between the government troops and the rebels continued behind them, but the battle between the Cook soldiers and the terrorists in front was obviously different.
Song Ran listened to the sounds and judged for a while, anti-aircraft guns, anti-tank rocket launchers, rifles, submachine guns, sniper guns... there were many more that he couldn't recognize. But the overall feeling is that the firing of shells and bullets is very rhythmic, not strafing.
Jose said: "The Cook soldiers are the most elite former special forces in each country and have very high military quality. They pay great attention to planning and coordination in fighting. Every battle, no matter how big or small, has the strongest military strategy. In addition, each of their soldiers Their own abilities are very strong, so they are very lethal.”
The two climbed up a tall building and looked at the battlefield a street away. After two days and nights of confrontation, the Cook armed forces have forced the extremist organization out of the city, and the battle line has advanced to the vicinity of the extremist organization's stronghold.
Due to the precise strikes of Cook's team, the terrorists suffered heavy casualties. When Song Ran zoomed in on the camera to observe, he only saw their figures fleeing in defeat. They retreated into their stronghold and fought a defensive battle.
Song Ran used a telescope to observe the terrain. The stronghold was the Aare Castle built in the Middle Ages. It was a stone-walled fortress with steep and towering walls, dozens of meters high, and multiple artillery emplacements.
The bunker is erected on a rolling hillside with a wide view. There is endless desert on three sides of the fortress, and on the side that borders the city, the bushes on the hillside have long been cleared away, and there is no place to hide. Anyone who comes close will become a target the moment they go up the hillside.
After the terrorists retreated, the battle was temporarily suspended.
The sound of gunfire from government forces could be heard faintly in the distance. Instead, it became quiet here.
Jose and Song Ran analyzed the situation and saw that the crisis was over. They went downstairs and went around to the temporary headquarters of the Cook soldiers behind the firing line. It was an open-air bungalow hidden among many ruins.
A long way away, two special forces were guarding the entrance of the alley, not allowing outsiders to approach.
Jose identified himself, but they didn't accept it.
Song Ran looked at him regretfully and was about to leave when she suddenly heard a very affectionate call: "song~~song~~"
It was actually Benjamin.
Song Ran was surprised: "You came to Dongguo too?"
"Did you miss me?" Benjamin opened his arms and grinned at her. The dirt on his face was mixed with some blood, and his expression was a little tired, but his eyes were full of surprise, "I didn't know you came to Dongguo again."
Song Ran said: "I am a war correspondent, how could I not come?"
Benjamin pointed inside and asked, "You want to go in?"
Song Ran glanced at the guarding special forces in embarrassment.
Benjamin waved his hand and said, "This is my friend." Then he added, "But you are not allowed to take pictures."
Song Ran then turned off the machine.
However, Jose still cannot enter. He understood very well and said with a smile: "Song, you go first, I'll wait for you outside."
Song Ran followed Benjamin into the headquarters and discovered that they had a dedicated transcriber, sitting in front of the computer and typing on the keyboard quickly.
The atmosphere in the headquarters was serious, and signal soldiers came in from time to time to deliver information. The captains and deputy captains of multiple combat teams stood around a large table to analyze the situation. On the table were microscopic terrain maps and battle situation maps.
The battle has reached now, and it has reached the most critical moment. In street fighting and street fighting, Cook's soldiers do not suffer. But now that terrorists are hiding in their shells, cracking the shell is a big problem.
Song Ran quietly moved a few steps and saw Li Zan at a glance.
He faced her sideways, his camouflage uniform was covered in mud and blood, his cheeks were also stained with dust, and there were a few minor scratches with blood seeping out. The man must be a little tired, but his profile still looks tough and determined.
He didn't notice Song Ran and looked at his comrades with sharp eyes: "This bunker was built in the Middle Ages and is made entirely of rocks. And it has been mechanically designed to have a smooth surface and no stress-bearing entry points." His slender fingers traced the plan of the bunker. Swipe up and tap the location of the fortress. "It can't be opened with the existing artillery shells. The only weak point is here."
He knocked on the front door of the fortress with his index finger.
The captain of another team said: "But the hillside is high and the door frame is small and strong. It is impossible to strike accurately. We have tried several times."
"If you want to be precise, you have to have precise methods." Li Zan retracted his hand and put it in his pocket, with his back straight, and said, "I'm going to drop the blasting bomb."
The scene fell silent for a moment. Song Ran was also surprised.
"I don't agree!" Benjamin objected immediately, "I don't agree. There is no way to cover that hillside. You will be hit before you get halfway."
The war commander also said: "Benjamin is right."
Li Zan turned slightly to the side, changed his center of gravity, smiled lightly, and said, "There is no bunker, but we can build it."
"How to make it?"
Li Zan's eyes changed slightly, and for a moment he was as fierce as a wolf: "Cannonballs can't hit their fortress, can they not hit the soil on the hillside?"
Everyone was stunned.
A captain suddenly exclaimed: "Use cannonballs to break out of the pit, and people hide in the pit as cover?"
"Yes." Li Zan said resolutely.
"But if they see the trap that was laid in advance and guess the strategic idea, you will definitely die."
"So we can't attack in advance." Li Zan said, "I will hide one, and the artillery will shoot the other."
Commander: "We have to rely on the continuous cooperation of our comrades, otherwise accidents may happen along the way."
"On the battlefield, if you cannot trust your comrades with your lives, such a team will be vulnerable." Li Zan said, "I will blow up the city gate and everyone will rush in together. If this den is not destroyed, there will be endless troubles."
The commander sighed: "I think it's still too dangerous. Lee, you are an excellent demolition soldier. We would rather give up this stronghold than lose you."
But at this time, Benjamin chuckled and said, "Let him go. You have never fought alongside him. You don't know that he is definitely capable."
Li Zan also frowned: "Now our focus is on how to accurately improve our coordination ability. There will be no mistakes."
The commander pondered for a moment and made up his mind: "Okay, let's lay out the strategy."
Soon, the gunners, assaulters, snipers, anti-aircraft fighters and other members all gathered in to discuss the combat plan closely, and then disbanded their respective preparations on the spot.
When the crowd dispersed, Song Ran immediately squatted down and hid behind the recorder's desk. At this critical moment, she didn't want to disturb or affect him in the slightest, let alone add any distracting thoughts to his heart.
A large group of figures quickly left the command room. She poked her head out a little and took a look, and saw that Li Zan was at the end of the team.
He walked out of the headquarters, but paused at the door.
Song Ran's heart moved.
In the night, his figure was tall and straight, and his shadow was cast on the opposite wall.
He stood still for two seconds, without looking back, and walked away.