Chapter 52
Jose was waiting for Song Ran outside. When he saw her coming over, his face turned pale and he asked, "What's wrong with you? You don't seem to be feeling well?"
Song Ran shook his head: "It's okay." After saying that, he quickly got into the alley, looking up and around while running.
Jose followed: "Song, what are you looking for?"
Song Ran climbed up the stairs of a residential house and stretched her neck on tiptoes: "I want to find a good perspective so that I can see the entire hillside."
It was already past one o'clock in the morning, but the moonlight was very good. In the dim alley, the empty windows looked like ghostly eyes. The two of them walked around and finally found a rooftop, diagonally in front of the fortress. They would not face the gunfire directly, but they had a clear perspective.
Song Ran was still restrained and calm, setting up the frame and adjusting the instruments, everything was in order. But after getting the equipment, she started to move it here and there, changing the viewing angles several times, but she was dissatisfied everywhere.
Jose said: "Song, the roof of the building is only as big as a palm, and it's almost the same from any angle."
Song Ran remained silent and finally settled in the outermost corner. He was restless and simply lay down and crawled on the edge of the building. She felt that her chest and abdomen were touching the ground, heaving violently, and her legs and feet were shaking.
There was silence on the hillside, as if both warring parties had ceased. But she knew this was a precursor to an explosion. She pulled the camera and could clearly see the machine guns and muzzles hidden in the turret of the fortress opposite.
The moon is bright and bright, illuminating the hillside. Tonight is extremely unsuitable for lurking.
Song Ran looked up and could still see the artillery fire on the front several kilometers away. On such a quiet and beautiful night, no one in this city could sleep peacefully. She looked up at the bright and eternal moon in the sky, and felt sad, why do humans do this?
His eyes were still moist, when suddenly there was a sound of cannon! A cannonball landed at the foot of the hillside, causing a huge crater in the ground. Song Ran didn't blink for a moment when he saw a familiar figure carrying an explosive device, taking advantage of the flying sand and smoke to quickly and neatly roll into the pit.
The fortress on the opposite side immediately fired back in sudden bursts. They were all emergency measures. They did not understand the situation and did not see the figures clearly.
After fighting for a while, the sound of gunfire gradually faded away. When the other party was confused and making judgments, another shell exploded diagonally above the pit. Li Zan jumped out of the pit and rolled into a new pit in an instant.
Only then did the terrorists on the fortress realize that there was someone and wanted to aim and fire at the pit. But as soon as a head appeared, the long-range snipers on the Cook soldiers had been waiting for a long time. Bullets flew away, and the terrorists in the fort instantly fell to the head with a headshot. Several snipers aimed at the mouth of the fort they were watching, and fired when anyone appeared to cover Li Zan.
The third cannonball exploded the crater, and Li Zan quickly jumped out and rolled into the new crater. His body was pressed against the earth wall, breathing heavily, and the black mask undulated violently on his face, outlining the sharp arc of the tip of his nose and chin; his forehead was already dripping with sweat, as if it came from a battle in the water. He had earplugs in his ears, but the shock wave from the bomb explosion at close range was so strong that it shook his head and seemed to make his internal organs tremble.
He tried his best to keep his head clear, panting rapidly and taking deep breaths. After only a few seconds of rest, he raised the blade on the back of his glove and reflected the light towards his companions.
Three, two, one!
The next shell hit a few meters away. Li Zan clenched his jaw, stepped forward, stepped on the earth wall with his front feet, grabbed the ground with one hand, jumped out of the pit, rushed to the new pit and jumped in.
The terrorists aimed their guns useless and fired shells. The Cook soldiers immediately responded with smoke and shells, accompanied by shelling the ramparts.
The walls shook and smoke filled the air.
Suddenly, artillery shells from both sides took off, and the hillside was filled with smoke.
Under the cover of smoke and gun pits, Li Zan approached the bunker gate step by step.
Song Ran grasped the edge of the building with his palms, his nails turning blood red. She could feel the earth shaking from the shells from dozens of meters away. She was dizzy and nauseated. She couldn't imagine that Li Zan had just rushed through the line of fire.
Suddenly, the words he said while sitting on the motorcycle rang in my ears: "If you don't see me after the war, don't think about it. I should have gone somewhere else."
She suddenly had difficulty breathing. She opened her mouth and inhaled vigorously. Her heart in her chest was numb with pain and she lost consciousness.
The night in the desert climate is too cold. She was shaking uncontrollably.
And Jose rested his forehead on his clasped hands, closed his eyes and quickly recited scriptures and prayed to heaven.
Finally, Li Zan jumped out of the last pit, got into the castle porch, and completely entered a blind spot for shooting.
His head was covered with sweat and dust, and his mind and chest were shaking like rolling waves; but above the black mask, those eyes were still sharp and bright, even showing a trace of ruthlessness and determination. He frowned and took deep breaths. Without any delay, he quickly observed the structure of the iron door in front of him.
He touched the ground and found that the door was sunken, with no gaps and no way to break through. Looking between the two doors, there is a reinforced sandwich covering the door gap. Although it can break through, it is not enough.
There were bursts of artillery fire on the hillside. He took off one of his earplugs and put his ear against the iron door, knocking and listening. He knocked dozens of times on every corner. He quickly drew a structural design diagram behind the door in his mind—— Where are the support points, where are the crossbeams and vertical beams, where are the reinforcement points - a three-dimensional image emerges in front of you. He quickly identified five or six weakest points on the iron gate.
He put the earplugs back in and quickly and skillfully placed the blasting bomb on the door panel.
As soon as the last one was fixed, a warning came from the earphones: "The enemy fort is descending rapidly! The interception failed!"
Li Zan instantly drew his gun and turned around, but two terrorists descending from upstairs had already aimed their guns at him.
The entrance to the fortress was filled with smoke, and the sniper lost his vision.
The commandos who were lurking along Li Zan's path had just set off.
As the smoke filled the air, Li Zan slowly raised his hands, his right thumb inserted into the trigger mouth, his fingers loosened, and the gun hung upside down on his thumb.
The terrorist had a square face and a beard, both holding guns pointed at him at right angles.
On the right, the square-faced man with blazing eyes yelled in broken English: "Where is the detonator?!"
Li Zan knelt down on one knee and slowly reached for the side pocket of his trousers. From the corner of his eye, he saw the bearded finger on the left resting on the trigger. He just waited for the detonator to be seen and fired.
He gently opened the zipper on his pocket and paused.
The square-faced man took a step forward and put the muzzle of the gun against his forehead: "Don't be ridiculous..."
Before he finished speaking, Li Zan grabbed his hand. He folded the gun with force, and the bearded man immediately fired! But Li Zan had already predicted it and reacted very quickly. He stood up and pulled the square face in front of him to block it. The bearded bullet penetrated the back of the square face. Li Zan quickly grabbed the gun in his outstretched hand, twisted the muzzle upward, and hit the wall with a "bang". He kicked Xiuxi's chest and kicked him several meters away.
The bearded gun flew far away and could not be picked up.
Li Zan turned the gun in his hand, returned it to its normal position and held it in his hand. He pursed his thin lips and aimed at the beard and forehead.
The bearded man raised his hands and knelt down to pray: "Please!"
Li Zan pursed his lips into a line, moved his index finger, but without pressing it down, said coldly: "This is the detonator."
The bearded man didn't understand. He knelt on the porch in a daze, not knowing where the detonator was.
However, Li Zan quickly rushed out of the porch and ran towards the pit. When he jumped down, he turned around and fired several shots at the door. In an instant, the powerful explosive on the door exploded, and he fell into the pit.
A commando was already lurking in the pit, caught him, and said, "Are you okay?"
Li Zan closed his eyes and said, "I need to sleep."
Teammate George laughed loudly: "Dream, the fierce battle has just begun."
The heavy iron gate had been blown to pieces. The commandos, holding submachine guns, rushed into the bunker over the corpses with square faces and beards.
Li Zan took the rifle handed to him by his companion, gritted his teeth, jumped up the wall, put his hands on the ground and jumped out of the pit.
Song Ran was lying upstairs, her heart beating like a pounding. She quickly found Li Zan again in the dissipating smoke. The door was blown open, and his companions all rushed into the bunker. The hillside was littered with craters. And he quickly ran into the bunker.
She didn't seem to be hurt, but her heart dropped slightly, and she couldn't help but worry about the situation inside.
Fortunately, more and more Cook soldiers are pouring in, and the number of troops on the bunker fort is getting smaller and smaller, which shows that the war situation is developing in a good direction.
In the dark night, the huge bunker became a colosseum. The sound of gunfire, thunder, artillery, and bombardment echoed on the stone walls like the deepest roar in this land, and also like the most painful cry.
Song Ran couldn't see what was happening inside. She put her fists to her mouth, biting them tightly, praying, and waiting. She looked at the door without blinking.
Jose suddenly said: "I can't express my gratitude."
After a few seconds, Song Ran pulled away from his own world: "What?"
"Whether they are volunteers or mercenaries, I cannot express my gratitude enough. Thank you for everything they do to counter terrorist attacks."
Song Ran didn't say anything. She didn't have the mind to think about anything right now. When she saw medical soldiers carrying the wounded out, she immediately zoomed in and glanced at one, two, and luckily it wasn't Ah Zan.
Jose sighed: "By the way, their fighting is like an art. Strategy, tactics, execution and coordination, everything is perfect. They are indeed the best special forces."
Song Ran was silent for a moment and said, "The first one is the best." After a while, he added, "You may not know that he is Chinese."
Jose said: "I saw an Asian face. But it's so far away, how can you be sure he is your compatriot?"
Song Ran wanted to say that even if Li Zan was standing on the top of the distant fort with his comrades, she could tell him apart at a glance.
But she didn't explain, she continued to grit her teeth and wait.
The moon has set.
At dawn, the noise in the bunker finally subsided.
Soon, the medical soldiers came out with stretchers to carry the wounded. Then, the Cook soldiers came out in twos and threes, and Benjamin led a string of prisoners with a rope.
Song Ran searched her eyes, her eyes hurt. After searching for an unknown amount of time, she finally saw Li Zan walking down the hillside. He lowered his head slightly and took off the black straps on his wrists as he walked.
She immediately put away the machine and ran away.
Song Ranfei ran down the stairs, walked through the deserted deep alley, and ran all the way to the headquarters. He encountered a chaos in the rear. The special forces soldiers were covered with dust and soot, and they were sorting and inventorying their equipment.
Nearly a hundred captured extremists were tied into a line between two trees. More people stubbornly resisted and all died in battle.
"They're a bunch of crazy people," Benjamin said.
The eyes of those people were cold and cold-blooded, devoid of any human emotion, which made Song Ran feel disgusted.
She asked Benjamin: "Where is Li Zan?"
"Going to the back." Benjamin pointed in the direction, "Going to rest."
Song Ran ran to the rear to search, but after searching around, he couldn't find the tent, not even a piece of felt.
She was extremely puzzled and searched all the way around to the back of the headquarters, only to see a foot exposed in the ruins. The camouflage pants were tied tightly into dusty boots.
Song Ran's heart skipped a beat, and he walked over with gentle steps. He saw the man lying on an open space among the ruins with one leg straightened and the other bent. He put one hand on the ground and put the other on his chest. His hands were stained with dust and blood, but their joints were still clear and slender.
Taking another step forward slowly, I finally saw his face.
Li Zan was lying flat on the ground, his head tilted slightly to one side, his eyes closed, his eyelashes drooped, and his sleeping face was quiet and peaceful.
At dawn, the sky was slightly bright, and his handsome face was stained with mud. He had no time to wipe it off, so he fell asleep on the ground.
She quietly went to squat down next to him, tilting her head and staring. Even on the battlefield, even in military uniform, the way he looked when sleeping was exceptionally soft, losing the fierceness he had during battle. He looked a little soft, with a trace of fatigue that was not easily shown to others.
Looking at it, she felt an inexplicable sore throat.
She took a deep breath silently, suppressing the emotions surging inside her.
Even though she knew he was fine, she still couldn't help but put her index finger under his nose to feel his breath. It wasn't until the even, warm and moist breath touched her fingertips that she finally felt at ease.
Just when she was about to withdraw her hand, he suddenly turned his face and touched her finger with his nose. Very light, just rub it twice.
Song Ran was stunned for a moment, and his heart suddenly softened into warm water. She suddenly wanted to touch his face, but she couldn't because she didn't want to wake him up.
She hugged her knees and sat there, wanting to keep watch over him, but Jose's call came.
Afraid of waking him up, she quickly stood up and saw more special forces sleeping on the ground behind her.
Covered in dust and tiredness, but with a peaceful look on his face.
Song Ran took a few photos and left quietly.
José was going to the castle and asked her if she would go. Song Ran didn't dare, but after thinking about it, he nodded.
The sky is getting slightly brighter.
The hillside was blown to pieces. Song Ran walked up with difficulty and followed Jose into the bunker. As soon as I walked through the doorway, I was greeted by a sinister atmosphere.
The temperature in Aare has not been high recently, but it is not too cold. It's just that the castle is too thick and closed, and the light is dim, which only adds to the feeling of coolness.
She paid special attention to the blown-up iron gate—Li Zan's "masterpiece."
She didn't know what method he used to blow such a thick door into pieces.
Stepping into the door, there is blood and corpses.
Song Ran was terrified.
Walking into the fortress, on the towering stone walls, craters, knife marks, cracks... everything that happened here is recorded. There was blood on the steps and windows. Several Cook soldiers were cleaning up the bodies of prisoners in the fort. The smell of blood lingered in the air and lingered.
Song Ran felt nauseated, her whole body felt like needles pricking her body, and she quickly ran away after a while.
She ran to the hillside to catch her breath, but she still breathed gunpowder smoke into her lungs.
The sun has not yet risen and the sky is slightly hazy.
She stood for a while and suddenly found that the world was very quiet, and there were no cannons even on the distant firing line.
She looked to the east, and there was a faint glow on the horizon. It was still some time before sunrise, but the smoke had already dissipated from the dilapidated and devastated city.
Quiet and quiet, as if waiting for the sunrise.
"José!"
"Jose!" Song Ran shouted, "The fight is over! The fight is over!"
Jose heard the sound and ran out of the castle and looked to the east.
In the distance, the outline of the city is clearly revealed.
"Oh my God!" Jose covered his head and rushed forward to hug Song Ran and spin him around in surprise. Song Ran chuckled. The two looked at each other, laughed and rushed down the hillside full of gun pits.
Jose stumbled and rolled a few times on the hillside. He laughed and got up and continued running. They wanted to rush to record the moment when the government troops won the victory.
Song Ran ran past the headquarters and looked back. Li Zan was still sleeping peacefully. With just a glance, she crossed the alley.
Drive to the Eastern battlefield. The Battle of Aare is over.
The government troops were exhausted and the rear was in a mess.
The medical soldiers carried the seriously wounded and ran past quickly; the lightly wounded had no time to place them, so they found a corner to rest and rest; more people dragged their tired bodies back to the rear, fell to the ground and fell asleep as soon as they entered their own territory.
Wherever Song Ran looked, there were large tracts of open space, densely packed with soldiers like millet drying in a rural threshing floor.
Their bodies and faces were covered with mud and blood, and some soldiers were still injured. They ignored them and wanted to sleep first.
Walking to the front, the city was reduced to rubble in three days and three nights of war. There were bullet casings, gunpowder powder, mud, stone chips everywhere... and there were blood stains every few steps.
The rebels had been driven out of the city of Aara, and the remaining troops fled to the northern city.
There are still many soldiers cleaning the battlefield and eliminating hidden dangers. Some of them were collecting the bodies of their comrades and dragging them back one by one.
There was a soldier sitting in the ruins, holding his dead comrade and crying loudly.
Song Ran originally thought that there would be cheers and celebrations immediately after the war was won, but in front of him there was only fatigue, exhaustion, and deep helplessness, just like clusters of beating flames on the ground, and wisps of rising smoke floating in the air. , and in a moment there was no trace.
She looked around blankly, then suddenly turned around and ran away without stopping.
At this moment, she just wanted to return to him.