The third officer chimed in, "Yes, if it weren't for the hermit, how would he have broken through the sealed door and entered the secret room? I don't think the Chinese have that ability. Besides, they were attracted by the trap in the sand valley and are still being chased and beaten by our people in the desert. So they shouldn't have the energy to cause trouble in U City."
Everyone was saying this, and even Bazafi began to waver, "Are they really Japanese?"
The officers all said, "It must be Japanese."
Bazafi said, "Then what do you suggest we do? We can't let last night's losses go unrecovered."
One officer said, "Make the Japanese government deposit five billion US dollars into the account we designate, or we will massacre their people."
Bazafi said, "But will they give it to us? Won't they use this as an excuse to send troops?"
The officer said, "They should give it to them. Their masters, the Americans, won't allow them to send troops into our country."
Bazafi asked, "And what about the Chinese?"
An officer shouted angrily, "Kill! Kill! We must kill! The whole world knows that the current president is backed by the Chinese government. If we show mercy, we will be irresponsible to the future and destiny of the country!"
Bazafi said, "But I always feel that China wouldn't remain silent like this. The torture video released last time only caused a huge uproar in their country, but it didn't trigger any actual action from them. Could there be something wrong here?"
An officer said dismissively, “The Chinese are always too worried, afraid of both the wolf in front and the tiger behind. The Indonesian massacre of Chinese more than a decade ago is enough to prove that they dare not do anything to us. If they want to fight on our land, they are cutting off their own path to survival! China does not have the capability for long-range warfare. Even if we can send the army, the navy and air force cannot coordinate at long range.”
Bazafi considered it for a while but still had no clue. He could only temporarily trust his subordinates' reasoning and paid no attention to the threatening messages. In Bazafi's view, neither the Japanese nor the Chinese would act rashly. What he really needed to guard against was the person from last night! That person had threatened his life.
Bazafi picked up a badly deformed bullet and showed it to the officers. "This is the weapon the assassin used last night. It pierced through several meters of concrete and killed several of my most loyal and capable bodyguards. Can anyone tell me what kind of weapon can fire this kind of bullet?"
One officer said, "The bullets themselves are nothing special. The key is the weapon that fired them. I think it's probably a Russian-made individual weapon. Apart from the United States, their weapons are considered quite advanced."
Bazafi said, "Alright, let's just say it's a new weapon from Russia. So, can anyone tell me what the assassin from last night looked like, what country he was from, how we can find him, and what achievements you've made today?"
The officers below remained silent. In fact, no one had ever seen the man's face. Soldiers often died before they even saw him, and those who did see him were also dead, reduced to ashes, making it difficult to distinguish them. Moreover, the daytime search yielded no results. Although a few Chinese were caught, they could not possibly be the person who launched the attack last night.
Seeing that no one spoke, Bazafi continued to ask, "Besides weapons with strong penetrating power, he also has a weapon that can create a huge explosion in an instant, blowing a human body to pieces. Does anyone know what this weapon is, or if we can get our hands on it?"
No one spoke up below. They didn't even know what the person looked like, so how could they know what his weapon was, let alone obtain it? That would be an impossible task.
Bazafi ended the topic in frustration, as he hadn't gotten any useful information. Now, the only thing left to discuss was the attack on K City, which was the most important thing of all. "How's the recruit training going?"
The officer in charge of the matter hurriedly stood up: "General, we were busy with the city search today, so we didn't have time to train. The tanks and artillery are still not operational. If things go smoothly, give me a week and I can teach the soldiers to control the tanks and trains."
Bazafi was even more furious. "What? A week? I already said we'd attack K City in three days, and you're asking me for a week?"
The officer said helplessly, "General, three days is enough to get the soldiers moving tanks and artillery, but to get those steel behemoths to work, that's simply not enough time."
Bazafi said, "I don't care whether you find foreign tank drivers or artillerymen, or you drive them yourself, I demand that the attack on K City proceed as scheduled, and that the security of U City be maintained. Don't use any more new recruits; let them focus on training."
The officer could only salute and accept the order: "Yes, sir."
The meeting adjourned, and everyone left the villa in low spirits. Although on the surface the situation of the anti-government armed forces seemed to be getting better day by day, only the higher-ups knew the true situation. Due to food shortages and instability, the anti-government armed forces might suddenly collapse at any time.
The officer in charge of recruit formation and training was a fifty-year-old Black man. When he got home, he lay on his bed without even taking off his clothes, sighing and complaining. After a while, he got up again and summoned the guards at the door, asking them to find his deputy.
The deputy entered the old black man's bedroom, where the old man ordered him to immediately search the entire city for retired soldiers who could drive tanks and artillery. If they couldn't be found in U City, he was to go to neighboring cities. He was to find enough drivers within three days, even if it meant paying $10,000 a day. This was the guarantee for attacking K City.
The old black officer was relieved to see his deputy leave. The fatigue of the past few days finally made him fall into a deep sleep. Suddenly, there was a loud bang. A hole was drilled in the wall, and a bullet pierced the old black man's head with a bang. It then pierced through his skull, passed through the bed board, and shot through the ground, disappearing without a trace.
The old black officer didn't even let out a painful cry in his sleep. Tomorrow he wouldn't have to worry about the recruit training, and it wouldn't matter whether his adjutant could find the driver or not, since Bazafi couldn't possibly chase him to hell to punish him anyway.
On the rooftop at the highest point, Zhao Qiang mounted the electromagnetic gun on the chimney. Bang! He fired another shot, and through his X-ray glasses, another officer who had fallen asleep in bed was blown in the head. Because the electromagnetic gun didn't make a sound when fired with a primer, no one had noticed his presence yet.
Behind the chimney, Chen Xinyu had completely lost her image as a reporter. Her face was flushed with lust, and her eyes were alluring. She lay on the ground, lost in thought. Was she perhaps considering how to continue to please Master Zhao? It took her a while to remember that she should take a picture of Zhao Qiang's imposing sniper image. She weakly raised her digital watch.
"...Ten..." Zhao Qiang quickly loaded bullets into the electromagnetic gun magazine while keeping count. Killing one or two more would be fine, but if the number was insufficient, wouldn't Li Zhongyuan laugh at him? So he had to race against time, because once the alarm sounded, the officers would be awakened, and then sniping would be more difficult.
Bang! Another bullet was fired. "...Fifteen..." Zhao Qiang muttered as he loaded another bullet. Suddenly, a clear alarm shot rang out. Finally, someone discovered the officer who had been shot dead. After Zhao Qiang shot two more people, the piercing alarm sounded again throughout U City. Chen Xinyu had already gotten up and took the initiative to hug Zhao Qiang's waist from behind.
Zhao Qiang had wiped out almost all the officers within his reach. Now that he was about to leave, the sleeping people had all woken up, so his chances were slim. He needed to find a new target. Hunting down ordinary soldiers was pointless.
The effect of this assassination was obvious. Without the command of these officers, the soldiers, although they heard the alarm, did not act effectively. They just swarmed in front of the villa to provide so-called protection. What's the point of protecting people when they're dead?
Zhao Qiang said to Chen Xinyu behind him, "Hold on tight, we need to get out of here."
Chen Xinyu clung to Zhao Qiang's back like an octopus, using both her arms and legs. Zhao Qiang leaped off the building with a whoosh. In the darkness, only a few searchlights were on, so his jump in the air was quite safe.
An officer was shouting at his disorderly soldiers in the street when suddenly a bullet was shot down from the sky. The bullet struck the officer's head through the top of his head, shattering his head, neck, and half of his chest!
An officer rushed to Bazafi's villa. He had to report to Bazafi in person about such a serious incident. A large number of high-ranking generals had been killed, which would have an irreversible impact on the attack on K City in a few days!
Bang! A bullet pierced through a wall and struck the officer in the temple. He took a couple of steps, fell to the ground, and lay motionless, leaving only a trail of blood on the ground. The soldiers at the villa's entrance screamed in terror, and bullets began to fly wildly across the wall. However, these bullets had no effect on the concrete wall, only chipping away a few layers of the surface.
Upon learning that bullets capable of penetrating several layers of concrete walls had reappeared, Bazafi immediately infiltrated the underground river, using its complex channels to evade the assassins. Meanwhile, soldiers outside launched another city-wide manhunt, determined that the rebels would have no peace until this man was eliminated, as he would severely disrupt their power grab plans.
Soldiers in officer uniforms were constantly being hunted down. At first, no one noticed the direction of the bullets, but after more than a dozen soldiers had been killed, they finally realized that the bullets came from the air! So a large number of lights were shone into the sky, while Zhao Qiang had already completed his mission and was hiding in a dark corner with Chen Xinyu on his back.
"How much do you know about the terrain of U City?" Zhao Qiang asked Chen Xinyu.
Chen Xinyu said, "I can almost recite it backwards."
Zhao Qiang asked, "Then do you know where the recruit camp is?"
Chen Xinyu said, "I know, I went there before when I was begging for food."
Zhao Qiang said, "Okay, lead the way."
Volume Two [Chapter 370] Destruction
This is a very open green space on the outskirts of the city. With the desert approaching, this green space will soon disappear. Human destruction of nature has reached an unparalleled level. Now, more than 2,000 troops are stationed on the green space, and a large number of military vehicles and tanks are piled up here, destroying the green space in a terrible state.
Chen Xinyu said from Zhao Qiang's back, "It's just ahead. You should have already seen the military camp. It's very large. When we were still able to conduct interviews, this was just the living quarters for ordinary soldiers, and there weren't that many vehicles."
Zhao Qiang said, "I see, but we're short-handed and can't get things done. We should find some helpers."
Chen Xinyu handed the wireless communicator that Li Zhongyuan had given to Zhao Qiang and asked, "Are you looking for Li Zhongyuan and the others?"
Zhao Qiang said, "No, I have companions. I think they should be arriving soon. I'll contact them."
Zhao Qiang had Yang Shiqi and the others' radio contact information, so they were naturally within range. The two quickly got in touch. Yang Shiqi was clearly anxious: "Zhao Qiang, we heard gunshots in the city. Where are you now?"
Zhao Qiang said, "I'm in the city. Where are you? Where are you? I need your help."
Yang Shiqi said, "We encountered two ambushes on the way, but don't worry, we've already eliminated them. We were just an hour late. We've now met up with Li Zhongyuan and were just about to contact you."
Zhao Qiang said, "I'll have someone give you navigation in a bit. You take your men and come over immediately. As for Li Zhongyuan, tell him that killing Bazafi is impossible for the time being, but if he wants, he can freely enter the city and charge into battle. Whether he dares or not is up to him."
Yang Shiqi said, "Okay, I'll tell him, you start navigating, we can talk about it when we meet."
Zhao Qiang handed the radio communicator to Chen Xinyu: "Direct them to come here."
Since Chen Xinyu was familiar with the terrain, guiding Yang Shiqi here was naturally no problem. Zhao Qiang, on the other hand, secretly slipped into the military camp to check on the tanks. If they could be started, that would be ideal. There were about twenty tanks here, as well as self-propelled artillery, which were powerful weapons. If they could be put to use, Bazafi would be in trouble tonight.
What excited Zhao Qiang was that the tanks were fully fueled and all were brand new, making malfunctions extremely unlikely. The self-propelled artillery was also ready to go, possibly having undergone combat training during the day. Bazafi was indeed impatient; he was eager to use these weapons to attack K City. If he were to launch a large-scale attack, the government forces would likely find it difficult to withstand the onslaught of these weapons.
Zhao Qiang thoroughly investigated the situation in the recruit camp. Most of the recruits remained in the camp without rest, each holding a gun and nervously awaiting orders. The chaotic gunfire outside filled them with fear, and going to the battlefield was a new experience for them.
Zhao Qiang made his way back to his hiding place. By then, Yang Shiqi had arrived, guided by Chen Xinyu. She was glaring at Chen Xinyu, panting heavily. Chen Xinyu was puzzled as to why this almost-womanly man was staring at her like that. However, considering that Yang Shiqi was Zhao Qiang's team member, she still greeted her with a smile.
Zhao Qiang saw Li Zhongyuan and the others standing behind Yang Shiqi. It seemed that they couldn't hold back after hearing the gunfire in the city. However, they were afraid of making mistakes if they went into the city to fight alone, so they came with Yang Shiqi. It was better than staying outside and not being able to do anything. Otherwise, he would be held accountable if his superiors investigated him later. Coming in might allow him to get a small share of the spoils.
"Who is this?" Yang Shiqi asked, pointing at Chen Xinyu angrily. She had only been gone for a few days and had already brought another woman into the picture. Didn't she think there were enough women in Donghai City?
Zhao Qiang said, "Reporter, don't ask so many questions. There are quite a few people here, which is perfect. Battalion Commander Li, you and I will go and take down the sentries. We'll seize their tanks and self-propelled artillery. How well are your men familiar with these two weapons? Can they operate them?"
Li Zhongyuan patted his chest and said, "You underestimate us. As long as you have the weapon, we can use it."
Zhao Qiang said, "That's good. The rest of you stay here and wait for our news. At least five tanks and five self-propelled artillery pieces are needed. The rest of you will drive armored personnel carriers. We're going to rescue the hostages."
Li Zhongyuan asked, "Are you sure you can rescue them and get them out of here safely?"
Zhao Qiang shook his head: "I'm not sure, but Bazafi will be enraged and kill people tomorrow morning, so the hostages must leave tonight. You take your men and cause a ruckus in the city with tanks and self-propelled artillery to attract Bazafi's main forces, while I take my men to rescue the hostages. What do you think?"
Li Zhongyuan shook his head: "That's not appropriate. I'll save the people while you draw Bazafi's forces away. Since you have special abilities, you must be good at fighting. Let us handle the rescue."
Chen Xinyu cursed, "Have you no shame! You've been picking and choosing all the security tasks, and you call yourself an operations commander?"
Yang Shiqi snorted coldly: "Battalion Commander Li, can you afford to lose face like this? What special forces elite? I think you're just a piece of trash."
Li Zhongyuan showed no shame and said, "Since you acknowledge that I am the commander of the operation, then you must obey my orders. If Zhao Qiang wants to forcefully suppress me, then fine, go ahead and report to the state. I will not carry out this mission. Do whatever you want."
Yang Shiqi was furious, but Zhao Qiang decisively waved his hand: "Stop arguing. We'll draw Bazafi's forces away. You rescue people, but don't rescue the Australians. Take all the Japanese and Chinese with you. Once we're in a safe place, we'll separate them so that Bazafi can't figure out whether we're Chinese or Japanese."
Li Zhongyuan said, "Okay, no problem. Let's deal with the sentries first. Bazafi is so energy-efficient that he doesn't even use searchlights in the military camp. He deserves to be unlucky tonight."
Li Zhongyuan was indeed a skilled man. He and Zhao Qiang worked in tandem, slitting the throats of the sentries patrolling between the tanks and self-propelled artillery one by one. Then Zhao Qiang gave Yang Shiqi a signal, and she immediately led her men to sneak into the tank parking area. Five minutes later, all the controlled vehicles started up almost simultaneously, the sound of the diesel engines making the entire military camp tremble.
The officer from the recruit camp rushed out of the barracks. He hadn't received any orders to start the tanks. Although he had received orders for all-day training yesterday, the recruits were exhausted from searching for attackers during the day, so tonight's training was canceled. But why were the tanks and artillery vehicles started now? Was there some other operation because of the gunfire in the city? He should have been notified before starting the tanks; starting them in the dark was just creating misunderstandings.
The officer waved his hands frantically: "Stop! Stop!" A tank roared toward the camp exit. Seeing the tank speeding toward him, the officer jumped to the side of the road in fright! Whoosh, the tank passed by him, followed by a self-propelled artillery piece. The tank in front smashed the camp gate with a loud bang, and the vehicles that followed rushed out.
The officer was stunned. Something was wrong; someone had stolen the tank! He immediately tried to report to his superior, but no one answered after several attempts. He didn't know that his immediate superior had been shot and would never answer his calls again. It was precisely because Zhao Qiang had eliminated almost all the high-ranking officers in advance that the enemy's reaction was so slow and ineffective. Bazafi was originally a genius commander, but now that genius was soaking in the underground river, how could he lead? He could only let the chaos outside continue.
Boom! The tanks that had already left the military camp suddenly turned around, and all five tanks fired their shells simultaneously. Explosions continued throughout the military camp, followed by flames. The officers were incredibly lucky and were not hit by the shells. They only saw that the area in front of them had suddenly turned into a sea of fire. More than half of the new recruits who had just been sitting in the barracks waiting for orders were killed. Now they didn't need to attack K City.
Two tanks led the way, crushing any obstacles they encountered! Behind them were self-propelled artillery, and then armored personnel carriers. The tanks occasionally fired their artillery at the buildings on both sides of the road, and the rebels hiding inside were routed. They had no heavy weapons and could only let the tank convoy advance smoothly. However, a large number of soldiers were moving closer to the tank convoy. The remaining officers would not allow the tanks to get close to the villa area, because that was the core of the entire U City. They had to keep these tanks and artillery at bay.
Under the cover of night, before the army besieging the tanks could form an encirclement, the armored personnel carrier convoy broke away from the main force. Guided by Chen Xinyu, Li Zhongyuan led his men towards the oil refinery where the hostages were being held. Some of the guards at the refinery were also transferred to reinforce the city, along with two officers. The remaining forces were no match for Li Zhongyuan's men. After all, they were well-trained special operations personnel; if they couldn't even handle these petty thieves, they would be too incompetent.
Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiqi drove the tank recklessly, encountering a lot of resistance along the way, but they couldn't stop the tank from advancing. They arrived at the city center, and the library was just ahead. Zhao Qiang loudly ordered the artillery to aim at the villa area behind the library over the radio, and after firing all the shells, they abandoned the vehicle and got into the tank.
Five streams of fire continued to fire, and explosions echoed throughout the villa area. All the enemy soldiers were stunned. Even a person couldn't withstand such a powerful barrage of ammunition. How could their own weapons be firing at their own men? Infighting among themselves was the easiest way to lose manpower. They didn't even have time to take out their anti-tank rocket launchers. Their existing weapons were ineffective against the heavily armored self-propelled artillery and tanks. They could only watch helplessly as the villa buildings were bombarded row by row, and the soldiers inside fell one after another into pools of blood. They had been densely guarding the villas, but now they had become the easiest targets to be bombarded.
After the self-propelled artillery bombarded the area, news came from Li Zhongyuan that the oil refinery had been captured and the hostages were being loaded onto the vehicles. Zhao Qiang covered his team as they abandoned the self-propelled artillery and entered the tanks. Then, the tanks were pushed to maximum power and roared as they charged up the library steps, with the tanks following closely behind.
Boom! The library doors were smashed open, and the tank knocked down rows of bookshelves inside. Soldiers hiding in the library kept firing, but the bullets bounced off the tank's armor and did not cause any damage. A soldier brought out an anti-tank rocket launcher, and suddenly someone, unafraid of the flying bullets, peeked out from the tank and fired. The soldier hiding behind the crowd was blown in the head.
By the time the other soldiers picked up their anti-tank rocket launchers, the tank had already smashed open the back door and was rushing into the villa area that had been blown to rubble. The soldiers were about to give chase when suddenly someone on the tank turned around and fired. A huge pressure squeezed in, and with a bang, half of the library collapsed, crushing the soldiers inside.
A large number of wounded enemy soldiers screamed in agony amidst the collapsed villas. Then tanks appeared, relentlessly crushing anything in their path. Any remaining buildings were blasted away. Five tanks advanced side-by-side, sweeping through the area where military personnel were concentrated. Bazafi suffered heavy losses! Attacking K City? Dream on! Unless troops were redeployed from elsewhere, and a large-scale mobilization requires power and food—both things Bazafi lacked.
Volume 2 [371] Rescuing the Hostages
U City descended into unprecedented madness and chaos. Normally, given Bazafi's military leadership abilities, such a situation should never have occurred. However, a large number of mid- to high-ranking officers had just been assassinated, leaving the troops without a core leadership. No one was issuing orders or giving commands in a timely manner. Furthermore, Bazafi himself was hiding deep within the underground river, unable to provide timely guidance and adjustments to the external situation. This was the biggest reason for the chaos.
The second reason is that the instability in the city was the root cause of the increased chaos. Even some veterans were only conscripted a month or two ago and lacked experience. They were helpless when faced with heavy weapons and were simply unable to cope.
Inside the tank, Yang Shiqi was in a state of extreme excitement and madness, constantly directing the tank to roll back and forth, firing at anything that was a little further away. After the villa area was cleared out, she opened fire on the surrounding buildings, leaving only broken bricks and tiles nearby. Wounded soldiers fled in panic under the bombardment.
"I didn't expect Bazafida to be defeated so easily!" Yang Shiqi exclaimed.
Zhao Qiang slapped her on the butt: "Stop dreaming, wake up from your excitement. U City is just a stronghold for Bazafi's attack on K City. If you think Bazafi will admit defeat because of this, you're being too naive. This time, we took advantage of the rebels' disarray and the tanks. Otherwise, with this small force, it would be impossible for us to cause any trouble in U City."
Yang Shiqi chuckled: "I don't care about any of that. Anyway, we've won now. Bazafi doesn't dare to come out. We've blasted his lair to smithereens. He can hide underground and eat shit. When he digs out and sees this horrific scene, he'll definitely vomit blood."