PFC Chapter 0089: The War Zone is the Battlefield
Chapter 0089: The War Zone is the Battlefield
The soldiers began to swarm onto several military trucks.
Zheng Yingqi's side formed a large team - in addition to the four people in Group A, there were Wu Liuyi, Gan Xiaoning, Xu Sanduo, Cheng Cai and Ma Xiaoshuai, plus four other soldiers from the old Seventh Company, a total of 13 people, which almost occupied half of the military truck.
Looking at so many members, Zheng Yingqi became worried. So many people were challenging the Division Reconnaissance Battalion on the open grassland. Could they outrun the highly mobile Division Reconnaissance Battalion by relying solely on their two legs?
But the soldiers didn't realize their predicament; instead, they were filled with boundless fighting spirit, as if they could easily crush the division's reconnaissance battalion.
"Gan Xiaoning, what's the situation with Shi Ban now? Why isn't he here this time?" Wu Liuyi asked Gan Xiaoning, who was in the division's reconnaissance camp. Gan Xiaoning explained, "Shi Ban went to military academy. He went half a month ago."
"Hey, Old Shi is pretty good. Next time we meet, we'll have to call him 'Commander'..." Wu Liuyi was genuinely happy for Shi Jin. Xu Sanduo, standing to the side, also grinned foolishly, as if he himself had entered military academy. Everyone else was also happy for Shi Jin, and Zheng Yingqi felt an excitement of changing history.
Everyone continued talking, recounting their experiences over the past few days, putting everything else out of their minds. Seeing this, Zheng Yingqi interrupted their conversation and said in a low voice, "Alright, stop talking nonsense. That person said that entering the war zone is the same as entering the battlefield. Don't be careless—anything can happen on the battlefield."
Everyone felt a chill, and couldn't help but think of this troubling selection process—so many people, only four would be chosen, including one who was already predetermined. With so many people, who could make it to the end?
A silence fell over the room.
At that moment, an officer's voice came from ahead: "We are about to enter the combat zone. Anyone hit by the laser beacon is considered dead and must immediately withdraw from the battle!"
The atmosphere inside the car grew even more tense. Zheng Yingqi took a deep breath, knowing that the moment the car stopped would mark the beginning of the "war."
"We have entered the war zone. Prepare to disembark!" came the announcement-like voice.
The soldiers looked at each other, their eyes filled with tension. After all, they had never experienced such a demi-human atmosphere in any exercise.
Ma Xiaoshuai subconsciously moved closer to Zheng Yingqi. Here, Zheng Yingqi, his former squad leader, could offer him the most comfort. Zheng Yingqi patted Ma Xiaoshuai's helmet, and Ma Xiaoshuai smiled habitually, just like back in the 7th Company.
creak
A screeching sound came from the brakes, and the military truck came to a sudden stop.
The soldiers began to disembark. A few soldiers near the door did not realize what Yuan Lang meant by "Be vigilant, entering the war zone is entering the battlefield," and were still leisurely getting off the vehicle. Just as they got off, the piercing sound of Type 95 rifles rang out, and smoke billowed from the bodies of the first few soldiers to get off.
"Jump! Jump quickly!"
Zheng Yingqi shouted in a shrill voice. Only then did the soldiers show their elite skills. They quickly jumped out of the vehicle, found cover around them, and began to fight back in scattered bursts.
The sounds of Type 95 rifles and heavy weapons mingled together, and people were constantly being hit and their bodies were smoking.
Zheng Yingqi and Cheng Cai, armed with Type 85 sniper rifles, naturally took on the task of calling out enemy positions. After spotting a figure through his scope, Zheng Yingqi nervously called out the positions: "Three o'clock! Five o'clock! Eight o'clock! Damn, there's one at six o'clock too!"
"No time to react, unable to organize a counterattack!"
"With so many heavy weapons, even if we organize ourselves, we can't defeat them!"
"We need to get out of here; if we stay any longer, we'll get called out!"
The soldiers shouted in a noisy commotion. Zheng Yingqi yelled, "Wu Liuyi, Xu Sanduo, you take the men and retreat. I'll lead Team A to cover you!"
It's rare to hear such clichéd lines on the battlefield: "If we're going to leave, we'll all leave together; if you don't leave, I won't leave." Upon hearing that Zheng Yingqi had taken the initiative to cover the rear, Wu Liuyi and Xu Sanduo immediately began scouting the evacuation route.
Xu Sanduo pointed to a dry ditch in the distance: "Retreat that way."
"Retreat! Retreat now!"
The soldiers quickly retreated in the direction Xu Sanduo pointed out, but the marksmen who had been aiming at them were well-trained. As they retreated, they chased after them and took down several more soldiers. They even used heavy firepower to block the path of the last few soldiers, forcing them to the back of a small hill halfway through their retreat.
Zheng Yingqi led Team A to provide cover for a while, when the "enemy" finally appeared. Team A couldn't help but curse - it was a squad of infantry carried by light armored vehicles and high-mobility off-road vehicles, who were firing vehicle-mounted heavy weapons while moving.
"Damn, the reconnaissance battalion is really going all out!" Wang Hui cursed from the side. Bullying a bunch of poor foot soldiers, bringing out heavy equipment to show off, have they no shame?
"Retreat immediately!"
Shouts came from afar; it was Xu Sanduo and his men. They had also discovered the formidable strength of the division's reconnaissance battalion and were yelling for Zheng Yingqi to run.
But the division's reconnaissance battalion clearly didn't want this rearguard group to escape, so several high-mobility off-road vehicles cut off their retreat route, trying to encircle them.
"Run that way!"
Zheng Yingqi made a quick decision and chose another direction. If he went there now, he would run into the reconnaissance battalion and be surrounded.
The three members of Team A ran after Zheng Yingqi, using the terrain as cover to dodge the bullets that kept coming from behind. Seeing this, the soldiers who were stuck behind the hill also ran after Team A.
Several trucks that had brought people in then opened up on their own, revealing some soldiers who were using the trucks for cover. Without the trucks' cover, they fled for their lives on the open grassland, but their fate was to be shot one by one and hunted down.
Zheng Yingqi and his men faced the same predicament as the soldiers—the only way out was that dry riverbed, but now they no longer had the chance to enter.
After running for several minutes, nearly ten people were reduced to seven – one of the four members of Group A was also shot while desperately trying to escape.
After being shot, the guy jumped up and down in a rage, cursing, "Damn it! We're all brothers from the same division, why are you hitting me so ruthlessly? Did I eat your rice?"
When the soldiers from the reconnaissance battalion caught up with him, they ignored him, but he angrily pounced on him, startling the driver into slamming on the brakes.
"Is this how you fight? You start fighting before we even get out of the vehicle? Can't you wait until we're inside the encirclement before you start fighting?" the guy shouted angrily at the soldiers of the division's reconnaissance battalion.
"This isn't a combat exercise! This tests a soldier's overall ability. If you can't hold on, it means you're not capable!" The soldiers from the reconnaissance battalion didn't want to pay attention to him, but this guy's reckless act of forcing the car to stop angered them, so they naturally looked down on him.
"Damn it, I'll take on all three of you by myself!" The guy got even angrier and was about to make a move.
"What are you all doing? What are you doing?" Gao Cheng angrily arrived in a car. "Would it kill you to talk to people nicely?" He glared at the soldier who was courting death. "Trying on a speeding car, are you trying to kill yourself?"
The soldiers of the division's reconnaissance battalion retreated, silently glaring at the guy who was courting death. The guy also calmed down and said sheepishly, "Sir, I was just too excited."
"Alright, get in the car, I'll take you back." Gao Cheng glared at the reckless soldier with annoyance.
The soldier smiled obsequiously, glancing furtively in the direction Team A had disappeared as he boarded the vehicle, thinking to himself, "Boss, this is all I can do for you guys. The rest is up to you!"