Chapter 135: The Battle Begins

Chapter 135: The Battle Begins

Early the next morning, Chen Jian led his team back to the temporary encampment near the bridge.

At this point, Lei Jie and Xie Liu had already been out for two hours, establishing a forward base on the opposite bank of the river and completing the cleanup of scattered enemies there.

They remained concealed, maintaining maximum stealth.

In fact, while the most crucial aspect of combat reconnaissance is 'exposure,' how and when to expose oneself also follows certain principles.

A successful combat reconnaissance must mobilize enemy forces to the greatest extent possible, ascertain all enemy deployments with minimal troops, leveraging maximum strategic gain, gather sufficient intelligence to enable the main force to launch a full-scale assault later.

That is precisely why, when undertaking combat reconnaissance missions, reconnaissance squads often carry a substantial amount of heavy weaponry.

Not to inflict casualties, but to make the feint appear more genuine.

What Chen Jian is doing now is no different.

He inventoried all weapons, carrying every piece of equipment he could manage on his person.

Apart from reserving the necessary amount for subsequent combat, he could be said to have emptied his coffers.

The exoskeleton's weapon rack is fully loaded: DZJ19 rocket launchers, PBW024 recoilless rifles, sleeve-arrow individual missiles, 201st squad machine...

His personal load has reached an astonishing 120 kilograms; without the exoskeleton's support, such weight would make rapid maneuvering impossible, and even walking would be arduous.

The others are similarly burdened; even the Saint-Blood warriors without exoskeletons carry as much equipment and ammunition as they can.

Ji Xing is not skilled with firearms, and merely having her serve as a 'human pack mule' would be wasteful.

Thus, Chen Jian assigned her a rather arduous task.

Forward decoy to lure the enemy.

Moreover, this forward advance is not simply about surpassing our own fire line; it requires plunging from the front of engagement deep into the enemy rear, continually harassing them with explosives including hand grenades.

She is a catfish—a catfish meant to stir up the entire city of Anqing.

If this catfish can exert its intended effect, then even if Chen Jian's battle does not go smoothly, the outcome of the combat reconnaissance should still be secured.

While leading the team forward in the cat cart toward the forward base, Chen Jian said to Ji Xing:

'Remember, your mission is purely harassment, with no additional tactical requirements.'

'Advance covertly, find a suitable position, toss a grenade, then withdraw swiftly—that is all you need to do.'

'Do not worry about casualties, nor about ammunition consumption.'

'If you run out of grenades before completing harassment at all designated points, withdraw immediately without hesitation—understood?'

'.Understood.'

Ji Xing nodded slowly, but then immediately asked:

'Are you really going to do this? Is such. reconnaissance actually meaningful?'

'Don't you already know the number of demons there? You even know how many fourth‑level monsters there are.'

'Is this information not enough? Why take the risk?'

'Not enough.'

Chen Jian shook his head and replied:

'If we were making a withdrawal decision, this information would suffice.'

'But we are making an offensive decision, we must gather as much information as possible.'

'This is not something you need to worry about—although strictly speaking, you are not my subordinate.'

'However, if you wish to cooperate, I still hope you will follow my orders.'

'If you have reservations, step out now; Zeng Yi will take your place.'

'But once the mission begins, if you withdraw midway, we will regard it as betrayal, and you will become our enemy directly—understood?'

'.Understood.'

Ji Xing answered solemnly; her expression was not exactly resolute, yet she did not seem to be giving up.

At this moment, the two cat carts had arrived at the forward base; after meeting with Lei Jie and Xie Liu, Chen Jian made the final battle deployment.

'After departure, we will proceed in a single file along G206 Highway westward for 500 meters, then continue west on Zhongzhong West Road, turn right at the intersection of Linghu South Road, and head north to the vicinity of Linghu Park.'

'This route starts wide then narrows; upon entering Linghu South Road, the buildings on either side rise, and the terrain complexity increases rapidly.'

'Drones have already conducted one reconnaissance sweep, detecting no abnormal heat sources or signs of enemy activity.'

'Nevertheless, to ensure absolute safety, we still need two personnel to guard each side of the buildings—Lei Jie and Shen Yue will take charge.'

'Xie Liu will cover the rear; the rest of us will focus solely on the forward direction.'

'Our objective is to advance as quickly as possible to the riverside memorial hall of Lianhu Park and establish a fire point on the right‑hand square.'

'From this position, looking northwest across Linghu Lake, we will obtain an unobstructed field of fire leading straight to the Anqing Central Plaza.'

'Upon arrival, Li Shi, Lei Jie, and Zeng Yi will swiftly deploy the 301 heavy machine gun and two automatic grenade launchers.'

'He Shuo will seek high ground to set up a sniper position and eliminate scattered enemies.'

'Shen Yue will block the western passage; enemy numbers on the east should be low, so Xie Liu will handle that side, simultaneously pushing eastward to clear our withdrawal route.'

'I will take charge of all high‑value targets—that is, the demon leaders.'

'Unless absolutely necessary, no one may unilaterally change targets or alter tasks.'

'All battlefield command authority is transferred to He Shuo, who will also be responsible for allocating firepower resources.'

'Understood?'

'Understood!'

Everyone responded in turn; Ji Xing listened blankly to Chen Jian's deployment, momentarily failing to react.

'Understood?'

'What do you understand?'

'It seems every member of this squad has many things to do, while she has only a single simple order.'

'To penetrate as deeply as possible into the enemy rear, to harass as much as possible.'

'So is this a lack of trust in her, or a full trust?'

Ji Xing could not grasp it at once, but deep inside she felt, for the first time, a rare desire to belong.

'This kind of fighting is what real combat ought to be, isn't it?'

'Back in the Saint‑Blood Hall, her coordination with others would seem like child's play compared to this.'

Ji Xing glanced at the solemn faces of Zeng Yi and the others; she did not yet know that this very thought had already occurred in their minds, and it was precisely this notion that allowed the three Saint‑Blood warriors to integrate swiftly into Chen Jian's squad.

'No one knows how this process unfolded; it simply felt as natural as breathing.'

At this moment, Chen Jian and the others were already moving forward in their cat carts; the slightly lagging Xie Liu suddenly darted ahead, told everyone 'Take care,' then swiftly left the road and slipped into the forest, penetrating deep into Anqing.

Chen Jian glanced in the direction where she had disappeared, then immediately turned his gaze rearward.

The convoy pressed westward at a speed of thirty kilometers per hour.

Half a minute later, the convoy arrived at the turning point, the drone hovered at the turning point providing cover, and as the convoy turned it continued forward along the preset route.

Only the final kilometer remained to the target assembly point, and Chen Jian's heartbeat began to quicken.

Adrenaline surged wildly, preparing for the imminent battle.

The weapon mounts on the exoskeleton remained undeployed, to avoid infringing on others' firing lanes.

But Chen Jian had already switched the power mode to combat, ready to dismount and fire at any moment.

The engine's hum sounded harsh in the quiet ruins, yet the dense vegetation absorbed much of the sound, so their advance went unnoticed at first.

He Shuo continuously reported the drone's reconnaissance assessment, and just as the convoy reached the midpoint of the road, he suddenly issued a warning:

“Three hundred meters ahead, an anomaly detected in the jungle on the right side of the road.”

“The bushes are moving; thermal imaging shows no target—likely hostile forces.”

“Understood.”

Chen Jian reacted swiftly, then gave the order:

“Turn the unit to the right, enter the side road and shut down for concealment.” “Raise the drone’s altitude to avoid exposure.”

“Received!”

At the command, everyone sprang into action.

Twenty seconds later, the two cat-cars shut down, and the drone rose to 500 meters altitude.

And just as the few waited silently for possible enemies, a fuzzy heat signature appeared on the drone’s feed.

“51012.”

“Twelve hostiles, no leader.”

“Six hundred meters from the target position, no other hostile traces detected nearby.”

He Shuo calmly reported the assessment; Chen Jian pondered a moment, then decisively ordered:

“Strike now!”

“We need to create a window for Ji Xing; any delay could jeopardize the follow‑up plan.”

“Six hundred meters—we can cover it in two minutes.”

“Lei Jie, Li Shi, and Zeng Yi will take the lead vehicle and blast through; we’ll provide rear cover!”

“Understood!”

The order given, the two cat-cars ignited simultaneously.

Immediately, Chen Jian leapt from the vehicle and deployed his weapon mounts.

At the same moment, hostile figures finally appeared on the opposite road.

Twelve blood‑sogged demons each carried what looked like freshly hunted “parts,” marching down the main road in a brazen display.

Without hesitation, Chen Jian squeezed the trigger.

At the same instant, Shen Yue, Xie Liu, and He Shuo opened fire together.

“Bang bang!”

“Bang bang bang—”

A volley of gunfire rang out; the twelve demons collapsed, four of them instantly.

The remaining demons stared in bewilderment at their comrades riddled with bullets, momentarily unable to tell whether the blood spurting from their wounds was their own or that of their prey.

At this point, the distance between the two sides was only 150 meters.

With the aid of high‑precision optics, Chen Jian swiftly shifted aim and continued firing at the demons still standing.

The squad’s efficiency was high; in the brief moment the enemy hesitated, two more demons fell.

But by then, five seconds had passed since they launched their assault.

The demons ahead finally reacted.

“Howl—”

A heart‑rending scream tore through the air; even the birds in the forest, undisturbed by gunfire, took flight.

Chen Jian surged forward, while the demon squad charged head‑on.

On the lead vehicle, Zeng Yi and Li Shi assumed fire‑support roles; when the demon squad closed to under fifty meters, their two machine guns opened fire in unison, cutting the foes down before they could react, reducing them to shreds.

The terrifying power of the heavy‑caliber machine gun was beyond anything a demon who had never truly grasped “heavy weapons” could imagine.

The twelve demons were wiped out in an instant, but after that unmistakable warning howl, the surrounding thickets instantly became restless.

“Abnormal heat source! Abnormal heat source!”

The drone, now lowered again, kept issuing alerts; Chen Jian gave the order once more:

“Ignore the lead vehicle! Rush to the designated point and establish a position!”

“Xie Liu drives! Shen Yue and I will advance on foot, ready to meet the enemy!”

“Understood!”

As the command was given, new demons began to appear in the thickets on both sides of the road.

This environment was highly unfavorable for Chen Jian’s squad—if even a single demon managed to attack before being spotted, it would pose a grave threat to the entire team.

Fortunately, the demons roaming the outskirts of the Anqing ruins were clearly not “core members” of this massive demon horde.

They carried no proper weapons—let alone automatic arms, even heavy weapons were scarcely seen.

Most demons wielded misshapen spears forged from scrap steel, or knives they had scavenged from who‑knows‑where.

Their ranged weapons were at best single‑shot rifles, at worst outright spears thrown by hand.

As for bows—complex, skill‑intensive weapons—there was no sign they had ever been developed.

They stood no chance of reaching Chen Jian and his comrades.

The moment they closed in, they would be felled by precisely aimed bullets.

In just two minutes, Chen Jian’s rear‑vehicle element, firing while moving, not only pinned down dozens of demons but also advanced to the vicinity of the objective.

Meanwhile, Lei Jie’s squad had already reached the pre‑designated location and begun entrenching.

Li Shi found a suitable spot, set up the tripod for the 301 heavy machine gun, and trained it on the demon camp across the lake plaza.

Lei Jie and Zeng Yi each set up their automatic grenade launchers, ready to fire.

“Lei Jie, fire two grenades toward our rear to cut off any pursuers!”

Having taken over battlefield command, He Shuo issued the order.

“Understood!”

Lei Jie swiftly swung the muzzle; two grenades went off with a “bang,” landing precisely fifty meters behind Chen Jian’s squad.

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

A massive explosion rang out, and the pursuing demons were instantly startled, scattering and fleeing into the jungle.

Although their bloodlust soon drove them to resume the chase, by then Chen Jian and his comrades had already driven the vehicle to the rally point, swiftly deploying to meet the enemy.

"Execute as originally planned!"

Chen Jian ordered.

"Understood!"

He Shu quickly found a high point, climbing up the outer wall to the platform, and then he issued the following order:

"Enemy forces are gathering inside the target camp; firing conditions are favorable."

"Li Shi, aim at the target, disperse fire forward!"

"Lei Jie Zengyi, rapid-fire coverage!"

"All other personnel, execute the predetermined tactics!"

"Understood!"

The response rang out, immediately followed by the heavy barrage of gunfire.

"Boom-boom-boom-boom—"

The heavy machine gun spat tongues of flame, and the automatic grenade launcher began to unleash its fury.

Explosions continued to sound; this reconnaissance‑purpose battle, at the instant of opening fire, surged to an unprecedented intensity!

(End of chapter)