Chapter 143: Never-ending?

Chapter 143 – Never‑ending?

Harassment, forward thrust, laying aerial bombs, constructing fortifications.

Under He Shuo’s cover, Chen Jian and his companions’ plan proceeded with remarkable smoothness.

Even before the clock struck twelve, they had finished every preparation, and at the same time, rear‑area drone reconnaissance reported that the city‑defense troops of Anqing had fully assembled.

They bided their time, perhaps waiting for a better moment, perhaps merely watching.

But Chen Jian knew the time had come to give them the final push.

Without a stray thought, he instantly issued the order to launch the attack.

This time, their aim was to use the night’s veil to lure a swarm of terror demons into a trap, then, after withdrawing, detonate the aerial bombs and carve a massive “signal flare” into the oppressive darkness.

Li Shi, who could no longer hold back, slammed the trigger; as tracer rounds slit the gloom, the horn of the Huaxia army’s assault sounded.

Gunfire and explosions cracked in succession, rousing the slumbering terror demons.

In panic they scoured the surroundings for the source of the shots, and soon realized the barrage still echoed the enemies of the previous encounter!

Hatred ignited, bloodlust boiled within them.

Led by their chieftains, countless terror demons surged toward the direction of the gunfire.

Chen Jian’s squad methodically cut down the approaching demons, yet spared not a single bullet or shell on foes beyond visual range.

For this operation’s purpose was never to “inflict casualties.”

Undoubtedly, this tactical choice rested on the loss of any suppressive hold over the demons; within minutes, the drone’s eye saw hordes converging on the battlefield.

The largest contingent lay no more than five hundred meters away, a single charge could bring them straight to Chen Jian and his men.

The good news, however, was that this time the demon leaders were unusually cautious.

They no longer led the charge themselves, but let their subordinates fill the front line with their flesh first.

It was clear their tactics were indeed evolving.

Such evolution could not have occurred without Hua Du’s hidden command.

As the massive demon force drew ever nearer, Chen Jian’s brows first knit, then gradually relaxed.

He swapped the magazine of his Type‑191 and called over the radio:

“He Shuo, Xie Liu, how much longer?”

A moment later He Shuo’s voice crackled back.

“We’ll reach the designated extraction point within three minutes; the retreat corridor will open in four.”

“Understood!”

Chen Jian drew a deep breath and turned to Zeng Yi, ordering:

“The demons are advancing too fast; fire a round of automatic mortars to slow their momentum!”

“Understood!”

Zeng Yi replied at once; the automatic mortar spat flame, hurling a dozen shells with pinpoint precision into the heart of the demon mass.

“Boom!”

“Boom‑boom‑boom‑boom!”

The explosions roared, yet this time they did not reap the exaggerated results of the previous strike.

Though the demons massed in a single zone and advanced in unison, they kept a relatively sparse spacing among themselves.

The bombardment indeed slowed them, but inflicted little lethal damage.

Their tactical evolution was swift, even their command efficiency seemed to be advancing!

These monsters could not be left unchecked; set aside Hua Du’s fanatical experiments, if they fought a few more battles they might truly outgrow the limits of a “rabble.”

Now the demon column had pressed within three hundred meters, and the long‑lurking leaders finally revealed their forms.

They had even learned to mask their heat signatures with branches and sludge!

A warning bell rang in Chen Jian’s mind; if at this critical juncture the leaders struck before the lesser demons, the bait would fail to serve its purpose, making matters terribly difficult.

After a brief contemplation, Chen Jian made a rapid decision.

“Concentrate fire to eliminate a leader instantly! Let them know they’re outmatched!” “Understood!”

All hands swung their barrels toward the target; when the creature, its body entirely cloaked in mud, surged within two hundred meters, Li Shi’s Type‑301 heavy machine gun had already locked onto it.

In the next heartbeat, two sleeve‑arrow missiles launched, followed by a perfectly calibrated, recoil‑free cannon shot from Lei Jie.

“Boom!”

The breaching charge detonated inside the monster’s flesh, turning its painstaking disguise into a farce.

A shockwave sprayed its gore into the air, soaring dozens of meters before raining down like a crimson storm.

The horrific tableau frightened the other leaders who had contemplated a similar assault; as they hesitated and withdrew, the ordinary demons continued their relentless charge toward Chen Jian’s position.

Only a hundred meters away, Chen Jian finally received He Shuo’s report.

“The retreat corridor is open; we can pull back!”

“Understood!”

Chen Jian acted without hesitation, ordering Lei Jie:

“Activate the automated weapon station, lay delayed‑detonation trick mines, and let’s move!”

“Understood!”

Lei Jie swiftly powered up the weapon station; with insufficient electricity it could not perform as a full‑fledged station, for he had only restored its automatic trigger mechanism.

It could fire at a set cadence, but could not acquire targets.

Nevertheless, that was enough.

“Bang‑bang‑bang‑bang——”

Irregular bullets spewed from the stacked fortifications toward the front, while a multitude of grenades were positioned nearby.

All preparations complete, without a pause, the six‑man squad turned and withdrew.

Zeng Yi and Ji Xing moved fast enough to forgo the cat‑car.

The others squeezed into the same dimly lit cat‑car, sprinting toward He Shuo’s extraction point.

Behind them, a swarm of demons was drawn to the still‑firing fortifications.

As they drew near, the grenades’ explosions convinced them that the enemy that had caused them such trouble had not yet fled.

But such deception could not hold them for long.

One minute, perhaps thirty seconds?

Yet that was sufficient.

Thirty seconds later, the six‑man team reached the extraction point three hundred meters from the fortifications.

Zeng Yi and Ji Xing leapt onto He Shuo’s cat‑car; Chen Jian turned his gaze to Lei Jie and gave a slight nod.

The next instant.

Boom!

Boom—boom—boom!

Boom!

A cataclysmic, ferocious, unparalleled roar of explosion erupted.

First detonated three 50‑kilogram aerial bombs, followed immediately by the 250‑3 warhead.

The meticulously arranged blast engulfed an entire swath of ground within a radius of nearly one‑hundred‑fifty meters, while the sweeping shockwave surged outward to almost three hundred meters.

The overwhelming over‑pressure shredded the terror‑spirits within the blast zone into dust, and even the distant commander was toppled by the raging gale.

Yet the carnage was not yet over.

The final Cluster‑4 bomb detonated, hurling a storm of tiny explosives aloft, which fell erratically in all directions.

When they struck again, they wrought a fresh wave of devastation.

The massive flare and billowing smoke rose within the ruins of Anqing.

Even the city‑defense troops far beyond Anqing’s walls witnessed the explosion with their own eyes.

(End of Chapter)