Chapter 251: No Cover Left Under 145 Caliber

Chapter 251: No Cover Under a 14.5 Caliber

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the combat zone.

Li Shi bore two grievously wounded soldiers of the Huaxia army upon his back, slowly yet resolutely pushing forward through the dense jungle ahead with his 301 heavy machine gun.

Of the two, one had his legs severed at the knees; even with a tourniquet bound, the wound kept oozing blood.

The other's abdomen had been pierced; the unbandaged wound exposed a strip of bluish‑gray intestine that was slowly freezing in the biting cold wind.

Ahead of him, Xie Liu darted from position to position, trying to flush out every lurking monster on the flanks and force them into the open.

Without drones to spot the beasts, such tactics were effective—but also perilously risky.

More than once, the monsters' claws brushed mere centimeters from her.

If not for the Saint‑Blooded one's astonishing constitution and keen reflexes, she would have lost count of how many times she had been slain.

Yet she did not waver a step.

For now she was the sole eyes of this four‑person squad.

She knew better than anyone that once visual and informational advantage slipped away, her comrades would be torn apart in an instant by the onrushing horde.

“Bang bang bang bang—”

Rhythmic gunfire crackled through the forest; after swapping the last drum of the 201 universal machine gun, Xie Liu shouted:

“Li Shi! Move faster!”

“We must link up with the main force as soon as possible! The monsters are gathering around us!”

“I understand!”

Li Shi answered loudly:

“But there are even more monsters ahead! We can’t get through!”

“We can get through!”

Xie Liu calmly fired a burst that pierced a monster charging from less than ten meters away, then, panting, said:

“We can only go forward! There are even more monsters behind us!”

“This is the last layer; once we break through, we’ll have fire support from the main position!”

“Clear this barrier and we’ll be safe!”

“Alright!”

Perhaps born a shade slower than the others, even as the situation teetered on the brink of disaster, Li Shi’s voice still carried an unflinching steadiness.

His heavy machine gun had heated the barrel to a glowing red; noticing a wisp of blue‑gray smoke where sawdust had settled on the muzzle, he flung the gun to his side and lifted the other 201 universal machine gun hanging at his flank.

The scorching barrel inevitably scalded the wounded man behind him; hearing the man’s scream, Li Shi shouted an apology even as he slammed the trigger, angling a hail of bullets toward the monster that had already thrust its claws forward.

“Bang bang bang bang—”

“Puff puff puff puff—”

The bullets tore straight through the creature’s body; without pause Li Shi stepped forward, his heavy tread crushing the monster’s head, already grazed by the earlier fire.

He drew a shallow breath, intending to press on, when suddenly Xie Liu’s voice rang in his ear.

“Watch out!”

Li Shi instinctively turned his head, and at his side two monsters that had lain hidden for an unknown length of time suddenly sprang from a shallow hollow less than five meters away!

Leaves, soil, and grass clattered into the air; Li Shi tried to swivel his gun, but his speed could not match the beasts’ sudden lunge.

He raised his arm as high as he could, using his armor‑clad forearm to catch the monster’s claw with a hard, desperate grip.

The high‑density ballistic plates once mounted on his exoskeleton stopped what should have been a fatal blow, yet under the monstrous force even he staggered uncontrollably.

At that moment Xie Liu was tangled in the creature’s grasp; she could not expose her back nor shift her aim to shield Li Shi!

It was a binary choice.

Five monsters had meticulously laid a trap, even willing to sacrifice three of their own as bait, using their lives to hold Xie Liu in place for a perfect killing opportunity!

Adrenaline set her hair on fire; her speed had reached its limit.

She even sensed that, in this instant, even the Saint‑Blooded one standing before her could not evade her cold, merciless shot.

——

Yet that realization could not alter the fate already sealed.

The instant Li Shi fell, the two monsters lurking farther away surged forward as one.

Even if Li Shi could slay the first two attackers in close combat, he could not possibly emerge unscathed from the relentless, successive onslaught.

The OODA loop had been shattered. In that moment Xie Liu finally understood why the commander always stressed “continuity” in combat.

The reason was simple: once continuity breaks, it usually means the unit’s fight has reached its end.

Despair flickered in Xie Liu’s eyes.

For a fleeting instant she regretted why she had insisted on covering the wounded.

Had she abandoned them, her and Li Shi’s firepower and mobility could have easily broken out with the main force.

——

But that thought lasted only a heartbeat.

She knew it was never a noble choice.

It was an order that had to be carried out.

She and Li Shi had been sent solely to shield the Huaxia troops; the mission itself was sound, only her execution had fallen short.

Time seemed to stretch; Xie Liu fired her final bullet at the monster before her, then without hesitation swung her gun toward Li Shi’s direction.

She spared the last beast that had charged at her.

If Li Shi could hold his ground, so could she!

“Bang bang bang—”

The bullet burst from the barrel.

In the next instant the monster’s claw slashed across her back.

Even as she thrust herself forward, a broad swath of skin and muscle on her back was torn.

Blood sprayed, and Xie Liu collapsed onto the ground.

Her barrel still pointed upward, and as she kept pulling the trigger, a deafening volley erupted behind Li Shi.

“Bang bang bang bang!”

The wounded man, jolted awake by the violent shudder, raised his ever‑present 191 rifle to Li Shi’s ear and unleashed a rapid stream of fire at the creature before him.

The monster’s massive body crashed to the ground; that sudden surge of fire instantly turned the tide of battle.

Xie Liu rolled, swung her gun back, and felled the beast that had tried to pursue.

Meanwhile, Li Shi lifted the 301 heavy machine gun once more; its blood‑cooled barrel spat another torrent of world‑rending bullets.

“Bang bang bang bang—”

When the heavy gunfire roared, the monsters recoiled in response.

Li Shi rose with difficulty, the wounded on his back having emptied the magazine, his hoarse voice uttering an incomprehensible phrase before he once again slipped into unconsciousness.

Xie Liu staggered toward Li Shi, and the two, backs pressed together, formed an effective defense once more.

Yet they both knew that the final wall of monsters before them was impassable.

Their ammunition was about to run out.

Both were wounded, and their speed could no longer be summoned.

“Li Shi, you go first; I’ll cover you.”

Xie Liu issued the order without question, then sliced through the dragging strap that bound Li Shi from behind.

Li Shi felt an instant lightness in his body; instinctively he wanted to argue, but almost at the very moment he opened his mouth, a crystal‑clear voice crackled through their headsets.

“Drop down!”

He did not hesitate for a heartbeat; he fell flat where he stood.

The next instant.

14.5‑mm caliber rounds swept across the space above their heads.

Shrapnel rained down, yet they still could not see the monsters hidden among the trees.

For the anti‑aircraft machine‑gun fire, every obstacle was transparent.

No cover remained amid the dense forest.

When the roar of the tank cannon thundered, Li Shi realized that this battle had finally entered its true denouement.

At the same time, dozens of kilometres away,

a colossal nuclear blast announced the beginning of another conflict.

(End of Chapter)