Chapter 286: Number One

Chapter 286 Part One

On the other side, on the battlefield of the first defensive line, the forward‑deployed 30A tank had already fallen into a trap.

“Hold fast!”

Huang Meng slammed the tank’s throttle, while the gunner beside him gripped the control lever, trying to swivel the turret; yet the monster’s tentacle that coiled tightly around the tank snagged the turret at just the right angle, locking it in place.

The tracks spun wildly, but the tank’s tilted posture stripped the massive steel beast of its grip on the ground; no matter how Huang Meng maneuvered, escape remained impossible.

“If we keep this up, they’ll crush us!”

Huang Meng shouted, then issued the order:

“Fire a shot! Use the impact to press us back onto the ground!”

“Understood!”

The gunner, hearing the command, slammed the firing button; after a deafening blast, the tank snapped upright.

“Boom!”

“Bang!”

The tracks slammed down heavily, the nearly 70‑ton weight bearing down on the tentacle before it could retract, crushing it in an instant.

Immediately, the whirling tracks flung flesh and earth to both sides, and the tank, regaining traction, surged forward like a raging beast.

“Damn!”

Huang Meng could not hold back a curse.

“Fuck, we can’t keep driving like this!”

“These monsters can’t move us, but if we get jammed, fleeing will be impossible.”

“Turn around in 200 meters, adjust the turret, aim and fire!”

“Got it!”

The gunner shouted his reply, and at that moment the autoloader had already rammed a fresh shell into the breech.

With the aid of the smart fire‑control system, the gunner quickly locked onto the creature that resembled a giant octopus, each tentacle tipped with hard bone.

Then, as the monster followed the tank’s movement, attempting once more to surge forward and pin the vehicle,

another thunderous blast rang out.

“Boom!”

The 125‑mm main gun unleashed its tremendous power; the single round lifted the loose earth on either side of the tank.

The smoke and dust unfurled like wings, exploding in a spectacular display.

Bathed in distant lights, the war machine descended like a mechanical angel.

“Hit!”

The gunner shouted his report, and not far away the creature’s body had been pierced entirely by the projectile.

The massive explosion ripped it to shreds; the monster fell before it could even utter a wail.

A huge gash gaped across its chest, and the now‑unsupported bones and flesh dissolved and tumbled to the ground.

“Continue the flanking! Two more remain!”

Huang Meng finally allowed himself a brief sigh of relief.

Just moments ago, when his misstep had left the tank jammed, he had thought the end was near.

If locked in place, the other monster watching from afar would surely spew poison at the tank, and once that toxin seeped inside, whether it would corrode the machinery or not, at least the two of them—him and the gunner—could not escape.

Fortunately, his reaction was swift.

That mis‑fired shell saved his life and returned the advantage to his side.

Now his gaze was fixed on the lurking monster in the distance.

The foe was not gigantic—roughly ten meters in length at most.

Yet, for its bulk, its agility was astonishing.

Even dragging a heavy poisonous sac on its belly, it could still sprint at nearly thirty kilometres per hour, constantly shifting laterally to use cover against the tank’s fire.

It was clever.

In a daze, Huang Meng realized he was not merely attacking a monster, but a living enemy far larger than himself.

The battle had ceased to be a simple aim‑fire‑retreat; it had become a true game of strategy.

Exhaling a breath of foul air, Huang Meng turned the steering wheel, swinging to the flank for a pincer move, while the toxin‑laden beast, having broken through, lifted its head and expelled a thick, viscous slime.

It fell like a torrential downpour upon him.

Without hesitation, Huang Meng floored the accelerator, narrowly evading the falling goo.

At the same time, the gunner finally found a firing angle and prepared to open fire.

“Commander! Increase the distance!”

“Understood!”

Huang Meng kept the tank angled away from the creature, roaring forward at sixty kilometres per hour.

Then,

“Boom!”

A muffled blast sent the monster’s body exploding into fragments.

A horrific rain of blood rained down as Huang Meng darted to the pre‑selected safe spot.

The downhill slope blocked most of the poisonous liquid; only a few droplets splashed onto the tank.

Luckily, he evaded them.

Huang Meng pressed the throttle again, and this time only the final monster remained before him.

The barrel was already trained on its direction, and the coaxial machine gun opened fire first.

12.7‑mm rounds streamed out, pinning the fleeing creature to the ground.

“Fire!”

Huang Meng gave the order again; as soon as the shell left the muzzle, he did not linger, but spun the tank around and raced toward the northwest.

The fate of this monster needed no further explanation; at less than three hundred metres, even a foolish gunner could not miss.

It was already dead‑dead‑dead, yet on the north‑west front line the main forces of the monsters still tangled with his comrades.

The tactical map painted a grim picture; the nearest monster had surged to within two hundred metres of the fortress.

Should they breach the fortress line, the rear buffer zone would be nearly impossible to hold.

Fortunately, from his current position to the fortress the enemy was advancing toward, the ground was flat and open.

“Fire while on the move!”

“Continuous barrage!”

“Understood!”

Even as the ground shuddered wildly, the tank’s barrel remained steady under the aegis of an ultra‑advanced fire‑control system.

The gunner fired shot after shot with a rhythmic cadence toward the distant mass of monsters, the lateral fire compensating for the lack of direct artillery on the front line, like a steel nail pinning the advancing beasts to the earth.

The monsters’ assault was halted once more, and the horde that once numbered over forty had dwindled to a mere handful.

They could no longer take another step forward.

The supply line had been reestablished, and a temporary depot now stood at the very heart of the buffer zone.

Legions of Sanctified Bloodguards guarded the depot, while autonomous combat clusters cleared every obstacle along the way.

Modified supply trucks, escorted by a reserve unit seasoned by a prior battle, ferried ammunition forward; no small creature could approach within thirty meters of their passage.

This fight was

truly a lavish affair!

Huang Meng recalled the days when he was still in Huangshi City.

Back then, the only weapon in his hand was a flintlock so worn it seemed beyond repair.

Now, he found himself piloting a tank.

All in just a few months?

For him, it was an unprecedented feat, something he had never even dared to dream of.

He could not allow anything to jeopardize his future.

Especially not these monsters!

At that moment, Chen Jian’s voice crackled through his headset.

“All units, attention!”

“The battle is entering its final stage!”

“Open fire at full capacity, clear the battlefield swiftly!”

“Understood!”

Huang Meng gripped the controls tightly and surged toward the front.

He knew that even a victory here would not be the end.

Yet he was convinced he would keep fighting forever.

Meanwhile, high above two thousand meters in the sky.

Two Mosquito‑type fighters flew side by side, a few hundred meters apart, soaring over the beast tide’s front line toward the enemy’s rear.

Leijie stared calmly at the streaming images in his smart visor, then turned to Jiang Yu on his side and said:

“We are about to leave the cellular‑network coverage zone; our target lies sixty kilometers away at Xuancheng.”

“A massive congregation of monsters has been reported there, the reconnaissance balloons indicating several giants and signs of environmental shift that may signal tier‑two creatures.” “We must drop two nuclear warheads above Xuancheng to ensure lethal coverage of the city and its surroundings.”

“I will now brief you on the bombing plan.”

“Climb to six thousand meters, then release the payload guided by the map and visual terrain cues.”

“After release, execute an immediate turn and continue climbing, then head back to base to clear the blast radius.”

“The delayed‑detonation device I installed will activate 240 seconds after release, yet its electromagnetic pulse can reach several hundred kilometers.”

“This bomber houses extensive electronics; we have insulated the core to block and dampen the EMP.”

“Even so, I cannot guarantee the aircraft will evade the EMP’s effects entirely.”

“Therefore, you must be prepared for a total electronic failure.”

“We must climb as high as possible so that, should we lose power, we can glide back to the base for landing.”

“The situation has been explained; is that clear?”

“Clear!”

Jiang Yu’s voice came through the headset; Leijie instinctively nodded, saying nothing.

In truth, assigning a rookie who had only just taken to the skies to such a high‑risk bombing was a heavy burden.

In his own world, Jiang Yu probably wouldn’t even have gotten to a simulator yet.

But in this apocalypse, she had no choice.

No one had a choice.

The two bombers inched toward the target; the cellular network had gone dark, and the distant artillery from the base had long since fallen silent.

Like two solitary phantoms, the bombers glided silently toward their final destination.

“Twelve kilometers from the target.”

“I have visual confirmation of the target area.”

“Prepare to commence the dive‑bombing.”

“Stay in sync with my movements.”

Leijie issued the order, and Jiang Yu responded immediately.

“Understood!”

The bombers circled, widening their attack angle, like descending drill bits pointing toward Xuancheng on the ground.

Leijie fixed his gaze on the altimeter; when the needle fell to four thousand meters, he decisively pressed the release button.

“Release!”

“Click.”

A soft snap sounded as two nuclear warheads were hurled outward.

Simultaneously, Leijie pulled back the stick, guiding the bomber to climb once more.

All actions unfolded in hushed calm; they had dropped a weapon of unimaginable peril, yet there was no outward sign.

Even Jiang Yu felt a pang of disorientation.

Previously, the bombs she had dropped yielded tangible, visible feedback.

And now?

The two warheads vanished like a stone cast into the sea; she could not even discern where they disappeared.

Of course, she would not be foolish enough to lower altitude to watch the fireworks.

She simply obeyed Leijie’s orders, climbing until she neared the eight‑thousand‑meter ceiling before leveling off.

Two minutes had now elapsed.

The bomber had already covered nearly ten kilometers; after leveling, another two minutes would carry them an additional fifteen kilometers.

That distance was sufficient to clear the danger zone.

Jiang Yu exhaled a slight sigh, gripping the stick while turning her body to look back, silently counting down in her mind.

Sixty seconds.

The impact point was already nearing twenty kilometers away.

Thirty seconds.

Guided by Lei Jie, the bomber rose another two hundred meters, and at eight thousand two hundred meters altitude, it was already the utmost of extremes.

She had already fastened her breathing mask, yet the frigid air made her shiver.

Ten seconds.

Jiang Yu was still wondering whether she would actually witness the detonations of those two nuclear warheads.

But soon, Lei Jie's command rang in her ear.

"Close your eyes!"

"Understood!"

Jiang Yu instantly shut her eyes.

The next second.

A flash of blinding light surged, and her vision turned a searing red.

When the light faded and she opened her eyes again, two colossal mushroom clouds were already rising behind her.

Nuclear blast!

In that instant, she finally felt, in her very marrow, what the phrase “the sun rising” truly meant.

The power of those two megaton‑class nuclear detonations dwarfed anything she had ever witnessed before, far beyond the might of the “tactical nuclear bomb” that had exploded over Liangxi City.

If that previous bomb was merely a larger conventional explosive, what she now beheld was a weapon of true, world‑shattering terror!

Jiang Yu stared in stunned amazement, momentarily forgetting that she was still in mortal peril.

But in the next heartbeat, the control stick in her hands grew unbearably heavy.

Power loss!

All her muscles tensed in an instant; she gripped the stick tighter, and at that moment Lei Jie's voice crackled in her ear.

"Communication test, communication test!"

"Jiang Yu, can you hear me?"

"I can hear you!"

Jiang Yu replied swiftly:

"Power failure, I’m rebooting the engine."

"Understood, restart the engine according to protocol."

"Engine start failed!"

"Try again!"

"Copy that, attempting now!"

Jiang Yu kept pressing the start button; after countless futile attempts, as she began to think she might have to glide back to base, the engine suddenly roared to life.

"Buzzz—"

The propellers spun up again, and Jiang Yu exhaled a long, relieved breath.

In those few seconds, her heart hammered faster than when she’d faced a monster in a low‑altitude bombing run.

"Engine restart successful, status nominal!"

She immediately reported to Lei Jie, and upon receiving her word, the Lei Jie aboard the other aircraft also let out a sigh of relief.

The most perilous phase was behind them.

From here on, just a flight back to base would render the mission a complete success.

Lei Jie gently wagged his wing, offering congratulations to Jiang Yu beside him.

Then he spoke:

"The battle over at the base has essentially concluded."

"We’ve won this war."

"Your contribution was indispensable as well."

"Congratulations—you are the world’s first female pilot to personally drop a nuclear bomb."

"First?"

Jiang Yu blinked in surprise.

"Has no one ever done it before?"

Lei Jie's laughter crackled over the radio.

A moment later, with a teasing tone, he said:

"No."

"Not since humanity’s birth."

"You are the first!"

(End of chapter)