Chapter 295: Like a Veteran

Chapter 295: Like an Old Soldier

“All personnel, hold position, maintain vigilance, and rest!”

“Report casualty figures!”

“Report equipment losses!”

“Each squad leader, compile your reports and inform me!”

Outside Huangshan City, Shen Yue issued new orders to every soldier of the Interleaved Company.

Only minutes earlier they had concluded their final clash with the fleeing monsters from the Xuan City direction.

The ferocity of the battle fell short of expectations; under the shield of tanks, towed artillery, and rocket launchers, scarcely a single monster managed to close within five hundred meters.

Moreover, the loosely formed ranks of “over‑terrified” monsters could not pose any threat to the Interleaved Company's heavy‑fire defensive line.

Rather than call it a “counter‑strike,” it was more akin to a hunt.

After all, what they were doing bore little difference from a hunter stalking wild game.

Spot, track, isolate, slay.

The procedure was so simple that even Yu Qian felt it was familiar.

After reporting his equipment status and remaining ammunition to his squad leader, he sat opposite his once‑familiar coworker, now‑familiar comrade Liu Qi, and sighed:

“I once thought fighting alongside the Interleaved Company would be hard; now it seems not so arduous after all.”

“It’s much like our old boar hunts: locate the herd, drag out each beast one by one, then finish them off individually.”

“The tank is the lead hound, we’re the trailing hounds, those with rocket launchers and that massive cannon are the shooters.”

“We hold the prey, they seize the chance and finish it with a single thrust.”

“Think about it—doesn’t that sum it up?”

“When you put it that way, it does make sense.”

Liu Qi, while disassembling his Type‑191 rifle and cleaning the chamber as their squad leader had taught, mused:

“Yet, though it looks simple, actually fighting is quite hard.”

“You must obey orders, move swiftly with the main force, seek cover, evade monster attacks, and watch out for the smaller creatures.”

“If it were a real gun‑to‑gun fight, I doubt we could manage.”

“Now it’s easy because we have veterans of the Huaxia army.”

“That’s true.”

Yu Qian let out a soft sigh and said:

“I never imagined I’d one day step onto a battlefield to slay monsters.”

“We’ll learn slowly.”

“Just a few more beasts remain; once this wave is done, we can head to Huangshan City to recuperate.”

“When that time comes, the New City of Jinling will air‑ship supplies to Huangshan; I wonder if they’ll bring any canned fruit this time.”

“Definitely not.”

Liu Qi shook his head and said:

“I heard air drops are just tossed down; those thin cans of fruit would shatter on impact.”

“Besides, our most urgent shortage is bullets and shells; food, I assume, is plentiful in Huangshan City?”

“But that’s not certain—what if Huangshan also runs out of provisions?”

“Hard to say.”

The two chatted idly while sorting their gear; after the weapons and ammunition were arranged, Yu Qian untied the bandage wrapped around his leg and re‑bound it using the method he had learned.

Prolonged marching left his legs slightly swollen, yet it did not hinder his movement.

Once they reach Huangshan City, they can finally rest for a while.

Though he does not expect to be stationed there for several days, a day or two is still warranted, isn’t it?

After three days of forced march, his unit was utterly exhausted.

When confronting a handful of monsters they still had a fighting spirit, but a slightly higher intensity might break them.

That thought circled in Yu Qian’s mind, leaving him oddly surprised.

——

He could not recall when he began truly pondering how one ought to fight.

No, not “how I should fight,” but “how the entire unit should fight.”

Is this the initiative the commander has constantly emphasized?

He scratched his head, rose to his feet, and at that moment Shen Yue, far away, issued another order.

“Rest period over!”

“Target locked, mission dispatched!”

“Squad leaders, lead your teams and execute the operation as planned!”

“Understood!”

“Yes!”

At the command, everyone rose instantly.

These fresh‑out‑of‑the‑bush warriors wore weary expressions, yet none showed resistance.

Is this also a part of the commander’s design?

To thrust everyone into a hopeless situation bereft of support, force them to rely on the collective and the organization, then forge combat prowess at breakneck speed?

It sounds cruel, yet undeniably effective.

Yu Qian trailed his squad leader, moving forward while listening to the briefing.

.Drone reconnaissance data has returned; the positions of the final four monsters are now locked.

“The monsters lie four kilometers from our present location, to the southeast.”

“There is a basin there, its low ground and recent continuous rain have formed a small pool.”

“The four beasts are drinking and recuperating there; judging by the drone footage, they’ll linger for several hours.”

“It’s a perfect strike opportunity.”

“We must advance toward the pool at maximum speed.”

“Board the vehicles!”

“After traveling three kilometers along Highway S42, we’ll proceed on foot toward Zhuanglin River.”

“Our squad will serve as fire‑support, covering the assault team; everyone, rally your spirits for me”

“Upon reaching the objective, swiftly establish a fire point and suppress those monsters!”

“Understood!”

The men answered one by one, and Yu Qian leapt onto the modified truck, finding his place amid the somewhat chaotic ammunition crates.

The truck roared to life, and the unit surged onward toward its destination.

Minutes later, a harsh screech of brakes shattered the air as the truck came to an abrupt halt.

“Damn, why again!”

“Li Chen! Ease off the brakes!”

Complaints rang inside the cabin, yet none of the soldiers slowed their movements.

One after another they leapt from the truck, checked their gear, and then formed a column marching toward the target zone.

Before them the smooth road vanished, replaced by a beast‑track choked with dense foliage, barely passable.

Their pace immediately slackened, and now they were still some eight hundred meters from the pre‑designated fire point.

“Attention, the drone has picked up anomalous monster activity.”

“A monster has awakened; we must quicken our step!”

The squad leader received the report from the rear‑line drone operator, issued another order, and swiftly reshuffled his men.

The stronger‑stamina Yu Qian and Liu Qi were assigned to blaze the trail ahead, while the rest fell in behind, hugging the newly cut path to conserve energy.

It was, without doubt, the most despised position Yu Qian had ever endured in days of combat.

The rain‑soaked forest was slick everywhere; he felt as if he were swimming through a sea of water‑filled reeds rather than treading solid ground.

No raincoat, however thick, could keep the fine droplets at bay, and the mist in the air seeped into his nostrils, draining the lingering warmth from his body.

His movements grew unsteady, his body began to tremble.

Sensing his condition, the squad leader, who had been marching in the middle of the formation, hurried forward a few steps and thrust a cup into his hand.

“Hold for a moment, have some hot liquid.”

“Unit, rest for thirty seconds!” Yu Qian gratefully took the cup, gulped it down, and the scalding water nearly made him convulse.

“So hot!”

Yu Qian grimaced, while the squad leader chuckled:

“Hot, huh? It’s a thermos, issued by the commander.”

“Our conditions are still poor; a squad only got two of them.”

“But the commander says we’ll be able to produce them soon, and then everyone will have hot water.”

“Thank you, squad leader.”

“Thanks for what? Finished it? Then move out quickly!”

Yu Qian hurried the cup back to the leader, and as he swung his clearing axe again, he felt his strength surge anew.

Perhaps it was not merely the hot water?

He had no time to ponder; a few hundred meters ahead the unit had already reached the planned ambush site.

“Stay low, move lightly!”

The squad leader lowered his voice, gave the order, and signaled, urging Yu Qian to hack away the low brush ahead, carving a firing lane for the team.

Yu Qian worked with meticulous care; from his viewpoint the pond three hundred meters below and the monsters lurking at its edge were now clearly visible.

Those were no ordinary beasts.

They were four towering monsters, each ten‑plus meters tall, bristling with razor‑sharp spines and fangs.

Had this been earlier, even a single glance would have made him quake with terror.

Yet now he stared silently, calculating what firepower configuration could crush those four monsters near the pond.

Even tanks and other heavy artillery could not reach them, and because of the pond’s peculiar geography, only short‑range, curved‑trajectory weapons could strike.

Mortars, rockets, automatic grenades?

Firing those seemed only to hasten the monsters’ flight.

Then only light and heavy machine guns remained.

And, as expected, the squad leader’s command soon crackled over the radio.

“Deploy a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, paired with two 201‑type universal machine guns.”

“We’ll cross‑fire with Squad Two, pinning the monsters within the pond’s perimeter, giving Squad Three a chance for precise strikes.”

“Gunners, keep the barrels pressed down; accuracy isn’t required, but fire density must be relentless!”

“The rest, use rifles for point‑shots, maintain constant harassment.”

“If smaller monsters appear, riflemen take priority in clearing them!”

“Understood.”

The men answered in low tones, and Yu Qian felt a secret smile curl within him.

It matched the plan he had imagined.

So perhaps he was finally learning the art of war?

Gazing at the freshly cleared firing lane, he paused a heartbeat, then turned left and felled another thicket.

From afar the squad leader sent him an approving glance and a thumbs‑up.

“Prepare for combat!”

“Obey my command.”

“Fire in ten seconds.”

In an instant, everyone took their positions.

Yu Qian dropped to the ground, his hand gripping the 191 rifle he had grown increasingly familiar with.

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One.”

“Fire!”

At the order, a roar of gunfire erupted.

“Bang—bang—bang—bang—bang—”

The four monsters at the pond awoke simultaneously; the one crouching on the bank sprang up, while the creature that had been drinking staggered and fell into the water in panic.

“Heavy machine gun, focus on the shore side first!”

The squad leader shouted, and the heavy gun’s barrel swung toward the monster closest to the position.

Piercing incendiary rounds, glowing with a soft red hue, streaked toward the beast, exploding into blossoms of fire the instant they struck its armored hide.

Like molten iron raining to the earth.

At that moment, Yu Qian even felt that this scene possessed a certain unique beauty.

He surveyed the battlefield with calm eyes, pulling the trigger shot after shot.

His target was not the hulking monsters, but the small creatures that “parasitized” them.

The bullets, soaring three hundred meters, struck the tiny beasts with pinpoint precision; often a single or double shot was enough to strip them of any will to resist.

Panic began to spread, and when Yu Qian once again shattered a small monster’s skull with a 7.62 mm round, the horde gathered near the pool collapsed utterly.

Roars, screams, chaos

The roles of man and monster seemed to have reversed completely.

In former days, it was the monsters that sowed terror, while humanity fled in search of survival.

Now, the situation was entirely the opposite!

“Maintain suppression!”

“The assault will reach the target position in ten seconds!”

The squad leader’s commands rang out amid gunfire; Yu Qian fired the last bullet from his magazine, then tilted his torso slightly to pull the empty clip from his chest and ready a reload.

——

Yet at that instant, a dark silhouette flickered across his vision.

With scarcely a hesitation, as if driven by instinct, he dropped his gun and seized the machete that lay beside him for clearing a path.

Immediately thereafter.

He rose, swung the blade, and cleaved in two.

“Rooaar—”

As the muffled roar bellowed, a second shadow lunged toward Yu Qian’s direction!

“Bang‑bang‑bang—”

A burst of short‑range fire cracked, as if striking an invisible wall; the creature plummeted to the ground.

Yu Qian surged forward, aimed his blade at the monster and struck, only then realizing that the attackers were two blood‑clad skeletons.

“Damn!”

“What formation are we in?”

“Watch the surroundings, stay alert!”

The squad leader, his muzzle still smoking blue, swiftly swept toward the rear of the unit; Yu Qian reloaded his rifle and fell in step, and moments later, accompanied by a few gunshots, the lurking blood‑skeletons were annihilated.

A close call.

It was by far the greatest peril the squad had faced in three days.

Yu Qian’s heart hammered wildly, and at that moment, the assault team in the distance finally launched their attack.

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

Explosion after explosion rattled the air; the squad leader immediately ordered everyone to fan out and search.

Light‑machine‑gun fire swept across the area, and every moving target near the strike point was erased.

The entire expanse of the pond and its surroundings fell silent once more.

The squad leader approached Yu Qian, placed a hand on his shoulder and asked:

“You alright?”

Yu Qian shook his head.

His arm was slick with the fresh blood spurted by the blood‑skeletons, the crimson fluid gradually paling under the rain’s wash as it streamed onto the damp ground.

In that instant, he felt a strange daze.

When he lifted his gaze again, he met the squad leader’s eyes, tinged with a faint smile.

“Good to hear you’re fine.”

“You look a bit like a veteran now.”

(End of chapter)