Chapter 336: Engagement

Chapter 336: The Counterattack

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

A massive explosion roared, the thermobaric rocket detonating within the tunnel.

Scorching flames instantly devoured the tunnel’s air, a fierce vacuum whipping a torrent of wind back into the passage.

Drone No. 1 had been shattered, leaving Chen Jian blind to the tunnel’s interior.

Yet the blast undeniably slowed the enemy’s surge, buying the defenders a fresh window of suppression.

"Open fire!"

Chen Jian shouted his command to Li Shi, and almost simultaneously the enemy’s heavy machine gun cracked to life.

"Bang bang bang bang—"

Tracer rounds streaked into the darkness like swarms of luminous fireflies.

The projectiles slammed against the walls, erupting in a cascade of glittering sparks.

"Guo Xu!"

"Detonate the charges at the other two underground entrances!"

"Understood!"

At that moment Guo Xu seemed still reeling from the shock; the shadows he had seen through the drone were nothing like the holy emissary of the divine kingdom he had imagined.

The clay statue remained uncracked, yet the hammer had clearly already fallen.

His resolve wavered, but years of combat had taught him to cling to a core of calm.

Upon receiving Chen Jian’s order, he swiftly located the ignition switches for the two blast points.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Two thunderous detonations sent clouds of smoke billowing, the collapsing concrete sealing the entrance.

"Demolition complete!"

Guo Xu shouted his report.

"Copy."

"Maintain vigilance; be ready to trigger the third charge at a moment’s notice!"

"Got it!"

Guo Xu gripped the explosive rifle, his aim fixed deep within the tunnel.

His finger trembled lightly on the trigger, producing a barely audible tap.

Amid the chaos of gunfire, explosions, and shouts, that tiny sound ought to have been lost.

Yet somehow it struck his heart as if a hammer, setting his pulse into a frantic rhythm.

Nausea churned, a wave of revulsion rising as if he might vomit.

"No—no!"

From ahead, Chen Jian bellowed:

"Ji Xing! Throw the thermobaric grenades!"

"This damn thing is an infrasound!"

"Copy!"

Ji Xing replied hoarsely.

Her keen hearing and delicate internal organs made the infrasonic assault agonizing; she felt as if she could no longer keep her footing.

Yet she still yanked the pins from the two grenades at her waist and hurled them into the tunnel.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

The explosions lifted the pressure from their bodies in an instant.

"Stay off the central axis of the entrance!"

"This damn place is the focal point of the sound lens!"

"Liu Hao, Zhang Chao!"

"Provide covering fire!"

"Understood!"

The orders rang out, and gunfire echoed from the high rises in the distance.

"Bang bang bang bang bang—"

"Bang—bang—"

Guided by an intelligent fire‑control system, grenades and 12.7 mm rounds pierced the tunnel with unerring precision.

Shielded by their fire, Chen Jian and his three comrades slipped to the tunnel’s side.

They escaped the core of the infrasonic barrage, but a new dilemma emerged.

Neither straight‑aimed nor arcing weapons could now reach the tunnel’s depths.

The buffer zone between them and the “mountain city folk” had shrunk to a scant, sub‑30‑meter gap.

Could they ever bridge those thirty meters?

As that uneasy thought flickered through Chen Jian’s mind, a sudden flash of motion caught his eye.

A square device, cables trailing, surged from the tunnel’s far end and emerged into view.

Chen Jian instantly locked onto it, his finger already half‑cocked on the explosive rifle’s trigger.

Yet in the next heartbeat his instinct drove him to do the opposite—"Get back!"

Chen Jian shouted, rolling sideways out of the line of fire.

At the same moment, a sleeve‑mounted arrow missile launched from the weapon rack.

"Boom!"

The missile arced less than twenty meters before detonating mid‑air.

A low wall behind Chen Jian erupted in a plume of blue smoke.

In less than a second the concrete scarred a bowl‑sized, blood‑red imprint, a stark testament to the weapon’s horror.

It was a high‑power pump source.

Or, more plainly, a multi‑beam laser weapon!

The slower‑moving Li Shi could not dodge in time; he merely tilted his body, letting the invisible laser graze his side.

And even as his left shoulder was being severely burned away, the 12.7 mm heavy rounds fired from his 301 machine gun had already shattered that laser turret!

“Boom!”

A massive explosion roared again from deep within the tunnel, smoke billowing, yet Chen Jian did not issue a retreat order; instead he re‑aimed at the tunnel and pulled the trigger once more.

“Bang bang bang bang—”

The small‑caliber grenades launched from the burst gun detonated at the tunnel’s bend, sparks scattering, fragments flying, and the enemies lurking in the shadows were temporarily suppressed.

But Chen Jian knew such suppression could not last long.

If they were allowed to burst out of the passage, his squad would become a hundred times more perilous than it was now.

The reason was simple.

The mountain‑city folk’s unmanned equipment would certainly not be fewer than those at Base 011!

Should they reach the surface and establish terrain advantage,

there would be no need to fight at all.

“Lei Jie!”

“Prepare the nuclear payload for delivery!”

“Coordinates locked!”

“Get the bomber over here first!”

Chen Jian shouted into the radio, and soon Lei Jie's reply crackled back.

“The bomber is 46 km from you; it can complete the drop within six minutes.”

“If you confirm the drop, you must begin withdrawal now!”

“Hold on a moment!”

Chen Jian gritted his teeth in response.

Four bombers on standby were his greatest assurance; as long as the nuclear warhead remained, he always held a trump card against those mountain‑city foes.

But this could only be a last resort.

Once the nuclear warhead detonated, this reconnaissance mission would have to be terminated.

He lacked the capacity to organize another nuclear suppression in such a short span.

And during the lull of suppression, the entire squad’s situation would become exceedingly dangerous!

“Guo Xu, set the charge for fifteen seconds!”

Chen Jian issued the order.

“Everyone else, prepare to evacuate!”

“After the blast, return immediately to the rally point and regroup with the rest!”

“Understood!”

“Copy that!”

The acknowledgments came, and Chen Jian maintained the pressure.

“Ji Xing!”

“Thermal‑pressure grenades!”

“Throw them all out!”

“Got it!”

Upon hearing the command, Ji Xing rose and hurled the remaining four grenades.

In the very instant the grenades left his hands,

“Detonate!”

Guo Xu pressed the detonator.

“Boom!”

The explosion rang out, and the tunnel collapsed in an instant.

Yet only about half of it gave way.

That was sufficient.

Even if it bought them only a few dozen seconds, it was enough for the squad to withdraw.

“Move quickly!”

Chen Jian ordered again.

The squad sprinted backward to evacuate, while behind them, within the collapsing passage, the deafening roar of mechanical diggers could already be heard.

(End of chapter)