Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 996 Everything is Predicted

The exhausted team, as if injected with a stimulant, quickly and silently split into two groups.

Led by the harbinger of doom, a group of people, supporting the wounded and carrying heavy supplies, continued their arduous journey toward Kurtan, leaving clear but slow tracks on the sand.

Another force, personally led by Song Heping, sped off like an arrow, bursting with astonishing speed. The main force broke away from the main road and rushed towards the depths of the desert to the southeast!

A cloud of dust billowed up behind them.

Forty minutes later.

Split points.

Captain Dorn's command vehicle screeched to a halt, kicking up a cloud of dust that resembled a yellow curtain.

He jumped out of the car, his bloodshot eyes sweeping across the sand like a hawk's.

The SBS operatives responsible for tracking the footprints were already crouching on the ground, carefully examining them.

"Captain!"

The scout looked up, his voice carrying a professional calmness.

"The footprints fork here. One main group, larger in size, has deep and messy footprints, heading due north, pointing directly to the Kurtan Oasis. The other group, smaller in size, has newer footprints, heading southeast."

Dorn strode over, squatted down, and picked up a clump of trampled sand with his rough fingers.

He looked at the clear but slightly dragging traces to the north, and then at the obviously faster and more forceful footprints to the southeast.

A sinister and arrogant smile crept onto the corners of his mouth.

"Hmph! A little trick!"

He stood up, dusted off his hands, and his eyes gleamed with the triumphant light of a hunter who had seen through a trap.

"Trying to use these old, weak, sick, and disabled as bait to lure me to Kurtan? And then slip away like a cicada escaping its shell, hoping to slip out of the desert from the southeast? Song Heping! You underestimate me, Dorn!"

He abruptly waved his hand, pointing southeast, his voice resolute and filled with vengeful satisfaction: "Chase! Give them all your strength to pursue the trail to the southeast! That's Song Heping's main force! As for those useless Kurtans, leave them to Saif's troops to deal with! Yariv! Order the troops! Full speed ahead! To the southeast! Crush them!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Yarif's voice carried a hint of numb obedience.

The engines roared again, and the massive convoy turned around, kicking up towering dust, like a giant steel python pouncing on its prey, plunging headlong into the seemingly endless sea of ​​sand to the southeast.

Dorn climbed back onto the command vehicle, gazing at the undulating sand dunes to the southeast, as if he could already see Song Heping's head, which he had personally twisted off.

He had no idea that he was leading his troops headlong into the death mill called "Razor's Back," which Song Heping had set up for him.

"Razorback" wind-eroded rock area.

Time seemed to stand still, stretched out by the desert sun and taut nerves.

Song Heping lay prone behind a huge, weathered, jagged, dark red sandstone at the forefront of the first line of defense.

The rough rock surface clung to his sweat-soaked camouflage uniform, bringing a false sense of coolness.

In his hand was a PKM general-purpose machine gun that he had salvaged from the corpse of a GNA soldier.

The heavy gun pressed against his shoulder, the cold metallic feel penetrating his skin through the thin fabric.

Nearby, there were several ammunition boxes filled with 7.62×54mmR rounds.

He deliberately kept his breathing steady and long, each inhale carrying the dry scent of sand and rocks after being exposed to the sun. Sweat rolled down his forehead and temples, stinging his eyes.

Sharp eyes, like the most sophisticated radar, peered through the cracks in the rocks and the makeshift sandbag bunkers, locking onto the empty sand valley ahead, distorted by the heatwave—the death corridor where the enemy was about to appear.

Behind and to his flanks, more than fifty Haftar soldiers and machine gunners and marksmen of the special operations platoon of the first line of defense lay silently like pebbles in the sand, hidden behind their simple but deadly bunkers.

The tense atmosphere was almost tangible, suffocating everyone. Only heavy breathing and the occasional slight clanging of metal parts echoed in the deathly silent rocky area.

The sound of a wrench crackling through the soldier's communicator reached Song Heping's ears, tinged with a hoarse urgency: "Boss! Observation post! Southwest! Sandstorm! Very heavy! Distance... five kilometers! It's a convoy! A lot of them!"

coming!

It's finally here!

My prediction about Dorn was correct!

Song Heping's eyes instantly sharpened like a knife, all distracting thoughts were completely discarded, leaving only the purest killing intent and cold calculation.

He gently moved his index finger, which was on the trigger, and felt the cold touch of the metal.

"Attention all!"

Song Heping's voice, steady and clear, reached every soldier on the first line of defense through the communicator: "Target southwest! Convoy! Once inside the pre-set kill zone, take my gunshot as the signal! Prioritize the lead vehicle! Shoot the engine! Let it get close and fire! Let the mad dog in, then close the gate!"

"understand!"

"Roger that!"

A deep, rumbling response came through the communication channel, like the scraping of rocks.

Time ticked by, second by second. Each second felt like an eternity.

In the distance, the yellow wall of sand and dust became clearer and larger, like a sandstorm moving through the desert.

The dull roar of the engine grew louder as it approached, pressing down on everyone's eardrums and nerves like rolling thunder.

Finally! The lead pickup truck, equipped with a heavy machine gun, charged into the relatively flat, open sandy area at the entrance to the rocky area like a wild horse.

Then came the second, the third…

Behind them, the silhouettes of more pickup trucks and wheeled armored vehicles appeared in the dust!
"Stay calm..."

"Stay calm..."

Song Heping's voice was like ice water poured into the communicator.

The first pickup truck, completely unaware, roared across the invisible "death line" at the entrance to the rocky area!
"beat!!"

Song Heping's roar was like a thunderclap! He pulled the trigger abruptly!

“Da da da da da——!!!”

The roar of the PKM general-purpose machine gun instantly shattered the silence of the desert!
The scorching bullets lashed out like the Grim Reaper's whip at the front of the lead pickup truck!

The bullet struck the pickup truck's hood with a piercing clang, penetrating the thin sheet metal and entering the engine!
Almost simultaneously, on the first line of defense, two more PKMs, several RPK light machine guns, and dozens of assault rifles opened fire at the same time!
The dense hail of bullets was like a sudden burst of metal storm, instantly engulfing the pickup trucks at the front!
"Puff puff!"

“Ding-dang-dang-dang—!”

"boom!"

The lead pickup truck suddenly burst open with a cloud of black smoke and flames, and its hood was blown off!
The car, like a drunken beast, wobbled and crashed headfirst into the rock wall beside it, making a loud metallic creak.

The machine gunner on the vehicle didn't even have time to react before he was torn to pieces by the crisscrossing bullets.

The driver of the second pickup truck was shot in the head by a bullet that pierced the windshield. The out-of-control vehicle rolled and crashed into the sand, kicking up a cloud of dust, and soon lay upside down in the sand ditch.

The machine gunner in the third pickup truck had just turned his gun around when a precise rifle bullet, seemingly from nowhere, blew his skull open. Blood and white tofu splattered everywhere, covering those around him.

"Enemy attack!!!"

"Take cover! Get out of the vehicle! Get out of the vehicle!"

"RPG! Blast those rocks away!"

"Machine guns! Suppress them! Suppress them!"

GNA's team was thrown into chaos instantly.

Terrified screams, frantic commands, the wailing of engines, the clatter of bullets hitting metal and rocks…

It all spun into a bloody symphony of death! The following vehicles were crammed together at the narrow entrance, becoming perfect sitting ducks.

Soldiers were constantly being shot down by whistling bullets as they jumped off the vehicles, their blood instantly staining the yellow sand red.

"Good job!"

From a high vantage point behind the second line of defense, Wrench looked through binoculars at the hellish scene at the entrance and clenched his fist in anger.

Song He remained expressionless, his PKM continuously spitting fire, accurately sweeping across any firing positions attempting to organize a counterattack.

He was like the calmest machine, calculating the consumption of the ammunition belt and controlling the firing rhythm.

After the initial tension, the soldiers on the first line of defense were encouraged by the sudden and tremendous victory. Coupled with Song Heping's leading role, everyone unleashed a fierce fighting spirit.

However, the chaos did not last long.

"Armored vehicles! Watch out for armored vehicles!"

A warning came through the communicator from the observation post.

A British-made Jackal wheeled armored reconnaissance vehicle, with its relatively thick armor and a deadly 12.7mm machine gun on its roof, forcefully smashed through the burning wreckage of a pickup truck in front of it, charging into the battlefield like a savage steel behemoth!

The turret on the roof began to slowly rotate, and the thick gun barrels, like venomous snakes raising their heads, locked onto the most heavily armed machine gun position on the first line of defense.

"RPG! Focus fire on that armored vehicle!"

Song Heping gave the order sternly.

He was very familiar with the performance and protection of this armored vehicle.

Don't be fooled by the impressive-sounding name; it's actually quite flimsy.

A Haftar soldier carrying an RPG rocket launcher leans out from behind cover, aims, and pulls the trigger!

"Whoosh—whoosh whoosh!"

Several plumes of white smoke, trailing flames, rushed toward the "jackals"!
boom!
The flames from the explosion rose from the front of the armored vehicle.

Although the armor of the "Jackal" is thin, its protection is obviously not comparable to that of a pickup truck. Most of the rockets were blocked by the simple anti-RPG sandbags piled up at the front of the vehicle, leaving only blackened holes. The metal jets did not penetrate the vehicle compartment.

The vehicle's body jolted violently, and the machine gun on its roof quickly adjusted its direction, aiming at the direction from which the RPG was fired.

"Thump thump thump—!!"

The dull, terrifying roar of the 12.7mm machine gun rang out.

Shells rained down on the rock bunkers of the first line of defense like hail!

Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The solid, wind-eroded rock was pulverized like tofu under the terrifying force of the explosion!
Gravel, sand, and severed limbs mixed with gunpowder smoke rose into the sky.

A machine gun emplacement built against a huge rock, along with three soldiers behind it, was instantly engulfed by the explosion's flames and shockwave.

The screams stopped abruptly.

"Suppressive fire! Suppress that machine gun!"

Song Heping roared into the communicator, his PKM bullets raining down on the armored vehicle's observation windows and turret gaps, sparks flying everywhere, but failing to cause fatal damage.

The "Jackals" were like mobile steel fortresses, braving sparse anti-armor fire while unleashing a barrage of machine guns and coaxial guns, providing excellent cover and fire support for the GNA infantry that followed.

More GNA soldiers, under the cover of armored vehicles, surged in from the entrance like a tide, and began to organize effective counter-fire by relying on the vehicle wreckage and sand dunes.

Bullets from light and heavy machine guns and assault rifles swarmed towards the first line of defense like locusts.

"Sniper! Take out their commander and heavy firepower!"

Song Heping gave another order.

Bah!
Bah!
The special operations platoon snipers, concealed in the rock crevices at a higher elevation, began to unleash their power.

The precise 7.62mm bullets, like the Grim Reaper calling out names, continuously blew the heads off GNA officers and sergeants who were trying to set up machine guns or wave their arms to give orders.

The battle instantly entered a brutal and intense stage of annihilation.

The soldiers on the first line of defense were under immense pressure, and casualties began to rise sharply.

People kept falling from the gun, their blood staining the rocks and sand.

Fortunately, the soldiers' morale was still high, and no one backed down!
Song Heping stood firmly at the forefront like a pillar of strength. His figure was the command, and wherever his machine gun was pointed, the soldiers' firepower followed.

"Grenades! Cover the assault infantry group!"

Song Heping emptied one ammunition belt, quickly replaced it, and gave a stern order at the same time.

Dozens of fragmentation grenades and captured Soviet-made F1 defensive grenades, like black fruits of death, were hurled with all their might, landing on the GNA infantry who were gathering for the charge.

Boom boom boom boom——

A series of explosions erupted in the crowd!

Flames, smoke, flying shrapnel, and heart-wrenching screams instantly engulfed the area!
"Second line of defense! Fire support!"

Song Heping's voice remained clear even amidst the explosion.

The light and heavy gun positions on the second line of defense, which were deployed at higher and more rear positions, suddenly opened fire!
Bullets from above and 60mm mortar shells rained down like deadly hail, slamming into the heads of GNA soldiers trying to break through the first line of defense. The barrage quickly formed a crossfire network!
The attacking GNA forces were as if they had crashed into an invisible wall of sighs made of bullets and flesh.

Each attack left behind a trail of corpses, yet it could not shake the defensive line that relied on its advantageous terrain to hold on tenaciously!
Time passed slowly, second by second, amidst the deafening sounds of gunfire, explosions, and the agonizing screams of the dying.

Every minute of perseverance is soaked in blood and life.

Song Heping wiped the mixture of blood and sand splattered on his face, sweat streaming down his temples.

He glanced at his tactical watch—40 minutes until the White Bear and Ferrari were expected to arrive.

The most brutal battle of resistance has only just begun.

But the sand beneath their feet was soaked in blood, becoming sticky and warm.

　Asking for a monthly ticket! Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　I'd like to recommend a book—the latest anti-Japanese war novel by my friend Han Tang Feng Yue 1, "Traveling Through 1943: I Build a Combined Arms Brigade," has been released. Friends who enjoy anti-Japanese war stories, please go and support it.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)