A generation of soldiers begins with Feng Yuxiu traveling through time and space with Xu Sanduo

Chapter 413 The Devastation of Modern Warfare
Chachai huddled in the dense bushes, his camouflage uniform torn by dry branches. A smile that looked more like a grimace stretched across his lips as he slowly moved the still-hot muzzle of his gun away.

He Chenguang and Wang Yanbing were running with their backs bent when suddenly there was a loud "whoosh" from the bushes behind them, and two pirates rushed out with AK47s in hand!
With lightning speed, He Chenguang shoved Wang Yanbing into the thick layer of decaying leaves. As he twisted and drew his gun, the two pirates' heads suddenly shattered like watermelons smashed by a heavy hammer, splattering red and white blood all over the ground before they fell straight into the mud.

He Chenguang's hand gripping the gun trembled violently: "Who fired the shot?!"

"Who knows!" Wang Yanbing rolled up from the ground, but before he could stand up, He Chenguang dragged him into a crevice in the rocks. His back slammed against the cold stone wall, making him wince in pain.

The two men stood back to back, guns trembling slightly from their rapid breathing.

He Chenguang squinted at the pirate's corpse, his Adam's apple bobbing: "There were snipers lying in ambush."

"Who could it be?" Wang Yanbing's voice was extremely low, his finger tightly gripping the trigger.

"Besides Scorpion and his gang of bastards, who else could be on this mountain?" He Chenguang's voice was tinged with helplessness. "Our people haven't even come up here."

Why didn't he shoot at us? Did he miss?

"How could Scorpion's gun miss?" He Chenguang sneered, his gaze sweeping across the mountaintop. "Look at the trajectory. He was right behind us on the mountaintop. Killing us would have been easier for him than crushing two grasshoppers."

"I'll lure him into firing!" Wang Yanbing suddenly ducked and darted out, tumbling and crawling through the bushes. Bullets whizzed past him, but none of them were aimed at him.

He lunged behind another rock, leaning against the stone wall, panting heavily. Cold sweat soaked through his clothes: "What exactly does he mean?"

He Chenguang suddenly emerged from his hiding place and rushed to the spot where the gunshot had just been fired. He saw a figure in a ghillie suit flash behind a tree.

He slowly lowered the sniper rifle he was holding, his brow furrowed: "From that position just now, he could have strung us together like candied hawthorns."

Wang Yanbing peeked out from behind the rock: "What exactly is he trying to do?"

He Chenguang raised his sniper rifle again, the crosshairs moving through the woods, then suddenly stopped: "I see Chatchai!"

"Shoot! What are you hesitating for!" Wang Yanbing stomped his feet in frustration. "If you can't shoot, give me the gun!"

“Something’s not right…” He Chenguang’s index finger hovered on the trigger, his knuckles turning white.

"What are you waiting for?" Wang Yanbing roared anxiously.

"They are helping us."

"Who?!"

"Scorpion and Chatchai, they're helping us kill pirates!" He Chenguang's voice was filled with disbelief.

Inside the bunker, Fan Tianlei's hand, which was holding the binoculars, suddenly stopped.

His brows were furrowed, and his face was full of doubt.

"Number Five, there's new information," He Chenguang whispered into the throat microphone. "These mercenaries have appeared, and they look... like they're helping us. Over."

Fan Tianlei's voice sounded bewildered: "Say it again, Mountain Eagle. Over."

"The Scorpions are helping us. Over."

"Are you sure? Over."

“Confirmed.” He Chenguang’s eyes didn’t leave the sniper scope. “I saw them fight the pirates with my own eyes, specifically targeting the machine gunners and 40mm gunners. They’re helping us hold the line. Over.”

Gong Jian, listening nearby, frowned deeply: "Are they crazy? Why would they do something like this?"

"They're on the mountain behind us; taking you down would be a piece of cake for them," He Chenguang's voice came through the throat microphone. "But they're helping you with the frontal defense and eliminating threats for us. Over."

Fan Tianlei gripped the binoculars, his knuckles turning white, and remained silent for a long while.

"Number Five, what do we do?" He Chenguang's voice was urgent. "We're facing them from a distance, ready to act at any moment. Please advise. Over."

Fan Tianlei remained silent, his brows furrowing even more deeply.

"Number Five, what do we do now? Over." He Chenguang asked again, his tone more urgent.

Fan Tianlei took a deep breath and finally spoke: "Mountain Eagle, are you sure they are indeed helping you eliminate the threat? If so, don't fire for now! Keep a close watch on them, we'll talk about it after the battle is over! Over!"

"Mountain Eagle received. Understood. Over."

Chen Shanming squatted behind the sandbags, scratching his head: "Scorpions are fighting alongside us? Has the sun risen in the west?"

Fan Tianlei stroked his chin thoughtfully: "Perhaps... they've fallen out with the pirates."

As they were talking, Duan Shiliang rolled over, covered in blood, and squatted down beside them, his voice trembling: "The hostage count is complete! Apart from the one who was mistakenly killed, two women are missing! There are also two wounded, but the bleeding has been stopped... We... we sacrificed two brothers."

Fan Tianlei grabbed the radio and yelled, "Joint Command! Where are the reinforcements?! The island is in complete chaos! We only have fifteen men left! The mercenaries are right above us! If they don't come soon, we're all going to die here!"

"Boss! The radio's been shot through!" Song Kaifei held up the wrecked radio, its parts still smoking. "It's completely destroyed!"

Fan Tianlei stared at the smoking radio, his teeth grinding together, and slammed his fist into the sandbag: "There's no other way! Hold on, all of you. Fight to the death!"

"Fight to the death!" the team members roared.

As soon as he finished speaking, the bushes in front of him suddenly burst open with a "whoosh," and more than thirty pirates pounced on him like mad dogs, their AK47 gunfire weaving a dense net of fire.

The team members suddenly tumbled out from behind the sandbags, the gun barrels spewing flames almost continuously, and the pirates at the front fell one after another like harvested wheat.

"Save your firepower!" Fan Tianlei kicked away Li Erniu, who was trying to throw a grenade. "Don't fire until you're at least fifty meters away!"

On the mountaintop, a scorpion peeked out from behind a rock, water still dripping from the branches and leaves on its ghillie suit.

Chachai crawled over, panting, and asked, "Did the pirates retreat?"

"They're building up their strength." Scorpion looked down the mountain, a cold smile playing on his lips. "The Chinese special forces are controlling their guns. If they charge again, they'll have to fight with bayonets."

"Then let's..."

“Let’s find another spot.” Scorpion patted Chatchai on the shoulder. “They’ve spotted us, but it’s alright. Just don’t provoke them and stay out of their sight.”

He paused, looking towards the distant horizon. "Their reinforcements should be arriving soon. The pirates are no match for them. Let's go into the woods and wait. Over."

"Received. Over." Chatchai quickly packed his equipment, his movements tinged with hesitation.

The scorpion suddenly poked its head out, and its gaze swept across the opposite hillside before meeting a pair of cold eyes.

He Chenguang was pointing a sniper rifle at him, the crosshairs firmly locked on his forehead.

He Chenguang's chest heaved violently, and beads of sweat streamed down his face, dripping onto the gun.

My index finger hovered over the trigger, then I released it, then put it back on, my knuckles turning white from the force.

The scorpion stood motionless on the mountaintop, even tilting its head slightly as if in provocation.

The two stared at each other from hundreds of meters away, and the air seemed to freeze.

A moment later, the scorpion suddenly turned around and disappeared behind the hillside.

He Chenguang kept his gun raised until the figure was no longer visible, then slowly lowered it and let out a long breath.

Wang Yanbing put down the laser rangefinder, looking annoyed: "What the hell are they up to? This has turned into a Three Kingdoms drama! It's a mess! Why didn't you shoot earlier?" He Chenguang wiped the sweat from his face, his voice weary: "I wanted to shoot him more than anyone else! But look—they've been avoiding us from the beginning, they don't want to turn against us."

He paused, looking down at the intense fighting below, "We're outnumbered right now, so for now... let them help us."

"Why should they? Aren't they pirates now too?"

“Maybe… they’re no longer with the pirates.” He Chenguang’s voice was uncertain.

Outside Luohan Cave, gunshots rang out incessantly, like popping beans.

Zhang Lina gripped the submachine gun tightly, her knuckles turning white. Cui Fen shrank behind her, trembling with fear, her face pale.

A pirate, gun in hand, moved closer, firing downwards as he went. Zhang Lina gritted her teeth, pulled the trigger sharply, and the pirate cried out, clutching his chest as he collapsed to the ground.

"There are people in the cave!" shouted the pirates outside, their voices hoarse.

A grenade rolled in with a "glug" sound, its fuse hissing and smoking.

Zhang Lina grabbed Cuifen and shouted, "Run! We can't hide here anymore!"

"boom!"

The explosion shook the cave ceiling, causing soil to fall. The two men scrambled to their feet, covered in ash and their hair blackened by the smoke. Without bothering to brush off the ash, they stumbled and ran deeper into the cave.

"There are two women! Seize them!" The pirates rushed in, guns raised, their footsteps echoing through the cave.

Zhang Lina turned around and pulled the trigger, another pirate fell, and the rest quickly hid behind rocks.

She pulled Cuifen along and ran forward. Just as they turned the corner, the gun suddenly clicked – it was out of bullets.

She threw down the gun and gritted her teeth, saying, "Go! Don't look back!"

The pirates cautiously peeked out from behind the rocks, looked around for a while, and then shouted as they gave chase.

-

-

On the dock, He Chenguang and Wang Yanbing suddenly leaped out from their hiding place and rushed towards the barricades during a lull in the gunfight.

Upon seeing this, Song Kaifei and Xu Tianlong, who were defending from the front, immediately opened fire, and the dense bullets kept the pirates from raising their heads.

The moment the two rushed into cover, bullets rained down from behind them, splattering dirt all over their faces.

Wang Yanbing spat out the dirt in his mouth and cursed anxiously, "When are the reinforcements coming?!"

Gong Jian leaned against a broken wall, staring blankly at the smashed radio, his voice hoarse: "The radio is broken... We've completely lost contact with command."

"Where's Cuifen? Have you heard anything about her?" Li Erniu's voice was choked with sobs, and his eyes were red.

"We can't worry about that now." Gong Jian patted his shoulder, his voice as deep as stone. "Fight the battle first; only by surviving can we have hope."

Fan Tianlei roared, his voice carrying an undeniable authority: "Ammunition is running low! Use it sparingly! If the enemy charges again, don't fire until they're at least fifty meters away! No one is allowed to throw grenades without my order!"

The team members looked grave as they silently checked the remaining ammunition. Fan Tianlei took a deep breath and looked at He Chenguang: "Mountain Eagle."

He Chenguang immediately bent down and moved closer: "Number Five."

"What exactly happened to Scorpion and the others?"

"It's hard to say, but they are definitely helping us." He Chenguang's voice was very low. "They took out several machine gunners when we repelled that attack just now."

"Where's Wang Yadong? Have you seen him?"

"No." He Chenguang shook his head. "It might be hidden even more concealed."

“They must have fallen out with the pirates.” Fan Tianlei stroked his chin, his brow furrowed. “Otherwise, they wouldn’t have needed to help us.”

“They’re helping us, but they’re definitely not doing it out of kindness.” He Chenguang’s voice turned cold. “But I’m sure they’re doing it to save their own lives.”

Fan Tianlei looked up at him and said, "Go on."

“They helped us, definitely not to rescue hostages,” He Chenguang said with certainty, “but simply to survive.”

Fan Tianlei ground the spent cartridge cases on the ground with the sole of his boot, the metallic scraping sound particularly jarring in the bunker: "They want us to rescue the hostages quickly so they can hide in the mountains and survive. As long as they don't encounter us or open fire, we don't need to chase them into the forest. But if we lose, the pirates on the island will only become more frenzied, and the reinforcements they summon will have enough firepower to turn the whole island upside down. They've got a shrewd little scheme going on!"

He sneered, "Mercenaries don't have grudges in their dictionary; they only care about whether it's worthwhile!"

He Chenguang gripped the gun sling, his knuckles turning white: "We're under immense pressure right now, our bullets are almost gone, and we haven't seen a single reinforcement. We haven't found the Phoenix, and two female hostages are still missing... In this situation, we can't afford to be picky."

He suddenly raised his voice, "The Scorpion gang is a double-edged sword. If used well, they can help us carve out a way to survive!"

Gong Jian slammed his hand on the sandbag: "Do you know what you're saying? That's Scorpion! A mercenary with countless lives on his hands!"

"I know better than anyone!" He Chenguang's gaze swept over everyone's bloodied faces. "But right now, they want to live, and we want to live too, we want the hostages to live! We're united on this point! They've been resting and recuperating in the mountains, they have plenty of ammunition, and they haven't even fired a shot much in all this fighting. If these three top experts are willing to make a move, we can hold out until the fleet arrives!"

Chen Shanming suddenly kicked away an empty magazine at his feet, which slammed against the stone wall with a loud clang: "You want us to fight alongside those bastards? Have you forgotten the brothers who sacrificed their lives?!"

Duan Shiliang pressed down on the scorching gun barrel, his knuckles turning white from the force: "We wear military uniforms! We are sworn enemies, irreconcilable!"

He Chenguang stepped forward, his chest heaving violently: "Side-by-side doesn't mean we're sworn brothers! After this battle, those who should be arrested will be arrested, those who should be fought will be fought, and we'll still fight to the death if we meet on the battlefield! But now—"

He pointed sharply to the pirate corpses lying haphazardly outside the bunker, "We have to save our own lives and get the hostages out of here first!"

Fan Tianlei wiped the gunpowder from his face: "We've lost contact with headquarters and can't request permission to go up."

He stared at He Chenguang. "How do you plan to contact Scorpion? It's deep in the mountains. Splitting up our forces to search for him would be suicide. If we run into him, we're bound to fight!"

“Light signals.” He Chenguang pulled a tactical flashlight from his tactical vest. “They’ve fought all over the world, and they know navigation light signals better than anyone else.”

Fan Tianlei grabbed his arm, the calluses on his palms digging painfully into him: "Be careful going up to the tower! Scorpion's gun can pierce a fly's wing from 800 meters away! Don't expose your back to them!"

“If he had tried to snipe me on the mountaintop, I would be dead by now.” He Chenguang shook off his hand, a tough smile creeping onto his lips. “It’s not that he’s afraid to touch me, it’s that he’s afraid to touch the power behind our uniforms! Trapped on this wretched island, he has no choice but to help us fight the pirates!”

Fan Tianlei released his grip and gestured with his chin towards the tower: "Hurry up! Don't show your face when you're sending the signal!"

He Chenguang was about to rush out, crouching low, when Wang Yanbing suddenly grabbed his tactical suspenders: "I'll go with you!"

"Stay!" Fan Tianlei's roar carried an undeniable authority. "That's an order!"

“He’s my partner!” Wang Yanbing said, his neck stiff and his Adam’s apple bobbing. “He’d be a sitting duck if he went up there alone!”

"Every extra person counts!" Gong Jian pressed down on his shoulder. "This is a battlefield, not child's play!"

As Wang Yanbing watched He Chenguang's figure disappear into the smoke, his eyes instantly turned bloodshot.

He paced back and forth a couple of times, gripping the gun, then suddenly let out a low growl and charged out with the gun in his hand.

(End of this chapter)