Soldiers Assault: Starting from the 7th Steel Company

Chapter 132 Why are you still protecting me? Save him!
When Cheng Cai found Xu Sanduo, he nervously checked Xu Sanduo over to see if he was injured anywhere.

Xu Sanduo forced a smile.
"Chengcai, it really is you!"

"The moment you fired the gun, I knew it was you!"

"San Daizi, you scared me to death! I thought you'd been hit by our artillery shells!" Cheng Cai said nervously.

"It's alright, this is just a drill, not real guns and bullets!" Xu Sanduo was a little tired, but he still comforted Cheng Cai.

"It's really interesting how you two are friends. Anyone who didn't know better would think Cheng Cai had been 'killed'." At this moment, Wu Zhe also strolled over. Since he was already "dead" and could go anywhere, he just wanted to see clearly whether there was an H Army command post inside.

If not, I'll definitely give Chen Jiang a piece of my mind when I get back!

But if it happens, the complete annihilation of their group becomes extremely valuable.

"Wu Zhe, I'm sorry!" Cheng Cai still felt guilty towards Wu Zhe, who was the one who started this whole mess.

Wu Zhe waved his hand magnanimously, "It's alright, soldiers are duty-bound to obey orders, I understand! Never mind, is there anything to eat? I'm starving!"

These words finally made Cheng Cai and Xu Sanduo laugh. "Come on, let's go to our camp. I'll make you some barbecue!"

This is all the compensation Cheng Cai can offer his old comrades.

Since Yuan Lang and the other three were all "killed in action," the questioning of them by the H army was unnecessary. Besides, even if they were serious, they wouldn't be able to utter a single word.

Therefore, Cheng Cai, who was familiar with the routines of Team A, still offered his opinions and suggestions to his superiors: Qi Huan and Chen Jiang have not been found yet, so be careful!
Unfortunately, he was just a first-term sergeant, and his words carried little weight, so they were unlikely to be taken seriously.

They weren't even qualified to enter the command post defense zone in the valley for protection.

All he could do was stay at the campsite and have a barbecue with Yuan Lang and the others.

At this point, after overcoming numerous hardships, Chen Jiang finally managed to sneak into the valley.
Because it's on a steep cliff, even at night, the situation below is clearly visible.

This is the H Army's command post!
The good news is that although the H army's defenses are very strong, they are limited to the ground. If they shoot from the cliff face, they still have a good chance of winning.

The bad news is that, because the H army's field tents are almost identical, finding Gao Jianjun is like searching for a needle in a haystack. What makes Chen Jiang most desperate is that all the high points at the top of the valley are guarded by a considerable number of people.

He had to select a sniping position at night, lie in wait for the right moment, and strike the enemy during the day!
Given the H army's reaction speed, they would never give themselves a chance to fire a second shot.

However, he really had no way of determining Gao Jianjun's exact location. Because of Yuan Lang and Qi Huan's sneak attack, the H army had implemented a blackout, and the visibility below was almost zero. Moreover, it was already very close to dawn, so he had to find a suitable sniping position and then wait for an opportunity to strike.

After observing for a while, Chen Jiang chose a pine tree growing on the cliff, which served as an excellent hiding place.

To avoid revealing his whereabouts due to physiological factors, Chen Jiang hadn't even had a sip of water. Now, he finally had a place to lie down and rest, and waves of extreme fatigue and thirst washed over him.

Chen Jiang bit his tongue and then pinched his thigh to keep himself awake.

No one can guarantee that they won't snore when they fall asleep. If they do snore, they'll become the laughing stock of the entire army.

Chen Jiang glanced at the time. There were still about 30 hours left before the deadline given to him by the Blue Army Command. He would wait patiently. He didn't believe that Gao Jianjun would stay inside and not come out until daytime!
Chen Jiang's confidence was somewhat justified, but Gao Jianjun wasn't having an easy time either.
The Blue Army's surprise attack did indeed affect his operational plan to some extent. Chief of Staff Cheng Guoqiang, who was known for his caution, repeatedly advised him not to show himself, fearing that the Blue Army's nighttime attack had ulterior motives.

"Commander, according to our people, this is the elite A-team, one of the Blue Army's two mainstays, but they chose to launch a night raid in such a desperate move. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Chief of Staff, are you overthinking this? The Blue Army is already showing signs of defeat. If we don't take a desperate gamble, we'll be in grave danger!" A division commander who came to report on the work was somewhat dismissive.

His troops were assembled to attack the outposts of the Blue Army's main position, and then, with the help of the air force's air superiority, they would decide the outcome in one battle!

Under such circumstances, it's understandable that the Blues, in desperation, would make some desperate moves.

"Hmph, the A Battalion has been famous for a long time, and has caused countless elite troops to suffer. We still need to be careful." Although the division commander had the same rank as him, two bars and four stars, he was still his superior and had to maintain his authority.

"Alright, stop arguing! The Blue Army should do what the Blue Army does. We should just attack according to the original plan and use sheer force to overcome all obstacles! In the face of absolute strength, all schemes and tricks are meaningless!" Gao Jianjun was still somewhat disgusted by the Blue Army's underhanded behavior, but he had to save face for Cheng Guoqiang.

"But we also need to be careful of the remnants of the Blue Army's small units causing trouble, and the security around the command post needs to be tightened even more!"

"Guoqiang, you need to pay more attention to this. Don't let them take down our base!"

This was clearly meant to support Cheng Guoqiang.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Guoqiang immediately puffed out his chest.

"Please rest assured, Commander! All suitable sniping positions within a three-kilometer radius of the command post have been thoroughly secured!"

"What about the top of the valley? From that higher vantage point, the firing range will be much greater!" a subordinate immediately reminded him.

"Don't worry, the entire area above is staffed by our people, and there are troops patrolling constantly. Unless the other side is a superman, there's absolutely no chance!"

"Hahaha"

Cheng Guoqiang's humor made all the officers in the command post laugh happily.

"What about the cliffs on both sides of the valley? What if there are snipers there?"

"Chen Dong, shut up! Who gave you the right to speak here?" The division commander immediately turned around and reprimanded his beloved subordinate.

That's right, he is Chen Dong, Chen Jiang's comrade-in-arms from military academy.
It was no easy feat for him to be promoted to officer in the armored division. He was highly regarded by the division commander, who placed him under his wing for a period of training. This time, he was also brought into the command post.

He was not originally qualified to offer suggestions, but after listening to the chief of staff's explanation, he clearly discovered this loophole.

He remembered that Chen Jiang was also a member of Team A, and that his marksmanship was superb!

That's why I couldn't help but chime in.

"It's alright, let's speak freely!" Cheng Guoqiang wasn't offended by Chen Dong's frankness; after all, a newborn calf isn't afraid of a tiger!
But he still decided to give this young man some pointers!
“Young man, you’ve thought this through quite well, but you need to understand one thing: the cliffs on both sides of this valley are almost 90 degrees, and there’s no cover on either side. If someone from the Blue Army could climb over like a gecko, they would be easily spotted by our soldiers during the day, and at night, without any lighting, how could they possibly climb over with their equipment? I believe that not only would no one in our army be able to do that, but no one in the entire army could do it!”

Cheng Guoqiang's words convinced all the H Army officers present.

Seeing that Chen Dong's face had turned red from the chief of staff's words, Gao Jianjun waved his hand and said, "He was just trying to be helpful. We still need to be careful. Better safe than sorry!" Chen Jiang was unaware of the conversation in the H Army's command post. At that moment, he felt like every second was an eternity.

At night, there were so many mosquitoes in the mountains that he couldn't move while he lay on the treetop, letting these nasty mosquitoes bite him all over.

Their rigorous training had long since honed their rock-solid resolve and extraordinary endurance.

As dawn broke, the number of mosquitoes decreased significantly.

But after daybreak, even bigger trouble followed. Chen Jiang finally found the location of the H Army's command post, but he was too far away from it, more than 2000 meters away. This distance was close to the maximum range of the M24 sniper rifle he had brought with him.

The wind direction in the valley is extremely unstable, and the trajectory deviation is very large. How can it hit the target?
The key issue is that it's impossible to move the position now, and there's no better sniping spot around.

He could only hope for a stroke of good luck, and oh right, he also needed the enemy commander to be able to leave the command post.

Otherwise, his sniper rifle wouldn't have any X-ray vision capabilities, so it would be useless anyway.

Time passed second by second. Chen Jiang hadn't slept all night, nor had he eaten or drunk anything. He also had to concentrate intently on the distant, hazy target. It was truly an ordeal.

The daytime temperature was very high, and beads of sweat streamed down his face, making him feel sticky and extremely uncomfortable.

He also needs to move his wrists and finger joints from time to time to ensure that he can be ready to fight at any time.

His lips were so dry and cracked that he really wished it would rain, but he also knew that rain would further affect the stability of the ballistic trajectory.

And so they persisted for a whole day.

As evening approached, a group of high-ranking officers finally emerged from the H Army's command post.
Isn't Gao Jianjun the one being surrounded in the middle?

Although Chen Jiang's memory of his face was somewhat hazy, since they had only met once, the star on his shoulder was so dazzling that it was very easy to recognize him.

He steadily released the safety of the sniper rifle, held his breath, and aimed with the scope.

Gao Jianjun originally did not want to leave the command post, but the battle situation changed rapidly. After the Blue Army put up a little resistance, it abandoned the outpost and the core main position was exposed to the H Army. The temptation was too great.

Therefore, he mobilized a large force and launched a fierce attack, hoping to end the battle in one fell swoop.

Unexpectedly, the Blue Army acted out of character, fighting tooth and nail for every inch of their core positions, resulting in an exceptionally fierce battle with heavy casualties on both sides.

In particular, when the Blue Army committed heavily armed troops for a counterattack, it made him somewhat uneasy.
He wanted to move the command post forward, even though it was a bit far from the front lines. So, despite everyone's advice, he insisted on moving the command post forward.

"What, Guoqiang? Didn't you say this place was impregnable? Do you think the Blue Army can send some superhuman beings to attack us?"

"Commander! Don't be fooled by the Blue Army's fierce counterattack; they're actually fighting like cornered beasts. If they fight for another few hours, I reckon they won't be able to hold on," Cheng Guoqiang continued to persuade them.

"Hmph, we're already outnumbered, so if this turns into a protracted war, it'll be a joke! I know we'll win this exercise, but I hope we win gracefully, you understand?"

How could Cheng Guoqiang not understand what he meant?
Although Gao Jianjun is already a major general and a deputy in the JQ, who wouldn't want to go further after reaching this position?

This unprecedented exercise presents a crucial opportunity!

Since things have been said to this extent, he must obey orders unconditionally.
He had a large number of guards surround the commander and slowly move outwards, ensuring there were no blind spots from any angle.

"Is it really necessary for you to be so cautious?" Gao Jianjun smiled and shook his head. Being in such a high position, he couldn't even travel comfortably.

"Commander, better safe than sorry."

Suddenly, everyone saw white smoke rising from someone.

Whose equipment broke?

This is what everyone is thinking right now.

Since no gunshots were heard, the only conclusion that could be drawn is that the equipment used in the exercise was broken.

"Snapped!"

A few seconds later, the most frightening sound came over.

Everyone finally understood that the white smoke was coming from Gao Jianjun. The reason why the gunshot came later could only be explained by one thing: the sniper was far away.

A single, decisive blow from a long range!

"Protect the commander!" Cheng Guoqiang's skin crawled with goosebumps. He never expected that despite all his precautions, such a serious blunder would still occur.

"Protect me my ass! I've already been killed! If anyone's going to protect someone, it'll be you, the deputy commander!" Gao Jianjun angrily shoved away the people surrounding him.

His guards, also seasoned veterans, immediately pinpointed the sniper's location by the gunfire and dispatched troops to encircle and eliminate him in that direction.

At the same time, he was escorted to a safe area by his staff.

In fact, Chen Jiang didn't have the strength to fire a second shot at all. He had exhausted all his energy and strength with that shot, and luck played a big part. But when he saw the white smoke rising, he knew that he had actually succeeded.

At that moment, his nerves completely relaxed, and finally, his strength gave out, and he felt everything go black.
H Army's search team finally found Chen Jiang, who had tied himself to a treetop, in disbelief. Although Chen Jiang had already passed out, everyone was still somewhat shaken.

How did that kid get up there?
How did they manage to remain hidden under everyone's noses for so long without being discovered?

Because of their failure to protect the commander-in-chief, these people are likely to be in trouble, or at least they'll be humiliated.

But they harbored no hatred towards Chen Jiang; on the contrary, they held him in the highest esteem.
If it were them, they definitely couldn't do that!
So they carefully, and with great effort, managed to get Chen Jiang down from the tree. Then they carried him on a stretcher to Gao Jianjun, who specifically instructed that he must meet this sniper to see who he was and how he could "take the head of a general amidst a vast army."
When they got there, they saw...
"Chen Jiang?"

Gao Jianjun has a very good memory. He has a certain impression of everyone he has met, especially an outstanding soldier like Chen Jiang, who is also his son's favorite general. How could he not remember him?
Seeing his blistered and cracked lips, his hands covered in blood blisters, his body covered in mosquito bites, and the M24 sniper rifle beside him,

How could Gao Jianjun still not understand what had happened?
"What are you waiting for? Get him to the field hospital for emergency treatment! Remember, you must save his life!"

(End of this chapter)