Soldiers Assault: Starting from the 7th Steel Company

Chapter 172 A Clash of Masters, in Just a Fleeting Moment
"Who's trying to rob you? Do we have 'bad guy' written on our faces?" one of them said, sounding a bit annoyed.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Cai feigned innocence and said, "You two strong men are surrounding a poor student like me. Are you sure you're not robbing me?"

The two Red Army sentries were in civilian clothes, so Cheng Cai's behavior was understandable. They were both elite soldiers, and their presence would certainly have been very intimidating to ordinary people.

"Stop talking nonsense. You're a college student, do you have your ID?"

Because Cheng Cai also had a bronze complexion and unusually rough hands, it couldn't help but arouse their suspicion.

"Yes, yes, yes"

Cheng Cai hurriedly took out his student ID from his bag and handed it over. Chen Jiang had anticipated this, so he used his connections to get several university student IDs. The IDs were real, but the information was fake.

If you check through the China Higher Education Student Information System (CHESICC), you can verify its authenticity. But in a hurry, and without a smartphone with internet access, how can you verify it?
The two of them only had a high school education and hadn't even attended university. They noticed that Cheng Cai's student ID was exquisitely made, complete with a train ticket discount barcode—it looked incredibly realistic. How could they possibly tell it was fake?

"Are you a student at the sports academy? What do you train in?" one of them couldn't help but ask after seeing the information on Cheng Cai's student ID.

"Sports training major, specializing in free fighting." Cheng Cai was naturally adept at this kind of prepared statement. Because it had to match his physical characteristics, he could only use a sports-related major to fill the gap. Otherwise, if you had chosen a different major, Cheng Cai might not have been able to come up with it.

"No wonder you're so muscular." At this point, the two men were starting to believe Cheng Cai. "What's in that bag?"

As required, it's best to open the package and check it to feel at ease.

Cheng Cai cursed inwardly, thinking how troublesome it was, but the other party was simply doing their duty, and this was indeed a legitimate request.

"Hurry up and open it." Seeing Cheng Cai dawdling, the two urged him impatiently.

But when they opened Cheng Cai's backpack, they found several instructional books on Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) inside.
"They really are college students; they're so serious even on their weekends."

The two laughed easily. Since there was nothing sensitive in the bag, Cheng Cai's threat level was very low.

Cheng Cai felt a chill run down his spine. When he set off, he originally wanted to bring a drone for close reconnaissance, but Chen Jiang rejected his suggestion and pointed out incisively that although the other party had never seen a drone before, was it normal for such a high-end thing to be in a college student's bag?

Moreover, once someone with insight discovers the drone's usefulness, not only will Cheng Cai be captured, but Chen Jiang and his small unit will also face heavy enemy encirclement and annihilation. Therefore, this step is definitely not feasible.

"Is this alright now? I just want to find a quiet place to read a book. Can you two brothers let me go now?" Cheng Cai asked, looking rather submissive.

"No, since you just want a place to read, then stay here with us. We'll find you a place to read," one of them said.

"How can this be? We can't disturb others without permission." Cheng Cai was secretly alarmed, wondering if he had given himself away.

In fact, his worries were completely unnecessary. During this exercise, the Red Army command issued a strict order that all personnel and vehicles near the command post area must undergo rigorous inspection.

Although Cheng Cai had already checked, the fact that a young man would come to this deserted, unfinished shopping mall made them wary. Considering that their leader had told them that the exercise would end soon, they decided to be cautious and leave him there for half a day to ensure everything went smoothly.
"It's not a bother! We happen to have a well-lit and very quiet room like this, with food and drinks prepared for you, so you can study without any worries."

"Then how do I know you two aren't bad people?" Cheng Cai continued to play dumb.

The two exchanged a glance, then decided to drop the pretense and directly showed their sergeant IDs.

"See? We are active-duty military personnel. This is a restricted area for the exercise. Since you've come in, you must wait until the exercise is over before you can leave!"

Hearing that the other party was willing to show their identification to persuade him to stay, Cheng Cai knew that continuing to linger would only arouse their suspicion, so he smiled and pretended to relax, "Oh, it's JF Jun. You should have said so earlier. In that case, I'll take my leave."

With their guidance, Cheng Cai was able to continue his journey, but the other party was very experienced. They simply covered his eyes with a black cloth and took him to the roof of the building, so that he could not run away and could not come into contact with other people.

But Cheng Cai was, after all, an incredibly skilled and experienced scout. Although he couldn't see anything as he came up, his ears and nose were very sharp. He silently noted the echoes of footsteps, the smell of engine oil in the air, and the creaking iron gate at the corner.

These details sketched a clear roadmap in his mind.

"Student, you can stay here." When the black cloth was lifted, the blinding sunlight made Cheng Cai squint.

He found himself on an empty concrete platform, surrounded by makeshift cubicles made of waterproof tarpaulin.

Folding tables and chairs were placed in the corner, and sure enough, there was bottled water and bread on the table.

"Thanks~" Cheng Cai smiled憨厚ly, but his fingers secretly reached for the miniature signal transmitter in his pocket.

This thing, disguised as a USB flash drive, was specially prepared by Chen Jiang for the exercise. It has two functions: first, it allows Chen Jiang's individual communication system to see his precise location; second, it can transmit information via Morse code by pressing the button on it.

But now he can't see what's going on outside. Is this really the Red Army's command post? If so, which building, which floor, and which location is it in?
There are several of them here!
Their drones are limited in number, so accurate intelligence is essential for a single, decisive strike!

He appeared to be studying diligently, but in reality, he was worried about how to get rid of the sentry guarding him, who was watching him intently.

If you can't defeat them in one move, they might call for their comrades down the next flight of stairs, where there are two of them.

Just when he was at his wit's end, a huge engine roar suddenly came from afar.

tank!

At least one tank platoon has arrived.

good chance!
Cheng Cai suddenly went berserk, took a sidestep, and chopped the sentry's carotid artery with precision.

“Comrade, you’ve already passed out. I’ve held back. I hope you’ll follow the exercise rules and not make any noise,” Cheng Cai said smugly to the dumbfounded Red Army sentry.

The other person's eyes were full of resentment.
He had been careless; he hadn't expected this kid to play dumb and take advantage of him! But it was too late to say anything now. According to the exercise rules, he had indeed been knocked unconscious, and the other party had really shown mercy; otherwise, he would have been seriously injured. So now he could only stand by and stare at the other party with the angrier look in his eyes.

Cheng Cai had no time to pay attention to an enemy who had already "passed out." He quickly walked to the side and looked down through the gap in the waterproof black cloth. Sure enough, a tank company had arrived, and without exception, they all stopped in the square below the building across the street, with their dark cannons pointing outwards.

It seems we should protect this place.

As the final moments approached, the Red Army commanders dared not be careless.

Cheng Cai estimated that this was most likely the Red Army's command post, but he needed to pinpoint its exact location. The missile battalion's weapons lacked the ability to penetrate underground, making their firepower ineffective against reinforced concrete fortifications like this, unless...
Unless it's in the basement!
Cheng Cai smiled; he must be there!
Thinking of this, he immediately took out the signal transmitter and quickly pressed the button.
Chen Jiang had been keeping a close eye on Cheng Cai's situation. With the Morse code Cheng Cai sent being translated, Chen Jiang was basically able to pinpoint the location of the Red Army's command post.

But sending out drones now is extremely risky. The other side has so many people, they're not blind, surely they can see this thing flying over.

This is when Pang Chenggong's troops need to be deployed!

He immediately contacted the Blue Army command via satellite phone, ordering the missile battalion to provide fire coverage to the target building, and to launch the limited missiles in three batches in sequence!

Cheng Guoqiang and Pang Chenggong were both puzzled by this, because with so few missiles, even a single strike might not be enough to penetrate the basement of such a building, and now they were asking them to attack the square? And in batches?
Is this a "beheading" or just a tickle?
But Chen Jiang didn’t have time to explain further. He simply asked Cheng Guoqiang to believe in himself, as this was the only chance to turn the tide!

Cheng Guoqiang had no other choice. His defenses were nearing their limit, and the Red Army's general offensive was imminent. In his command post, apart from a few close confidants, almost everyone had shown pessimism about the situation.

"Chen Jiang, don't let me down! Don't let Commander Gao down!" Cheng Guoqiang emphasized Commander Gao here to remind him of his status. You are not only the company commander of the A Brigade, but also my trump card, Gao Jianjun's nephew-in-law!
Chen Jiang understood the hidden meaning in Cheng Guoqiang's words, and he firmly stated, "Please rest assured, sir, I will certainly live up to your mission!"

Cheng Guoqiang wanted to hear those words, so he turned to Pang Chenggong and ordered, "Execute! Do as this kid says! We'll fight however he wants!"

With the coordinates provided by Chen Jiang, Pang Chenggong's missile unit quickly drove out of the bunker. In fact, they had been hiding in underground bunkers to prevent Red Army air raids. As soon as they came out, they immediately adjusted the firing parameters, and several surface-to-surface missiles roared out.

The exercise judging panel immediately ruled that the guard force defending the Red Army command post had lost more than half of its troops and that half of the tanks needed to be withdrawn from the battlefield. This prompted the Red Army's deputy commander-in-chief, Sun, to curse loudly.

"What are you all doing? You actually got blown up by this guy's missile! If this place wasn't so sturdy, would his missile have hit us here?"

"The Blue Army has run out of tricks with this missile barrage; it won't cause us much damage," one of the officers commented.

He was telling the truth; this was actually the Blues' final blow.

Everyone knows that the Blue Team's biggest asset is this missile unit, and the fact that it's now being used proves that the Blue Team has run out of options!

At this point, as long as you stay in the basement, there will be no risk.

While the Red Army command was still debating, the Blue Army's second wave of missiles arrived unexpectedly.

With a deafening explosion, smoke and dust billowed outside, and the judging panel ruled once again that the Red Army's square guard force no longer existed.

All troops retreated into the building's basement to avoid further missile attacks.

Although it's a bit crowded and cramped, everyone can see that hiding here is definitely safer than being hit by a missile outside.

Moreover, good news finally came from the front lines: the air force had detected the location of the Blue Army's missile units, and the JH-7 fighter-bombers had gone to the target area to carry out ground bombing operations.

Pang Chenggong was not unaware of the harm of being exposed to the elements for so long and continuously launching missiles, but he couldn't care less about that now, because Cheng Guoqiang had given him a death order: he had to do as Chen Jiang asked, even if it meant risking everything.

Therefore, when he had fired all his missiles in the last round, he was truly helpless against the JH-7's ground attack. He could only send his best wishes to Chen Jiang, hoping that he could create a miracle.

Pang Chenggong's missile force was wiped out, which gave Chen Jiang an opportunity. After the Red Army's outer guard force was destroyed or retreated into the building, Chen Jiang's drone bombing force finally set off.

Using the swirling dust as cover, they quickly reached the basement and filed in through the ventilation ducts.

Except for one aircraft that crashed and lost contact while turning a corner, all the others successfully flew to the destination command center.

Through the monitoring probe on the drone, Chen Jiang finally saw the entire interior of the Red Army command post for the first time.

"What is this?"

"I don't know. I've never seen it."

"Oh no, could this be the Blue Team's secret weapon?"

"Oh my god, there's a bomb underneath!"

By this time, some people had already realized that what was placed under the drone was definitely a small bomb!

Therefore, they shouted in despair, and some of the bolder ones began to draw their guns and fire.

But Chen Jiang, through precise maneuvering, flew straight to the top of Deputy Commander Sun's head.

Just as everyone in the Red Army command post began to fire, the chief referee, Gao Jianjun, who was also the highest commander of this exercise, broadcast to the Red Army through a loudspeaker: The Blue Army has successfully "decapitated" the enemy! The exercise is over!

In the Blue Team's command post, there was a moment of silence, followed by a burst of celebration. Cheng Guoqiang was so excited that he jumped and danced like a child, making it impossible to tell that he was a senior colonel.

In contrast, the officers in the Red Army command post were staring intently at the drone hovering above their heads.
"Why? Why was we ruled the loser? This is unfair!" Deputy Commander Sun cried out in grievance.

(End of this chapter)