Changjin Lake: From Xinxingli to Seoul

Chapter 347 Successful Repentance! Never Abandon, Never Give Up! The Iron Will of the Fifth Logistics Regiment!!!

Inside the ambush zone, on the command vehicle of the US 2nd Division.
"Sir, good news!"

The air force support we secured has arrived!

They'll be here in a few minutes to bombard the enemy forces blocking our sides and help us retreat!

The chief of staff of the 2nd Infantry Division said with delight as he held the telegram.

"No! Tell them the objective has changed; don't bomb the enemy forces blocking both sides."

Division Commander Kaiser frowned and thought for a few seconds before speaking.

"Why not bomb the enemy forces blocking both sides? Are we going to bomb the pursuing Chinese 7th Steel Corps?"

The chief of staff of the US 2nd Division scratched his head and asked.

"Split half of them to bomb the Chinese Steel Seventh Brigade chasing behind, and half to search for possible reinforcements or new ambush points of the Chinese army ahead."

Division Commander Kaiser looked at the battle map and said with a smile.

"this……

"Commander, I understand bombing the Chinese 7th Steel Brigade behind them, but bombing Chinese reinforcements and new ambush sites during the search... could it be new intelligence?"

Upon hearing this, the chief of staff of the U.S. Second Division asked with a hint of doubt.

"There was no intelligence, not because I was particularly smart, but because we were beaten so badly."

After three consecutive ambushes, even a fool should be careful about what's coming next, right?
Look at the blocking forces on both sides. They are clearly not elite troops, and their numbers are not large. Why do they dare to fight to the death to block us?
Since it was a pre-arranged ambush, they must have known that these troops were insufficient to stop us.

So there's only one truth: they have a backup plan.

I don't know whether it's elite reinforcements coming to help or a new ambush site.

We can only leave it to the air force. Let them search thoroughly and bomb it as soon as they find it.

This matter concerns the survival of the Second Division. Please, for the sake of the United States of America, give them a hand..."

Division Commander Kaiser sighed and said with a wry smile.

Against the backdrop of the red glow of distant artillery fire, the commander who had vowed to annihilate the Chinese Steel Seventh Brigade appeared to have aged ten years in an instant.

"Yes, sir!"

Upon hearing this, the chief of staff of the U.S. Second Division immediately agreed.

..........................................

Shortly after, inside the Bald Eagle One fighter jet
Hahahahahaha...

General Kaiser seems to be in real trouble, and he's even asking us to put in more effort to help him out.

Guys, let's do everything we can to help him this time.

Number Two, you will lead the second squadron of fifty fighter planes to bomb the Chinese 7th Steel Corps that is pursuing the US 2nd Division.

I personally led a squadron of fifty fighter planes to search for and bomb those damned Chinese reinforcements and new ambush sites.

Harris said with a laugh into the radio.

Inside the White Eagle II fighter jet

"Received, Harris."

Jack responded expressionlessly.

"Be careful, Jack. The Chinese Air Force isn't as weak as it used to be."

After all, that Chinese man named Wu Wanli had previously established a Soviet-supplied MiG fighter jet production line in World War I.

Although they were still lagging behind, at least they had domestically produced fighter jets in service, so their number of fighter jets increased significantly.

If things don't go well, leave and join us. Don't be stubborn.

I hope that after I return to China, I'll have the chance to eat steak and drink red wine with you again.

Before leaving, Harris couldn't help but give him some advice.

Inside the White Eagle II fighter jet

"Thank you for your concern, Harris, but please don't say things like that next time."

Those characters in the movie who talked about what they would do after going back all seem to be dead.

Jack's face twitched as he responded into the radio.

Inside the White Eagle II fighter jet

"Jack, you really know how to ruin the atmosphere of camaraderie. Well, good luck."

Harris, both amused and exasperated, pulled the control stick, accelerating the flight into the distance.

The two US Air Force formations split into two groups, one heading towards the main force of Wu Wanli's Steel Seventh Brigade.

A force of 2,000 elite soldiers from the Fifth Logistics Regiment, which had been successfully dispatched to provide support, flew directly towards the area.

....................................

In the distance from the ambush zone, the elite main force of the 1st Battalion of the 5th Logistics Regiment, numbering nearly two thousand men, was rapidly traversing a valley covered with thick snow and ice.

The ice beneath their feet occasionally cracked with a startling "crack," splashing up icy muddy water.

The cotton hats and shoulders of these Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers were already covered with white frost formed from their breath.

Their faces were etched with the exhaustion of a long journey, but deep within their eyes burned a flame that seemed ready to burst forth.

“Buzz buzz buzz buzz——”

In an instant, the roar of US fighter jets filled the air.

Successfully, he looked up instantly, his gaze like a sharp blade tempered by fire, piercing straight to the horizon, where he instantly saw a row of small black dots in the distance.

"Take cover! It's an airplane! Everyone lie down and take cover!"

He successfully let out a roar, his voice carrying a metallic, tearing quality that instantly pierced the cold wind of the valley.

His body reacted faster than his voice, and he suddenly fell downwards, crashing heavily into the mud and gravel covered with a thin layer of snow. The icy mud instantly soaked through the front of his military uniform.

Almost at the same moment he fell, the entire valley felt as if it were being slapped hard by an invisible giant hand.

The massive force of two thousand Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers suddenly shrunk, their movements becoming almost instinctively synchronized.

A suffocatingly heavy thud followed by a few barely audible, faint sounds of teeth chattering.

The figure crawled on the ground, trying to shrink into the shadows of the boulders and icy cliffs on both sides of the valley, blending into the outline of the rugged rock walls and snow-covered bushes.

The volunteer soldiers held their breath, and the entire valley fell into a deathly silence before a storm, with only the pounding of their hearts echoing violently in their chests.

The icy cold water of the stream soaked through my clothes, and the chill felt like countless steel needles piercing my bones.

Successfully, he dug his hands into the cold, slippery mud beneath him, his fingertips aching from the sharp pebbles.

He strained to turn his head, pressing his ear against the cold rocks by the stream, holding his breath to discern every subtle change coming from the air.

The roar of the Death Engine suddenly became enormous, like a giant metal millstone slowly grinding against the sky overhead.

Success suddenly sank his heart, and he raised his head slightly, with great difficulty and extreme slowness.

Through the gaps between several jagged boulders ahead, a squadron of warplanes, gleaming with a cold, menacing light, clearly entered the field of vision on the gray horizon.

They seemed to deliberately slow down the death sentence of the fleeing people, circling slowly in the air, one after another, in a huge fan shape.

"Commander Harris, there are signs of heavy movement in the valley to the southwest. It looks like a sizable force!"

The direction... it's moving towards the canyon battlefield we just bombed!

Harris heard a clear and urgent report from his wingman in his earpiece.

Harris's cold, hard lips tightened slightly, and his sharp eyes behind his sunglasses scanned the area indicated by his wingman.

At the bottom of the wide valley, covered with remnants of snow and ice, one can indeed see many blurry but clearly recent trampling marks.

The trail stretched along the winding icy stream, pointing in the direction where a fierce battle was taking place.

He narrowed his eyes, pushed down the control stick, and the fighter jet plummeted downwards, making a second dangerous low-altitude circle around the valley.

"Lower the altitude and get a clearer view."

Harris's command was concise and powerful, and a muffled engine response immediately filled the radio.

A tremendous roar of air swept overhead like rolling thunder, and the scorching air jets from the fighter jet engines slammed into the ground.

A strong wind suddenly whipped up sand, gravel, and withered grass, lashing the faces of the soldiers who were pressed close to the ground, and even uprooting some of the low-lying withered grass.

Success is so good that you can almost see the pilot's shadow in the cockpit.

He endured the dizziness from looking up too much and the throbbing pain in his eardrums from the airflow, his body as still as a rock nailed to the ground.

Only the knuckles of the tightly clenched fist had completely lost their color due to excessive force.

Harris's plane flew close to a row of tall, jagged rock walls, with its wings only a few dozen feet from the edge of the rocks.

Inside the cabin, the young observer in the back seat leaned almost half his body out, his high-powered binoculars scanning every suspicious shadowy corner of the valley below.

Cold sweat seeped from Chenggong's forehead, slid down his mud-covered temples, gathered into drops on his chin, and then silently fell into the mud at his feet.

Time seemed to freeze, each second feeling like being seared on a hot iron.

After a few minutes of reconnaissance that felt like an eternity.

"Sir, no obvious human silhouette has been found below..."

Could those traces be stragglers from the US 2nd Division who managed to escape, or... have we misjudged the situation?

The observer in the back seat sounded hesitant and uncertain, as if he was also beginning to waver in his previous judgment.

A faint static crackled over the radio, and none of the observers reported a clear sighting of the target.

Harris tightened his grip on the joystick, a hint of impatience creeping into his heart.

Kaiser, that old guy, was getting beaten up by the Chinese back home, and his request has now become a hot potato.

We cannot make a wasted trip, and we cannot leave any potential dangers to our retreating army brothers.

The thought of "better to kill a hundred innocent people than let one guilty person go free" flashed through my mind.

"Whether there's anyone there or not, we'll find out by trying."

Let's drop a few incendiary bombs and see. If someone gets burned, they'll definitely move. If no one gets burned, we can just leave without wasting too much ammunition.

After all, we have a limited amount of ammunition, and we can't afford to waste it all at once.

Harris's cold, hard voice came clearly through the radio into the headsets of every wingman pilot.

In an instant, the screeching of the US military aircraft engines suddenly rose!
The metal eagles above the valley suddenly changed formation, like ruthless mechanical predators, their wings sweeping back slightly to adjust their dive angle.

"call out------------"

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!!!"

The sharp, ear-piercing whistling sound of the falling object tore through the deathly silence of the valley!

The next second, a terrifying roar, like a landslide, exploded in the narrow valley!

The first napalm bomb landed precisely at the bend in the downstream stream, just a few dozen meters from the rearguard position of the main force of the battalion led by Chenggong!

With a deafening roar, a blindingly bright light exploded in my eyes!

Immediately afterwards, hellfire, so bright orange-red it seemed otherworldly, shot into the sky!

That wasn't ordinary flame; it was a large mass of burning, solidified fat, violently spewing and surging like a living thing, carried by a powerful shockwave!
They splashed out at high speed with the intense heat of death, slamming hard onto the icy stream, the gravelly beach covered with a thin layer of snow, and the low but tough withered grass and thorn bushes!
"Sizzle—hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss—!"

The flames did not go out instantly when they touched the wet, cold surface of the stream!

The eerie and terrifying sound of intense burning was like a deadly wave formed by countless venomous snakes!
The scorching heatwave, carrying the intense heat that could incinerate everything and the pungent stench of burnt rubber and plastic, crashed outwards like a tidal wave.

The stream water was instantly boiled, vaporized, and rose into a large, eerie, and distorted white mist!
The underwater rocks were crackling and popping as they were heated, like popping beans!
The air was distorted and deformed by the extreme heat, and everything in sight was shaking and steaming!

The flames, like devilish vines, spread rapidly to both sides along the water, withered grass, and rock walls!
Immediately afterwards, the second, the third... the dive attacks of the fighter jets came one after another!

More incendiary bombs, like raindrops from the Grim Reaper, slammed down on the icy stream, the low-lying area near the vanguard of the Success Battalion, and the rocky beach covered with sparse withered grass and moss in the middle section, accompanied by deathly whistles!
boom! boom! boom!
boom! boom!
A series of intense lights, loud noises, and towering flames raged wildly!

The entire winding valley, including its lower reaches, middle section, and area near the front, was instantly transformed into a hellish scene of violently exploding, pale fireballs and murky black smoke!
Flames danced wildly amidst thick smoke, exploding mud and rocks, engulfing everything in their path.

The stones crackled and shattered under the scorching heat, the water in the depths of the stream boiled and churned with large sludge bubbles, and the ice and snow were instantly vaporized without a trace!
The fire spread relentlessly!
Near the front line where he had successfully taken cover, several splattered, burning, viscous gels had already scorched the cotton uniform on the back of Platoon Leader Hu Tiezhu, who was pressed tightly against the ground!

laugh--!
The intense pain felt like a red-hot iron rod suddenly piercing through the nerves!

Hu Tiezhu's body stiffened abruptly, and the muscles on his face instantly twisted and tightened to their limit!
His teeth were deeply embedded in his lower lip, and blood mixed with saliva instantly seeped out, staining the smoke-scorched soil red!
But he clenched his teeth tightly, his throat emitting a low, suppressed "ho...ho..." sound like a wild beast on its deathbed, his body like an iron plate welded to the ground, desperately suppressing his instinctive resistance.

The veins on his forehead bulged out, and the blood vessels seemed to throb wildly under his skin like earthworms!
A few meters ahead, recruit Zhao Xiaoshu was positioned closer to the center of the grenade drop.

Large amounts of burning, viscous substance splashed directly onto a cold rock beside him, producing an even more terrifying sizzling sound!

A wave of high-temperature air rushed over and lifted a corner of the back of his already thin cotton military uniform!
Flames shot up instantly!

Even more horrifying, several pieces of splattered burning material stuck directly to the edge of his exposed cotton military cap and the cotton cloth of his left calf leg wrap!
A small, bright flame rose from the edge of his military cap, licking his ears, which were red from the cold!

The flames on the leg wraps spread rapidly, scorching the skin and flesh beneath the cotton cloth!
The excruciating pain, like being stabbed by countless red-hot needles, instantly overwhelmed him!
Zhao Xiaoshu's body convulsed violently uncontrollably!
His face suddenly swelled into a terrifying purplish-red, his eyeballs almost bulged out of their sockets, his jaw clenched tightly, and his chin trembled violently as he desperately resisted the churning, agonizing screams that threatened to burst his throat!
His fingernails dug deep into the frozen ground beneath him, pebbles embedded in his flesh, and blood stained the soil beneath his fingertips.

"Pfft... Waaah—!"

The veteran Li Shuanzhu next to him was also hit on the shoulder by a piece of burning debris.

Caught off guard, his body instinctively tried to curl up and jump, but only half a scream escaped his throat.

At the critical moment, Chen Dalei, the squad leader who was closest to him, caught a glimpse of his comrade's dangerous tremor almost out of the corner of his eye amidst the thick smoke and swirling heat.

Chen Dalei didn't hesitate at all!
His body, pressed tightly against the ground, remained motionless, while his right hand, hidden at his side, moved with lightning speed, like a venomous snake striking out!

He delivered a powerful punch, slamming it squarely into Li Shuanzhu's curled-up forearm!

Bang!
That punch was dull and powerful!
The sharp pain abruptly interrupted Li Shuanzhu's convulsive reaction, which was about to spiral out of control, and forcefully pushed his muscles back down!
Li Shuanzhu was stunned by this sudden blow, and the words that were about to come out of his throat were crushed.

Only a low, suppressed sob, completely out of tune, squeezed out from between his teeth, tears mixed with sweat and cigarette ash, carving several deep lines on his purplish face.

Chen Dalei quickly withdrew his hand after throwing the punch, his gaze still fixed on the blurry area shrouded in flames, his clenched teeth bleeding.

Deputy Regiment Commander Wang Yousheng was positioned further away from the center of the fire, but his field of vision was just wide enough to barely make out the edge of the core area of ​​the explosion a few dozen meters ahead.

In the midst of the thick smoke and raging fire, amidst the glaring orange-red light dancing in the cracks of the rocks, his pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints!
A new recruit was positioned right next to a cold boulder that had been directly hit by a large incendiary bomb, with most of his body already engulfed in writhing flames!
That wasn't a fire at all; the entire humanoid figure was engulfed in the center of an explosive explosion!
Flames licked and enveloped his curled-up silhouette, clearly outlining an extremely terrifying scene:

The body was rapidly twisting and deforming under the intense heat of the burning fire!
The cotton uniforms of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers turned to ashes in an instant in the flames, revealing the instantly charred flesh beneath, its color rapidly changing from dark red to charred black...

A faint yet piercing crackling sound seemed to emanate from within the flames!
The humanoid figure was still twitching weakly but stubbornly, like a live shrimp thrown into a pot of hot oil!
There were no screams, only the roar of flames licking and devouring!
The stench of flesh being instantly charred and carbonized mingled with the heat and smoke, stubbornly seeping into Wang Yousheng's nostrils!
His eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and his vision was completely blurred by uncontrollable tears!
It's not fear, it's hatred!

I wish I could jump out right now and rip that damn plane down from the sky!
His fingernails dug deep into the cracks in the rock, and his fingertips cracked and bled.

Silent tears mingled with sweat streamed down his face, leaving two clear marks on his smoke-blackened skin.

Success has no turning back, nor can it be turned back.

The silent convulsions and instantly distorted human figures emanating from the core area, along with the lingering stench of burning flesh, were like knives repeatedly cutting into the depths of his heart.

This pain far exceeded the chill of being immersed in the stream and the oppressive roar of the engine overhead.

Lieutenant Colonel Harris piloted his aircraft, circling repeatedly over the valley.

With each low-altitude pass, he carefully scanned the area below, where flames raged and thick smoke billowed.

The incendiary bombs completely ignited the area they covered, turning the entire valley into a boiling cauldron.

The stream water was boiled, and a large amount of hot white steam rose up.

The rocks crackled and popped as they were scorched by the intense fire, crumbling and peeling away.

However, apart from the crackling sounds of the flames and the loud roar of the fighter jets, Harris did not detect any of the panicked flight he had expected.

There were no cries or wails, no figures twisting and running, and not even the exposed outlines of bodies bouncing up in immense pain.

His brows furrowed deeply, forming a deep furrow, and his knuckles unconsciously rubbed against the cold metal control lever.

"Sir?" came the hesitant voice of the wingman over the radio, clearly puzzled by the unusual silence below.

"Lower the altitude! Search again thoroughly!"

Harris's voice was deep and cold, carrying an unquestionable tone of command.

He pressed down on the control stick again, and the fighter jet suddenly dropped down, close to the top of the billowing black smoke. The cannon muzzle under the fuselage slowly rotated, the dark muzzle looking as if it might spew out deadly flames at any moment.

The roar of all the fighter jets in the formation intensified once more, the enormous sound waves pressing down on every inch of the land below, shaking people to the core.

The airflow whipped up by the wings stirred up the thick smoke and lingering ashes on the ground, swirling and rushing into the polluted sky.

A powerful beam of searchlight shot straight out from under the fuselage, repeatedly piercing through the billowing smoke and white mist.

Where the beam of light swept, all that remained was charred blackness and utter silence.

"Sir...no signs of personnel response...no other obvious targets besides burning material..."

"I didn't see it either..."

"No moving object..."

"Confirmation complete... No issues found..."

Reports came from various aircraft one after another, filled with barely suppressed confusion and exhaustion.

Inside the White Eagle I fighter jet
"Let's go then, don't waste time and fuel."

Upon seeing this, Harris immediately gave the order.

In his view, no one could endure the excruciating pain of burning unless they were a god who felt no pain.

"Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz——————"

In an instant, a large number of US warplanes flew away to search more distant areas.

The moment the oppressive feeling, like a giant hammer pounding on his chest, disappeared, Chenggong practically sprang up from the mud, his body instantly steaming with white vapor from the mud and icy water.

"Help! Help!!"

Successfully shouted.

Before he finished speaking, he had already shot off like an arrow into the core area ravaged by incendiary bombs.

Behind them, a large number of elite soldiers, soaked to the bone and covered in mud, silently unleashed astonishing power.

No one gave the order, no one hesitated, and everyone, as if drawn by invisible threads, rushed headlong into that hellish place that had devoured their comrades.

The once orderly and concealed team instantly transformed into hundreds of shadows rushing towards the fire.

The scene before him caused Chenggong, who was charging ahead, to suddenly halt in his tracks. His heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly by an icy hand, and then it began to convulse violently.

Although the flames were weakened by the high-altitude airflow and the cold, wet ground, and did not continue to spread into an endless sea of ​​fire, the stench of burning was so intense that it was suffocating.

Centered around several large craters, a bizarre layer of burning was observed.

At its core, the earth appeared to have been splattered with a thick layer of solidified black asphalt.

Several huge stream stones were burned and cracked, revealing pale, cracked surfaces, hissing out residual hot white smoke.

The air was filled with a nauseating mixture of the sweet caramel aroma unique to high-temperature combustion and the stench of burnt protein.

This core area is almost devoid of human figures.

"Second row! Second row, huh!"

Brother Tiezhu! Old Hu!

A soldier with a face covered in soot was frantically digging at a piece of charred material that had partially melted into the soil at the edge of the core, shouting as he did so.

It was half a charred body, with fragments of a broken rifle stock stuck to it.

His fingers touched the edges of the charred, curled limbs, making a faint cracking sound.

He jerked his hand back as if burned, tears streaming down his face mixed with the black ash and mud, but he made no sound.

Chenggong shuddered violently, his gaze sweeping over the scorched earth of absolute death before quickly turning to the outside.

That area was covered by incendiary bomb splatter, and the situation was equally dire.

Some Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers lay on the edge of the embers that had not yet been completely extinguished, their cotton-padded clothes burned through with large holes, and smoke was still rising from the edges.

Their bodies were curled up, their exposed skin burned a mixture of red and black, covered with huge blisters, many of which burst, revealing pink subcutaneous tissue and oozing viscous bodily fluids.

Some people still had burning bits of food stuck to their clothes, emitting a slight hissing sound and unpleasant fumes.

The medics and nearby soldiers rushed forward, using branches, daggers, their hands, and even their own soaked shirts to try and extinguish the last flames.

Heart-wrenching screams rose and fell, no longer suppressed sobs, but uncontrollable wails as the pain reached its peak.

The cotton cloth clung to the burned flesh, and each forced separation brought new pain and blurred flesh and blood.

The icy cold stream water splashed on the wound triggered new, intense pain and spasms.

The tent at the medical station was quickly erected amidst urgent orders, but the limited first-aid kits contained only a few gauze bandages and precious morphine injections.

The medical team leader, drenched in sweat and pale-faced, stared at the dozen or so severely burned patients screaming and struggling before him. He shouted hoarsely, "Morphine! Quick! One dose for each person!"
If you run out of needles, crush the tube and pour the liquid onto the wound! Save your life first!
Tourniquet! Apply gauze to the bleeding area! Get clean ice! Quickly!!

For a moment, the scene was chaotic and filled with despair.

The piercing screams of the seriously wounded soldiers of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army were mixed with the anxious instructions of the medics and the suppressed sobs of the soldiers.

Chenggong felt surrounded by this wave of despair, each sound like a hammer pounding on his heart.

He forced himself to calm down, his gaze shifting back and forth between the wounded and the charred dead zone, searching for even the slightest glimmer of hope.

He saw the scene not far away below the stream. Several soldiers were carefully surrounding a small, relatively "intact" clearing.

A young figure was carefully dragged away from the wreckage and from the area where the embers of the fire were still burning.

He lay on the ground, his entire back from the back of his neck to his tailbone a charred black, his clothes completely burned away, with only some grayish-white debris clinging to his wounds.

The medic was kneeling beside him, moving with unprecedented gentleness, using a gleaming pair of surgical scissors to carefully cut away the fragments of cotton cloth that were not yet completely burned around his waist and legs.

The rags were stuck to the severely burned flesh and blood tissue on the sides and legs of the body, which had been rolled into the mud and clung together.

As the rag was peeled away, large, gruesome pieces of flesh were torn apart, revealing deep red subcutaneous tissue that could even be seen pulsating slightly.

The medic's hands were trembling, and his breathing was heavy.

The figure convulsed violently and intermittently.

Each time the adhesions were torn apart, the body would jerk violently, and a choking sound would come from the throat.

"Gently! Gently!"

Beside him stood an old soldier whose face was almost obscured by black smoke, his voice hoarse and inhuman.

Suddenly, the wounded soldier saw Cheng Gong squatting beside him, and his right hand, covered in mud and scorch marks, trembled as he grabbed Cheng Gong's wrist!

Upon seeing this, Chenggong suddenly looked down and met a pair of eyes.

A young, even somewhat childish face was blackened by smoke and fire, and dark red blood mixed with black ash continued to flow from the corners of his mouth and nose.

Pain contorted his features, but his eyes, like two sparks rekindled in the ashes, were firmly and unwaveringly fixed on the face of success!

"Commander Cheng..."

Success... Commander..."

Blood and foam blocked his throat, and his voice was weak and hoarse, as if squeezed out from a broken bellows, with each word accompanied by the gurgling sound of churning blood and foam.

Success gripped his heart, and he immediately grasped the cold, rough hand tightly with his free right hand, leaning even lower as he said:
"I'm here! Comrade, I'm here! Hang in there! Medic!"

The medic standing nearby, his eyes red with anxiety, said:

"No! The lungs have been severely burned from inhalation! There must also be injuries to the internal organs on the back and sides of the abdomen! Emergency treatment is necessary, or the patient will suffocate immediately!"

As he spoke, the medic tried to pry open the hand to treat it, but dared not use force.

"Tell……

Tell... Captain Wu...

Although I didn't make it into... into Steel Seven...

But I didn't move an inch, not even when I was dead.

He said he would never abandon or give up... Did I... live up to that?

Successfully felt his eyes instantly covered by heat, and his vision blurred.

He looked at the young face, now etched with the shadow of death, and felt the last strength in that hand. His Adam's apple bobbed violently, a thousand words stuck in his chest, yet he could utter nothing.

Just as he took a deep breath and was about to nod vigorously and say, "You did it, well done!", the hand that had been gripping his wrist tightly suddenly lost all its strength.

Those eyes, which had just been dazzlingly bright, suddenly dispersed the burning light in their pupils, like a faint candle flame extinguished by the wind.

The gaze that had been so focused on success instantly dimmed, turning into a blank, lifeless gray.

The last faint breath of Wang Chen, a soldier of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, ceased.

died.

Silently, before the question could be answered and before he could give it a positive answer, he died.

He did it; he didn't give up until the very last moment of his life, and it didn't affect the entire unit.

He lived out every word he heard from his idol in the most tragic way. But he would never hear the answer he longed for.

Successfully kneeling in the cold mud, looking at that young but broken body, at that slipped hand, a tremendous sense of powerlessness and a chilling sorrow instantly surged into his heart.

"I remember Wang Chen..."

This kid from Shandong loves green beans; he says they taste like the ones from his hometown…

He dreamed of joining the Seventh Steel Brigade, and before the assessment, he practiced until midnight every day...

In the latest assessment for personnel from the Seventh Steel Brigade after the last crossing of the Han River, he lost because of his shooting skills.

He once said that the person he admired most was Captain Wu.

He also said he hoped to perform well later so that he could be exceptionally admitted to the Seventh Steel Brigade and have a word with Captain Wu.

Eh…

Wang Yousheng sighed and said.

After he finished speaking, he turned his face away, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

silence.

A heavy, almost stagnant silence hung over the boiling stream, the groans of the wounded, the shouts of the medics, and the sporadic sounds of explosions in the distance.

Chenggong slowly straightened up, looking down at Wang Chen's young face, frozen between pain and perseverance, a face still bearing a trace of childishness.

The unit "Wang Chen," which in his eyes had once represented only a number and combat power, became incredibly clear and concrete at this moment.

It's not a cold, impersonal name, not just "severely wounded" on a casualty report.

This is a real person with flesh and blood, and with likes and dislikes.

He was a young man from a village in Shandong who loved eating green beans with their unique aroma. Perhaps his family still cherishes photos of him before he joined the army.

This is a young man with dreams and boundless aspirations. He practices hard day and night, just to get one step closer to his role model.

This is a young soldier who, facing death, unleashed astonishing willpower to push his physical limits, all to prove that he deserved the words "Never abandon, never give up."

This is all he had, this is the height he reached by burning his life out of his body.

A heavy surge of emotion, a mixture of endless regret and intense pain, crashed against the chest of success, impacting his understanding of the world.

His previous actions, in the face of these charred corpses, the desperate screams, and Wang Chen's solidified last wish, seem so cold, short-sighted, and even despicable.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings.

The scorched earth, where the embers were not yet completely extinguished, emitted a foul stench, and thick smoke billowed, obscuring the daylight. The seriously wounded, under the limited effects of morphine, were still unconsciously groaning incoherently.

The faces of all the soldiers involved in the rescue were etched with immense grief and an indescribable sense of bewilderment.

Many more people stood silently at the edge of the scorched area, like clay sculptures.

Chief of Staff Li!
Take out one of your notebooks that record group affairs and make a blank space in it.

Let's start from this time, starting with Comrade Wang Chen.

For every comrade who fell for us and for victory, write down their name, hometown, and unit number—if you know them, write them down for me without missing a single one!
Remember this!
Although I am no longer a member of the Seventh Steel Brigade, I will carry on its traditions to the Fifth Logistics Regiment.

He took a deep breath and said, "I have succeeded."

Li Cheng opened his mouth, a look of astonishment and disbelief flashing across his face.

He glanced at Chenggong hesitantly, then his lips moved a few times before he said:

"Commander? You...you said before that we should just fight well and charge ahead."

Other matters, especially... especially things like compiling casualty lists, will naturally be handled by specialized personnel in the rear; there's no need to waste combat time and energy..."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Gong suddenly turned his head, his eyes like two knives tempered with ice and fire, fixed on Li Cheng's face.

The gaze was so sharp that it stopped Li Cheng in his tracks, and he involuntarily took a small step back.

Success didn't come immediately; he just took another deep breath, the cold air mixed with a strong, acrid smell piercing his lungs and bringing a dull pain.

He remained silent for a good two or three seconds, and the entire smoke-filled valley seemed to become even more oppressive because of his silence, with all eyes focused on him.

"I was wrong.

It's not just this mistake..."

Success's throat felt like it was blocked with scalding sand, making each word extremely difficult to utter, his voice low and hoarse yet clearly echoing in the soot.

His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, stirring up huge ripples in the hearts of every soldier who heard it.

The commander... admitted his mistake?

"I made a lot of mistakes, really bad ones!"
Many things...were wrong..."

As Cheng Gong spoke, his gaze shifted from Li Cheng's face, slowly sweeping across the faces of every soldier covered in mud, past the wounded soldiers in pain, and finally landing on Wang Chen's frozen, lifeless face.

Deep within his pupils surged a torrent of pain and a heavy burden of self-reproach.

He said no more. Anything he said would be a futile excuse.

He successfully raised his arm and, with all his might, used his rough, muddy, and blood-stained sleeve to wipe his face.

It's unclear whether what was being wiped away was sweat, mud, or the tears that couldn't be contained.

The sleeve brushed against her cheek, leaving a deeper stain.

All the regret, pain, and self-blame have now transformed into a more resolute strength.

He straightened his back, and a heavy, steel-like force flowed into his spine.

"What are you all standing there for!"
Soldiers with minor injuries should immediately transfer seriously wounded soldiers with the medics!
Find a place to temporarily settle down! Hurry!
Everyone else, objective—take the high ground!! Run!! Get running, you bastards!!!
Go and support our comrades! We must not let the blood of our fallen comrades be shed in vain!

"Get to the top! Take the high ground! Crush all those American devils blocking our way!!!"

Successfully raised his voice abruptly, no longer displaying the complex emotions of before, but instead exuding the resolute determination and murderous intent of a thousand troops charging forward, his sharp gaze sweeping across the entire exhausted ranks as he roared.

In the brief silence, only the distant, thunderous roar of artillery fire served as the background.

The next second—

"Yes!"

His response was a deafening roar from the soldiers of the Fifth Logistics Regiment!

(End of this chapter)