Not enough Japanese devils to kill? 1.4 billion people volunteer for the Battle of Shanghai.

"All soldiers and wounded of the 02nd Brigade have moved to their designated positions." Gu Yunshan's voice rang out on Liu Xing's position.

Su Yue nodded, her gaze fixed on the yellowish-brown tide.

"The Japanese are about to open fire!"

Upon hearing this, the Chinese soldiers on Liu Xing's position instinctively lowered their bodies.

Over three days and three nights, they were driven to instinct; they would lie down at the sound of artillery shells, grip their guns tightly at the sound of tanks, and grit their teeth at the sound of Japanese soldiers howling.

But this time was different. They huddled behind the four Qilin tanks, hiding behind those steel behemoths.

The tank's gun barrel rose, pointing towards the surging black sea. The phased-array radar on the hull had already begun to rotate, silently, like the eyes of some living creature, vigilantly scanning all directions.

Su Yue sat in the turret of vehicle number 104, her finger resting on the fire button. Her eyes were fixed on the fire control screen, where countless dots of light flickered.

—That's a target detected by the radar of the GL-5 active protection system. Within 100 meters, any incoming shell will be detected, tracked, and intercepted.

Her figure continued: "GL-5 ​​is activated. Four tanks, protective netting connected, system activated."

The Japanese artillery bombardment began.

It wasn't sporadic; it was overwhelming. More than thirty field guns and dozens of mortars opened fire simultaneously.

Shells rained down from the sky, tracing countless arcs, like a black, deathly rain.

Standing atop a tank, Yamamuro Munetake held up binoculars, a ferocious smile playing on his lips. He waited to see the shells land on the Chinese positions, to see those gray-blue figures blasted into the air, to see Liu Xing engulfed in flames.

Japanese artillery shells flew over, trailing sharp whistles, and crashed straight towards Liu Xing's position.

Its target is the Kirin Tank.

The GL-5's phased array radar detected the shell when it entered the 100-meter range.

Detection, identification, and locking—in less than 0.1 seconds. The fire control computer rapidly calculates the projectile's speed, direction, and trajectory, and sends an ignition command.

The interceptor missile launcher on the side of the tank turret instantly fired small interceptor missiles. These missiles shot towards the incoming shells at a speed that was almost impossible to follow with the naked eye, and met the shells less than ten meters away from the vehicle.

The interceptor missile exploded. A flash of light from the explosion streaked through the air.

The Japanese artillery shells detonated in mid-air, exploding into fireballs. Shrapnel flew everywhere, and smoke filled the air, but—the Qilin tank remained completely still.

In the trench, Chen Xiaogou lay on the ground, covering his ears with his hands. He heard the whistling of shells and thought he was about to be bombed again.

But the explosion didn't come from the ground; it came from the sky. He looked up and saw a fireball explode next to the tank.

His mouth was open, his eyes were wide open, and his mind was blank.

"What...what happened?" he murmured.

The veteran next to him was also stunned, his mouth agape, wide enough to fit an egg. "I don't know... that tank... shot the shell down by itself?"

Immediately afterwards, the Japanese launched a second round of artillery fire.

But the GL-5 had no blind spots, and the interceptor missile was launched again.

boom--!!

The Japanese mortar shells exploded in the air, and shrapnel rained down on the tank's armor, clanging and clattering like hail hitting sheet metal.

But the tank remained completely still.

Zhao Desheng lay prone in the trench, clutching his QBU-202 sniper rifle. He was watching, watching the shells explode in the sky after being intercepted by missiles, watching the fireballs bloom around the tanks. His mouth was open, his eyes were wide, and his lips were trembling.

"Good heavens..." he muttered, "This is... a god, isn't it..."

The shells came in more and more frequent and denser, raining down like a storm, one after another, in swathes.

The screams, explosions, and shattering sounds blended together, like a death march.

But the GL-5's radar was spinning wildly, and all the incoming shells were intercepted within ten meters of the tank and exploded in mid-air.

Fireballs burst forth around the tank, like fireworks, like shooting stars, like a grand dance of steel and fire.

As the dance ended, Su Yue's voice rang out.

"Lei Gang, Lu Bei, Lin Mo, we're running out of small interceptor missiles."

"However, our goal was to get the Japanese troops forward and into their maximum lethal range."

"Now, the range is within the reach of truth."

"It's time to send the Japanese devils on their way."

"High-altitude high-explosive shells, alloy armor-piercing shells, thermobaric cloud shells."

"Let's use every type of ammunition to give the Japanese a good whack!"