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

On the surface of the Yangtze River, the six-person Rocket Force team led by Jiang Xingchen drifted downstream like six fallen leaves that had lost their momentum.

It's not that they're powerless to struggle, it's that they've voluntarily given up resisting.

They stretched out their bodies, minimizing their surface area exposed to the current, letting the river, flowing at three meters per second, carry them towards the opposite bank.

Three hundred meters.

500 meters.

800 meters.

"What are they doing?" On the observation platform, the young staff officer finally couldn't help but point at the screen and ask, "Have they given up? Why are they drifting further and further away?"

The footage transmitted by the drone showed that Jiang Xingchen's team had drifted nearly a kilometer downstream, far beyond the pre-planned crossing area.

General Wang Kangmei leaned forward slightly, his hands resting on the railing.

"They're utilizing the water flow," Wang Kangmei finally spoke, her voice carrying an almost gratified approval.

"In this section of the Yangtze River, the surface current is three meters per second, but there are undercurrents, whirlpools, and backwaters underwater."

He pointed to the position of Jiang Xingchen's team on the screen:

"They drifted downstream, not to escape."

"It's to find a suitable location—"

Before he could finish speaking...

On the screen, one kilometer downstream, Jiang Xingchen's team suddenly moved.

The six people almost simultaneously flipped over, changing from floating downstream to paddling sideways.

They began their crossing.

At that moment, their position was exactly on the flank of the machine gun positions on the opposite bank.

"The firepower density on the flanks is half that of the front," Wang Kangmei continued. "This Jiang Xingchen is quite intelligent."

Meanwhile, on the opposite bank, on the mudflats, at the machine gun positions.

The gunfire never stopped.

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat—! ! !

The explosions of blank rounds were continuous, and the flames spewing from the muzzles were particularly dazzling in the morning mist.

The spent cartridge cases rained down like gold from the ejection port, clattering as they landed on the sandbags and in the dirt.

On the right flank of the landing beach position, a soldier with a "shot in the leg" crawled up to his firing position.

Unable to stand, he lay prone, rested the gun on a sandbag, aimed with one eye, and pulled the trigger.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Single-shot bursts are incredibly accurate.

On the river, red smoke rose from the helmet of a soldier crossing the river—he had been shot in the head.

The soldier grinned and smiled.

"The third one!"

But he laughed too soon.

The next second, the sandbag next to him suddenly exploded. It wasn't a real explosion, but the paint from the marking bullets splattered all over him.

The referee's voice rang out: "Right wing small forward, 'dead'."

The soldier was stunned for a moment, then slammed his fist on the ground and cursed, but still obediently put down his gun and lay flat.

According to the rules, you must remain in a downed state after being "killed".

Another soldier next to him immediately took his place, picked up his gun, and continued firing.

No one backed down.

No one complained.

Because they are "enemy forces".

Because they were unable to participate in the selection.

Therefore, they need to select everyone who is eligible to participate in the selection process.

Go all out against them.

At that moment, a young soldier with his face covered in camouflage paint ran from the left flank, a red cloth strap tied around his left arm.

According to the rules, this means "shot in the arm" and cannot be used.

But he held the gun in his right hand, the butt tucked under his arm, and ran while shouting:

"Company Commander! The left flank is falling! Casualties are too high!"

Xu Le was lying behind a heavy machine gun when he heard the sound and turned his head.

The scar on his face was now almost invisible, obscured by sweat, paint, and dirt, but his eyes shone with an alarming brightness.

"We have to hold on, even if we can't!" Xu Le's voice boomed, drowning out the gunfire. "What are we?!"

The young soldier paused for a second, then stood at attention: "Report! 3rd Company, Special Operations Brigade, Eastern Theater Command!"

"What's the mission?!"

"Play the role of 'enemy troops' and obstruct their crossing of the river!"

"Then what are you waiting for?!" Xu Le shoved aside the machine gunner's assistant, who had already been "shot" in the chest and should have been "killed" according to the rules.

Xu Le gripped the gun handle.

"Load!"

A screeching sound—the scraping of metal against metal.

The ammunition belt is loaded into the chamber.

Xu Le pulled the trigger.

The heavy machine gun roared in his hands, its barrel vibrating wildly, spewing out a continuous tongue of fire half a meter long from its muzzle.

Da da da da da da—! ! !

Bullets rained down on the river like water.

Its imposing presence was so fierce, it was as if one person were guarding the entire river.

Water splashed up on the river surface—those were the bullet impact points.

People kept stopping and raising their hands to indicate they had been shot.

But many more are moving forward.

They're working desperately.

In the icy cold river water, amidst a hail of bullets, they inching closer to the mudflats.

Meanwhile, Lin Yun's squadron from the Air Force had not yet set off.

Lin Yun stood on the edge of the reeds on the north bank, with her five team members behind her. Their light gray air force training uniforms almost blended into the gray-white mist.

"Captain," one of the team members couldn't help but ask, "Aren't we going into the water yet?"

Lin Yun's gaze swept over his team members, and he countered, "We're from the Air Force, why would we go into the water?"

The team members were taken aback.

Lin Yun then asked, "Let me ask you again, what does the air force rely on to fight?"

One team member answered, "Air superiority? Aircraft?"

"It's about vision, perspective, and thinking outside the box," Lin Yun interrupted him, pointing to the woods behind them.

"Even without airplanes, we still have our hands and our brains. See those poplar trees? Their wood is tough and has good buoyancy."

The team members looked in the direction she was pointing, and their eyes gradually lit up.

"Captain, you mean...?"

"Build a ship," Lin Yun said decisively.

"The rules only restrict 'items to be brought in,' and do not say that you cannot make tools using materials on site."

After speaking, Lin Yun issued the order swiftly and decisively without waiting for his teammates to reply:

"Zhang Liang (the mechanic), you'll take two people and be in charge of material selection and the main structure. The structure doesn't need to be complicated; a rectangular frame is fine. The key is to make sure it's securely tied."

"yes!"

"Zhao Shu (aviation electronics operator), you are in charge of collecting the 'rope'."

"yes!"

Air Force personnel usually fly planes.

But building a simple boat in a critical situation is not a problem.

Soon, a simple boat about four meters long and two meters wide appeared in the river.

"Get on the ship." Lin Yun uttered two words and stepped onto the ship first.

The five team members quickly followed and took their positions.

At this moment, Lin Yun stood at the very front, as if she were standing on the nose of her fighter jet.

"Target: landing point on the flank of the mudflats. Use the current to maintain formation, row!" Lin Yun's voice was clear and powerful in the river breeze.

The boats cut through the river, heading diagonally toward the opposite bank, toward the flames of war, at a steady and resolute speed.

The Thunder Bear team had been swimming for twenty minutes in the middle of the Yangtze River.

The five men were already exhausted. They had to contend with the icy 16-degree river water and dodge machine gun fire, swimming a winding, circuitous route that covered at least a third more distance than a straight line.

The five people were nearing their physical limits.

In the river, Li Huai pushed up his glasses, the lenses of which were covered in water droplets. He wiped them hard, but they quickly became fogged up again.

Wang Jin followed at the back of the group.

The demolition expert maintained his efficient and silent swimming style, but his pale face and slightly trembling fingers indicated that he was also nearing his limit.

"Lei Xiong... slow down..." Jin Sheng shouted from behind, his voice already hoarse beyond recognition.

Lei Xiong, this 1.95-meter-tall man, was like a real raging bear in the water. Every stroke was done with all his might, the muscles in his shoulders and back taut and clearly defined underwater, splashing water more than a meter high.

But he also started to pant heavily. Even the strongest person would get tired after struggling in the icy rapids for twenty minutes.

Hearing Jin Sheng's shout, Lei Xiong turned his head to see if his teammates were still there and if they could keep up.

Then he saw it.

I saw that boat drifting downstream on the river.

ferry?

Lei Xiong was stunned.

He blinked, wondering if he was hallucinating due to hypothermia.

But the ship is still there.

And it's getting closer and closer.

He could even see the people standing on the bow of the ship.

The light gray training uniform was soaked through, but the soldier stood ramrod straight.

It's Lin Yun.

"Holy shit!!!" Lei Xiong roared with all his might.

The shout startled the team members behind him.

Jin Sheng, Li Huai, and Wang Jin all turned to look.

Then they saw it too.

I saw the simple but effective wooden raft.

They saw Lin Yun standing at the bow of the ship.

On the raft, they saw five other air force members paddling vigorously with tree branches as oars.

Five people, five pairs of eyes, all staring wide-eyed.

Jin Sheng stared, speechless for a long time: "This...this is fucking..."

Li Huai pushed up his glasses forcefully. Although the lenses were completely wet, he still leaned closer to see if it was a mirage...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Yangtze River, Zhou Zhenhai's team is advancing according to plan.

Eight people, maintaining a perfect wedge formation.

Zhou Zhenhai is at the tip, like the tip of a dagger, cleaving through the water.

They chose a clever route that avoided the machine gun's main field of fire.

Slow, but steady.

"I told you, the binoculars were useful," Zhou Zhenhai said to his teammates behind him as he swam, his voice brimming with undisguised pride. "Look at the other teams, they only found the firing point halfway through their swim—too late!"

The team members echoed in agreement:

"Captain is awesome!"

"Our captain is brilliant and courageous!"

"Follow the captain, and we'll get through!"

Zhou Zhenhai enjoyed this feeling.

This feeling of having everything under control.

He picked up the binoculars hanging around his neck, intending to take another good look at the other side and solidify his "wise image".

The telescope was held up to my eyes.

Adjust the focus.

Then, Zhou Zhenhai's hand froze.

A ship appeared in the telescope's field of view.

A... ship?

He blinked.

Adjust the focus again.

The ship was clearer now.

The frame was simple, the bindings crude, but the structure was sturdy. Six people stood on the boat, all dressed in light gray Air Force training uniforms.

The one on the bow of the ship—

It's Lin Yun.

Zhou Zhenhai: "???"

He put down the binoculars and rubbed his eyes.

Look again.

The ship is still there.

Lin Yun is still here.

Even an air force member on the raft waved in his direction.

Zhou Zhenhai opened his mouth as if to say something, but no sound came out.

His teammates behind him were still waiting for his "wise instructions":

"Captain, what's wrong? Did you see something?"

"Have you discovered a new firing position?"

"Captain, speak quickly!"

Zhou Zhenhai slowly turned his head to look at his teammates.

His expression was complicated.

Three parts shock, three parts confusion, and four parts self-doubt.

"I..." he began, his voice a little dry, "I might... be an idiot."

Team members: "???"

"Captain, what did you say?"

Zhou Zhenhai did not explain.

He handed the binoculars to the nearest team member: "See for yourself."

The team member took the binoculars and held them up to his eyes.

Three seconds later.

"Holy crap!!!"

This roar was even louder than Lei Xiong's "Holy crap!"

The other team members grabbed the binoculars and took turns looking through them.

Then, the team of eight fell into a collective silence in the water.

Only the sound of the flowing river could be heard.

Only the faint sound of gunfire could be heard in the distance.

After a long while, one of the team members murmured:

"Captain... are we still... wise?"

Zhou Zhenhai did not answer; he had fallen into deep self-doubt.

Am I really wise?

Am I really that awesome?

I'm probably a fucking idiot.

One kilometer downstream of the Yangtze River, Jiang Xingchen's team had just completed their crossing.

"Captain, by using the principle of tides, we've saved a lot of effort!" one of the team members said excitedly.

Another team member immediately chimed in, his voice filled with admiration: "Captain is amazing! He figured out the tidal principle in such a short time! His knowledge is incredible!"

"As expected of the captain, so wise and capable!" the third team member shouted, giving Jiang Xingchen a thumbs up.

Jiang Xingchen smiled.

He truly enjoyed this feeling—the feeling of crushing his opponents with knowledge, calculation, and wisdom.

He turned his head and looked at the river.

They wanted to see the miserable state of the other teams struggling in the river, to see their pathetic state, so as to highlight their own "brilliance".

Then he saw it.

I saw the boat going downstream.

They saw Lin Yun standing at the bow of the ship.

Jiang Xingchen's smile froze on her face.

"I..." He opened his mouth.

"I..." He opened his mouth again.

"I-I-I-I-I-I—" he finally managed to utter a sound, but he stammered.

"--Depend on."

His teammates behind him also saw the boat.

Then, the six people froze in shock.

"Captain..." one of the team members muttered, "This...it actually works?"

Another team member swallowed hard: "We...we're still calculating the tides...they've already built a boat..."

The third team member lowered his head and said weakly:

"Captain...did we...mistakenly calculate the tides?"

Jiang Xingchen didn't say anything.

He looked at the ship, and then at Lin Yun.

The morning light shone on the river, on the raft, and on the female officer standing ramrod straight in her air force training uniform.

Jiang Xingchen suddenly remembered a sentence—

"You calculated everything, but you didn't expect someone to overturn the table."

That's how he feels right now.

He meticulously calculated the tides, currents, undercurrents, machine gun firing range, and stamina allocation...

But he didn't expect that someone would build a ship on the spot.

"Knowledge..." Jiang Xingchen murmured, "Knowledge is indeed... not omnipotent."

…………

On the Yangtze River, the air force's makeshift boats sailed downstream at a surprisingly fast pace.

"The rules don't say we can't make tools!" Lin Yun's voice rang out on the river, as calm as if he were stating the weather.

As for those who are still struggling desperately in the Yangtze River, how will they view her, or how will they gossip about her behind her back?

Lin Yun never cared about these things...