It was supposed to be a casual game, but the Long March dungeon brought tears to everyone's eye

"Watch your step! Watch your step! Don't step on loose stones!"

During the forced march, Kuang Ge shouted for the old squad leader while reaching out and grabbing a soldier in front of him.

The soldier slipped and almost tumbled down the wet, muddy slope.

The marching speed was already very fast at this point; the entire vanguard regiment was practically racing.

At the very front of the line, the old squad leader walked in the middle.

Because his right arm was firmly fixed and suspended in front of his chest, his body's balance system was completely disrupted.

His body leaned slightly to the left, no longer as light as a swallow, and he had to use his waist and abdomen to try his best to maintain his balance with every step.

Every time the old squad leader landed, he had to exert more force than usual to ensure he didn't fall over.

Behind him, Hawkeye was staring at the old sergeant's back.

As long as the old squad leader's body sways too much, Eagle Eye will silently support the old squad leader's lower back.

Even a momentary lever of strength is enough to help the veteran squad leader regain his balance.

Ruan Ruan walked to the side carrying a medical kit, glancing at the old squad leader's face from time to time, observing the color of his lips and the knot of the bandage hanging around his neck.

Although the blood clots were drained last night, the jolting from this strenuous exercise is still torture for the arm that has just had its blood vessels restored.

Just then.

"Da da da—da da da—"

Suddenly, at the end of the narrow, muddy mountain path behind them, came the extremely rapid sound of horses' hooves.

The sounds were mixed and chaotic, even carrying a hint of a horse's neighing as it approached its limit.

Crazy Brother suddenly turned around.

A warhorse, covered in mud and foaming at the mouth, charged wildly through the gaps in the ranks.

The messenger on horseback was practically lying on the horse's neck, his uniform torn to shreds and his face covered in blood.

But he didn't bother wiping it off; he was still frantically whipping the horse's rump with his whip.

"Get out of the way! Everyone get out of the way!!"

"Urgent!! Top priority urgent!!"

The messenger's voice was extremely hoarse, carrying a chilling anxiety.

The ranks quickly split to the sides, and many soldiers were pushed into the mud and water.

The horse did not slow down at all, carrying a stench and heat, and roared past the vanguard squad, heading straight for the headquarters of the vanguard regiment.

Less than five minutes had passed.

Several short, urgent whistles sounded from the location of the regimental headquarters ahead.

Immediately afterwards, the messenger rode back on horseback.

He didn't linger long in front of the officers of each company; he would just shout out a few words or hand them a note before rushing off to the next company like a madman.

Until he rushed to the position of the elite platoon.

The company commander, who was leading the troops, stopped abruptly upon hearing the sound of horses' hooves.

The messenger pulled on the reins, and the warhorse reared up, letting out a pitiful neigh before collapsing to its knees in the mud, completely exhausted.

The messenger tumbled to the ground, then scrambled to the company commander and tremblingly shoved a telegram, already soaked with rain and sweat, into the commander's hand.

"Urgent message from headquarters!!"

The messenger was panting heavily, his eyes were bloodshot, and his voice carried a desperate sob.

"Our troops have intercepted enemy intelligence; two enemy brigades have set off overnight and are frantically rushing towards Luding Bridge to provide support!!"

The elite sniper unit was instantly dumbfounded.

"Time!!" The company commander grabbed the communications officer by the collar. "When will they arrive?!"

The communications officer swallowed hard, held up two fingers, and said sadly.

"They should be able to reach Luding City by the day after tomorrow, at the latest."

"Once they enter the city, combined with the original garrison at Luding Bridge... that's several thousand men with a few guns blocking the bridgehead!!"

"At that point, all they have to do is blow up the iron chains, or set up a machine gun net..."

The messenger didn't finish speaking, but everyone understood.

If enemy reinforcements arrive first, Luding Bridge will become a dead end.

The main force of tens of thousands of Red Legion soldiers would be completely blocked on the banks of the Dadu River.

With natural barriers in front and hundreds of thousands of pursuing troops behind, the entire army would be wiped out!

The company commander gripped the telegram tightly, his fingers trembling.

"What were the orders from above?"

The correspondent took a deep breath, got up from the mud, and stood up straight.

He looked at the company commander, and also at the platoon leaders and squad leaders who had gathered around him.

"A death order."

"Headquarters has ordered the vanguard regiment to cancel the original three-day deadline."

"We must spare no expense, even if it means exhausting ourselves, to reach and capture the Luding Bridge by tomorrow!"

"The regimental headquarters has ordered that the spearhead company must capture the west bank of the Luding Bridge by 6:00 AM tomorrow!"

The Sharp Knife Company was even more bewildered upon hearing this.

They had only set off a few miles, and were still 240 miles away from Luding Bridge as the crow flies.

This was not a marathon on flat ground as it would be in later times; they had to march quickly through cliffs, mud, and rocks.

Moreover, there's the possibility of enemy ambush along the way. Fighting and running for 240 miles while also capturing bridges—is this a task a human could accomplish?!

Even the strongest man would break his legs running that far!

"He's gone mad..."

Kuang Ge and his men, hearing the communicator's roar from behind, muttered to themselves.

Being in this muddy ground, looking at the endless mountains and ridges, anyone would be dumbfounded by the words "traveling 240 li a day"!

That's a weight that can crush a person's bones!

"Pass on my orders!!"

The company commander suddenly crumpled the telegram into a ball, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it up fiercely, and swallowed it.

He turned around, his eyes filled with a ferocity like that of a wild beast.

"Everyone! Throw away everything unnecessary!"

"Each person only carries a gun, bullets, and two days' worth of dry rations!"

"run!"

"As long as you have a breath left, run towards Luding Bridge!!"

The roar was like thunder, and the entire team instantly sprang into action.

The soldiers began frantically unpacking their marching packs, throwing away their precious tattered cotton quilts and blankets into the roadside bushes.

Amidst this chaos and desolation.

The company commander strode forward and charged straight toward the elite platoon.

His gaze was fixed on the garter belt knot on the old squad leader's chest, a bright white bandage.

The old squad leader seemed to sense something.

He was helping a soldier untie the straps of his backpack with his left hand when he froze, slowly turned around, and their eyes met.

Rain dripped from the brims of the two veterans' hats, and the company commander's chest heaved violently.

He looked at the old squad leader's pale yet stubborn face, and then at his right arm, which was completely immobile and had become a burden.

Normally, with such glaring injuries, the company commander would have kicked the old sergeant back to the rear long ago.

But at this point, the elite squad must be deployed, but it cannot be the elite squad without its old squad leader.

A platoon that requires a company commander, not a platoon leader, to lead is not something just anyone can do.

"you……"

The company commander took a deep breath, or perhaps he was sighing.

He stared intently at the old squad leader.

"I'll only ask you one question: Can you still run?"

The old sergeant looked at the company commander who had finally "made up his mind" and suddenly grinned.

He suddenly straightened his hunched back.

Even though the movement aggravated his wound, causing him to break out in a cold sweat from the pain.

Snapped! !

With a crisp thud, the old squad leader slowly raised his left hand.

He gave a military salute to the tattered brim of his hat, a salute that seemed to invite Kuang Ge, Ying Yan, and Ruan Ruan to speak but held back.

"He won't die!!"

"As long as he's still breathing!"

"The elite squad will be the first to arrive!!"

The company commander's eye twitched violently as he watched the old sergeant's left-hand salute.

He whirled around to hide the sand in his eyes and roared.

"Then let me run!"