Thunder Warrior Saves the World

Page 30

Therefore, this goal was once again put on the table for discussion.

To bring all the data from Swarthorpe back, infiltration is the only feasible option. Of course, this isn't the kind of unparalleled, one-man raid where thousands flee from a white-robed figure. In fact, in such a heavily guarded base, if any soldier goes missing, his colleagues and superiors won't be foolish enough to do nothing and let the infiltrator run rampant. On the contrary, the entire base will go on high alert, the expert team and data will be moved, and a city-wide search will begin. Therefore, the path of a shrewd assassin is definitely not feasible; a true infiltration requires following the methods of Snake and Fish.

The good news is that in this era, the Belerken people don't yet have surveillance tools like cameras, which makes the infiltration of the Spetsnazwood squad much easier—they are equipped with "Black Hornet" micro-drones. Although these palm-sized drones have limitations such as short battery life and limited communication range, their low noise and small size make them shine in close-range special operations. They can provide special forces members with real-time surveillance footage, helping them avoid enemy sentries and patrols and carry out genuine infiltration.

According to Dr. Hal's intelligence, the research team inside Swarth Castle consists of more than twenty people. Taking these people away would be much more difficult than infiltrating the castle. The special operations team would almost certainly be exposed at this stage. At this point, the reconnaissance company lying in wait outside would need to provide support. On the one hand, they would relieve the pressure on the special operations team inside by attacking the castle from the outside, and on the other hand, they would use the reconnaissance company's transport helicopters to evacuate the "package".

Volume 1: Chapter 167 (Chapter 152) The Shadow of the Tsavo Highway

The Tsavo Highway is 50 kilometers from Fabandi and 176 kilometers from Vishil.

Vasily jumped off the armored vehicle, strode to the fork in the road, crouched down, and picked up the road sign from the ground. The marks on the wooden signpost indicated that it had clearly been cut with a sharp weapon. Someone didn't want the enemy to easily determine the correct route, so they destroyed this crucial road sign at this fork in the road. Perhaps due to the haste, they didn't take the road sign with them, or even throw it further away; they simply left it there hastily.

"Has the helicopter sent back any messages?" Although he thought this was probably a response from the Elgeans to block the enemy from the south from advancing north, and he figured the Belken from Fabandi probably couldn't bypass the Alpha base to get to this place, he asked to avoid any embarrassing incidents like friendly fire.

“They didn’t find anything unusual,” the soldier from the 2nd Company replied. They were at the front of the column as the advance detachment of the 7th Brigade. He added, “There are trees on both sides of this road, and they don’t have thermal imaging. If the other side is trying to hide, it will be hard to spot them.”

"Report back to command. Deploy to 4 formation, display flags, increase alert. Do not fire first; we are unsure if we will encounter militia." Vasily tossed the road sign back to the ground, clapped his hands, and issued a series of orders before crawling back into his sweltering command vehicle. They were the defending side, equipped with maps and local guides; such tactics were destined to be ineffective against the local defenders.

With a throttle input from the driver, the engines of the infantry fighting vehicles roared to life, and the stationary convoy began to move again, widening the distance between each other, their turrets pointing in different directions, providing mutual cover as they advanced. Meanwhile, the infantrymen inside the troop compartments quietly opened their firing ports, their gun barrels protruding as they vigilantly observed the woods.

"This damn forest, we can't see anything at all," complained the No. 1 vehicle leading the 2nd company. Just then, radio communication came through: "All vehicles, turn on your thermal imaging cameras and be aware of your surroundings."

"Thanks to the gods of technology for this convenience," the gunner muttered. Then, following the instructions on the radio, he activated the thermal imaging. He turned the turret around, taking the opportunity to observe the surroundings. "Everything's fine... wait, I think I see someone."

"Fourteen hundred meters northeast, there are two people lying on the ground, seemingly observing us through binoculars." The BMP's round hood turned to the location of the suspicious target, and the observation and aiming equipment, which provided 12x magnification, immediately revealed the heat source there clearly. The commander immediately rotated the observation scope to the corresponding position, and sure enough, he saw two furtive figures. The commander's 20x magnification of the scope allowed him to observe the other party's shape more clearly.

"These two guys are hiding too well; I can't tell if they're Ergia." The tank commander, switching back and forth between thermal imaging and regular images, was somewhat exasperated and could only contact Company Commander Vasily to report the situation.

"Sir, those two guys have moved. They're dispersing and retreating." Perhaps because the 3BMP's "toothpick" rifle had been pointed at them, the two seemed to realize they had been exposed. They abandoned their camouflage and ran in two different directions. The gunner monitoring them had to interrupt the tank commander's report.

"Company commander, the man is trying to escape. Should we open fire?"

Upon hearing the tank commander's words, the gunner prepared to fire, but the radio crackled to life, making him shake his head. "No! What if it's friendly forces? That would be a diplomatic incident."

"Our allies won't turn and run after seeing our flag," the gunner said with a sneer. He hadn't pressed the communication button, so only those inside the vehicle could hear him.

The tank commander glared at the talkative gunner, signaling him to shut up. In the past, as soldiers, they might have only needed to consider how to preserve themselves and kill the enemy, but now they had to consider the complex political implications of their actions.

"You see a strange convoy of armored vehicles, and even if they're flying your own flag, you'd be on guard. Have you forgotten about Podolsk?" the tank commander said, ending the call with Vasily. This wasn't just for the gunner, but for everyone in the vehicle. After all, humans are driven by self-preservation; no one wants to let a potential danger escape.

"Regardless of whether the other side is Elgin or not, they've clearly mastered psychology. They've got our reaction figured out." The gunner shook his head, not arguing further, but instead offering a positive assessment of the reconnaissance team from another angle.

"The company commander and brigade headquarters have confirmed that Alpha Base has not detected any attempts by the Belken to bypass Alpha Base and head south. It seems they are concentrating their forces for a tough battle." The tank commander finally ended the discussion. "The company commander has sent the closer Panzer III to track down those two suspicious individuals. Don't overthink it; psychology can't be used as an RPG. Their sticks won't penetrate our armor. Whether they are friend or foe, we will eventually find out."

Regardless of the circumstances, this incident has made the entire advance team aware that someone is watching them from this forest, which has made them even more vigilant.

Although Alpha Base had confirmed the location and dispatched search troops, Vasily remained uneasy. After all, the two scouts' behavior resembled that of the friendly and enthusiastic shepherds of Afghanistan; they had received a warm welcome from these white-turbaned shepherds years ago. In this respect, he had much in common with the capitalist federation on the other side of the world. Unfortunately, there was only one road leading to Fabandi. Unless he wanted to take the main force along the rough dirt roads, delaying their arrival at Alpha Base and increasing the probability of vehicles breaking down and getting separated, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue along this road.

He unfolded the map again, which now marked some suitable ambush locations. However, if the enemy was hiding in the woods, they might choose to let their advance detachment pass and instead ambush the main force 20 kilometers behind. Everyone knows to pick on the weak and attack the strong; how can artillery armored vehicles compare to the ease of taking down a thinly armored truck for a quick kill? Moreover, from a strategic perspective, eliminating the enemy's logistics was a more important victory than destroying their combat units.

Fortunately, they were prepared for this and determined to annihilate any invading enemy.

"Company commander, we've lost sight of our target. Those two bastards are faster than us in the woods..." The helpless voice of the vehicle commander of vehicle number three came through the radio.

Volume 1: Chapter 168 (Militia)

"Damn it," Qi Vasily cursed. But he also knew that the responsibility didn't lie with vehicle number three. After all, the jungle environment was extremely complex and diverse, and even with the best equipment and training, losing track of the target was perfectly normal. Therefore, he could only issue the order to return to the team.

The jungle section of the Tsavo Highway is nearly 30 kilometers long, which makes it easy for the enemy to take advantage of the time difference between the arrival of the advance team and the main force to lay an ambush. Vasily began to consider whether to simply leave some people to guard both sides of the road until the main force passes through.

However, for his company, which only had 10 vehicles, this method was obviously not very practical; even filling the entire company into this section of the road wouldn't be enough.

However, this idea quickly dissipated as the convoy came to a stop.

"What's going on?" Vasily immediately contacted the lead vehicle.

"Sir, there are several fallen trees blocking the road," came the radio from vehicle number one. "There are four men lying in the woods on each side. They are armed and have chosen good positions, but next time you can consider putting more effort into camouflage."

"Prepare for battle, but do not fire first." Can't these people come up with some more innovative interception methods? This method has probably been used for thousands of years, hasn't it?

The mechanized infantry soldiers wouldn't foolishly leave the cover of their infantry fighting vehicles, and those lying in ambush in the woods wouldn't expose themselves unnecessarily. For a moment, an awkward situation arose on the road.

"Point the turret at the target, honk the horn, and make them move the road," Vasily instructed. Continuing like this was pointless, but bound by orders from their superiors, they couldn't fire first. Therefore, they could only use this method to put pressure on the ambushers: you've been exposed; either open fire or obediently move the road.

This tactic proved effective. The unfortunate guy who was targeted by the machine gun tried to move, but the relentless gun barrels of the third gun made it clear to the enemy that such efforts were futile.

Vasily coldly watched the ambushers being chased around by machine guns, pondering whether firing into the open ground as a warning would violate his superiors' order against firing first—an order specifically for unidentified individuals, yet firing into the open ground didn't seem to be a violation of that order.

Fortunately, before Vasily's patience ran out from the comical cat-and-mouse game unfolding before him, things finally began to change in the direction Vasily had hoped for.

A flag of the Kingdom of Elgia emerged from behind a fallen tree trunk and waved towards the convoy. After ensuring that the first vehicle could see it, two men stepped out from the bunker.

"Militia organizations?" After the outbreak of war, people in various parts of Ergia spontaneously organized militia groups to resist the invaders. Fabandi was no exception.

The two men weren't wearing Ergia military uniforms, but rather ordinary local clothing, though it looked somewhat dirty and tattered. They weren't carrying rifles; instead, a bulge in their clothing at their waists indicated a pistol was concealed there. The driver of vehicle number one seemed uncertain.

“Probably.” Vincent, the commander of vehicle number one, flung open the top hatch. “Get ready, I’m going to make contact with him.”

Vincent nimbly flipped off the roof of the infantry fighting vehicle and approached the two unidentified individuals alone. Then, the hatch of the rear troop compartment of vehicle number one opened, and the soldiers filed out, taking up key positions behind Vincent. Because the other side showed no hostility, their assault rifles were only pointed at the ground, but their fire selectors were already set to burst fire.

However, at this point, Vincent began to realize that his actions had been somewhat reckless. The two men before him were undeniably tall and imposing… Vincent, at 1.8 meters, appeared shorter in their presence. They were also very strong, though their protruding jaws made them look rather unappealing. Simply put, they were heavier than him, and if a physical confrontation broke out, he would be at a disadvantage.

"Are you militia? Which unit? Who is your commander? We are from the 7th Volunteer Brigade of Amelia, ordered to reinforce Fabandi." Vincent was not intimidated. Instead, he stepped forward and pointed to the roadblock behind the two men, continuing, "You need to move that roadblock quickly, otherwise you'll be court-martialed if you delay." As soon as he finished speaking, the hairs on Vincent's hands stood on end.

"Sir, they've set up their guns," the gunner's voice came through the headset. It was obvious who those guns were aimed at.

“Keep your men in check. You don’t want your troops to end up on the gallows for damaging the cooperation between the two armies, do you?” he warned, staring into the eyes of the leader.

The man waved his hand, and the thorn-like feeling dissipated. "Similarly, we don't like being pointed at by that thing. We are the Third Detachment of the Fabandi People's Army, and I am the detachment commander, Christopher. You are the foreign army that defeated the Belken devils in the south?" He looked somewhat doubtful. "You're not even as strong as me."

“Any one of us could take you down,” Vincent retorted without hesitation, but he still raised his hand, signaling the gunner of vehicle number one to stop. “Listen, I don’t have time for trash talk. Get your friends out of the jungle and move these damn trees off this damn road.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” The atmosphere suddenly became tense, but the man still explained calmly, “I haven’t received any notification from my superiors that such a team is going to pass through this road. On the contrary, my superiors warned me that the Belken people have been trying to infiltrate us by various means recently.”

“Holy Mary, you think we’re Belken people in disguise? You can contact your superiors to verify now. Damn it, if the Belken people had the equipment we have, you’d probably have moved your capital by now.” Vincent laughed angrily. “Vic, contact headquarters and confirm the status of the Third Detachment of the Fabandi People’s Army.”

"Sir, command is confirming the presence of this unit, but it will take a while," the driver's voice came through the headset.

“Now, you can contact your superiors to confirm our identities,” Vincent said bluntly after receiving the reply.

“We will.” After whispering something in his ear, the other person stared at his face and said, “Our radio is out of power, so the confirmation will take a little longer. But I think you can’t afford to waste even a little time, can you?”

Volume 1: Chapter 169 (Chapter 154) - The Battle of the Tsavo Highway

After claiming to be the guerrilla commander, he himself didn't sit idle. Despite Vincent's aloof and unapproachable demeanor, he still tried to get close to them, constantly asking about their equipment. He was a real curious child. Even though Vincent ignored him, he was still happy to keep asking and even once requested to board the vehicle for a tour.

"My god, are all these guerrillas so shameless?" A nearby volunteer soldier couldn't help but complain. "If it were me, I would be too embarrassed to continue after being turned away the first time."

"That's why some people can rise to the command level, while you can only stay a common soldier," the driver echoed.

"Fuck you uncle."

"No, I have a feeling there's something fishy about this guy," a third voice came through the comms. "Even if he's friendly, he should be careful with his questions. This barrage of questions makes it seem like he's trying to spy on us."

"You mean, a Belken spy?" The gunner raised an eyebrow. "If he really is a spy, then I have to say Belken's intelligence agency isn't very good; their intelligence personnel managed to arouse our suspicion so quickly. I think, perhaps this guy is just very curious."

"Shut up, you think you're so smart." The driver cursed. "Don't let your guard down until command confirms our identities. Even friendly forces aren't 100% reliable."

Vasily understood this better than the driver of vehicle number one. Therefore, after vehicle number one reported contact with the men claiming to be partisans, he immediately ordered vehicles number nine and ten at the rear of the column to enter the jungle and maneuver to the flank and rear of the partisan position. Vasily's company was positioned at a sharp bend, allowing these two vehicles at the rear to quietly break away from the column and maneuver without alerting the partisans.

However, the command center made contact before vehicles number nine and ten were in position.

After confirmation with the Royal Fabandi Army Command, the 3rd Detachment of the Fabandi People's Army was indeed assigned to the defensive mission here. It's worth noting that the 3rd Detachment is arguably the most elite militia unit in the Fabandi People's Army in terms of equipment and personnel, and also one of the few with combat experience. All fifty militiamen are equipped with rifles, further enhanced by two Belken machine guns, and have a radio. The detachment commander, Christopher, is a retired sergeant who, under his leadership, had repelled several attacks by two Belken infantry squads on the main battlefield, killing five enemy soldiers without suffering any casualties himself, holding the position until the Royal Army arrived. Otherwise, the Fabandi Command would not have so easily entrusted this position to the 3rd Detachment.

Along with this intelligence came a photograph of Christopher's sergeant's badge from his time serving in the Royal Army—taken and uploaded by Miller's communications officer, who had left him in the city. In the photo, Christopher appeared solemn and imposing.

"Vincent, command has replied. Sergeant Christopher's Third Squadron is indeed on defensive duty here." The driver, having received the response, immediately informed his commander. "Oh, they even got a picture of the sergeant. Not bad, quite handsome, but still not as good-looking as me. Do you have your terminal with you?"

"No, bring me the terminal."

“Understood.” The driver, who had climbed out of the vehicle, walked towards Vincent's location with the terminal in hand. But when he got close enough to see Christopher's face clearly, his pupils dilated instantly—the guy in front of him, who claimed to be Christopher, the commander of the Third Squadron, was completely different from the photo on his officer's ID!

Christopher had already noticed the newcomer when the BMP opened its hatch, and he immediately saw the surprise in the soldier's eyes—which made him realize he had been exposed. He didn't think there was anything wrong with his disguise; the only explanation was that the soldier knew the real Christopher. Although he couldn't explain why an Amelia soldier would know a foreign guerrilla commander two hundred kilometers away, it was the only reasonable reason he could think of at the moment.

Now, Christopher could only lament that man proposes, God disposes. Before formulating the battle plan, he hadn't been unaware that someone might recognize him, but considering their opponent wasn't the Elgins, but a previously unheard-of nation, and that Amelia's ability to conceal their presence so well meant their communication with other countries or forces was severely suppressed, and that Christopher's career was also quite ordinary, demonstrating his exceptional skill and daring in choosing disguise, he had no choice but to decisively abandon his original plan and instead focus on annihilating the advance team.

"To catch the thief, first catch the leader." Through observation and conversation over this period, he had already determined that the extremely impatient man before him was a junior sergeant, the leader of the soldiers who had disembarked. If he could take him hostage, it might deter the enemy from acting rashly. Although the sergeant's weapons were superior to his own, and he possessed bulletproof armor, in close combat, these things would be of limited use. His own physique was more advantageous, and more importantly, he had complete confidence in his fighting skills.

So, the moment the driver realized the "Christopher" in front of him was a fake, "Christopher" suddenly attacked, attempting to subdue the sergeant in one fell swoop, giving the driver absolutely no time to warn him.

"Cyka!" Vincent, a veteran himself, immediately reacted by sidestepping and drawing his gun. Even though his right hand never strayed far from the pistol near his thigh, as the pistol moved towards his chest, Vincent felt as if his wrist had been struck by a steel pipe, and the GSH flew from his hand.

Vincent's right wrist and below were already burning with pain, so he could only continue to retreat to avoid Christopher's combo attacks. This left him with no chance to draw the saber from his left side, putting him in a very passive position.

"Fire! Fire! It's the Belken!"

Having lost his dominant hand, Vincent knew he couldn't defeat an opponent who was much bigger and just as experienced than himself in a fight, so he could only place his hopes on his teammates.

At the same time, dozens of sparks burst forth from the jungle, covering the infantrymen who had disembarked to stand guard.

Volume 1: Chapter 170 (Chapter 155) The Battle of the Tsavo Highway (2)

"We've hit them! We've hit them! We've hit them!"

"Fire smoke grenades, high-explosive grenades, and machine guns to suppress the people in the woods, cover vehicle number one and vehicle number two, and the infantry dismount and launch a counterattack with the infantry fighting vehicles!"

Although the "guerrillas'" defection came without warning, Vasily quickly responded. Veteran soldiers knew that the worst thing to do when ambushed was to stay put, as this would only make one a sitting duck for the enemy with the advantage of terrain. At this moment, the infantry in vehicle number one were in dire need of effective cover on the bare road. Even with additional armor, the BMP-2M was essentially a thin-skinned, heavily armored vehicle. If the ambush attackers had anti-tank weapons, it was not impossible for them to wipe out an entire vehicle of soldiers in an instant. Therefore, Vasily decided to use smoke grenades to obscure the enemy's vision while simultaneously covering the infantry's movement and deployment.

The 2nd Company's movements were undeniably swift, but the ambushers still held the advantage of striking first. The instant the smoke grenades were launched, two bursts of flame, far more powerful than rifle fire, suddenly erupted from the ground on the jungle side—

"Boom! 8珷启＾≥liu●＄六'@》俬谂更∶▲新》群∽＞："

"boom!"

"boom!"

A series of short, consecutive explosions kicked up a cloud of black smoke on the road. Vasily, whose head was only a dozen meters away from one of the explosions, was hit on the head as expected. Even with the double protection of his helmet and armored vehicle, he was still dizzy and lightheaded.

"Vehicle number one has been hit!"

Vasily, just realizing his vehicle had been attacked, heard bad news over the radio: the attacker was likely a 60mm mortar. He seemed to have faintly heard a whistling sound before the explosion, and the nature of mortars meant they hit targets from above. A direct mortar hit on a fragile BMP would turn its crew into dumpling filling...

"All vehicles report their status!" Except for vehicle number one and vehicle number four, which I was in, all the other vehicles quickly reported their status. Only vehicle number one remained silent, and I wondered if its communication equipment was damaged.

"Damn it, all vehicles, be careful! The enemy has anti-tank weapons!" The explosion seemed to have ignited some debris outside the vehicle on the No. 1 vehicle. The black smoke from the fire temporarily blocked Vasily's observation. He could only judge from the ceasefire of the No. 1 vehicle and the silence on the radio that the No. 1 vehicle had temporarily lost its combat capability. "No. 9, No. 10, you attack from the enemy's flank and rear!"

By this time, the smoke grenades fired by the infantry fighting vehicles had taken effect and spread. The large amount of white smoke produced by the chemical reaction of the smoke-generating agent enveloped the jungle on both sides of the road within seconds. However, neither side stopped firing because the enemy had disappeared. They continued to fire at the enemy's firing positions that they remembered. This kind of probabilistic firing was completely inaccurate, and both sides were well aware of this, but they still consumed ammunition for their own reasons. The "guerrillas" were trying to suppress the enemy's movement. If the enemy infantry was not highly skilled, they would likely be scared off by bullets that came from nowhere. The 2nd Company's continuous fire was to force the enemy's firing positions to move, covering the infantry's advance.

The jungle and smoke environment minimized the detection capabilities of both sides. The smoke from the launched smoke grenades carried heat, causing the thermal imaging to become a hazy white mess. The team had to turn off the useless thermal imaging and rely on visual sight to locate the enemy. At this moment, the two sides were somewhat evenly matched—it was true that the 2nd Company had strong firepower and more personnel, but the "guerrillas" were more familiar with the terrain and had heavy firepower that could threaten the 2nd Company's infantry fighting vehicles.

"How is the situation of the first squad?" The six squads had already deployed under the cover of heavy firepower and were advancing into the jungle. The second squad had joined up with the first squad. Vasily began to inquire about the condition of the crew of the first vehicle that was attacked first.

"Vincent and Kalinin are unconscious. Vincent has a broken hand and needs to be evacuated. The others have minor injuries, but they're not serious. But the infantry fighting vehicle is out of commission; the left track is broken!" The brief casualty report was quickly relayed back, a result that brought Vasily a slight sense of relief.

"Leave a few to take care of the wounded, the rest of you participate in the attack." Now that he had confirmed that the first squad was alright, Vasily returned to command. "All squads and platoons, listen up, we will advance steadily, taking turns providing cover, and not be reckless. The enemy's size is about a platoon."

Based on the hidden firing positions seen by each vehicle, Vasily concluded that the "guerrillas" who ambushed them were actually only about thirty people, meaning that his side had a nearly three-fold numerical advantage. Although two squads were sent to flank, they still maintained an absolute numerical advantage on the front. It was for this reason that he decided to launch a frontal attack on the enemy's position.

The smoke grenades hastily deployed created a long enough area of ​​cover, but lacked depth. The 2nd Company quickly sensed the smoke thinning, indicating they were nearing the edge of the smoke zone, and they moved with increased caution. Their advance through the smoke was very smooth; aside from stray bullets flying everywhere, they encountered no enemy resistance. It was clear that the "guerrillas" had already withdrawn from the smoke and were prepared behind them, waiting for them to reveal themselves.

So they stopped advancing and waited for cars number nine and ten to create an opportunity by flanking them.

Finally, vehicles number nine and ten lived up to expectations, successfully traversing the dense forest, unloading their infantry, and launching a surprise attack from the rear of the "guerrilla" positions. Although the "guerrillas" realized an attempt to backstab them when they heard the engine sounds of tanks from behind, it was too late. The mechanized forces approaching from two directions had plunged this small unit into a perilous situation where they could neither fight nor escape.

Instead of attempting a breakout, this "guerrilla" unit tried to kill as many enemies as possible before their own demise, using all available weapons. This made their fighting style more aggressive—using bushes and grass as cover to approach the tanks and throw grenades, or having their comrades launch conspicuous suicide attacks to cover the anti-tank crew's attacks.

Having already been ambushed once, the 2nd Company dared not act recklessly again. All the infantry fighting vehicles, under the cover of the infantry, were positioned at the rear of the line to provide fire support. This time, the "guerrilla" anti-tank operator failed to replicate the attack on vehicle number one; his bullet only hit a tree about twenty meters away at the 11 o'clock position from vehicle number six. The anti-tank operator himself was torn to pieces by machine gun fire after the attack.

The guerrillas' stubborn resistance did nothing to change anything. Like prey caught in a anaconda, the last member of the guerrillas was killed by a grenade in less than ten minutes, and the jungle beside the road returned to silence.

Ling Volume 1: Chapter 171 (Chapter 156) Arrival at Alpha Base

Ultimately, none of these "guerrillas" survived. None of them were willing to surrender, and under these combat conditions, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army was unable to capture them alive without incurring casualties. Death became their final fate. The 7th Brigade could only address the series of problems they brought with them through their corpses.

The first question that was solved was how these people managed to evade Berezok's thermal imaging. The answer was simple: these "guerrillas" covered their bodies with mud, concealing their heat. Clearly, the commander of this "guerrilla force" had grasped the concept of thermal radiation; only in this way could they employ targeted camouflage measures, catching the 2nd Company completely off guard.

At first, when the soldiers saw the bodies covered in mud, they thought it was just mud kicked up by grenades. But as more and more similar bodies were discovered, they finally realized the truth behind the mud. As the mud was cleaned off the bodies, the dark brown Belken uniforms and equipment were revealed.

The answer is obvious: a small group of Belken troops bypassed the Alpha base and infiltrated southern Fabandi. As for the 3rd Detachment of the Fabandi People's Army, which was originally deployed there? They've probably already become victims of this infiltration force's gunfire.

Next, the 2nd Company discovered something interesting about these infiltrators—their jaws were more prominent than average, meaning that this infiltration unit was entirely composed of Gilahani warriors. Their stronger physiques allowed them to easily carry equipment that would be difficult for regular infantry to carry, such as recoilless rifles.

Yes, the culprit that destroyed the infantry fighting vehicle was not the mortar Vasily had imagined, but two 80mm recoilless rifles. Although the Gilahani warriors could operate these rifles by a single person, the Belken Empire still equipped them with a two-person crew to ensure combat efficiency: a gunner to operate the weapon and a loader to carry the ammunition, as can be seen from the two corpses lying side by side.

Because of the involvement of the Gilahani civilization, Paz's ONI quickly took over the on-site investigation. Details of the 2nd Company's casualties also emerged. The Gilahani soldiers' ambush had ultimately yielded some results: one infantry fighting vehicle was damaged and rendered inoperable, the gunner was wounded and unconscious, and all the crew members who dismounted were injured. Except for Vincent, who had a broken right arm, most of the others suffered blunt force injuries from bullets hitting their protective parts. The first vehicle was hit on the side of the driver's compartment; the added armor had been blasted into a crater, and the surrounding armor showed signs of cracking. Shrapnel and shockwaves damaged the suspension and communication equipment. The gunner in the turret hit his head and lost consciousness during the process, while the high temperature and flames ignited the external debris on the infantry fighting vehicle, and the thick smoke repainted one side of the vehicle. It should be noted that the added armor's protective capabilities were definitely stronger than the original side armor of the Berezok; if it weren't for the pre-battle modifications, this BMP would have been destroyed rather than damaged.

Such damage was far from being repairable in the short term, and the obstacles blocking the road also required the engineer company's clearing vehicles to handle. This time, the 7th Brigade dared not be reckless again, shifting from a rapid marching formation in its own controlled area to a marching formation in the combat zone, and transferring several tanks from the tank battalion to reinforce the advance units to improve their combat effectiveness. As for the damaged Berezok, it was towed onto a heavy truck, and repairs would only begin after the support battalion established logistical support capabilities at Alpha Base. The current 7th Brigade was not the Soviet Union in its heyday; it couldn't afford to discard every broken tank. Those that weren't completely damaged and could be repaired would be towed back to base. The eight soldiers who lost their vehicles had lost their ability to move quickly, and the 7th Brigade, refusing to use human reactive armor, had no choice but to send these soldiers back to their unit.

毕竟这是7400金鹰和21二86银狮的区四别（迫真）。（♀3。〇÷∴5：~

Even if it can't be repaired, parts can still be salvaged for replacement (a radical argument), and thrift is a fine tradition of the Chinese nation.

The clearing process lasted half an hour. Once the road was clear for tanks, the reinforced advance force resumed its advance. Unsure whether more Jirahani fighter units had infiltrated Fabandi's lines in disguise, Lu Wu ordered a faster march. These enemy-occupied units were notoriously difficult to eliminate. The 7th Brigade itself was short-handed and had its own strategic objectives; it was impossible for them to stay behind to eliminate these Jirahani infiltrators. After informing Fabandi of the situation, they continued their march.

Despite the unexpected ambush of the advance troops, the rest of the journey proceeded without incident. With the order to speed up, the 7th Brigade finally arrived at Alpha Base at 3:9 AM on September 23, an hour ahead of schedule.

But this is not without its costs.