Chapter 214

And in fact, it was just as Qu Guang had roughly deduced.

The U. S. Federation had not yet detected any clues regarding the "West Peak, East Release" tactic of the Volunteer Army.

As time slipped away bit by bit.

Two days of real-time had passed on Blue Star.

And within the game.

After several days of fighting, the Volunteer Army on the Western Front had stubbornly held off the offensives of the U. S. 1st Corps and 9th Corps, reducing the enemy's advance speed from 10 to 20 kilometers per day.

Forcing it down to only 1 kilometer per day.

Sometimes, they would even advance a kilometer during the day, only to have the Volunteer Army counterattack and retake half a kilometer at night.

Yet, facing the U. S. Federation's offensive, even with the Volunteer Army exhausting every possible method, they could not bridge the gap brought by firepower, and the overall front line was slowly shifting backward.

Sky Shark Streaming Platform.

In streamer Ma Yong's stream, which had randomly assigned him the identity of a Volunteer Army soldier.

It had also gained the attention of many Blue Star netizens.

At this moment.

The main force of the Volunteer Army's 38th Corps on the Western Front had already crossed the river, taking over the 50th Corps' defensive sector to intercept the enemy.

A piercing, shrill whistling sound came from the sky.

The Volunteer Army soldiers on the front line, hearing the commotion, hurriedly dived into the trenches.

Boom, boom, boom, boom—!

Deafening artillery fire exploded right by their ears.

Ma Yong huddled in the trench, shaking the dirt off his head, unable to help but curse:

"Damn it, when will this bombing ever end!"

It was already the third day since he had randomly become a Volunteer Army soldier, but for more than half of these three days, they had been under the bombardment of U. S. Federation artillery.

In fact, if you looked at any stream where the player was a Volunteer Army soldier now.

There wasn't one that wasn't being bombed by the U. S. Federation; the U. S. Federation was bombing the entire front line.

A nearby Volunteer Army soldier watched Ma Yong cursing and just chuckled, covering his ears and shouting loudly:

"It's the New Year! Just treat it like setting off firecrackers!!!"

"I have to say, these U. S. Federation things really pack a punch! They're much louder than the firecrackers back home!!!"

Ma Yong was a bit dazed, looking at that Volunteer Army soldier, and shouted loudly:

"New Year?"

He did know about the New Year, a unique custom of the 【Republic】.

It was just that on Blue Star, there was no such thing as the New Year, only various festivals each year celebrating surviving the meteor shower.

Amidst the roar of the sky-filling artillery, that Volunteer Army soldier shouted loudly:

"Yeah!"

"It's already the 7th, the second day of the Lunar New Year!"

"I only just remembered this morning!"

"Too bad we didn't get to eat dumplings!"

Boom—!

An artillery shell exploded not far away, splattering mud all over both of them. Ma Yong shook his head and yelled at the top of his lungs:

"Then we'll eat our fill when we finish fighting and go back!!!"

That Volunteer Army soldier smiled, looked up at the sky, and then shouted loudly:

"We aren't going back!!!"

This sentence hit Ma Yong's chest like a heavy hammer.

It also hit the chests of the Blue Star friends in the stream; for a moment, they felt a tightness in their hearts, not knowing what to say.

There is no such thing as peaceful years...

When the folks back home in the 【Republic】 were celebrating the arrival of the new year, the Volunteer Army soldiers on the peninsula were in a foreign land, using their flesh and blood to resist the U. S. Federation's aggression.

Even they themselves knew... they couldn't go back.

Even knowing this was just a plot, Ma Yong still couldn't help but feel his throat tighten, and after a moment, he spoke:

"Where are you from?"

That Volunteer Army soldier patted the dirt off his head:

"Linyi, Shandong!"

"How about you?!"

Ma Yong paused and shouted:

"I am..."

Before he could finish.

The platoon leader in the distance suddenly shouted loudly:

"Prepare for combat!"

"Demolition team, get into position!!!"

The Volunteer Army soldiers on the front line quickly stood up, watching the U. S. Federation tanks advancing from afar.

The surviving soldiers in the trenches moved into firing positions, while the demolition team held the improvised demolition equipment they had made, waiting for the U. S. Federation tanks to get closer.

That Volunteer Army soldier and Ma Yong were both members of the demolition team; without the slightest hesitation, they all picked up their explosive satchels.

They were called a demolition team, but in reality, they were a suicide squad.

With the Volunteer Army's crude conditions, the so-called demolition equipment consisted of explosive satchels and cluster grenades.

Facing the U. S. Federation's full firepower.

The Volunteer Army was forced to use the tactic of "light personnel, heavy equipment" and "heavy firearms, light support."

The so-called "light personnel, heavy equipment."

In reality, it meant facing the U. S. Federation's tank and armored clusters by filling the gaps squad by squad; the entire army was a suicide squad.

Just like the demolition team Ma Yong was in.

This was the only way to cause casualties to the U. S. Federation's tanks and armor.

And "heavy firearms, light support."

Meant concentrating all firepower on the front-line troops to cause the greatest possible lethality; when a piece of heavy weaponry was distributed to a company, platoon, or squad.

It meant that the unit previously possessing this heavy weapon had already been wiped out.

Now it was their turn to go up.

As the tank group in the distance got closer and closer.

Before the Volunteer Army could even open fire.

Boom—!

Boom—!

Shells from the U. S. Federation tanks were the first to strike.

And seeing the enemy tanks at a distance of 500 meters... 400 meters... 200 meters... until they were within range for rifles to hit, following the platoon leader's order.

The Volunteer Army's firepower opened up, and bullets rained down.

And the only machine gun in the entire platoon, which had been allocated to them, spat out tongues of fire without reservation, sweeping toward the U. S. Federation troops opposite: "Demolition team!!!"

"Charge!!!"

Boom—

Boom—

The fighting on the Western Front was exceptionally difficult.

And the Eastern Front was no easier; at this moment, various units of the Volunteer Army were urgently infiltrating, encircling Hengcheng.

A few days later.

In the stream of Jin Bin, who had randomly been assigned to the Southern puppet army.

On the outskirts of Hengcheng.

Watching the various Volunteer Army units gradually encircling "Hengcheng" on the map, Jin Bin was doing manual labor.

The white mist he exhaled condensed into frost on the edge of his steel helmet, but the pickaxe in his hand did not stop; even as a player, he could not avoid doing manual labor under orders just like the other Southern puppet soldiers.

And those U. S. Federation soldiers were drinking hot coffee in tents in the distance.

Jin Bin had also experienced the identity of the Volunteer Army, but the attitude of the 【Republic】 soldiers toward their northern neighbors compared to the U. S. Federation's attitude toward the Southern puppet army.

Was a world of difference.

At this moment.

The voice of a Southern puppet army lieutenant came from above the trench, scolding:

"Move faster!"

"Those 【Republic】 people might attack at any time."

Jin Bin cursed under his breath:

"Damn it."

"There are bootlickers in the game too."

"Damn!"

"If it weren't to see the plot below, I'd shoot him dead."

The lieutenant above treated the U. S. Federation side with smiles, even for a single soldier, yet treated his own people with constant scolding.

Blue Star players had never endured such treatment, especially from someone who used the power of others to bully their own.

The danmu in the stream flowed by:

【This lieutenant's face changes faster than the peninsula's weather; are those U. S. Federation people his real fathers?】

【Brother Jin, pull your gun! Shoot him!】

【Don't do it, the battle is about to start, we need Brother Jin to survive until then.】

【The puppet army experience card is about to expire.】

【Once the Volunteer Army's bugle sounds, the streamer just needs to find a hill and lie flat.】

The danmu in the stream drifted by.

And the Southern puppet soldiers nearby, upon hearing the lieutenant's scolding, didn't react at all.

As if they were already used to it.

They just silently sped up their movements, but after the lieutenant left, they began to whisper to each other, and Jin Bin pricked up his ears to listen.

"Hey, Zhihao, have you heard?"

"The Second Battalion encountered 【Republic】 troops in Hongcheon the day before yesterday; an entire company was wiped out, and they didn't even recover many bodies."

"Really?"

"Really! My cousin is a signalman at the division headquarters."

"He said those 【Republic】 soldiers are like ghosts, sneaking up silently at night, specifically targeting sentries."

"By the time they're discovered, the bayonet is already in their stomachs."

"Aish... I really don't want to fight these guys."

"Should we run?"

"Shh!"

"Are you looking for death?!"

"Even if we run, it's not now; once discovered, we'll be shot on the spot."

"Damn..."

The two Southern puppet soldiers exchanged words, and when they reached sensitive topics, they seemed afraid of being overheard and gradually moved away from the crowd.

Jin Bin could no longer eavesdrop, but he said with a laugh:

"These guys are saying pretty much the same thing."

"It's just that this rumor is spreading more and more wildly, almost to the point where the Volunteer Army can fly and burrow into the ground."

"But I estimate that at this rate of spread."

"It won't be long before it spreads further."

Jin Bin said while digging the trench.

During this time, there were many such rumors within the Southern puppet army, and the effect was that the Southern puppet soldiers felt an instinctive fear when facing the 【Republic】 soldiers.

They even shivered at the mention of the three words "【Republic】."

Jin Bin had experienced the identity of the Volunteer Army, the U. S. Federation, the Allied forces, and even now, the Southern puppet army.

Among so many troops.

Even the Australian battalion, when facing the Volunteer Army's bayonet charges, could still manage to charge a bit.

But the most common topic among the Southern puppet army.

Was discussing in private how to escape.

Other Federation troops, like the Australians or the Turkish brigade, still had some sense of royal honor and would defend themselves.

Even if only slightly.

But the Southern puppet army...

Really had no intention of defending at all.

Even in the official forum of the Polar Star, collecting combat videos of the Federation and various countries' troops.

The Southern puppet army almost shattered at the first touch.

The reason they still had so much combat strength was that the Volunteer Army sometimes couldn't even catch up to these Southern puppet soldiers, as if they were all long-distance runners.

There were also players who randomly got the U. S. Federation identity and even heard Ridgway's furious cursing.

During the "Third Campaign."

The layout of the U. S. Federation's field army commander, Ridgway, was to place all the Southern puppet troops on the front line.

During the "Third Campaign."

In order to continue the advance, the Volunteer Army organized troops to prepare for a forced crossing of the Imjin River.

And the defenders of the Imjin River were an entire division of the Southern puppet army.

But facing this situation.

The Volunteer Army used artillery coverage to force a crossing of the Imjin River.

It took only 5 minutes to reach the front-line positions of the Imjin River.

And 11 minutes to occupy the front-line positions of the Imjin River.

This natural barrier, which the U. S. Federation considered almost impossible to break, was occupied by the Volunteer Army in just 11 minutes under the defense of the Southern puppet army.

Subsequent troops crossed the river one after another.

Until the night of January 1st, a full day and night.

The Southern puppet army units arranged by the U. S. Federation on the front line of the Imjin River were beaten to pieces.

It was precisely this move that angered the U. S. Federation's field army commander, Ridgway, into cursing the Southern puppet army as a bunch of pigs, nothing but soles of feet that only knew how to run.

Relying on the natural barrier of the Imjin River.

They only held for 11 minutes.

If you put hundreds of pigs there, the Volunteer Army couldn't catch them all in 11 minutes, yet those Southern puppet soldiers lost all their positions in just 11 minutes.

Just like that, they let several divisions of the Volunteer Army cross the river.

Subsequently, they infiltrated left and right, and the entire front line relying on the natural barrier of the Imjin River collapsed directly.

The speed of the collapse was so fast that the U. S. Federation couldn't even react to mobilize troops.

The U. S. 24th Division and the British 29th Brigade were severely damaged and wiped out in such a caught-off-guard manner.

Night fell.

The temperature plummeted to over 20 degrees below zero.

Jin Bin and other Southern puppet soldiers took turns standing guard, huddled together in the temporarily dug trenches to retain what little heat they had.

Jin Bin closed his eyes, wanting to wait for the button to skip the plot to appear.

But not knowing who started it, they began discussing the terror of the 【Republic】 soldiers.

"I heard they blow a bugle before attacking?"

"It's not a bugle, it's a whistle."

"A sharp whistle; hearing it means the Grim Reaper has arrived."

Listening to these Southern puppet soldiers' various wild modifications and fears regarding the 【Republic】 Volunteer Army soldiers, Jin Bin couldn't help but shake his head and listen with his eyes closed.

The danmu in the stream were also happy to listen to these adapted things.

In a daze.

A sharp whistling sound pierced the night sky.

Boom—

An artillery shell landed on the front-line position, less than 50 meters away; the massive explosion kicked up a shockwave and frozen earth, sweeping toward the surroundings.

Immediately after, one sharp whistle after another struck.

This was a campaign launched by gathering the main forces of the Volunteer Army; artillery shells rained down like raindrops, and someone screamed:

"Enemy attack! Take cover!!"

"Take cover!!"

Jin Bin huddled in the trench, his ears filled with panicked screams:

"Ah! I've been hit by shrapnel!"

"Medic! Medic!"

"Blood! It's blood!"

"Save me quickly!!!"

Jin Bin turned his head to look; there was no shrapnel, just a chunk of frozen earth that had hit an unlucky guy's head, and that Southern puppet soldier was clutching his bleeding head, his face full of terror.

From the trench in the rear, the panicked roar of the lieutenant from the daytime sounded:

"Prepare for combat! Those guys are coming up!"

Hearing the officer's order, the surrounding Southern puppet soldiers scrambled to pick up their weapons, subconsciously lying behind the trench fortifications, preparing to meet the Volunteer Army's charge.

But the next second...

A sharp bugle call pierced the night sky, followed by urgent bugle calls sounding from all directions, attacking toward "Hengcheng."

"Kill—!!!"

A deafening sound suddenly erupted, and countless dense black shadows appeared all around.

Whoosh!

A flare rose into the sky.

At this moment, the Southern puppet soldiers on the position finally looked at the Volunteer Army surging like a tide from all directions, the murderous intent in those thousands of eyes.

Made the already cold night even colder.

Fear spread like a plague. Bang! Bang! Bang!

When the Volunteer Army's gunfire rang out, someone shouted:

"Run!!!"

Instantly igniting the panic of the entire Southern puppet army.

In an instant.

The entire position exploded into chaos.

Some dropped their guns and ran to the rear, some knelt on the ground clutching their heads and wailing, and others fired wildly into the darkness like madmen.

The lieutenant from the daytime roared "No running," his pistol firing continuously at the deserters. Jin Bin looked back while running.

Suddenly.

He saw the puppet lieutenant who was firing wildly at the deserters pause, a bullet passing through the back of his head, blood bursting from his eyes, and then his whole body uncontrollably lunged into the trench.

Jin Bin was startled, his footsteps chaotic, and he suddenly tripped and fell.

Rolling on the ground.

And those shouts of "kill" were already closer. Boom, boom, boom, boom!

Grenades exploded all around.

Jin Bin tried to get up, but was suddenly stepped on, and a roar sounded in his ear:

"Surrender and you won't be killed!"

The roar made Jin Bin's eardrums ache.

The rifle on his body was forcefully snatched away.

And the cold light of the bayonet trembled three inches in front of his eyes, making Jin Bin freeze his movements, maintaining a motionless posture, his eyeballs rolling left and right to observe the situation around him.

From afar came the successive roars of "Surrender and you won't be killed."

But more were the fleeing Southern puppet soldiers, running regardless of everything, and then falling one by one under the guns of the Volunteer Army soldiers.