Chapter 142: Counterattack Begins

The orderly footsteps grew closer.

"German-made military boots." Xiao Ying's heart sank. He knew those footsteps all too well—the distinctive stride of a rigorously trained regular army.

Sure enough, the elite of the Beiyang Army's 1st Division, 1st Brigade, 1st Regiment appeared from the corner. They wore German-style uniforms and carried Mauser 98K rifles, moving in perfect unison. Two MG08 heavy machine guns had already been set up, their crossfire covering the entire corridor.

"Drop your weapons!" the regiment commander's voice echoed down the hallway.

Xiao Ying looked around. Thirty-six Blood Drop Special Forces members were stared down by nearly a hundred gun barrels, with no retreat. Their pride in their infiltration skills looked pale before this regular army.

"Bang!" A gunshot shattered the stalemate. A Blood Drop member tried to draw his pistol, but a pre-aimed sniper shot hit his wrist.

The battle erupted in a flash.

The Blood Drop Special Forces were indeed well-trained, but at such close range, facing the MP18 submachine gun's spray, no martial skill could help. Moreover, the enemy was clearly prepared, every angle calculated.

"Rat-tat-tat—" the submachine gun's burst fire rose and fell.

In just two minutes the battle ended. Seven corpses lay on the ground, all Blood Drop members who refused to surrender. Twelve were wounded, and the remaining seventeen were disarmed and captured.

"Search them." the regiment commander ordered.

The soldiers began to tally the seized items:

Refined Steel Daggers: 36

Silenced Pistols: 36

Special-made Ropes: 12

Mystic Incense: 24 bottles

Various tools, assorted

One hour later, in the interrogation room of the Fourth Bureau's basement.

"Talk. Who sent you?" Lin Yu sat opposite Xiao Ying, his tone calm.

Xiao Ying remained silent. As the special forces captain, he had received specialized anti-interrogation training.

"Don't be so nervous." Lin Yu smiled. "Your move was too hasty. Did you think I'd sent all my troops to the front?"

Xiao Ying still said nothing.

"Your intelligence work is insufficient." Lin Yu continued. "You just believed those surface-level deployment records? The Fourth Bureau isn't that simple."

Xiao Ying finally spoke: "You knew we were coming all along?"

"Of course." Lin Yu pointed to the documents on the table. "Your activities in the concession are too obvious. Moreover, Zhou Special Envoy's recent moves have been too deliberate."

Xiao Ying's face changed slightly. He hadn't expected that his meticulously planned operation would appear so obvious to the enemy.

"Take him away." Lin Yu told the guards. "Keep a close watch. I believe he still has much to say."

"Report! The Security Army and Garrison Brigade have encircled the Ghost Division, and the Sun and Lu faction forces are advancing toward their designated positions!"

Lin Yu lowered the telegram, a faint cold smile curling his lips. Zhou Special Envoy thought he had seized an opportunity, aiming to capture the leader while the Ghost Division was surrounded. But he wouldn't imagine that the Fourth Bureau's true trump card had not yet been revealed.

"System, extract the German Armored Division, all main forces!"

【Extraction Successful】

【German Armored Division's full organization deployed】

Inside the Remote Suburb Base, the dust-sealed hangar doors burst open with a roar.

A complete German Armored Division began to muster, a steel torrent of men and machines. A formation of over a hundred tanks was awe-inspiring:

Main Battle Tank Regiment: 45 Leopard tanks, 18 Tiger tanks, 6 Tiger King tanks

Armored Grenade Troop: 120 half-track armored vehicles, 45 armored reconnaissance vehicles

Heavy Tank Battalion: 24 Tiger tanks

Assault Gun Battalion: 36 Model 3 assault cannons

Armored Artillery Regiment: 24 "Marshal's Staff" self-propelled guns, 12 Vespa self-propelled anti-aircraft guns

Engineer Battalion, Signal Battalion, Supply Battalion, Medical Battalion

Each grenadier company was equipped with six MG42 general-purpose machine guns, each armored company with the latest radio equipment. This unit's firepower could make any opponent tremble.

"Advance!" ordered Armored Division commander Feng Schmidt.

In the pre-dawn darkness, the entire armored division began to move. The roar of hundreds of armored vehicles' engines shook the earth, the clatter of tracks like thunder.

While the encircling forces thought they had successfully pinned down the Fourth Bureau's main force, they did not know a true steel torrent was about to sweep the battlefield.

Lin Yu stood in the Command Center, gazing at the battlefield situation map. He knew that once this armored division entered the fray, all encirclement plans would be blown away before the steel torrent.

In the darkness, the armored division had already completed its battle formation.

When the first ray of sunlight illuminated the battlefield, those arrogant encirclers would realize they had picked the wrong opponent...

This time, the Fourth Bureau will crush this encirclement with thunderous might!

"Report! The Garrison Brigade's third battalion has built defensive positions on the East Front, suppressing the Ghost Division with fire!"

Lin Yu looked at the battlefield situation map; this battalion-sized unit happened to block the advance route.

"Great German Infantry Corps First Battalion, prepare for battle." Lin Yu issued the order.

At 4 a. m., East Front position.

Battalion Commander Feng An observed the enemy positions through his binoculars: three interlocking trenches, twelve heavy machine gun emplacements, four field guns. This was a standard battalion-level fortification.

"Signal platoon, connect the radios of each company."

"Reconnaissance platoon, report enemy firepoint distribution."

"Heavy weapons company, prepare the 81mm mortars."

The orders were quickly relayed. 850 German infantry began to move, each section operating like a precision machine.

"First wave, mortars ready!"

Six 81mm mortars and nine 50mm mortars fired simultaneously. Dense shells screamed into the enemy positions. Their precisely calculated impacts destroyed each enemy machine gun emplacement one by one.

"Second wave, heavy machine gun suppression!"

Twelve MG42 heavy machine guns deployed, their astonishing rate of fire of 1,200 rounds per minute weaving a death net over the enemy trenches. The 7.92mm caliber bullets tore apart any target daring to raise its head.

"First Company, charge!"

"Second Company, flank left!"

"Third Company, right wing encircle!"

Three infantry companies deployed in a fan shape. Each squad's MG42 light machine gunner took the center, riflemen spread out into combat formation. Their movements were neat and uniform, every tactical maneuver having been drilled countless times.

The enemy's counterattack began. But their machine-gun fire had been suppressed, and the field artillery fell silent under precise mortar fire. Scattered rifle fire could not stop the advance of the German infantry.

"Hand grenades!"

Hundreds of German-made hand grenades screamed toward the trenches. Explosions erupted one after another, smoke filling the air.

"Charge!"

750 infantrymen launched the assault simultaneously. They had clear division of labor—light machine gunners suppressed fire, riflemen cleared the trenches, grenadiers dealt with strongpoints. Every tactical maneuver had undergone strict training.

In less than twenty minutes, the battle was over.

The Garrison Brigade's third battalion was almost annihilated. On the German infantry side, they lost only 11 killed and 28 wounded. Left on the battlefield was their 'calling card': precise points of impact, standardized tactical movements, and strict military discipline.

"Report! The East Front Defense Line has been breached, the gap about 2 kilometers!"

Lin Yu nodded in satisfaction. This was the strength of the German infantry—well-trained, seamless coordination, extremely high tactical proficiency. Even without tanks, they remained the most reliable force on the battlefield.