Chapter 88: Look! Meteors

In the last darkness before dawn, the Ninth Division's iron torrent is advancing toward Shen City.

"Report, Division Commander," Chief of Staff Colonel Jingshang briskly entered the command vehicle, "the vanguard has already passed the midway point between Zhenjiang and Shen City."

Xiaoye Zuozuo set down his military binoculars, a hint of contemptuous smile on his face: "That kid Lin Yu should be terrified by now, shouldn't he?"

"According to intelligence," Colonel Jingshang opened the file, "he commands only a few hundred men, not even a full regiment."

"Hum," Xiaoye Zuozuo sneered, "with so few troops they still dare to massacre our concession and kill Envoy Mutou. Today they'll learn the price of provoking the Empire!"

"How does the Division Commander plan to deal with him?"

"No need for formalities," Xiaoye Zuozuo waved his hand, "just use heavy artillery to level Lin Gong Guan. As for his few men, let Songben's Seventh Battalion handle them."

"What about the Security Army..."

"Afraid of what?" Xiaoye Zuozuo said disdainfully, "Qin Dong Zhi is dead, their ranks are in chaos. Once we capture Lin Yu, they'll naturally comply."

"Hey!"

"Send the orders down," Xiaoye Zuozuo stood up, "increase the marching speed. I want to catch him off guard before dawn!"

"Wise, Division Commander!" Colonel Jingshang said respectfully, "With our strength, dealing with Lin Yu's ragtag mob is a waste of force."

"Have the heavy artillery regiment ready," Xiaoye Zuozuo's eyes flashed with cruelty, "I will raze Lin Gong Guan with cannon fire so the people of Shen City can see who truly rules here!"

A chorus of assent rang inside the command vehicle.

No one could have guessed that, amid their reckless banter, the Grim Reaper's scythe had already slipped silently onto their throats.

In the pitch-black night, the Tiger King Tank's 88mm main gun was silently bringing them into range, the Leopard Tank's engine poised to fire, and the Marshal's Staff self-propelled artillery's gun crews were conducting final calibrations...

"Order all units," Xiaoye Zuozuo said triumphantly, "no need to maintain any formation, full speed ahead! I want to see what tricks that kid Lin Yu can pull!"

"Hey!"

Thus, the Ninth Division swaggered forward, paying no heed to any anomalies around them. They hadn't even deployed their heavy machine guns, and the artillery were just chatting.

In their eyes, it was merely a simple punitive action. To deal with a clueless kid, what tactical deployment was even needed?

But they would never know that, when they stepped into the meticulously laid ambush, a nightmare awaited them.

"Rocket units, commence calibration!" Colonel Shiteyin's order was transmitted via encrypted radio to the rocket regiment.

Regimental Commander Major Wei Deman sprang into action. Ninety-six Head of State's Staff rocket launchers were lined up orderly, each operated by six well-trained crew members.

"Target area: Shen City's western highway, coordinates K-27 to K-35," Wei Deman's voice was calm and professional, "All batteries, note this is a saturation strike; rockets spaced 50 meters apart to form a crossfire net."

The Head of State's Staff rocket launcher, officially the 280mm multiple-launch rocket system, is one of the Ghost Division's most terrifying firepower weapons. Each rocket weighs 380 kilograms, with a high-explosive warhead of 112 kilograms, and a maximum range of 40 kilometers.

The most terrifying aspect is its firing speed—twelve tubes fire simultaneously, and in just seven seconds all rockets pour out. All ninety-six launchers fire at once, meaning that in under ten seconds, 1,152 rockets will blanket the target area.

"Battery 1 to 24, elevation 38 degrees, azimuth 269!"

"Battery 25 to 48, elevation 37.5 degrees, azimuth 272!"

"Battery 49 to 72, elevation 39 degrees, azimuth 265!"

"Battery 73 to 96, elevation 38.5 degrees, azimuth 267!"

As the orders were issued, the rocket launchers' tubes began to adjust slowly. Each battery was equipped with the latest ballistic computer, capable of calculating firing parameters based on target distance, wind speed, temperature, and other factors.

"Load!"

The rockets were fed into the launch tubes by an automatic loading system. Each rocket's tail carries a unique guidance system to maintain stability in flight and strike the target precisely.

"Report, Major," the communications officer handed over data, "latest weather station report: surface wind 3.2 m/s from the northwest, relative humidity 62%, pressure 1013.5 hPa."

"Received. All batteries, input the latest weather parameters and recalibrate!"

The rocket launchers' electronic system whirred rapidly, factoring in these minute environmental variables. That's the terrifying thing about the Head of State's Staff—it possesses not only massive firepower but also astonishing accuracy.

"Loading complete!"

"Calibration complete!"

"Guidance system check complete!"

"Launch system ready!"

A series of reports came in, and Wei Deman glanced at his wristwatch: "There are ten minutes left until the scheduled launch time."

He turned to the communications officer: "Report to Colonel Shiteyin that the Head of State's Staff Rocket Regiment is ready and can fire at any moment. The first salvo is expected to cover an area 4 km long and 800 m wide."

"Understood!"

In the pitch-black night, the barrels of the ninety-six rockets glinted coldly, silently awaiting the fire order.

They resembled a pack of coiled beasts, ready to unleash a rain of death upon the defenseless Ninth Division.

Fire!

At Major Wei Deman's command, all ninety-six Head of State's Staff rocket launchers simultaneously spewed orange-red flames.

Amid a thunderous roar, 1,152 rockets shot skyward with long fiery tails. The night sky lit up as if countless fire dragons were thrashing among the clouds.

In the marching column of the Ninth Division, a young soldier looked up at the sky.

"Look! Meteors!" he shouted excitedly, "so many meteors!"

More soldiers lifted their heads. Indeed, countless bright points suddenly dotted the black night sky, trailing long tails as they streaked west to east.

"Yeah," the veteran beside him laughed, "they say you make a wish when you see a meteor."

Inside the command vehicle, Xiaoye Zuozuo was sipping sake. Through the window he also saw the strange sight.

"What a good omen," he said proudly, "even the heavens are blessing our victory."

No one knew it wasn't a meteor. It was the Grim Reaper's messenger, hurtling toward them at 280 m/s, bearing a 112‑kilogram high‑explosive warhead.

Seven seconds later, the first rocket would strike the ground...