Chapter 480: Never Retreat

"Hit the head, killed on the spot…"

The little soldier's words, accompanied by a fresh hail of bullets, kept echoing in Lu Cheng's mind.

The dark-skinned man who, an hour ago, had been chatting and laughing with him, now turned into a cold, lifeless corpse.

"Old Lu, stay alert; you can't be dazed at a time like this…"

Seeing Lu Cheng crouch beside the vehicle, lost in thought, Wu Zhekun thought he was frightened and shook Lu Cheng's shoulder hard.

Lu Cheng came to himself: "I'm fully awake."

Hearing those four words, Wu Zhekun exhaled, then repeated what he had just said.

"Alright, now listen to me: Squad Leader Ma died while helping us transport equipment; we can't let the other Railway Troops be implicated any longer. You lead them to break out, and we'll provide cover…"

Another volley of bullets swept in, and Wu Zhekun quickly pressed Lu Cheng down, lowering his body.

When the bullet rain passed, Lu Cheng retorted: "What about you?"

"Us?" Wu Zhekun hadn't thought about it, nor had time to: "Even if we die in battle, we'll hold the enemy back, letting you break out."

"And those pieces of equipment?"

Wu Zhekun suddenly didn't know how to answer; he had thought Lu Cheng was scared, but even now thinking of the equipment proved Lu Cheng was very calm.

As for the equipment, it certainly couldn't be saved; even they would have to sacrifice heroically here.

Now Wu Zhekun was wondering how to get Lu Cheng and the others to break out; they couldn't all be sacrificed here, could they?

"Old Lu, you must listen to me now…"

"Do I listen to you?" Lu Cheng suddenly stood up: "Squad Leader Ma is dead; ask them if they're willing to go."

Lu Cheng was referring to the Railway Troops; when Wu Zhekun looked, these men, being soldiers, had quickly adapted to the situation, their expressions shifting from the earlier sorrow and despair to steadfast bravery.

One Railway Troop stood up: "We won't leave; Squad Leader Ma is still here, we will avenge him."

"Right, revenge…"

"Revenge…"

The other Railway Troops all stood up; at this moment, there was no mission in their eyes, no military equipment, only burning fury and a resolve for vengeance.

Seeing everyone so resolute, Wu Zhekun for a moment didn't know whether to persist.

But Lu Cheng gave him no time to hesitate, standing there to rally morale.

"Squad Leader Ma is dead, but he gave his life for the country; Squad Leader Ma is a hero!"

"Brothers, see this land clearly; this is our country. Squad Leader Ma fell here; on this line, we will not retreat a single step!"

"We will inherit Squad Leader Ma's will; tonight, either we all go home together, or we all become the new bones of this mountain range!"

"Even if we die! We must take a comrade on our backs!"

Lu Cheng's shout rang clear and strong; his words quickly infected every Railway Troop.

"Revenge, revenge!"

Watching everyone raise their arms and shout, even Wu Zhekun was swept up.

He no longer tried to persuade them to break out, because it was useless; after Lu Cheng's rally, each person was like a starving wolf, with only the resolve to avenge Squad Leader Ma in their minds.

"Now I will take over Squad Leader Ma's role; you will follow my command!"

Seeing the Railway Troops nod in unison, Lu Cheng turned to Wu Zhekun: "Lao Wu, we're not cowards; we go together, we die together!"

Wu Zhekun gripped Lu Cheng's shoulder firmly: "To die with you, this life is worth it."

Comradeship in battle is the fiercest and deepest; with so many comrades dying together, even in Yama's hall there will be companionship, and thus at this moment, no one feared death any longer.

But death is permissible! Before dying, we must carry a comrade on our backs; killing one is enough, killing two is profitable.

However, outnumbered by the enemy and with insufficient firepower, a viable tactic is needed.

Wu Zhekun, while ordering others to keep counterattacking, crouched behind a tire with Lu Cheng, exchanging their opinions.

After this round of fighting, the situation is very passive; frankly, the firepower is still lacking.

The enemy side has at least a dozen men, carrying ample ammunition; despite having the advantage, they neither pressed forward nor attempted to encircle, their sole aim being to drain our bullets.

If they push forward again, they can shoot us down at minimal cost, or simply capture us as prisoners.

Putting aside how being captured would affect the international situation, given Wu Zhekun's temperament, he'd rather fire a glorious round and perish together with the enemy than become a prisoner.

Otherwise, he would have no face to meet his father; the Wu Family, coming from the war era, has only heroes who died in battle, no living prisoners.

At this life-or-death moment, Lu Cheng shared the same mindset.

If he became a prisoner, his parents in Hu Tong would never be able to lift their heads again, living their whole lives under others' scrutiny.

Then only one road remains: to clash with the enemy, but without a reckless charge.

The current situation is: how to make the best use of firepower? Here we have only the five rifles Wu Zhekun brought, plus one grenade per person.

The Railway Troops originally came from railway maintenance, lightly equipped, without rifles, but they did bring three hunting rifles from the Farm.

If we can add those three hunting rifles, perhaps there is still a chance to fight.

Unfortunately, the enemy now occupies a favorable high ground and won't charge forward; the three hunting rifles can't reach that far, so firepower can't be effective.

Earlier, fearing the enemy would push through was a sudden panic, but now, with everyone embracing a death-ready resolve, they actually hope the enemy will charge.

Only then can we get close enough to fight!

But the enemy clearly doesn't want casualties; they just stay on the distant hill and fire.

Lu Cheng immediately made a bold decision.

"Lao Wu, this enemy force isn't large; they want a war of attrition with us. Our position is disadvantageous, we simply can't afford to be worn down, so we must turn the passive into the active now."

Lu Cheng's suggestion didn't surprise Wu Zhekun at all; he knew Lu Cheng wasn't a brute, his mind was very sharp.

At this moment, Wu Zhekun also wanted to proactively break the stalemate.

"My idea is: you lead the Railway Troops here to draw fire, then I take our squad's fighters around the side; we kill as many as we can, preferably force them out."

Doing so would undoubtedly be a good way to break the current stalemate, but Lu Cheng thought it over and did not agree.

I think it's inappropriate; the enemy isn't a fool. We use a shotgun to draw them, and the sound is clearly different from a rifle's, so the enemy will surely realize we've flanked them.

If they are on guard, a surprise attack will not only fail but will likely be crushed by the enemy's superior force. If you sacrifice yourselves, we will become lambs awaiting slaughter.

Lu Cheng is not a soldier and has never received any military training, yet at this moment his analysis of the situation on the ground makes Wu Zhekun instinctively uneasy.

On the battlefield, Wu Zhekun is the professional; Lu Cheng should listen to them.