Chapter 180: Company's Combat Power Mainstay!

"Squad Leader, I will definitely avenge you, I must avenge you......"

Kong Long's angry outburst hadn't finished when Lu Yang already took the other side.

Finding an excellent firing spot again, he shot this good brother away, allowing him to reunite with his own Squad Leader.

Kong Long's smoke detector on his body vibrated once and puffed out white smoke.

He stood there with a bewildered face: "I—I also died?"

Heavy Machine Gun Squad Leader covered his face, unable to watch: "Too cool for more than three seconds!"

At a glance, the most threatening heavy machine gun position on the battlefield was taken out.

Ma Qing'an's excited fist pounded the ground, shouting into the intercom: "Awesome, well fought!"

Lu Yang slowly retreated, half‑crouched to lower his gun, then picked up the intercom and replied: "Hehe, basic operation."

"We're moving up, keep a safe distance behind and provide fire support!"

"Yes!"

Ma Qing'an swept his hand, leading everyone in a charge.

The motorized infantry's charge was faster and more ferocious than the others.

Moreover, several heavy fire points had been taken out, and the remaining fire couldn't withstand the Sixth Company's iron hooves.

Seeing the second line of defense about to be breached, Platoon Leader Kang Changyi boldly led Zhou Kaidong and others, preparing to seize the First Battalion Headquarters first, laying the foundation for final victory.

But Zhou Kaidong, watching the adrenaline‑pumped Kang Changyi, couldn't help reminding: "We're charging too far forward; the Company Commander hasn't caught up yet. If the enemy has an ambush at the Headquarters, we'll be very vulnerable!"

Kang Changyi was unperturbed: "The main position has been torn open, the second line is about to fall, the enemy forces are almost exhausted; any ambush would be just small fish and shrimp!"

"First Platoon, fall in behind me, seize the First Battalion Headquarters, that'll be our top achievement. Charge!"

Even though on ordinary days everyone disliked Kang Da Niang.

But on the battlefield, a Platoon Leader is a Platoon Leader; all soldiers below must obey his command.

Even if Zhou Kaidong thought this reckless charge was unwise, he still had to obey the order and go up together.

At this moment, Company Commander Ma Qing'an had smoke rising from his head; he had been blown up by enemy gun‑grenades in the earlier charge, becoming a "corpse".

The situation had essentially solidified; the First Battalion's defeat was a certainty, and even if they tried to turn it around, they'd make no big splash.

Ma Qing'an simply plopped onto a stone, lit a cigarette for himself, and leisurely began to smoke.

Suddenly, in a position to the left front, a soldier overly immersed in the role leapt out clutching a light machine gun.

The muzzle went rat‑a‑tat into the air, while the emotionally charged soldier shouted loudly.

"Come on, come on, aren't you great? Don't you have snipers? If you have the guts, fire at my grandpa!"

"As long as I'm Wan Baoshan, this position stays! People are here, the position is here, the position is here, people..."

Bang!

A bullet hit Wan Baoshan's chest dead‑on.

Seeing smoke drift from his body, Wan Baoshan was completely defenseless.

Ma Qing'an laughed, choked a bit on the smoke: "Idiot!"

"Who did it!"

"Who fired the gun!"

"If you think you're capable, try shooting me again!"

Lu Yang simply gave him two more shots, then sprinted over.

Wan Baoshan hysterically bounced and jumped in place, and when he saw Lu Yang and the sniper rifle in his hand, his eyes widened in shock.

"It's you!"

"Yes, it's me."

Lu Yang laughed heartily: "Surprised? Happy?"

Wan Baoshan went berserk, furiously charging at Lu Yang: "Lu, I'm taking you on!"

Then his feet left the ground, and he was flipped like a tumbleweed, Lu Yang seized him and slammed him down.

At this moment, the dejected Kong Long and the Heavy Machine Gun Squad Leader also walked up from the side.

Seeing the scene before them, they could no longer guess how they had died.

Heavy Machine Gun Squad Leader, with a melancholy face, said: "So it was you who fired. I keep wondering how anyone can be that accurate. Dying wasn't in vain, not in vain."

Kong Long's tears were about to fall: "Brother Lu, how could you finish me off so quickly? You won't let me prove myself? I haven't avenged the Squad Leader yet! This is my first time in an exercise, the first!"

Lu Yang shrugged: "Who hasn't?"

Having no time for reminiscing, Lu Yang glanced at the Company Commander.

Ma Qing'an, with a cigarette in his mouth, waved his hand, indicating he should mind his own business.

The battle had reached this point, the outcome essentially decided, and this Company Commander could be considered diligent.

Watching Lu Yang dash to the rear, mount a motorcycle and swiftly support the front lines, Ma Qing'an's smoke was sweet and silky.

Heavy Machine Gun Squad Leader: "Sixth Company Commander, if your company didn't have Lu Yang, the precise shooter, you wouldn't be able to breach our second defense line even for a moment."

Ma Qing'an said casually: "If we didn't have him, we'd still be suffering on the main position. This victory is mostly Lu Yang's doing; he probably killed the most enemies."

Kong Long listened to the Sixth Company Commander's words, feeling deeply envious.

They all enlisted together, yet he had already become the regiment's combat power mainstay.

But he himself, nervous at the start of the exercise, kept needing to pee, his performance was truly terrible.

Seeing Kong Long's dejected expression, the Heavy Machine Gun Squad Leader patted him and said: "Take it slow; if talent lacks, effort makes up. You just killed two people, that's something."

Kong Long regained confidence: "Squad Leader, after the exercise I want to train more; I also want to become our company's combat power mainstay!"

Heavy Machine Gun Squad Leader laughed: "Good, you have ambition; Squad Leader will accompany you!"

Ma Qing'an watched the scene, smiled knowingly and exhaled smoke.

The purpose of the exercise is never to decide victory or defeat, but to identify gaps, fill them, and become courageous after feeling ashamed.

An outstanding soldier must undergo the baptism of "warfire" and must experience repeated setbacks to grow.

Ma Qing'an took two cigarettes from the pack, tossed one to the Heavy Machine Gun Squad leader and one to Kong Long: "Take a break; looks like the corpse‑collection vehicle isn't coming, we'll have to walk back to the camp ourselves later."

"Thank you, Sixth Company Commander."

Lu Yang rode a motorcycle, speeding along the uneven, pothole‑riddled mountain road, and in the blink of an eye caught up with the unit ahead.

As a precision shooter, he naturally cannot charge at the front; the middle and rear of the formation are where he should be.

Only by leaving enough safe environment and space does Lu Yang have the chance to keep killing enemies and open a breakthrough for the team.

But when he arrived, he found the battle ahead was not the sweeping, effortless push he had imagined, but a fiercely brutal fight.

Led by a First Platoon, a dozen assault squads were completely wiped out, and the following units also suffered heavy losses, clearly having walked into an ambush.

Lu Yang quickly dropped the motorcycle, sprinted to an open‑view spot, set up his sniper rifle, and looked toward the distant firefight zone.

Zhou Kaidong fell, Li Jiang fell, Kang Da Niang also fell......

Lu Yang's complexion turned grim; evidently he hadn't anticipated the battlefield's rapid changes.

He took a deep breath, swapped magazines, and fired an empty magazine toward the distance.

After neutralizing several key fire positions, our side's pressure dropped sharply, allowing us to pull back and maneuver against the enemy.

However, the enemy also spotted Lu Yang's location; three‑tube mortars fired toward us, aiming to take him out.

Fortunately Lu Yang ran in time, immediately changing his firing position, but during the movement he seemed to make a significant discovery.

"Battalion Commander, let's move quickly!"

"What's the point of leaving? We've already been hit and driven to the camp; does it matter whether I'm dead or alive?"

"Battalion Commander, the fight on the main position isn't over yet; we still have a chance to turn the tide. You must command the whole situation—you're the backbone. If you're gone, there's truly nothing left to fight."

"Indeed, Battalion Commander, winning or losing is one thing, but if you're captured alive by the enemy, our entire battalion's reputation will be completely ruined!"

"Withdraw, Battalion Commander, while the enemy is trapped in our ambush and their main force hasn't yet withdrawn from the main position, this is the best chance!"

"As long as the green mountains remain, we won't lack firewood; you are our hope for a comeback!"

The First Battalion Commander could no longer endure the persuasion and finally had no choice but to relocate from Headquarters.

But he didn't expect that, just as a group of people were crowding him onto a vehicle.

Within a few hundred meters, Lu Yang's barrel was already locked on him and aimed......