Hades drove the off-road truck, racing across the undulating swamp terrain. After a day of sunlight, except for the low-lying areas caused by last night's heavy rain that remained impassable, other places allowed this empty off-road truck to travel.
Although the off-road capability of wheeled vehicles is far lower than that of tracked vehicles, it depends on the circumstances. For instance, right now, an empty six-wheel-drive off-road vehicle had better mobility than a heavy Chieftain Tank.
Of course, it also had everything to do with Hades' superb driving skills.
The two men on the Cobra helicopter chasing him were frustrated enough to spit blood. Every time they aimed at the target and were about to fire, the opponent would make a groundless turn, escaping their sights. Rockets and autocannons had already been used, but the results were still unsatisfactory.
"Use the missiles; let's not waste any more time," the pilot said.
"Alright." The weapon systems officer in the front switched the fire control to missiles.
Hades felt as if he were dancing on the palm of the Grim Reaper; any slight deviation would result in being blown to pieces instantly.
He felt as if his intestines and stomach were about to be jolted out, but he didn't dare ease off the throttle.
At the same time, he was prepared; if the opponent fired a missile, he would have no choice but to jump from the vehicle.
The motivation that had sustained him until now was to lure this Cobra away. The further he drew it, the safer the Captain would be.
Hades' eyes were filled with determination and resolve.
There was another earthen ridge ahead. He braced himself; the off-road truck was about to take flight again.
Suddenly, in the rearview mirror, he saw a puff of white smoke emerge from under the stub wing of the helicopter behind him.
Not good, the opponent had finally fired a missile.
Surviving a missile strike would be nothing short of a miracle. Hades didn't dare be careless and immediately used a pre-prepared crowbar to prop the accelerator pedal. Opening the door, just as the off-road truck was about to lift off, he nimbly jumped out.
After jumping, Hades immediately rolled to dissipate the forward momentum. His face was instantly scratched by dry branches on the ground.
The airborne off-road truck was hit by the incoming missile and instantly blown into fragments that scattered everywhere.
Hades rolled a few times on the ground. Hearing the explosion ahead and feeling the shockwave, he immediately covered his head with his hands.
Several jagged shrapnel pieces grazed past his scalp—it was a terrifyingly close call.
Kid, you've got guts! Before the missile hit the target, the helicopter pilot keenly noticed that the door was open. Needless to say, the driver must have jumped out in advance.
Wasting a missile only to get a broken truck made the pilot somewhat furious. The weapon systems officer switched the fire control system back to the autocannon, preparing for a saturation fire.
Just then, they heard an explosion over the radio.
Oh no! Looking up, they saw the other Cobra in the distance had been blown apart in mid-air, turning into a fireball.
"Captain!" the pilot shouted. That helicopter was his lead aircraft.
Without seeing any enemy fighters or helicopters, and without seeing any anti-aircraft fire, how was that helicopter shot down?
It must have been the group that just fled! It had to be them!
The last remaining Cobra finally lost control of its rage. After pulling the helicopter up, it dove toward the reed bed from earlier.
The weapon systems officer in the front switched the fire control to rocket pod mode and fired all the remaining twenty-plus rockets.
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!" One rocket after another streaked out of the rocket pods, carrying the duo's fury toward the reed bed.
The entire reed bed was transformed into a sea of fire.
Even after firing the rockets, their anger wasn't appeased. They switched to autocannon mode and began pouring down a rain of bullets with the 20mm autocannon.
The reed bed was instantly riddled with holes like a sieve. Forget a person; even a field mouse likely couldn't survive an attack of this intensity.
"Captain!" Hades stood up, his heart filled with anxiety.
He limped forward with determination. After these few days, they had become comrades who relied on each other for life and death; he would never live on alone!
"Rat-tat!" Finally, the frantic autocannon stopped spinning. Within minutes, they had expended all the rounds for the Vulcan Cannon.
It was fortunate that all the shells were fired; otherwise, the autocannon would have certainly overheated over time.
The two of them recovered from their excitement; the venting just now made them feel a bit better.
During long periods of war, many soldiers suffer from a killing syndrome. This kind of moderate venting, while wasting ammunition, was something that happened from time to time to alleviate psychological issues caused by excessive stress.
Although pilots are called the "favored sons of heaven," their psychological pressure is even greater than that of other military branches. For a helicopter pilot, a single mistake results in only one outcome: death! Therefore, their pressure is even higher.
Hades looked at the reed bed that had been plowed flat; it was impossible for any living creature to remain there.
"Captain!" Hades was somewhat despairing.
Suddenly, beside the scorched Chieftain Tank, three figures stood up.
It was Qusay!
Only by taking the enemy by surprise can one achieve victory.
Just now, after destroying that helicopter, Qusay had ordered the remaining soldiers to leave the reed bed immediately and return to hide near the destroyed tank.
Just as they had hidden themselves, the Cobra, which seemed to have gone mad, began to ravage the reed bed. Its intensity was as if it had been cuckolded and was brutally beating the adulterer.
Qusay looked at the two snipers behind him and said, "Get ready. I'll use Steel-Core Rounds, and you two use Tracer Armor-Piercing Incendiary Rounds. Aim for the connection between the rotor and the airframe; the main gearbox there is the most vulnerable. Next are the engine intakes and the tail rotor, and then the bulletproof glass."
The SAM-7 missiles were all used up. The next task would be left to the sniper rifles!
There were originally three snipers, but one of them had his legs shattered by the autocannon and could no longer perform the mission. Qusay demonstrated his versatility and took the sniper rifle without hesitation.
Qusay had requested many good items from his uncle, Izzat, to equip his unit, such as the SVD Sniper Rifle in his hands, imported from the Soviet Union. Designed by the famous Yevgeny Fyodorovich Dragunov, it was the world's first precision rifle specifically manufactured for its purpose. It used the more accurate 7N1 Rounds specially made for the SVD. The bullet head was a copper-jacketed steel-core hollow-point, with a range of up to a thousand meters.
Although attack helicopters are covered in armor in many places—especially the bottom, which is enough to block 20mm anti-aircraft fire—they also have many very vulnerable spots. The connection between the rotor and the airframe contains mechanical devices like the gearbox and swashplate, which are relatively fragile. Qusay would first use Steel-Core Rounds to create an opening and cause the gearbox oil to leak, followed by Tracer Armor-Piercing Incendiary Rounds. The effect could be well imagined.
The engine intake is also a vulnerable spot, not because of what happens if it's hit directly, but because it's an intake. As long as foreign objects enter the engine, the high-speed rotating turbine blades will be shattered. If the fuel lines are then broken, the inside is filled with highly flammable aviation kerosene.
Qusay didn't like shooting at bulletproof glass; that would mean facing the opponent head-on. Confronting a highly maneuverable helicopter in the air head-on was not a wise choice. In movies, a single shot hitting the enemy pilot while surviving the opponent's heavy autocannon fire is something that can only be called a miracle in reality.
In fact, the Cobra had already run out of autocannon shells, but Qusay didn't know that. Even if he did, the opponent still had anti-tank missiles, and those were not to be trifled with.
Therefore, seeing the side of the Cobra facing him, Qusay assigned the tasks to the other two snipers, and they raised their sniper rifles together.
After springing up, Qusay immediately calmed his breathing. With his left eye closed, he looked through the scope with his right eye, the crosshairs already resting just below the helicopter's rotor.
For some reason, the opponent suddenly hovered.
The opportunity was perfect! Qusay pulled the trigger without hesitation.
"Bang!" A steel-core round flew out of the muzzle of the sniper rifle.
Immediately following, the other two snipers beside him also fired Tracer Armor-Piercing Incendiary Rounds.
Having finished firing, Qusay did not wait to see the results. While this sniper rifle improved range and accuracy, it was also a semi-automatic rifle, so it had to be manually reloaded.
Let the bullets fly!