Five minutes later, several squads from the Special Operations Regiment began heading downstairs to push forward!
"The brothers from the Special Operations Regiment are coming down, cover them and let them advance!" many company commanders shouted as they saw groups of two, carrying massive backpacks and weapons, sprinting quickly along the corners of the walls.
"They're incredible; I just saw them take out a battalion commander with a single shot!" a soldier remarked while running.
"Didn't you see all those infantry guns on the front lines getting smashed? They did that!" another soldier replied.
"What kind of unit is the Special Operations Regiment? How are they so strong?" a soldier nearby asked. Soon, a team from the Special Operations Regiment overtook them, rushing forward. The lead soldier, armed with a rifle, sprinted quickly while constantly shifting his muzzle, scanning in all directions for potential enemies.
Bang! Bang!
"Clear, move in!"
Just then, the soldier crouched down, fired a few shots at an Allied soldier ahead, and upon killing him, immediately waved to the rear. The soldier carrying the heavy sniper rifle followed up.
"Holy shit!" Many regular soldiers were stunned seeing how decisively the lead soldier fired and how accurate his marksmanship was.
"Move!" In other streets, soldiers of the Special Operations Regiment were also advancing rapidly. The regular troops were thoroughly impressed seeing them sprint so fast while carrying such massive backpacks.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bang!
"Move in!"
"We're pinned down ahead; it's a dozen or so stragglers!" a soldier from the Special Operations Regiment said while reloading.
A squad of regular soldiers was pinned down here. The sniper set up his rifle and opened fire at the front.
Bang!Bang!Bang! He fired incredibly fast. After a few shots, the Allied troops in the distance didn't dare to peek out anymore!
"Move in!" The soldier with the rifle immediately vaulted out of cover and charged forward, weapon raised, while the sniper in the back kept a watchful eye on the front!
Bang! An Allied soldier popped his head out and was instantly shot.
Bang! Bang! The lead soldier also fired upon seeing the Allied troops emerge.
"This is too intense. Are these two really suppressing over a dozen enemies by themselves?" A squad leader was utterly shocked seeing how quickly these soldiers dispatched their opponents.
"Move in!" shouted the soldier who had already dashed forward over fifty meters. After calling out, he dropped to the ground, aiming ahead. Hearing this, the sniper grabbed his rifle and began sprinting forward!
Bang, bang, bang! Any soldiers ahead who tried to pop out were struck by the prone soldier!
Soon, the sniper reached the rifleman's side and found cover to protect himself.
"Move in!" the sniper ordered. The rifleman immediately scrambled up and charged forward. As he advanced, the sniper laid down covering fire based on the situation ahead. Even when enemies hid behind walls, the sniper fired; a single shot would pierce the wall and hit the target directly!
Bang! Bang! Bang! The rifleman rushed to where the Allied troops were hiding and unleashed a barrage of bullets!
"Move in!" the rifleman yelled ten seconds later.
The sniper grabbed his rifle and dashed forward, swapping his magazine on the run. The soldiers of the Special Operations Regiment always reloaded while moving. As long as they had fired more than five rounds, they would swap in a fresh, full magazine.
This was to prevent running out of bullets in case a large number of Allied troops suddenly appeared. Once they reached a safe spot, they would immediately refill their partially used magazines!
"Right here, head upstairs! There are quite a few Allied soldiers ahead!" the rifleman shouted, noticing the firefight in front of them.
"Move!" The sniper immediately turned into the adjacent building. The rifleman followed right behind him. Covering each other, they began to ascend!
"Holy crap, that's insane! Those two just wiped out over a dozen Allied soldiers in a flash. Their marksmanship is amazing!" The regular soldiers were astonished watching the Special Operations Regiment in action.
Bang, bang!
"Hurry, keep pushing forward! Clear out the remaining enemies in our control zone and expand it as much as possible. Once we secure a solid foothold in the city, the battle will be much easier!" Weng Tao ordered after observing the frontline situation from the rear.
He immediately commanded his troops to advance swiftly while purging the Allied forces within their controlled sectors, ensuring his men could establish a defensive line there!
…
"Report! A call from frontline commander Kesma !" a staff officer reported, bringing a telephone to Vostok.
"He's calling already?" Vostok said, sounding somewhat surprised.
"Hello, this is Vostok. What's the situation on your end?" Despite his surprise, Vostok still answered the call.
"Report! The Eastern Spirit Empire's forces have broken through our first defensive line! Furthermore, our second line is under immense pressure, and it has already been breached in several places.
The Eastern Spirit Empire is advancing incredibly fast. They're using tanks and infantry fighting vehicles for cover, putting immense pressure on our frontline troops!" Kesma shouted over the line. Massive explosions and dense gunfire were currently echoing from the western and southwestern parts of the city!
"What did you say?! The Eastern Spirit Empire's forces have only been attacking for a few minutes and they've already broken through two of our defensive lines? How exactly are you commanding?!" Vostok roared furiously.
He hadn't expected the battle in Tonglong City to devolve like this at all. He previously thought that if Hu Hao's troops could break the first defensive line tonight, it would already be considered impressive, especially since Kesma had deployed three divisions in the west and southwest.
Yet now, it wasn't even 9:00 PM, and not only was the first line broken, but the second one had fallen as well. How could Vostok not be enraged?
"Supreme Commander, we don't know what happened either! Before the battle even started, the Eastern Spirit Empire's troops used the heavy rain to infiltrate. They were already behind our first line of defense!
The moment the battle started, they attacked our lines from the rear. And from the front, it was the Eastern Spirit Empire's armored and tank divisions. As you know, if our troops slip up for even a second, they just charge right in!
Therefore, the first defensive line completely failed to delay the Eastern Spirit Empire's offensive. Once our line was broken, our troops had no choice but to retreat. The Eastern Spirit Empire's forces simply charged, chasing down and attacking our retreating men!
So, by the time they reached the second line of defense, they arrived so quickly that our troops were breached before they could even prepare! Right now, I've already deployed four divisions at the third defensive line. Rest assured, Supreme Commander, we will definitely be able to stop Hu Hao's troops at the third line!" Kesma yelled loudly.
"Damn it, the third line of defense?! The third line means half of Tonglong City! Are you telling me that in a single night, the Eastern Spirit Empire's troops have already recaptured half of Tonglong City?!
Then tell me, how long can you hold Tonglong City? This is a critical transportation hub! I gave you two corps and eleven divisions, and this is the result?! Recapture the second defensive line immediately!
Organize your troops at once and launch a counterattack! Counterattack Hu Hao's forces!" Vostok screamed before slamming the phone down, utterly furious.
"Damn it all, how on earth is he commanding?! Two defensive lines broken by Hu Hao's troops in less than an hour! If we really let Hu Hao reach the third line, we won't be able to hold it at all. Come daytime tomorrow, this place will be lost. We must counterattack!
Also, mobilize two corps immediately and send them to reinforce Tonglong City !" Vostok shouted at his Chief of Staff right after hanging up the phone.
"Yes, sir!" Hearing this, Vitali immediately went to issue the orders.
"Aren't Hu Hao's troops just a bunch of fresh recruits? How can they fight so fiercely? To think they could smash through our defenses this fast!" Try as he might, Vostok simply couldn't figure it out!
…
"Kill!" At this moment inside Tonglong City, both sides had begun contesting every single street!
Bang!Bang! Meanwhile, the snipers occupying the high-rises began assisting the ground troops' advance. They focused on heavy weapons. Once the heavy weapons were neutralized, they would also gun down regular soldiers, covering the ground forces so they could charge forward quickly.
"Thanks!" a platoon leader shouted. As he led his soldiers to assault the street opposite them, he saw many enemy heavy machine gunners get taken out by snipers.
Furthermore, it wasn't just a single sniper watching over them; there were many. This instantly relieved a huge amount of pressure on them. Whenever the regular Allied soldiers tried to return fire, they were shot down as well.
Therefore, the platoon leader simply led his men in a forward charge. Once they got close, they finished the job with grenades. After successfully wiping out these enemies, the platoon leader gave a thumbs-up toward the distance as a gesture of gratitude.
"Keep charging! Push straight into the city! Make sure to stay in contact with our units on the left and right!" A company commander ran over from the distance, shouting loudly.
"Yes, sir!" With a wave of his hand, the platoon leader immediately led his troops forward.
At this moment, the gunfire was gradually dying down in the areas controlled by Hu Hao's forces. The civilians now dared to sneakily poke their heads out and observe the situation below. Many vehicles down in the streets had been shot up and set ablaze.
Because they were gasoline vehicles, the heavy rain was useless; the fires continued to burn. The civilians saw large numbers of corpses scattered across the streets. They also saw medics, wearing Eastern Spirit Empire uniforms with red diamond insignias on their arms, actively treating the Eastern Spirit Empire's wounded.
"Our troops have taken control of this area! Look!" a man pointed at the medics below and excitedly told the people around him.
"Hurry, get them to the field hospital! They need surgery!"
Just then, an armored transport vehicle approached from the distance. The front was an armored cab, and it towed a cargo bed behind it. The sides of the bed were also reinforced with thick armor, and a heavy machine gun was mounted on the roof!
"Are there any more?" a medic on the vehicle shouted.
"Not on this street! We don't have many casualties!" a medic on the ground yelled back.
(End of Chapter)