Kote took the drink without sipping.
His eyes locked onto the main screen's edge—there, the icon representing the "Balance Beam" early warning aircraft was cruising at high altitude behind the war zone, with the data link status all green.
"The beam of information flow has been set up." He murmured, "Now, let's drop that heavy hamr."
04:50, over Tetric City.
The deepest darkness before dawn enveloped the city.
A hint of white appeared on the eastern skyline, like pale blood oozing from the edge of a giant wound.
Then the sky began to scream.
Not the roar of engines, but the increasingly sharp wail of air being torn apart by high-speed objects.
The sound fell from the high altitude, like the Grim Reaper sharpening its blade.
Four F-16C "Fighting Falcons" entered from the northwest direction, flying at an altitude of 25,000 feet, and a speed of 0.9 Mach.
They were ard with mixed ordnance, with GBU-12 laser-guided bombs and AGM-65 "Little Bull" air-to-ground missiles under the wings, and auxiliary fuel tanks and AN/AAQ-33 "Sniper" advanced targeting pods on the centerline of the fuselage.
"'Poison Snake' 1-1 on attack course. 'Balance Beam,' request target confirmation."
"Roger that, 'Poison Snake.' Target A-1, suspected command post in the west of the city. Coordinates sent. Laser code: 1685."
"Code confird. Comncing attack."
The lead pilot pressed down on the control stick, and the F-16 dove at a 30-degree angle.
Altitude dropped sharply, speed increased to 1.2 Mach.
The infrared image from the targeting pod displayed the target building clearly on the helt display—a four-story concrete structure with an antenna shadow on the rooftop.
Distance eight miles, altitude ten thousand feet.
"Locked."
The pilot used the helt-mounted sight to fra the building and pressed the laser designator button on the control stick.
The laser from the bottom of the pod emitted an encoded beam invisible to the naked eye, forming a targeting point on the building's exterior wall less than a ter in diater.
"Bomb away."
A GBU-12 dropped off the right wing rack.
The 500-pound bomb deployed its tail fins in mid-air, gliding down guided by the laser beam.
On the ground, the building stood silent in the pre-dawn darkness.
Several stray dogs were scavenging near a heap of garbage.
Suddenly, they pricked up their ears and began to bark uneasily.
GBU-12 almost vertically fell at near the speed of sound.
Within the last 500 ters, the warhead made minor adjustnts to align with the laser point.
Impact occurred at 04:51:17.
The explosion tore the entire building apart from within.
Concrete fragnts were thrown hundreds of ters into the air, the shockwave swept across two streets, shattering all windows.
A fireball tore a bright orange gap in the darkness, a black smoke column began to rise.
In the command center, the main screen showed a red "X" in the corresponding area, marked "Target Destroyed."
The explosion's heat signal on infrared imagery shone like a supernova.
Colonel Kote leaned forward, staring at that red "X."
His mouth curled slightly upwards.
The first strike, perfect.
"Second target, ammunition depot, coordinates updated."
The massacre in the sky continued.
The subsequent F-16 formations entered in succession.
GBU-12 and "Little Bull" missiles fell one after another, each explosion in different corners of the city setting off new fireballs.
A suspected vehicle gathering point was covered by two "Little Bulls," over ten parked pickups blasted into burning fragnts.
The ammunition depot was directly hit, causing a terrifying secondary explosion, flas shot nearly one hundred ters high.
The most lethal blow ca from another weapon.
Two F-16s dropped CBU-105 cluster bombs over the eastern outskirts.
These bombs opened at predetermined altitudes, releasing ten BLU-108 submunitions. Each submunition then released four "Skeet" warheads, totaling forty warheads parachuting down, slowing down while spinning sensors activated, releasing deadly explosive-ford projectiles downward.
The entire eastern outskirts were covered in tal streams within thirty seconds.
Thin-roofed buildings were directly penetrated, open-stored materials destroyed. If any personnel were exposed, survival was impossible.
In the air, Apache formations were flying at low altitude.
Four AH-64D "Longbow Apaches" patrolled the city's edge at an altitude of five hundred ters, speed eighty knots.
They were the cleaners of the battlefield.
The lead pilot, Kael, observed the world through the IHADSS helt display.
His view overlaid with flight data and electro-optical system rged images—forward-looking infrared showed living targets as bright white.
"Avenger 1-1, this is 'Outpost.' Grid NK357218, detected multiple heat sources moving, suspected personnel escaping northwest. Authorization for free hunting."
Brenan adjusted the control stick, Apache elegantly turned.
"Roger that. Number 2, follow . Numbers 3 and 4, cover the flanks."
Two Apaches lowered altitude to three hundred ters, speed increased to one hundred knots. Five kiloters distance, to be reached in thirty seconds.
In the helt display, eight white figures were seen running through the ruins. Distance three thousand ters.
"Locked."
Brenan frad the group target with the helt-mounted sight and pressed the lock button.
The M230 chain gun beneath the nose slightly adjusted its angle.
"Fire."
Boom-
Boom-
Boom-
Boom-
Boom!
The M230 sprayed ten 30mm shells at a rate of 625 rounds per minute.
Ammunition was M789 high-explosive dual-purpose rounds, capable of penetrating light armor and then exploding.
Shell flight ti was two seconds.
The two figures running last suddenly exploded.
Then the second wave of shells fell, enveloping the remaining six in fragnts and dust.
The white figures extinguished in infrared view.
"Targets cleared."
Brenan reported calmly, as if just taking down so virtual enemies in a ga.
Such scenes were replayed across multiple locations on the city's edge.
Apaches like a circling Grim Reaper, any exposed targets in open terrain bringing strikes from 30mm shells or "Hydra" 70mm rockets.
Command center, 05:30.
Kote's screen in front showed the number of red "X" markers increased to forty-three.
The list representing predetermined strike targets was graying out—being completed.
The airstrike had continued for forty minutes.
More than twenty locations in Tetric's downtown were burning, black smoke columns rising in the pre-dawn sky like giant tombstones.
Electromagnetic monitoring showed enemy radio activity sharply reduced.
Two previously detected suspected command node signals, one disappeared after the western city building's destruction, the other still intermittently transmitted but was shifting.
teorological data showed visibility was improving, temperature beginning to rise.
The dynamic map of troops showed the advance convoy of Kurd Ard forces started moving along dry riverbeds, less than three kiloters from the first outer defense line.
Everything perfect.
Kote lifted his coffee, truly took a sip. The warm liquid brought a slight caffeine stimulation.
He leaned back in his chair, hands folded on his abdon, allowing himself to relax.
"Commander, preliminary airstrike effect assessnt completed."
The intelligence analyst reported, "Satellite images show the main predetermined target destruction rate estimated at 92%. Heat signal analysis indicates city inner personnel activities decreased by about 70%."
Major Jas approached, "Kurd vanguard reports, they encountered no resistance. They expect contact with the first defense line at seven o'clock."
Kote nodded.
According to plan, Kurd forces would easily break through the weak outer defense line, pushing into the city center.
Then, the 1515 Ard would have to deploy reserves to plug the gap.
And that is when Thunder Defense's helicopter assault teams would deploy, direct strikes at the weak points created by enemy shifts.
"Prepare Thunder Defense air assault echelon. Expected deploynt ti: 08:30."
"Yes, Commander."
Kote glanced at the main screen.
The blue pincer icon slowly closed, red defense icons sparse and still.
His gaze moved to the city center, marked with several high-value targets.
"By the end of today," he whispered to himself, "we'll plant our flag there."
He felt a commander's pre-battle excitent.
Not the adrenaline-pumping tension of soldiers, but the calm pleasure of a chess player seeing the ga unfold as planned.
All variables under control, all contingencies accounted for.
He rembered Song Heping.
Maybe, tomorrow, he could mock the other's arrogance over the phone.
"Balance Beam" is operational. Information flow beam steady, firepower hamr sliding along.
He allowed himself to smile for a second, a genuine smile.
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