"Did Samir make contact with the insider within 1515?" Song Heping suddenly asked.
"No new updates. I just reached out to him to try to get the latest intelligence, but there's no news."
Jiang Feng shook his head: "The last communication was six hours ago. The insider said he would try to infiltrate the school area, but there's been no news afterwards."
Song Heping continued to stare at the screen.
The artillery bombardnt continued, flashes of light appearing one after another, like a grand fireworks display. Only this fireworks display would cost countless lives.
"Have our people raise their alert levels too. There won't be peace today..."
At 6:05 AM, the shelling stopped.
The world suddenly beca quiet.
But not truly quiet.
The ringing in the ears persisted, and the scent of gunpowder and dust lingered in the air, with sounds of collapsing building debris in the distance.
But the continuous sound of explosions indeed ceased.
"Alpha Company, get in the vehicles!"
"Old Man's" voice crackled over the radio.
The engines roared to life, twelve M-ATV Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles lined up in two columns, driving over the rubble towards the auto repair shop 800 ters away.
The speed was maintained at 40 kiloters per hour, not fast, but stable enough in case of an ambush.
The M2HB heavy machine guns and MK19 automatic grenade launchers on the roofs were in position, muzzles aid at the building ruins on either side.
In night vision, the world appeared in varying shades of green.
The city, after being bathed in artillery fire, was in even more ruin; collapsing walls everywhere, burning wreckage, twisted tal.
So areas still smoked, showing as bright white spots in the night vision.
"Watch the windows on both sides," "Old Man" said over the internal comms, "especially the second floor and above. Snipers love this kind of mont."
Just as he finished, a muzzle flash suddenly appeared in the third-floor window of a half-collapsed building on the left.
"Three o'clock direction! Third floor!"
The rooftop machine gunner imdiately returned fire.
The roar of the 12.7mm heavy machine gun drowned out the chatter of the enemy's AK rifles, bullets tearing through the wall, shredding the window and the sniper behind it.
But more gunfire erupted from all directions.
It wasn't organized resistance but more like scattered shooting.
The surviving 1515 ard mbers fired at the convoy from the rubble.
"Don't get bogged down!"
"Old Man" ordered, "Suppressive fire, keep moving forward!"
The convoy did not slow down.
The grenade launchers fired 40mm high-explosive grenades at suspicious positions on both sides, the explosions briefly illuminating the street.
The heavy machine guns sprayed bullets, silencing any exposed firing points.
This was standard armored assault tactics—using firepower and speed to forcibly break through light weapons intercept zones.
As long as they didn't encounter anti-tank missiles or large IEDs, the M-ATV's armor could withstand rifle and machine gun fire.
Three hundred ters, two hundred ters, one hundred ters...
The auto repair shop appeared in view.
Or rather, what was once the auto repair shop.
The artillery's effects were devastating.
The three-story main building had already collapsed halfway, with the remaining parts riddled with bullet holes and cracks.
Of the six maintenance workshops, four were completely leveled, with only ruins left of the remaining two.
The ground was riddled with craters, so as deep as two ters, filled with murky water.
The convoy stopped at the periter of the factory area.
The wheels crushed broken concrete blocks, making a harsh grinding noise.
"Group A, Group B, disembark! Group C, establish a periter! Group D, check safety and prepare for demolition!"
"Old Man" was the first to jump out of the vehicle.
His boots landed on still-warm rubble, and the soles of his tactical boots felt the heat.
The air was thick with the sll of gunpowder, mixed with gasoline, burning rubber, and...
The stench of charred bodies.
He made a hand gesture.
A team of twelve, led by the team leader "Dagger," quickly moved toward the east-side entrance.
There used to be a roller door there, now twisted and deford by explosions, hanging half-off the doorfra.
Group B, twelve n, led by Captain Xiao, rushed toward the west side as fast as they could.
Conditions were worse over there.
The entire wall had collapsed, allowing direct visibility into the building's interior.
Group C's eight mbers quickly dispersed, occupying strategic points around the periter. Two machine guns were set up, muzzles pointing toward possible incoming directions.
Snipers climbed up the water tower remains, scanning the surrounding area.
Group D's four n, carrying heavy demolition packs, waited for the clearing to be complete before moving in.
"Group A, move in!" "Old Man" ordered.
Two rcenaries threw in flash grenades and shock bombs first, the explosion's intense light and sound echoing inside the building.
Three seconds later, the first rcenary sidestepped in, gun muzzle quickly sweeping the visible area.
"Ground floor hall, secure!"
"Left corridor, secure!"
"Right room, bodies found, confird deceased!"
Reports ca in one after another.
Group A divided into three fire teams, moving alternately and covered, advancing deeper into the building.
The hall was a ss.
Shattered machine parts scattered everywhere, spray-patterned bloodstains on the walls, a few bodies lying on the ground in odd poses, so already torn apart by artillery, leaving only limbs.
"Check the bodies," ordered the team leader, nicknad "Dagger."
A rcenary squatted down, using the gun barrel to prod the bodies.
All were 1515 ard mbers, dressed in black combat uniforms, so still wearing explosive vests.
But strangely—there were no weapons.
"Where are their guns?" soone asked.
"Dagger's" heart tightened.
He raised his fist, signaling the whole team to stop advancing.
On the communication channel, his voice was low: "Boss, sothing's wrong. No weapons on the bodies, and the explosive vests weren't detonated. It seems... seems like they were intentionally left here."
"Old Man," standing on the periter of the factory area, heard this and his face darkened.
"Continue the search but double the caution. Watch for trap mines, watch for traps."
"Understood."
Group A continued advancing. They checked every room, every corner. The situation was the sa—bodies, but no weapons.
So rooms still had signs of life: carpets laid on the ground, half-eaten cans, even a copy of the Quran.
But there were no living people, no weapons.
"Go to the second floor," "Dagger" said.
The staircase was deep inside the building. Artillery fire had caused parts of the stairs to collapse, but they were still passable.
Group A moved upstairs in pairs, alternating.
The situation on the second floor was even more bizarre.
It seed abandoned for a long ti here.
Spider webs hung in the corners.
So room doors were locked, and when forcibly opened, they revealed emptiness.
"There's no one here."
"Dagger" reported on the channel, "They all seem to have withdrawn."
Company commander "Old Man" stood in the center of the factory, gazing at the broken building.
Morning light began breaking through from the east, the sky gradually changing from deep blue to gray-white.
The increase in visibility did not ease the growing unease in his heart.
"What about Group B?" he asked.
"Big Bear's" voice ca from the west side: "Similar situation. Bodies, no weapons. The building interior seems to have been inactive for a long ti. Boss, I think we've been set up."
Those words, "set up," poured like icy water over everyone's minds.
Just then, the voice of "Bravo" company deputy commander ca over the radio, urgent and panicked:
"Discovered a large amount of explosives! Repeat, a large amount of explosives was found! Spread throughout the basent and ground floor load-bearing walls! Request imdiate retreat!"
"Old Man's" heart skipped a beat. But before he could issue any orders, another voice interrupted the channel.
It was "Dagger," on the second floor of the auto repair shop, his voice distorted by shock:
"Boss... we found... found a detonator control room. The walls are covered in wires, connecting... connecting to the entire building's load-bearing structure. And there's... there's a countdown."
"How much ti?!" "Old Man" roared.
"Thirty seconds... twenty-nine... twenty-eight..."
The world froze at that mont.
"All units, evacuate!" "Old Man" shouted frantically into the radio, "All units, evacuate the building imdiately! Repeat, evacuate imdiately!"
But it was already too late.
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