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Page 18
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"Damn it, looks like the sergeant broke this pipe!" This shout came from Karl and his men.
Hmm, it seems that things aren't as bad as Jonathan thought in that building across the street.
Three soldiers lay quietly on the ground, the outer wall beside them riddled with holes, stones and broken bricks scattered on their bodies like a fishing net, bullets flying over their heads like swarms of wasps, and no one dared to put up any resistance.
"Alright, Corporal, stop complaining! Is there any more ammunition?"
"That's all! That's all we have left!" Karl's face grew increasingly anxious.
"Hey! You guys!" The three saw another soldier lying prone on the stairs not far away. "Hurry up and climb over here! We have to go!"
"No! If we don't get rid of it, no one will survive!"
"Calm down, buddy!" a customer interrupted Karl's slightly hoarse voice. "Think carefully! Do we have anything like rocket launchers or grenade launchers? Also, do you have any usable equipment captured from the enemy?"
"Now... I know what we can use to deal with this bird! Quick! Let's do it together!"
……
"Ghost Owl, listen up! Captain Joanna is calling! My men are assembling outside your target. Please confirm firing positions! Prepare to cease fire! Over!"
"Ah, I understand! Hehe..."
As Walker sat in the helicopter, the more complicated the orders became, the more annoyed he became.
"I've been in Japan for so long, do you think you lowlifes need to tell me what to do?"
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, so he pulled the stick, and the helicopter gradually flew further and further away from the ground, until it was about 10 or 20 meters away from the roof.
"Hey! Where the hell are you going?"
“Sorry, sir!” Walker replied with a sneer. “The street is too narrow, and we were afraid of accidentally bumping into a building, so we had no choice but to climb up.”
"Go to hell..."
"And lady! I said before, there's a bastard on Lieutenant Hills' side who might be carrying anti-tank weapons. Aren't you afraid that I'll get hit before we take care of him, and then my partner and I will be riding on your Sunderland's face?"
Walker became happier and happier as he talked, his face beaming with muscles like blooming flowers.
"You know, your vehicle is now the only heavy weapon your squadron has left! Take care!"
"Shut the hell up! I'm telling you, keep a close eye on me! You won't get away with this even if I die!"
"Tch! Fine, fine, fine!" Walker seemed to have had enough of laughing and turned off the radio. "Come on! Let's go down and check out the bastard who just blew up my plane!"
……
"The target is on the second floor!"
"Kill him quickly... Ah!"
……
"What the hell are you doing! Grab him now!"
Amidst the dark brick walls, Jonathan, clutching the assault rifle he'd found belonging to a Britannian infantryman, fired as he scavenged for anything useful, moving like a cheetah through the dimly lit ruins. A scavenged gun tucked into his belt, and a few grenades and smoke bombs tucked into his pockets—all useful, even if it meant mutual destruction.
The bullets fired at him clashed with those fired at the men in black, striking the broken walls with a series of cracking sounds and buzzing gunfire, like predatory spiders leaping and crawling across the floor and ceiling, covering the entire room.
……
“No, this won’t do…” Jonathan shrank under a table, trying to think of another way.
The enemy has already occupied that part of the staircase, which means he's basically trapped on this floor. It's only a matter of time before they find him.
Looking up, he noticed that at one end of the room, the ceiling had collapsed somewhere, and the building looked like a long loaf of bread with a big bite taken out of it. He could climb to the next floor by touching the cabinet next to him.
"That's it!" He threw the gun from his waist, took a running start, and in no time, using both hands and feet, he flipped onto a new floorboard. Turning his head, he saw, by sheer coincidence, that a section of the building opposite him had also collapsed, revealing a relatively flat ground underneath.
……
He picked up his gun, intending to throw them over first—otherwise, if he carried too much weight, he wouldn't be able to run fast.
Suddenly, a huge white spot of light, accompanied by the ear-piercing screech of an engine, lashed out at him like a mop soaked in dirty water.
He was stunned. The helicopter that had just swept past Karl and his men once again, with its searchlight on, stopped above the street in front of him like a fallen angel taking him to hell.
……
"Stay put, you little brat!" A defiant shout, seemingly coming from the loudspeaker of a helicopter, rang out. "We've had a tough time chasing you."
"Hey! Guys in the building! Hurry up! If you don't come soon, I'm going to snatch it first!"
……
What to do? Running away is not an option, and shooting is not an option either.
Suicide? More like homicide.
The cold lights shone on Jonathan, making him appear as a dancer standing on a stage where the audience had suddenly all left, indifferently gazing at the rows of empty seats.
He slowly lowered his head, his heart filled with despair.
On one side, footsteps and shouts rose and fell from the other side of the wall...
……
……
Will it be a bullet or a dagger next?
It's nothing!
Unexpectedly, a deafening roar, like the sound of an excavator's breaker shattering a concrete slab, came from across the street and rushed into the dilapidated building.
Not only was Jonathan startled and opened his eyes, but the helicopter also shook violently like a sparrow startled on a telephone pole, and the dazzling searchlights were also out of the sergeant's sight.
"Hey! What's wrong! What's wrong!"
From one side, a strange cry, as if the men in black were fighting amongst themselves, came from the other side. The sergeant quietly tilted his head and, through the gap, saw a small cloud of dust suddenly wafting out from the bottom of the building across the street.
"What's this……"
Time seemed to stand still, as if that cloud of dust were a pump, drawing everyone's attention to it, and even the helicopter seemed to have lost interest in Jonathan.
……
Soon, a deafening crash, like a wall being shattered by a heavy hammer, filled the silent street. Dust surged out of the building like a roaring wave, and a dark, square shadow broke free of the brick wall, its eyes gleaming with a cold, white light, leaping out of the ruins and appearing on the street!
The dark figure didn't stop, continuing to race towards the center of the street. Gradually, the roar of vehicle engines and the whisper of tires rubbing against the ground drowned out the whistle of the helicopter. A black Britannia infantry fighting vehicle, with its six rolling wheels and arrogant twin autocannons, came into view.
"Damn it, isn't this ours?!" The black-clad man's strange shout suddenly startled Jonathan, who was stunned.
……
……
What happened next was unexpected—the machine gun on the armored vehicle's roof didn't seem interested in Jonathan at all; instead, it raised its barrel high and pointed it at the helicopter.
The sergeant was clearly bewildered by the scene, and before he knew it, he and his gun fell into the broken hole on the side.
……
Hey! Which fucking squadron are you from?!
The loudspeaker blaring outside was as annoying as buzzing flies to the men inside the tank. The two American soldiers in the driver's and passenger's seats had no interest in listening to the enemy's clamor!
"Ha, this armored vehicle feels pretty good to handle, it's awesome!"
"Tch, I never expected you could actually start it! You're not an undercover agent, are you?"
"What's so complicated! Let me tell you, everything in the world that only has wheels and no tracks is just like a Jeep: accelerator, brake, steering wheel, it's not as complicated as you think!"
"Hey, stop talking to me. Do you even understand what's in front of you?"
The driver turned his head and saw an unfamiliar object in front of the passenger seat—something that looked like a television screen—shining light onto the pale face of the soldier next to him. The soldier was also looking at the driver, one hand gripping a short stick in front of the seat that resembled an airplane control stick, and the other hand holding a thin booklet, which he waved in front of the driver's eyes.
"Why don't you take a look? It only has a few English words and illustrations, it's even simpler than a Time Comics booklet!"
"Come on! Step on the gas!" he shouted excitedly. "Now we'll settle accounts with Sergeant Campbell!"
In the very center of the screen, a cross surrounded by arcs gradually aligns with the bird hovering in the air.
"Bird hunting time!"
In an instant, the deafening roar of shattering cones, accompanied by a dazzling flash, erupted from the top of the armored vehicle. The bullet, like a predatory raptor, plunged into the roaring aircraft overhead.
"Damn it!" Walker in the helicopter couldn't sit still any longer. "You dared to trick me!"
Like a dazzling neon light, the helicopter's belly suddenly spewed out pieces of broken steel and dazzling sparks, accompanied by a heart-wrenching explosion. The birds in the air seemed to sway even more, and black smoke mixed with flames billowed out from the honeycomb-like bullet holes like a flood bursting its banks.
……
In the blink of an eye, a bullet flew into the cockpit window, followed by that all-too-familiar sound of shattering glass. A bright, sparkling meteor flew by, and excruciating pain tore apart Walker's eye like an eagle's claw.
"Ah! No!" He freed his hand to touch his face, and the blood on his palm made him start to sob.
Calling for his companions? He suddenly realized it was no use. Because on one side of the glass, there was a patch of blood, like a fluttering red flag, and it certainly wasn't his.
"No...no!" Walker looked like he had gone mad, frantically pulling the lever as if he were grasping at a straw.
Suddenly, the helicopter, which resembled a withered leaf in the wind, seemed to have crashed into something. With a loud crash as it broke through a wall, a powerful force shoved him hard from the back of the pilot's seat.
“Captain Joanna…! I, we…”
……
So, what is that hot-tempered lady sitting inside the Iron Man doll witnessing now?
"MayDay! MayDay!" The heart-wrenching cries echoed through the cockpit, but she paid no attention to them. She was as if she were under a spell, staring intently at the display screen in front of her.
Above, a helicopter engulfed in thick smoke and flames began to spin wildly and uncontrollably in the air. Birds flew like the blades of a windmill, the tail lights tracing frantic white arcs in the sky.
……
……
……
"Hahaha! Not bad... Nice to meet you again! Bastards! Hehehehe!"
The cockpit release mechanism had just been activated, but it was too late. The helicopter, like a giant dart, crashed into the ground with a deafening roar. The two massive steel monsters collided violently, followed by a deafening earthquake and landslide. Flying dirt, sparks flying everywhere, and scattered debris rose into the air amidst the flames, like a bundle of fireworks set off by a fire.
Before it could even linger in the air for a moment after leaving the cockpit, a dart weighing several tons blasted it away, turning it into a flaming, broken ball that rolled into a crater not far away, transforming it into a burning meteorite that slowly oozed molten iron from its body.
……
……
"Lieutenant... Lieutenant! Are you still there!" Beside the helicopter, which lay broken and spewing smoke and flames like a bonfire, a man in black huddled nearby was speaking into the walkie-talkie with trembling hands and a shaky voice.
"Captain Joanna... has been killed in action!" The words had barely left his lips when the infantry fighting vehicle's machine gun roared to life once more. The ammunition belt transformed into an invisible, gigantic scythe, easily slicing through the nearby mottled rocks and walls, as well as several dark figures that had just stood up.
"Lieutenant!" the young man in black cried, his voice trembling with tears. "Lieutenant, where are you! Lieutenant!"
"Hello..." The answer to him wasn't from the walkie-talkie. In the trench not far away, another girl in black was lying there, waving at him while covering her lower abdomen with her other hand, which was stained with blood, with a large piece of broken steel stuck in it.
"Are you alright?" The young man in black, forgetting about the walkie-talkie in his hand, asked, "Don't worry, I have bandages, you'll be fine..."
Just then, a scream from above hit him on the back. Startled, he turned around and saw a dark figure lying heavily on the ground, its head slightly raised, casting a desperate look in his direction.
"Lieutenant!" The young man recognized him immediately.
However, a stone suddenly flew out of the window above, hitting the lieutenant's helmet hard, and then hopped and landed in front of the young man.
But upon closer inspection, no, it wasn't a stone, it was a hand grenade!
A rose, stained with blood and dust, burst open before the girl's eyes like a thunderclap.
……
"This...how..." The girl was also a little dazed by the shockwave. She propped herself up on her arms, looking around for anything she could use, trying her best to avoid looking at the two friendly soldiers who had already turned into corpses.
Before my eyes could even turn around, a figure suddenly leaped out of the second-floor window of the building in front of me and rolled into the fading gray rose.
The girl was a little scared and was frantically groping around on the ground when a figure gradually appeared, revealing his green military uniform.
"What...what do you want to do..." Tears welled up in her eyes.
Before she could even blink again, a series of crisp M1911 pistol shots rang out, and blood-red plum blossoms appeared on her body.
The figure in green then picked up a gun from the ground. In the reflection of the helicopter's flames, Jonathan's eyes, which were still examining the weapon, became even clearer.
"Come on! You son of a bitch!" He spat on the ground with a cold expression. "It's time for blood to be repaid!"
Just as we were moving forward, a bright flare suddenly rose into the sky behind us!