He was so persuasive that he actually practiced extraordinary

He paused, his gaze fixed on Zhang Nengliang, and continued, "If we lose, there won't be a second chance. Zhang Nengliang, are you confident that you can use these two shells to open a path for us to break through?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Nengliang's brows furrowed instantly, and he fell into deep thought. He knew Zhang Beixing wasn't bluffing—having just witnessed the terrorists' execution of civilians, he knew better than anyone how cruel these people were. If they failed, the consequences would be unimaginable. After a long silence, he finally spoke, his tone filled with unprecedented seriousness and focus: "I don't know if I can succeed 100%, but I will do my utmost to ensure that every shell hits its target, and I will not waste a single opportunity!"

Hearing this answer, Zhang Beixing smiled slightly. He had long known that although Zhang Nengliang was usually a bit "bratty" and impulsive, he was extremely talented in gunnery. As soon as he sat in the gunner's seat of the tank, he was like a different person, his eyes focused and his movements precise. Among all the tank recruits in the Ninth Brigade, even many veterans could not compare to him. He was definitely the "number one gunner".

Zhang Beixing was also covered in dust and dirt—his face was smeared with dust and some congealed enemy blood, but he didn't bother to wipe it off, his eyes focused solely on the battlefield. He picked up the communication device again and tried to call Li Erniu: "Erniu, Erniu, please respond! Are you still alive? How are the hostages?"

"Buzz buzz buzz..." The communication device still made a static sound, but this time, after the static lasted for more than ten seconds, Li Erniu's voice finally came through: "Captain Zhang! I'm still alive! Sister Deng Mei is also fine! We were just chased by terrorists, and we're hiding in a small house now. We're safe for the time being, but there are enemies all outside, so we can't get out!"

Hearing Li Erniu's strong voice, Zhang Beixing finally breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly said, "Erniu, don't panic, we have tanks now, we'll come to rescue you right away! Send me your location coordinates, the more precise the better!"

"Okay, Captain Zhang! We're right across from the main gate of the square, in the smallest storage room. There's a red wooden box by the door, it's easy to spot!" Li Erniu said as he quickly sent his location coordinates to Zhang Beixing via the communication device.

Zhang Beixing quickly glanced at the communication device in his hand. The coordinates displayed on the screen were very clear—their current location was less than 100 meters from the backyard, separated only by two alleys. The terrain was not complicated, and tanks could easily pass through.

"Erniu, hold on for another ten minutes!" Zhang Beixing said into the communication device. "I'll drive a tank and use a shell to make a hole in the back wall of the storage room where you're hiding. You can come out through the hole and rendezvous with us. Remember, once you hear the shell, stay away from the back wall and hide at the very back of the room. Don't get hit by one of my shells, or I'll be in big trouble!"

"Don't worry, Captain Zhang! I understand! I will protect Sister Deng Mei and make sure she doesn't get hurt. I won't die either!" Li Erniu's voice was full of confidence. Clearly, with the support of the tanks, he was much more at ease.

After cutting off contact with Li Erniu, Zhang Beixing slipped into the tank's driver's compartment and began issuing combat orders: "Zhang Nengliang, prepare armor-piercing rounds immediately! The target is the firing point on the left side of the square gate; there's a terrorist heavy machine gun there, and it must be destroyed first!"

Then, he turned to Xu Hong and said, "Xu Hong, target coordinates A56, C21, which is the direction of the storage room opposite the square gate. Be careful to avoid buildings along the way and minimize tank losses. Now, begin the advance!"

At his command, Xu Hong and Zhang Nengliang responded in unison, their voices firm and resolute: "Understood!!"

In the central square of the town of Basem, bullets whistled through the air like a dense swarm of bees, never ceasing for a moment. Each bullet whistled as it passed through the air, weaving a deadly net of fire that enveloped every corner of the square.

The sudden hail of bullets was like a storm that swept in without warning. The crackling sounds exploded in everyone's ears, making their eardrums buzz and even their breathing seem to be torn apart by the violent noise.

Even the seasoned Sea Serpent Commando members, who had faced countless life-or-death trials on the battlefield, were now completely engulfed in a frenzied battle. They roared with barely suppressed rage, their weapons spitting flames wildly. The barrels had long since turned red-hot from continuous firing, and one could even smell the scorching heat emanating from the metal. Yet, not a single one of them stopped firing.

In the fierce firefight, everyone suffered at least one gunshot wound. Bright red blood gushed from the wounds, soaking through their combat uniforms and leaving shocking trails of blood on the ground.

Xu Tianlong was unfortunately hit in the thigh by a stray bullet. The scalding bullet instantly tore through the muscle, and blood gushed out, staining his entire trouser leg red in the blink of an eye. The intense pain caused him to be covered in cold sweat, and every step he took felt like walking on a knife's edge.

As the situation grew increasingly critical, the three had no choice but to fight their way back. Xu Tianlong, whose movements were hampered, was supported by Zhang Yingying and Zhang Tiande, one on each side, as they struggled to retreat. Zhang Yingying held Xu Tianlong's waist tightly with her left hand, while her right hand fired her submachine gun, attempting to suppress the pursuing enemy. Zhang Tiande provided full cover, occasionally throwing a grenade to buy time for their retreat using the smoke and dust from the explosions.

However, the enemy's firepower was simply too fierce. Dense bullets rained down around them, kicking up clouds of dust on the ground and leaving bullet holes of varying depths in the walls. Under such suppression, the three men's retreat route was constantly compressed, gradually forcing them into a desperate situation with no way out.

At the critical moment, Zhang Tiande instructed Zhang Yingying to lead Xu Tianlong to retreat to the two-story earthen building ahead, while he remained in place to provide cover. Drawing upon his years of combat experience, he nimbly maneuvered between broken walls and stone pillars, his weapon firing precisely in short bursts, taking down several enemies charging at the forefront. Just as Zhang Yingying and Xu Tianlong were about to reach the earthen building, Zhang Tiande quickly turned and ran up the building as fast as he could. Once on the second floor, the three immediately used the high ground to launch a counterattack, aiming their guns at the swarming enemies below, each trigger pull taking a life.

While the Sea Serpent Commando was locked in a fierce battle, a completely different scene unfolded on the other side of the battlefield.

Under the precise command of the Zhangbei train conductor, a main battle tank rampaged through the streets like a steel behemoth. Any enemy daring to block its path was crushed by the tracks, as if they were mere insects. The screeching sound of the tracks crushing human flesh was deafening; blood, flesh, and bone fragments were ground to shreds, internal organs scattered everywhere—a gruesome scene. Even the notoriously ruthless Zakat terrorists turned pale with fear, their eyes filled with terror—the tank's method of advance was simply too brutal!
While this tactic is indeed somewhat cruel, Zhang Beixing's actions were a last resort. It's important to understand that tanks only have two pre-loaded shells, each incredibly precious. If an enemy can be dealt with using the tracks, naturally, ammunition must be conserved to prepare for potentially more severe situations later.

As the tank moved forward, several reckless terrorists carrying rocket launchers attempted a flank attack. But the moment they appeared, they were locked onto by Zhang Beixing, who stood atop the tank, maintaining a 360-degree vigilance. Zhang Beixing's sniper rifle was like the Grim Reaper's scythe; each shot meant the end of a life. Without exception, those terrorists with rocket launchers were all cleanly and efficiently eliminated by him.

Carrying a rocket launcher already significantly slows down movement; when faced with a sharpshooter like Zhang Beixing, who could hit a target from a hundred paces, the terrorists had absolutely no chance to fight back. Bullets struck their heads precisely, their skulls exploding like ripe watermelons, blood and brain matter splattering everywhere. The pursuing terrorists, witnessing their comrades' gruesome end, were terrified and scattered like birds, not daring to approach. No one even dared to pick up the rocket launchers that had fallen to the ground—everyone was afraid that the moment they bent down, they would be struck in the head by that precise bullet.

With the cooperation of Zhang Beixing, Xu Hong, and Zhang Nengliang, the tank advanced rapidly and quickly located the landmark building based on the location information sent by Li Erniu.

However, the radio communication signal was extremely unstable at this time, sometimes clear and sometimes blurry. Zhang Beixing secretly calculated: if the signal suddenly dropped when he called Li Erniu, causing him to fail to take cover in time, and if he accidentally blew up his own men when the cannons were fired, it would be a huge joke, and might even cause irreparable damage.

Thinking of this, Zhang Beixing took a deep breath, focused his energy in his dantian, and then let out a thunderous roar: "Erniu! Get out of the way!"

At that moment, Li Erniu was hiding in a dilapidated house, confronting a large group of terrorists outside. He gripped his rifle tightly, sweat streaming down his face, but his eyes remained resolute. Suddenly, he heard that familiar shout. Startled, he grabbed Deng Mei beside him without thinking and scrambled towards a safe corner of the house.

"Quick, lie down! Brother Beixing is here to save us!" Li Erniu shouted as he pulled Deng Mei to safety.

The moment the two men lay down, an armor-piercing shell hurtled towards them like an arrow, blasting a huge hole in the wall of the house with a deafening roar. The violent explosion created a powerful hurricane, whipping up clouds of dust and sending countless pieces of debris raining down from the sky. The entire house shook violently, as if it were about to collapse at any moment.

Taking advantage of the smoke and dust from the explosion, Li Erniu immediately pulled Deng Mei up and ran quickly towards the hole in the wall. The terrorists outside reacted instantly, firing at the two figures and giving chase. A dense barrage of bullets struck the walls around the hole, sending sparks flying.

Sitting atop the tank, Zhang Beixing saw everything clearly. He immediately gave a deep order: "Zhang Nengliang, prepare explosive shells!"

Zhang Nengliang was already prepared. Upon hearing the order, his hands moved swiftly across the fire control system, his fingers flying across the buttons, his eyes fixed on the target on the screen. Within seconds, the fire control aiming system precisely locked onto the pursuing terrorists.

"Report, Commander! Target locked!" Zhang Nengliang replied urgently.

The instant Li Erniu led Deng Mei out of the house, Zhang Beixing gave the order without hesitation: "Annihilate them!"

Zhang Nengliang also let out an angry shout, and his finger pressed the launch button sharply. A high-explosive shell instantly shot out of the cannon barrel, leaving a long trail of flame as it flew towards the direction of the terrorists.

The shell landed precisely in the midst of the terrorists, exploding again with a deafening roar. The immense force of the explosion instantly sent the surrounding terrorists flying, scattering debris everywhere, and screams filled the air. As the smoke and dust gradually cleared, the ground was littered with the corpses of countless terrorists, the dead and wounded numbering in the thousands. The few survivors who remained were too frightened to give chase and turned to flee into the distance.

"Erniu, hurry up and get Deng Mei into the car. Once you're in the car, you'll be in charge of loading the tank with ammunition!" Zhang Beixing shouted to Li Erniu, who was running over.

"Roger that! Brother Beixing!" Li Erniu replied as he pulled Deng Mei along and quickly ran to the side of the tank. With Xu Hong's assistance, they successfully entered the tank.

After the two men boarded the tank, Li Erniu immediately began skillfully loading ammunition according to Zhang Beixing's orders. Soon, the ammunition was replenished, the tank started up again, and the guns were aimed at several buildings in the square occupied by terrorists. With several loud explosions, the intense artillery fire instantly destroyed these buildings, sending rubble and debris flying everywhere. The Zakat terrorists hiding inside scattered in panic, unable to maintain effective firepower.

Just then, a rapid rumble of tracks came from behind. Zhang Beixing looked back through the tank's observation window and saw an M60 armored tank rapidly approaching them, its gun barrel slowly turning, clearly preparing to attack.

Zhang Beixing immediately shouted through the internal communicator: "Xu Hong, watch out for the rear! Enemy tanks are pursuing us. Immediately adopt a serpentine advance to evade them!"

"Understood!" Xu Hong replied, quickly adjusting the control levers with both hands and slamming his foot on the accelerator. The tank accelerated instantly, simultaneously beginning to move forward along an irregular, zigzagging trajectory to evade enemy tank fire.

Sure enough, the moment the tank changed course, an armor-piercing shell came whistling from behind, whizzing past the edge of the tank's tracks before exploding on the ground, creating a huge cloud of flames and thick smoke. The scorching heat even penetrated the tank's armor.

Zhang Beixing stared intently at the M60 tank relentlessly pursuing him through his observation scope. His mind raced, combining the tank's speed, direction, and terrain features to instantly predict its next trajectory and coordinates. (End of Chapter)