The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 711 Destruction, Sacrifice!!!
Chief of Staff He Qiu approached the pensive Commander-in-Chief Liu Wu and asked in a low voice, "Should we call 'Phoenix' again to inquire about their current situation?"

Liu Wu frowned and thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Let's not disturb them. The 'Phoenix' is even more anxious than we are right now. I believe they will definitely complete the mission."

With less than an hour left before the missile launch, Lei Jun drove his "Warrior" off-road vehicle to the entrance of the valley.

They drove non-stop along the way, speeding across complex terrain without roadbeds. Fortunately, the "Warrior" off-road vehicle had excellent performance and withstood the test.

Upon reaching the valley entrance, Zhang Jincheng noticed enemy sentries ahead and hurriedly said, "Stop the car!"

Zhang Jin suddenly stopped the car and said to A Gui, "Brother A Gui, please get out of the car. If we come back alive, we'll come back to find you."

Although A-Gui didn't know what they were going to do, he guessed from their desperate rush that it must be something very urgent. He turned around and said, "Let me go with you. Although I don't know what you're going to do, maybe I can help."

Zhang Jin waved his hand and said, "No! Brother Gui, you are a good person. I hope we can meet again."

As he spoke, Zhang Jin jumped out of the car, opened the door, and let A Gui get out.

Ah Gui wanted to say something more, but seeing Zhang Jincheng's resolute eyes, he finally sighed and silently got off the bus.

Zhuang Yan leaned out of the back seat and handed him a waterproof bag: "There's some dry food and water inside. Follow this path east and you'll reach a safe area."

Seeing this, A-Gui stopped insisting on taking his "A-Ka" (a type of car), food, and water and getting out of the passenger seat.

Zhang Jincheng then sat in the front, and before he could speak, Lei Jun stepped on the gas, and the "Warrior" off-road vehicle roared into the valley.

Zhang Jin glanced at his watch; there were still twenty-odd minutes until launch. He took the Colt assault rifle from Zhuang Yan and went up into the room, saying, "Monkey, you're in charge of taking out the guards on both sides of the position. I'll snipe the enemies in the cave and the wooden house on the left."

"Steel Nail, you drive straight into the launch site and destroy it."

"Understood!" they both replied simultaneously.

By this time, their off-road vehicle had already rushed into the riverbed winding through the woods. They had encountered this river during their last reconnaissance mission and knew that they were not far from the enemy's missile launch site.

The car sped along the riverbed, its wheels splashing up two curtains of water that sprayed onto the trees on either side like a water truck.

Suddenly, a series of urgent whistles came from the woods ahead, followed by a barrage of 'q' sounds.

Bullets whistled as they struck the car, making a clanging sound.

"There's an ambush!" Zhuang Yan shouted, immediately raising his assault rifle to return fire.

Lei Jun jerked the steering wheel, and the SUV drew an arc across the riverbed, the splashing water forming a natural barrier.

Zhang Jin quickly set up his Colt and locked onto an enemy who was loading a rocket launcher through the scope.

"Bang!" With a loud thud, the enemy fell to the ground.

At the same time, Zhuang Yan's precise shots took down two sentries on the watchtowers.

"Turn right 50 meters ahead!" Zhang Jincheng commanded while firing.

Lei Jun slammed on the gas pedal, and the SUV roared up a slope.

Just then, a rocket grazed the rear of the vehicle and exploded in the riverbed, creating a huge column of water.

"Steel nails, faster!" Zhuang Yan shouted, firing another long burst.

Lei Jun's forehead was covered in cold sweat, but his hands remained firmly gripping the steering wheel.

The off-road vehicle, like an angry bull, rampaged through a hail of bullets.

Suddenly, a barbed wire fence appeared in front of us.

Without hesitation, Lei Jun rammed into it, and the barbed wire snapped under the powerful impact.

Through the swirling dust, they could already see the cold metallic sheen of the missile launcher.

"Fifteen minutes left!" Zhang Jin glanced at his watch, his voice filled with determination. "Prepare for the final sprint!"

The sound of an explosion shattered the tranquility of the valley and alerted the people inside. Several more enemies jumped out from in front of the SUV and began firing before the vehicle even got close.

Zhang Jin didn't have time to reload, so he pulled out his Beretta M9 from his leg holster, stuck his arm out the window, and fired at the enemy charging at the front without aiming. Zhuang Yan also fired at the enemy from the other side.

The "Warrior Off-Road Vehicle" was like an unstoppable, enraged bull, roaring as it charged into the enemy's perimeter.

The valley was filled with the sound of shouts, and the enemy's guards rushed out.

Lei Jun gritted his teeth as the SUV lurched wildly through a hail of bullets. The windshield was shattered by bullets, and behind the spiderweb-like cracks were the狰狞 faces of the enemy.

Zhang Jin suddenly shouted, "Ten o'clock, RPG!"

Before the words were even finished, a plume of white smoke swept in.

Lei Jun jerked the steering wheel, and the car almost tilted to the side. The rocket grazed the chassis and exploded behind them.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhuang Yan picked up his assault rifle and fired three shots, killing the enemy carrying a rocket launcher.

Zhang Jin stated that they had come to scout ahead and knew the exact location of the launch site.

Lei Jun rushed toward the launch site without regard for anything else, driving with one hand and firing at the enemy with the Colt in the other.

At this point, the windshields of the SUV were all shattered. They simply used their 'q' to smash the glass down and opened fire with their assault rifles.

There are two wooden guard towers on either side of the missile launch site, each guarded by two guards and equipped with general-purpose aircraft.

Before rushing in, Zhang Jin had considered this point and had instructed Zhuang Yan to take out the guards on the watchtower.

The valley was filled with lush trees, which blocked the enemy's view from the watchtower.

When the off-road vehicle rushed into the vicinity of the guard tower, the enemy panicked and began firing at them with a crane.

Zhuang Yan held his breath and fired a precise three-round burst that pierced the throat of the machine gunner on the left guard tower.

At the same time, Zhang Jin's bullet also hit the observation post on the right side of the watchtower.

The two machine guns immediately fell silent, clearing the biggest obstacle for their charge.

"Charge in!" Zhang Jin shouted, and Lei Jun floored the accelerator.

The SUV roared and crashed through the iron fence surrounding the launch site, the ear-piercing sound of metal breaking echoing through the valley.

The missile launcher was nearby, its silvery-white body gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Zhang Jin quickly scanned the battlefield: six technicians were running frantically towards their bunkers, while three armed guards had built a makeshift defensive line using sandbags.

"Steel nails, just ram them!" Before Zhang Jin finished speaking, the off-road vehicle had already run over the sandbags, dragging the two guards under the vehicle.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhuang Yan leaped out of the carriage, rolled and hid behind the launcher, his assault rifle spitting fire.

Lei Jun jerked the steering wheel and used the rear of the car to knock down the last guard.

Zhang Jin glanced at his watch as he jumped out of the car—only seven minutes remained until launch.

When Lei Jun arrived at the launch site in his battered off-road vehicle, he found only one launch vehicle parked there. When they came to scout the area last time, there were clearly two launch vehicles training there.

He suddenly realized that the enemy, fearing an attack, had parked another vehicle inside the cave.

Lei Jun jumped out of the jeep, seemingly forgetting to dodge enemy bullets as he ran towards the back of the launch vehicle while firing.

He turned and fired a shot around the car, then opened the car door and killed the two enemy soldiers who were operating it inside.

At the same time, Lei Jun's junior colleague Zhang was punched a few times. He knew he had been hit by a bullet, but since he was wearing a bulletproof vest, it wasn't fatal. He didn't care about that and climbed onto the launcher and closed the car door.

Lei Jun walked to the launch control console in the middle of the carriage. He saw red numbers flashing on the display screen. It was a close call. If it had been a few minutes later, the missile would have been launched and the consequences would have been unimaginable.

He quickly scanned the various buttons on the control panel and realized that he had no idea how to operate the missile.

Lei Jun broke out in a cold sweat.

He suddenly picked up his assault rifle, ready to destroy the missile launch system. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, a thought flashed through his mind: "If I destroy this missile launch system, the enemy will still have one, but I will never have the chance to destroy another one."

Thinking of this, he glanced at the monitor again; less than a minute remained, the numbers 59 58 57…

Without a second thought, Lei Jun unhesitatingly took the driver's seat, turned the vehicle around, and resolutely drove it towards the cave.

Lei Jun had only one thought in his mind: to destroy the enemy's missiles.

He knew the consequences of his decision, but as he drove the launch vehicle toward the cave, he suddenly felt an unusual calm, without any fear or regret, and calmly went to the banquet...

The surrounding enemies all aimed their guns at the launcher and fired wildly at it, trying to stop it from rushing into the cave. But it was to no avail; the launcher charged straight down the cliff into the cave like a tiger descending a mountain.

Just then, a piercing alarm sounded from inside the cave.

The enemy also guessed what Lei Jun was planning, and the gate at the entrance of the cave was slowly closing, attempting to keep the launch vehicle outside.

Lei Jun slammed on the gas pedal, and the launch vehicle roared into the cave carrying the missile about to be launched...

Zhang Jincheng knocked down a group of enemies, and then moved closer to the firing position while firing.

When he was still a few dozen meters away from the launch vehicle, he suddenly noticed that the launch vehicle had moved and turned around, rushing towards the cave.

Zhang Jincheng immediately understood what was happening, and he shouted at the launch vehicle, "Steel nail, jump down quickly..."

His shouts were drowned out by the intense clatter of gunfire. The launch vehicle sped into the cave like lightning, followed by a deafening explosion.

A massive shockwave propelled a jumble of debris out of the cave entrance, followed by a huge burst of flames.

The enemies at the cave entrance were swept away by an invisible force, thrown more than ten meters away, their bodies torn apart or twisted into a mess, a gruesome sight.

Zhang Jin felt the ground beneath his feet trembling. In an instant, his mind went blank, and he had only one thought in his mind: he had lost his good brother and comrade-in-arms forever!

He then rushed toward the cave entrance as if he had gone mad.

Zhang Jin staggered through the thick smoke and rubble, several deformed bullets still embedded in his bulletproof vest.

The heat scorched his cheeks, but he ignored it, frantically rummaging through the wreckage at the entrance. "Steel nails!"

The cave entrance was blocked by several huge rocks. Zhang Jincheng screamed at the top of his lungs, "Steel nails! Steel nails..."

However, only scorching hot gas escaped from the cracks in the cave entrance; there was no other odor.

At this moment, Zhuang Yan also arrived. Seeing Zhang Jincheng staring blankly at the cave entrance blocked by the boulder, he instantly understood what was going on.

Zhuang Yan said sadly, "Brother, the steel nail..."

Before Zhang Jincheng could answer him, a fierce banging sounded behind them again, and bullets sent small stones flying around them.

The enemy took advantage of this opening to surround them.

Zhang Jin knew that this was not the time for them to grieve. He observed that the enemy was closing in from both sides.

With cliffs behind them, they had no choice but to retreat to the other side while firing.

As the two retreated along the woods, after walking a distance, a 'q' sound suddenly rang out behind them.
The enemy surrounded them from three sides, and now their only option was to climb the cliff, but if the two of them climbed at the same time, they would become easy targets for the enemy.

Zhang Jin said to Zhuang Yan, "I'll cover you. You hurry up and climb up the cliff."

Zhuang Yan knew that anyone who stayed behind would surely die, and he would never abandon Zhang Jincheng and run away alone. He said firmly, "I won't leave. You must go up first."

"Damn it, this is an order, get up there now!" Zhang Jincheng roared at Zhuang Yan, his temper flaring.

"I won't leave you alone. If we're going to die, we'll die together," Zhuang Yan said while firing, ignoring Zhang Jincheng's anger.

Zhang Jin used his Q skill to take down the two enemies charging at him, then took a moment to say, "Monkey, I'm begging you, we can't all die here, the mission the commander assigned us hasn't been completed yet!"

"So, it should be you who climbed up..." Before Zhuang Yan could finish speaking, a sound suddenly rang out from the woods on one side. The enemies there were thrown into disarray and turned to fire behind them.

Zhang Jin realized that it must be A Gui shooting at the enemy from behind, and he immediately seized this rare opportunity to rush towards the direction of the sound.

Zhuang Yan followed closely behind, shooting as he ran, quickly carving a bloody path through the enemy lines.

After Ah Gui saw Zhang Jin and the others drive away, before he could even leave, a 'q' sound came from the jungle.

From Zhang Jincheng's words, A-Gui realized that Zhang Jincheng and his group were about to do something extremely dangerous, with a slim chance of survival.

Although Ah Gui didn't spend much time with them, he truly felt the deep friendship between the three, especially Zhang Jincheng who risked his life to save him.

A-Gui felt he couldn't just leave like that; he wanted to help Zhang Jincheng and the others.

The loud explosion seemed to make A-Gui understand the mission of Zhang Jincheng and the other two.

Following the sound of gunfire and explosions, A-Gui reached out, the "A-Ka" in his hand feeling particularly heavy in the dense forest.

As he walked through a thicket, he saw Zhang Jincheng and Zhuang Yan in a perilous situation, surrounded by the enemy on three sides.

Without the slightest hesitation, A-Gui immediately set up "A-Ka" and aimed at the enemy's commander on the flank.

"Bang—" Old Aka's roar was particularly jarring in the jungle.

The enemy clearly hadn't expected there to be someone behind them, and their formation immediately fell into chaos.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, A-Gui fired continuously. Although the crude "A-Ka" bullets were not very accurate, they were impressive in their sound.

He moved his position while fighting, mimicking his own superior numbers to keep the enemy guessing about the exact number of ambushes.

Zhang Jin seized the fleeting opportunity, rolled behind a rock, and quickly changed magazines.

"It's A-Gui!" He winked at Zhuang Yan. "Let's break through now!" The two took turns providing cover and rushed toward the gap created by A-Gui.

Deep in the dense forest, A-Gui had already emptied two magazines.

He nimbly climbed a large tree, watching Zhang Jincheng and the other man gradually approach, a relieved smile appearing on his face.

But just then, a stray bullet grazed his shoulder, and blood instantly soaked through his coarse cloth clothes.

"Watch out for snipers!" Zhuang Yan keenly noticed the unusual movement in the tree.

Zhang Jin immediately raised his gun and returned fire, accurately suppressing the enemy in the shadows.

When the two rushed to the tree, A-Gui had already slid down the vines, his face pale but still wearing a simple and honest smile.

"I knew it. You guys need help," A-Gui said, panting heavily.

Zhang Jin quickly tore open the first aid kit and bandaged him up; thankfully, the wound was just a scratch.

"Don't speak, we'll take you away!" Zhuang Yan lifted A Gui's other shoulder, and the three of them stumbled and retreated into the depths of the jungle.

The pursuers behind them were getting closer and closer, and bullets kept hitting the surrounding tree trunks, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

The three of them charged out despite the hail of bullets.

Once they enter the dense forest, it's like a fish entering the ocean; catching them becomes harder than climbing to heaven.

Seeing that Zhang Jincheng and his two companions had escaped, the pursuers gave up the chase.

Hearing that there was no more noise behind him, A-Gui was the first to stop. He took a couple of breaths and then hurriedly asked Zhang Jincheng, "Where are Steel Nail Brothers? How come only the two of you ran out?"

Zhang Jin's eyes were red, and it was impossible to tell whether it was from anger or sadness. He shook his head and said softly, "He can't get out."

Unable to tell A-Gui the inside story, Zhang Jin suppressed his sadness and changed the subject, saying, "Brother A-Gui, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have come out."

Seeing that Zhang Jincheng was unwilling to say more, Agui didn't ask any further questions.

He understood what was going on, so he gave a simple, honest smile: "Friends don't stand on ceremony. You've only saved me twice, haven't you? To be honest, I'm willing to be friends with people like you."

"Brother Gui, let's go back to the mountain stronghold first!"

“Alright, let’s take a shortcut through the mountains to get back.” After saying that, A-Gui turned around and led the two into the jungle.

Led by Agui, they returned to Awa Mountain Village three days later.

Back in Awa Mountain Village, Zhang Jin told A Gui to go back to the barracks to rest first, while he and Zhuang Yan went back to their own quarters to wash up before going to see Mi Gao.

After several battles and a long journey, their clothes were more tattered than those of beggars, and even acquaintances could hardly recognize them.

Back in their stilted house, Zhang Jin and the other man suddenly saw the three people's belongings and couldn't help but think of Lei Jun, feeling a deep sadness welling up inside them.

These tough guys, who were fearless in the face of death, were moved to tears by the sacrifice of their comrades.

The man did not shed tears, but he did not go to the sad place.

(End of this chapter)