Invasion of America

Chapter 147 Ambush
Los Angeles, Long Beach Harbor.

Rows of cranes stood tall along the dock, and stacks of containers were scattered across the open ground, their doors wide open, revealing discarded sea cargo everywhere. There were toys, bathtubs, home appliances, and even car parts.

The port was chaotic and deserted. Food and clothing in the cargo yard had been looted, leaving only scattered packaging bags blown about in the sea breeze.

The road to the port was blocked by heavily loaded trucks, all of which had been opened one by one. Over the past year, countless people had come here to scavenge for any useful supplies.

Hundreds and thousands of people have died here, leaving their remains in various corners of the port.

Hundreds of large cargo ships are moored at the port's docks and along the nearby waterfront. There are oil tankers, bulk carriers, and container ships.

These giant ships, often hundreds of meters long, have been visited by starving crowds.

Some ships carried food and thus became settlements for survivors, with hundreds of people crammed onto them to eke out a living until order collapsed.

Xiao Jinlang, leading half a platoon of crew-cut men, searched the port aboard a warthog and found a bulk carrier loaded with soybeans.

But it was like a ghost ship, with only a few hundred broken corpses scattered around, and the only living creatures were the seabirds pecking at the corpses.

On one wall of the ship's deck was a bloodstained graffiti of repentance: "God, we had a whole ship's worth of food, why did we kill each other?"

Beneath the graffiti sits the remains of a human who committed suicide by shooting himself; the remains have withered and dried up by the sea breeze and rain.

A man with a crew cut looked at the wreckage and asked in bewilderment, "This ship still had fuel, and the desalination equipment was working properly. Several hundred people could have easily banded together and survived. How did they manage to kill themselves?"

Old Xiao shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Because desperate situations can drive people crazy, and even more so because they are disorganized and undisciplined, and everyone is selfish."

Looking around at the ships anchored on the sea, some were completely silent, while others still had a few people on board. The 'Warthog's' flight was quite a commotion, naturally attracting attention from those nearby.

Some ships set up binoculars to try and see who the approaching people were; others began waving sheets or lighting black smoke; and public radio channels crackled with calls, hoping to make contact.

For most calls, Xiao Jinlang would only give a polite reply and inquire about the other party's situation, but he would not offer any assistance.

One call directly asked, "Are you driving 'Warthogs'? Are you from 'Holy Light'? Is President Victor still here? Please save us."

It was under these circumstances that Lao Xiao met the miserable Cervantes and the dozens of Mexicans he was with.

When asked why Cervantes was in Los Angeles, the emaciated man hugged Lao Xiao and burst into tears.

“Juan is dead. We can’t survive in Mexico. Those bureaucrats and drug lords have taken our ‘warthogs.’ If we don’t escape, we’ll be executed.”

“I wanted to take a group of people to Miami to find the president. There were more than a hundred people when we set off, but now less than half of them are still alive.”

"When the virus broke out, everyone was like crazy. We couldn't get any supplies and were being driven around everywhere. The team was originally heading east, but ended up heading north. We ended up in Los Angeles in a daze and then couldn't run anymore."

"I really shouldn't have left the president's side, and I definitely shouldn't have gone back to Mexico. I regret it so much, I regret it so much."

Seeing Old Xiao's ruddy complexion and the strong, muscular man beside him, Cervantes felt extremely wronged. His tribesmen were also crying loudly, tears streaming down their faces.

After seven or eight days of well-fed and cared-for recuperation, Cervantes and his men regained their energy and spirits. The 'Holy Light's' sanctuary in Los Angeles was now essentially equipped with an additional fierce and obedient vassal army.

Los Angeles is a major port in the United States. Despite repeated looting, a huge amount of supplies still piled up around the port.

Old Xiao managed to procure several long-range Boeing 787s from the airport and tried every means to collect aviation fuel to ensure a daily round-trip flight between Shanghai and Los Angeles.

Each shift can bring over a hundred technical personnel and seven or eight tons of equipment and supplies from China in order to restore some of the functions of the Port of Los Angeles as soon as possible.

However, long-distance transoceanic transport by aircraft was too inefficient, so Xiao Jinlang sent a team of "crew-cut" men back to Mexico with Cervantes to recruit a group of port and airport operations personnel nearby.

As for the survivors in Los Angeles, they were not used much because they were worried that it was not reliable.

A week later, Xiao Jinlang, with Los Angeles as the center, sent people to Houston, Texas, to start two 160,000-ton oil tankers docked at the local crude oil terminal, intending to return to China.

Two weeks later, Cervantes successfully recruited more than 400 skilled workers in his hometown, who then traveled by yacht to Los Angeles to join Shaw's team.

Three weeks later, a pre-produced set of 'Low Altitude Sentinels' departed from Shanghai and was airlifted to Los Angeles for the defense of local shelters.

A month later, the second 'Low Altitude Sentinel' rolled off the production line. It was also transported across the ocean using a 'Gulfstream G650' and arrived in Los Angeles. From there, it was transferred by a 'Catalina' to Virginia on the East Coast.
-
At this moment, Zhou Qingfeng is in the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia, squatting in a pile of ruins, staring at the images transmitted back by the drone.

A day earlier, the mayor of Famvi raised the issue of "security guarantee" with the "Holy Light"—if the town was not secure, it would be impossible to ensure the supply of electricity to the "Holy Light".

So Zhou Qingfeng led the reconnaissance team to continue moving eastward, closer to Richmond, intending to see just how capable the 'Richmond Police Force' really was.
Rumors suggest that the opponent is incredibly powerful, with over three thousand men, full US military equipment, and even air strike capabilities, making them virtually the dominant force in Virginia.

A large drone carrying a reconnaissance pod flew over to scout ahead, trying to find out what the enemy was up to, and ideally to keep an eye on them 24/7 to guard against a surprise attack.

As a result, the large drone with a wingspan of six or seven meters had just appeared over the Richmond Guard camp when it lost contact in less than half an hour.

The wreckage of the drone fell in the ruins three or four kilometers away from Zhou Qingfeng. He flew over at low altitude with another small drone to take pictures and found out that it had been shot down by a ground missile.

“It’s a man-portable air defense system (MANPADS).” Jiang Menglong, who was standing next to Zhou Qingfeng, glanced at the footage and made his judgment. “It’s probably a simple air defense vehicle called ‘Avenger,’ equipped with FIM-92 ‘Stinger’ missiles.”

The US Air Force is so powerful that their army's air defense is a complete mess. A small force of a few thousand people can't handle large, complex systems of equipment, but they can manage some air defense vehicles.

In the final images sent back by the large drone, a convoy of hundreds of vehicles and hundreds of people can be clearly seen preparing to leave the Richmond Guard camp.

The lead Humvees, armed with heavy machine guns, cleared the way through the city ruins, heading towards Zhou Qingfeng and his group. Clearly, the enemy had already mobilized, and their target was Famvi Town, a hundred kilometers away. Another hundred kilometers or so would take them to the Holy Light's lair.

The dozen or so members of the reconnaissance team dared not move at the moment, because while they were able to launch drones, the enemy was also using drones, which were flying overhead.

"Don't move, we're easily spotted by the enemy right now." Jiang Menglong signaled to the whole team to hide in the ruins and not to show themselves easily, while he himself held up binoculars to observe the sky. "It's a US military 'Jump 20'."

At an altitude of approximately 500 meters, a drone with a wingspan of over five meters is flying. From the ground, it appears as a very inconspicuous black dot, difficult to observe with the naked eye.

The team was able to spot that thing entirely thanks to an acoustic radar they carried—which was essentially a high-resolution battlefield microphone with a furry protective case, specifically designed to collect and amplify sounds that were difficult for the human ear to detect from a range of over ten kilometers.

Compared to phased array radar, acoustic radar is a passive device that does not emit electromagnetic waves. It is lightweight, small in size, and consumes less power, making it particularly suitable for special forces to use in field operations.

This acoustic radar can detect everything from the sound of mortars to the buzzing of drones and the noise from a convoy.

It was because of it that Zhou Qingfeng and the others were able to spot the 'Jump 20' that suddenly appeared above them a few minutes in advance and take evasive action.

"The enemy is very alert; they must have guessed we were nearby." Using acoustic radar for a rough location, Jiang Menglong was able to pinpoint the target with his binoculars.
“That ‘Jump 20’ kept circling overhead. Its pod had a wide detection range, so we immediately cut off the radio remote control.”

Regardless of whether the opponent had conducted radio positioning, Zhou Qingfeng had stopped using drones for reconnaissance. But as the monitoring footage ended, he shook his head and said:
"We can't let this group get away with this, or our newly built credibility and prestige will collapse. We need to give them a hard time!"
-
At this moment, Major General Borg of the Richmond Guard was furious, his face grim. Since losing contact with Major Fleming yesterday, it was clear to everyone that something had gone wrong.

Early this morning, the major general ordered the emergency mobilization of a regimental combat group, intending to personally lead troops to Famvi town, not only to severely punish those fools who dared to disobey him, but also to seize the "Creek Lake" hydroelectric power station for himself.

Just as the advance company of the battle group left the camp, a middleman was secretly sent from Famvi town to deliver a message, claiming that Major Fleming was not killed by them, but by the forces "Holy Light" further west.

According to the middleman, Fleming's mobile platoon suffered heavy casualties, with more than a dozen killed in action and the remaining seven or eight captured and now serving as slaves of the "Holy Light".

Mayor Ike subtly indicated that although their town had a large population, it was weak and powerless to confront the powerful "Richmond Guard," let alone provoke the menacing "Holy Light."

The implication is that if the two families want to fight, then fight; whoever wins, they are willing to submit.

"This idiot actually thinks he can stay out of this?" Major General Borg snorted angrily.

He had spies planted in Famvi town and already knew that the local residents were secretly flirting with the "Holy Light"—the "Holy Light" provided food and drink, and they provided the "Holy Light" with electricity.

As for the "Richmond Guard," they could offer nothing but bullets.

"Order the flight squadron to sortie immediately and teach those fools in Famvi a lesson. Drop a few bombs to wake them up!"

"All I want is that hydroelectric power station; their attitude is irrelevant. I hope that by the time I arrive in that town, the mayor will have come to his senses."

Major General Borg then boarded an armored command vehicle and led the main force of the regimental combat group out of the barracks in a grand procession, the rumbling wheels heralding an impending storm.

They expect to arrive in Famvi town in three hours and take it firmly under their control.

Of course, besides the potatoes they grew, there was really nothing else to make money in that impoverished town.

Therefore, the major general's advance will not stop there. He will only rest for an hour or two at most before continuing his westward march until the force known as "Holy Light" is completely wiped out.

Inside the bumpy command vehicle, the combat group's intelligence officer transmitted a message—the air defense company's "Avenger" system had just shot down a drone that was circling over their territory.

"Damn drones!" The major general felt a surge of annoyance at the mere mention of the word "drone."

These damned things can fly hundreds of kilometers at a time, and the large ones can even fly thousands of kilometers. Who knows which force is spying on them in the dark?

"Increase vigilance!" Major General Borg dared not let his guard down and immediately ordered the intelligence chief to closely monitor radio communications. "Be careful, there might be rats lurking around us."

The ground environment is far too complex these days; ambushes and sneak attacks are virtually impossible to defend against. If he could, the Major General would truly wish that all his men could sprout wings and soar freely through the air.

"I've heard that 'Holy Light' is equipped with quite a few low-altitude aircraft. If we could capture a few dozen, we could form an air infantry force."

"Fortunately, I also have a squadron of helicopters capable of carrying out strike missions at ranges exceeding 100 kilometers. It's just a pity that helicopters consume too much fuel and are too difficult to maintain."

Major General Borg was considering whether he should send his squadron to raid the "Holy Light" camp and try to win the war in one fell swoop.

"This is too risky. I only have a dozen or so helicopters, and the number of people they can carry is limited. What if the 'Holy Light' puts up a desperate resistance?"

After careful consideration, the major general ultimately concluded that the "air-ground coordination" strategy was more prudent. He absolutely could not risk his most valuable asset in a desperate operation.

At that very moment, the advance company of the combat group had already passed in front of Zhou Qingfeng's reconnaissance team, with the muzzles of guns and cannons of more than a dozen armed vehicles pointing to both sides of the road, ready to engage any forces that passed by at any time.

"Let them pass." Jiang Menglong, as the deputy captain, was responsible for directing the squad's operations.

The enemy's advance company, all in wheeled vehicles, moved very quickly, disappearing into the distance with a few whistles. Seven or eight minutes later, the main force of the Richmond Garrison's combat group appeared.

Leading the way was an eight-wheeled Stryker armored vehicle equipped with a 105mm cannon.

Just as the armored vehicle rumbled past, a mechanical dog appeared lying in ambush by the roadside. The dog had a fiber optic deployer attached to its body, with a thin fiber optic cable trailing behind it. It moved along, deploying the fiber optic cable as it went.

The dog has a camera on its head, watching armored vehicles passing by on the road, and a Gustav M3 recoilless rifle is strapped to its back—it was seized from Major Fleming's convoy yesterday.

Through fiber optic cable, Zhou Qingfeng could clearly see the enemy's main force appearing before him on a military computer several kilometers away. He nodded to Jiang Menglong and ordered, "Move! Give the enemy a surprise attack!"

(End of this chapter)