The alarm sounded and there was a sound of hurried footsteps behind Song Ran.
The soldiers and civilians who had been attending the wedding a moment ago poured out of the alley. Several teams of soldiers quickly lined up and rushed towards the direction of the gunfire. The groom in red was among them; civilians, including women, shouted and directed the rear; boys and girls gathered their children and hid in the air-raid shelter.
At the hospital entrance, Li Zan and several Cook soldiers who had gotten out of their hospital beds sped away on motorcycles.
In the direction where the motorcycle's taillight disappeared, a shell streaked across the sky like a meteor in the middle of the night.
Song Ran put on her backpack and ran towards the university. In the distance behind her, the shells made a mournful sound when they took off, and exploded with a loud bang when they landed. The houses on both sides of the road shook violently, and layers of wall plaster and mud fell off and hit her head.
There was still one street away from the university when a car suddenly sped past behind him. Song Ran held his waist and shouted, "Jose! I'm here! Jose!"
The car slammed on the brakes and turned around. Song Ran ran across the street and without waiting for the car to stop in front of her, she opened the passenger seat and jumped in.
Jose said, "I was just about to pick you up from the university!"
"Yes, so I ran there." She quickly put on her helmet and bulletproof vest.
Heading towards the battlefield, the night sky ahead was already lit up by the flames of war. On the horizon, artillery fire and smoke exploded into mushroom clouds; in the night sky, the interlaced shells wove a silver net like a meteor shower.
I can only speak by shouting:
"Why did it suddenly explode?!"
"The rebels launched a massive sneak attack!"
"Is the situation serious?"
"It's okay! The government army got the intelligence first and was prepared!"
Song Ran asked: "What about the Cook soldiers?"
"They only fight terrorists!" Jose shouted, "If the terrorists don't move out in this battle, they won't take action for the time being!"
"What if we go out?"
"It's a life-and-death struggle!"
Song Ran clenched his teeth and his hands and feet trembled slightly.
Outside the car window, a picture scroll of the world seemed to unfold as we passed by - teenagers aged fifteen or sixteen carried the elderly and dragged children to evacuate to the air-raid shelters, women brought out simple handmade stretchers from their homes and were ready to carry the wounded to the front line at any time, and men in their forties and fifties ran on the streets with guns in hand searching for lone wanderers.
And all the men in their teens, twenties and thirties were on the battlefield.
As they approached the battlefield, the ground beneath the wheels began to shake, and gravel bounced on the broken cement road. Song Ran put on earplugs to protect his ears. Jose stopped the car, and Song Ran jumped out swiftly, running with him to the rear of the government army's firing line.
The rear seemed to be in chaos, with people coming and going, all with serious expressions and in a hurry, but everything was in order. Signalmen came and went to deliver messages, and the generals in the temporary command center were busy formulating strategies based on the war situation. Some soldiers gathered in rows waiting to go to the front line, while some had already carried their guns and ran to the front line, while the soldiers in the trenches in the distance were meeting the enemy. Snipers, artillery, armored soldiers, tank soldiers, and soldiers of all arms were in their respective positions, guarding them tightly like tightened screws.
After Song Ran finished filming a circle in the back, Jose gestured to her and asked, "Do you want to go take a look in the trench?"
She nodded vigorously.
The two men approached the front along the alley. Gunfire and artillery bursts, causing gravel and mud to hit helmets with crackling sounds. They finally managed to sneak into a trench near the rear. There was a trench more than one meter deep and one meter wide, with sandbags more than half a meter high piled on the ground. Soldiers carrying guns and ammunition were lurking in it and moving quickly.
As they got closer to the front line, the sound of artillery fire was deafening, and it became difficult to shout to each other. Song Ran followed Jose's gestures and groped forward along the winding trench. In the trench, soldiers whose hands and feet were blown off or shot were carried away on stretchers by medical soldiers, and more soldiers with minor injuries and bleeding were still fighting.
Song Ran saw a sniper with blood flowing from his forehead leaning against the earth wall and receiving a simple bandage. She looked at him for a second longer. The sniper saw her, smiled at her and winked.
Song Ran also laughed and said, "You are so brave."
The sniper said, "You are braver, my dear girl."
Song Ran and Jose found a corner and took oblique fixed-point shots, using the camera to record a miniature corner of the long battle line that spanned the city of Ale.
Rifles, grenades, machine guns...
Mortars, thunder cannons, howitzers, cannons, bazookas...
The night was lit up by flying artillery fire. The sky was torn apart and the earth was shaking.
It was no use plugging in the earplugs. Song Ran's brain was shaking like a half-bucket of water. The splashing sand and dirt blurred her vision and hit her goggles. Her helmet and bulletproof vest were already covered with smoke and dust.
She lay in the trench, holding the camera, concentrating on adjusting the parameters to capture the best angle.
But at this moment, a hand grenade was thrown into the trench in the front picture, and it landed right in the middle of a group of soldiers who were about to replace them. Before anyone could react, a soldier nearby hugged a sandbag and rushed towards the grenade.
With a muffled "bang", the sandbag on his abdomen exploded, and the soldier's body bounced violently and fell to the ground motionless.
The medic immediately went over and turned him over. Song Ran saw clearly from the camera that it was the sniper who had bandaged his forehead just now. He had no external injuries, but his face was pale, and he was afraid that some internal organs were injured.
Song Ran ran over and asked, "Are you okay?"
He was being carried on a stretcher by a medic. His expression was originally painful, but when he saw her, he tried his best to smile: "If I get better, can you go on a date with me?"
The nervous and worried comrades standing by all burst into laughter.
Song Ran was also at a loss for words and said, "But I already have a boyfriend."
"Oh..." He frowned and said sadly, "Dear, this news hurts me more than the bomb just now. It almost kills me."
Song Ran felt sad about his injury, but couldn't help laughing.
He waved at her and was carried away by the medic.
The battle lasted until the early morning, when the bombing gradually died down. Under the cover of their own tanks and bullets, the soldiers began to cross the trenches and push the line of fire forward.
Song Ran did not follow them. She stayed behind to record and film, watching them advance inch by inch, occupying more ruins and buildings in the city, and opening up positions bit by bit.
It is said that soldiers are made of steel, but they are not made of steel. Bullets can penetrate their chests and fire can burn their faces.
Young bodies of flesh and blood bravely marched forward in the face of gunfire and hail of bullets. The so-called recovery of the country was nothing more than them moving forward step by step, pushing forward with their bodies, measuring with their footsteps, and defending the land under their feet.
Amid the sound of gunfire, Song Ran heard roars and shouts from the front; he heard a wounded soldier gasping for breath in the trench reciting a long passage in the Eastern language; gradually, he heard the soldier who had just been bandaged and was preparing to return to the battlefield also reciting that language.
They are firm and resolute.
Song Ran had heard this before, on university campuses, in street protests.
Beside him, Jose also started to read, but he was translating to Song Ran in English:
"If we lose, the history of our country will be erased. My dear motherland, if she perishes, all the suffering that has happened on this land will be erased. All the pain and suffering that her people have endured will be forgotten, forgotten by the whole world.
I must not retreat. Even if I die, my soul will rise up and fight. Even if I die, I must tell the people who come after me that we have fought against this world. I have fought against the enemy for her!"
Song Ran's eyes were hot, and the battlefield in front of him seemed a little blurry, as if it was soaked in water.
She said, "Jose, I want you to win. You have to win."
However, the war was far from being won.
Day breaks, then dark again.
The sun rises again and sets again.
By the third night, although the government forces tried their best to push the front line forward seven or eight kilometers, the rebels still put up a stubborn resistance and tore apart the remaining northern city of Ale.
The government forces also refused to give in.
The battle ahead was extremely brutal, and they fought to the death with their last bit of strength. The soldiers were covered in blood and mud, their eyes were bloodshot, and they held on with the belief that they would die.
Song Ran barely slept for three or four hours during the day. When he came to the rear again, he found that as some of the wounded had left the battlefield, many young students and middle-aged people had replaced them, and there were even women.
In a crowded alley, a soldier was explaining various knowledge and precautions to the improvised "recruits". Song Ran saw a short-haired girl in her early twenties standing in the middle, listening and thinking seriously.
When the team disbanded, Song Ran met her gaze and asked, "Are you scared?"
The pretty girl shrugged. “Is there a scarier moment than this? But I choose to stride forward.”
Song Ran smiled and pointed at the gun in her hand: "You know how to use it, right?"
"You don't have to worry about that." The girl laughed heartily, "Now in the East, even children can use guns. Everyone is an expert and knows how to use various guns. Just by listening to the sound, you can tell the type and distance."
Afraid that Song Ran wouldn't believe it, she turned her head and looked around. Just then, she saw a clever child running by with a gun he had picked up from the battlefield recovery area. He called out, "Hey, kid!"
The little boy stopped and looked at them with his big black eyes, not very happy: "What are you doing? I have something else to do."
Just then, a shell was fired from the front with a loud "boom".
The girl asked: "Tell this sister, what was that just now?"
The little boy sighed, rolled his eyes, and said, "M777 howitzer, about five or six kilometers away." Then he raised his eyebrows and said, "Can I go now?"
"Go ahead." Seeing him running away, the short-haired girl shouted, "Don't get hit by bullets!"
The little boy turned around and complained: "Worry about yourself!"
Song Ran: “…”
"Okay. I have to go too." The short-haired girl left with the gun on her back.
Song Ran: "Good luck to you."
"the same as you!"
Song Ran found Jose and asked him if he knew the situation of the Cook soldiers.
Jose said that the terrorists set out in the northwest suburbs early the day before yesterday, preparing to sneak into the rear and launch an attack while the government and the rebels were fighting in chaos, but were intercepted by the defensive Kuk soldiers. The fight has been going on for two whole days.
Song Ran wanted to go and film, but was afraid of implicating Jose. When he was hesitating whether to act alone, Jose asked, "I want to go and see, do you dare to go?"
Song Ran agreed and asked, "Do you want to go too?"
Jose said, "Who wouldn't want to go fight terrorists?"
The two drove along the back of the line of fire towards the northwest suburbs. The fighting in the city lasted for three nights and three days, and the roar of gunfire along the way became the eternal background sound.
The shells flying into the sky are like fireworks, lighting up the night sky.
When we arrived at the northwest suburbs, the offensive between the government forces and the rebels behind us was still going on, but the battle between the Kuk soldiers and the terrorists in front of us was obviously different.
Song Ran listened to the sounds and judged for a while, anti-aircraft guns, anti-tank rocket launchers, rifles, submachine guns, sniper rifles... and many more that he couldn't tell. But the overall feeling was that the firing of shells and bullets was very rhythmic, not strafing.
Jose said: "The Cook soldiers are all former special forces soldiers from various countries with high military quality. They pay great attention to planning and coordination in combat, and have the strongest military strategy for every battle, no matter how big or small. In addition, each of their soldiers has strong personal abilities, so their lethality is great."
The two climbed up a tall building and looked out over the battlefield a street away. After two days and nights of confrontation, the Kuk forces had forced the extremist group out of the city, and the battle line had advanced to the vicinity of the extremist group's own stronghold.
Due to the precise strikes of Cook's team, the terrorists suffered heavy casualties. When Song Ran zoomed in to observe, he only saw their defeated and fleeing figures. They retreated to their stronghold and fought a defensive battle.
Song Ran used a telescope to observe the terrain. The stronghold was the ancient castle of Ale City built in the Middle Ages. It was a fortress made entirely of stone walls. The walls were steep and towering, several dozen meters high, and there were many artillery platforms.
The bunker was erected on a long hillside with a wide view. The three sides of the fortress were surrounded by endless deserts, and on the side bordering the city, the bushes on the hillside had been cleared away long ago, leaving no place for hiding. Anyone who approached would become a target the moment they climbed the hillside.
The battle was temporarily stopped after the terrorists retreated.
In the distance, the sound of government army artillery fire could be heard. Instead, it became quiet here.
Jose and Song Ran analyzed the situation and saw that the crisis was resolved. They went downstairs and went around to the temporary command post of the Cook soldiers behind the line of fire. It was an open-air bungalow hidden in many ruins.
Two special forces soldiers were guarding the entrance of the alley from a distance and no outsiders were allowed to approach.
José revealed his identity, but they didn't buy it.
Song Ran looked at him regretfully and was about to leave when he heard a voice full of intimacy: "song~~song~~"
It was Benjamin.
Song Ran was surprised: "You are also in Dongguo?"
"Did you miss me?" Benjamin opened his arms and grinned at her. His face was covered with dirt and blood, and he looked a little tired, but his eyes were full of surprise. "I didn't know you came to the East Country again."
Song Ran said: "I'm a war correspondent, how can I not come?"
Benjamin pointed inside and asked, "Do you want to go in?"
Song Ran glanced at the special forces guarding him in embarrassment.
Benjamin waved his hand to indicate that it was a piece of cake and said, "This is my friend." He added, "But you are not allowed to take pictures."
Song Ran then turned off the machine.
However, Jose still couldn't enter. He understood very well and said with a smile: "Song, you go first, I'll wait for you outside."
Song Ran followed Benjamin into the command center, only to find that they had a special text recorder who was sitting in front of a computer and typing rapidly.
The atmosphere in the headquarters was serious, with signalmen coming in from time to time to pass on information. The captains and vice-captains of multiple combat teams stood around a large table to analyze the situation, with microscopic topographic maps and battle maps on the table.
The battle has now reached the most critical moment. In street fighting, the Cook soldiers have not suffered any loss. But now the terrorists are hiding in their shells, and it is a big problem to pry them open.
Song Ran moved a few steps quietly and saw Li Zan at a glance.
He was facing her sideways, his camouflage uniform was covered in dirt and blood, his cheeks were also covered in dust, and there were a few tiny scratches that were bleeding. He should be a little tired, but his profile still looked tough and determined.
He didn't notice Song Ran, and stared at his comrade with a sharp gaze: "This bunker was built in the Middle Ages, and it's made entirely of rocks. And it's mechanically designed, so the surface is smooth and there are no points of force entry." He slid his slender fingers on the bunker plan and tapped the location of the fort. "It can't be blown open with the existing shells. The only weak point is here."
He tapped with his index finger on the front door of the fortress.
The leader of another team said: "But the hillside is high, the door frame is small and solid. We can't hit it accurately. We tried several times."
"If you want precision, there are naturally precise methods." Li Zan put his hands back into his pockets, straightened his back, and said, "I'll go drop the explosive bomb."
The scene was silent for a moment. Song Ran was also surprised.
"I don't agree!" Benjamin objected immediately. "I don't agree. That hillside is no cover at all. You will be hit before you get halfway."
The commander-in-chief of the war also said: "Benjamin is right."
Li Zan turned slightly to change his center of gravity, smiled faintly, and said, "If there is no shelter, we can create one."
"How?"
Li Zan's eyes changed slightly, and for a moment he was as fierce as a wolf: "If the artillery shells can't blow up their fortress, can they also not blow up the soil on the hillside?"
Everyone was stunned.
A captain suddenly exclaimed: "Use shells to dig a pit in the ground, and hide people in the pit for cover?"
"Yes." Li Zan said resolutely.
"But if they see the traps that were set in advance and guess your strategic ideas, you will definitely die."
"So we can't attack in advance." Li Zan said, "I will ambush one and the artillery will shoot down the next one."
Commander: "We need to rely on the close cooperation of our comrades, otherwise there may be accidents along the way."
"On the battlefield, if you can't trust your comrades with your lives, such a team will be vulnerable." Li Zan said, "I will blow up the city gate, and then we will rush in together. If this den is not taken down, there will be endless troubles."
The commander sighed, "I think it's still too dangerous. Lee, you're an excellent demolition soldier. We would rather give up this base than lose you."
But at this time, Benjamin chuckled and said, "Let him go. You haven't fought alongside him, so you don't know. He is definitely capable of doing the job."
Li Zan also frowned: "Now our focus is on how to accurately improve our coordination ability. Without any mistakes."
The commander pondered for a moment and made up his mind: "Okay, arrange the strategy."
Soon, the gunners, assaulters, snipers, anti-aircraft defense personnel and other members all gathered together to discuss the battle plan closely, and then dispersed on the spot to carry out their respective preparations.
When the crowd dispersed, Song Ran immediately squatted down and hid behind the recorder's table. In this critical moment, she didn't want to disturb or affect him in the slightest, and she didn't want to add any distractions to his mind.
A large group of people quickly left the command room. She poked her head out slightly and took a look, and saw that Li Zan was the last one in the team.
He walked out of the command center but paused at the door.
Song Ran's heart moved.
In the night, his figure was tall and straight, and his shadow was cast on the opposite wall.
He stood still for two seconds, without looking back, and walked away.