Jose was waiting for Song Ran outside. When he saw her coming over, his face turned pale and he asked, "What's wrong with you? You don't look well?"
Song Ran shook his head: "It's okay." Then he quickly ran into the alley, looking up and around as he ran.
Jose followed him and said, "Song, what are you looking for?"
Song Ran climbed up the stairs of a residential building, stood on tiptoe and stretched his neck: "I want to find a good angle to see the whole hillside."
It was past one in the morning, but the moonlight was bright. In the dim alley, the empty windows looked like the eyes of a ghost. The two searched around and finally found a rooftop, diagonally in front of the fortress. They would not face the artillery fire directly, but had a clear view.
Song Ran was relatively calm and composed, setting up the stand and adjusting the equipment, everything was in order. But after getting the equipment ready, she began to move it around, changing several viewing angles, and she was not satisfied with anything.
Jose said, "Song, the roof is only the size of a palm, it looks the same from any angle."
Song Ran remained silent, and finally settled in the outermost corner, fidgeting, and simply lying down and crawling on the edge of the building. She felt her chest and abdomen pressed against the ground, rising and falling violently, and her legs and feet were shaking.
There was silence on the hillside, as if both sides had stopped fighting. But she knew this was a precursor to an outbreak. She pulled the camera and could clearly see the machine guns and gun muzzles hidden in the turrets of the opposite fortress.
The moonlight was bright, illuminating the hillside. Tonight was not a good night to hide.
Song Ran looked up and could still see the artillery fire on the battle line several kilometers away. On such a quiet and beautiful night, no one in this city could sleep peacefully. She looked up at the bright and eternal moon in the sky, feeling sad. Why did humans have to be like this
With tears in his eyes, a cannon shot suddenly rang out! A shell landed at the foot of the hillside, splashing dirt and creating a huge pit. Song Ran didn't blink for a moment, and saw a familiar figure carrying a blasting device, taking advantage of the flying mud and smoke, and rolling into the pit swiftly and neatly.
The fortress on the opposite side immediately opened fire in response, but these were all emergency measures. They didn't understand the situation clearly, nor did they see the human figures clearly.
After a while of random firing, the sound of gunfire gradually faded. When the other side was confused and making judgment, another shell exploded diagonally above the pit. Li Zan jumped out of the pit and rolled into a new pit in an instant.
The terrorists on the fortress then discovered someone and tried to aim at the pit and fire. But as soon as a head appeared, the long-range sniper on the Cooks' side had been waiting for a long time. With a chirp, the bullet flew out, and the terrorist in the turret fell down instantly with a headshot. Several snipers aimed at the turrets they were watching, and shot at anyone who appeared, to cover Li Zan.
The third shell exploded the pit, and Li Zan quickly climbed out and rolled into a new pit. He pressed his body against the earth wall, breathing heavily, and the black mask on his face rose and fell violently, outlining the sharp arc of the tip of his nose and chin; his forehead was already covered with sweat, as if he had just fought in the water. He had earplugs in his ears, but the shock wave of the bomb exploding at close range was too strong, shaking his brain and making it seem as if even his internal organs were shaking.
He tried to keep his head clear, breathing rapidly and deeply, resting only for a few seconds before raising the blade on the back of his glove and reflecting the light at his companions.
Three, two, one!
The next shell hit several meters away. Li Zan clenched his jaw, rushed forward, stepped on the earth wall, grasped the ground with one hand, jumped out of the pit, rushed to the new pit and jumped in.
The terrorists aimed their guns in vain, so they fired artillery shells. The Kuk soldiers immediately responded with smoke bombs and artillery shells on the ramparts.
The walls shook and smoke filled the air.
For a moment, artillery shells from both sides were launched, and smoke rose up on the hillside.
Under the cover of smoke and gun pits, Li Zan approached the bunker gate step by step.
Song Ran grabbed the edge of the building, her nails were bloodshot. Even from dozens of meters away, she could feel the shells shaking the earth. She felt dizzy and nauseous, and couldn't imagine that Li Zan had rushed through the line of fire like this.
Suddenly, I heard the words he said while sitting on the motorcycle: "If you don't see me after the war, don't think too much, I must have gone somewhere else."
She suddenly had difficulty breathing, opened her mouth and took a deep breath, and her heart in her chest felt numb with pain and she lost consciousness.
The desert night was too cold. She shivered uncontrollably.
Jose rested his forehead on his clenched hands, closed his eyes, and prayed to God while rapidly reciting scriptures.
Finally, Li Zan jumped out of the last earth pit, entered the castle porch, and was completely in a blind spot for shooting.
His head was covered in sweat and dust, and his mind and chest were shaking like waves; but above the black mask, his eyes were still sharp and bright, even revealing a hint of ruthlessness and determination. He frowned and took a deep breath, without any delay, he quickly observed the structure of the iron door in front of him.
He touched the ground and found that the door was sunken, with no gap, so he couldn't break through. He touched the space between the two doors and found that there was a reinforced interlayer covering the gap between the doors. Although he could break through, it was not enough.
There were bursts of gunfire on the hillside. He took out one earplug and put his ear against the iron gate, knocking and listening. He knocked and knocked dozens of times in various corners. He quickly drew a structural design behind the gate in his mind - where are the support points, where are the horizontal and vertical beams, where are the reinforcement points - a three-dimensional image appeared in front of him. He quickly found the five or six weakest points on the iron gate.
He put his earplugs back in and deftly and expertly placed the explosive bomb on the door panel.
Just as the last one was fixed, a warning came from the headset: "Enemy artillery is descending rapidly! Interception failed!"
Li Zan drew his gun and turned around instantly, but two terrorists who had quickly descended from the building had already aimed their guns at him.
The entrance to the fortress was filled with smoke and the sniper lost his sight.
The assaulters who were lurking along Li Zan's path had just set off.
The air was filled with smoke. Li Zan slowly raised his hands and inserted his right thumb into the trigger. When his five fingers loosened, the pistol hung upside down on his thumb.
One of the terrorists had a square face and a beard, and both were pointing their guns at him at right angles.
On the right, the square-faced man with a sharp gaze shouted in broken English: "Where is the detonator?!"
Li Zan knelt down on one knee and slowly reached for his trouser pocket. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the bearded man's finger on the trigger, ready to shoot as soon as he saw the detonator.
He gently unzipped his pocket and paused.
The square-faced man took a step forward and put the muzzle of the gun against his forehead: "Don't play tricks..."
Before he finished speaking, Li Zan grabbed his pistol and twisted it hard, and the bearded man immediately fired! But Li Zan had anticipated it and reacted very quickly. He stood up and pulled the square-faced man in front of him to block it. The bearded man's bullet penetrated the square-faced man's back. Li Zan quickly grabbed the pistol he stretched out, twisted the muzzle up to the sky, and hit the wall with a "bang". He kicked the bearded man in the chest and kicked him several meters away.
The bearded man's gun flew far away and could not be picked up.
Li Zan turned the pistol in his hand and returned it to its original position. He pursed his thin lips and aimed at the bearded man's forehead.
The bearded man raised his hands, knelt down and begged: "Please!"
Li Zan pursed his lips into a line, moved his index finger but didn't press it down, and said coldly: "This is the detonator."
The bearded man didn't understand and knelt in the porch in a daze, not knowing where the detonator was.
Li Zan had already rushed out of the porch and ran towards the pit. When he jumped down, he turned around and fired several shots at the door. In an instant, the powerful explosives on the door exploded, and he fell into the deep pit.
An assaulter had lurked in the pit and caught him, asking, "Are you okay?"
Li Zan closed his eyes and said, "I need to sleep."
Teammate George laughed: "Dream on, the fierce battle has just begun."
The heavy iron gate had been blown to pieces. The commandos, holding submachine guns, rushed into the bunker, passing over the square-faced and bearded corpses.
Li Zan took the rifle handed to him by his companion, gritted his teeth, jumped up to climb the wall, supported himself on the ground and jumped out of the pit.
Song Ran was lying on the upper floor, her heart pounding. She soon found Li Zan again in the dissipating smoke. The door was blown open, and his companions all rushed into the bunker. The hillside was in tatters and there were craters everywhere. He also quickly ran into the bunker.
Since he didn't seem to be injured, she felt a little relieved, but she couldn't help but worry about the situation inside.
Fortunately, more and more Cook's soldiers poured in, while the number of troops on the bunkers and turrets decreased, indicating that the battle situation was developing in a good direction.
In the dark night, the huge bunker became a Colosseum. The sound of gunfire, thunder, and artillery fire echoed on the stone walls like the deepest roar in this land, and also like the most painful wail.
Song Ran couldn't see what was happening inside. She put her fists to her lips, biting them tightly, praying, and waiting. She stared at the door without blinking.
"I can't express my gratitude enough," said Jose.
After several seconds, Song Ran finally pulled himself out of his own world: "What?"
"I cannot express my gratitude enough to them, whether they are volunteers or mercenaries. Thank you for everything they have done to fight against terrorist attacks."
Song Ran didn't say anything. She didn't have the heart to think about anything. She saw a medic carrying a wounded soldier out, and immediately zoomed in to take a look. One, two, luckily it wasn't A-Zan.
Jose sighed, "By the way, their combat is like an art. Strategy, tactics, execution and coordination, everything is perfect. They are indeed the best special forces."
Song Ran was silent for a moment, then said, "The first one is the best." After a while, he added, "You may not know that he is Chinese."
Jose said: "I saw an Asian face. But from such a distance, how can you be sure that he is your compatriot?"
Song Ran wanted to say that even if Li Zan was standing on the top of a fort in the distance with his comrades, she could still recognize him at a glance.
But she didn't explain and continued to grit her teeth and wait.
The moon has set.
At daybreak, the noise inside the bunker finally subsided.
Soon, the medics came out with the wounded on a stretcher. Then, the Cook soldiers came out in twos and threes, and Benjamin led a string of prisoners with a rope.
Song Ran searched with his eyes until they hurt. After searching for an unknown amount of time, he finally saw Li Zan walking down the hillside. He lowered his head slightly and removed the black bandage on his wrist as he walked.
She immediately put away the machine and ran downstairs.
Song Ranfei ran down the stairs, passed through the empty alley, and ran all the way to the command center, where he saw chaos in the rear. The special forces who had just been dispatched were covered in dust and soot, and were sorting and counting their equipment.
Nearly 100 captured extremists were tied together between two trees. Many more resisted stubbornly and all died in battle.
"They are a real bunch of lunatics," said Benjamin.
Those people's eyes were cold and indifferent, without any human emotions, which made Song Ran feel sick.
She asked Benjamin, "Where is Li Zan?"
"Heading to the back." Benjamin pointed in the direction, "To rest."
Song Ran ran to the rear to look for it, but after searching for a while he couldn't find the tent, not even a piece of felt cloth.
She was extremely puzzled and searched all the way to the back of the headquarters, only to see a foot sticking out of the ruins, with camouflage pants tucked into dusty boots and tied tightly.
Song Ran's heart skipped a beat, and he walked over lightly, and saw the man lying on a vacant lot in the ruins with one leg straight and the other bent. He had one hand on the ground and the other on his chest. His hands were covered in dust and blood, but his joints were still distinct and slender.
I took another slow step forward and finally saw his face.
Li Zan lay flat on the ground, his head slightly tilted to one side, his eyes closed, his eyelashes drooping, and his sleeping face was quiet and peaceful.
At dawn, when the sky was slightly bright, his handsome face was covered with mud. He didn't have time to wipe it off and fell asleep on the ground.
She quietly squatted beside him, tilting her head and staring at him. Even on the battlefield, even in military uniform, he looked very gentle when he was sleeping. He had lost the fierceness he had in combat and looked somewhat weak, with a hint of fatigue that he didn't show easily.
Looking at it, she felt inexplicably sad.
She took a deep breath silently, suppressing the emotions surging in her heart.
Even though she knew he was fine, she couldn't help but put her index finger close to his nose to feel his breath. She was finally relieved until she felt the even, warm and moist breath on her fingertips.
Just as she was about to pull her hand back, he suddenly turned his face and touched her fingers with his nose, very lightly, twice.
Song Ran was stunned, and her heart suddenly softened into warm water. She suddenly wanted to touch his face, but she couldn't, because she didn't want to wake him up.
She sat there hugging her knees, trying to stay with him, but she heard Jose's call.
She was afraid of waking him up, so she quickly got up, only to see more special forces soldiers sleeping on the ground behind her.
Covered in dust and tired, yet with a peaceful look on his face.
Song Ran took a few photos and left quietly.
Jose was going to the castle and asked her if she wanted to go. Song Ran was a little hesitant, but after thinking about it, she nodded.
The sky was getting light.
The hillside was blown to pieces, and Song Ran walked up with great effort and followed Jose into the bunker. As soon as he passed through the porch, he was greeted by a gloomy atmosphere.
The temperature in Ale was not high recently, but it was not cold either. It was just that the castle was too heavy and closed, and the light was dim, which only added to the feeling of coolness.
She paid special attention to the destroyed iron gate - Li Zan's "masterpiece".
She didn't know how he managed to blow such a thick door into pieces.
As soon as you step through the door, you'll see blood and corpses.
Song Ran was terrified.
Walking into the fortress, the towering stone walls are covered with bullet holes, knife marks, cracks... recording everything that happened here. On the steps and windows, blood is flowing like a river. Several Cook soldiers are cleaning the bodies of prisoners in the fortress. The smell of blood floats in the air and lingers.
Song Ran felt nauseous and his whole body felt like it was being pricked by needles. He fled quickly after a short while.
She ran up the hillside to catch her breath, but the smoke was still inhaling into her lungs.
The sun has not yet risen and the sky is slightly hazy.
She stood there for a while, and suddenly found that the world was very quiet, even the sound of artillery fire in the distant front had stopped.
She looked to the east. There was a faint pink glow on the horizon. It was still some time before sunrise, but the smoke from the dilapidated and devastated city had already dissipated.
Quiet, as if waiting for the sunrise.
"Jose!"
"Jose!" Song Ran shouted, "It's over! It's over!"
Hearing the noise, Jose ran out of the fort and looked towards the east.
In the distance, the outline of the city is clearly visible.
"Oh my god!" Jose covered his head, and rushed forward in surprise, hugged Song Ran and spun him around. Song Ran chuckled. The two looked at each other, laughed and rushed down the hillside full of craters.
Jose stumbled and rolled a few times on the hillside, then he got up and continued running with a laugh. They wanted to rush to record the moment when the government army won the victory.
Song Ran ran behind the headquarters and looked back. Li Zan was still sleeping. With just a glance, she crossed the alley.
Drive to the Eastern Front. The Battle of Ale is over.
The government troops were exhausted and the rear was in a mess.
Medics ran past quickly carrying the seriously wounded; the lightly wounded had no time to be settled and found a corner to catch their breath and rest; more people dragged their exhausted bodies back to the rear, and once they entered their own territory, they fell to the ground and fell asleep.
Wherever Song Ran looked, there were large tracts of open ground covered with densely packed soldiers, like grains drying in the sun in a rural threshing floor.
Their bodies and faces were covered in mud and blood, and some soldiers were injured, but they didn't care and just went to sleep first.
Walking forward, the city was reduced to ruins after three days and three nights of war. The ground was littered with shell casings, gunpowder, mud, stone chips, and blood stains every few steps.
The rebels had been driven out of the city of Ale, and the remaining troops fled to the northern cities.
There were still many soldiers cleaning up the battlefield and eliminating hidden dangers, while some were collecting the bodies of their comrades and dragging them back one by one.
A soldier sat in the ruins, hugging his dead comrade and crying loudly.
Song Ran originally thought that there would be immediate cheers and celebrations after the victory of the war, but what he felt before him was only fatigue, exhaustion, and a deep sense of powerlessness and desolation, just like the clusters of dancing flames on the ground and the wisps of rising green smoke that floated up into the air and disappeared in an instant.
She looked around blankly, then suddenly turned around and ran away without stopping.
At this moment, she just wanted to be back with him.