Chapter 233: Start of the Confrontation
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
At one o’clock in the morning, apart from the border defense company and some small scattered units, all the other units of the Iron Bones Hero Regiment, including the companies stationed separately, initiated their operations.
Simultaneously, their adversary, the division’s reconnaissance company, disembarked from their vehicles.
Naturally, they remained at a considerable distance from the Iron Bones Hero Regiment. After all, their approach was covert, not vehicular.
A reconnaissance company consisted of nearly a hundred individuals. If they dared to confront tank cannons head-on, not even a speck of dust would be left behind.
In this moment, near several stationary military transport vehicles, a captain addressed the nearly 100 troops before him with a stern demeanor, “Usually, you all believe you’re quite remarkable.
You can fly to the heavens and capture the moon, and you can apprehend turtles in the five seas.
Each one of you thinks you’re no less capable than those special forces soldiers.
Well, today is the day to put that to the test!”
The commander of the division’s reconnaissance company roared at the soldiers before him, his expression fierce, “My mission requirement is to accomplish the mission without any casualties. Do you have the confidence?” “Invincible or not, reconnaissance company, kill! Kill! Kill!”
“Alright, come on, Wang Ye, take a good look!”
In the mountainous forest, Wang Ye followed Zhou Qi, accompanied by a first-class soldier, Luo Yang.
Class Eight had already split up.
They had marked areas, mountains, and buried mines.
At this moment, Wang Ye observed as Zhou Qi placed the mines using a small flashlight, while Luo Yang kept watch nearby.
Soon, a landmine was successfully planted.
“Class monitor, as long as we don’t trigger the mine, they’ll keep their word, won’t they?” Wang Ye inquired in a hushed tone as he examined the buried explosive.
Zhou Qi grinned. “Don’t worry. Just because our gear isn’t top-notch doesn’t mean theirs isn’t either. They all have cameras on them. If they actually smoke, they can’t backout!”
Wang Ye was already familiar with the nature of these mines. They were all practice explosives, including the grenades. They would detonate but wouldn’t cause significant harm. However, after the blast, something akin to a smoke generator would activate. Within a certain range, it could also trigger the practice devices on everyone’s bodies, causing smoke to emit from their heads.
In this moment, Zhou Qi had successfully set up a landmine.
Wang Ye reached into his bag and retrieved another one. They had brought a substantial number of mines and grenades for this exercise.
Each person was required to carry two mines and four grenades. There were even logistics teams delivering additional grenades and mines to the frontlines.
It was a necessity because the area was vast, and they were uncertain from where the enemy would attempt to infiltrate.
Although the Iron Bones Hero Regiment outnumbered the reconnaissance company, it was impossible for them to encircle the enemy like an impenetrable fortress from all directions.
Hence, the necessity for using grenades and mines as early warnings.
After relocating, Zhou Qi explained as he worked, “The scouts are highly skilled. We need to bury these explosives in unexpected places and conceal them well. We must eliminate any traces of us planting mines and moving through this area.”
While working, Zhou Qi instructed Wang Ye, but he didn’t allow Wang Ye to perform these tasks himself. Time was of the essence, and this wasn’t an ideal moment for instruction.
Soon, Wang Ye and the other two were navigating through the dark forest. It was challenging to move through the forest in darkness and distinguish the terrain.
They could only place mines or set up hidden grenades as traps in areas where they felt there was a high probability of enemy movement.
The Iron Bones Hero Regiment was not without combat prowess, as Zhou Qi’s actions attested. Their mine-laying techniques were highly professional. If Wang Ye hadn’t known that the mines had just been planted, he might not have detected them.
Not only were the mines well-hidden, but the use of grenades as traps was also subtle. An inadvertent step could release smoke.
To be frank, if Wang Ye had to walk back through the dark forest now, even with his strong memory, he might worry about stepping on a mine.
Fortunately, they didn’t need to retrace their steps on this mountain. The path they took to plant the mines was also their return route. There was no need to be concerned about mines in their path.
After about an hour, they had used up all the grenades on hand. Wang Ye and the others returned to fetch more grenades.
For the sake of this exercise, the regiment commander had spared no expense, likely allocating all available funds for the drill.
Wang Ye’s group of three had planted more than ten mines during the initial phase, covering a distance of three to four kilometers.
In addition to the mines, they had deployed 12 fragmentation grenades.
With this quantity, dismantling them after the exercise would certainly pose a significant challenge.
The sky remained dark. Wang Ye retrieved his watch from his bag and checked the time; it was four o’clock.
However, up to this point, they had not heard any signs of enemy discovery or explosions behind them.
Of course, it could be due to the fact that the mine grenades were practice munitions, and their explosions weren’t very loud. If they were triggered several dozen meters away, they might not be audible.
Nevertheless, these weren’t concerns Wang Ye should be preoccupied with at the moment.
What Wang Ye needed to focus on now was combating his drowsiness.
After Class Eight finished setting up the mines, only eight of them remained, excluding the armored vehicle driver, Zhuo Zicheng, and the platoon leader, who were no longer present. They divided into two groups, each led by the squad leader and vice squad leader. They nestled on the relatively elevated terrain behind the minefield.
About a hundred meters away, Wang Ye continued to follow Zhou Qi. They lay atop the mountain, in a small trench with a good vantage point.
They were in position for an ambush.
However, this wasn’t as comfortable as planting mines earlier.
It was now four in the morning.
Wang Ye felt like his eyelids were in a battle.
However, he couldn’t afford to sleep at this moment. Or rather, he would have to wait a bit if he wanted to rest.
After the ambush, they could take turns resting.
Among the four of them, Luo Yang and Zhang Wen were the first to sleep. Wang Ye and Zhou Qi were on the first shift.
“Don’t fall asleep. I have some ointment here. Want some to keep your senses sharp?”
Zhou Qi lay next to Wang Ye. After applying ointment to his temples and under his nose, he gently squeezed Wang Ye’s hand and whispered, “You’re welcome! Thank you, class monitor!”
Wang Ye didn’t refuse the offer.
Politeness wasn’t necessary in this situation. Being too polite would only lead to falling asleep.
Time crawled by, and the sky gradually started to lighten.
Even at six o’clock, Wang Ye and the others hadn’t spotted anyone.
“Here, 1’11 give you the radio. If the company commander inquires, report the situation honestly!”
At six o’clock, Zhou Qi roused Luo Yang and the other two. After handing Wang Ye the mobile radio, he informed him that he could finally get some rest.
This rest was essential because no one knew how long this exercise would extend.
The scouts from the division headquarters were not crude. They would adapt their tactics based on the circumstances.
They might be resting somewhere or leisurely exploring the mountains and rivers for two days. After all, there was no hard and fast rule that dictated they had to complete the mission within a single day.
Of course, it wouldn’t drag on for an excessively long time.
However, a duration of three to five days, or even ten days to a fortnight, was not considered unusual. After all, even if they were aiming to outmaneuver the enemy, it wasn’t something that could be rushed. Infiltration required meticulous planning and execution.
The most important thing was accomplishing the mission. As for the time it took, a few extra days wouldn’t matter. Who would be concerned about time in such circumstances?
Hence, in this situation, they needed to prepare themselves for the long haul.
It was absolutely impossible for them to forgo rest or sleep entirely.