Arc of Fire

Chapter 28

Wang Zhong didn't dare lie down; in his current state, he was afraid he'd fall into a deep sleep the moment he did.

When the bell tower was hit by artillery, Wang Zhong specifically switched his view to Brother Yatsemenko's squad-now considered part of Wang Zhong's forces, likely lumped in with the "routed soldiers." Wang Zhong could zoom in on them at any time.

He saw Brother Yatsemenko crouched by the window facing the street, eyes wide as he stared at the struck bell tower.

Before Wang Zhong could savor Brother Yatsemenko's astonishment, he heard Lyudmila say: "We can counterattack. That tank must be the enemy's ace!"

Wang Zhong thought, "No way, big sister. If you open fire here and expose your position, they'll use pop-out attacks."

In the game War Thunder, a large number of missile vehicles had already been implemented. Wang Zhong had plenty of experience countering missiles, knowing that retreating into cover and deploying smoke grenades could effectively disrupt missile accuracy.

The enemy was currently on the hillside; a quick reverse would take them out of sight. With the enemy about two kilometers from the town, a missile-Divine Arrow-would take some time to reach them, giving the enemy plenty of time to react!

Though Wang Zhong was anxious, he had no way to give orders to Lyudmila and the others. After all, they weren't actual game units under his control!

Fortunately, Brother Yatsemenko, with his experience, shouted: "No! If we open fire now, they'll just run away!"

Seeing Lyudmila and the others pause their actions, Wang Zhong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Brother Yatsemenko likely had experience from the Winter War, or even the Civil War.

Just as Wang Zhong relaxed, at least twelve tanks crested the ridge line, appearing in his field of view. They were all "infantry tanks" with short, stubby barrels, resembling Type IV tanks.

The tank that Brother Yatsemenko's Divine Arrow squad had destroyed in Ronezh was of this type.

A few seconds later, a skirmish line of infantry and half-tracks also appeared.

Wang Zhong frowned. The enemy's firepower was far stronger than he had anticipated. Just the machine guns on the half-tracks numbered over a dozen, and combined with the machine guns on the tanks, the firepower density was staggering.

In comparison, the machine gun firepower of the Third Amur Regiment on this side had suffered severe losses and couldn't compete at all.

He carefully observed Yegorov's setup and noticed that Yegorov hadn't placed any heavy machine gun positions outside the town. He clearly had no intention of engaging the enemy in open terrain.

The only light machine gun positioned at the town's edge was there to cover the Divine Arrow squad. It would likely move with them once the squad relocated.

Wang Zhong shifted his perspective back to the Divine Arrow squad and saw that they had already prepared to launch.

Brother Yatsemenko, observing the enemy through binoculars, lowered his voice and said: "Do you see the tank with tactical number 181? It has extra antennas. That's the Prossenians' commander vehicle."

Lyudmila, also holding binoculars, replied: "I see it. Tactical number 181."

Brother Yatsemenko: "It's up to you. Let me know when you're ready."

"I'm ready," Lyudmila answered.

Wang Zhong was ready too. This time, he wanted to see exactly how the Divine Arrow was guided. At least for now, Lyudmila wasn't holding anything resembling a radio remote control device.

Brother Yatsemenko: "Launch!"

The shooter pressed the button on the launcher, and the rocket's exhaust flame instantly filled half the room, blowing down a portrait hanging on the opposite wall!

Wang Zhong zoomed out his view and saw the rocket arc toward the enemy, its head emitting a glow like a flare.

For a moment, Wang Zhong truly felt like he was playing Wargame: Red Dragon. In that game, missiles were made very bright-almost like fireflies-so players could clearly see their flight path even from a high overhead perspective.

The enemy tank clearly didn't react in time, maintaining its original course and getting hit directly.

After the explosion, the tank continued moving forward as if nothing had happened. Then, flames shot out from the engine's radiator, the vehicle jerked to a stop, and the crew inside jumped out, instinctively dropping to the ground.

The next moment, the tank's ammunition detonated, sending a towering flame through the open hatch.

At that moment, tank number 182, positioned to the left of 181, came to an abrupt stop and rotated its turret-they had already figured out where the Divine Arrow was launched from!

Although the Divine Arrow left a very obvious trail, pinpointing the launch position so quickly could only mean the enemy was highly experienced.

Just as Wang Zhong shifted his focus back to the Divine Arrow squad, the enemy fired. In their haste, the shot missed, hitting the wall beside the window instead.

The brick wall was instantly breached, and the blast wave knocked Brother Yatsemenko's hat off.

Brother Yatsemenko: "Move out! Grab the launcher and run!"

Two shooters hoisted the launcher and dashed toward the room's door, with Lyudmila close behind.

Brother Yatsemenko was the last to leave. Just as they exited, the second shot came.

This time, the shell entered through the window and struck the opposite wall.

As the shockwave and shrapnel swept through the doorway, Brother Yatsemenko, at the rear, had just stepped out.

He stumbled and fell to his knees, cursing loudly: "Suka blyat!"

Lyudmila turned back to pull Brother Yatsemenko up: "Can you still walk?"

"I can! I just got scraped on the leg. Hurry to the second position!"

The squad ran straight out of the house. At the same time, the light machine gun left behind to cover them opened fire-this was to draw aggro and divert the tanks' attention.

Yegorov's men had already breached the walls in the yard, so the Divine Arrow squad quickly moved to the adjacent yard.

Just then, the enemy's third shot came, still targeting the window where the Divine Arrow squad had been. They completely ignored the machine gunner.

The third high-explosive shell punched straight through the house, sending shattered bricks flying into the street.

Then the tank began rotating its turret, clearly aiming for the machine gun this time-

Wang Zhong's heart raced with anxiety, almost shouting aloud: "Run, now!"

Unfortunately, his thoughts couldn't reach the two brave soldiers.

They were too far from the tank. Without an overhead perspective or binoculars, they couldn't see the slight shift of the tank's barrel. By the time the machine gunners stopped firing and tried to relocate, the tank fired.

When the shell hit, the machine gunner and ammo carrier had just left the firing window. The shockwave caught up to them, slamming them to the ground.

Wang Zhong lost sight of the two men.

He felt a pang of regret, realizing he didn't even know their names-

At that moment, a second Divine Arrow was launched from the neighboring building, heading straight for the enemy tank still stationary in place!

Wang Zhong's heart raced alongside the Divine Arrow toward the enemy.

The glow struck tank number 182 directly on its "upper front" position, exploding against the vertical steel plate.

The next moment, the tank's turret was blown off by the detonation's shockwave. The Prossenians inside didn't even have time to escape! Wang Zhong could even see the body of a tank crew member blasted into the air!

But more tanks came to a stop, and they had all identified the Divine Arrow's launch position.

In the blink of an eye, the first volley of cannon fire came roaring in.

In just a moment, the building where the Divine Arrow squad was located was struck by several 75mm high-explosive shells!

(End of chapter)