Arc of Fire

Chapter 3

And so, Wang Zhong's small squad set off just like that.

If he had to say it, it was indeed a bit embarrassing for a grown man like him to let a young girl take the lead.

But the last time he fired a rifle with live ammo was during university military training, where he shot a total of five bullets and even missed the target with one.

If he were to take the lead, even if he fired first upon encountering enemies, he'd most likely miss, and then he'd probably end up dead.

Wang Zhong used his overhead perspective to keep an eye on Lyudmila, and at this moment, he couldn't help but notice how curvy she was-her ample figure was strikingly obvious even from this top-down view as she ran.

But right now, Wang Zhong had no such thoughts in his mind; he was fully focused on monitoring the enemy's movements. This was a battlefield, after all, and any lapse in attention could be fatal.

Lyudmila reached a corner and crouched down, cautiously peeking around it.

Wang Zhong instantly gained a complete view of the other side of the corner, even seeing the first floor of the building directly in front of Lyudmila.

Thanks to this perspective, Wang Zhong spotted enemies on the left, likely because that side led to the city's main road.

He wanted Lyudmila to head right, so he tried to command her with his thoughts, but it was useless.

So Wang Zhong called out softly: "Lyudmila!"

The girl turned back, and Wang Zhong pointed to the right: "Go right! There are no enemies on the right!"

It wasn't that Wang Zhong didn't want to give orders in a quieter way, but he simply didn't know tactical hand signals, nor did he know if the signals in this world were the same as on Earth.

Lyudmila turned to the right, and Wang Zhong immediately followed. The two of them moved one after the other to the next intersection, and indeed, they encountered no enemies.

So the girl stopped at the intersection, looking back at Wang Zhong with suspicion: "How did you know there were no enemies on this side?"

Wang Zhong casually brushed it off: "I guessed."

Lyudmila frowned: "Guessed? You know if we run into enemies, we're in big trouble."

Wang Zhong: "I know. This time, go left."

He had already mastered the skill of speaking while in the overhead perspective. Although the disorientation from the viewpoint still made him dizzy, it wasn't as bad as before.

So while talking to Lyudmila, he had already confirmed that the left path was clear of enemies, and incidentally, gunfire was now coming from their left.

In terms of cardinal directions, that would be east.

In other words, heading east meant a high chance of encountering friendly forces.

Lyudmila stared at Wang Zhong for a second before ultimately following the order, crouching low as she turned the corner.

Wang Zhong immediately switched back to his physical perspective-he still couldn't walk in the overhead view without getting extremely dizzy.

In his physical perspective, Wang Zhong ran to the corner, peeked out, and just caught sight of Lyudmila's back.

Though the girl's figure from behind was quite alluring, this perspective was far too limiting. Without hesitation, Wang Zhong switched back to the overhead view to stay alert to their surroundings.

The moment he switched back, he saw a jeep driving down the alley behind them.

He immediately darted past the corner, narrowly avoiding the jeep's line of sight at the last second.

However, moving his own body in the overhead perspective caused intense dizziness to assault his brain, forcing him to exit the view and lean against the wall, dry-heaving.

Hearing footsteps behind him, he quickly turned and raised his gun, only to see it was Lyudmila running back.

"I saw you weren't doing well, so I came back..." The girl looked worried. "Your face is so pale. What happened suddenly?"

To Lyudmila, it seemed like Wang Zhong had turned deathly pale for no apparent reason.

Wang Zhong: "I'm fine!"

Though he was dizzy, he hadn't forgotten about the jeep, so he quickly poked his head out just a tiny bit and switched to the overhead view.

Sure enough, the jeep was driving straight down the street. There were three people in it: the driver was unarmed, the sergeant in the passenger seat had a submachine gun, and the one in the back looked like an officer, wearing a peaked cap.

Wang Zhong: "Jeep! Hide quickly!"

But then he realized that none of the buildings on either side of the alley had open doors-there was no time to hide.

So he made a split-second decision and changed his order: "No, grenade!"

As he said this, he switched back to his physical perspective, took out a grenade, and unscrewed the cap at the base-

Suddenly, he changed his mind and handed the grenade to Lyudmila beside him: "You throw it!"

Wang Zhong had never thrown a grenade in his life, and if he did it himself, he might mess it up.

The enemy had a submachine gun, and at this close range, if the first blast didn't kill them, he and Lyudmila would likely both die here.

Lyudmila looked speechless: "I haven't thrown many either. After all, I'm a Prayer Hand. Unlike shooting or horseback riding, which I practiced a lot at home."

Wang Zhong: "You're still better than me. When I say throw, lean out and do it."

As he spoke, Wang Zhong switched back to the overhead perspective.

Wait a second, should I give up my spot at the corner?

But there was no time. The jeep was almost upon them. Wang Zhong shouted: "Now!"

Lyudmila leapt out from the corner in one swift motion and raised her hand.

Wang Zhong saw something arc through the air and land on the enemy's vehicle.

But it didn't explode immediately!

Lyudmila had pulled the pin and thrown it right away!

Wang Zhong saw the sergeant in the passenger seat aim his submachine gun at Lyudmila!

In a panic, he leaned out and shouted: "Look out for the gun!"

The enemy, also on edge, immediately turned the barrel toward Wang Zhong and opened fire upon hearing the shout.

Wang Zhong pulled back just a fraction too late, and his shoulder felt like it had been hammered.

Immediately after, the submachine gun's bullets rattled against the bricks at the corner.

The next moment, the grenade exploded.

From the overhead view, Wang Zhong clearly saw the sergeant who had been firing get blasted clean off the vehicle, while the driver slammed forward into the steering wheel, instantly passing out.

The officer in the back had his hat blown off, and it wasn't clear whether he was dead or alive.

The out-of-control vehicle barreled straight toward Lyudmila!

The girl, like a nimble rabbit, dodged with a light hop.

The jeep crashed straight into a civilian house by the roadside.

Wang Zhong let out a sigh of relief, ordering, "Pick up that sergeant's submachine gun," while switching back to his physical perspective to check his wound.

His shoulder was red. When he tore open his clothing, he saw the bullet had left a gash about a finger's width wide.

The moment he saw the wound, intense pain surged through Wang Zhong-where was the supposed adrenaline rush that numbs pain?

His first instinct was to look for a medical kit, hoping there might be something like morphine inside.

He fumbled around and actually found a medical kit, but when he opened it, there was only a bandage and a packet of powder labeled sulfanilamide.

He recalled from war movies that medics sometimes poured powder on wounds for emergency treatment, but since he wasn't sure if it was sulfanilamide, he didn't dare use it. Instead, he wrapped the still-bleeding arm entirely with the bandage.

Supposedly, the brain releases substances to numb pain when it encounters it. Whether that mechanism kicked in or not, after Wang Zhong tightly bandaged his arm, the pain lessened considerably.

Lyudmila came over with the submachine gun and immediately noticed Wang Zhong's arm: "You're injured?"

Wang Zhong: "No, I just wrapped it for fun."

He didn't know why he felt the need to joke.

Lyudmila's expression softened a bit: "It doesn't look too serious."

Wang Zhong: "Did you get the submachine gun? What about the ammo?"

"Got it all." Lyudmila patted the ammo pouch slung across her waist.

Wang Zhong glanced at it. The way the ammo pouch was worn diagonally felt very German. Looking closer at the captured submachine gun, it indeed resembled an MP40.

Lyudmila noticed Wang Zhong's gaze and said: "I'm not very good with this. Why don't you take it? I'm more confident with bolt-action weapons."

Wang Zhong pointed at his shoulder: "Do I look like I can hold and shoot a gun right now?"

In truth, any effort with his arm caused his shoulder to ache as if it were being sliced by a knife.

Lyudmila sighed, gripping the submachine gun tightly while muttering: "I've only seen enemies use Prossenian submachine guns. Good thing I understand Prossenian and know where the safety is..."

Wang Zhong: "Let's move. The grenade explosion and the crash might have already drawn the enemy's attention."

Lyudmila turned and took a few steps forward, then looked back at Wang Zhong: "Should I help support you?"

Wang Zhong stood up: "I got shot in the arm, not the leg. Let's go!"

Moments later, Wang Zhong's two-person squad reached another intersection.

As Lyudmila peeked out, Wang Zhong saw that about two hundred meters north of the intersection, both sides were engaged in intense combat.

Soldiers in khaki uniforms had occupied a grand, ornate building and were firing heavily through the windows onto the street below.

Black-clad soldiers were scattered behind various cover on both sides of a wide east-west main road.

Wang Zhong could see two burning tanks on the street, likely destroyed by the khaki-clad soldiers' anti-tank firepower.

But oddly, Wang Zhong couldn't spot where the anti-tank cannon was positioned, no matter how long he looked.

He was still puzzling over it when Lyudmila turned her head.

As a result, Wang Zhong instantly lost most of his field of view-his system only provided a fan-shaped vision based on the direction his eyes were facing, much like the vision mechanics in hardcore real-time strategy games like *Men of War*.

Lyudmila shouted to Wang Zhong behind her: "Come on! If we cross the road, we should be able to link up with our own people!"

Wang Zhong: "You go ahead and cross. I'll follow right behind."

Lyudmila: "Alright, I'll test the enemy's firepower for you."

The way you say that-I only told you to cross because I confirmed there were no enemies!

Before Wang Zhong could voice his complaint, Lyudmila stood up and dashed across the street.

After confirming she was fine, Wang Zhong switched back to his physical perspective and started moving.

At this moment, his vision was entirely limited to his own person, and he lost control over the battlefield situation. His heart grew uneasy, constantly feeling like a bullet could come flying from somewhere.

Better a short pain than a long one!

Wang Zhong steeled himself, broke into a sprint, and charged out of the intersection, crossing the wide street.

Lyudmila hid behind a lamppost, holding the enemy's submachine gun and staying on guard.

As soon as Wang Zhong reached her side, the door of a nearby shop opened.

A soldier in a khaki uniform poked his head out: "Hurry, get inside!"

Wang Zhong patted Lyudmila on the shoulder: "Let's go!"

With that, he rushed into the shop first, with Lyudmila following closely behind.

(End of Chapter)