Arc of Fire

Chapter 36

After provoking the enemy and expressing his determination, Wang Zhong decided to take the chance to cover himself in sweat and sleep for a while.

This was his usual way of dealing with a cold and fever-wrap himself in a thick blanket, sleep, and sweat it out, after which the fever would often subside significantly.

Of course, this method wasn't scientific, but he had been doing it for years and had developed a behavioral habit.

In short, Wang Zhong returned to his headquarters, drank a ton of water, then wrapped himself in the thickest blanket he could find and went to sleep.

He firmly believed that once he woke up, his condition would greatly improve, and his mind would be much clearer.

Then he would be better equipped to give the Prossenian devils a good thrashing.

----

Lyudmila had been wanting to talk to Count Rokosov, but she didn't expect him to return to headquarters and immediately lie down under a thick blanket.

The girl stood stunned by the map table in the headquarters, wondering if this was still the same Alyosha who stuck to the girls like glue at balls and salons.

At that moment, someone tapped her on the shoulder, and when she turned around, she saw it was the Eastern girl with the surname Batuwendusu.

"What's wrong?" Lyudmila asked, puzzled.

"Don't you need to return to the Divine Arrow squad? The Divine Arrow hasn't finished firing, right? If the enemy attacks now, you might not make it back in time."

Lyudmila countered, "And what about you? Doesn't your post need you?"

"I'm a hymn monk, so I'm supposed to stay by the highest commander's side," the girl said, spreading her hands.

Lyudmila was about to respond when Brother Yatsemenko entered the room, immediately saying loudly, "Captain Melekhovna, there you are! We were worried you couldn't find the squad's current position since you hadn't returned."

Lyudmila felt a bit embarrassed, as she had indeed been away from her combat post for too long.

Without the Prayer Hand to guide it, the Divine Arrow was just a oversized rocket-capable of flying far but with virtually no accuracy. Without the Prayer Hand, the Divine Arrow squad was useless and couldn't play any role.

"I'll head back right away," Lyudmila could only say, casting another glance at Rokosov curled up under the blanket.

Brother Yatsemenko also looked at the Count and said, "Without him, we would have already been sacrificed. He saved us twice-once by not letting us go up the bell tower, and the second time when we were trapped."

"Yes," Lyudmila replied softly.

Brother Yatsemenko continued, "You already knew him, right? Did you know he was this kind of hero?"

"No," Lyudmila answered honestly, "Although he always had a high opinion of himself, within the circles I know, not a single girl liked him. Or rather, all the noble girls in Saint Yekaterinburg treated him as a joke."

Brother Yatsemenko said, "He's not a joke anymore. And did you see those soldiers just now? Anyone who treats him as a joke will have their skin peeled off by the soldiers. Alright, let's go. I've given you plenty of time already. It's time to get to work, Captain Melekhovna."

Lyudmila nodded.

Brother Yatsemenko turned and walked out, with Lyudmila following his steps, looking back every few paces.

The hymn monk stood by the sofa that the Count was using as a bed, waving to Lyudmila.

----

Wang Zhong slept very soundly this time.

Perhaps when there's no hesitation in one's heart, sleep comes more peacefully.

When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to find that it was still light outside, and his second sensation was thirst, as his sweat had completely soaked the blanket.

He threw off the blanket and sat up, grabbing the large cup he had placed on the table earlier and chugging it down, feeling his brain come alive after finishing.

Physically, he still felt a slight low fever, but the ringing in his ears was gone, and the splitting headache from the morning had mostly disappeared.

His head still felt a bit heavy, though.

Wang Zhong carefully stood up, moved his body a little, and then looked to the side.

Su Fang was standing nearby, holding a water bottle. "Do you need more water?"

Wang Zhong pushed his empty cup toward the girl. "Fill it up."

After downing the second cup of water, Wang Zhong sat down, pulled up the Overhead Perspective, and observed the battlefield situation.

The defensive fortifications in Upper Peniye Village had clearly improved compared to when they resisted the enemy in the morning, with barricades made of sandbags built in many places.

Key support points like windows and balconies had also been reinforced with sandbags.

It was evident that Yegorov was doing his utmost to strengthen the village's defenses, but unfortunately, the Amur Regiment had been on the run and hadn't brought any defensive supplies.

There wasn't even a single piece of barbed wire or landmine, common defensive equipment, in the village.

When Wang Zhong had previously seized trucks from the enemy supply depot, he had asked what kind of supplies the enemy had there, and the answer was only ammunition and fuel. The enemy didn't think they needed to stop and defend, so they hadn't allocated any transport capacity to send defensive materials to the front line.

In short, despite Yegorov's experience, even a skilled cook can't make a meal without ingredients. Upper Peniye's defenses were still full of holes.

The good news was that it was already 6 PM, and they only needed to hold on for another 26 hours before they could retreat.

Wang Zhong shifted his perspective to the enemy.

Then he realized that his troops' field of vision could barely see the hilltop of the small hill to the west, with no clear view of the enemy behind it.

He, Wang Zhong, would still have to personally climb up high to get a better look.

So Wang Zhong switched back to his normal vision and stood up again.

The church bell tower had already been half-destroyed by enemy artillery, but the water tower at the distillery was still usable and shouldn't be shorter than the bell tower.

Seeing Wang Zhong heading out, Su Fang hurriedly followed. "You should rest more. The enemy hasn't attacked yet. Take the chance to rest and eat something..."

"I am indeed hungry. Get me some bread and meat."

While speaking, Wang Zhong left the manager's office at the distillery and entered the yard.

Vehicle 422, the tank, was parked in the yard, and the tank crew was busy inspecting the vehicle.

Seeing Wang Zhong, everyone immediately stopped what they were doing, stood at attention, their backs straighter than when the emperor came for an inspection.

Wang Zhong said, "At ease, continue working. Wait, where's your tank commander?"

The tank crew exchanged glances, and finally, the gunner answered on behalf of everyone, "He... doesn't dare to be the tank commander anymore. He went to take care of your horse."

"My horse?" Wang Zhong took a second to remember that he had inherited a white horse from Captain Lubokov. "Oh, that horse. Do you know its name?"

"Ah? Oh, the horse? The Captain called it Bucephalus."

Wang Zhong clicked his tongue. He knew the name Bucephalus-it was the name of Alexander the Great's beloved horse, roughly equivalent to something like "Red Hare" in Chinese culture.

Captain Lubokov had given the horse such a name, yet tragically died in the first battle. Wang Zhong couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental.

So that timid Corporal went to take care of the horse, meaning this Vehicle 422 had become my personal ride?

Wang Zhong glanced at the three-turret tank.

Honestly, this tank was pretty ugly, and its performance was absolutely terrible. If he had any other options, Wang Zhong wouldn't touch this thing even if his life depended on it.

However, this was all he had right now, so he had to make do with what was available.

This wasn't a game where you could just find a random soldier to tighten a few bolts with a wrench and fix an abandoned Type IV tank on the battlefield. In reality, repairing a tank required an entire maintenance factory with hundreds of mechanics.

So he had no choice but to use this unimpressive Vehicle 422.

Wang Zhong said, "Inspect it thoroughly. It might have to take on heavy responsibilities later!"

"Yes, sir!" the tank crew replied with full vigor.

Wang Zhong nodded and began climbing the stairs of the water tower.

Fortunately, the ladder on this water tower was a staircase, not the kind you had to climb with your hands, so Wang Zhong reached the top relatively easily.

Standing at the top, he raised his binoculars.

At this height, he felt an illusion that he was already taller than the small hill to the west.

Then he switched to the Overhead Perspective.

The enemies on the Reverse Slope behind the western hill were all highlighted.

Wang Zhong couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.

He saw trucks driving down the highway one after another, with large numbers of infantry deploying into combat formation.

He also saw the trucks unloading at least an entire artillery company of infantry guns, each barrel looking thicker than the ones on the destroyed Type IV tanks! (Though they were actually all 75mm.)

Not only that, but he also saw a supply truck parked next to the enemy's self-propelled mortar company, with gunners moving shells onto the mortar vehicles!

The enemy's reinforcements had arrived!

(End of chapter)