Chapter 2, Battlefield Minions

Having finished speaking, Gan Yingming patted the pocket on his chest that contained a hand grenade

Damn it, even if I die, I must die with some dignity; I cannot lose the face of the paratroopers!" Lu Dingxuan became agitated.

Upon hearing Ye Zhenbang's words, Gan Yingming immediately forced a bitter smile, while Lu Dingxuan also managed to control his temper

"No one is as ruthless as you are." Ye Zhenbang threw the first aid kit to Lu Dingxuan, instructing the machine gunner to tend to his own wounds

After glancing at Ye Zhenbang's back, Lu Dingxuan patted Gan Yingming on the shoulder and quickened his pace to catch up.

"Having survived a great calamity, one should certainly laugh. You rascal..." Ye Zhenbang's facial muscles twitched a few times, the pain from his wound making him quite uncomfortable, "You nearly got us all killed."

If this is indeed the case, the Taiwanese military must have deployed heavy troops in Qingshui specifically to deal with us airborne soldiers who lack heavy equipment and can only rely on a few broken guns for combat. Gan Yingming exhaled deeply and said, "If we head south, we will fall right into the trap set by the Taiwanese military. Even if we manage to rendezvous with the main force, we will still be encircled by the Taiwanese military. I do not wish to become a prisoner, but I also do not want to use my last grenade so soon."

Paratroopers like Ye Zhenbang, who were born in the 1990s, have all watched a ten-episode television series specifically depicting paratroopers. In this series, the protagonist Winters loses his weapon bag during the parachute drop into Normandy and is forced to use an enemy Mauser rifle. It is only after dawn that he acquires a Garand rifle from the body of a paratrooper.

Gan Yingming was taken aback and immediately lowered his head

No, we should head north

Lu Dingxuan furrowed his brows, a gesture indicating that he had come to an understanding

This is indeed not a battlefield behind enemy lines, but this is Chinese territory, and the people living on this land have the same faces as us

"Class vice, you cannot blame the tiger." After bandaging his wounds, Lu Dingxuan approached. "Tiger" is the nickname of Gan Yingming. "When we saw you hanging from the tree, how could we care about so much? Besides, the class vice has sharp eyes and keen insight; how could he possibly shoot at us?"

Ye Zhenbang did not rush to speak, but instead waited for Gan Yingming to continue.

There is one point that I cannot comprehend at all. "Gan Yingming hesitated for a moment, then continued, "We began parachuting after the green light was on. Those officers, no matter how foolish, should not have made a mistake regarding the drop zone. As long as there were no issues with navigation, we should have landed on the battlefield, not ten kilometers off target.

Due to the presence of a battlefield map and a navigation device capable of positioning using the "Beidou" navigation system on squad leader Qi Pengfei, Ye Zhenbang could only resort to the method used by the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division during the Normandy invasion last century, which involved relying on a map and compass, in conjunction with the surrounding terrain, to determine his location. Unlike Winters, Ye Zhenbang was fortunate that his map emitted a faint glow, allowing it to be clearly seen even in the pitch-black night, and it did not require a raincoat for concealment

Upon hearing Ye Zhenbang's words, Lu Dingxuan and Gan Yingming's expressions immediately darkened

"It wouldn't be the case that twenty transport aircraft malfunction simultaneously," Gan Yingming said with a cold smile. "It must be that the navigation system was interfered with, causing us to land in the wrong location"

The destination of the airborne troops assigned to the first wave assault mission is Qingquangang Airport in Shalu Town. Only after more than 2,000 airborne soldiers, equivalent to a regiment, have captured Qingquangang Airport will the transport aircraft bring in the follow-up troops and the mission of the advance forces will be considered complete

Fortunately, Gan Yingming, a nimble commando, not only rescued Ye Zhenbang from the tree but also saved Lu Dingxuan, who was similarly hanging from the tree. Unfortunately, when they landed, a branch obscured by dry leaves pierced Ye Zhenbang's left arm, causing him further injury

Although he was bitten quite severely, Lu Dingxuan showed no signs of complaint. If it weren't for Ye Zhenbang pulling him back and giving him a push, he might have been done for. Compared to the life-saving grace, two rows of bite marks are nothing. Moreover, Lu Dingxuan volunteered to treat the wound for the class vice president, so he must also bear the risks. This cannot be blamed on Ye Zhenbang; after all, this rough man from Fushun, Liaoning, was so careless when removing the broken branch that he accidentally touched a major nerve near the wound, causing excruciating pain that made Ye Zhenbang lose his sanity and bite at anything in sight.

Ye Zhenbang also let out a bitter laugh. Only a madman would drop paratroopers into the woods. The dense forest informed them, just like Winters, that the transport plane had airdropped them at the wrong location. However, the distant flashes and the distinct sounds of explosions also indicated to them that the battlefield was nearby, and their mistake could not be too far off.

"We are neither Rambo nor Randman; regardless of the circumstances, having more people is not a bad thing." Ye Zhenbang folded the map and, as he stood up, pulled the slung rifle to his chest. "Before dawn, we will head south and strive to find our lost brothers. If we locate the main force, we will act in accordance with them and aim to reach our destination. If we cannot find the main force, we will find a place to hide after dawn and attempt to bypass the Taiwanese military's defense line after dark. Regardless, the orders from mhetushucomcom are very clear, and the mission is well-defined."

What is the code

In that case, we should proceed south to rendezvous with the main force

Then let us set off quickly. Lu Dingxuan stood up in response.

Do you have any ideas?" Ye Zhenbang glanced at his two comrades

"Deputy Class Leader, what are you laughing at?" Gan Yingming felt a chill run down his spine as he noticed Ye Zhenbang suddenly burst into laughter, causing him to shudder involuntarily

The sound of a scream just emerged, and from another mouth, an even more tragic scream resonated through the dense forest

"Going north?" Lu Dingxuan was momentarily taken aback. Noticing Gan Yingming's serious expression, he shifted his gaze to Ye Zhenbang.

Under the forceful tug of a soldier, Ye Zhenbang finally released his grip. On the left arm of the machine gunner known as "Big Cannon," Lu Dingxuan, two rows of blood-stained bite marks appeared. Had Ye Zhenbang not let go in time, Lu Dingxuan would have lost two taels of flesh.

This pain, transmitted directly to the brain by the great nerves, can undoubtedly drive a person to madness

Class vice, you are really too ruthless

Gan Yingming sighed and said as he stood up, "Deputy, this is not a battlefield behind enemy lines."

It is approximately ten kilometers off. Ye Zhenbang folded the map and pointed in the direction of the flickering light, saying, "That should be Qingshui Town. To our north is Waipu Town, and beyond Qingshui Town is Shalu Town."

After catching his breath, Ye Zhenbang looked over at the private Gan Yingming, who had just begun to pull him away from Lu Dingxuan.

Perhaps it is even worse. Gan Ying glanced around at the surroundings and let out a bitter smile

The sergeant marks a breath and takes the first step towards the direction where Ye Zhenbang is advancing. Decades later, Gan Ying, who would be ranked among the "Top Ten," is unaware that this small step is the greatest turning point in his life

Ye Zhenbang's gaze lingered on Gan Yingming for a few seconds, and then he suddenly burst into laughter

Gan Yingming shrugged his shoulders, noncommittal. Lu Dingxuan took out a piece of chewing gum and began to lighten the atmosphere

Are you saying that the navigation equipment of the transport aircraft has malfunctioned

Ye Zhenbang said little more, picked up the weapon bag that was resting behind him, and began to inspect the weapons

For paratroopers, what matters is achieving the objective, rather than the means of achieving it

"Clearly you saw me, yet you did not signal. If it weren't for my quick reaction, I would have taken you down with two shots." Ye Zhenbang patted the holster of the pistol on his right leg, "You are doomed, who will come to save me?"

The question is, with just the three of us, can we still cross the Taiwan Strait

It seems that our luck is much better than Winter's; we have not reached the point of running out of ammunition. " Ye Zhenbang said as he stuffed the ammunition from the weapon bag into the combat belt.

"If not, then I will speak up." Ye Zhenbang crouched down and placed the unfolded map on the ground. "From the map, it appears that the Taiwanese military's defense line is set between Waipu and Daan, but the actual situation is clearly different. Qingshui not only has Taiwanese troops stationed there, but also has established defensive positions, and possibly air defense units and artillery. Logically, we should have landed south of Qingshui; for whatever reason, we ended up outside the battlefield. We were shot down while parachuting, and the brothers who jumped before us, as well as other units on different transport planes, likely ended up outside the battlefield just like us." Logically, we should have landed south of Qingshui; for whatever reason, we ended up outside the battlefield. We were shot down while parachuting, and the brothers who jumped before us, as well as other units on different transport planes, likely ended up outside the battlefield just like us.

First, let's determine our location; after we find the right direction, we can discuss other matters. Ye Zhenbang said this while taking out a backup map and books made of waterproof material.

"Deputy, what should we do now?" Lu Dingxuan pulled the bolt, raised the machine gun, and his movements and expression were simply reminiscent of a QJY88 version of Rambo; if it were an M60, it would be perfect

Vice Class Leader, please ease up; the cannon's arm is about to be bitten off by you

He is one of the four commandos in the class, parachuting in front of Lu Dingxuan. Due to the staggered jumping of the soldiers standing in two rows on the transport plane, Gan Yingming was very fortunate to avoid the engine cowling, and he had enough altitude for his reserve parachute to deploy after the main parachute malfunctioned, even allowing him time to adjust his descent path, landing in a clearing among the trees, unlike Ye Zhenbang, who got caught in a camphor tree

Indeed, the fighting over at Qingshui has not ceased; it must be our forces that are on the offensive

The firearms and ammunition, as well as the rocket launcher, are all intact; however, the monocular night vision scope worn at the waist was damaged upon landing, and the paratrooper knife, which could be used as a bayonet, is also missing, likely lost during the descent. Gan Yingming's situation is much better than Ye Zhenbang's, as all his weapons and equipment are accounted for. As an assault soldier, Gan Yingming carries the least amount of weaponry and ammunition; not only does his rifle lack an attached grenade launcher, but he also does not carry a rocket launcher. He simply has more grenades than the others, along with rations equivalent to two people's worth. Lu Dingxuan's situation is the worst; aside from the intact QJY88 general-purpose machine gun, he has lost two spare ammunition drums and a box containing five hundred rounds of ammunition. As an assault soldier, Gan Yingming carries the least amount of weaponry and ammunition; not only does his rifle lack an attached grenade launcher, but he also does not carry a rocket launcher. He simply has more grenades than the others, along with rations equivalent to two people's worth. Lu Dingxuan's situation is the worst; aside from the intact QJY88 general-purpose machine gun, he has lost two spare ammunition drums and a box containing five hundred rounds of ammunition. Being a machine gunner, Lu Dingxuan is not equipped with as many weapons as Ye Zhenbang and Gan Yingming; besides the machine gun, he only has a 92-style 9mm pistol for self-defense, and the pistol comes with only two magazines.

"Class vice, but I saved you, how can you say I caused our deaths?"