On the fifth day of the countdown.
Early in the morning.
Yesterday's battle was more brutal than expected. The Northwest Army had lost 12 positions in just one day.
None of the troops at these positions retreated. They did not want to retreat, and at the same time, P5092 did not allow them to do so either.
P5092 had said to Wang Yun that if they were to retreat at every position they could not win, where would the rest of the Northwest Army and civilians behind them go?
They were standing at this line of defense to buy time. If they could not win, they would use their lives to stall for time.
Just like what P5092 had said to Zhang Xiaoman twice: "What else do you think war is?
War is a battle where the goal is to eliminate the enemy's forces. "
Fortunately, Ji Zi 'ang, who was near Position 317, had changed the terrain of the road at the last moment. He had to expend almost all of his life force to move the mountain across the path of the enemy's mechanized troops. Otherwise, the situation would probably be even worse.
As a matter of fact, it was impossible for mechanized troops to pass through the Southwest Forest.
Therefore, all of the mechanized troops of the Central Plains were gathered here. The Pyro Company did not leave a lot of weapons and equipment to the Wang Clan, so they destroyed all of them before retreating. A single grenade could blow up a tank's barrel.
However, the Kong Clan and the Zhou Clan surrendered without a fight. These two consortiums had left too many things for the Wang Clan.
Ji Zi 'ang knew the severity of the situation, so he had to help P5092 hold off these mechanized troops.
At this moment, Ji Zi 'ang had already collapsed. He was lying in the field hospital behind the HQ and being looked after by a nurse.
However, P5092 did not even go to the field hospital to visit Ji Zi 'ang because he did not have the time to do so.
To the Northwest Army, time was extremely precious at this moment.
With only five days left, the Northwest Army was already having such a hard time holding off one group of enemy troops. And according to Nonsense, there were still three groups of enemy troops of about the same size rushing over.
In the command tent, Wang Yun took advantage of the fact that all the staff officers had been sent out to relay orders to look at P5092 and ask, "How long do you think the Line of Dawn can hold out for?"
P5092 thought for a moment and said, "Three days. If we're lucky, it'll be three days. On the third day, we'll be retreating to Fortress 178. That's our final battlefield. "
Wang Yun knew P5092 would only tell the truth. Therefore, the Line of Dawn could only be defended for three days at most. Even if they were lucky, it would only last for three days.
In the face of a sea of enemies, this did not seem to be an unacceptable answer.
It was said that the Tri-Mountain Defense Line had been defended for three days. If the Daybreak Defense Line was added to the previous few days, it would have exceeded the Tri-Mountain Defense Line's duration.
However, there were still five days left in the countdown. Would the human civilization be destroyed in the last two days?
P5092 looked at Wang Yun and said, "The artificial intelligence is already catching up to time. Today is the most critical day. It'll definitely come up with something that can crush us. As for whether we can stop it or not, no one knows. Moreover, our warriors don't even have time to rest when facing the AI. "
At this moment, the soldiers at every position were extremely exhausted. This battle was different from the past.
In the past, both sides needed to rest. So even if it was not easy to allocate their time, they would still have time to sleep. During a war, resting for at least four hours a day was guaranteed. If the battle was not intense, they could even sleep for six or eight hours.
But it was different now. The AI's attacks seemed to be endless. Although the defensive positions had arranged for the soldiers to take turns to rest, the problem was how could they sleep when the gunfire was so loud?
Today, there were already cases of soldiers suddenly fainting while walking. The Logistics Department immediately dismantled thousands of military uniforms to make simple earplugs and distributed them to everyone.
In fact, under normal circumstances, the soldiers could not wear earplugs even when they slept because they would not be able to hear the emergency assembly orders.
But there was really no other way now. If some of the soldiers did not sleep, they would really collapse.
…
On Hill 287 of Xigu Mountain, the 3rd Division led by Zhou Yinglong was stationed there.
The burly Zhou Yinglong patrolled the defensive line with a worried look on his face. At this moment, Hill 287 finally ushered in a rare moment of rest. The enemy had finally retreated like the receding tide.
Logically speaking, the retreat of the enemy was a good thing. However, Zhou Yinglong knew that things were not as simple as they seemed. The enemy's soldiers and equipment were all sufficient, so there was no reason for them to suddenly retreat at this moment. Therefore, something must have happened.
The adjutant followed Zhou Yinglong as he patrolled the position. He followed behind Zhou Yinglong and said, "Division Commander, you'd better get some sleep. I've calculated the time. You haven't slept for 30 hours."
Zhou Yinglong calmly said, "Why sleep for so long when you're alive? You should sleep forever after you die. There will still be plenty of opportunities to sleep in the future."
The adjutant was stunned for a moment but did not reply.
Hill 287 was filled with craters that were several meters deep. Some of the artillery shells could even blow up the trenches.
When it was mealtime, the soldiers of the Northwest Army sat in the trenches and carefully took a few bites from their aluminum lunch boxes.
Everyone felt so hungry that their stomachs were burning, but they had no appetite at all.
They had killed too many people, and they had even seen their comrades being blown up into a bloody mess right next to them.
However, there was nothing they could do about it. If they wanted to continue fighting, they had to eat.
The delicious food in the past now felt like they were eating wax. The soldiers could only munch on it mechanically. These were the veterans. They were able to overcome the discomfort in their hearts and maintain a state that was suitable for battle.
Zhou Yinglong looked at every soldier. Everyone's pupils had contracted like needles, and they all looked like evil spirits.
The long period of tension had caused everyone's nerves to be stretched taut, and these emotions would directly affect their pupils.
So, unlike the artwork, in a real war, everyone looked like a ghost or a monster.
No one was innocent, but no one was absolutely wrong either.
However, at this moment, the adjutant next to Zhou Yinglong suddenly said, "Division Commander, look outside the defensive line!"
Outside of Hill 287, Zhou Yinglong saw dark clouds drifting over from the horizon.
These dark clouds were extremely fast. It seemed like they would be able to get closer in the blink of an eye.
Those were not real dark clouds. Zhou Yinglong took out his high-powered military binoculars and looked out. He only saw a dense flock of wings flapping as countless birds gathered together.
Swans, cuckoo, orioles, and wild ducks.
Zhou Yinglong suddenly realized these birds had a common characteristic. They were all migratory birds.
It was already autumn now, and these migratory birds should be flying south in preparation for the winter. However, they suddenly turned back to the Northwest.
Unbeknownst to them, the artificial intelligence had found the best way to control the birds. All they needed to do was to find the resting places that the migratory birds had to pass through during their migration.
Not far from the Wang Clan's Stronghold 61, there was a wetland suitable for the birds to stop for a rest. There were eight or nine such migratory habitats in the entire Central Plains.
The migratory birds would take a short break at their habitats to eat and drink for a short period of time. After that, they would be controlled by the artificial intelligence and would no longer be able to fly south.
Zhou Yinglong saw a huge falcon soaring towards the dark clouds from his side. Its speed was extremely fast, like a bolt of lightning.
At first, the majestic eagle rushed into the dark clouds and scattered the front line of the flock of birds. But a moment later, the birds in the flock circled around the eagle as though they had a division of labor. They picked off its feathers and wings one by one.
In the blink of an eye, the eagle turned into a mass of energy and disappeared into the sky.
Hassan's eagle had made a great contribution in the Northwest. But in the face of absolute numbers, it was of no use.
Zhou Yinglong looked at the sky in the distance and sighed. "Wake up all the soldiers and reload them with ammunition. We're going to have a tough battle."
Based on the direction the dark clouds were flying from, Hill 287 was probably the first position to be hit by an air strike.
When the artificial intelligence attacked Ren Xiaosu, Zhou Yingxue, and Yang Xiaojin yesterday, Zhou Yinglong knew the enemy was deliberately trying to split up Xigu Mountain and attack here first.
But he did not expect the enemy would launch an even more direct attack today.
This was the attack that P5092 speculated the artificial intelligence would use to crush the Daybreak defense line today.
Zhou Yinglong could not even tell how many birds there were in this flock. When the mutated birds gathered together after The Cataclysm, it looked like a terrifying natural disaster that stretched for several kilometers.
On Hill 287, all the heavy machine guns had adjusted their firing angles. They were originally aimed at the foot of the mountain, but now they were all covered with sandbags and aimed at the sky.
It was not only the heavy machine guns. On an important high ground like Hill 287, there were also weapons of mass destruction like close-range artillery.
All the soldiers held their breaths as they waited for the flock of birds to approach. Zhou Yinglong sighed and said, "My superpower is completely useless now …."
Zhou Yinglong's superpower was to summon a wild boar. But no matter how powerful a wild boar was, it could not deal with the birds in the sky.
When the flock of birds was finally about to reach the sky above Hill 287, Zhou Yinglong gave the order to open fire!
Early in the morning, the bullets from the heavy machine guns shot into the sky like burning red balls. But to everyone's surprise, when the heavy machine guns roared, the flock of birds that had gathered together actually separated into a few gaps.
And these gaps were exactly where the bullets from the heavy machine guns would hit the flock of birds.
The gaps that the flock of birds created were very precise. There were no unnecessary gaps at all.
However, the firing speed of the bullets was still much faster than the birds. Even though the artificial intelligence could predict the trajectory of the bullets, it could not avoid all of them.
However, Zhou Yinglong had a bad feeling about this. That was because this round of attacks was clearly far less effective than he had expected.
If the accuracy of the bullets was only this low, they would probably not be able to kill the flock of birds even if they ran out of ammunition on Hill 287.
Then what Hill 287 would have to face next would be drowned out by this dense flock of birds.
It was not only Hill 287 that would have to face the second echelon of defense at the rear as well!
"Use the close-range artillery to fire a base number of shots!" Zhou Yinglong ordered.
The roar on the high ground sounded as if it was going to shake everyone's lungs out.
The close-range artillery had more preparation than the heavy machine guns. When the shell broke through the sound barrier and shot out from the barrel, the dark clouds in the sky suddenly opened up a hole more than three meters wide. The shell penetrated the flock of birds through this hole.
While the close-range artillery was firing, Zhou Yinglong quietly ordered the soldiers to take out fuel-air bombs from behind the bunker in an attempt to suppress the flock of birds by using the high temperature and lack of oxygen.
However, even though the soldiers' movements were very covert, the flock of birds still avoided the trajectory of the fuel-air bombs in advance.
The warhead did not touch anything, so the fuse inside the body could not be triggered. Moreover, the technological level of the Northwest was not enough to support the creation of remote-controlled missiles.
Immediately after that, even the enemy's ground troops that had retreated earlier began to attack Hill 287 again.
Moreover, the large-caliber howitzers that the enemy had not used on Hill 287 before had also appeared. This meant that the mechanized troop passage near Position 317 had been opened. It seemed like the enemy who had retreated earlier had gone to clear the path.
Amid the clamor, Zhou Yinglong sighed in his heart. He was afraid they would not be able to defend Hill 287 much longer.
His adjutant whispered, "Division Commander, should we retreat? We won't be able to hold on for much longer."
Zhou Yinglong took a deep breath and said with a smile, "You don't know how cold-blooded the guy in command is. He won't let us retreat …. Besides, I don't want to retreat either."
"Division Commander, don't you want to go back to Fortress 178 to see your family again?"
Zhou Yinglong said, "After we win the war, my comrades will bring my molars back and place them under the bronze bell in the square. I'll naturally go back then."
An hour later, the flock of birds flooded Hill 287 and started flying towards the second echelon of defense behind Hill 287.
Zhang Jinglin, who was busy at the field hospital, suddenly received news of Zhou Yinglong's death. He was silent for a while with mixed feelings in his heart. Then he wiped his hands and went to take care of another wounded soldier.
Zhou Yinglong's name was like a pebble that had fallen into the lake in his heart. It only caused a ripple before everything went still.
After this batch of wounded soldiers was sent to the operating theater, Zhang Jinglin quietly walked out of the porch of the field hospital. He stood alone at the entrance and lit a cigarette as he looked in the direction of Hill 287.
This was how war was. Time was too tight, and there was not much time left to reminisce.
After Zhang Jinglin took over as the highest military commander, he did not stay idle. He chose to come to the field hospital and become a strong medic. It seemed this was the most fulfilling and nostalgic time for him.
This change in status surprised many people. But Wang Fengyuan, who knew Zhang Jinglin the best, understood that his two biggest wishes were to become a good medic or a teacher.
…
In the commander-in-chief's tent, news of the fall of one position after another came in. It was as though the flock of birds in the sky had really become a heavyweight trump card that had crushed the Dawn Defense Line.
The atmosphere in the tent was extremely gloomy. The bad news kept coming in as though they were trying to crush them.
At this rate, the Dawn Defense Line would probably collapse completely before tomorrow.
Wang Yun suddenly said to P5092, "Your heartbeat hasn't changed much, and your body temperature hasn't changed either. Aren't you worried about the defense line at all? The staff officer just went to ask Young Marshal about it. Young Marshal said he doesn't have a good way to deal with these birds for the time being. "
In other words, Wang Yun was implying that their greatest reliance was also helpless.
Ren Xiaosu was not omnipotent. His gratitude tokens had all been used to buy Proficiency Stones to increase his proficiency in the Northwest of Daxing. Even his stock of Explosive Poker cards had been used to support Qing Zhen.
Therefore, he did not have a good way to deal with the enemies in the sky.
Although Wang Yun was good at controlling the air, he was not that outstanding as a supernatural being. What he was better at was still his memory and ability to organize and analyze.
P5092 glanced at Wang Yun. "Let's wait a little longer."
In this commander-in-chief's tent, it seemed like only P5092 was not worried.
Wang Yun was puzzled. "What are we waiting for?"
"For the rain to come." P5092 said, "In the morning, I felt the weather suddenly turn cold. It means the cold front from the north has already reached here, and the first autumn rain is coming."
Wang Yun did not ask any more questions. However, he still could not understand how the rain would affect these birds.
At Position 141, Luo Lan, Zhou Qi, Qing Zhen, and Xu Man were having breakfast around a campfire.
The surrounding soldiers of the Northwest Army had already entered the trenches. As the second echelon of the defense line, they had received a notification that the enemy had broken through the first echelon and were about to arrive.
Everyone was sinking into despair because they knew what was happening at the frontline.
Perhaps they would never see their former good friends and comrades again in the future.
A tense atmosphere spread at the position. However, Luo Lan and the others looked quite relaxed.
Luo Lan had specially asked for heavy machine guns from the infantry brigade at Position 141 and issued them to his 12 heroic spirits. At this moment, the gleaming heroic spirits were standing at the edge of the defensive line and were planning to fight alongside the Northwest Army.
The sky darkened, and the wind from the northeast started blowing into the mountains, causing the campfire to flicker.
Suddenly, a large dark cloud drifted out from behind the mountain in front of them. A flock of birds flew over the pass at the top of the mountain and headed towards Position 141.
Zhou Qi quietly looked at the sky above him. After a long time, he said, "I'm a little impressed by P5092 now."
Qing Zhen nodded.
Qing Zhen, who was also a military genius, could naturally understand Zhou Qi's subtext.
When P5092 specifically requested for Zhou Qi to come to Position 141, they did not know what he wanted Zhou Qi to do.
After all, although Position 141 was located at the front of the second echelon and was the enemy's first target, there was no river here. In fact, there was not even a small stream to be seen, so what role could Zhou Qi play?
At that time, P5092 only said that Zhou Qi would understand when the time came.
It was as though the other party was not worried that his plan would fail at all. Even the weather was within his calculations.
After the cold front moved south, the clouds in the sky quickly condensed into water vapor due to the cold. After that, the water vapor continued to condense into water droplets.
In the sky, a crystal clear water droplet left the clouds and floated down to the ground. It landed in the mud beside Zhou Qi's feet and gave off a slight smell of soil.
The heavy rain had really arrived.
Zhou Qi turned around and slowly walked towards the edge of the defensive line. The fine raindrops fell faster and faster, gradually forming a curtain of rain over everyone's heads.
But just as the flock of birds was about to approach Position 141, the drizzle that filled the sky was like a sky full of stars and sharp swords.
The soldiers were all standing guard in the trenches.
Luo Lan, Qing Zhen, and Xu Man were waiting at the back of the defensive line.
Only Zhou Qi was facing the surging flock of birds alone. He suddenly opened his palms, and his eyes turned blue.
Suddenly, the raindrops were stretched by an invisible force into indestructible needles.
Millions of raindrops rained down like a thunderbolt and pierced through the flock of birds that stretched for several kilometers.
Rainwater, blood, feathers, and the corpses of the birds fell to the ground. The flock of birds seemed to be trying to retreat to the rear, but it was already too late.
After the battle in the mud sandpit, Zhou Qi was already a demigod.
A hint of sadness appeared in Luo Lan's eyes because he knew this was his third brother's final gift.
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