Chapter 26

  The team members who were originally rushing upwards suddenly dispersed to the left and right, each finding a rock to take cover behind and launch a counterattack. The machine guns rattled off bullet after bullet, the bullets flying rapidly down the mountain, forming a crisscross pattern of red lights with the enemy's firepower. Each bullet was a screaming death god, ready to enter anyone's body at any moment and sweep away their life.

  Come on! Come on! Wang Jianbin shouted loudly, and after sliding down several meters, Wang Hongtao turned around under the hail of bullets, leaning against a rock with scarlet eyes, shooting out desperate shots. Seeing this, Wang Jianbin grabbed his gun, stood up, and ran down, but Liu Junhao jumped up and knocked him to the ground, grabbing his collar and pulling him behind the rock. Wang Jianbin punched Liu Junhao in the face: Let me go! Let me go! He's my brother! Liu Junhao endured the pain, pulled out one hand, and pressed Wang Jianbin's head into the snow: I'm also your brother! You can't go die! Wang Jianbin struggled for a while but couldn't break free, muttering to himself like a madman: Come on, he's my brother... He's my brother, save him... Liu Junhao felt a pang of sadness in his heart, raised his head, and shouted loudly: Come on! We're going back!

  Wang Hongtao finished loading the bullets and heard the shouting from above, putting away the scorching rifle and turning around to rush up. Hurry! Liu Junhao urged again.

  Suddenly, a bullet slammed into Wang Hongtao's back, and he lost his balance as if hit by a giant stone. He fell backwards into the snow pile again. Shao Hui finally couldn't hold it in anymore and shouted: "Cover me!" He rushed down the slope and ran to Wang Hongtao's side, pulling him up and dragging him behind a nearby rock. Wang Hongtao spat out a mouthful of blood and started coughing violently, staining his chest with a large patch of blood. Shao Hui reached into his back and felt around, finding that the bulletproof vest had been pierced by a hole, and his palm was full of blood. Wang Hongtao coughed a few times, swallowed some phlegm, and said: "It's okay, I can... feel that the bullet didn't penetrate, just a flesh wound..." Shao Hui half-believed him and reached into the bulletproof vest to feel around, and indeed, a bullet head was lodged in his back about two-thirds of the way in. He felt around and found that it hadn't hit any bones or blood vessels, and said: "Bite down." Wang Hongtao listened and bit down hard on his teeth, filling his mouth with blood. Shao Hui pinched the bullet head between his fingers and yanked it out with force, causing Wang Hongtao to make a sound like rubbing foam. One of his front teeth was crushed. Luckily, the distance had been far enough that the bullet's impact had been weakened, and if he had been shot at close range, the consequences would have been much more severe than just penetrating a bulletproof vest. Shao Hui wiped the bullet head on his clothes and put it in his pocket, asking: "Can you still walk?" Wang Hongtao gritted his blood-stained teeth and spat out one word: "Yes!"

  Alright, let's go, they're waiting for us to return. Shao Hui grabbed a handful of snow and stuffed it into his wound to stop the bleeding and ease the pain, then supported him as he ran upwards.

  Bullets were still flying back and forth, the snow on the mountain was melted by the bullets and hot shells. Wang Hongtao's mouth was bleeding as he struggled to run up with Shao Hui's support. At this time, the second bullet hit him again, and his already broken bulletproof vest had no hardness to withstand the huge power of the K gun. The bullet pierced through Wang Hongtao's entire body like a meteor, the rotating bullet head entered his body and changed its trajectory after hitting the hard bone, tearing apart his internal organs before quickly drilling out. Wang Hongtao let out a dull hum, and fell forward like a lifeless tree trunk, hitting the rock and sliding down the mountain slope due to the huge impact force. Shao Hui lost his balance and slid down together with him.

  Advance all! Zhao Zhenghao's eyes were already wide open, and he wiped away the blood that blocked his vision, issuing a heart-wrenching command. The team members stood up and rushed down the mountain, risking being shot at any time, while Snow Mountain Tiger's entire army had arrived at the foot of the mountain. Although the squad was far outnumbered by the enemy, they were like wolves driven into a dead end, baring their white teeth and ferociously counterattacking.

  Shao Hui's feet were flat on the ground, his hands grasping the earth, and the resistance generated by this motion stopped him from sliding further. Not far away, Wang Hongtao was making "heh heh" noises with his mouth, one hand clutching a rock, the other hand stretching out into thin air as if still trying to climb up the mountain, because he knew that only by reaching the summit would he have another chance to return home and see his parents again. Many years later, Shao Hui wrote in a diary: "Your body is still struggling to go back home, but nameless wildflowers have already bloomed on your head." His girlfriend asked him what this sentence meant, but he just smiled and didn't answer, heavily crossing out the date in the top right corner - January 1st, 2006, 3:18 AM.

  Tears blurred Shao Hui's eyes, and he suddenly stood up and rushed towards Wang Hong Tao: I'll take you home! Bullets whizzed past his body, shattering a nearby rock, and the fragments scratched his cheek. Shao Hui lost his balance and fell to the ground, rolling to Wang Hong Tao's side, and skillfully opened his bulletproof vest, taking out a tourniquet and hastily bandaging the wound. At this time, other team members had arrived, forming a semicircle around them, beginning to counterattack. The red-hot gun barrels continued to fire tirelessly, spitting out one bullet after another. The firepower from the mountain below gradually weakened, and the squad's victory in this battle had killed many of Snow Mountain Tiger's living forces.

  Go! Zhao Zhenghao grabbed Shao Hui's shoulder and pulled him up, Wang Jianbin and Zhang Weize carried Wang Hongtao on their backs and started to retreat. The team members formed a circular defense and retreated while firing, finally setting foot on the ground at the top of the mountain when they were about to run out of ammunition. They didn't stop, after identifying the direction, they rushed down the mountain like crazy. At this moment, the wind had stopped, and the east showed a fish belly white color.

  In the snowy ground, a string of chaotic footprints dotted with bloodstains stretched as far as the eye could see. Under a huge boulder, Wang Jianbin sat on the ground, holding back tears and looking at Wang Hongtao in his arms. Wang Hongtao had been shot twice and had lost too much blood after being jolted along the way, his bodily functions slowly deteriorating. However, the strong vitality of the marine corpsman had kept him alive until now, when Wang Jianbin felt he was about to give up, only then did he stop in his tracks behind this boulder.

  Zhou Yan Wu Yan, be on guard around. Zhao Zheng Hao knew that this place had not completely left the danger zone, but no matter what, he must leave time for Wang Hong Tao to say his last words.

  Brother...... one last time brother...... from now on there won't be any more chances...... he called out. Wang Hongtao lay in Wang Jianbin's arms, losing his usual heroic spirit.

  Alas...alas...... Brother, you said...... Wang Jianbin hastily replied, his tears finally unable to stop flowing.

  Brother... thank you... for taking care of me... all these years. You said you'd protect me... for a lifetime...

  "Uh... uh, brother, let's go back, we're going home now. Just bear with it for a moment, nothing will happen, I'll take care of you..." Wang Jianbin's tears dripped onto Wang Hongtao's face.

  It's... useless... Wang Hongtao's mind gradually became blurred, I want to go home and be buried next to my mother.

  What's going on! Let's go home now! Wang Jianbin was like a madman, hugging him and wanting to leave, but Shao Hui quickly stopped him. Wang Hongtao had already run out of breath, and if he continued to be jostled around, it would only accelerate his death.

  What waves are slapping against what reefs, opening what flowers, and what people standing in the middle of the sea... Li Jinping hummed softly.

  King Hongtao, who had already closed his eyes, suddenly showed a faint smile at the corner of his mouth and murmured after a while: What... sea... float... float... The voice gradually weakened, and the smile at the corner of his mouth gradually froze.

  What sea is floating your life... Wang Jianbin finished speaking for him in a low voice, and he was already tearful. Suddenly, he let out a long, mournful howl: Ah...

  Everyone present was choked with sobs, Shao Hui's tears fell on his chest mixed with fresh blood flowing down. He wiped away the tears from his eyes and walked over to pat Wang Jianbin's shoulder: Let's take him with us, let's go home together... As soon as he finished saying this, Shao Hui was already choked with sobs.

  The sky has cleared, and the heavens are an extraordinary blue after the baptism of the stormy snow, like a flawless blue gemstone covering the earth. The mountain peaks stand out more majestically in the high and refreshing sky. At the foot of the mountain, two off-road vehicles sped by, stirring up yellow dust, and became fleeting passersby who paid with their lives for this beautiful scene.

  January 1st, 2006, morning, at the entrance of the base.

  At this moment, the base is quiet. A large courtyard stands quietly in the middle of the plain, and as the sun rises, warm and peaceful sunlight pours down. In this barren mountainous area, the base is like a mysterious and enchanting castle in a dream. Two cars rushed to the bottom of the castle, and the people inside were shocked: the iron gate was twisted and connected to the wall, swaying precariously, with bloodstains on the surrounding walls like old paint, and a large number of bullet shells scattered on the ground. The pockmarks of varying sizes on the wall told the onlookers how earth-shattering last night had been.