Chapter 99: Iron Warrior

  "Ah ha! Captain, you're still sympathizing with the enemy! Look at your bloodshot eyes...!" Jian Dao slanted his 85-style sniper rifle, firing a shot that blew away the head of a small devil jumping up and down on the distant sea surface. He pulled back the bolt, ejecting a scorching hot shell casing, teasing Ye Yang Jian in the process.

  “...What's good about this damn bird island country, occupying my rivers and mountains, killing my compatriots! Today I'm killing to vent my anger! Damn it~ even if I die today, it's still exhilarating!” The cleaver slapped open the grenade launcher, pressed in a grenade, didn't even aim before pulling the trigger. A cyan-white smoke mixed with the grenade burst out of the barrel. With a hand grenade fuse clenched between his teeth, he gnashed his teeth and roared viciously. As soon as he finished speaking, another hand grenade was thrown out by him with great force...

  "...I'm sure you're really from Nanjing!!! Bullet!" The veterinarian patted the empty gun in his hand. "Chongcai dao" he shouted. That was his way of saying that he had run out of bullets.

  "Shut up! Damn it! Can't you see I'm throwing a grenade?" the chef yelled back.

  "...Vessel No. 2, who's still got ammo over there? Give us some support, I'll exchange it for special supplies later..." Night Yang Jian asked through the personal radio.

  "Captain... I'm almost out over here..."

  "Damn it, big brother! I was going to ask you for some money too..."

  "...how can you shoot so fast, 210 rifle bullets per person? Don't you save a little bit!"

  "Spare me the sister! Bullets also have an expiration date, and taking them back won't make a meal. If domestic bullets knew they could wipe out Xiao Niao Dao Guo, I reckon an entire arsenal would follow me!"

  "…Ammunition man! How much more you have over there?……"

  "...Can't you see for yourself?!" Tank held his heavy shotgun, feeling a bit frustrated, tonight his beloved gun hadn't been of much use. Long-range shooting, the shotgun's effect was really limited, although the shooting area was large, but the accuracy was not good at all...

  "...You said your firepower team is so powerful! How come you don't know to carry more of our ammunition? Every day carrying so many machine gun bullets, have you used them all?..."

  "Shut up! Who still has pistol magazines?! Give me one, I've run out of pistol ammo!..." Big Bear, who had long abandoned the general-purpose machine gun and switched to a pistol, roared over the radio...

  "…One red heart, two hands ready! All hand grenades prepare! Fire!……"

  "Boom...... Boom... Boom boom boom!" The next moment, the sea surface was filled with splashes of water triggered by hand grenade explosions.

  "~~~~Creaking~~~~... Creaking..." Accompanied by the ear-piercing sound of metal twisting, the steel giant-like Haiyang drilling platform began to sink slowly...

  "Is this considered completing the task? Are we going to go up and kill a few more?" The veterinarian's eyes were bloodshot, he drew out his own tactical knife and asked Yeyang Jian beside him.

  "No need, soon the drilling platform will be completely submerged and there will be a huge whirlpool. If we get too close, we'll be pulled into the sea. These devils probably won't survive either. Our ammunition is almost gone. Let's go, with such a big commotion, the Japanese warships nearby will arrive soon and we won't be able to escape. Can't be too greedy, let's go! Go! Go! Quickly..." Night Yang Jian urged immediately after weighing the situation.

  "About face! About face!" The veterinarian hastily directed the whole team to about-face and start the high-speed motor, rushing towards the withdrawal point.

  Two rubber speedboats were speeding along...

  "Veterinarian, how much more time?" Yè Yáng Jiàn had taken off his combat uniform at this moment, and the veterinarian was helping him treat the wounds all over his body that were scratched by barbed wire.

  "Three hours! No big deal, time is absolutely sufficient, as long as the fleet of Xiaoniao Island doesn't catch up." The veterinarian said, taking out a special cigarette, lit it with a military windproof lighter, and handed it to Yeyang Jian. After taking a puff, Yeyang Jian slowly exhaled, the nicotine effect slightly relieving the stinging pain on his body, the faint pain spreading throughout his body, and this floating feeling made him feel a bit dizzy.

  "Wang Canmou is so poisonous, the task isn't difficult, but he just wants to blow us all up, like this, this time's task will only become a mystery, no way to investigate. Veterinarian, you say such an old and cunning person, if he wants us all to disappear, would he only have one trick?" Ye Yangjian threw away his cigarette butt and asked while leaning on the speeding assault boat.

  "We're on our own now, I've always felt that apart from the people we're connected to, no one else can be trusted! Baron, I'm going to say something you won't like, but even your uncle, I don't trust him either." The veterinarian said after a moment of thought.

  "This time, the country has taken action against Bird Island's occupation of the sea, and it's good that we're being tough! It's good to be strong, and if we were to send out a fleet to fight head-on, it wouldn't be impossible to win back our national dignity. However, it seems like those above are thinking too much, so they've sent us on a secret mission to sabotage them. We can be sacrificed, after all, our small team is insignificant compared to the country's overall interests. Although we all know this, I still don't like this feeling." Night Yang Jian said quietly, shaking his head. This feeling of being used as pawns isn't great, and Night Yang Jian has always believed that soldiers should be the country's sword! Even if they have to make sacrifices, it should be done openly and justly. He doesn't know if his uncle will have a part in this matter...

  "Let's talk about it when we get back, these things are just going to rot in our stomachs anyway. I reckon we'll have to sign another year of confidentiality agreements when we get back," said the veterinarian with a nod. He understood Night Yangjian's feelings.

  "Now hurry back as soon as possible, accelerate! Accelerate." Ye Yang Jian said in the earpiece of the single soldier's radio.

  Two speedboats were advancing at full power towards their designated withdrawal points...

  ZA-93, a desolate island, is more like a rocky mountain than an island. The area is not large, only a few kilometers wide, with no vegetation coverage, only some scattered weeds. It won't appear on civilian navigation charts, and only occasionally marked on military maps. A rock island with no strategic value, not even worth stationing coastal defense soldiers...

  Ye Yang Jian and they divided into two rubber assault boats speeding towards here...

  "Damn it! Where's the helicopter?..." The glasses snake roared. As an observer, he could be said to have the best eyes in the team, and at this moment, he widened his eyes to search around, but not even a piece of metal was found, let alone a helicopter.

  "...has time passed?" Yeyang Jian also became tense.

  "...No, absolutely not, there's still over an hour until the final withdrawal time! We haven't wasted any time at all." The veterinarian and Yoruhi Ken said in unison, checking their watches.

  "...or will it be at the final withdrawal time that the helicopter will arrive?" AK asked hastily.

  "Maybe something unexpected will happen! A storm is brewing over the sea." Jian Dao said, looking up at the dark sky.

  "...No! Absolutely not! The orders we received were clear. How could we possibly make such a low-level mistake?" the viper said calmly after thinking for a moment.

  "Baron! What to do? Should we contact Wolf's Den?" The guitarist, who also serves as a communication soldier, reminded, and then reached for the radio on his back.

  "...No, we're not sure if there are any Bird Island warships chasing us now. They might be blindly searching, and the portable radio transmitter is too powerful compared to a handheld transceiver. The microelectronics level of Bird Island is probably the strongest in the world. If we make contact blindly, it's very likely that our location will be exposed. We can only use it when we're sure that the Bird Island fleet hasn't found us." Yoruhi Kiyoshi swept away his depression at this moment. He had to take responsibility for the lives of all team members and couldn't afford to make any rash moves. This rocky island was too small, there was nowhere to run.

  "Let's get on the boat then, wherever it can take us is where we'll go!" Da Xiong said angrily.

  "...it's no use, our speedboat is almost out of fuel and can't run much further. Moreover, when daylight comes, moving targets will be even bigger. This damn big sea, we have nowhere to hide." The veterinarian vetoed decisively.

  "...The veterinarian is right, AK! Big bear, go and sink all the rubber boats! Two rubber boats are too big a target, our supplies are full, start hiding! Wait for absolute safety before contacting Wolf's Den." Night Yang Jian gave the order decisively.

  "...is!" AK drew out his tactical knife and sprinted towards the moored rubber boat. Big Bear pulled the two rubber boats a little further away, and AK stabbed at them fiercely with his knife, sinking them. A soldier's duty is to obey unconditionally, and Night Yang Jian's decision was completely correct. If they were discovered by the Bird Island Nation's pursuing warships, this rocky mountain would be flattened in an instant.

  The sky was almost bright. Although it was still a bit gray, Ye Yangjian, with his good eyesight, could already see something approaching on the surface of the sea.

  "...Wolf Pack Squad Assemble!" Yèyáng Jiàn whistled.

  "...the situation has changed, we now need to lay low here and cut off all wireless communications! Brothers, this time we're in a bit of trouble!" Night Yang Jian gave the order...

  A mysterious explosion occurred on an oil platform in the waters of Torishima, Japan?! The platform sank to the bottom of the sea in an instant?! As soon as the news arrived, Minister of the Navy, Koichi Kishi, immediately gave instructions from within the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Ministry of Staff Affairs.

  "I command! The flag-wind class fishing boat near the offshore drilling platform! The first snow-class fishing boat! Immediately go to the scene, carefully search for surviving Imperial soldiers and citizens of Daegu Island, I want to know the detailed situation. Also, carefully search the surrounding waters, if any suspicious ships are found, destroy them immediately!" Navy Minister, Koizumi Kōji is furious now, he's certain this must be the work of the Liberation Army, but he has no evidence!

  Satellite reconnaissance images and radar technologies are all in normal working condition, but there is no evidence that the PLA fleet has taken any action. Missile attack? Unlikely. The offshore platform has anti-missile warning facilities, let alone one or two missiles cannot completely destroy an offshore drilling platform. Even if it was really attacked by a missile, the Self-Defense Force soldiers and working personnel would still have time to send messages back to report the alarm or seek help. Now, he needs detailed information. The offshore drilling platform is not a trivial matter. This involves the future oil reserves and strategic initiative of the Empire of Dabie Island!

  "Report, fleet command!" A Bird Island Nation Self-Defense Force staff officer ran into the bridge.

  "Charge!" The captain of the Qi Feng Yu Chuan, Dong Gaozhi, spat out a single word from his mouth.

  "At 1:25 AM today, an explosion of unknown origin occurred on the oil platform of the Sea Bird Island National Drilling Company while it was in operation. Order your ship to rush to the scene immediately. If you encounter any suspicious vessels, destroy them. If you encounter a PLA Navy fleet, maintain a safe distance and report back immediately. The closest distance should not be less than 2 nautical miles!"