Chapter 1262 The End of the Battle 2

The Night Market Battle Frontline Command Headquarters, codenamed "Rock".

Its predecessor was a large underground civil defense command center on the outskirts of the pre-apocalyptic night market. After being urgently expanded and modernized by the engineering corps of the Central Plains Theater Command, it has now been transformed into a modern military command center capable of commanding a million troops in large-scale urban assault campaigns.

The entire command center is hidden deep beneath nearly 2 meters of reinforced concrete and a special protective layer, and is connected to the outside world through multiple concealed passages. It has comprehensive "three-proof" capabilities and electromagnetic pulse resistance capabilities.

The interior space is spacious and divided into several functional areas.

At this moment, the core command hall was brightly lit, with the low-frequency hum of various electronic devices, the sound of keyboard typing, and the low-voiced conversations of communications soldiers all mixed together.

Directly in front of the hall is an ultra-high-definition LED seamless splicing display screen that occupies almost the entire wall. The screen is enormous in size and has a resolution of 4K. The content it displays is a dynamic comprehensive situation map of the entire night market battlefield and the surrounding hundreds of kilometers.

The situation map is composed of reconnaissance data from high-altitude reconnaissance drones, and the outlines of roads and buildings are clearly discernible.

At this moment, the most striking feature on the screen is the change in color:

The dark red and light red blocks, representing enemy units, high-threat areas, and uncontrolled areas, once resembled festering sores, almost covering the entire night market and its surroundings. The orange blocks, representing areas with moderate infection or unclear activity, were also once widely distributed.

Now, those glaring reds and oranges have been largely replaced by a vibrant green that symbolizes our controlled territory!

On the screen, countless tiny dots of light flickered and moved within the green area; these were the real-time location markers for each combat unit.

Fan-shaped areas representing artillery fire coverage, dotted lines representing air assault routes, arrows representing the flow of supplies... various tactical symbols and data streams are updated and interwoven on the screen in real time, forming a complex and sophisticated war picture.

Standing in the center of the command seat in front of the giant screen is Lieutenant General Wang Tiefeng, the commander-in-chief of the battle front and commander of the Central Plains Army.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his posture still as upright as a pine tree, but if you looked closely, you could see that this general, known for his iron fist and endurance, had bloodshot eyes similar to those of Battalion Commander Li Zhen, his face had a bluish-gray tinge from long-term lack of sleep, and the stubble on his chin hadn't been properly trimmed, making it look somewhat unkempt.

For two consecutive weeks, he hardly left the command hall, eating, drinking, and relieving himself all in the living quarters attached to the command post. His sleep was fragmented, and his brain was constantly in a state of high-speed operation.

After all, coordinating nearly 100,000 troops and tens of thousands of combat units from two army groups to conduct urban warfare in a complex city is no small task...

Standing half a step behind him was Major General Jia Sanniu, one of the deputy commanders-in-chief of the campaign.

At this moment, during teaching time, Wang Tiefeng slightly turned his head and whispered to Jia Sanniu in a hoarse but steady voice, his finger occasionally tapping on the screen:

“Look here, San Niu. The 1st Army’s air assault forces are cutting in through this gap, coordinating with ground clearing operations. They’re very efficient… On the west side, the horde of corpses is showing signs of shrinking towards this depression. Have the artillery cover it again, don’t let them form a final, desperate resistance…”

Jia Sanniu nodded frequently, trying to digest every word of the commander-in-chief's guidance, which were all valuable practical command experience.

Just as Wang Tiefeng was analyzing an upcoming mopping-up operation for Jia Sanniu, a communications staff officer with the rank of major walked briskly to Wang Tiefeng's side, holding a document. He stood at attention, saluted, and his face showed undisguised excitement.

"Report to Commander-in-Chief! Urgent telegram from the front! The vanguard of the 1st Combined Arms Battalion of the 22nd Heavy Combined Arms Brigade of the 2nd Army Group has successfully advanced to the southern end of Guanghua Avenue in the 'Crescent' metropolitan area at 7:22 AM! The north-south traverse mission has been confirmed!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Tiefeng's finger, which was tapping the screen, paused.

He slowly turned his head, looked at the communications officer, glanced at the telegram, and then turned his gaze back to the large screen.

On the screen, the sharp green arrow representing the vanguard of the "Tiger Brigade" was indeed firmly nailed to the southern edge of the "Crescent" urban area, like the last rivet, completely anchoring the green channel running north to south.

Despite sitting in the command post with a "God's-eye view" and having anticipated the progress of the battle, when this landmark and long-awaited news officially arrived, a strong current of warmth mixed with relief, pride, and immense relief instantly broke through the heavy fatigue accumulated by Wang Tiefeng from two consecutive weeks of high-intensity command. He felt a slight dizziness, followed by a heart-warming comfort.

"Good!" Wang Tiefeng uttered this word from his throat. His voice was not loud, but it seemed to carry a great weight. His tense shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly.

Beside him, Jia Sanniu clenched his fists tightly, his face flushed red, his excitement overflowing.

"Commander-in-Chief! The 22nd Combined Arms Brigade's breakthrough of the night market signifies that our recapture operation has entered its final stage! We can practically declare victory in this battle!"

At this moment, his eyes were filled with admiration as he looked at Wang Tiefeng. In the past two weeks, he had witnessed firsthand how this veteran strategized and made crucial decisions under pressure, pushing seemingly impossible tasks step by step toward success.

The dawn of victory at this moment filled him with admiration for Wang Tiefeng's art of command, and he felt extremely proud to have personally participated in such a grand battle.

Seeing Jia Sanniu's beaming face, Wang Tiefeng's bloodshot eyes finally revealed a genuine smile, a smile that eased his fatigue and revealed a rare gentleness.

"Yes, we've broken through." Wang Tiefeng nodded, his gaze sweeping once more over the expanding green expanse, his tone steady yet tinged with a hint of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex emotion encompassing both admiration and regret).

"The toughest nut to crack has been broken by our 'tiger.' The cleanup that follows will not be easy either, but we now have complete control over the situation."

He paused, looking at Jia Sanniu who was still bursting with excitement, and a thought suddenly occurred to him.

“San Niu,” Wang Tiefeng said.

“Here!” Jia San Niu immediately stopped smiling and straightened his body.

"Get ready immediately, take the campaign's interim summary report and the 'Tiger Brigade's' victory report," Wang Tiefeng's voice regained its commanding seriousness.

"I will personally go to the theater headquarters to report to the commander in person on the latest battle situation of my front-line command, as well as... the news that the core phase of Operation 'Clean Night' has been basically achieved."

Upon hearing Wang Tiefeng's order, Jia Sanniu immediately understood what he meant. A warm feeling welled up inside him, and he replied in a slightly trembling voice:

"Yes, Commander! Mission accomplished!"

"Okay, go ahead." Wang Tiefeng waved his hand, his gaze returning to the huge situation map.

On the situation map, the green area has a clear and overwhelming advantage over the remaining red area.

After Jia Sanniu left, Wang Tiefeng stood alone in front of the giant screen, his hands behind his back, his figure still upright.

Inside the hall, the sounds of commands, reports, and keyboard clicks continued to resonate steadily, propelling the green tide relentlessly towards the last remaining red area.

The battle for the night market is over!

P.S.: I'm not feeling well, so I'll only be posting three updates today.