Chapter 1321 The Battle of Yucheng in 24 Hours

The Beibei area of ​​Chongqing, the joint command center of the Chongqing Military Region.

At this moment, the first 24 hours have passed since the battle to recapture Chongqing officially began.

The air inside the command center was heavy and scorching, carrying a faint smell of gunpowder permeating the fabric, mixed with the odor of excessive caffeine and sweat generated by intense mental stress.

The huge, curved electronic sand table was still flashing, but the situation on it had changed drastically.

The large orange-red and dark red areas that originally symbolized enemy-controlled territory were brutally gnawed and torn apart in the northern and western directions, with several blue wedge-shaped arrows of varying shades inserted, and the dotted lines representing the "final isolation zone" were struggling to extend forward.

However, the deepest red mass in the core of Chongqing's main urban area still resembles a constantly pulsating evil heart, showing no signs of fading. On the contrary, it appears even denser and more ferocious due to the compression of the outer perimeter.

Lu Chong stood in front of the command platform, maintaining almost the same posture as twenty-four hours ago—his hands supporting him on the platform, his body slightly tilted.

However, the collar of his jungle digital camouflage training uniform was stained with dark sweat, and the cuffs were covered with dust and a dried stain that might be coffee or something else.

His eyes were bloodshot, but his gaze remained sharp as an eagle's as he stared intently at the sand table, as if trying to see through the flashing cursors and data streams to discern the blood and fire tug-of-war taking place in every corner of the battlefield.

"Report." His voice was a little hoarse, but the authority of the command remained undiminished.

Inside the command center, the officers at each post and the commanders connected via video link were immediately alerted and quickly began to compile the information.

First came the general overview from the duty officer at the command center, his voice strained to maintain its composure:

"Report to the Commander! Twenty-four hours have passed since the general offensive began. The first phase of our 'city breaching' operation—clearing the outer perimeter and consolidating the encirclement—is progressing as planned, but we are encountering resistance far stronger than expected."

"On the northern front, the main force of the 31st and 32nd Combined Arms Brigades of the 3rd Group Army has broken through the original 'Hongyan Village-Shapingba' line of corpse tide blocking zone, with the vanguard penetrating as far as 2.3 kilometers into the Shiqiaopu area."

"But the subsequent battles to clear out the remaining enemy and consolidate the passage were extremely fierce, and troop casualties and equipment losses began to rise."

"The 33rd and 34th Combined Arms Brigades have made relatively smooth progress in the Changshou direction on the eastern front, and have basically cut off the direct land connection between the Changshou zombie horde and the main urban area. However, there are signs of abnormal activity in the zombie horde in the Jiangdong direction."

"On the western front, the 77th Army Corps has controlled the main exit of the Zhongliang Mountain tunnel complex and established an advance base, but its advance toward Huayan Temple is hampered by the complex urban and mountainous terrain, encountering a large number of mixed attacks from mutated beasts and hordes of corpses, resulting in slow progress."

"The various brigades in Yezhou have basically completed the fire coverage and initial clearing of the remaining mutant nests in the designated mountainous areas, but the terrain of the Wuling Mountains is complex, and it will take time to completely eliminate them."

"The total number of zombies and mutants killed or destroyed reported across all fronts exceeds 1.8 million. Our casualties..." The staff officer paused almost imperceptibly:

"Detailed figures are being compiled and summarized."

Lu Chong remained expressionless, but his jawline tightened even more.

The casualties were expected, but the "far exceeding expectations" intensity of resistance and speed of progress cast a shadow over his mind.

Next came supplementary reports from the commanders of each major direction, their voices transmitted via audio, carrying the smell of gunpowder and the weariness of their respective battlefields.

Major General Fu Xichen, Chief of Staff of the 3rd Army Group, remained calm, but spoke slightly quickly:

"Commander, on the main attack direction in the north, the combined arms brigade's armored assault advantage is obvious in open areas, but once it enters densely built areas, its maneuverability is severely compressed."

"The enemy has introduced a large number of new or previously overlooked variants. In addition to the known 'Climber' and 'Swift Claw,' there are also types that can spray strong acid or cause localized corrosive mists, posing a threat to our armored vehicle observation and aiming systems and infantry protection."

"In addition, the enemy situation in underground pipelines, subways, and civil defense fortifications is unclear, and small groups of mutated organisms frequently harass us. Our troops have adjusted their tactics, strengthened infantry-tank coordination and engineering obstacle-clearing capabilities, but the speed of advance is still lower than the optimistic estimates before the war."

The voice of Zhao Gang, commander of the 77th Army Corps, was even more somber, with the faint sound of explosions in the background: "The terrain on the western front is too treacherous! It's a mountain city, with buildings packed tightly together and roads winding around the mountains. Tanks often have to be used as fixed artillery positions!"

"The mutated beasts and zombies are mixed together. Those beasts are more troublesome than the zombies. They know how to hide and ambush!"

"Our coordination with the Yezhou Brigade is still being refined, and communication is frequently interrupted in complex terrain. We are currently working hard to open up a horizontal passage connecting the northern route, but it will take time and more special operations soldiers will be needed to clear out blind spots."

The voice of the brigade commander of the 4th Infantry Brigade of Yezhou was hoarse and ruthless:

"Mountain clearing operations are a bottomless pit! After the artillery fire, it looks clean, but once the troops go in, things can crawl out from the cracks in the rocks, the caves, and even the hollowed-out trees!"

"Many good brothers have sacrificed their lives... but please rest assured, Commander, we are like nails, we will definitely lock down the outer perimeter and never let anything from the mountains get out!"

Lu Chong listened silently, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the edge of the command platform.

These reports paint a picture of hardship, bloodshed, and every step forward coming at a cost.

The steel torrent crashed into a swamp of sticky and resilient flesh!

"Air assault brigade and special operations brigade reporting." Thinking of this, he turned to look at another screen.

"The attack helicopter units continued to provide close air support, but the tall buildings and thick smoke in the city severely affected visibility and weapon effectiveness. Two attack helicopters were damaged and forced to land after being attacked by anti-aircraft spikes that suddenly appeared on the roof."

"The special operations team established observation posts on multiple high points, guiding some effective artillery fire, but they also faced isolation and attacks from hordes of mutated beasts."

"Preliminary reconnaissance of the underground network... came at a high cost, and the information was limited." The commander of the 3rd Air Assault Brigade spoke in a low voice.