Chapter 519 - Charge
Chapter 519: Charge
"Hit the deck!"
Jiang Zhiming roared, alerting his Special Operations team to scramble into a defensive posture that presented a smaller target to enemy fire. Out in the open, they didn't have any other choice, as no man could outrun bullets, and they could only pray that the bullets would not hit them or shells would not explode on or near them.
BOOM! BOOM! KABOOM!
One after another, the shells struck the ground around them and exploded, sending blasts of extreme heat and energy. Hundreds of lethal fragments flew in all directions like a sandstorm within its blast zone. As explosions wreaked havoc and shook the earth around the soldiers, clouds of dust stirred up and obscured their view, adding to their despair.
After the first salvo, every member of the Special Operations team, lying prone on the ground, was covered by a thick layer of dust and soil.
Jiang Zhiming patted off the dust on his cap and got up immediately. He could not care about checking on the casualties now and glared at the rebel troops with a fury in his face. "Counterattack! Now!" he yelled.
Although the enemy was well-armed, the Special Operations team was also equipped with powerful small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.
After getting the order to fight back, the Special Operations troopers responded immediately with all the firepower they had. RPGs started streaking toward the enemy lines, automatic gunfire suppressed enemy movements, and snipers started to pick off the Libyan rebel troops right away. But the rebels were only calibrating their distance with the first salvo, and soon, the second wave of shells started to land with greater precision. The second salvo landed dangerously close to the Special Operations troops, and each shell kept creeping closer as the rebels fired way.
WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP!
The blood-curdling familiar sound of incoming mortar shells shrieked as they propelled through the skies, and dozens of them were homing in toward the Special Operations team trapped helplessly in the kill zone.
The soldiers were horrified when they looked up at the shells being lobbed in toward them, and they could only react to the lethal threat by lying flat on the ground, taking cover in a prone position. Then, all they could do was close to their eyes and await judgment-none could ascertain if he or she would live through this attack, and the wait was a long, excruciating one, worse than death itself.
Xiao Luo's eyes began to transform, and they turned red like a demon's. Suddenly, he dropped the sniper rifle in his hands and stood up. He stomped his right foot on the ground, then raised his arms to the sky with his palms wide open.
ROARR!
The air vibrated, and a deafening sound came from where Xiao Luo stood, as loud as a dragon's roar. The air swirled above Xiao Luo as the tremendous force emanating from palm turned the twisting winds into a terrifying tornado. He pushed his forward, and the tornado shot upward and raged toward the salvo of shells in the sky.
The twister smashed into the shells as they were about to hit the area where the Special Operation team had left their jeeps, and instantly, those shells were blown off their trajectory and fell thirty meters away from the vehicles.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Sand and dust were lifted into the air forming a vast cloud, and the ground trembled from the immense force of the explosions.
Jiang Zhiming opened his eyes in shock as he glanced at the explosions that had landed a fair distance away. He was in utter disbelief as he knew those shells should've landed into them, but instead, they blew up at a safe distance away. Everyone was stunned, and none of them could explain the reason behind it until they turned around and saw a lone figure standing upright in their midst.
Against the backdrop of furious explosions and flames, that figure looked like a titan supporting the sky, calm and resolute like an unwavering mountain. The besieged soldiers could only look up to him!
What did he just do?
Where did that dragon roar come from?
Everyone was befuddled and could not understand what had just happened, but one thing they were sure about-it definitely had something to do with Xiao Luo.
Xiao Luo took a quick glance at the rebel lines, then without any warning, he suddenly dashed in their direction. He sprinted at them in a straight line and appeared like a lightning bolt. He was so fast that their eyes could barely see him and could only make out after-images trailing behind him.
While the Special Operations team members were still in a stupor, they were even more shocked when they saw Xiao Luo running right into the enemy lines. Was he on a suicide mission?
"Mr. Mie, come back!"
Jiang Zhiming called out to stop Xiao Luo, but he did not even respond. He charged forward with an indomitable will like a well-honed dagger cutting through the enemy's vital spot. Knowing that he could not stop Xiao Luo, Jiang Zhiming quickly decided on the next course of action. "Attack!" he yelled.
Jiang Zhiming charged forward to lead the assault as soon as he gave the order.
His team members had regained their composure by now and reacted instantly to the order. They rose in unison and started to shout with great fortitude. Fearlessly, they followed closely behind Jiang Zhiming, ready to give up their own lives for their comrades.
On the rebel side, the commander and his troops were stunned when they saw a lone soldier from their enemy lines charging at them alone. They could not believe that any trained soldier would retaliate in this manner.
"أطلقعليهالنا (Fire and kill him)!" the Libyan rebel commander roared.
The dazed rebels then recovered from their shock and loaded their firearms and machine guns to bring Xiao Luo down.
RAT TATAT TAT TAT!
WHUMP! WHUMP! BOOM! BOOM!
Bullets were flying thick and fast, hitting the ground in sprays of sand and ricocheting of rocks throwing debris all around-a wall of lead headed in Xio Luo's direction, seemingly impossible for him to pass. RPGs streaked toward him, leaving trails of propellant gasses discharging from their rear nozzles.
But Xiao Luo did not decrease his speed in the face of enemy fire. His sharp eyes tracked the incoming rounds, and he deftly evaded the hail of bullets as he found gaps within the sea of projectiles before him. A series of zig-zag movements brought him closer to his enemy with a scratch on his body.
But Jiang Zhiming and his troops were less fortunate. Two soldiers were blown to bits being, which prompted the rest to take cover by lying prone on the ground. Suppression fire by the Libyan rebels kept them quiet, and from where they laid, they could see Xiao Luo charging into a hail of bullets without taking a hit.
"Oh, my God, how is he even dodging all those bullets and shells?"
Everyone in the special operation team was dumbfounded at that moment as they would never believe that a man can actually outrun bullets had they not seen it themselves. This had toppled their understanding of common sense.
The commander of Libyan rebel troops started feeling anxious as he saw Xiao Luo approaching. "اقتله!" he yelled.
The five machinegun-mounted vehicles moved up. The lead vehicle was an armored car with a roof-mounted gun, while the other four were technical" pickup trucks with guns mounted on their cargo beds. These were Gatling guns, a type commonly used by the Mei nations, and started to open fire relentlessly. Its fire rate exceeded a thousand rounds per minute, and when the trigger was pulled, its multiple barrels rotated at high speed, sending a hail of bullets flew at Xiao Luo like a giant swarm of wasps.
Wherever Xiao Luo went, the bullets followed, and when they hit the hard ground, sprays of sand and dust were kicked up, demonstrating the terrifying power of Gatling guns.
The Special Operations team feared for Xiao Luo, to the point they almost forgot to breathe. If he was hit, he would be instantly turned into a pile of meat, for they knew better than anyone the capability of a Gatling gun.
SWOOSH!
Xiao Luo had no expression on his face as he continued to advance on the rebels, keeping his eyes locked on the commander who was giving battle orders by the armored car. Suddenly, he bounded high into the air toward the rebel commander, landing some four meters away like a ferocious beast ready to strike down its prey.
Before the rebel commander could even react, Xiao Luo had summoned the terrifying power of Ghost Claw, and his right hand smashed into the commander's forehead.
THUD!
The commander's brain exploded like a squashed tomato, and instantly blood and brain matter splashed everywhere as the body flew back like a broken kite, smashing into the door of a 5-tonne truck before bits of flesh sliding down to the ground in a puddle of slime.
