As the sun set below the horizon, the vibrant red dusk faded away, giving way to the arrival of the night.
Under the cover of darkness, the German forces on the frontlines continued their peaceful retreat, just as they had done in the previous days. However, inside the temporary American base, a quiet buzz of activity began to stir.
Hundreds of young American soldiers dressed in battle suits stood in formation, holding their American rifles and carrying military green backpacks filled with ammunition and supplies.
Due to the fact that the five targeted German camps were scattered in different locations, the assembly times for the five units were staggered. Otherwise, the temporary base would have been overrun with thousands of soldiers.
Fury had already gathered his hundred-man unit early on and was now explaining the important details of tonight’s assault.
“I know that some of you are fresh recruits who have just arrived from training bases. So, pay attention and memorize the instructions I just gave. Don’t slow us down tonight!”
“On the battlefield, anyone who hesitates or disobeys orders will not be warned through a military court. Instead, I’ll simply put a hole in their forehead!” Fury’s voice boomed as he stood alone at the front of the unit.
He had shed his gentle demeanor from the command post, and now his dark face appeared stern and menacing, with his remaining right eye resembling a fierce and dominant wolf.
The soldiers remained silent, not daring to make a sound. Among them, a young soldier positioned at the rear of the unit glanced around subtly while maintaining his military stance, as if searching for someone.
A nearby recruit noticed this and whispered, “George, this isn’t a training base. Don’t get distracted.”
“I know,” George replied in a hushed voice. “Have you seen Kyle? He was sent to the front lines a few days ago, but it’s possible he’s also in this temporary base.”
The recruit murmured, “Kyle? He might have already been killed. No matter how exceptional his skills are, the training base and the battlefield are completely different.”
“I hope he proves himself and survives,” George clenched his fist. He ranked at the top among the recruits in terms of physical fitness and skills but was always overshadowed by Kyle’s presence at the training base.
“Who is it?!”
Fury’s voice suddenly boomed, startling George. He quickly regained his composure and looked in the direction indicated, only to realize that the sergeant was not referring to him.
“It’s me.”
Emerging from the darkness of the night beyond the illuminated assembly area, a well-built individual approached the unit. As the young man’s handsome face became visible under the lights, many of the new recruits couldn’t help but gasp, struggling to maintain their military composure.
Could it be… Kyle?
George’s eyes widened in disbelief. With his strong sense of pride, he could never forget the young man standing before them at this moment.
Within just a week, Kyle had impressed various specialized training instructors, breaking records in all individual combat exercises at the training base and surpassing the target scores for pistols, rifles, sniper rifles, and rocket launchers.
Even though Kyle had been deployed to the front lines ahead of time, rumors about him still circulated within the training base. His legendary feats seemed to grow in exaggeration.
Even the strictest training instructors often used Kyle as an example to admonish the new recruits.
“Attention!” Fury raised his voice, and his sharp eye scanned the unit, silencing any remaining murmurs.
Kyle had chosen not to carry a military backpack but instead had a rifle slung over his shoulder. He also wore a sheath for a military knife on his waist and had two small pistols holstered on each side of his legs, making him the lightest-equipped soldier on the field.
He walked directly beside Fury, coldly meeting the gaze of the assembled soldiers.
As the new recruits in the unit puzzled over the situation, Fury introduced him in a serious tone, “This is Corporal Kyle, one of tonight’s commanding officers. For tonight’s assault mission, you must follow our commands without question. Understood?”
“Understood!” The soldiers responded in unison. Even if they were given a hundred times the courage, they wouldn’t dare to utter a single word of dissent.
“Kyle…Corporal?” When George saw Kyle, he was dumbfounded. Hearing Kyle’s rank as a Corporal, he couldn’t help but lower his head in shame, afraid that Kyle would recognize him.
The recruit who had just spoken with George felt a sense of being slapped in the face and muttered to himself, “I was wrong. He is a monster, indeed a monster no matter where he goes.”
“Is it time to depart?” Kyle asked Fury, as he had spent a considerable amount of time mastering the newly drawn cards and arrived at the designated time.
“Yes, it’s time to depart,” Fury replied, looking down at the time displayed on his device. He waved his hand to the hundred-man unit and commanded, “All soldiers, follow the military vehicles and proceed to the mission location at a jog!”
As soon as Fury finished speaking, he and Kyle boarded one of the idle military vehicles. The highly maneuverable vehicle quickly braked and led the way toward the wilderness outside the camp.
The objective was to assault a camp but instead of directly crossing the defensive lines, they took a roundabout route to avoid enemy reconnaissance and headed toward the mountains and forests adjacent to the wilderness.
Once they reached the designated location, Fury and Kyle abandoned the military vehicle and led the hundred-man unit to start climbing the mountain, navigating through the dense jungle in darkness.
Without accurate information about the exact location of the German camps, such a flanking maneuver would have been futile. However, armed with intelligence, they could infiltrate deep into the enemy camp.
“After crossing this hill, we’ll be very close to the small transit camp mentioned in the intel. Pass on the orders to the soldiers: Everyone enters a state of readiness, and if you spot enemy troops, don’t alarm them. Maintain silence and await further instructions,” Kyle commanded in a cold and authoritative tone. Although it was his first time leading troops, he exuded confidence and dominance in his very being.
Fury, standing beside him, suddenly frowned and said, “Kyle, something doesn’t feel right.”
“Hmm?” Kyle looked at him in surprise.
Fury illuminated the mission map with the weak light of a small flashlight and said gravely, “Take a look at the map. After crossing this mountain, the distance to the combat zone is not far, but it’s too far from the German rear headquarters. This location doesn’t seem suitable as a transit station for resource transport.”
“Do you think the information message we received is false?” Kyle furrowed his brow.
“It’s hard to say. Let’s keep moving forward and see. Even if it’s false, we can safely retreat,” Fury analyzed the situation before they continued leading the soldiers to climb over the mountaintop.
Over hills and mountains, they went.
When Kyle and Fury, at the forefront of the unit, cleared the obstructing bushes and saw the scene below, their bodies froze simultaneously.
Below the slope, a circular iron fence enclosed a hundred meters of barren land. Every ten meters, there were fortress-like gun emplacements serving as outer walls. Within the iron fence, lights were scattered everywhere, and numerous German soldiers could be vaguely seen patrolling back and forth.
“Oh my God, is this the small transit camp mentioned in the intel?” Fury’s mouth gaped in astonishment and he was rendered speechless.
“It seems that the location in the intel is correct, but the target assault camp is not what we imagined,” Kyle remained calm, but he also felt the urge to curse someone at this time.
This was no longer a camp; it was a full-fledged enemy base!
(End of Chapter)
