mesbooks Chapter 297: Farewell in the Sea of Fire: Blood and Tears of a Solitary Breakout
Chapter 297: Farewell in the Sea of Fire: Blood and Tears of a Solitary Breakout
Li Ming desperately ran towards the airport's final barbed wire fence. His legs felt like they were filled with lead, so heavy that every step drained his entire body of strength. Every time he lifted and put his foot down, his muscles ached and his heart raced, as if all his strength was draining away in this arduous escape. Just as he stumbled to the edge of the fence, a series of violent explosions erupted behind him. The sound was deafening, like the sky collapsing and the earth cracking, as if the entire world was shattered. The blast of air, swirling with a scorching heat, rushed towards him, and he felt the terrifying force on his back.
He whipped his head around, looking in Wang Qiang's direction, only to see the area engulfed in flames. Thick smoke billowed, swirling with flames, like a ferocious beast from hell, devouring everything mercilessly. Li Ming's eyes instantly flushed red, tears welling uncontrollably. His throat felt as if it were being strangled by an invisible hand, dry and tight. After a moment, he managed to utter, "Wang Qiang, you bastard! We agreed to wait for me to bring reinforcements, and you just…" His voice trembled and wept, anger, grief, and self-blame surging like a surging tide, completely drowning him. Wang Qiang's image kept resurfacing in his mind: the brother who had fought alongside him, sharing life and death, now engulfed in the relentless sea of fire, leaving him alone on this cruel battlefield.
However, the harsh reality of life wouldn't allow him to wallow in grief. In the distance, several Japanese Marines, flashlights in hand, pressed forward. Their beams flickered in the darkness, like the eyes of a demon, emitting a chilling, menacing aura. Li Ming took a deep breath, suppressing his grief. He took a few steps back, his legs still trembling slightly, exhausted from the combination of flight and grief. Then, he suddenly accelerated and sprinted towards the barbed wire. The moment he reached the fence, he pushed off the ground with both feet, launching his entire body into the air like an arrow, tracing a sharp arc through the air. With skillful tactical maneuvers, he successfully cleared the fence. After landing, he rolled over and quickly hid behind a nearby boulder.
He leaned his back against a huge rock, trying to calm himself. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, as if it was about to burst through. Sweat slid down his cheeks, dripping onto the cold ground, mixing with the dust, just like the confused and heavy mood he was in at the moment. His hand was tightly gripping the grenade, his knuckles white from the force, his palms saturated with sweat. He was going to use this grenade to kill these Japanese soldiers. He carefully poked half of his head out and observed the Japanese soldiers. They were wearing heavy military uniforms, holding guns, and their steps were cautious and slow, each step weighing on Li Ming's heart. Li Ming's eyes were fixed on them, and he silently estimated the distance in his mind: 150 meters... 100 meters... 50 meters. His breathing became more and more rapid, his chest heaving violently, and his hands trembled slightly. This was a life-or-death moment.
Li Ming quietly pulled the safety pin from the grenade. His fingers trembled with nervousness and anger as he mentally counted down, "3, 2, 1." Then, he abruptly stood up, raised his arm high, and with all his might, hurled the grenade at the Japanese soldiers. The grenade streaked through the air, a dark arc that stood out against the moonlight, like a falling meteor, yet carrying a deadly danger.
The grenade flew precisely over the Japanese soldier's head and exploded instantly. Instantly, a blinding light illuminated the surroundings like daylight, followed by a deafening roar. A fiery, violent air mass quickly formed at the center of the blast, spreading radially with immense force. The surrounding air was squeezed and distorted, emitting a sizzling sound. Shrapnel flew like dense steel needles, fanning out in all directions.
The Japanese soldier at the center of the explosion was caught completely off guard by the terrifying force of the grenade's detonation. The shockwave hurled him violently backward. His body tumbled uncontrollably through the air, like a kite with its string cut, tossed by the wind. At breakneck speed, his body traced a twisting arc through the air, slamming fiercely into the barbed wire two meters away. A muffled, terrifying thud, like the sound of life being crushed, ripped his body into the wire. The wire instantly dug into his flesh, and blood splattered, leaving horrifying streaks across the wire. He lay pinned to the wire, his limbs drooping limply. His eyes were wide, vacant, his mouth gaping, a lingering trace of deathly terror and despair. Blood trickled slowly from his orifices, trickling down his cheeks and neck, onto the ground beneath his feet, quickly staining it red. He was already dead, and his death was horrible.
Another Japanese soldier, unable to dodge, was struck by a sharp shrapnel that pierced his throat. His eyes widened in terror and disbelief, and he instinctively clutched his neck, trying to stem the flow of blood, but it was no use. His mouth opened and closed, but only a muffled "gurgle" escaped, and he fell backward, sending up a cloud of dust.
Another soldier reacted more quickly, dropping to the ground at the moment of the explosion and shielding his head with his arms. Even so, shrapnel lacerated his arms and back, instantly staining his uniform red with blood. He lay on the ground, trembling with fear, and it took him a while to recover and struggle to get up.
Li Ming took advantage of the chaos and quickly turned around, running towards the darkness in the distance. His steps were hurried and panicked, with only one thought in his mind: escape from here and call for help.
At the same time, in the telecommunications department of the Military Control Commission Station in Chongqing, the lights were dim and swaying. The chief of the telecommunications department frowned, staring intently at the telegram on the table, the pen in his hand constantly writing and drawing on the paper. His forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and the atmosphere became more and more tense as time went on. Finally, after a lot of hard work, he successfully completed the digital translation of the received telegram. His face instantly became solemn, and he rushed into the stationmaster's office with the translated telegram in his arms. The stationmaster was pacing anxiously in the room, and when he saw him come in, he immediately stopped and looked at him with sharp eyes. The section chief hurriedly presented the telegram, and the stationmaster quickly glanced at it, his face becoming increasingly gloomy: "The Japanese bomber group is attacking, and the air defense forces must be notified immediately!"
The stationmaster quickly dialed a number and issued an urgent warning to the air defense headquarters: "Japanese bomber groups are flying towards Chongqing. Please be prepared to intercept them!" After hanging up the phone, he turned to the intelligence team: "Make every effort to collect information on Japanese movements. Report any new information immediately!"