Warlords: Rising from the Northwest Border and Sweeping Across the Powers

Chapter 901 The Cruelest Way to Die

After annihilating a small group of enemy forces in the Wenshan area, the 98th Infantry Regiment, with the warmth of victory, continued to advance into the hinterland of the Dafeng Mountains, each step being filled with uncertainty and danger.

When they climbed over the steep mountains and arrived at the snow-covered wasteland of Zoumaliang, an unexpected discovery caught everyone's attention.

It was a cave entrance that was almost completely swallowed up by nature, hidden under a thick layer of snow, with only a barely noticeable gap showing, like a ray of light in winter, guiding them forward.

As the team carefully cleared the snow around them, a huge cave gradually appeared before everyone's eyes.

The interior of the cave is much more spacious than outsiders imagine, like a natural underground palace. It is connected by two winding corridors, each of which leads to a central area, which is a huge space of 200 square meters, enough to accommodate hundreds of people.

Inside the space, the natural rock walls are illuminated by the light of torches and oil lamps, adding a touch of mystery and solemnity.

Three Fuso squadrons, totaling more than 500 soldiers, were hiding in this secret shelter. Compared with the severely damaged troops in Wenshan, their situation was undoubtedly much more fortunate.

When the Chinese army launched the "Burning Sky Operation", they happened to be in the outer area where the wildfire was spreading. Relying on keen intuition and decisive decision-making, the commander quickly assembled the team, carrying most of the key supplies, equipment, and necessary survival materials, and safely evacuated to the cave.

Inside the cave, the soldiers used the existing resources to arrange it in an orderly manner. They cleared the traces of the black bear's territory, properly disposed of the bodies of the killed black bears, and the cave became their temporary home.

The soldiers each occupied an area and built a temporary rest area with sleeping bags and simple tents, keeping a certain distance from each other, which not only ensured privacy but also facilitated management and defense.

Despite the heavy snow and wind outside, the soldiers were in good spirits in this world sheltered by the cave. They wore thick warm clothes, special cold-proof boots, held steaming hot food in their hands, and their faces were filled with a sense of relief and satisfaction for surviving the disaster.

Although the food was not abundant, it was enough to sustain them through this difficult time until they found an opportunity to escape or be rescued.

As the reconnaissance troops quietly eliminated the Fuso soldiers on sentry duty outside the cave, a carefully planned encirclement and suppression operation quietly kicked off. The intelligence was transmitted back to the regiment headquarters like lightning. Keningan stood in the makeshift command post, his eyes were sharp, and a cold smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Pass the order down," his deep and powerful voice echoed in the tent, "Immediately drop a large number of smoke bombs into the cave, so that the enemy can't even breathe. At the same time, organize people and use all available burning materials to completely seal the exit. I want to let these invaders taste the feeling of being shrouded in despair, and let them feel the disappearance of life in this airtight hell."

The order was quickly conveyed to the front line, and a platoon of soldiers quickly assembled, carrying heavy equipment on their shoulders.

The platoon leader stood in front of the team and gave a brief but powerful order: "Brothers, this mission is related to our honor and victory, and we cannot afford to fail! Prepare the smoke bombs, listen to my command, three, two, one, throw!"

As the platoon leader finished counting down, the soldiers pulled the safety pins on their smoke bombs almost simultaneously.

After hearing a few "whoosh" sounds, the black smoke bombs, like messengers of death, cut through the cold air and fell into the entrance of the cave accurately.

Almost at the same moment, terrified shouts and chaotic footsteps were heard from the cave, but all of this was quickly swallowed up by the billowing smoke.

Then, the soldiers began to get busy, piling the prepared burning materials - hay, oil, and even abandoned ammunition boxes - at the two exits of the cave. The flames jumped in the cold wind, quickly devouring all the flammable objects, forming an insurmountable wall of fire.

Flames shot up into the sky; victory in this battle was within reach.

"Increase the firepower and make sure the exit is completely closed!" The platoon leader gave the order again, and the soldiers responded one after another, working harder to move the burning materials. The flames became more and more intense, as if they were going to swallow up the entire cave.

Inside the cave, white smoke spread rapidly like an invisible demon, dyeing every inch of space into a chaotic gray. The air was filled with a pungent smell of sulfur and burning, making it almost impossible to breathe.

The three squadron leaders saw this and their faces suddenly changed. They quickly exchanged stern looks and then shouted loudly:

"Everyone, prepare to break out immediately! The smoke is poisonous, we must leave here as soon as possible!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers rushed out from their respective corners, but soon they returned with desperate expressions. One of them panted and reported: "Captain... the cave entrance... the cave entrance is completely blocked by burning objects! The fire is too big, and we can't get close at all!"

This news came like a bolt from the blue, instantly bringing the already tense atmosphere to freezing point.

The Fuso soldiers' emotions began to get out of control, and panic spread among the crowd like a plague. They pushed each other, trying to find a glimmer of hope, but all around them was thick smoke.

"Cover your mouth and nose with a wet cloth!" A squadron leader thought quickly and shouted the order.

The soldiers immediately took action, some took off their coats, some tore off their bed sheets, wet them with water and covered their mouths and noses, trying to reduce the damage caused by the smoke. However, this was just a drop in the bucket, and the smoke still mercilessly eroded their lungs, making them feel suffocated.

"We must find another way out!" Another squadron leader looked around anxiously, but the scene before him made him feel depressed. In this cave, there was no other way to escape except for the two blocked exits.

As time went by, the smoke became denser and denser, and the soldiers coughed one after another. Their faces turned red due to lack of oxygen, and their eyes bulged out due to pain. The air was filled with the smell of death, and five or six soldiers had already fallen to the ground because they could not bear it.

"We can't just sit there and wait for death!" A squadron leader gritted his teeth and made a difficult decision, "Everyone, put on wet blankets, and force our way through the wall of fire!"

The soldiers were filled with fear and anxiety when they heard this, but they also knew that this was their only way to survive. They quickly took action, soaked the quilts and put them on, gritted their teeth, and prepared to face the unknown challenge.

"One, two, three, charge!" Following the squadron leader's order, the soldiers rushed into the sea of ​​fire like warriors ready to die. The flames licked their skin, and the pain almost made them lose their minds, but the desire to survive made them persevere.

Finally, after paying a huge price, they finally broke through the wall of fire and escaped from the death hole.

Just as the Fuso soldiers rushed out of the cave, thinking that they had escaped the hellish situation, they were ready to celebrate their survival.

Seven or eight MG42 squad machine guns, like the scythe in the hands of the god of death, had already been ready outside the cave entrance.

These terrifying weapons, known as "cloth ripper", have become the nightmare of all enemies on the battlefield with their amazing rate of fire and fierce firepower.

"Open fire!" With the commander's order, the entire forest seemed to be torn apart, and the iconic "tat tat" sound of MG42 instantly resounded through the sky, interweaving into a symphony of death.

The dense bullets poured down like heavy rain, mercilessly pouring down on the escaping Fuso soldiers.

Those soldiers who had just been immersed in the joy of surviving the disaster were now like harvested ears of wheat. They fell one by one in the hail of bullets, their blood dyed the snow red, and their wailing and gunshots intertwined.

They finally realized that what they thought was "escape" was nothing more than a step from one hell to another, more terrifying hell.

The bullets continued to penetrate their bodies, tearing their wills, and eventually turning them into sieves.

On the snow, there were only cold corpses and bloodstains.

Those soldiers who failed to escape from the cave might still fantasize that the outside world could give them a glimmer of hope before they died, but they would never know that they had already been shrouded in the shadow of death. Whether inside or outside the cave, they were equally desperate.