Chapter 112: The Final Words

Page (1/3)

Turning off the communicator, Qin Yang slammed his foot on the table, cursing angrily. The civilians nearby were startled; having heard Wei Boyang’s words, they understood that within three hours, their lives would be in grave danger. Three hours—a long stretch of time. Everyone knew that within those hours, significant upheaval was likely to occur.

Seeing some of them break down in tears, Qin Yang felt a surge of frustration.

Zhou Xiao cautiously stepped forward and whispered, “Do we have no reinforcements coming?”

“Three hours,” Qin Yang sighed.

“Are we supposed to hold out for three hours? If we do, can we be saved?” Zhou Xiao asked.

“Maybe,” he replied.

Qin Yang picked up a weapon and headed upstairs.

Zhou Xiao was puzzled. At that moment, one of her classmates, the same young man who had been ordered by Qin Yang the previous night to lead the hostages away, approached and grabbed the military map that had been set aside, placing it on the table. “We can’t hold out for three hours,” he said.

“Xiaoyang, what do you mean by that?” Zhou Xiao asked in confusion.

Liu Xiaoyang gave a bitter smile. “I’ve read a lot of military materials and played many military games. Though I’ve never experienced war firsthand, I’ve tried to understand it through various media. The reason I say we can’t hold out for three hours is because the enemy’s reinforcements are already en route, and we’re surrounded. That soldier mentioned this already. Do you know who Wei Boyang is?”

“A Major General,” another classmate stepped forward with a respectful expression. “He’s the most iron-willed officer in China. Rumors say he’s participated in over a hundred battles since joining the army. He’s the most qualified special operations commander in China and is considered the most likely to succeed General Jiang as the military god of China.”

Liu Xiaoyang continued, “We won’t go into General Wei’s background, but the fact that soldier dared to argue and curse him after hearing there would be no reinforcements can only mean one thing—the enemy’s reinforcements are far beyond what we can imagine.”

“Ah?”

Everyone was stunned.

“Most importantly, we have no support and will likely run out of ammo and supplies.” Liu Xiaoyang’s tone was grim. “At that point...”

“Stop scaring us!” snapped a reconnaissance soldier as he came down the stairs, hoisting a box of ammunition. His voice was cold. “I’m a soldier. Even if I die, I’ll send you all out. Shut up and rest to regain your strength.”

The group fell silent and obediently sat down.

Zhou Xiao glanced around and, seeing no one watching, cautiously pulled out her phone.

“Your phone is still with you?” Liu Xiaoyang asked in surprise.

“They didn’t find it,” Zhou Xiao said with a bitter smile. “It’s turned off, though.”

She powered on the phone; the battery was still sufficient. There were several missed calls and messages from friends checking if she was okay. Seeing this, Zhou Xiao almost broke down. She opened her social networking page—a platform created by several students from Yanjing University, popular among students nationwide.

“I’m Zhou Xiao, a junior majoring in sociology at Yanjing University. After the semester began, my classmates, my parents, and I came to Xinjiang for a research project and sightseeing, but we never imagined it would turn into our most tragic experience. A group of armed terrorists kidnapped us and took us beyond the border. Over the past few days, we have witnessed too many horrific things: massacres, torture, executions—the blood and terror surround us endlessly. We cannot rest, eat, or drink... On the third day, they brought us back to the border, where we became the first line of defense for Chinese soldiers sniping at these terrorists... In the dead of night, we escaped through a hail of bullets under the protection of five soldiers, but one soldier stayed behind to confront hundreds of terrorists and even detonated explosives to ensure our safe retreat... Fortunately, he survived but was severely wounded. I keep stones, sharp branches, and metal scraps taken from his body, stained with his blood... We are surrounded. Amid our panic, a reconnaissance soldier coldly said: ‘I’m a soldier. Even if I die, I’ll get you all out.’ These are the rough words I’ve heard from soldiers, but they gave us enough security. Thirty-two hostages, watching our forty-plus fighters engage in a life-and-death battle against hundreds of enemies. Reinforcements keep coming. We pray, hoping everyone will keep praying to give our soldiers strength. Three hours. A battle for survival. We are fighting.”

The post included graphic images of blood, Liu Xiaoyang’s military knife, the map, a military watch, and photos of the outside taken through cracks.

Yanjing University—a beautiful campus untouched by war.

An elderly professor was lecturing on a dull topic. While many students listened attentively, some played with their phones, chatted, or messaged. One student opened the social network homepage and noticed Zhou Xiao had posted an article. Curious, he clicked it and was instantly shocked by the harrowing words.

“Heavens!” he exclaimed.

The professor scowled. “This is a class, young man!”

Page (2/3)

“Everyone, open the homepage! Look at Zhou Xiao’s article—oh my, she, she—”

Dozens of students looked at him in confusion, pulling out their phones despite the professor’s angry glare. But soon, the professor noticed the faces of all the students darken. He hurriedly took one phone, read the article, and was deeply shocked. “Quiet down, everyone,” he said and quickly left.

In just a few minutes, dozens of replies poured in—friends expressing concern and care, knowing Zhou Xiao would never joke, especially not at a time like this. The bloody images were unmistakably real, no Photoshop. The article spread rapidly across the social network, garnering countless shares and comments.

“From the sporadic flashes of gunfire in the photos, this is no fabrication or Photoshop. They are truly engaged in a life-or-death struggle. Bless the Chinese soldiers—hold the line. Zhou Xiao, we send our prayers from here.”

“Fighting bloodily without end; soldiers live forever.”

“Damn it, I want to fight the enemy to the death.”

“Keep going.”

The flood of responses continued. Within twenty minutes, the article made the site’s homepage and began spreading through universities nationwide. Internet reporters noticed the terrifying spike in traffic and rushed over. The first thing they encountered was this chilling account, so far removed from everyday life.

“This is the bloody truth. While we revel in joy, never forget that countless soldiers silently sacrifice on the border.”

Comments were shared repeatedly. The article quickly appeared on major news portals and even made its way onto some television programs. Various websites kept sending alerts. Across the nation, anyone browsing the web saw Zhou Xiao’s post. Yanjing University canceled all classes for the first time ever, and everyone gathered silently on the field, praying.

The article appeared on all major social platforms, drawing attention from industry leaders and celebrities alike. Zhou Xiao’s page was refreshed constantly in hopes of a follow-up message.

“Keep going, oh God, keep going.”

“Survive. Soldiers are true heroes.”

After half an hour of anxious waiting, Zhou Xiao finally updated her status.

“Three armed police officers have died. They looked so young, about our age. The gunfire outside is louder now. Through the cracks, we see enemy forces streaming out of the woods. Here are the photos I took. The company commander wouldn’t let us take pictures, but after persistent requests, he covered them with white cloth. He said: ‘Give these three brothers their last dignity.’”

Blood stained the cloth, and the fallen soldiers still clutched their machine guns, ready for one last assault.

The wind swept through the battlefield as this message spread instantly. Across the country, many people stopped their work to track the situation. Even the military spokesperson broke precedent and acknowledged the incident: “Our soldiers are fighting a deadly battle against terrorists. China declares to the world: we fear no form, group, or region of terrorism. We are resolute and confident in defeating all invading terrorists!”

“We have urgently mobilized reinforcements.”

“The three fallen armed police officers have been posthumously awarded first-class merits. We ask the nation to mourn them.”

Unaware of the unprecedented attention their fight had drawn, the soldiers engaged in fierce combat on the rooftop. Their sole goal was to buy time—three hours—but the terrorists were increasing in number, emerging from all sides and now surpassing five hundred. Bullets rained down ceaselessly. Two members of the Sunshade Squad had been hit but kept fighting.

“Zhou Qi, our ammo is running low,” Qin Yang said with a wry smile.

Zhou Qi clenched his teeth and lowered his head. “Qin Yang, find the enemy’s secret commander and take them out. They’re a disorganized mob. If we kill their leader, we have a good chance of dragging them down to the same state—out of ammo and supplies.”

Qin Yang nodded.

He set up the super sniper rifle, eyes constantly scanning. At the sight of anything suspicious, he fired without mercy.

The most excited among them was Cheng Mu, who had five thousand rounds of ammo beside him. His machine gun was their heaviest firepower. Meanwhile, Zhou Kehai and several snipers faced an equally daunting task: to continuously pick off enemy artillerymen and anyone manning rocket launchers or mortars.

Qin Yang even found time to amuse himself.

He attached a hand grenade to a crossbow bolt and fired it—its destructive power was devastating.

“Hahaha, look how dumb they are,” Qin Yang laughed.

“Idiot, watch how I shoot,” Cheng Mu boisterously cursed.

Their laughter lightened the mood, easing everyone’s burden just slightly.

Several armed police soldiers carefully carried the bodies of their fallen comrades downstairs, holding back tears. As they set the bodies down and prepared to carry ammo back up, Zhou Xiao mustered her courage and asked, “Can I go upstairs?”

“Why? It’s too dangerous up there. Don’t be reckless,” a soldier snapped.

“I’m not being reckless. I have authorization to conduct a temporary interview. I want to share your heroic deeds with the whole nation. Even the Defense Ministry has tacitly approved.”

“What?” The soldiers were shocked. How did the Defense Ministry get involved?

Zhou Xiao pulled out her phone and opened a news webpage. “Here’s the news. Look, they hope Comrade Zhou Xiao can let us know about the frontline soldiers.”

The men hesitated. One said, “I’ll go ask.”

Not long after, he returned, handing her a bulletproof helmet. “The commander agreed, but remember, don’t look up recklessly.”

“Okay.”

Zhou Xiao gave her family and friends a reassuring glance, then carefully followed two armed police officers upstairs. As she ascended, a ringing in her ears made her crouch down in fear. Only then did she see the scene above: over thirty soldiers formed a circle, firing in all directions while constantly dodging enemy attacks.

“This is a battlefield. These are our soldiers. Three hours. A battle for survival that continues.” Zhou Xiao silently took a photo and uploaded it.

“Flamethrowers, NTW-20 sniper rifles—these are war relics. These two soldiers must be elite special forces, yet against the enemy’s overwhelming numbers, they persist!”

“This is the most inspiring image I’ve ever seen. It makes my blood boil. This is a real soldier.”

“Oh God, they’re so wounded.”

“Keep fighting. We pray for you. You are the heroes of the nation.”

At that moment, the enemy’s assault suddenly eased and began to withdraw slowly.

Zhou Xiao cheered, but noticed everyone else’s expressions had grown even more solemn. After a short while, most enemies had retreated, leaving only a few to watch from the shadows.

“Them?” she asked.

“They’re discussing their next attack,” Xie Chengyang said calmly.

Qin Yang checked the time. “One hour and seven minutes. How much ammo do we have left?”

“We can hold for another hour,” Shen Haoyun replied swiftly.

Zhou Qi spat on the ground.

Zhou Xiao quietly transmitted the message.

Seeing her action, Zhou Qi pulled her aside and whispered, “The situation is too dire to say much more. You all must have accepted the possibility of death. Speak your last words now. Don’t be like us—true soldiers.”

Page (3/3)