The Roar of Milla 11

The Milla 11 rang out in the early hours of this rainy night. No one had expected this. A while back, when Milla had been ordered to leave Squad 1777, she had left the 7 with the squad and given the 9 to Wen Jifei, taking only the Milla 11 with her. The 7 was similar to a grenade launcher, the 9 was a sniper rifle, and the 11 was what people generally called a cannon. Firing 20mm rounds, it was an ultra-heavy, custom autocannon capable of firing five barrels in unison. Nearly all usable results from Azure's declared-failed firearms research had gone into this weapon. Not just anyone could handle or control it. Even later, when Wen Jifei's marksmanship grew godlike, whenever people spoke of using guns on the front lines, Milla was still the first to come to mind. After all, she had used guns for ten years, and she was Wen Jifei's teacher in the truest sense. Looking up, their gazes pierced through the darkness and the curtain of rain, landing on the heights of a flanking ridge. There, tongues of flame from the five-barrel ultra-heavy autocannon's muzzle flashed dazzlingly. The wind-shearing rounds of the Milla 11 poured continuously into the swarm of Great Spikes, striking violently against dead iron armor. "Milla..." The members of Squad 1777, already teetering on the edge of despair, cried out involuntarily in unison. Only, their titles varied: some shouted "Captain Milla," some called "Miss Milla," and others simply gasped "Milla." The foreign girl standing above was their comrade-in-arms, the deputy captain of Squad 1777... the most beautiful rose of the Ninth Army and the restless dream of young men's hearts. "Thank you," Lao Jian murmured, his eyes reddening. At the same time, his entire body swayed, as if the spirit that had kept him upright had suddenly been hollowed out for an instant. In truth, Captain Lao had been on the verge of collapse just moments ago. For the first time, he had borne the fate of the entire Squad 1777 on his shoulders, exhausted every possible method, and still ultimately led his squad members into an impasse. He felt that, in the end, he was the one who had gotten them killed—and on top of that, he could not allow them to surrender or retreat. Yet given the situation earlier, he couldn't afford to break down. So Lao Jian had ignored and overcome those feelings, drawing his blade, prepared to take the lead in a fight to the death. Now, the vast majority of the Great Spikes had been alerted and were beginning to move up the slope toward the ridge. The moment hope reappeared, Lao Jian's emotions broke for an instant, but he immediately forced himself back up. He raised his binoculars and peered toward the heights. There sat a huge boulder, atop which stood that familiar silhouette. Tall and slender, her golden-brown hair was tied back. The Milla 11 had a long range and immense stopping power. Milla stood steady, firing furiously, trying her best to strike every single Great Spike below. Seeing the Great Spikes begin to turn toward her, the corners of Milla's mouth curved into a smile. The officer detachment had only realized something was wrong after entering the southern sector; they too had spotted people luring Great Spikes and discovered deliberately sabotaged relay stations. With communications down, the officer detachment quickly dispatched a small group back for reinforcements, while the rest followed Milla, frantically searching for signs of Squad 1777. They climbed ridge after peak, scouring the terrain through binoculars. Finally, they spotted a group of people fleeing. Just from the blurry silhouettes, Milla knew that was her 1777... Then they saw the swarm of Great Spikes in the valley and the hostile force pursuing from behind—whom they assumed to be Snow Lotus. "You all leave first. I'm going to fight for my squad. The Great Spikes will come this way." "No, Milla. We're experts—we're officers... Go on, do what you need to do." Without hesitation, Milla stepped onto the ridge and opened fire. When it came to drawing the attention of Great Spikes, no one was better than her. Down below, seventy to eighty Great Spikes—the vast majority of them—had now turned around and were ascending toward the ridge. Squad 1777's shouts crossed the night and reached Milla's ears. She felt a spark of joy... yet at the same time annoyance and urgency. *Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump...* The bullets of the Milla 11 laid down a clear straight line through the swarm of Great Spikes, pointing straight across to the other side of the valley. The squad understood. "Milla... she's telling us to run." "But she herself..." Milla's personal combat prowess was not high; every member of 1777 knew this fact. Lao Jian went silent for a moment. By now, the Great Spikes remaining in the valley ahead had thinned out significantly... The path of survival was open. "She has comrades with her—plenty of them." "Don't let her down." On the battlefield, the cruelest decisions must always be made by the one in command. Lao Jian spoke in a heavy voice. Then—*whoosh*—source energy erupted. "Fight our way through!" *Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...* As they charged forward with unstoppable momentum, the entire squad turned their heads as one, looking toward that figure on the ridge. Then, with tears in their eyes, they turned back and plunged into the valley. Kill! *Bang! Bang, bang!* Milla fired three shots into the air. In her role as deputy captain, she was praising them—in the past, whenever a mission concluded smoothly, Deputy Captain Milla had always done this. However, the Great Spikes climbed the mountain rapidly, drawing ever closer. "Milla!" Shouts from her companions rang out behind her. Milla glanced back, smiled, and said, "Thank you... Please don't follow me any further." With that, she turned back and leaped down from the boulder. The Milla 11 fired continuously as she sprinted diagonally downward, drawing the swarm of Great Spikes off to the flank and rear. She was going to lead the Great Spikes into intercepting the pursuers. Milla already knew that Han Qingyu, Wu Xu, and Shen Yixiu were not with the squad. If 1777 could have handled those enemies, they wouldn't have had to flee like this. Therefore, she could not let the pursuers behind them pass. However, her speed was comparatively too slow, and the Great Spikes were closing in faster and faster. Milla maneuvered constantly using the terrain and the recoil of the Milla 11, pulling off almost unbelievable maneuvers again and again. Suddenly, out of the darkness, *Whir, whir, whir...* A kukri-style combat blade pierced the curtain of rain, hurtling forward with blistering speed. It took everyone completely by surprise. The enemy had likely figured out Milla's intentions at last and crept up—an expert. *Schink!* In an instant, unable to dodge in time, the heavy combat blade punched straight through Milla's left arm that was supporting the autocannon, the blade embedding itself in her flesh. "Urgh!" The sound was like the low roar of an injured beast. The barrel of the Milla 11 dipped, and the heavy gun crashed to the ground. Her whole body, driven by the massive impact, stumbled and tumbled into the shrubs. "Milla!" "Milla!" Anxious cries rang out. Yet in the very next instant, *Boom, boom-boom-boom...* The roar of the Milla 11 erupted once more. Milla had gotten back on her feet. At this moment, her teeth clenched a wide strip of cloth cut from her combat uniform... while the other end of the strip looped around the body of the Milla 11. The trajectory of the bullets lost its precision. Milla had no choice but to use her blade-skewered arm to assist in stabilizing the Milla 11's heavy frame. Firing on. Running. The violent vibrations of the gun tore the wound wider and wider; the excruciating pain drew continuous low growls from Milla. "Mama said beautiful women are always foolish, so she told me never to fall for a pretty girl. Mama, I'm sorry." Aleksei flashed a brilliant grin, then leaped down as well. He was exceptionally fast. In a flash, one of his hands caught Milla's shoulder. Milla turned her head. "Go back, beautiful lady." *Whoosh!* A majestic burst of source energy erupted as Aleksei flung Milla backward, tossing her onto the huge boulder above... Comrades caught her and held her down. "Aleksei!" "Relax. I'm not someone who recklessly throws his life away like you," Lieutenant Colonel Aleksei said with his back to her, chuckling. "I still have to take part in a future duel against The King for love." His fingers hooked lightly behind his shoulder. From his right shoulder down past his waist, his custom combat uniform opened in a fan-shaped arrangement—a strange, compartmentalized sheath attachment. Slotted from top to bottom were eleven full "shashka" sabers passed down from Xiongzhanli's Tsarist era. Shashka meant "blade of heaven." "By the way, long-distance relationships are unreliable," he said with a grin. From the Xiongzhanli Front, Lieutenant Colonel Aleksei was a top combat power. Hurried as things were, he still pulled a small metal flask of vodka from his breast pocket and took a swig. "Hoo... Ura!" This man of the fighting nation seemed utterly exhilarated at facing such a grueling battle. Shouting, he lunged toward the swarm of Great Spikes. *Schink!* One of the shashkas in his hand hacked into a Great Spike's neck—not fatal. Aleksei planted a kick on the Great Spike's shoulder, leapt into midair, drew two more sabers, and stabbed them left and right into the Great Spike's chest—still not fatal. Aleksei kicked off, somersaulting in the air... Blades drawn in his hands. He pounced downward. "Will whichever bastard just injured Miss Milla please get the hell out here!"