The Advantage Is Mine

Chen Ge rarely voiced an opinion, so when he spoke, everyone was surprised. Trench asked, "Sledgehammer, what's wrong with you today? You think there's a problem with this tactic?" "There is a problem, and a big one." Chen Ge picked up a tree branch and drew a circle on the ground, pointing south as he said in a deep voice, "The Ukrainian military has a lot of thermal imaging equipment. The odds of us successfully sneaking to the southwest side of Klishchiivka Heights are low — that's the first deadly problem!" "The second problem: nighttime temperatures are near freezing, and the ground is covered with dry leaves. No matter how careful we are, the sound of crunching leaves can carry at least a hundred meters at night. Ukrainian veterans don't need night-vision devices; they can pinpoint the direction with their ears." "The third problem: Drill Bit's Assault Team Four is responsible for the feint attack, drawing Ukrainian fire. That means they have to really charge. Otherwise, if the Ukrainians discover it's just a few people harassing them, they'll definitely guess it's a feint." "The fourth problem: between the forest belt to the southwest and the Ukrainian outer defensive positions, there are about three hundred meters of open ground. The Ukrainians have laid a large number of land mines, and the artillery has its firing parameters zeroed in. Under this fire net, how many people make it across depends entirely on luck." "The fifth problem: even if we can rush into the building, set up a laser designator inside, and guide the aerospace force to bomb the Ukrainian artillery positions and the water tower building, the laser illumination needs to last from tens of seconds to several minutes. During that time, the Ukrainian military will definitely cover the building with all their firepower — 120mm mortars, heavy-caliber howitzers from the rear, and even an airstrike is not out of the question..." The problems Chen Ge described were not pessimistic exaggeration; they were real deadly challenges they had to face. Trench and the others' expressions changed again and again, their mood growing heavy, their breathing slowing. Facing death, no one could remain calm! After Chen Ge finished his detailed analysis, he shifted gears and said, "I have a not-quite-mature plan. Do you want to hear it?" Trench plopped down on the ground, took out a waterproof, crush-proof aluminum cigarette case, opened it, and passed a cigarette around to everyone. "Say it!" Chen Ge took a cigarette, pulled open his balaclava, clamped a cigarette in his mouth, and lit it. He swiped the tablet screen, calling up a three-story school building west of the village. Klishchiivka Heights had a village on it. The school building was on the western slope of the heights, overlooking T0504 Highway. The Ukrainian military had converted it into an ammunition depot, with mortars mounted on the roof to strike Russian supply convoys. "The darkest hour before dawn is around 5 a.m. I'll lead the fire team, disguised as Ukrainian soldiers, to infiltrate the school building and blow up the Ukrainian ammunition depot. Ratibor will concentrate heavy artillery to bombard the Ukrainian outer defensive positions. The Ukrainian military will definitely be thrown into chaos and won't carefully check passwords and unit designations. You will disguise yourselves as Ukrainian soldiers, infiltrate the target building, and take the Ukrainian military by complete surprise." As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was stunned at first, then their eyes lit up. This tactic sounded even more brilliant than the one they had devised! Disguising as Ukrainian soldiers to infiltrate — they had thought of it, but except for Chen Ge, everyone in the Falcon Hunting Team was purely Russian; they'd give themselves away the moment they opened their mouths. Even if they put on Ukrainian equipment, the Ukrainian military had internal passwords, unit designations, and special documents; the risk of exposure was nearly one hundred percent. If they acted according to Chen Ge's plan, making the Ukrainians mistake them for their own men in the darkness, the odds of successfully reaching the target building would be high — provided Chen Ge could successfully blow up the ammunition depot in the school building. As for wearing enemy uniforms during combat being an act of perfidy, if captured they might be treated as spies and war criminals, without POW status. They didn't consider that. Wagner mercenaries weren't protected by the Geneva Conventions anyway; if captured, they were executed outright. After a long silence, Trench took two deep drags on his cigarette and asked in a hoarse voice, "Can you do it?" Chen Ge shrugged and gave a bright smile. "Five of us on the fire team dying is better than all of us dying, right?" Everyone fell silent again, looking at Chen Ge with complex expressions. Chen Ge was Huaxia, yet to reduce casualties he was willing to risk his life to complete this hellish mission. They didn't know what to say. Little did they know, Chen Ge did it precisely because he didn't want to die. The combat plan Trench and the others had devised had a 99% death rate! Even if he were a spider spirit, he'd die. His plan was different. Although dangerous, the death rate was at most 49%. As long as it didn't exceed 50 percent, the advantage was his. Rock suddenly turned to look at Trench, his expression turning resolute. "I'll go..." he said in a deep voice. "Get lost. Don't try to steal my chance to earn glory." Chen Ge waved him off, sprang to his feet, and crooked his finger at Rock, contemptuous and arrogant. "Come on, one-on-one. Whoever wins goes!" Rock stood up with a cold face, tossed his cigarette butt and stubbed it out with his toe, raised his fist, and smashed it toward Chen Ge. The next second, his fist was easily clamped by Chen Ge's right hand, and Chen Ge lifted his leg and kicked him in the stomach. "Ah!! Gat!!" Rock flew backward two meters and slammed into the fallen leaves, rolling several times before lying on the ground, grimacing in pain. Trench and the others were stunned. When had Chen Ge become so formidable? Previously, Chen Ge's strength had been comparable to Rock's, but his fighting ability was average. When he first joined the Falcon Hunting Team last December, Rock had beaten him within ten moves. Fortress looked at Chen Ge in disbelief and asked, "Sledgehammer, how did you get so strong?" Chen Ge smiled faintly. "Huaxia has an old saying: 'A scholar should be viewed with new eyes after three days apart.' You don't think I've been working out for nothing, do you?" This explanation left everyone speechless. In Syria, Chen Ge was indeed an oddball. Starting this February, whenever he had free time, he worked out like crazy, only stopping to rest when he was too exhausted to get up. They all admired this self-punishing exercise, but no one had tested Chen Ge's fighting skills, after all, his strong suit was artillery. "I don't accept it. Again!" Rock scrambled to his feet, took off his helmet, removed his tactical vest and threw it to the ground. His expression turned serious as he stared at Chen Ge like a tiger eyeing its prey. Rock was thirty years old this year, 1.8 meters tall, weighed ninety kilograms — a typical Russian strongman, with a barrel-shaped torso, his waist and chest about the same thickness, like a water barrel. Thick bones, wrists, ankles, and finger joints a circle thicker than Western Europeans, well-developed trapezius muscles, his neck almost as thick as his head. "Don't accept it? Today I'll show you Huaxia kung fu!" Chen Ge stubbed out his cigarette and struck a Baji Quan starting stance, for show. Knees slightly bent, feet set at a natural angle, left arm extended, rear hand guarding below his ribs. His whole body was like a tightened spring — appearing still, yet ready to explode at any moment. Not very standard, but at 1.85 meters tall, he looked genuinely intimidating.