Take life and death lightly—refuse to accept your fate, and just fight.
Since fighting was the only answer, what difference did it make whether he was shooting men or drones? If he hit them, everyone rejoiced and he got to keep enjoying preferential treatment; if he missed, he could still gamble alongside the rest to see whose luck held out.
Two dead out of eight left six alive—that was a twenty-five percent mortality rate, a seventy-five percent survival rate.
With survival odds that high, why stay hiding in a dugout?
Now, taking down both drones like that, if everyone present didn't drop to their knees, kowtow, and thank their godfather for saving their lives, it was only because they lacked proper manners.
"Why... why did you come out..."
Sokholov wasn't shocked; he was simply unable to make sense of what had just happened. His head was a foggy, buzzing blank.
The question came purely out of inertia, without a single thought behind it. He had to go through the motions and say what needed to be said before his brain could even begin trying to process reality.
Glancing toward the downed drone not far away, Sokholov went on, "You shot down the drone?"
What a pointless question. The drone was lying in pieces on the ground—did he really need to ask?
Yet there was no helping it; the motions had to be completed. Right now Sokholov's mouth was moving faster than his brain. His mind was still crashing, and before the reboot finished, things were too awkward for anything meaningful to come out.
"Ah! Aaaah!"
Samir suddenly let out a roar. He lunged toward Gao Fei, wrapped him in a fierce embrace, and cried in wild excitement, "Brother, you saved my life! I knew being friends with you was the right damn call!"
The reason Samir was even more emotional than Sokholov was simple: that drone had been gunning straight for him.
It was true that Gao Fei had shot the drone down directly above Sokholov's head, but the fact that it had flown right over Sokholov proved that Sokholov had never been its target.
Judging by its flight path, it had been aimed straight at Samir.
Samir had lost the gamble with his life. Out of eight men, the drone had singled him out. The Grim Reaper had laid a scythe across his neck, and a second later he would have been dead.
Yet Gao Fei hadn't let him die. Against all odds, he had shot down the drone, wrenching Samir straight from death's grasp.
Samir really had an eye for people. Making friends with Gao Fei back at the recruitment office was easily the best thing he had ever done in his life.
"What are you doing? Let go! Back off!"
Samir's outburst seemed to hit the reset switch, jolting Sokholov's frozen brain back to life.
"Let go of him!" Sokholov roared. "What if there are more drones?!"
Samir recoiled from Gao Fei as if struck by lightning, while Gao Fei lost no time swapping magazines.
Everyone stared dumbfounded at Gao Fei, though Glaski didn't look particularly surprised. He scanned the sky first, then peered left and right. Seeing no further drones in the air, he hollered, "Get into firing positions, quick! The enemy's coming!"
From further down the trench, a soldier shouted toward Gao Fei, "I'm sorry! I'll take a bullet for you from now on if I have to! You deserve special treatment—every damn bit of it!"
This was probably the one who had voiced resentment about Gao Fei earlier; now he was owning up without hesitation.
Having a god in their ranks who could shoot down drones with a rifle—what was that? A life-saving talisman. It didn't work like body armor, but it genuinely kept you alive!
Having reloaded, Gao Fei looked up at the sky as well.
Sokholov said urgently, "Quick, quick, stow the walkie-talkie, Glaski!"
Glaski glanced over at Sokholov.
With a deadly serious face, Sokholov said, "Give him back your pistol."
Pointing at Parker, Sokholov added in all earnestness, "Clear the chamber and the mag. Have the prisoner hold the pistol and stand next to Rex."
What a brilliant move!
Glaski's eyes lit up. He said at once, "You're a clever bastard after all. No wonder you're the squad leader."
The pistol had been confiscated from Parker. Handing it back wasn't about letting him fight; it was about having him stand near Gao Fei with a sidearm to act as drone bait.
Anyone wandering the frontline with a pistol and a walkie-talkie was top priority for drones. Using Parker, a prisoner, as that target couldn't have been more fitting.
Glaski pulled out the pistol, dropped the magazine, racked the slide to eject the round in the chamber, and handed the empty gun to Sokholov.
Gun in hand, Sokholov walked up to Parker, whose face was steeped in misery.
"Any more magazines on you?"
"None. Three in total, and I already handed them all over."
"Take off your helmet."
Parker took off his helmet with a grimace.
Sokholov pulled out the binoculars hidden under his jacket, slung them around Parker's neck, and shoved his own helmet—adorned with the Russian flag—onto Parker's head.
Then he clipped an unused walkie-talkie to Parker's shoulder, seized one of Parker's hands, slapped the pistol into it, and said, "Your job is to stand next to him, keep a five-meter distance. I'll be watching you. Get closer than five meters and I shoot you dead; get further than five meters and I shoot you dead too!"
The suicidal trifecta was complete.
But as a prisoner, what could Parker say? He could only nod helplessly.
"Keep your eyes peeled for drones in the sky. If you dare hold out or miss one, you'll be the first to die. Understand?"
Parker mumbled weakly, "Understood. Of course I understand. You don't need to say another word—I get it all."
"Once this fight is over, as long as you're still breathing, I swear I'll put in a good word for you. I won't let you die. We don't have a POW camp, but I can ask for you to stay in my squad. Understand?"
Parker's eyes lit up. He looked at Gao Fei, nodded heavily, and said with utter solemnity, "I understand. But is what you said true? Swear it!"
"I swear. Guard him well, and remember: I'm watching you!"
Sokholov jabbed a finger at Parker again, tossed Parker's Ukrainian-flagged helmet onto the dirt, and jogged over to check on the comrade blown down by the drone.
The wounded soldier wasn't dead yet, but he was beyond struggling, beyond speaking.
Sokholov said nothing. He simply reached down, removed the man's helmet, stood up, and fired a shot into his dying comrade.
In a battle like this, evacuating the wounded was impossible. He couldn't be saved; keeping him alive was just useless suffering.
As a comrade-in-arms, it was his duty to end a mortally wounded soldier's agony. As squad leader, it was Sokholov's responsibility to pull the trigger.
Sokholov put on his fallen comrade's helmet, peeked to both sides, and called out loudly, "Watch the left and right flanks! If our assault goes smoothly, enemy troops should be falling back from both sides! Rex!"
Calling Gao Fei by his callsign again, Sokholov said earnestly, "Watch the sky, but don't keep your head tilted up the whole time, and don't raise your rifle. Drone pilots will see it as a provocation. From here on out, all of us will watch the air. You just follow our cues."
Beside them, Parker waved the empty pistol and said without hesitation, "Don't worry, Squad Leader! I'll be the best damn bait you've ever seen! I trust Rex to shoot them down—he definitely can!"
Chapter 43