Arc of Fire

"After we get on there, we’ll be nailed there and won’t go anywhere!" declared Nikola Grasimovich, the commander of the First Naval Infantry Division decisively.

Wang Zhong nodded. "Good, the Armored Troops will complete the breach operation. Your job is to hold the beachhead."

In Steelgrad on Earth, Sturmtiger had also never managed to take down the two landing sites opened by the Naval Infantry, and Russian troops continuously came ashore from the landing sites.

Wang Zhong patted Nikola Grasimovich’s shoulder hard. "I’ve approved the landing plan. It’s all up to you tomorrow."

Nikola Grasimovich smiled, saluted, and was about to leave.

Wang Zhong: "Hold on, don’t leave before you eat."

Nikola shook his head. "No, I better not. I’ve heard that commanders who have eaten don’t come back."

"That’s superstition," Wang Zhong said, before remembering that Popov was also nearby. He carefully glanced at him.

Popov: "It indeed is superstition. Don’t be so paranoid; we of the Secular faction are scientific."

A Bishop declaring his religion was scientific left Wang Zhong unsure where to begin his critique.

Nikola Grasimovich hesitated for a moment, but then responded, "I’d better not. There’s still a lot of preparation to do for the landing operation. I’ll take my leave."

As the Naval Major General stepped out, Amelia walked in. While she was taking off her raincoat, it was visible that a large part of her front armor was wet, probably due to rain seeping in through the collar.

"The rain today made it impossible to scout," Amelia said, looking at Wang Zhong. "Of course, if you were to go personally, you’d probably be able to gather quite some intel. So, ready to fly? I can guarantee the safety of flying in this weather."

Wang Zhong: "Why do I feel like you’re looking forward to flying with me?"

"I look forward to striking the Prosens and ending the war as soon as possible. Every time you return from a scouting flight, you arrange for an air raid that inflicts heavy casualties on the enemy." Amelia approached Wang Zhong with a sincere look, "This is the bond between comrades-in-arms."

Before Wang Zhong could respond, Yakov stepped forward and handed Amelia a cup of coffee.

Amelia took a sip and smiled. "Thanks, you even remembered the exact amount of sugar and milk I like. Yakov, your wife is very lucky."

Yakov smiled shyly: "I wish she thought so too, but she complains about me all the time."

Wang Zhong: "Being away from home for so long this time, she’s definitely going to be happy for three days and nights when you return."

Pavlov recalled something painful: "Don’t mention it. The last time I went home, my wife almost wore me out to a frazzle, the devil."

Wang Zhong: "Didn’t you add a son this time?"

Pavlov: "We’re at war. My wife said she can’t work to resist the Invaders if she’s pregnant. She is now a workshop leader in the factory, leading a large group of women manufacturing cars."

Amelia widened her eyes: "Women workers? Cars? I can hardly imagine! In the United Kingdom, we also lack workers, but they still make women do ’women’s work’ and send men who used to do those jobs into factories.

"In the United Kingdom, not a single car or airplane is manufactured by women!"

Wang Zhong: "So, how about joining the Secular faction? Come on, Popov, introduce Lady Amelia to our Saint Andrew!"

Popov stood up, cleared his throat, but before he could speak, a clerk came over and handed Pavlov a thick stack of documents: "The list of officers above junior rank who died yesterday."

Whether it was Popov or Wang Zhong, both fell silent.

Pavlov: "It looks thick, but it actually contains every officer’s information. If that many really died, the troops would already be completely dispersed. Damn, weren’t the Prosens out of ammunition yesterday? How did we still lose so many?"

A staff officer quickly answered: "Yesterday, intense firefights still occurred in some local areas. Also, some of our commanders planned to launch a limited counterattack to change the situation on the ground when the Prosens ceased their assaults, similar to what General Yegorov intended."

"Okay, thanks for the clarification." Pavlov said, placing the documents on the table, quickly signing them, and handing them back to the clerk, "Send these to the bereavement department, and for the officers who fought exceptionally bravely, arrange for someone to write solace letters, signed with Duke Alexei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky."

"Yes."

After the clerk left, Pavlov glanced at Wang Zhong: "You can continue flirting, we don’t mind."

Wang Zhong: "First, I was not flirting. Second... I’d better go scout, maybe I can locate a Prosen General’s headquarters and send the Commando to take him down."

He stood up and waved at Amelia.

Amelia finished her coffee with a quick gulp, spilling a few drops on the front of her armor, quickly merging with the rainwater.

Wang Zhong personally drove Amelia to the airport, just in time to see a red Pe-3 reconnaissance aircraft parked in the hangar.

The ground crew, seeing the Jeep arriving, all gathered together, waiting for Wang Zhong.

"I thought there wasn’t enough paint?" Wang Zhong asked curiously after getting out of the car, pointing at the red Pe-3.

"We have it now," said today’s duty ground crew leader. "The paint arrived yesterday, and we even have enough to paint another one, we could play real or fake Rokossov."

Wang Zhong, hands on hips, walked around the Pe-3. "Not bad, but it’s a pity it’s all red. It would have been nice if part of it was distinguished in pink."

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Several ground crew members furrowed their brows: "Pink? Wouldn’t that be a bit too effeminate?"

Amelia also said, "Isn’t pink just used by the sulky men in bomber squadrons to paint hearts? They like to paint cartoon-style females on the planes, with Marilyn Monroe winking and blowing kisses, making a heart shape."

"Seems like you know quite a bit," said Wang Zhong.

"Not really, but my eyes are quite sharp. I can see from afar what nonsense they paint on the escort bombers." Amelia slightly smoothed her bangs with a touch of pride.

Wang Zhong: "Then today, let’s fly this red Pe-3. Where’s the ground crew checklist?"

Today’s team leader immediately took out a clipboard and handed it to Amelia, "Right here."

Amelia took the clipboard, made her way around the airplane, checking each part before marking them off on it.

Hearing the news, the pilots also hurried over to the hangar in the rain, with the leading Captain saying to Wang Zhong, "General, are you still going out in this weather? In this kind of weather, even taking off and landing wouldn’t be a problem, but there could be faults in mid-air. The engine isn’t entirely waterproof!"

Wang Zhong replied, "Don’t worry, the Prosen people won’t send fighter jets to hunt me down in the rain, it might even be safer."

He spoke with such ease primarily because Amelia guaranteed the flight’s safety, as long as there were no mechanical faults.

The Captain pilot insisted, "With this weather, we can’t guarantee safe take-off and landing, let us escort you—"

"You don’t need to take off," Wang Zhong patted the pilot’s shoulder, "If you crash while escorting me in the rain, I would feel guilty."

Wang Zhong casually touched the Venus medal on the pilot’s chest.

"I wouldn’t know how to face your wife and children," he added.

The Captain nodded.

Amelia announced, "Inspection complete, the airplane is fully fueled and armed, ready for departure?"

Wang Zhong replied, "Let’s go!"

On November 23 at 1530 hours, at the division headquarters of the Guard First Red Flag Mechanized Infantry Division, located on the reverse slope of the Nameless Highlands.

Yegorov raised his head and looked at the timber roof of the headquarters, "Is that the sound of an airplane?"

His new Chief of Staff also looked up, "In this weather? Could you have heard wrong?"

Yegorov shook his head, "No, I’m definitely not wrong, that’s the sound of airplane engines. I might not have a keen sense like Monk Peter, but I’m not bad at hearing!"

He briskly stepped out of the headquarters and stood at the entrance of the bunker, looking up at the sky.

A soldier carrying sandbags nearby asked, "Division Commander, what are you looking at?"

"An airplane, coming from our direction."

The sandbag-carrying soldier stopped and also looked up, causing all others doing the same task to stop and look up in unison.

The officer commanding the sandbag task looked up as well.

Then, everyone heard the sound of airplane engines together.

An experienced soldier noted, "Twin-engine, could it be a Pe-2? But there doesn’t seem to be many, what’s going on?"

Yegorov turned his head, "Who just made that out? Get them moved to the air defense post now! We’re wasting a good pair of ears not using them for air defense."

The others all looked towards a veteran sergeant in his forties.

"Don’t," the sergeant begged with a mournful face, "I still have to kill more Prosen people, to avenge my son and brothers!"

His words immediately resonated across the crowd, "Who isn’t!"

"Our division’s veterans all came from Kazarlia! We’re waiting to fight back with the General!"

Yegorov looked at his soldiers, smiling, "Yes, we all have vendettas to settle, which is why we need to do our jobs well. Air defense is very important. That veteran sergeant, please go to the air defense outpost, you could save more lives."

The veteran sergeant resignedly replied, "If the Division Commander says so..."

Just then, someone shouted, "An airplane! There it is!"

Yegorov turned his head and just caught sight of the red Pe-3 reconnaissance aircraft slicing through the rain veil.

He felt as though someone on the airplane was watching him.

A soldier exclaimed in admiration, "That plane flies so fast! Almost three times faster than a regular Pe-2 (the infantry hadn’t identified it as a Pe-3)!"

Yegorov retorted, "What do you know, that’s a specialized reconnaissance model, of course it’s faster! Better engine, lighter plane!"

"I see."

During their conversation, the red Pe-3 swept over the Nameless Highlands, charging towards the enemy’s direction.

Wang Zhong stated, "A major... hmm, not very valuable."

The front-seater Amelia asked with puzzlement, "What?"

"Nothing, just focus on finding the enemy headquarters, at least a headquarters is valuable."

Amelia responded, "I can’t sense these. So, can you really feel the presence of an enemy officer?"

"I don’t know, do you know what you feel?" Wang Zhong continued to bicker.

"Not really. But when I fire, the enemy is always precisely there."

Wang Zhong wanted to laugh, what an odd exchange between smartasses. Just then, Wang Zhong suddenly had the anti-aircraft artillery position up ahead highlighted.

"Quick, bank right!" he yelled.