Chapter 70 Airplane
It was already dawn outside. The morning light shone through the thick dark clouds, casting a pale hue on the battlefield and staining the broken land. Lu Mingfei sat in a room in the bunker, feeling an indescribable fatigue seeping out of every corner of his body.
He didn't sleep the whole night. His eyes were red and bloodshot due to long-term tension. Whenever he closed his eyes and tried to stop himself from thinking about the painful faces of the wounded soldiers and the bloody scenes on the battlefield, those scenes kept replaying in his mind.
Lu Mingfei took out a cigarette from his pocket. His hands were shaking slightly due to fatigue and inner turmoil. He lit the cigarette with difficulty and took a deep breath, trying to use the numbness of nicotine to escape the repressed emotions. This was the umpteenth cigarette he had smoked.
But this time, although the smoke entered his lungs, it did not bring the expected sense of relaxation. Instead, it made him feel more depressed. He threw away the cigarette butt and hugged his head with both hands, trying to resist the surging negative emotions, but it was of no use.
"I really turned into a monster who only knows how to kill people..." Lu Mingfei whispered softly, with a hint of despair in his voice.
Just then, Hill's voice came from outside the bunker, interrupting Lu Mingfei's thoughts.
"Mr. Lieutenant, look outside!" There was a sense of urgency in Hill's voice, as if something important required his immediate attention.
Lu Mingfei forced himself to cheer up and walked outside with his tired body. He didn't know when the British army would launch another attack. He had to remain vigilant and not let these negative emotions affect his judgment. More importantly, he was the spiritual pillar of the soldiers outside and must not let them see anything unusual about him.
"What's wrong? Are the British troops attacking again?" Lu Mingfei tried hard to keep his voice calm. He knew that his every move at this moment might affect the morale of the entire team.
“Look up!” Hill did not answer directly, but raised his finger to the sky. Lu Mingfei looked in the direction of his finger and his eyes widened immediately.
In the sky, a large group of small black dots were passing by quickly, breaking through the gray sky and flying towards the rear of Prussia.
"Plane? Why are there so many!" Lu Mingfei exclaimed, his voice full of shock and anxiety.
It’s not that Lu Mingfei has never seen an airplane before. When he was in the trenches, his greatest pleasure every day was to watch the fight between his own planes and the enemy’s planes, and to gamble his day’s allowance.
But it was the first time he had seen so many planes flying at the same time. Before, in the trenches, at most two or three planes flew at the same time.
But the scene before him made him unable to remain calm. This was the first time he saw so many planes taking off at the same time, more than fifty in total.
Among these planes, there are fighters and reconnaissance planes. They formed a dense formation in the air. They were like a group of predators circling in the sky, waiting for an order to dive down and deal a fatal blow to the enemies on the ground.
Just as Lu Mingfei was watching these planes, several Prussian Fokker fighters hurriedly took off in an attempt to intercept these aggressive enemy planes.
However, under the suppression of absolute numbers, these Fokker planes seemed vulnerable and were quickly shot down. Their wreckage, like birds with broken wings, drew black smoke in the sky, and finally fell heavily to the ground, raising a cloud of dust and flames.
Without any pause, the planes flew rapidly to the rear of the Prussian trenches. A few minutes later, Lu Mingfei detected through the sickle-weasel that the British artillery fire had sounded again, and this time the shells were targeting their positions.
"Hurry up and hide in the bunker!!!" Lu Mingfei almost roared. When he heard the whistling sound of the shells cutting through the air, he immediately realized that the situation was not good. He immediately ordered Hill and other soldiers to retreat into the bunker quickly.
Just as they hid in the bunker, a violent explosion sounded above the bunker. The shock wave of the explosion caused the entire bunker to tremble slightly. Dust and stone chips continued to fall from the top of the bunker and filled the air, making it almost impossible to breathe.
If the walls of the bunker had not been made of solid concrete and were not twelve meters underground, they would most likely have been buried under the rubble by now.
Compared with the British army's seven days and seven nights of saturation bombardment, this time the artillery fire seemed more accurate. Almost every shell hit the top of the bunker accurately. These shells seemed to be tracked intentionally. The vibration of the explosion became more and more violent, and the dust flying in the bunker became more and more, making everyone feel suffocated.
“We can’t go on like this!” Lu Mingfei’s heart was filled with alarm bells. He realized clearly that if he continued like this, the bunker would be destroyed sooner or later.
What was even more terrible was that he sensed through the kamaitachi that there were a large number of heartbeats outside that were rapidly approaching their position. These heartbeats obviously belonged to the British infantry, who were taking advantage of the cover of artillery fire to pounce towards this side.
This time the British attack was obviously carefully planned. The artillery suppression and the infantry advance were coordinated perfectly, and there was no previous mistake of artillery and infantry being out of sync.
Lu Mingfei knew that they could no longer hold this place. If they waited until the bombardment ended before starting to break out, they would surely engage in a fierce hand-to-hand combat with the British infantry. Although he could escape with the power of the bronze throne, the same could not be said for the subordinates around him.
"Listen to my command. When I say run, you must immediately run out of the bunker and retreat to the trenches behind. Do you understand?" Lu Mingfei shouted loudly, his voice echoing in the bunker, trying to drown out the constant roar of explosions above his head.
He knew he had to make a decision in the shortest possible time and make his orders clear to everyone, because if they hesitated they might never have a chance to escape.
"Understood!" Hill and the others nodded firmly. They all clenched their weapons and waited for Lu Mingfei's next order. They did not ask what to do about the shelling outside. At this moment, they only had unconditional trust in Lu Mingfei.
Lu Mingfei took a deep breath, concentrated his mind, and began to control the wind outside. Under his control, the wind outside gradually formed a small tornado. The rotating wind column rolled up a lot of dust and flames in the air.
He closed his eyes, feeling the flow of the wind and merging his consciousness with it. As the wind grew stronger, he ignited a flame in the tornado, which soon burned fiercely in the wind, forming a blazing fire tornado. This was a move he had used in the Avokur Forest.
A fire tornado swept up in the sky, engulfing all the falling shells. The shells that threatened their lives instantly turned into balls of fire in the fire tornado.
But Lu Mingfei did not stop. There was a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes. He controlled the fire tornado and pushed it towards the no-man's land.
Lu Mingfei knew that he could no longer hold back at this time. Compared with the comrades around him who trusted him unconditionally, the vague sense of guilt was no longer worth mentioning.
Just become a murderer, as long as the people around you can survive, nothing else matters.
“Run!” Lu Mingfei roared with his last bit of strength, his voice filled with determination and madness. After shouting this, all the strength in his body was drained and he collapsed to the ground powerlessly, sweating profusely and gasping for breath. His vision gradually blurred. The fire tornado almost exhausted all his physical and mental strength, and even his consciousness began to become blurred.
Seeing that Lu Mingfei was almost exhausted, Hill and Paul immediately stepped forward, supported him on the left and right, and rushed out of the bunker with other soldiers.
The moment they ran out of the bunker, a gust of hot wind blew towards them, as if it was going to singe their faces. They stared in amazement at the fire tornado in front of them that was constantly advancing towards the no-man's land. Some British soldiers who ran slower were sucked into the fire tornado, and the moment they were sucked in, they turned to ashes like pieces of paper.
"Run!" Lu Mingfei shouted hoarsely while lying on Hill's back. He knew that he could not hold on for much longer. If he did not run, and the British artillery fire continued, they would all be buried here.
Hill and the other soldiers finally recovered from the shock of the fire tornado. They ran as fast as they could and retreated to the second line of defense in the rear. Every second of delay could mean death.
During the retreat, Lu Mingfei could still see a large number of artillery shells flying out from the British positions. These shells no longer bombarded randomly as before, but accurately hit every firing point and bunker on the Prussian defense line. Each shell seemed to be precisely guided and landed accurately on the target.
This level of accuracy made Lu Mingfei full of doubts. If the British artillery could maintain such high accuracy, their defense line would have been razed to the ground in the previous seven days and seven nights of bombardment.
The more Lu Mingfei thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. This level of accuracy was not something that could be achieved through ordinary artillery training. Even with a reconnaissance aircraft providing positioning, it would be impossible to adjust the artillery parameters so quickly. He looked up at the sky, and suddenly had an ominous premonition in his heart.
The planes were still circling in front of them and had not yet returned. Lu Mingfei sensed their presence through the sickle weasel. Those black figures were like predators in the sky, quietly waiting for the opportunity to prey.
His brows were furrowed. He didn't understand why these planes didn't leave the battlefield directly after reconnaissance. What was their mission? Could these precise bombardments be related to these planes?
……
At the same time, high in the sky, a two-seat, single-engine Farmant HF20 reconnaissance aircraft was soaring gracefully over the battlefield.
Its propellers cut through the air, making a rhythmic buzzing sound, as if playing a dirge for the battle. The pilot in the cockpit had a focused look on his face, his eyes fixed on the land on the ground filled with smoke and death.
Then he turned his head slightly to look at the back seat and asked, "Christ, did you use the snake to transmit the target location back?"
The young man in the back seat had his eyes closed, his face expressionless, his hands resting lightly on his knees, and he looked as still as a stone statue.
Hearing the pilot's question, Christ slowly opened his eyes, his pale golden eyes were deep and cold. "It was sent back. But I don't believe those shellings can kill him." He said with a little disdain, revealing a hint of contempt for the British artillery in his tone.
After all, he had fired artillery shells at Lu Mingfei before, especially after seeing Lu Mingfei's performance in the Avokur Forest with his own eyes. That scene was still fresh in his memory and even left an indelible shadow in his heart. He knew that Lu Mingfei was not an opponent who could be easily defeated.
"It doesn't matter. Our current mission is to help the British army break through the Prussian defense line first." The pilot's voice was a little casual. He controlled the plane to glide lightly in the air. To him, this battle was just an ordinary operation.
"We'll have plenty of time to deal with him later." The corners of his mouth rose slightly.
However, before he could finish his words, he suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of oppression coming from behind. He instinctively looked back, and when his sight fell on the fire tornado on the horizon behind him, his face instantly turned pale.
The fire tornado rolled violently on the ground, destroying the British attacking team along the way. Its flames danced in the wind, burning all the creatures that stood in its way. Seeing this scene, cold sweat quickly broke out on the driver's forehead.
"That's it!" Christ almost screamed out loud, his face was paler than the driver's. It was this fire tornado that left him with deep fear in the Avokur Forest. The feeling of despair as if he was about to be swallowed by the flames still remained in his memory. And now all this was like a nightmare reliving again, making him tense.
The driver felt Christ's emotional fluctuations, and the relaxed expression on his face disappeared instantly, and his eyes became serious again.
"It seems that the Elder Council's mission this time is much more difficult than we thought." There was a hint of nervousness in his voice. This fire tornado was far more powerful and dangerous than he had expected.
"Christ, pass the information to other pilots immediately and tell them that the target's strength is far beyond expectations. We must be more cautious." The pilot made a quick decision and ordered in an unquestionable tone.
"The priority now is to help the British army break through the Prussian defenses, and then work together to deal with the half-blood." His eyes were as sharp as an eagle. Although the situation before him became more complicated, he still calmly analyzed the current situation and tried to find the best response strategy.
Christ nodded and closed his eyes again. After a moment, the invisible snake swam out of his mind and quickly disappeared into the air.
Soon after, Christ's voice rang in the minds of the other pilots at the same time. It was a message transmitted directly through the snake. Every pilot immediately understood the current situation. They quickly adjusted their tactics and prepared to cooperate with the ground forces to launch a more violent attack.
……
When Lu Mingfei woke up again, he found himself lying in a narrow tunnel, and the sounds he heard were violent explosions and harsh machine gun fire.
The entire tunnel was shaking violently, and the soil at the top kept falling down. A few loose pieces of soil even hit him in the face, making him completely sober.
"Where is this?" Lu Mingfei barely propped himself up, the dim surroundings made it impossible for him to identify where he was.
He tried to recall but his mind was in a mess. The last memory he had kept was the moment before he lost consciousness. At that time, he was retreating to the trenches behind him. His physical and mental strength were completely exhausted due to excessive use of the Word Spirit, causing him to fall into a coma involuntarily. However, this time his head did not feel the same severe pain as before, which made him feel a little relieved.
Just as he was trying to organize his thoughts, several soldiers carrying the wounded hurried into the tunnel, and their footsteps and heavy breathing echoed everywhere in the tunnel.
Lu Mingfei saw the face of the wounded man who was carried in through the dim light. His heart suddenly tightened. The blood-stained face seemed to be his subordinate. He quickly stood up and went forward to check.
"Mr. Lieutenant...you're awake..." The wounded soldier opened his eyes weakly, and forced a smile when he saw Lu Mingfei, but he could not hide the pain on his face, and his voice was very weak.
"What's going on?" Lu Mingfei's uneasiness grew stronger. He leaned over and asked with a trembling voice.
"The British army... has launched another large-scale attack." A Prussian soldier next to him answered, panting. His face was also covered with dirt and blood, and his eyes were full of fatigue.
"Their artillery fire this time was very accurate, and... there were planes in the sky bombing and strafing us non-stop... we simply couldn't hold on." There was a hint of despair in his voice.
Upon hearing this, Lu Mingfei's heart suddenly tightened, and a cold fear spread in his chest. He was afraid that Hill Paul and the others might have also encountered an accident.
"Take good care of him." He suppressed his inner panic and then crawled out of the tunnel without hesitation and ran towards the trench outside. At this moment, he had to go to the front line to command in person.
As soon as he came out of the tunnel, the scene that greeted him almost suffocated him. The sky was covered with dark clouds, mixed with fire and smoke, and the air was filled with the smell of burning.
A machine gun in front was firing at the enemy frantically, and bullets poured out like raindrops, but this crazy shooting did not last long. A shell whizzed in and landed accurately next to the machine gun.
A deafening explosion sounded, instantly blowing the machine gunner into pieces. Blood and flesh splattered on the soil of the trench. The violent air wave directly knocked Lu Mingfei to the ground. He could only feel a buzzing in his ears.
He shook his head and struggled to get up from the ground. He looked around and saw someone trying to take over the machine gun, but the next second, a series of bullets turned the man into a sieve.
Lu Mingfei looked up suddenly and saw a plane flying low. The string of bullets was fired from this plane.
In the sky, dozens of fighter planes were circling in search of new targets. From time to time, a few Prussian Fokker fighters tried to take off and fight back, but they were no match for the powerful and were soon shot down.
These enemy planes used some unknown method to continuously provide the British artillery with accurate target positions, while at the same time attacking the firepower points on the Prussian defense line. If this situation continued, the Prussian defense line would be completely breached sooner or later.
Lu Mingfei looked up at the enemy planes flying in the sky with some anger and helplessness. He knew that even if he created another tornado, he would not be able to reverse the situation.
There are too many enemy planes in the sky. Even if he can control the storm and shoot down a few planes, the rest of the planes will quickly flee and return to the battlefield after the tornado ends. In this situation, he must come up with a more effective way.
The Word Spirit: Eyes of the Wind King.
Soon a strong wind gathered under his will, whistling towards a plane flying low in the sky. It was a French Spade VII fighter, the latest fighter developed by the French army.
The force of the wind was like an invisible hand, firmly grasping the plane, causing it to gradually lose altitude.
"Damn it! What's going on!" The pilot pulled the joystick desperately in the cockpit with a look of horror on his face. No matter how he operated, the plane could not climb again, as if it was being held down by an invisible big hand and could not move.
He felt unprecedented fear, sweat dripped down his forehead, and his vision began to blur.
The plane flew lower and lower, and eventually had to make an emergency landing. The pilot's skills were so skilled that despite the forced landing, the plane suffered almost no damage.
A cloud of dust rose from the ground, accompanied by the noise of battle. He opened the cockpit with a pistol and prepared to climb out, but the moment he showed his head, a bullet accurately penetrated his forehead. Blood bloomed in the air and his body fell limply on the seat.
Lu Mingfei walked out of the bunker, calmly pulled out the pilot's body, and then sat on it himself. His heart was filled with a hint of nervousness. After all, he had never flown a plane before, and his hands holding the joystick were shaking slightly, but he knew that now was not the time to hesitate. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried to merge himself with the plane.
He recalled the feeling every time he got a new gun, the familiarity of every part, as if everything was imprinted in his mind.
He hoped that this ability would also help him understand the plane and allow him to control it. Slowly, he felt a strange sense of connection. The three-dimensional structure of the plane emerged in his mind. The function of each part and the connection of each cable became extremely clear.
He began to understand the plane, each of its parts pieced together into a complete picture in his mind, and this feeling gradually made him relax and his heartbeat gradually calmed down. He could feel the vitality of the plane, as if it merged with him and became an extension of his body.
Soon the propeller of the plane began to rotate, making a low roar. Lu Mingfei gently pushed the joystick and felt the plane gradually accelerate, gliding on the ground that was pitted by artillery fire.
The battle around him was still fierce with the sounds of machine gun fire and explosions coming one after another, but at this moment he had completely entered a strange state, eliminating all external interference.
The plane began to slowly rise into the air, the sound of the tires rubbing against the ground gradually faded away, and Lu Mingfei's heart was gradually filled with a force. He gripped the joystick tightly, feeling the plane gradually climbing under his control and flying towards the sky above the battlefield.
End of Chapter 34
(End of this chapter)
