177: No resistance

"Mr. Xu, I have a request." Security Guard Lie's voice carried a trace of determination.

Xu Ning raised his eyes to look at him: "What is it?"

"This time, I want to personally board a tank and fight alongside you, defending this factory together," Security Guard Lie said resolutely.

"I am already old, with not many years left. I originally intended to live and die with this factory, and now the opportunity has come. I hope my sacrifice can have some meaning."

"During the war years, someone once asked if anyone was willing to step forward to resist the enemy. At that time, I retreated because I feared death; I didn't have the courage to stand out."

"Now, I want to make up for that regret," Security Guard Lie said with certainty.

Xu Ning watched him quietly, complex emotions surging in his heart, and finally nodded: "Okay, I promise you."

...

The next day, as the morning sun just broke, an armored column consisting of dozens of tanks, accompanied by the orderly steps of hundreds of infantrymen, grandly entered the town.

Battalion Commander Norvich, the overall commander of this operation, leaned out of the tank's cockpit, looking at the map in his hand with dissatisfaction, constantly muttering complaints.

"Damn it, how does this dirty work always fall on me?" Norvich cursed inwardly.

His mission was to come and flatten a historical military factory. The original plan from above was to execute it two days later, but for some unknown reason, it was suddenly moved up by a day, and the order to 'leave no survivors' was issued.

For anyone, such a mission to slaughter civilians felt ominous, let alone for him.

Although he didn't know what taboo this factory had violated, Norvich understood that the fate of this factory was already sealed.

Today, under the steel beasts he led, this factory would be completely destroyed.

At this moment, he only needed to act according to instructions: dispatch infantry into the factory, arrest all workers, and then execute them one by one; after that, have the soldiers plant explosives and raze it to the ground.

For them, such an action was as simple as drinking water daily.

The superiors also specifically instructed to pay attention to the Asian City faces inside the factory, all of whom must be arrested and await further handling.

"This is terrible luck. I've fought wars for half my life, and I never expected to have to strike at my own countrymen in the end," Norvich muttered angrily.

As the convoy was about to arrive at the Malyshev Military Factory, the voice of the forward scout suddenly came through the radio.

"Battalion Commander, something is wrong. There seems to be a line of tanks parked in front of the factory."

Norvich was suddenly startled: "Tanks? Where did the tanks come from?"

In a tense atmosphere, a guard hurried to report to Battalion Commander Norvich: "Battalion Commander, this place looks like a military factory specifically for manufacturing tanks."

"Oh? So that's how it is." Norvich nodded slightly, a hint of cunning smiling on his face, "This is an unexpected pleasant surprise for us."

"They have already driven all the tanks inside out, probably afraid they would be destroyed during the explosion," the guard added.

"Since the superiors didn't give any special instructions, I'll just take these guys for myself," Norvich said with a smug smile. "How interesting, they even want to do us a favor at the last moment. If it weren't for the death order, I'd almost be reluctant to make a move against you."

The corner of his mouth curved into a sneer, as if the opponents in front of him were nothing more than insignificant insects.

However, caution made him stop his advance and dispatch the first squad to scout the situation.

"Proceed, scout ahead," the Signal Corps Operator quickly responded, relaying the order.

As the scene in the binoculars gradually became clear, the slowly moving tank was approaching the factory gate.

Although still a kilometer away, due to the open terrain, the frontline scout quickly discovered something was wrong.

When he saw the tank safely enter the attack range without being attacked, Norvich's heart relaxed slightly.

Just as he was about to order the advance to continue, a deafening explosion suddenly broke the silence.

Through the binoculars, he saw the tank that had been sent out instantly turn into a pile of burning scrap metal, with black smoke billowing and flames soaring—evidently, none of the soldiers inside survived.

"Damn it, what the hell happened? Are the opponents crazy?" Norvich wondered.

How dare a group of workers so boldly resist a regular army?

Just as he was guessing the opponents' identity, an unexpected message came through the radio, "Battalion Commander, we have received a message."

"What does it say?" Norvich asked eagerly.

The Signal Corps Operator's face became unusually solemn, and he repeated word by word: "Malyshev will never surrender."

Hearing this, a cold light flashed in Norvich's eyes, "Since you refuse the toast and prefer the penalty, don't blame me for being impolite."

"Attack with full force, eliminate all resistance."

"Do these people really think they can contend with our regular army just by driving a few tanks? It's simply wishful thinking."

"Advance, fire, crush everything here."

"Boom, boom..." The air on the battlefield seemed to tremble with every explosion. The Signal Corps Operator's voice, filled with urgency, relayed Norvich's latest orders amidst the chaos.

Immediately after, a series of artillery roars echoed across the sky, as if Death himself had composed the symphony of destruction.

The tanks advanced slowly like steel beasts, with the infantry following closely behind them.

Just as this group of warriors was confidently preparing to launch a deadly attack, a sudden turn of events plunged everyone into shock.

As another friendly tank was destroyed, the soldiers were surprised to find that the defense line they had thought was impregnable was so fragile, almost completely unable to withstand the enemy's firepower.

What was even more incredible was that even concentrating fire with armor-piercing rounds could not penetrate the opponents' tanks' seemingly ordinary but exceptionally sturdy hulls.

"Damn it, they are all heavily armored over there," someone exclaimed.

What they were fighting against was not some lightweight opponent, but a fully armed and heavily protected heavy armored force.

"How can we possibly be their opponents?"

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Another wave of intense artillery fire tore through the sky, but this time, it was the counterattack led by Xu Ning.

In an instant, seven tanks turned into roaring burning ruins. A few soldiers tried to escape from the sea of fire, but ultimately fell onto the cold ground, their lives gradually fading away.

"Reporting, Battalion Commander, we have suffered heavy losses, having lost seven tanks," the Signal Corps Operator reported urgently.

"What is the enemy's situation?" Norvich asked.

"As of now, the opponents have not sustained any damage."

"How is that possible? After two volleys, we lost so many, and they are completely unharmed?" Norvich was both angry and confused.

"It's like this, Commander, the opponents are equipped with new type explosive reactive armor. Our weapons cannot cause any damage to them at all."