76: Sir, is this true?

"We are just ordinary Soldiers." Héctor took the cigarette, feeling somewhat flattered.

"Alright, forget about the prisoner company; I see you two are good material."

The Company Commander said, "Work with me. Come to our First Company, and I'll submit your names to be promoted to full-fledged combatants."

Gabriel and Héctor exchanged a look, both seeing the wild joy in each other's eyes.

"Sir, is this true?"

"Nonsense! Why would I lie to you?" the Company Commander laughed.

"Officially join our company, and you'll have meat at every meal, your pay will be issued on time, you'll have the best doctors if you get injured, and if you fall in action,"

"the pension will definitely be enough to ensure your families are well-fed and clothed for the rest of their lives!"

Gabriel nodded, his heart also burning with excitement.

Just then, at the corner of the street ahead, a dense burst of muzzle flashes suddenly erupted.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

Bullets poured over like a rainstorm, instantly sweeping several of their brothers in front to the ground.

"Get down! It's an ambush!" the Company Commander roared.

Everyone immediately hit the deck, pressing tightly against the ground and cover.

Gabriel peeked out quickly, and his heart sank.

Across the way, in a three-story apartment building, at least five windows from the first to the third floor were spitting fire simultaneously!

"Holy shit! At least five machine guns!" Héctor's face turned pale. "Did these bastards shove an entire machine gun platoon in there?"

This firepower density was more than ten times stronger than that lone machine gunner from just a moment ago.

Let alone sticking one's head out, even a fly flying past would be turned into a sieve.

The entire company was pinned firmly in place, unable to move.

"Company Commander! What do we do? Use the rocket launcher?" Gabriel yelled, turning back, subconsciously thinking of the treasure that had just shown its great power.

"No!" The Company Commander shook his head decisively, pointing at the opposite side.

"Five firepower points, too scattered! You can take out one at most, and the remaining four will tear you to shreds!"

Gabriel's heart skipped a beat; that was indeed the logic.

Before it was one-on-one; now it was one-on-five, which was a completely different concept.

"Damn it, how are we supposed to fight this?" Héctor cursed in frustration.

"We can't charge up, and showing our heads means death! If we drag this out, we're all going to end up here!"

The Company Commander, however, wasn't as panicked as them. He grabbed the radio on his back and skillfully pressed the talk button.

"Calling Vulture! Sector 07, enemy heavy firepower stronghold discovered, requesting air support! Repeat, requesting air support!"

A burst of static came over the radio, and then a clear, calm voice rang out.

"Vulture received. Sector 07, estimated arrival in two minutes. Please mark the target."

"Received!"

The Company Commander hung up the comms and pulled a red signal smoke grenade from his pocket.

He pulled the pin and threw it with all his might toward the building opposite.

The smoke grenade traced a parabola in the air, landing in front of the apartment building, hissing as it emitted blinding red thick smoke.

Gabriel and Héctor watched, dumbfounded.

"Company Commander, are you calling in a plane?" Gabriel asked, stuttering.

"Otherwise what?" The Company Commander glanced at him, his expression matter-of-fact. "Waiting for a pie to fall from the sky?"

Héctor's mouth opened wide enough to fit an egg.

Calling a plane?

Just for this one stronghold in front of them?

In the Government Army, let alone a company, even if a battalion was surrounded,

you'd have to report level by level to call for air support; by the time it was approved, the opportunity would be long gone.

Over here with the Free Army, a Company Commander could directly call in an armed helicopter?

What kind of god-tier unit is this!

While the two were still in shock, a unique "buzzing" sound came from the sky.

It came from afar, approaching with astonishing speed.

In less than two minutes, an armed helicopter with a shark-mouth paint job truly appeared in their field of vision.

Its sleek lines and the dense rocket launch pods mounted on the short wings on both sides exuded a cold aura of death.

"Holy crap..." Héctor muttered to himself, "It really came..."

The helicopter performed a beautiful hover in the air, its nose dipping slightly, aiming at the apartment building marked by the red smoke.

The next second.

"Whoosh!"

A rocket detached from the pylon, trailing a long flame, and slammed precisely into the second floor of the apartment building at a speed difficult for the naked eye to track.

Boom!

The violent explosion echoed through the street.

The whole building trembled, a huge gap was blown into the second-floor wall, and flames and black smoke gushed out.

Three machine guns in the building instantly went silent.

Before Gabriel and Héctor could even react, the helicopter gave a slight jolt again.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two more rockets flew out, diving into the windows of the first and third floors respectively.

Deafening explosions rang out again, flames soared into the sky, and rubble flew everywhere.

The five machine guns that had been so arrogant just a moment ago, along with the entire building's firepower points, completely became history.

The armed helicopter circled elegantly in the air.

Confirming the threat was cleared, it banked to one side, wagged its short wings at the Free Army Soldiers below, and then pulled up and flew away.

The entire process was smooth, flowing, and clean.

The street was dead silent.

Gabriel and Héctor lay on the ground, heads tilted up, watching the departing helicopter, their minds blank.

This is... the Free Army's infantry-air coordination?

A company-level urban battle could actually receive such rapid, precise, and downright luxurious support from an armed helicopter.

How could they lose this war?

Héctor turned his head, exchanged a look with Gabriel, and both saw four words in each other's eyes.

Terrifyingly powerful!

Meanwhile, at the First Division headquarters of the Government Army outside Gasparre, the atmosphere was depressed to the extreme.

Division Commander Emilio had bloodshot eyes, staring intensely at the map on the table.

A communications officer stumbled in, his face as pale as paper.

"Division Commander... it's bad!"

"Speak!" Emilio's voice was hoarse.

"The reinforcements we sent to the airport are all finished! The two transport planes sent by the Air Force were... were shot down by anti-aircraft missiles before they could land!"

This news made all the officers in the command room gasp.

Emilio's body swayed, and he held onto the table to keep from falling.

The last hope was shattered.

He should have thought of it earlier; since the enemy could paralyze their airbase, how could they not have guarded against their aerial reinforcements?

The strength of the Free Army far exceeded everyone's estimates.

They were not a bunch of grunts holding AKs, but a modern army with a complete combat system!

If they kept fighting, there would be no other result than throwing away the lives of all ten thousand Soldiers in the First Division.

Emilio closed his eyes, his face full of pain and struggle.

A few seconds later, he opened his eyes, and only determination remained in his gaze.

"Nicholas." He looked at his Deputy Division Commander.

"Yes, Division Commander." Nicholas immediately straightened his body.

"Take my family and retreat via the mountain road to the west; there should still be a chance there." Emilio said calmly.

Nicholas was stunned: "Division Commander, what about you?"

"Me?" Emilio gave a miserable smile. "I cannot leave. I am the Division Commander of the First Division, and I must be responsible for my Soldiers."

"I have decided to surrender to the Free Army."

"What?!" Nicholas was shocked.

"Division Commander! Think twice! We are the Government Army's most elite ace division; how can we surrender!"

"Ace?" Emilio shook his head self-deprecatingly.

"Without air superiority, without heavy firepower, and with even our logistics and supplies completely cut off, what kind of ace is that?"

"Nicholas, we have lost, lost thoroughly."