109: Destroy the cross-river bridge

Lujiang Base · Northwest Corner

Missile Launch Site

At the strategic missile site in the northwest corner of Lujiang Base, four dark green V3 tactical ballistic missile launch vehicles, like steel behemoths dormant in concrete nests, had long been quietly deployed according to the combat sequence.

The V3 launch vehicles were covered in mottled digital jungle camouflage, blending into the rough texture of the base floor and the deliberately arranged camouflage nets around them. The launchers gleamed with a cold, hard metallic luster under the gloomy skylight, ready to fire at any moment.

"All units pay attention, target A bridge and B bridge coordinates secondary binding verification complete! Data link is smooth, fire control system synchronization complete!" In the communication channel, the voice of missile unit Commander Captain Zhao Gang came through, steady as iron. Every word was clear, cold, and hard, without a trace of fluctuation.

He stood by the mobile command shelter vehicle, his left hand steadily holding a tactical tablet, the screen displaying real-time satellite imagery of the targets and complex ballistic parameters; his right hand tightly gripped the encrypted communicator, his knuckles slightly white from the force. His gaze swept over his "behemoth" queue like a hawk:

Inside the cockpit: The operators had fastened their four-point seatbelts. Under the heavy shockproof helmets, their eyes were as sharp as blades, staring at the dense instrument panels and control screens in front of them, their fingers hovering over the confirmation buttons.

Under the chassis: The thick hydraulic support columns (outriggers) had long been deeply inserted into the preset reinforced floor grooves, emitting a dull hydraulic locking sound of "Click!", lifting the tens of tons of vehicle body steadily off the ground to avoid the huge recoil from tearing the tires or causing the vehicle to overturn during launch.

Launch rack area: Amidst the low, continuous humming of the hydraulic system, the massive launch tube/guide rail slowly elevated to the launch position at a precise forty-five-degree angle. The attitude gyroscope indicator light stabilized to green, like the bowstring of death being silently pulled taut. The air was filled with the faint, scorched smell unique to hydraulic oil, coolant, and preheated metal.

"Number One vehicle, final check of the warhead mounting mechanism and safety disarm status!" Zhao Gang's voice rang out again.

"Number One vehicle received! High-explosive warhead mounting locking mechanism confirmed secure! Fuse safety program disarm countdown synchronization complete!"

"Number Two vehicle, bunker-buster penetration parameters and delay fuse confirmed!"

"Number Two vehicle received! Bunker-buster warhead special alloy shell electromagnetic induction preheated to optimal penetration temperature! Target setting: bridge pier core area! Penetration depth setting: 40 meters! Penetration mode optimized for reinforced concrete composite structure! Delay fuse set!" The reply from the Number Two vehicle Commander was equally precise and professional, emphasizing the special optimization for sturdy point targets.

Zhao Gang looked down, and the bright red digital countdown on the tactical tablet screen ticked mercilessly—only one last minute remained until the "launch time" authorized by Commander Jiang Xin. He took a deep breath, the air mixed with dust, metal, and ozone rushing into his lungs, suppressing the last trace of instinctive palpitations.

"All units, final firepower distribution confirmed—" His voice rose sharply, like a quenched steel blade leaving its sheath, echoing in the silent position:

"Target A bridge: one bunker-buster (to strike the north main pier foundation), one high-explosive shell (to strike the bridge deck structure)!"

"Target B bridge: one bunker-buster (to strike the central main span load-bearing point), one high-explosive shell (to strike the south approach bridge junction)!"

"Single payload 58 tons! Total warhead charge X tons! Ensure the structural integrity of the target is completely destroyed in one go! Over!"

"Confirmed!" "Confirmed!" "Confirmed!"... The responses from the four launch vehicles almost instantly overlapped into a torrent of steel in the communication channel, without hesitation.

On the main screen of the command shelter vehicle, the high-resolution real-time satellite imagery clearly showed the two steel dragons spanning the great river—A bridge and B bridge. The cold steel trusses extended under the gray sky, and the scattered zombies wandering on the bridge deck were like tiny ants, completely unaware of the impending catastrophe.

"Headquarters! V3 tactical missile unit, launch units one through four, ready! Requesting to execute mission! Requesting launch authorization!" Zhao Gang roared into the communicator, his voice piercing through the low background noise of the engines.

After a brief, suffocating 3-second silence, Commander Jiang Xin's voice came from the other end of the channel, calm, concise, and cutting into the crux like a scalpel: "Execute mission! Launch!"

"Launch authorization confirmed! Execute!" A sharp light exploded in Zhao Gang's eyes, and his thumb pressed heavily on the glaring red virtual button in the center of the tactical tablet!

"Buzz—Woo—!!!"

The four high-power auxiliary power units instantly outputted peak power, and the roar of the engines suddenly transformed from a low whimper into a tearing roar! The entire launch site was submerged in a violent sonic wave, and the ground trembled slightly under the bass resonance!

At the top of the Number One vehicle's launcher, the fixed lock exploded with a "Bang!" sound! That slender, dark green bunker-buster, with a fatal logo sprayed on its body, suddenly spat out a fiery, blinding orange-red flame from its tail! The violent gas flow instantly scorched the diversion trough under the launcher red, stirring up a sky full of dust and smoke!

"Swoosh—Boom—!!!"

The sharp sound of breaking through the air, enough to tear eardrums, overwhelmed the roar of the engines! The missile body, like a fire dragon escaping its shackles, dragged a dark red tail flame dozens of meters long, and with the momentum of thunder, lunged toward the north main pier of A bridge to the southeast!

Number Two vehicle followed closely, the high-explosive shell left the rack and ascended! Immediately after, the missiles from Number Three vehicle (bunker-buster) and Number Four vehicle (high-explosive shell) broke free from their restraints! Four ferocious fire trails crisscrossed and climbed into the lead-gray sky, their trajectories as precise as death rays drawn by a supercomputer, rushing toward their respective targets with the determination to destroy everything!

Lujiang Base Headquarters

A massive holographic combat situation screen occupied the entire wall. On the dark blue background, four sharp green light spots representing the four missiles were speeding across the electronic map at a heart-stopping pace, pouncing toward the red cross-shaped signs representing A/B bridges. On the edge of the screen, cold parameters jumped frantically:

Speed: 1.2 Mach (approx. 1470 km/h) and continuing to accelerate...

Altitude: Terminal dive phase...

Distance to A bridge: 15 km... 10 km... 5 km...

Distance to B bridge: 18 km... 12 km... 7 km...

"30 seconds until the first missile hits A bridge!" The communicator's voice was taut like a fully drawn bow, carrying a trace of uncontrollable tremor.

Chen Hao supported himself on the console with both hands, his knuckles white from the force, his rough palms unconsciously rubbing back and forth on the cold metal tabletop as if to wipe away nonexistent cold sweat. He stared fixedly at the rapidly moving green dots, his Adam's apple rolling with difficulty, and squeezed a sentence out through his teeth: "Damn it... this commotion, it's exciting!"

Before the words fell!

The green dot representing "Number One missile" (bunker-buster) on the screen, with a decisive posture, slammed into the red marker representing the north pier of A bridge!

A bridge · North Main Pier:

The earth-shattering explosion expected did not sound immediately. Instead, there was a dull, ultimate sound that seemed to come from the depths of the earth's heart—"Thud!!!"

That was the sound of the bunker-buster, relying on its terrifying kinetic energy and special nose cone, penetrating the several-meter-thick reinforced concrete bridge deck like a hot knife through butter, and then continuing to drill deep into the core of the pier before detonating violently! The delay fuse ensured that it released all its destructive energy at the most fatal depth!

In the next second, the massive north main pier of A bridge, like a fragile air bag inflated to its limit from the inside, burst suddenly from the core! Countless gray-brown concrete blocks weighing several tons and thick steel bars twisted into twists, mixed with high-pressure internal gas, rushed violently into the sky nearly a hundred meters high like a fountain of hell! The main structure of the entire pier was visibly, like a towering giant tree snapped in half by the hammer of an invisible giant god, making a tooth-aching sound of metal distortion and groaning, and collapsed violently toward the turbid river surface!

Almost at the moment this devastating tilt reached its maximum angle—

"Rumble—!!!"

The second high-explosive shell arrived on schedule, hitting the middle section of the A bridge deck, which had already lost its support and was twisting violently in mid-air, with absolute precision! A fireball with a diameter of over fifty meters suddenly expanded! The violent shockwave propagated in a perfect sphere, and wherever it passed, the steel bars were easily torn, snapped, and melted; the heavy concrete bridge deck was completely pulverized like crispy biscuits! A section of the bridge deck, nearly a hundred meters long, turned into countless burning fragments amidst the deafening roar and blinding fire, carrying the remains of zombies that had been instantly vaporized, and slammed into the river below like a meteor shower, splashing turbid water columns dozens of meters high and a sky full of white water mist!

The prelude to the destruction of A bridge had not yet ended when, in the direction of B bridge, two more violent explosions with very short intervals had already torn through the sky!

"Boom—!!!" The bunker-buster hit the central main span load-bearing hub.

"Rumble—!!!" The high-explosive shell hit the vulnerable south approach bridge junction at the same time.

On the holographic screen, the 3D model representing B bridge was instantly covered by a glaring red "Structural Failure"! Satellite imagery transmitted back: The iconic huge main span steel structure of B bridge, like a behemoth whose spine had been pulled out, snapped and collapsed from the middle amidst the earth-shattering metallic wailing! The bridge bodies at both ends lost their support, twisting and shattering like kites with broken strings, slamming heavily into the river, and the splashing waves even briefly rolled back onto the shore!

The entire strike process, from the first missile leaving the rack to the last explosion echo subsiding, took only a little over a minute.

On the holographic screen, the silver lines of A bridge and B bridge, which originally symbolized traffic arteries, had been automatically marked by the system as glaring, continuously flashing (Destroyed). Both target areas were completely shrouded in thick black smoke (burning) and rolling water vapor (water mist stirred up by the shockwave). High-precision imaging showed: Large areas of oil pollution, broken and ferocious steel bars, and concrete fragments as large as islands were floating on the river surface. The lifeline that once connected the new and Old City Districts had completely turned into an impassable chasm of death.

The hissing of current in the communication channel briefly dominated, and was then broken by the voice of Captain Zhao Gang, which carried a trace of relief, and even more, the hoarse and firm tone of having completed the mission like steel:

"Headquarters, report! Mission complete! V3 unit, four shots, four hits!! The main load-bearing structures of target A bridge and B bridge are completely destroyed! According to the damage assessment imagery, the collapse rate exceeds 85%, and it has been confirmed that it is impassable! Over!"

In the base core headquarters, Jiang Xin stood in front of the holographic sand table, watching the models representing the two bridges instantly dim, shatter, and disappear. He raised his hand, his knuckles tapping lightly on the hard console tabletop, making a crisp "Tap, tap" sound. The cold arc at the corner of his mouth was now tinged with the sharpness of controlling the battle situation. He leaned close to the microphone, his voice transmitting clearly back to the missile site in the northwest corner through the encrypted channel, and spreading to all combat units paying attention to this battle:

"Well done!"