252: Heroes Monument

The more than sixty thousand soldiers of the Red Alert Legion, with iron-willed determination and unstoppable firepower, were like four battle-hardened hammers, continuously pounding against the remaining shell of Hongdu, that massive nest.

The Red Alert flags were successively planted in the four major districts of the east, west, south, and north, and the gunfire to clear out the remaining enemies gradually faded. The spearhead of the army pointed directly at the last and most core areas of Hongdu—the Old City District, which carried history and memories, and the Economic Development Zone and High-Tech Zone, which represented modernity and the future.

Jiang Xin personally led the main force of the northern line, moving from north to south, launching the final offensive towards the cradle of the city—the Old City District. The two fierce generals, Zhang Lei and Chen Hao, combined their forces, their steel torrent pointing straight at the Economic Development Zone. Meanwhile, Li Ang led his elite troops, advancing steadily and methodically, clearing out the neatly planned and relatively less populated High-Tech Zone.

Under the Red Alert Legion's near-limitless barrage of ammunition and the soldiers' fearless, life-risking charges, the Zombie Horde entrenched in the three core areas was completely shattered, and the high-level zombies putting up a desperate resistance were beheaded one by one.

When the final shriek of a zombie was extinguished in Hongdu, and the last street was declared cleared, this massive southern city of thirty million people, after more than six months of being under siege, finally welcomed its complete liberation!

On the day the Old City District was liberated, the sky seemed to sense this historic moment; the days of haze dissipated, revealing a long-lost azure blue. Sunlight, like a golden waterfall, spilled onto the scarred yet reborn city streets.

Jiang Xin ordered all units to quickly consolidate their defense lines and search for survivors, and personally led the tens of thousands of soldiers who had participated in the battle for the Old City District, marching with heavy steps toward the Hero Square in the city center.

The square was still vast, but the once-pristine floor tiles had long been covered by gore, smoke, and cracks. The surrounding buildings were dilapidated, like silent witnesses.

However, in the center of the square, the Hero Monument, built of gray-white stone, towering into the clouds, and having weathered wind, snow, and even the blood and fire of the apocalypse, still stood tall! The mottled, dried bloodstains crisscrossing the monument did not diminish its aura; instead, they added a sense of tragic grandeur and magnificence, standing tall after enduring such calamities!

Tens of thousands of Red Alert soldiers, from officers to enlisted men, spontaneously and silently formed neat, solemn phalanxes around the monument.

Their uniforms, stained with dust and blood, were particularly striking under the sunlight. All eyes were fixed on that silent monolith, filled with indescribable reverence, remembrance, and irrepressible excitement.

Jiang Xin walked step by step to the front of the monument, looking up at the engraved names of those who were once vibrant and alive. His chest heaved violently, his heart surging like a turbulent sea, restless and intense.

Hongdu, this land of heroes, had once produced that meritorious unit. For the independence and liberation of the nation, they shed their blood and sacrificed their lives, establishing achievements that would shine through the ages!

This monument was the distillation of those years of war, the resting place for thousands of heroic souls, and a spiritual monument engraved in the hearts of millions of Chinese people! However, when the apocalypse descended and zombie monsters ran rampant, this monument had once fallen into the hands of alien races, shrouded in filth and death.

Today, he, Jiang Xin, leading another heroic unit, had crossed mountains of corpses and seas of blood, finally taking it back! This was not merely the recovery of territory, but a reclamation of spirit, a glorious victory of the fire of civilization over the abyss of the dark apocalypse!

He turned his head slightly to look at Lu Qinian, who was standing beside him, his body trembling with equal excitement.

"General Lu." Jiang Xin's voice carried a hint of imperceptible hoarseness, yet it clearly reached Lu Qinian's ears. "We... finally took it back! This immortal monument that belongs to our human race, to our China!"

Lu Qinian, this old general who had spent half his life in battle and had seen all sorts of storms, could no longer suppress his inner emotions. Hot, murky tears instantly welled up and streamed down his weather-beaten, deeply lined cheeks, the tears crossing the corners of his mouth with a salty taste.

"Yes... we took it back... finally took it back!" His voice was choked with sobs, yet filled with immense relief and pride. "These past six months... I, Lu Qinian, have thought of this day every single moment! Thinking of being able to stand on this square again, to tell the ancestors of China with my head held high, to comfort the countless martyrs who sleep here... We... have not let down this land! Hongdu... our Hero City... today, it is finally liberated!!"

Lu Qinian's words voiced the inner thoughts of all the original Hongdu garrison troops present, and indeed, everyone who knew the history of this city. Half a year of humiliation, half a year of holding on, half a year of anticipation—at this moment, all of it turned into hot tears and supreme glory.

Jiang Xin took a deep breath, as if to inhale this historic air deep into his lungs. He turned abruptly to face the tens of thousands of soldiers standing at attention and, using all his strength, issued that solemn command. His voice, like a great bell, rang throughout the entire square:

"All units, attention—! To the martyrs—salute!!!"

Before the words had even faded, he moved first. With the most solemn and slow posture, he took off his military cap and held it tightly against his left chest, as if cradling a heavy mission and legacy.

Immediately, he raised his right arm, fingers together, fingertips lightly touching his temple, offering a standard and immensely solemn military salute toward the towering monument! His posture was as straight as a pine, his gaze as firm as iron, filled with reverence for history and a commitment to the future.

"Snap—!!!"

Like a single, unified thunderclap! Surrounding the monument, those tens of thousands of Red Alert soldiers, regardless of rank or origin, made the same movement at the same moment—remove cap, hold it, salute!

There was not a shred of noise, only the slight sound of clothing rustling. Sunlight shone on their young and resolute faces, reflecting on the red flags and armbands that symbolized loyalty and blood.

Countless gazes, like the most searing torches, focused on that monument which had witnessed countless sacrifices and glories. In those gazes, there was infinite reverence for the martyrs, sincere pride in victory, and even more, the firm determination to take up the heavy responsibility of history and continue to charge forward valiantly!

The entire Hero Square, at this moment, fell into a sacred silence. Only the sound of the wind whipping against the tattered flags remained, as if it were the response and entrustment of the heroic spirits of the martyrs. This city, which had suffered so much, and this immortal spiritual monument, declared its official return amidst the solemn military salute of tens of thousands of new-era guardians! The fire of human civilization, on this once-fallen land, burned brightly once more, shining with immense radiance!

(Brothers, salute the Hero City, salute the revolutionary martyrs)