abnabooks Chapter 666 One Night Millions Massacre - 03
Chapter 666 One Night Millions Massacre - 03
Fortunately, the lieutenant was skilled at piloting aircraft. After the helicopter pilot was thrown overboard and lost to the churning sea, the lieutenant was chosen by default to take over.
"Captain! What about you?" the lieutenant asked, noticing the captain had not joined the others.
"As a captain, I can only go down with the ship. Just imagine if I were to survive while most of the crew died," he snorted. "I won't bring shame to my family. Please tell them I died a hero. And..." The captain pushed the lieutenant into the pilot's seat before stepping away from the helicopter.
"Make sure to record everything! Our world is not what we thought it was. We must stop this senseless war!" the captain shouted as the helicopter lifted off. He saluted the lieutenant, resolute in his final stand.
Back on the ship, soldiers and crew who hadn't been chosen for evacuation were overcome with despair. Some cried uncontrollably, too exhausted to do anything, while others had already accepted their fate. The atmosphere was suffocatingly grim, with a few individuals staring blankly at their weapons, contemplating whether to take matters into their own hands.
"What's with all this doom and gloom? Look alive, soldiers! Who said we're just going to sit here and wait for death?" the captain roared, his voice cutting through the pervasive despair. His commanding tone snapped the crew out of their despondency, rekindling a faint spark of hope in their eyes.
"Rejoice, maggots! I'll use my status as captain to get us the hell out of here or die trying! To hell with the reinforcement orders! This war is suspicious as f*ck anyway! Who's with me?" The captain's fiery declaration electrified the room. The crew, once defeated, now stood tall, energized by the slim chance of survival. They were ready to fight, even against impossible odds.
"We're with you, Captain!" the soldiers shouted in unison.
"Who wants to survive?" the captain roared again.
"We do!" the soldiers responded in tandem with newfound determination.
"Then move your asses! Get to your stations! Full retreat! Back to Hawaii! Full retreat!" the captain bellowed as he led the crew back to the bridge, rallying them for their desperate escape.
"Captain... Thank you...," one of the crew members said to the captain.
The crew members knew that if their captain survived, he would almost certainly face a court martial despite helping them survive the ordeal. After all, the captain had disobeyed a direct military order.
"Save your thanks for later. Thank me after we've made it out alive. Just help me out as a witness when I'm court-martialed—that'll be the best thanks you can give," the captain said jokingly, though he knew it was the truth.
The only exceptions to the merciless bombardment were hospitals and military infirmaries. These locations were deliberately spared from the artillery's fire, demonstrating an almost surgical level of precision. Even infirmaries situated just a few meters away from barracks remained untouched.
The bombardment continued unabated until dawn, at which point it finally ceased.
At dawn, as the light illuminated the battlefield, the devastation hidden under the cover of night was finally revealed. Hundreds of craters scarred the blackened earth, marking the relentless bombardment from the previous night. The enemy's side of the field was devoid of life, with only the infirmary left untouched amidst the destruction.
Scouts sent by the South Korean military returned with a report: apart from the infirmary, which housed a handful of injured soldiers who had been fortunate to be near it during the shelling, there were no survivors. These soldiers had sustained burns caused by the heat from nearby explosions but were lucky enough to avoid direct hits.
After careful deliberation, the South Korean military dispatched a vanguard force to verify whether all resistance had been neutralized. Their objective was to confirm the area's safety before the main force advanced to capture the border and move deeper into North Korea.
In time, the vanguard reported back, confirming that, aside from the infirmary, no threats remained in the area. With this assurance, the high command promptly issued orders to push northward.
Within a single day, South Korean forces captured one objective after another, advancing more than 30 kilometers into North Korean territory.
They established camps and set up new defensive perimeters. Although there was no resistance and the path seemed clear to advance further, the high command's cautious nature led them to choose to halt and consolidate their position rather than risk eating more than they could chew.
The local population, long subjected to regime propaganda, initially misunderstood the situation. Many believed the South Korean forces had come to surrender. However, reality quickly corrected these misconceptions.
Although minor disputes existed between the locals and the South Korean forces, these were resolved without major incident.
Within a few days, the locals began to adapt to the presence of the South Korean military, especially as they benefited from the abundant food and supplies the soldiers distributed to alleviate local poverty. This act of goodwill significantly improved relations and earned the South Korean forces considerable favor among the populace.
At this time, news arrived from the recon team that the South Korean forces had sent deep into enemy territory to gather intelligence. The report delivered today shocked the entire South Korean High Command.
It wasn't because the news was terrible. In fact, it was quite the opposite. The report stated that an orbital bombardment had completely annihilated a million-strong reinforcement force sent by the Qing Empire to assist the North Korean military.
The battlefield was scorched, with the ground riddled with green glass created by the superheated impact of the orbital bombardment. The relentless strikes left behind long, trench-like trails of destruction. According to rumors gathered from the local populace, the once-mighty million strong force had been reduced to only a few thousand stragglers. These survivors were now either hiding among the civilians or had deserted entirely.