Chapter 142: Metamorphosis

Hu Hao ordered his subordinates to immediately transport the wounded to the rear field hospitals. If there wasn’t enough manpower there, they were to be sent straight to Bopa City. If that still wasn’t enough, they were to be transported to Late City. Anyone who dared refuse to treat them was to be shot on the spot.

Hearing this, the staff officers immediately started making calls to coordinate. As Hu Hao stood there, he knew that their casualties today were nearing ten thousand. The Allied forces’ casualties, however, likely exceeded fifteen thousand!

And in this battle, Hu Hao hadn’t even deployed his artillery yet. He intended to save his artillery for the final blow, to completely annihilate the entire Allied force attacking his troops.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” The explosions outside continued. Standing there, Hu Hao could see the Allied forces retreating.

But he was even more certain that the Allied forces would attack again today. They would likely resume their offensive around 8 or 9 AM. Hu Hao knew very well that the Allied forces wouldn’t give up their attack easily. Especially since the Allied command knew that only one division was defending this sector, they definitely hoped to break through here. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have stationed two full corps in this area.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” Amidst the continuous explosions, the soldiers hiding in the air-raid shelters sat in silence, or quietly comforted the wounded.

Many of the wounded had been shot. As long as the bullet hadn’t hit a vital organ, they could still hold on.

Mo Qin was currently sitting in one of the air-raid shelters. Right in front of him lay a soldier who had already passed away. His injuries had been too severe; even though they managed to bandage him, the soldier succumbed before they could transport him to the rear. He hadn’t made it.

Although they tried to evacuate the wounded during combat, only the most critically injured were prioritized, and someone had to carry them. With everyone engaged in fighting, the only ones available to transport the wounded were the reserve units sent from the rear. Under the constant barrage of Allied artillery and rifle fire, very few successfully made it to the rear.

Sitting there, looking at the young soldier—younger even than himself—Mo Qin couldn’t help but shed tears. Before this, he had never imagined that one day he might die on a battlefield.

It was easy to say things like, “At worst, it’s just death,” or “At worst, I die on the battlefield.” But when that day actually arrived, no one was truly unafraid. Suddenly, Mo Qin felt that his previous self had been utterly laughable. No wonder Hu Hao had scolded them. Having never truly experienced the battlefield, having never truly faced life and death, they simply couldn’t understand.

War was just this barbaric, and this simple: either you die, or I die. There were no complex rules, nor was there room for sentimentality. Anyone who had participated in war knew that surviving was the greatest hope, and the greatest luxury!

The same applied to Wang Yao. It was only now that he understood why Hu Hao wasn’t afraid of that Commander, why he dared to shoot the Commander’s son. In times like these, motherfucker, what was there left to be afraid of?

“Wang Yao! Wang Yao!” His Company Commander shouted loudly. By now, the artillery bombardment outside had ceased.

“Here!” Wang Yao stood up.

“The Battalion Commander ordered us to pull an officer to escort the wounded to Bopa City. Hao-ge’s orders: have the doctors in the city treat our wounded. Anyone who dares refuse is to be shot immediately!” the Company Commander shouted at Wang Yao.

“Yes, sir!” Wang Yao replied, immediately heading out to the rear of the positions.

The vehicles designated for transporting the wounded to the hospitals were parked in the rear. Soldiers were already emerging from the air-raid shelters, loading the wounded onto the trucks. As soon as a truck was full, it immediately drove off.

Wang Yao took a squad of soldiers and drove the lead vehicle. After about twenty minutes, they reached the outskirts of Bopa City. There was traffic on the road now, forcing them to slow down.

“Get out of the way! Did you hear me?! Get the hell out of the way!”

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” Seeing a car driving slowly right in front of them, Wang Yao leaned his head out the passenger window and roared at the vehicle ahead. After shouting, he sat back down, lit a cigarette, took a drag, and cursed, “If I had known, I would have driven an armored vehicle here and just rammed through anyone who didn’t yield!”

The driver beside him chuckled but didn’t say a word, continuing to blare the horn incessantly.

The cars on the road began to pull over to the sides. As soon as they reached an intersection within the city, they hit a red light. The driver just kept laying on the horn and charged straight through. The cars at the other two crossings froze, not daring to move an inch!

“Those soldiers are completely out of control!” one driver cursed.

“Motherfucker, who drives like that?!” another driver cursed. But when they saw the convoy of trucks behind them, all packed full of wounded soldiers, they immediately shut their mouths, not daring to utter another word!

“We’ve been driving for so long, and I haven’t seen a single police officer. Don’t they know they need to come out and direct traffic?!” Wang Yao cursed.

“You’re expecting too much! Hao-ge told us long ago: when we fight, we can’t rely on anyone but ourselves! If you rely on others, you won’t even know how you died!” The driver smiled and replied.

“Make way! Did you hear me?! Make way! Believe it or not, I’ll blow your head off!” As Wang Yao’s convoy continued, a car tried to cut in. Wang Yao aimed his rifle out the window and roared at them.

“Motherfucker, it’s so early, why are there so many cars? What’s going on?” Wang Yao muttered.

“Didn’t you notice? All those cars are heading out of the city. The ones coming in are probably just here to pick people up. Damn it, we’re still holding the line here, and they’re already running away. But I guess it’s better that they leave. We don’t even know if we can hold this place ourselves. If we fall, the civilians will suffer!” The driver replied, clearly understanding the situation.

“They’re fleeing?” Wang Yao asked.

“Definitely. Look at those cars; they’re packed with belongings, food, and valuables!” the driver observed.

Soon, Wang Yao’s convoy arrived at the Bopa City hospital. Having just arrived so early, many doctors hadn’t even shown up for work yet.

“Get your doctors out here! And your hospital director! Hurry up!” Wang Yao shouted, storming into the hospital lobby the moment he stepped out of the vehicle.

A few nurses on duty were initially startled by Wang Yao’s entrance. Then, they cast a dismissive glance his way and went back to their work.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” Seeing their lack of response, Wang Yao raised his rifle and fired several shots into a distant glass window.

“Motherfuckers, are you deaf?! I said get your director and your doctors out here!” Wang Yao roared as he watched the nurses scream in terror.

“What’s going on?!” A male doctor rushed over from a nearby corridor.

“Call your doctors immediately! Our wounded are about to arrive. I need them in surgery right now, do you hear me?!” Wang Yao strode up to the doctor and shouted in his face.

“But… but it’s so early, they haven’t arrived yet!” the doctor stammered.

“Then call them! Use the landline and notify them immediately!” Wang Yao demanded.

“O-okay!” The doctor nodded. At that moment, numerous trucks pulled into the hospital’s main courtyard.

“Hurry, get them down! Hurry up!” The escorting soldiers shouted loudly.

Wang Yao stepped out into the courtyard, aimed his rifle at the sky, and fired a burst of bullets.

“Everyone in this hospital, listen to me clearly! We have been fighting on the front lines all night. Now, we have wounded who need treatment. I don’t care who you are—director or nurse—you will come treat our wounded immediately! Otherwise, I will shoot you myself!” Wang Yao stood there, his voice booming so loudly it echoed throughout the entire hospital.

“Carry them in! If no doctors arrive within ten minutes, drag them out and shoot them!” Wang Yao ordered the soldiers carrying the wounded.

“Yes, sir!” The soldiers roared in response. Wang Yao also rushed over to help carry the wounded into the hospital.

“Over here! Over here, bring them this way!” An elderly woman wearing a white coat stood there and called out.

“Thank you!” Wang Yao said.

“The operating rooms are this way. Do you have many wounded?” the old doctor asked.

“A lot. Over a thousand!” Wang Yao nodded.

“Then we must prioritize the critically wounded first; that way we can save more soldiers. You must listen to me. We are professionals; we know who can hold on and who can’t!” the old doctor instructed.

“Alright, thank you!” Wang Yao nodded gratefully.

“What’s there to thank me for? You children are fighting on the front lines, fighting for us. We should be thanking you. This one can wait. It’s a through-and-through wound, and the bleeding has stopped. He can wait. I’ll have a nurse disinfect it first!” the old doctor said.

“Alright! Come on, right this way. Bring all the wounded to this old doctor first for triage! Listen to the old doctor! We have so many wounded, we have to treat the critical ones first, do you hear me?!” Wang Yao shouted loudly. Hearing this, the soldiers carrying the stretchers began directing them toward her.

By now, doctors from the various buildings had also begun to arrive. Seeing the massive influx of wounded, they knew the casualties from the front lines had arrived and immediately pitched in to help. Seeing that so many doctors and nurses had stepped up, Wang Yao sat down on the steps at the hospital entrance. With so many people helping, he was no longer needed to carry stretchers.

“Excuse me, can our front lines hold?” A nurse walked up to Wang Yao and asked softly.

“Ah! Oh, we absolutely will hold. Don’t worry!” Wang Yao replied.

“Oh!” The nurse nodded and hurried away. Right now, the entire city was gripped by panic; no one knew if the frontline troops could hold the line.

“Hurry! Come over here and help!” At that moment, many refugees appeared at the hospital gates. They had fled here from other areas. Hearing that there were many wounded soldiers here, they rushed over. Men, women, the elderly—many people came running to help.

Perhaps only they truly understood what those soldiers meant. The civilians living comfortably in the city likely didn’t know yet!

(End of Chapter)