1013: Chapter 998: First Cast the Net and See What Happens 1013: Chapter 998: First Cast the Net and See What Happens The second attack point was within Damascus city, a region firmly controlled by the Rebel Army.
“Night Demon One, there are a lot of people outside, and they are quite dispersed.
The terrain is complicated, with no appropriate landing zones.
I advise against entering the battlefield, over.”
“Night Demon Two, the enemy is dispersed and disorganized, and there are many heat sources outside as well.
I also advise against entry, over.”
“Night Demon Four, Boss, let’s pull out.”
Eileen was even more straightforward, directly suggesting a retreat.
Regarding the situation on the ground, if an attack was to take place, it would be urban combat, and moreover, it would be under the absolute advantage held by the enemy.
Urban combat offered both advantages and difficulties for special operations troops.
The advantage lay in the enemy’s inability to mass significant forces, whereas the difficulty was that if attackers encountered strong resistance, especially during an airborne entry, getting in might be easy, but getting out would prove difficult.
Special forces are formidable, but their effectiveness depends on the situation.
Used correctly, they are like a Dagger plunged into the enemy’s heart.
Used incorrectly, they are like eggs smashing against a rock.
There were countless occurrences where well-trained and well-equipped special forces were surrounded and annihilated by militia groups, and it was unsurprising.
Why?
Because special forces are human.
They can die from gunshot wounds, be torn apart by artillery.
Even the best-equipped special forces wouldn’t go head-to-head with a regular field army, because if they faced off directly, the special forces would be wiped out, not the ordinary soldiers with far less training.
The special forces had superior Gunmanship, but the regular army wasn’t foolish enough to stand still and get shot.
As long as they hid and surrounded the special forces, all that remained was to call for reinforcements and heavy firepower.
If it were a confrontation between two armies, there’s not much to say.
In such situations, using special forces as advanced infantry was straightforward.
However, in cases of deep penetration into enemy territory, any prolonged engagement with enemy infantry usually didn’t end well.
Gao Yang might have risked it if he could count on swift and strong support.
But in Syria, it was likely that their foreign troop was the only one capable of night-time airborne operations behind enemy lines.
So, unless Gao Yang had gone insane, they had to abandon this second attack target.
There was nothing to regret.
It was, after all, a broad search.
It was unclear whether their target was even there, so of course, Gao wouldn’t stubbornly stick to an impossible task.
“Night Demon Squad, change course to the third target point, over.”
They only circled in the air, never even landing.
The helicopter formation collectively turned and headed for the third target point.
The third target point was also in a Rebel Army-controlled area, but it was in the northern suburbs, close to a highway crucial to both sides.
The terrain was relatively more suitable for an air drop.
Moreover, the target point wasn’t far from the government forces’ front line.
If the battle turned dire, they could still receive artillery support.
And, if they were pressured to the point that helicopters couldn’t land, Gao and his team could still make a break for it.
If the attack failed, they wouldn’t find themselves caught in an inescapable trap.
“Night Demon One, there are many landing zones, and plenty of enemy heat signatures, but they are relatively concentrated.
Our artillery preparation can have a greater effect.
To drop or not, it’s up to your courage, over.”
“Night Demon Two, we can ensure the enemies’ reinforcements are cut off for a short duration, over—wait, I’ve spotted a convoy.
They’re not using lights and are moving between the buildings, heading towards the target structure.
Requesting attack permission!”
“Night Demon One, I can’t see the convoy, my line of sight is blocked by buildings.
Need exact guidance on convoy’s position, over!”
“Night Demon Four, convoy spotted, requesting reconnaissance, over.”
Without any hesitation, Gao ordered, “Night Demon Four, go check out that convoy.
Night Demon Two, permission granted to attack, over.”
Eileen flew closer for reconnaissance, reporting urgently, “Night Demon Four, I’ve spotted a convoy of seven vehicles.
They’ve maintained light discipline and I believe they’re equipped with night vision devices.
The convoy is headed for the target building and will soon be there.”
A convoy moving without lights was a big fish.
Gao urgently commanded, “All units, Free Attack!
Free Attack!”
“Night Demon Two!
Unable to attack, can’t guarantee the effectiveness of the attack, buildings are obstructing the field of fire!
I need to descend for a closer attack, over!”
“Night Demon One, descend for a closer attack, over!”
“Night Demon Four, personnel from the convoy are entering the target building.
I’m initiating an attack—no, stop!
Repeat, abort attack!
It seems like the enemy is beating the people coming down from the vehicles, I can’t make out the details, but it seems like they’re detaining people, over.”
F**k quickly made up his mind and urgently said, “Cease fire, Night Demon Four, try to get a clear look at what’s going on!
Over!”
“Night Demon Four here, someone has emerged from the target building, the enemy is dragging people out of the vehicle, someone has fallen, and the enemy is beating the people on the ground.
Let me see, it seems like the person being beaten was taken into the target building.
Oh, another group has come down.
F**k, I think they are guards, these people are protecting an important figure!
There are guards!
Request immediate attack!”
Eileen yelled out, and without hesitation Gao Yang ordered, “Fire!
Open fire!”
To avoid being heard by the enemy, Eileen’s aircraft was flying at about one thousand five hundred meters, a height at which sound would be negligible, but the effectiveness of machine gun fire would be poor.
Night Demon One and Two were even further away, with a distance of roughly three thousand meters to the target building, so only the two Mi-24s could actually open fire right away.
At that moment, the autocannon wouldn’t be very effective.
To take down what might be an important figure, they’d switch straight to firing rockets.
Night Demon One and Two had already maneuvered into positions from which they could launch an attack at any moment, having found clear lines of sight.
As soon as Gao Yang gave the order, the 57mm rocket launchers and autocannons fired simultaneously, and the two helicopters unleashed their firepower at the same time.
Once the firing started, there was no holding back.
The Mi-24s moved in quickly, the little Antelope did as well, and the Mi-17 that Gao Yang and his men were aboard was also closing in on the target building at full speed.
The rocket and autocannon fire had a wide spread, but with the two helicopters firing at least twenty rockets between them, the barrage of machine gun ammunition ensured that the location where the convoy sat turned into a sea of fire in an instant.
Eileen had brought her aircraft down to an altitude of less than three hundred meters, which allowed Glolov to shoot accurately toward the ground.
Not all the ground personnel had been killed; the two Mi-24s roared past, firing another four 57mm rockets at the ground.
Then, Night Demon Two dropped a bomb.
The two helicopters carried different armaments; Night Demon One was mainly equipped with 57mm rocket pods, two 80mm rocket pods, and four anti-tank missiles.
Night Demon Two carried four 57mm rocket pods and two 250-kilogram bombs.
The Mi-24 also had larger 240mm heavy rockets available, but these rockets produced a lot of dense smoke when launched, which could cause the engines to cut out mid-air.
Only very experienced pilots could use them.
Gao’s pilots were capable of doing so, but Syria simply hadn’t equipped them, so Gao and his team didn’t have access to these rockets.
The dropped bomb was incredibly precise, landing right in between the building and the convoy.
After a thunderous explosion, Glolov didn’t need to fire anymore; within the blast radius of the bomb, even people who could have taken cover on the ground would have been shaken to death.
Gao Yang shouted, “Night Demon Three, land!
One, cut off the battlefield.
Two, watch the target building’s entrance and don’t let anyone out.
Night Demon Four, Free Attack!”
With intelligence support, Gao Yang no longer needed to labor over checking specific data each time they acted.
The target building was a large structure that had once been an important freight distribution center on the northern outskirts of Damascus and also served as a truck maintenance hub.
Before the civil war, many trucks would come here for loading, unloading, and maintenance.
The place was large, but the office and rest areas were cramped and numerous.
The building they were attacking was a four-story “口”-shaped structure.
The building was large, with a substantial courtyard in the center.
To the north were a clutter of low-rise buildings, to the left of the “口”-shaped office building was the car repair workshop, and to the south was a building for workers and drivers to rest.
The terrain wasn’t too complex, especially since there were no enemy forces particularly close by, but when Gao and his team disembarked, their position, outside the northern courtyard wall of the office building, could potentially be under fire from the building they were attacking, as well as from the buildings to the north.
The attack was carried out entirely in the dark.
If the enemy didn’t have night vision devices, then it would be easy.
However, if the enemy had night vision, the danger level would increase but would still be within an acceptable range.
The helicopter landed outside the surrounding wall, but the wall had already been blasted to bits, offering no obstruction.
“Night Demon Four, you may enter.
Over.”
With a wave of his hand, Gao Yang led the men disembarking from the helicopter to rush through a gap in the wall, quickly approaching the target building.
They had to stick close to the wall to avoid being spotted and attacked by gunmen inside, just being cautious of grenades that might be thrown from the windows.
The three combat teams covered each other as they advanced and reached the entrance to the office building.
Outside the building, cars were blazing, and bodies mangled by rocket and machine gun fire were nowhere near recognizable; inside, fierce gunfire broke out.
The attack from behind Gao and his men had already begun, but though the Rebel Army’s firepower was ferocious, it was erratic and posed no substantial threat.
The office building’s glass had long been shattered by the blasts.
After reaching the entrance at the base of the wall, Gao Yang gestured; anyone with an angle from which to throw in a Grenade did so immediately.
The CQB combat pattern was actually quite monotonous.
Throwing grenades before entering had become standard procedure.
After about a dozen shock grenades had been tossed in, Li Jinfang darted forward, took a quick glance, pulled his head back, and then burst out again, his gun immediately unleashing a fierce barrage of fire.
(To be continued.
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