Chapter 184: One Person's War (1) (Patreon)

Transformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List

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"Buzz..."

Accompanied by the deep rumble of the armed Humvee's engine, a team of soldiers from the Delta Special Forces in North Carolina sat quietly in the vehicle, advancing alongside the armored troops in front.

"Lieutenant Warnd..."

A command was relayed through the communicator to Lieutenant Warnd Abramson, the commander of this special forces team. "We have received orders from above to proceed forward and prepare for demining..."

"Demining?"

Lieutenant Warnd was taken aback by this unexpected order. He turned to the communication officer and furrowed his brow, asking, "What's the situation?"

"Four tanks ahead have been destroyed by anti-tank mines. The enemy is proving to be much more formidable than we anticipated..."

"Anti-tank mines..."

Lieutenant Warnd's expression froze momentarily, then he nodded with a serious face. "Snow, take a team and head to Team B. The rest of you, follow me..."

If the enemy had indeed planted anti-tank mines, the situation could become extremely dire.

As a special unit personally assigned by the US Army to serve in the Sound Nest, Lieutenant Warnd and his team, although numbering just over fifty, represented nearly half of the combat strength of the US Delta Special Forces. After all, the Delta Force's combat personnel had always been maintained at around two hundred.

Upon their arrival at the Sound Nest, Lieutenant Warnd and his team gained the complete trust of Commander Major William. Not only were they truthfully informed about the Autobots, but they had also conducted several joint training exercises with them and participated in the previous battle in Tucson.

However, the awkward part was that their training had been based on the assumption that the adversary would be Decepticons from the beginning. Therefore, the Sound Nest hadn't allocated a dedicated demining unit, and they were ill-prepared in this aspect.

"Attention, everyone. The situation may be worse than we initially anticipated..."

Stepping out of the vehicle, Lieutenant Warnd immediately led a group of Delta soldiers, jogging past the tank unit ahead that had slowed down their advance. They soon arrived at a destroyed M1A2 tank.

Due to the presence of anti-tank mines, the advancing tank unit had already experienced an attack.

Armed helicopters circled overhead, their speed of advance was rapid, and they had essentially gained control over the surrounding airspace.

However, since the radar hadn't detected any hostile combat units on the ground, the formation remained highly cautious.

"Be careful, there are mines ahead..."

The Sound Nest Marine Corps members who followed behind the tank car issued a warning, and Lieutenant Warnd nodded, expressing his gratitude.

With a wave of his hand, the Delta team members, who had undergone demining and explosive search training, quickly bypassed the tank convoy and, under the protection of the overhead gunships, carefully searched for any anti-tank mines that may have been buried on the road ahead.

"We found an anti-tank mine in sector B1A4..."

"I have one here as well..."

Drawing on their extensive experience, the Delta soldiers swiftly discovered several anti-tank mines.

Since anti-tank mines typically have weight requirements to be triggered, such as the American anti-tank mine's trigger weight standard of 180 kilograms, they are not easily set off, making their elimination relatively straightforward.

Lieutenant Warnd soon found one and personally disabled the threat posed by an anti-tank mine. Picking it up, he furrowed his brow and remarked, "Another one of the Army's standard anti-tank mines?"

With his keen eyesight, he immediately recognized the anti-tank mine in his hand as the standard anti-tank mine used by the US military. This discovery made him furrow his brow. "How did our equipment end up in the hands of those robots?"

While he was still puzzled, there was a sudden explosion nearby. Soon after, screams followed, and Lieutenant Warnd quickly handed the cleared mine to a soldier and instructed him to put it aside.

He grabbed the communication device in his hand and asked, "Where did the explosion sound come from? What's the situation?"

"Sir, damn it... there are anti-infantry mines..."

From the other end of the communication device, a frustrated reply came quickly. Lieutenant Warnd's heart sank upon hearing it. Anti-infantry mines were an extremely brutal weapon. Once they exploded, they would cause extensive casualties among infantry units.

Although military-themed movies and TV shows occasionally depicted soldiers stepping on anti-infantry mines on the battlefield and escaping with remarkable reflexes, it was merely artistic embellishment. In reality, even the most elite special forces had a 70% chance of dying instantly upon accidentally triggering an anti-infantry mine. There was also a more than 20% chance of being permanently disabled, and only a small 5% chance of self-preservation.

Lieutenant Warnd couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. While they had received training in anti-riot demining, their focus was on counterterrorism. Currently, without specialized demining equipment and protective devices, they were helpless even if there were numerous anti-infantry mines on the battlefield.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he decisively gave the order, "All personnel, cease demining upon receiving the command. I will..."

Before he could finish his sentence, another explosion resonated from a hundred meters away, and the agonized cries transmitted through the communication device seemed unending.

"Medic, we have wounded here..."

"Ren, damn it, it's a jumping mine..."

Evidently, another well-hidden anti-infantry mine had been triggered, and it was one that people couldn't react to in time. The explosion instantly claimed the life of the unprepared soldier and caused injuries to several Delta Force soldiers in the vicinity.

Witnessing the battle had just begun, and without having even spotted the enemy, they were already experiencing casualties and losses. Lieutenant Warnd had no choice but to issue an order, wearing a grim expression. He raised the communicator and sought instructions from Major William, saying, "Sir, the situation has exceeded expectations. There are mines everywhere, including anti-tank mines, anti-infantry mines, and jumping mines. We lack specialized demining equipment and protective devices. Our comrades have already suffered casualties. I request to halt manual demining..."

The other end of the communication remained silent for a while, and then Lieutenant Warnd heard a hoarse voice respond, "Approved. Immediately retreat two kilometers. I have ordered preparations in the rear, and an M270 rocket launcher will clear a path for the tanks soon..."

"Yes..."

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 185 One Man's War (Part 2)