Chapter 60 Return to the battlefield "A monster with great strength and invulnerability has recently appeared on Dead Man Mountain. My soldiers have no way to deal with him. I need you." Crown Prince William pushed open the door of the ward and went straight to the point without saying any more nonsense. His face was solemn and there was a hint of anxiety between his brows, which made the already dull atmosphere in the ward even more depressing. "Hybrid or Deadpool?" Invulnerable to swords and guns, extremely strong, these words immediately reminded Lu Mingfei of the hard battles he had encountered in the woods before. "So many cannons are useless?" Even in the hospital, Lu Mingfei could clearly hear the rumbling sound of the daily artillery bombardment on the Dead Man Hill in the distance. Even the sky outside the window was dyed gray by the gunpowder smoke. He didn't think anything could survive a bombardment of that scale. "No, we fire a huge amount of artillery shells at that place every day, but every time we launch a charge, the monster still appears and attacks our soldiers." Crown Prince William's voice was filled with fatigue that could not be concealed. "Our soldiers are no match at all." Lu Mingfei looked at Crown Prince William and noticed the deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and his slightly pale lips. The young crown prince had obviously exhausted a lot of energy in this war that seemed to have no end. "We are already running short of ammunition. We can't keep wasting it, and we've already wasted too much time." Crown Prince William exhaled slowly, as if he was trying hard to control his emotions. "We must take Verdun before the British attack on the Somme, otherwise we will be under the pressure of fighting on two fronts." “But…” Lu Mingfei hesitated. He still wanted to continue pretending to be sick to avoid this battle. After all, he was not sure if he could defeat the monster that could not be defeated even by artillery fire. "We will launch a general offensive on Dead Man's Hill again. If we can take it down this time, I will approve your leave and transfer you out of the Verdun area." Crown Prince William saw Lu Mingfei's hesitation and offered a very tempting condition.
"Vacation!" This sentence was like a bomb, instantly igniting the atmosphere in the whole room. Hill, Paul, and Kropp, who had been staying in Lu Mingfei's ward, all had bright eyes, revealing an unconcealable desire. Since they had been on the battlefield for so long, they had never had a vacation. Although they have stayed in the hospital for such a long time and have not been to the battlefield, listening to the artillery fire in the distance and the painful cries of the wounded around them every day is also a kind of mental torture for them. Among them, Paul and Kropp reacted most strongly. They were not alone like Lu Mingfei and Hill. They still had families waiting for them to return. "Vacation?" Lu Mingfei's eyes softened. He remembered that he had not yet sent out the family photo that Kaczynski had given him. Perhaps he could personally hand the photo to Kaczynski's family during his vacation. Kaczynski holds an extraordinary position in Lu Mingfei's heart. He wants to see if he can do something for Kaczynski's family to make up for his inner guilt. The condition of being transferred out of Verdun was also very attractive to Lu Mingfei. He didn't think that the battle of Verdun would end soon after taking the Dead Man's Hill. He had long been tired of this land, this meat grinder. No matter where he went, it wouldn't be worse than here. The mud of the trenches, the smell of decay, the artillery fire that could take his life at any time, all of these had long since made him numb. Moreover, leaving here can also get rid of the pursuit of the Elders Council. Although Lu Mingfei is not afraid of the hybrids of the Elders Council, those hybrids are a very big threat to Hill, Paul and others. "When will the next attack be?" Lu Mingfei finally raised his head and asked. "Tomorrow, we still need to capture Hill 304 before we can launch a general attack on Dead Man's Hill." Crown Prince William continued, with a hint of determination and anxiety in his voice. They launched several attacks on Hill 304 during April, but all ended in failure. The heavy artillery on Hill 304 caused very serious casualties to the main force attacking Dead Man's Hill, which resulted in the Hill being unable to be captured for a long time. "I understand, Hill, bring me my clothes." Lu Mingfei took a deep breath and slowly sat up from the hospital bed, but his movements were a little stiff, which was caused by lying in bed for too long. He tore off his hospital gown and bandages. Under the bandages, his skin was as smooth as a newborn baby's, without any signs of injury. Upon hearing this, Hill immediately handed over a brand new Prussian military uniform. His movements were swift and efficient, as if he had already prepared the uniform and was waiting for Lu Mingfei's order. Lu Mingfei took the clothes and slowly put them on. "This time I will prepare a medal of honor for you and accept it for you personally." Crown Prince William looked at Lu Mingfei, who had put on a brand new military uniform and had an upright figure and extraordinary bearing, with appreciation and promise in his voice. ………… After promising Crown Prince William that he would join the war, the Crown Prince immediately arranged a vehicle to take Lu Mingfei and the others to the Avocour Forest. The vehicle bumped along the road, and the faint sound of artillery fire in the distance and the slight vibration of the ground filled the air with a tense atmosphere. At this time, the Averculau Forest had been recaptured by the Prussian army, but the once lush forest was now just bare scorched earth. After getting off the car, Lu Mingfei gently stroked the burn marks on a tree in the middle of the forest, his eyes thoughtful. When his fingertips touched the charred bark, he couldn't help but think of the fire tornado he had released before, and the destructive power still made him feel incredible.
"Avokur Forest..." Lu Mingfei murmured to himself, his thoughts seemed to return to that fierce battle. Just as Lu Mingfei was lost in thought, a young voice came from behind him. "You must be the main force of the commando ordered by His Highness William. I am the staff officer in charge of the shelling of Hill 304. My name is Erich von Manstein." The voice was polite and confident, and the tone was calm, but it revealed the firmness and decisiveness unique to soldiers. Lu Mingfei turned his head and saw a young officer standing behind him, smiling at him politely. The young man had a resolute look on his face, his military uniform was straight, and his eyes revealed intelligence and calmness. "Manstein? The God of Driving?" Lu Mingfei was slightly stunned when he heard the name, and then blurted it out. The image of the future God of Driving could not help but emerge in his mind. "God of driving? I can't drive." The young man smiled and waved his hand when he heard Lu Mingfei's words, with a hint of curiosity and confusion in his eyes. Obviously, he was a little surprised by Lu Mingfei's evaluation, but he quickly refocused his attention on the current task without asking any more questions. "The bombardment will begin tomorrow morning and will last for two days and one night. I hope that by the time the bombardment is over, you, Lieutenant, will be able to successfully capture Hill 304." The young officer continued, but his eyes were full of curiosity as he looked at Lu Mingfei. He was very interested in a lieutenant who was valued by the heir to the country. However, the young officer left after saying these words. He still had to prepare for the artillery bombardment tomorrow morning. It was really not easy for him to spare some time to satisfy his curiosity. Just as the young officer turned to leave, Hill happened to come to find Lu Mingfei. He and the young officer passed by each other and their eyes met briefly. "Mr. Lieutenant, who is that man?" Hill asked with some confusion, with a hint of curiosity in his tone, as he looked at the young officer's back as he left. Lu Mingfei looked at the young officer's back as he left, then looked at Hill. His eyes became a little complicated, with a meaningful light flashing in them. "What's wrong, Lieutenant?" Hill was a little scared by Lu Mingfei's strange eyes. He didn't understand why a strange officer would make Lu Mingfei look like that. "That man is the staff officer who commanded the bombardment of Hill 304 this time, but he is very experienced in driving." Lu Mingfei looked away from the back of the young officer and said casually. There was a hint of teasing and amusement in his tone, as if he was telling an insignificant joke, but it revealed some deep meaning. "Drive?" Hill was confused by Lu Mingfei's answer. He scratched his head, obviously puzzled by the meaning of this sentence. "Okay, don't worry about it." Lu Mingfei stopped explaining and turned around and took Hill towards where they were stationed. This incident was just a minor episode for Lu Mingfei. What he really cared about was the attack that would be launched tomorrow morning. The Prussian army hated Hill 304 to the core. If it weren't for the heavy artillery on Hill 304, Dead Man's Hill would have been captured long ago. In order to retaliate against the heavy artillery group on Hill 304, they dispatched 500 heavy artillery pieces and prepared to carry out a devastating bombing on Hill 304 for two days and one night. Every cannon is ready to fire, with its muzzle pointed at the stubborn high ground, to completely wipe it off the map. The shells are like sleeping beasts, quietly waiting for orders to come. Once awakened, they will release endless rage and destruction. The next morning, the bombardment came as planned. As soon as the sky was light, the dull sound of artillery began to sound. 500 huge cannons fired at the same time. The huge roar shook the entire sky and made the ground tremble slightly. The shells fell on the 304 high ground like raindrops, rolling up countless mud and gunpowder smoke. The air was filled with the smell of hot gunpowder and the smell of burning. A column of smoke rose from Hill 304 and reached the sky. The horrific bombardment lasted for two days and one night. The shells ruthlessly tore through the earth and crushed everything on the hill into powder. Every inch of land on that high ground seemed to be soaked in blood, and it became the burial place of countless soldiers. Finally, the shelling ended, and Lu Mingfei, along with Hill and other troops, began to attack Hill 304. The scene on the high ground was shocking. As soon as Lu Mingfei stepped onto the high ground, he smelled a strong stench of corpses. The smell almost made him nauseous. He had smelled the stench of corpses many times, but this time the stench was stronger than any time he had smelled before. The stench seemed to be turning into substance, making it hard to breathe. The 304 high ground was littered with broken limbs and arms, which were rapidly decaying in the gradually hot weather. Blood and dirt mixed together to form a thick layer of black mud that made a sticky sound when stepped on. But what amazed Lu Mingfei was that under such fierce bombardment, there were still many French soldiers alive. The faces of those survivors were covered with dust and blood, and their eyes revealed madness. After the French soldiers' fortifications were destroyed by artillery fire, they hid under the mountains of corpses of their comrades, using their comrades' bodies to resist the artillery fire. When Lu Mingfei and his men reached the high ground, the surviving French troops were still resisting stubbornly. They rushed towards them with their rifles equipped with bayonets.
Lu Mingfei couldn't help but marvel at the tenacity of these French soldiers. Their courage and will were admirable, but these attacks were as powerless as babies in front of him. Lu Mingfei's eyes were calm and ruthless, his body had already entered a combat state, every movement was precise and swift, he easily dodged those bayonets stabbing at him in mid-air, then gunshots rang out, ending the opponent's life quickly and cleanly. Hill 304 was finally captured. According to statistics afterwards, nearly French soldiers were buried on this small piece of hill. However, the battle was far from over, and the general offensive on Dead Man's Hill would be launched. ……………… Moreno sat on a pile of dead Prussian soldiers, surrounded by the bloody smell of the battlefield and the cold dampness of the earth. He looked down at his hands that had turned into sharp claws, and the dense green scales on his skin trembled slightly, opening and closing like breathing. His cheeks were also covered in these scales, which acted like a cold barrier, isolating him from his former human emotions, and his eyes radiated a dazzling golden light. "Was Markle like this in the beginning..." He murmured in a low voice, with a hint of bitter amazement and unspeakable fear in his voice. He still clearly remembered the burning sensation when the drop of dragon blood slid into his throat, like a raging fire instantly burning his internal organs. Followed by a beast-like desire to kill, which took over his mind and roared madly in his mind, "Kill them all... Kill them all..." The voice was sharp and piercing, constantly tearing at the edge of his sanity. At that time, an unprecedented power surged in his body. He felt his muscles expand, and his palms turned into sharp claws that could even tear steel easily. Driven by his will to kill, he tore the Prussian soldiers who rushed over to him one by one, blood splattered everywhere, staining everything around him red. The dead soldiers still had fear on their faces. But when he personally ended the lives of those Prussian soldiers, the will to kill became even more intense and urged him to slaughter the French soldiers in the trenches. At that moment, he almost lost all his reason, and there was only scarlet rage and endless murderous intent in his eyes. However, on the verge of losing control, Moreno tried his best and regained control of his body at the last moment. His chest heaved violently, his hands clenched into fists, his fingertips pierced deeply into his palms, oozing bright red blood, but when he looked back, he found that the French soldiers in the trenches were pale and looking at him with horror, as if he saw a demon crawling out of hell. They staggered away like fleeing, and from then on no French soldier dared to approach the trench. He stood alone in the blood-stained trench, tearing the Prussian soldiers who attacked wave after wave into pieces. Just as Moreno was lost in memories and self-reflection, deafening artillery fire was heard in the distance. The ground shook, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder. He frowned. "Here we go again..." His voice was filled with a hint of impatience and indifference. He hadn't known how many times this kind of bombardment had happened, and he had gotten used to this kind of non-stop bombardment. “Spirit of Words·Bronze Throne!” He whispered softly, and before he finished his words, thick scales quickly grew out of his body like living things, covering his body layer by layer, forming a green armor that was indestructible. The shells rained down and landed around him, the shock waves and shrapnel produced by the explosions flying everywhere, but when they came into contact with his scales, they only left insignificant scratches. However, this time, Moreno felt something was different. After the bombardment gradually subsided, the Prussian soldiers who used to rush up were nowhere to be seen. There was an eerie silence in the air, with only a figure slowly emerging from the smoke. The figure walked towards him step by step, and each step seemed to leave a deep mark on the ground. Moreno's heart sank suddenly. He clearly felt the strong sense of threat coming from that figure. Sorry, I will have to wait until September to update. I am too busy with work now. (End of this chapter)