Wang Zhong didn't dare to lie down, for he feared that once he did, he would fall into a deep sleep.
When the bell tower was under artillery fire, Wang Zhong had specifically switched to Yeca Neiko Monk's squad - by now they were all considered under Wang Zhong's command, likely counted among that cluster of "routed soldiers", allowing Wang Zhong to draw the scene closer at any time.
He saw Yeca Neiko lying at the window on the street-facing side, staring wide-eyed at the stricken bell tower.
Before Wang Zhong could take pleasure in Yeca Neiko's astonishment, he heard Ludmila say, "We can fight back, that tank must be the enemy's ace!"
Wang Zhong thought, no, big sister, if you fire from here and expose yourself, they will retract.
In the game War Thunder, where a large number of missile vehicles have been implemented, Wang Zhong had gained extensive experience in countering missiles, and he knew that retreating into cover and deploying smoke bombs could effectively disrupt missile guidance.
The enemy was currently on the hillside, and a simple reverse gear would take them out of sight, while the enemy was almost two kilometers away from the town. For a missile - Divine Arrow - to travel that distance would take quite some time, enough for the enemy to react!
Although Wang Zhong was anxious, there was no way for him to issue commands to Ludmila and the others, after all, they were not actually units under Wang Zhong's control in a game!
Fortunately, at that moment, Yeca Neiko Monk, who was very experienced, shouted, "Stop! If we fire now, they will run away!"
Seeing that Ludmila and the others stopped what they were doing, Wang Zhong finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Yeca Neiko Monk likely had experience from the Winter War and even the Civil War.
No sooner had Wang Zhong put his mind at ease, than at least twelve tanks rolled over the ridge line, entering Wang Zhong's field of vision, all carrying thick and short "infantry tank" guns, which looked strikingly like the number four.
The tank destroyed by Yeca Neiko Monk's Divine Arrow squad in Ronied was one of this type.
A dozen seconds later, infantry skirmish lines and half-tracked vehicles also appeared.
Wang Zhong furrowed his brows, the enemy's firepower was much stronger than he had anticipated; just the machine guns on the half-tracked vehicles numbered over a dozen, not to mention those on the tanks, the density of firepower was astounding.
By comparison, the Third Rear Amur Group's machine gun firepower had been severely depleted and couldn't compare at all.
Observing Yegorov's layout, Wang Zhong discovered that Yegorov hadn't set up machine gun positions outside the town at all, clearly not intending to exchange fire with the enemy in open terrain.
The only light machine gun positioned at the edge of the town was there to cover for the Divine Arrow squad, and it was expected to move as soon as the Divine Arrow squad relocated.
Wang Zhong shifted his view back to the Divine Arrow squad and saw that they were ready to launch.
Yeca Neiko Monk, using binoculars to observe the enemy, said in a low voice, "Do you see tank with tactical number 181? It has additional antennas; that's the Prussians' command vehicle."
Ludmila also held binoculars: "I see it, tactical number 181."
Yeca Neiko: "It's up to you then, let me know when you're ready."
"I'm ready," Ludmila replied.
Wang Zhong was also ready; this time he wanted to witness firsthand how Divine Arrow's guidance worked. At least for now, Ludmila didn't appear to hold anything resembling a radio remote control device in her hands.
Yeca Neiko: "Fire!"
The gunner pressed the button on the launcher, and the rocket's tail flame instantly filled half the room, blowing off the portraits hanging on the opposite wall with a clatter!
Wang Zhong, raising his viewpoint, saw the rocket tracing an arc towards the enemy, its head glowing like a flare.
For a moment, Wang Zhong truly felt as though he was playing "War Game Red Dragon", where missiles were made extremely bright to be more noticeable, like fireflies, so that players could clearly see the missile trajectory even when at a high aerial view.
The enemy's tanks obviously hadn't reacted, continuing in their original direction, and they were hit as such.
After the explosion, the tank maintained its forward motion as if nothing had happened, then flames shot out from the engine radiator, and the vehicle abruptly stopped, with all the crew members jumping out of the tank and efficiently hitting the ground.
The next moment, the tank's ammunition detonated, and flames burst forth from the open hatches.
At that moment, Tank 182, which was advancing to the left of 181, came to an abrupt stop and rotated its turret—they had actually already located where the Divine Arrow was fired from!
Although the Divine Arrow had a very apparent trail, the fact that the enemy could determine the firing team's position so quickly could only mean that they were indeed experienced.
Just as Wang Zhong shifted his attention back to the Divine Arrow team, the enemy fired. The hurried shot was not accurate, merely hitting the wall beside the window.
The brick wall was instantly breached, and the shockwave from the explosion blew off Yeca Neiko's hat.
Yeca Neiko shouted, "Quick, retreat! Grab the stand and run!"
The two shooters picked up the stand and dashed toward the room's main door, with Ludmila close behind them.
Yeca Neiko was the last one, and just as the group stepped out the door, the second shell came.
This time, the shell flew through the window and hit the opposite wall.
As the shockwave and shrapnel swept across the doorway, Yeca Neiko had just stepped outside.
He stumbled and fell to the ground, cursing loudly, "Sukabule!"
Ludmila turned back and pulled Yeca Neiko up, "Can you still walk?"
"Yes! I just grazed my foot. Hurry to the second position!"
The squad ran straight out of the house, and at the same time, the light machine gunner who stayed behind to cover them started firing—to draw the tanks' attention and spread their focus.
Yegorov's men had already broken through the walls in the courtyard, so the Divine Arrow team quickly moved to the adjacent yard.
Right then, the third shell from the enemy came, still targeting the window where the Divine Arrow team had been, completely ignoring the machine gunner.
The third high-explosive shell directly pierced through the house, with bricks tumbling into the street on the other side.
Then the tank began to turn its gun barrel, clearly aiming for the machine gun this time—
Wang Zhong's heart was racing; he almost cried out: Run, you guys, run!
Unfortunately, his thoughts could not reach the two brave soldiers.
And they were too far from the tank to see such a slight shift in the tank gun's barrel without an overhead view and binoculars. By the time the machine gunners stopped firing and planned to move, the tank fired.
When the shell made impact, the machine gunner and the ammunition handler had just left the shooting window. The shockwave caught up with them, knocking them to the ground.
Wang Zhong immediately lost sight of the two men.
He felt some regret; he didn't even know their names—
Just then, a second Divine Arrow was fired from the adjacent building, aimed straight at the enemy tank that was still in its original position!
Wang Zhong's heart raced alongside the Divine Arrow towards the enemy.
The light struck right at the "chief" position on Tank 182, detonating on the vertical steel plate.
The next moment, the tank's turret was blown away by the blast wave of sympathetic detonation, even before the Prussians inside had a chance to escape! Wang Zhong could even see the body of a Tank Operator being hurled into the air!
But more tanks stopped, and they had all located the firing position of the Divine Arrow.
As it was said than done, the first barrage was fired.
In the blink of an eye, several 75mm high-explosive shells hit the building where the Divine Arrow team was situated!