The Changshan Mountain Range originated from the Laotian Plateau, stretching along the borders of Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar. On April sixteenth of the first year of Taihao, the Southern Tibet contingent detached thirty thousand troops and entered Vietnam along the border between Laos and the Great Dragon Nation. Their first engagement captured Fansipan Peak, and five days later, this modernized army conquered Hanoi, subsequently pushing south along the Changshan Range.

The defending Vietnamese forces were utterly incapable of stopping this purely modern army, equipped with three hundred Humvee-class fighter-bombers, three hundred Leopard attack helicopters, five hundred Tiger-class main battle tanks, five hundred troop carriers fitted with short-range missile launchers, thirty Metal Storm systems, and further offshore in the Gulf of Tonkin, two Earth-class underwater fortresses stood ready to provide missile strike support against Vietnam at any moment.

Commander Qin Yicheng directed this operation. After a brief respite in Hanoi to reorganize and resupply ammunition, the troops bypassed the Ma River and Zhu River, plunging directly toward Mount Phou Xai Leng, the 2711-meter primary peak within the Changshan Range.

Unexpectedly, the Vietnamese army, previously scattered like loose sand, held firm here as if protected by an iron bucket. An assault by eight thousand troops yielded no result after a full day; missiles were countered by immediate retreat into deep mountain bunkers, and when helicopters and tanks advanced, the defenders emerged from underground fortifications, successfully pinning the thirty thousand troops outside Vinh, a moderately sized port city in Central Vietnam and the army's next objective.

Since all soldiers were equipped with the new bulletproof vests and anti-gravity flight packs, and the main assault relied on attack helicopters supported by tanks, the siege battles, though intense, resulted in relatively low casualties. However, the halt in progress greatly irritated Qin Yicheng. The Earth-class underwater fortresses had already been ordered to launch three waves of armor-piercing bunker-buster missiles, but the Changshan Range was immensely deep—little Vietnam had spent years meticulously fortifying it—and the Taihao forces could not breach it for the time being.

As dusk settled, the fighting temporarily ceased. Both sides constructed temporary defensive lines along their respective positions. Unless something unforeseen occurred, there should be no further engagements that night. Although tenacious, the Vietnamese defenders had suffered significant damage from repeated strikes, while the Taihao forces needed to devise their next operational plan; this pause was necessary for both parties.

Phou Xai Leng loomed less than five kilometers ahead. The battlefield was situated within the river valley plain between two massive mountain ranges. The Vietnamese forces had constructed fortifications extending along both mountains right up to Phou Xai Leng. The attacking unit found every advance agonizingly slow, being caught in flanking fire from both sides. Despite losing three tanks, one helicopter, and one fighter-bomber, they had advanced less than two hundred meters. Abandoning this Vietnamese contingent and driving south would certainly invite a pincer attack from the rear and front; therefore, this position absolutely had to be taken.

The southern climate was humid and hot. Inside one missile troop carrier, several soldiers were passing the time talking. Soldier A asked the group, "Brothers, I’m from Jiangxi, where are the rest of you from?"

Soldier B replied, "I'm from Jilin. Joined the army the year before last. Lucky I was assigned to the Lanzhou Military Region, otherwise I wouldn't be out here fighting little Vietnam. My own father fought these little bastards back then; I can't believe it’s my turn to fight them so many years later. Back then, our millet and old rifles were wasted on them—ungrateful sons of bitches."

Soldier C chimed in, "I’m from Guangdong, just joined last year. I was pretty depressed being transferred suddenly from the coast to the far northwest, but who knew things would turn out like this? Joining the Taihao forces, I feel quite fortunate. Many old friends back home email me, filled with envy. You have no idea how disappointing the Great Dragon Nation government has become now. Many of my university classmates called me crying. Damn it, they're making the descendants of the Dragon lose face."

Soldier A sighed, "But my parents absolutely disapprove of me joining Taihao. They say I’m being used as cannon fodder. They've urged me to come home more than ten times when I call."

Soldier B, being from the Northeast, spoke bluntly, "Screw that 'cannon fodder' nonsense! Our fighting today was intense, right? But have you actually seen anyone die? You couldn't dream of a battle with such absolute superiority. Just look at the gear we’re wearing—these thin vests have saved our lives countless times. At the crucial moment, we can actually fly! If you’d stayed in the country, would you ever have imagined you’d be able to fly someday? And this helmet—it has night vision, global GPRS positioning, everything on us is incredibly expensive. What does that tell you? It means Taihao has the power to make the Americans choke with rage. Not to mention the bonuses—they’re triple what they were before. Where else are you going to find something so satisfying and beneficial?"

Soldier A worried, "But we were set back today. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?"

Soldier C reassured him, "Put your mind at ease. I heard the two massive armies in the north are sweeping through the Japanese islands and both North and South Korea. Our little issue here will surely be resolved tomorrow. It's just two mountains, at worst we'll be like Yu Gong moving mountains. The Taihao forces have had smooth sailing until now; encountering a bit of difficulty now is good, it reminds everyone not to get too arrogant."

Soldier D, who had been sitting by the carrier door, suddenly shushed them and pointed outside. The four quietly peered out. They saw Commander Qin Yicheng standing on the nearby position with several young men, pointing toward Phou Xai Leng under the cover of night. Strangely, a cat was perched on the shoulder of one of the young men.

Soldier D whispered, "Who are those people? They’re so young, yet they have the Commander personally accompanying them to observe the terrain. They must be some high-ranking official from Taihao, otherwise, who dares bring a pet to the battlefield?"

Soldier B recognized one, "I only know one of them. The stern-faced young man on the far left is Boss Xia Huren of the Red Dragon. That guy is ridiculously capable. A while back, he was protecting the big star Liu Xue. Do you know who that big star Liu Xue offended?"

The others shook their heads; although they liked the celebrity Liu Xue, they weren't that interested in gossip. Soldier B puffed out his chest proudly, "Good heavens, the big star Liu Xue offended the world-class assassin organization—Silver Wing! But this Liu Xue is also extremely smart. She knew the bodyguards her company sent were useless dogs, so she secretly hired Boss Xia of the Red Dragon. Boss Xia investigated and found that the Yakuza in Japan were also involved behind the scenes. So, on a dark and windy night, he led a squad of brothers to Japan and wiped out the thirty thousand-strong Yakuza in a few moves. You guys wouldn't believe it; the blood flowed like rivers in Japan then—hell, I think it flowed like a whole river that time."

Soldier A asked, "The Red Dragon wiped out the Yakuza? Why haven't I heard about this before?"

Soldier B replied knowingly, "How could such a secret be known to outsiders? I only heard my friends guessing. Let's continue talking about the Silver Wing assassin organization. They sent two groups to assassinate Big Star Liu Xue, but Boss Xia killed them all with his left and right hands. Silver Wing refused to accept this and publicly challenged Boss Xia to a one-on-one fight. Boss Xia went alone, one man wiping out the world-class assassin organization Silver Wing. Since then, the world has been quieter, and my idol Liu Xue no longer has to live in fear. Amitabha."

Soldier D cursed, "Amitabha your head! Who knows if you’re just making that up."

Soldier B retorted, "If you don't believe me, go out and ask Boss Xia yourself."

Soldier A interrupted, "Go cool off somewhere! Do you dare disturb the superiors inspecting the positions?"

Soldier D hissed, "Quiet! Listen to what they’re saying."

Suddenly, the young man with the cat on his shoulder let out a long cry toward the sky, startling the four intently listening men so badly they tumbled onto the floor of the troop carrier's lower compartment. Then they heard rustling sounds outside the vehicle. Soldier A cautiously looked out and gasped, "Rats! Snakes! Heavens, the South really is full of venomous creatures. Thank goodness we have the troop carrier as our barracks; if they bit us, it would be terrible."

Soldier B looked closely. "That's not right, this is strange. Look, all those snakes and rats are heading toward that person and the cat!"

The group focused their gaze forward again. A swarm of snakes and rodents surrounded Qin Yicheng and his party. After a brief silence, the young man cried out again, and the reptiles and rodents, as if receiving an order, turned and departed in an orderly fashion.

"Wow," Soldier C, who had a slightly affected southern accent, exclaimed, "How majestic! That high-ranking official can actually summon animals. Amazing. I wish I could do that."

Soldier A scoffed, "Give it a rest. Focus on operating your Metal Storm and stop daydreaming."

Upon learning of the setback on the Vietnam front, I, Xia Huren, and Taozi rushed over that night. Qin Yicheng accompanied us to the front lines for a late-night inspection. The two mountain ranges were indeed quite substantial. I could only gain a slight degree of clairvoyance into a portion of them; inside were deep, winding passages and crisscrossing tunnels. I suspect little Vietnam originally intended these for defense against the Great Dragon Nation's forces, but ironically, they are now being used against us. Unless the defending troops within these two mountain ranges are dealt with, it will be difficult to dislodge the Vietnamese command post inside Phou Xai Leng.

Xia Huren remarked, "If we are to use more bunker-buster missiles, we might need to divert additional underwater fortresses; the two stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin have already been depleted."

I countered, "That’s not the best solution. Moreover, Phou Xai Leng is even thicker. Using bunker-busters would likely require tens of millions of rounds—it’s simply not cost-effective."

Qin Yicheng sighed worriedly, "Then what should we do? They are hiding inside like sons of turtles and won't come out. We have no targets to strike."

I replied, "We’ll dig them out."

"Dig them out?"

"Exactly. Tonight, I will notify the base to dispatch one hundred super-drilling machines. Tomorrow morning, we start digging like earth rats. Once we breach a location, we dump incendiary bombs inside. After burning through once, we continue digging. Although it will take some time, we can excavate through Phou Xai Leng in less than three days. Then we’ll see where the little Vietnamese rabbits run to hide."

Qin Yicheng naturally understood the power of the super-drilling machines; they could cut through diamond blocks as if slicing tofu, and they were fully automated, meaning no personnel casualties needed to be worried about. He joyfully affirmed, "Commander, this is indeed a brilliant strategy. I was truly worried sick."

I turned back, "We aren't leaving tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll watch the embarrassed expressions on the Vietnamese faces together."

"Danger," Taozi murmured silently from my shoulder.

I paused, sending a telepathic message to it, "What?"

Taozi responded, "I sense danger. This place is likely not simple. We should investigate more thoroughly."

The vanguard units had scouts, but they failed to discover anything. Sending more people out for reconnaissance now might not be very effective. Taozi continued, "Boss, please summon the local snakes, rats, and similar creatures here. The mountains are not like the plains; intelligence gathering here is impossible without them."

I knew what to do. My genetics could be considered the perfect combination of all species, and unlike ordinary people, the strengths of those species are not suppressed. With a long cry toward the sky, indeed, these foreign snakes and rodents obeyed the command. Six thousand years ago, there was no concept of 'foreign'; the entire Earth belonged to my brother-in-law.

Taozi used its telepathic power to subdue these animals, and they obediently went to carry out the task. Whatever results they bring back, we will react accordingly.

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