The Western Frontier Defense Line, Southern Sector.
Three iron-gray Dragon Tooth Bunkers stood at the very edge of the former trench zone, like prehistoric beasts lurking in the darkness.
That Wall of Gray Mist reaching from sky to earth had been scattered by the fourth ring of Dragon Tooth Bunkers to five kilometers away, completely blending into the night. Its boundaries were no longer distinguishable to the naked eye.
All around them, only deathly silence remained.
Li Wei stood at the very front of the fortifications, her back to the bunkers and her face toward the darkness.
The wind howled, sending the loose strands of her dark hair whipping wildly about.
She raised her left arm. A dim green glow shimmered from her military wristwatch.
22:05:13
One hour, fifty-four minutes, and forty-seven seconds remained before the counteroffensive began.
Major Chen Jianwen, who had once lectured Li Wei, stood beside her with a military tablet in his arms. Turning sideways, he displayed the battlefield map.
"Colonel, let's make one final mission confirmation."
Chen Jianwen's finger drew a straight red line across the map.
"All the explosives in the former delaying zone have been remotely detonated. The route is safe."
"This is our current position."
His finger stopped at a point of light on the map, then slid toward the upper left.
"In a moment, you'll proceed along this line, roughly thirty degrees west of due north, for a straight-line distance of five kilometers."
"Once you reach the target point, your wristwatch will alert you. We'll also remain in contact with you."
"But the battlefield environment is complicated. If an extreme situation arises, we'll use signal flares to mark your position."
He tapped the screen, enlarging the image of the red-marked "target point."
"After you arrive, the first group of Dragon