Outside the crude barracks, a team of about twenty people had finished gathering.
Lin Mo stood at the front of the team, discussing combat plans with Luo Yong and the only surviving platoon leader from First Company.
“The straight-line distance from here to Outpost 3 is less than 20 kilometers,” the platoon leader from First Company said, his finger pointing at the map as he spoke in a heavy voice.
“If those aberrants who attacked the outpost continue to push deeper, we must be prepared for combat along the way. A forced march might not be wise.”
“Every minute we delay makes reconnaissance more difficult…” Luo Yong shook his head, offering a completely opposite opinion.
“Besides, the idea that everyone at Outpost 3 was wiped out is just our guess. What if some of our brothers are still alive?”
The time they delayed on the road could be the last hope for the brothers holding out at the outpost.
However, the platoon leader’s point was also valid.
If the aberrants continued to push deeper and stumbled into a meeting engagement with the scouting team, the losses from a forced march would certainly be greater than those from a cautious, guarded advance.
Lin Mo, who had not spoken, kept his eyes fixed on the map.
After a long silence, he slowly reached out and pointed to the location of Outpost 3.
His voice was grim.
“Don’t you find it fishy?”
He drew several dashed lines on the defense map with his finger.
“Outpost 3 is located at a hidden point in the middle-rear of Defense Line 03. It’s one thing if those aberrants managed to infiltrate and pass through Defense Line 02, but how did they find Outpost 3 so precisely?”
Hearing this, both the platoon leader and Luo Yong froze for a moment, staring at the map as they fell into deep thought.
“Perhaps… it was a fluke?”
After a long while, Luo Yong frowned and offered a tentative answer.
Beside him, the platoon leader shook his head and looked at Lin Mo.
He took a deep breath.
“We cannot simply categorize this situation as a coincidence. Captain Zhu, I understand what you mean…”
At this point, his finger moved past the battalion headquarters’ location and pointed directly at the main camp situated diagonally to the rear.
“The ammunition depot, the field hospital, and logistics are all at the main camp… The straight-line distance from here is, at most, 30 kilometers.”
“If—and I am only saying if—”
“Those aberrants are acting under command and have already obtained our defense map.”
“After taking out Outpost 3, they continued to push deeper. Would they be heading toward a more important target?”
The platoon leader’s expression grew increasingly grim, his finger rubbing the markings on the map.
“Once our logistics are cut off, the several thousand men of our 103rd Division will become fish on a chopping block!”
As soon as those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the air grew even more oppressive.
Even with Luo Yong’s limited strategic thinking, he understood that if the enemy destroyed their logistics, the tide of the war would take a sudden turn for the worse.
Currently, it wasn’t just Binhai; the entire Nanwan Province and even the Southeast Defense Line were engaged in combat.
Maintaining the logistics needed to keep the war machine running was already difficult.
Furthermore, the situation on the main battlefield was even more brutal.
Even if there were reinforcements from other regions, they would be prioritized for the main battlefield.
If anything went wrong here in Binhai, not only would there be no reinforcements, but it would also leave other friendly forces along the Nanwan line in a passive position.
The consequences were too heavy—so heavy that a mere squad leader like him didn’t dare think too much about it.
Just as the three fell into silence, a flurry of hurried footsteps echoed from not far away.
“Is everyone ready?”
The Battalion Commander, the Instructor, the Deputy Battalion Commander, and two staff officers approached quickly.
The voice from the walkie-talkie earlier belonged to the Battalion Commander, Lao Mo.
Before even reaching them, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Zhu Yanqing, you lucky brat!”
Lin Mo knew that the more he spoke, the more likely he was to slip up.
Facing the commander’s rough but caring greeting, he simply straightened his back and remained silent.
The Battalion Commander strode over and slapped Lin Mo’s shoulder twice.
The force was solid.
His face carried the exhaustion of one covered in smoke and soot, but his eyes remained sharp.
His raspy voice held a mix of reproach and unmistakable admiration.
“To be surrounded and still manage to tear a hole through the enemy, leading the brothers in a counterattack to drive them back… you’re a good lad! You’re a tough nut who isn’t afraid of death!”
His rough palm gave Lin Mo’s shoulder a firm squeeze before he seemed to let go of his strength and sighed.
His tone turned somber.
“Overdrawing your Oracle until you collapsed on the front lines… Zhu Yanqing, you must have been prepared to die!”
“And Da Liu, Wang Kai… all those brothers from First and Second Company who didn’t make it back… you are all good men.”
Having said this, the Battalion Commander lowered his hand from Lin Mo’s shoulder and stood tall.
He struggled to suppress the grief surging in his voice, forcing his emotions back into the cold reality.
“I have a stomach full of things I want to say to you. Once this battle is over, we’re going to have a long talk!”
“But for now, there’s no time. The mission is urgent. I need you to lead this temporarily reorganized team and complete the reconnaissance of Outpost 3 immediately! Tell me, do you have the confidence?”
“I guarantee the mission will be completed!”
Lin Mo stood at attention without any hesitation, his voice firm and decisive.
Seeing this, the Battalion Commander nodded slightly, his speaking speed increasing.
“Resources are tight. I can only allocate you a 3-day supply of compressed rations and basic ammunition, along with two SUVs… Remember, your mission is reconnaissance! If you encounter aberrants, prioritize observation and evasion. Unless absolutely necessary, do not get bogged down in combat! Bring back the intelligence and as many of these soldiers as you can alive! That is the top priority! Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir!” Lin Mo responded in a deep voice.
After answering, he did not immediately turn to leave.
Instead, he took a step forward and called out to the commander, who was about to depart to deploy other tasks.
“Commander, there is one more thing I need to report!”
The Battalion Commander paused and turned his head to look at Lin Mo, his brow furrowed.
“Speak!”
Lin Mo quickly took the simple defense map from Luo Yong and spread it out on the spot.
He pointed to several key locations, his voice clear and rapid as he explained to the commander, the Instructor, and the Deputy Battalion Commander his concerns about the aberrants potentially flanking them to attack the rear.
As he spoke, the commander’s face turned visibly dark and grim.
The expressions of the Instructor, the Deputy Battalion Commander, and the two staff officers grew equally solemn.
An even more oppressive atmosphere filled the air.
The defense map might have been intercepted, and the enemy’s target might be the rear?!
“…That is the general situation.”
“If the real goal of the aberrants is not a frontal assault but our rear, then the consequences…”
Lin Mo did not finish his sentence, but every battalion leader present instantly understood his unspoken implication—it would be a catastrophic situation where the entire Binhai Defense Line, and even the flank of Nanwan Province, could collapse.
“I’ll report this to Regimental Headquarters immediately!”
The Instructor reacted quickly, making a decisive choice.
He then looked at the Battalion Commander with an extremely serious expression.
“Lao Mo, you need to immediately assemble Second Company, the battalion guard squad, the direct communications platoon, and any mobile company personnel who can still move. Be ready to conduct armed patrols and set up ambushes along the logistics supply line! Nothing, absolutely nothing, can happen to the rear!”
The Battalion Commander nodded heavily.
“Right! I’ll get on it immediately!”
He then turned, his gaze burning as he stared at Lin Mo.
“Your reconnaissance mission remains unchanged. Once you complete it, do not return to battalion headquarters. Go directly to find the Regimental Headquarters’ command post, or, depending on the situation, retreat to the rear security zone to report!”
“Yes, sir!”
Lin Mo stood at attention once more to receive the order.
The Battalion Commander said no more, giving a forceful wave of his hand.
“No time to lose. Go gather your supplies and move out!”
The battalion leaders quickly turned and hurried away, their grim expressions reflecting the weight of their tasks.
Lin Mo stood in place, quickly processing the information and his new instructions.
A moment later, he turned to face the soldiers who had already gathered, their eyes focused on him.
He issued a decisive order.
“Everyone, go to the warehouse immediately to collect your mission supplies! Check the vehicles! We move out for the reconnaissance mission in 5 minutes!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Understood!”
Without any hesitation, firm responses rang out.
The soldiers of the reorganized reconnaissance team from the two companies moved quickly, running toward the warehouse.