The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

Chapter 344: The Empire State Building's Final Song (4)

Underground, Liu Zhiyang and his squad led the way, groping their way step by step toward the Empire State Building. The 3rd Company followed behind them, seizing key intersections as they advanced. Zheng Shuang, after handing over positions to the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, followed with the 1st and 2nd Companies through other underground pipeline network entrances. Regimental Commander Mo and the rest of the 600th Regiment also launched a fierce attack on the Empire State Building from the surface.

As Liu Zhiyang's team approached the Empire State Building's underground chamber, they encountered the SS. Despite their extensive combat experience, they encountered a special operations team trained by Liu Molong through a different-time, modern-day tactical laboratory. In terms of weaponry, tactics, and other aspects, Liu Zhiyang and his team crushed their opponents. In less than half an hour, Liu Zhiyang's team had seized the underground passage, a deadly threat to these diehard SS members.

The SS troops on the ground had learned of the Bavarian Expeditionary Force's advance into the underground tunnel, cutting off their underground concentration on the Reichstag. Combined with the relentless attacks of the 600nd and 2rd Battalions of the 3th Regiment, these SS and SA troops were eventually forced to fight on their own. This greatly reduced the pressure on Captain Moe's offensive. The fanatical Nazis, desperate, launched a suicidal charge, attempting to perish along with the Bavarian Expeditionary Force. However, the Bavarian Expeditionary Force, having anticipated this, remained calm and, utilizing skilled small-group combat tactics, dispatched these fanatics one by one.

The speed of the expeditionary force's advance shocked the other three Allied forces, and for the honor of their country, they also unleashed astonishing fighting power. The Soviet army, in particular, once again deployed human wave tactics. Under the cover of KS-3 heavy tanks, they launched a desperate and devastating attack on the enemy who blocked their advance towards the Empire State Building.

Unwilling to be outdone, the US military, leveraging its advanced aerial firepower, deployed numerous helicopter gunships to carpet-bomb the front lines. For a moment, flames shot up into the sky, and explosions resounded through the air. Following the bombardment, infantry, supported by M18 heavy tanks, advanced. The streets were littered with rubble, and every meter of advance was fraught with danger. German troops, ensconced in bunkers hidden within the ruins, unleashed a barrage of bullets. The US soldiers, relying on smoke bombs for cover, fought their way through each street and alley.

The British were more cautious, advancing in platoons, alternating between providing cover. Snipers, hidden atop tall buildings, accurately shot any enemy who showed their face. When encountering heavily defended German positions, the British called in artillery support. Shells whizzed past, accurately hitting their targets and throwing the Germans into disarray. Infantry quickly followed, dispatching any close-quarters enemies with bayonets.

On the Soviet side, the human wave tactic, though resulting in heavy casualties, was remarkably effective. Shouting slogans, the soldiers surged towards the German lines like a tide. Heavy tank guns belched flames, blasting German fortifications to smithereens. When the two sides engaged in close combat, the hand-to-hand combat was incredibly brutal, staining the streets red with blood. Yet, the Soviets remained resolute and steadily advanced towards the Reichstag.

As the battle progressed into darkness, all sides simultaneously advanced towards the Empire State Building. The last remnants of the SS were forced to retreat inside. Because the flower-growing forces had taken the lead by storming into the building from underground, the troops from all four nations encountered little resistance outside the building. It seemed as if the armies of the four nations all rushed into the building like a gust of wind. Due to the limited space inside the building, the troops entering from each country were few and far between, and they were all elite forces. They continuously cut in from the stairs, window sills, and other places, fighting on the ground floor, first floor, and second floor...

Gunshots, explosions, and screams intertwined. People kept falling from the upper floors, and people kept rushing up. Zheng Shuang rushed in at some point, holding a Thomas submachine gun, and formed a team with several sergeants from the battalion headquarters, and attacked the fourth floor along the stairs. When they arrived, they saw a Soviet second lieutenant entangled with a member of the stormtrooper. Around him, countless corpses fell, including SS, stormtroopers, American, British, Soviet, and even Expeditionary Force soldiers. The closer they got to the top of the building, the more frantic the enemy's resistance became.

Oinstein and Tandin, now holed up on the highest floor, their surroundings dwindling. They used their weapons to the best of their ability, knowing full well that their destruction would come in an instant. Both Oinstein and Tandin were veterans of the SS-Sturmbannführer, and their coordination was expert. As several American soldiers reached their position, they exchanged fire, knocking them down. However, before they fell, the enemy unleashed several grenades, covering Oinstein and the others.

With nowhere to hide, Tandin threw himself at Oinstein, attempting to shield him from the shrapnel with his own body. However, Oinstein was one step ahead, knocking him down and pinning him down with his body. Tandin saw despair in Oinstein's eyes. Oinstein whispered, "I'm leaving now."

With the violent explosion, Tandin felt Oinstein shudder on top of him, then he collapsed limply on top of him. A stream of black blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. Tandin didn't have time to think. He pushed Oinstein aside, grabbed the MP-42 on the ground, and opened fire fiercely at the several Soviet soldiers rushing towards him. "Boom!" With another explosion, Tandin felt a sharp pain in his ears. Countless flying debris flew everywhere, and he suddenly couldn't hear anything.

Tandin staggered towards the roof. The explosion just now was the result of his guards detonating several grenades on their bodies. Following him were several Allied soldiers who rushed up.

When Tandin reached the rooftop, it was already a chaotic scene. Dozens of SS and SA survivors were engaged in a chaotic melee with soldiers from four different nations. No one had a chance to draw their weapons, so they resorted to hand-to-hand combat, a desperate struggle. Tandin, without hesitation, fired rapidly into the crowd, emptying his MP-42, unconcerned about the casualties. When the gun was empty, he threw it away and, looking forward, saw an expeditionary force tearing down a Nazi flag and attempting to replace it with a communist one. He rushed forward frantically, tackled the man, and the two men immediately tumbled to the ground. Both knew they had to kill their opponent.

As if seeing an opportunity, a Soviet soldier decisively rushed forward, unfurling the Soviet flag, attempting to do so first. A seemingly seriously wounded, black-clad stormtrooper, seemingly lying on the ground, somehow found the strength to leap up and tackle him. Like Tandin and the other two, they tumbled and tangled on the ground. Suddenly, an SS soldier appeared from behind the flagpole, his submachine gun unleashing furious fire, knocking down the two British soldiers who had followed him. He was also killed by another American soldier...