Chapter 3: The Exercise (Part Three)

“Fourteen more to go!”

Without the slightest hesitation, Red Dragon One pressed forward, clearly intent on breaking through the defensive zone directly. This bold move bewildered the senior officers in the command center and infuriated the defenders. Their forces were spread thinly to monitor the defense area, and although all teams were rapidly regrouping after receiving frontline reports, they still needed time.

“Laser contact at eleven o’clock and three o’clock, three Type 61 tanks, distance four kilometers!”

“Only three?”

Makarius felt a tinge of disappointment; he had hoped for more, preferably to force the enemy to commit all their forces. After all, he himself had certain advantages!

“Yudin, veer left, create distance from them!”

“Three or not, a little appetizer before the main course is always welcome!”

Facing the enemy attempting to encircle him on three sides, Makarius waved his hand dismissively and began adjusting the fire control system. His first target was the closest tank—judging by the markings, it was Jackal Two, whose commander and driver were considered decent, by the academy’s standards.

The fire control system buzzed, signaling readiness to fire. Makarius pressed the firing button, and with a shudder through the hull, a marking round was launched, soaring into the distance.

After the first shot, Makarius waited two seconds before firing a second round from the alternate barrel. This round was not aimed at Jackal Two but rather just ahead on the enemy’s right flank. The enemy was moving at high speed, and the fire control computer predicted the first shot could be dodged, so this second one was meant to restrict their maneuverability.

When the tank’s warning alarm blared, Jackal Two’s driver instinctively turned sharply right. Suddenly, the tank jolted violently, and the control system went offline.

“Second target!”

After destroying Jackal Two, Makarius swung the turret to six o’clock, where a gentle slope stood. The second enemy he had spotted was right there.

Without pause, Red Dragon One’s twin 150mm guns alternated fire, pounding shells into the frontal armor of the target.

“Last one left... Ah, running away because you know you can’t beat me?”

On the distant horizon, a slender electronic reconnaissance mast slowly rose—this was the third tank, a Type 61. Seeing all comrades destroyed, it abandoned the fight, concealing itself behind cover and using its reconnaissance suite to track Red Dragon One’s movements.

“Yudin, turn! Let’s go find him!”

“Roger!”

The sudden turn threw the remaining blue team tank into panic. If it were destroyed here, not only would the cleanup be a nightmare, but its six-month stipend as a cadet would be gone—and, to make matters worse, it would have to face the academy’s administrative ladies’ watchful eyes while running naked across the training field...

The commander gave no hesitation, ordering the driver to retreat while deploying onboard smoke grenades and engine smoke.

“Hey, Scott, where do you think you’re going? Running away on the battlefield won’t do—you’ll be court-martialed and shot! Think of your mother back home, Scott; she’ll cry if she finds out you ran!”

Makarius brazenly harassed him over the public comm channel—there was no rule against that in the exercise.

“Shut up, you cold-blooded killer! If she knew I’d be running naked in front of the entire academy, she’d be crying for sure!”

“Well, I guess I have to help then!”

Though saying this, Makarius had Yudin halt—he sensed a real threat ahead. Indeed, the main force had finally arrived.

Makarius was right. In the direction Scott was fleeing, eight Type 61s had taken up ambush positions, waiting for Red Dragon One to come their way.

“Well, enough of this ‘Eagle catches the chicks’ game!”

When the fire control buzzed again, Makarius pressed the firing button. After nearly four seconds of flight, two marking rounds landed precisely behind Scott’s tank, even making it shake.

“Yudin, retreat!”

“That damned pretty boy!”

The blue team’s commander was a rugged, sunny blond man, but now his expression was contorted and ugly, as if his girlfriend had been stolen and he’d been beaten up at the same time.

No wonder—Red Dragon One could easily destroy the retreating Type 61, yet the enemy waited until the last moment when the tank was about to link up with him to strike, firing then quickly withdrawing. This was clearly aimed at him!

The blond man felt his face burning with embarrassment—it wasn’t a slap on the rear; it was a slap in the face!

“Chase them! I want to pull that pretty boy out of his tank, strip him naked, hang him upside down on the tank, and parade him three laps around the base garage! Let the whole academy see how he embarrasses himself!”

“Wait! Don’t fall for his trap! There are still three Red Dragon team members unaccounted for!”

“I know. I’m familiar with his tricks. His three followers are probably hiding somewhere, waiting for us to be drawn in. That’s why I kept the Lightning Squad behind—to counter this move.”

“Then it’s settled!”

The blue team commanders ordered their tanks to start chasing Red Dragon One. Their fierce momentum matched the Red Dragon’s advance, even reaching triple speed.

“Hey, hey, hey, if you’re going to do that, you owe me royalties!”

Makarius completely forgot he was also making derivative work and blurted out.

“Yudin, why do you think these guys hate me so much?”

The driver rolled his eyes helplessly, answering with a mixture of sincerity and sarcasm.

“Probably jealous of your good looks.”

“Alright, alright. Just for that line, next time the girls from the neighboring academy organize a mixer, you’re coming with me!”

“Really? Which academy? No wa