Chapter 51: The J-5 Emerges! An Overwhelming Strike!

Parallel world, the night as dark as ink.

This was precisely the moment Lin Ran preferred to traverse time.

Darkness was the best cover; no matter how much material there was, it could appear quietly.

At the New First Regiment’s garrison.

“Mr. Lin, you’re here!”

The stationed soldier immediately recognized that distinctive “peculiar outfit,” his voice filled with surprise and respect.

“Hmm, where is Commander Li?” Lin Ran nodded and asked.

“Reporting, Mr. Lin! The commander took the main force and should still be at Zhicheng, overseeing the defense!”

Lin Ran understood. “Alright, I’ll head straight to Zhicheng to find him.”

The young soldier was startled and quickly tried to dissuade him. “Mr. Lin, you can’t do that! The battle just ended, the roads are chaotic and dangerous! How about you rest here? I can send a telegram to have the commander come back immediately?”

“No need. Going back and forth wastes too much time.”

Lin Ran waved his hand. This time he brought anti-aircraft equipment; even a minute’s delay could mean more bombs falling.

The young soldier dared not decide on his own and hurriedly said, “Please wait! I’ll request approval right away!” Then he dashed off to the radio room.

When Li Yunlong learned that the wealthy Mr. Lin had arrived and was heading to Zhicheng, he was shocked and quickly sent a telegram to headquarters.

Headquarters took it seriously and promptly issued an order:

The 1st Battalion of the nearby 27th Regiment was to mobilize immediately, at all costs to safely escort Mr. Lin to Zhicheng!

Lin Ran looked at the order handed to him by the young soldier and couldn’t help but laugh and cry.

Goodness, his treatment was so special he was given an elite infantry battalion as escort?

But with the chaos of war, safety came first, and he appreciated the thoughtfulness.

“By the way,” Lin Ran remembered the matter at hand, “how many drivers do you have here?”

“Reporting, Mr. Lin! Our entire transport company is here! The commander treasures them like gems and hasn’t let them go to the front lines!” The young soldier puffed out his chest proudly.

Lin Ran chuckled.

“Alright, have them come with me to haul the supplies.”

Upon hearing there was new weaponry, the young soldier’s eyes lit up brighter than New Year’s, and he dashed off to summon the men.

Lin Ran shook his head. Fortunately, he didn’t bring too much equipment—about a hundred trucks would suffice to carry everything.

Soon, the entire transport company assembled, all brimming with energy, following Lin Ran as they plunged into the night beyond the village.

...

About half an hour later, the soldiers of the transport company stood on a relatively open clearing, collectively frozen in disbelief.

Flashlights swept across, revealing the cold outlines of rows of steel beasts.

The thick, intimidating barrels, the fierce gun mounts, the massive bases... each gun was far larger than the 105mm howitzers they had ever seen!

The bigger the weapon, the greater its power—this was a truth that needed no explanation.

Of course, except for the godlike 107 Fire.

“Mr... Mr. Lin...” the transport company commander swallowed hard, his throat dry. “This... this big guy, I’m afraid... our trucks won’t be able to pull it, right?”

Lin Ran nodded.

Ordinary trucks certainly couldn’t handle it.

A Type 59 57mm anti-aircraft gun weighed 5 tons, while a 100mm anti-aircraft gun tipped the scales at 10 tons.

The old Soviet ZIS-5 truck had a payload of only 3 tons, simply insufficient.

Lin Ran had spent considerable time researching and finally found an imported tractor from that era: the GBU-15, an all-terrain off-road truck.

Large load capacity, excellent mobility.

Lin Ran patted the commander’s shoulder. “Don't worry, the old trucks have retired. This time we have new partners, and they’re powerful!”

Only then did the commander shift his gaze to the truck, his eyes flickering—it was indeed different from the previous trucks.

It looked much tougher!

The commander scratched his head, wondering just who this Mr. Lin was.

It wasn’t just the transport company commander; every soldier probably had the same question in their hearts.

At that moment, a soldier suddenly shouted, “Commander, a... plane!”

The commander’s alarm bells rang instantly.

“What?! Enemy aircraft?!” His hairs stood on end as he bellowed reflexively, “Protect Mr. Lin!!!”

In a flash!

A dozen of the quickest soldiers descended like tigers from the mountain, instantly forming an impenetrable human shield, tightly surrounding Lin Ran!

Even if their bodies were shattered, not a hair on Mr. Lin’s head was to be harmed!

Lin Ran’s eyes reddened at this sudden scene.

These people were truly... so endearing!

Then the soldier hurriedly added, “Commander, it’s not a Japanese plane, it’s... it’s...”

“It’s the aircraft I brought, Commander. No need to worry.” Lin Ran secretly wiped his eyes.

The commander was even more shocked. “Mr. Lin, you... you brought planes too? W-w-where?”

Lin Ran pointed. “There!”

Still shaken, the commander aimed the flashlight sharply following Lin Ran’s finger.

A beam of bright light pierced the darkness, precisely illuminating a quietly parked fighter.

A silver fuselage, streamlined contours, massive wings...

The transport company soldiers were overjoyed, and the commander was so excited he stammered incoherently:

“By heavens! A real airplane! Mr. Lin, you... you actually brought us a plane! That’s fantastic!”

Lin Ran smiled gently. “Not just one, but ten!”

“Ten... ten planes?” The commander’s voice cracked.

He hurriedly raised his flashlight again, scanning along the row of aircraft.

One, two, three... ten in total!

Ten silver fighters, all neatly lined up.

Are they pretty?

If they’re pretty, they’re good planes!

The system was thoughtful as well, gifting special flatbed trailers designed for transporting aircraft.

But Lin Ran thought of the long string of merit points he had spent—what’s a little extra?

The J-5 fighters were, in fact, the highest-priced weapons Lin Ran had exchanged so far.

“Ten! Really ten!”

The transport company soldiers were completely stunned, overwhelmed by a tremendous sense of happiness.

Lin Ran smiled. “Alright, don’t just stand there, let’s get them hauled back.”

“Yes, sir!”

The commander snapped back to reality and quickly ordered the soldiers to start transporting.

Though the GBU-15 differed somewhat from the ZIS-5, both were trucks—much the same.

In fact, even if tanks started moving, it wouldn’t be much different.

Soon, over a hundred trucks roared mightily toward the New First Regiment garrison.

When Lin Ran and his group returned to the New First Regiment, the battalion dispatched by headquarters had also arrived.

The battalion commander looked at Lin Ran, his face full of gratitude and admiration.

By now, the entire Eighth Route Army of Taihang and Taiyue knew there was a miraculous Mr. Lin.

At first, everyone had no special impression, thinking it was just more supplies.

But after this battle, everyone understood what “miraculous” truly meant!

Though most had never seen the 107 Fire, they had all experienced RPGs.

Also PKMs, MG42s, AK47s...

The Japanese “Type 38” rifles and “distorted” guns, before these weapons, were like mere firewood!

The battalion commander ran up to Lin Ran and snapped a salute:

“Reporting, Mr. Lin, the 1st Battalion of the 27th Regiment has arrived as ordered. Please instruct us...”