Chapter 48: The US Forces Scurry Away in Panic

On the other side, John Kramer no longer had the energy to be angry.

He had originally intended to eradicate the immense humiliation facing the Prohibition Bureau at lightning speed, but he kept finding himself sinking into a quagmire, encountering explicit and implicit resistance with every step forward.

The troops he wanted to dispatch, the weapons and equipment he wanted to request... were either deemed unsuitable or outright rejected.

John Kramer could not understand. It was one thing for the "wet faction" to stab him in the back, but those "dry faction" members who had been clamoring for him to "cleanse the evil completely" seemed to be dragging him down as well.

For instance, the 361st Infantry Regiment of the Army assigned by the "dry faction" to support the Prohibition Bureau had participated in World War I, but was disbanded after the armistice, only to be re-established this very year and returned to the army fold.

Strangely, the Washington newspapers seemed oblivious to this fact, failing to mention it at all when digging into the Prohibition Bureau's background.

Yet John Kramer could not be bothered to ponder it anymore. Nowadays, there were simply too damn many bizarre things happening!

Besides, the "dry faction" politicians who chose to dispatch the 361st Regiment argued that although the regiment was newly reformed, its personnel had undergone rigorous training, boasted honors from the European War (having repelled German offensives), and held a psychological advantage over the "European Allied Forces."

Furthermore, he was not entirely hindered.

For instance, the Immigration Bureau had intercepted quite a few European veterans who were eager to volunteer (and beat the American army to a pulp).

As for those who had already smuggled their way in... the Immigration Bureau stated that since these individuals currently possessed real hardware, they could only be deported back to Europe after the Prohibition Bureau had beaten them to the ground.

John Kramer: ......

Then there was the Bureau of Investigation. While unwilling to assume any responsibility for intelligence failures, it had secretly stepped up surveillance on Chicago and explicitly assured him that following the previous street battles, there was movement of personnel in Chicago, but absolutely no movement of large-scale weapons and ammunition.

John Kramer had no idea how credible the Bureau of Investigation's assurance was, but things had reached this point, and he had no choice but to bite the bullet and press on!

......

A battalion of regular United States troops marched into Chicago!

Almost the entire population of Chicago poured out into the streets, which were packed with dense throngs of jubilant citizens!

They waved small flags, cheering, whistling, and even blowing kisses from young women, just as if they were welcoming victorious heroes back home!

"Take them down, doughboys!"

"Show those European bastards what we're made of!"

"You better deliver, boys! I've bet all my money on you!"

Yet the soldiers felt not the slightest touch of emotion!

The air was thick with a carnival-like frenzy, lacking only the proper reverence for an impending bloody battle.

Damn it, these lunatics were cheering for gladiators in a colosseum; what was there to be moved about?

Along the way, reporters swarmed like hyenas chasing prey, their camera flashes crackling relentlessly.

Colonel William still adhered to the principle of concentrating his forces, marching his entire contingent first to the South Side battlefield—the arena set up by the Mafia.

The perimeter was already packed to absolute suffocation by a vast sea of people.

Chicago police officers wiped sweat from their brows; their task was not to stop the combat, but to set up roadblocks far in advance to prevent overly excited spectators from pressing into the zone of fire and getting hit by stray bullets, or from triggering a stampede in their quest for a better view.

Beyond the roadblocks, every rooftop, window, and even temporarily erected wooden grandstand was densely packed with people!

This scene brought to mind the First Battle of Manassas during the American Civil War.

Back then, the Northern army believed the Southern forces would be a pushover, so numerous Washington citizens, congressmen, reporters, and others dressed in their Sunday best, bringing along their wives, children, and picnic baskets, gathered around the periphery of the battlefield to watch the spectacle like it was a holiday.

And then, amid the cheers of the spectators, the Northern army launched an attack on the Southern troops, suffered a disastrous defeat, and the spectators all ended up as prisoners of war!

—Which goes to show that the abstract nature of Americans has a long and storied historical tradition.

"I truly hope a stray bullet flies out and wipes out every last one of these abstract lunatics!"

The bearded Colonel William spat fiercely.

Yet he also knew that the "viewing" positions further away, such as the rooftops of the towering skyscrapers behind him, were completely devoid of danger.

Sitting up there with high-end binoculars and sipping high-end coffee were fabulously wealthy tycoons from all over the world.

A gossipy third-rate tabloid had calculated that if someone were to bomb this street right now and send those tycoons straight to heaven, the global economy would instantly plunge into chaos.

How he wished someone would come and bomb the place!

What the fuck!

......

Meanwhile, on the sub-top floor of a skyscraper, the "Voice of Freedom" radio station had set up all its equipment.

Before Logan lay a massive floor-to-ceiling glass window, offering an unobstructed, panoramic view of the entire battlefield situation.

How could he possibly miss the opening of such a grand spectacle!

Besides, Jeff Hackman was great at broadcasting, but lacked experience in war commentary, so this time Logan would be handling the live broadcast commentary from start to finish.

What? You say Logan had experience?

Well, perhaps some pop song lyrics (no), or some football commentator, had given him the courage.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Listeners everywhere! This is the 'Voice of Freedom' radio station, and I am your old friend Logan, bringing you exclusive live commentary right from the front lines in Chicago!"

In front of radios all across America, countless people held their breath.

To listen in real-time to this unprecedented "arena battle" and "world war," radios had been completely sold out across the United States for days!

According to the grapevine, US President Harding, who desperately wanted to go to the front lines to watch the battle but was strictly stopped by his aides, was also glued to his radio, listening to the live broadcast.

At this moment, the entire nation seemed to grind to a halt within Logan's airwaves, which pierced straight through the atmosphere.

"It's starting! It's starting! The battle has begun!"

Logan's pitch suddenly soared, his speed as rapid as a strafing submachine gun,

"The US military has launched an assault! A platoon of soldiers is advancing in skirmish order! Their tactical movements are textbook!"

"The defenders are firing back! My God! The firepower is intense, incredibly intense! The US army is pinned down! They're hitting the dirt to find cover! It's white-hot from the very start!"

"We can see the unit commander seemingly adjusting his deployment! Whoa, I see the heavy machine gun squad moving up! It's the Browning M1917 heavy machine gun!"

"Alright! The heavy machine guns are firing! Two heavy machine guns are spitting streams of scorching fire, hammering the defenders mercilessly! Good god! This firepower is terrifying!"

"This is the rhythm of devastation! This is a storm of steel!"

"The defenders' firepower is instantly suppressed! Completely suppressed! They can't even raise their heads! Is this the strength of the US military?! Is this the power of the regular army?!"

"The US infantry is seizing the moment to leap up and charge! Obstacles are blown apart! They are sweeping through like a hot knife through butter! They are unstoppable! They've broken through the first line of fortifications! Invincible! The US military is displaying its invincible posture!"

"The people of Chicago are cheering—did you hear that? They are cheering for the invincible US military!"

"Aah?..."

Just as the listeners by their radios were feeling their blood surge with excitement, Logan's tone took a sudden twist, wrenching their hearts straight up to their throats!

Aah, what the hell? Spit it out, man!

"......Ohhhh——Shit!!!" (Uttered with profound shock)

"The US soldiers who pushed inside are falling one by one! They keep dropping! They've been hit by unidentified firepower!"

"The heavy machine guns have fallen silent, too! The gunner suddenly goes down, the assistant gunner steps up, and the assistant gunner goes down as well!"

"The US advance has stalled! Chaos! Total chaos inside! They are taking a passive beating! They can't hold on much longer!"

"The US military is retreating! Rolling and crawling! They are falling back! The US troops are in utter disarray! They're fleeing like beaten dogs!"

Logan shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice completely cracking!

Listeners by the radios: ......

The invincible US military, and that's it?

What the fuck!