Chapter 33

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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Amidst the sound of battle, death was inevitable. Muhammad instructed Hermann and two other guerrillas to shell the Soviet helicopter base, and to fire only one shell, then abandon the mortar and run immediately. Even so, they faced great danger; the area was several kilometers away from the mountains, and at any moment, it could become their deathtrap.

However, Muhammad had to do this. Only by doing so could he create an opportunity to infiltrate the airport and destroy the helicopters. Muhammad himself was also in great danger, as the enraged Soviets could kill him at any moment.

Muhammad seized the only gap available. No one paid attention to them; the infantry had gone out to pursue the guerrillas, leaving only the ground crew, who were still busy repairing the helicopters.

On one side of the tarmac, a Mi-8 was on standby. Two pilots rushed out from the base's rest room and ran toward their helicopter.

"Take out the guerrillas! To dare attack our helicopter base is to court death!" The two pilots ran to the helicopter, climbed the boarding ladder, and quickly entered the cockpit, closing the hatch.

The ground crew moved the ladder away, and the two pilots continuously flipped switches. The engine on top roared, and the helicopter was started. The rotors began to spin, ready to take off at any moment.

"Three o'clock, Khawaja, fire!" Muhammad shouted.

"Understood." Khawaja saw the helicopter starting up, and the gun barrel was already aimed.

At this moment, the ground crew finally noticed something was wrong with the armored vehicle. Instead of going out to pursue the guerrillas, it had driven onto the tarmac, and the turret was still turning!

"Stop him!" a ground crew member shouted, grabbing an AK-74U rifle nearby.

"Boom!" At that moment, a flame burst from the 73mm cannon on top of the armored vehicle, and a shell flew out.

"Pull up." The weapons operator in the front cabin shouted. When he heard the sound of the shell coming, he knew it was aimed at them.

The mortar was just a decoy; the real threat was this infantry fighting vehicle!

Once the helicopter took off, taking out this infantry fighting vehicle would be as easy as squashing an ant.

The pilot in the rear cabin knew this was the most urgent moment. He yanked the collective pitch control, and the engine on top burst to full power. With a sharp whine, the helicopter lifted off the ground.

"Boom!" The shell exploded directly below the helicopter. Shrapnel scattered in all directions, and the helicopter, which had just taken off, crashed back to the ground with a heavy thud.

"Boom!" The Mi-8 burst into flames. A piece of shrapnel had hit its fuel line, causing aviation kerosene to leak and immediately explode. When the fire reached the short wings, the weapons were ignited, causing a series of explosions.

What a rush! After being chased around by this thing and nearly being killed several times, now, personally taking down a helicopter was incredibly satisfying!

At this moment, Khawaja was filled with admiration for Muhammad. He was a born leader, the best gift from Allah to the Afghan warriors!

Another shell was loaded into the cannon. This was the best opportunity, and they had to act quickly!

"Boom!" Another helicopter was hit. At close range, the 73mm howitzer was easy to aim, and its firepower was formidable. The blast's shockwave could even be felt inside the armored vehicle.

"Rat-tat-tat." At this moment, gunfire erupted from both sides. The ground crew, though primarily responsible for repairing aircraft, were also combat-capable. When they picked up their weapons, they became fighters.

Unfortunately, they were using 5.45mm AK-74 rifles, and the bullets couldn't penetrate the armor of the BMP infantry fighting vehicle.

"Fire!" Without waiting for Muhammad's order, the guerrillas in the rear cabin fired through the firing ports.

Bullets poured out of the firing ports, and many of the ground crew outside quickly fell, seeking cover.

"Boom!" Another helicopter was destroyed.

"Hurry! Where's the RPG? Use the RPG!" Muhammad shouted to the rear cabin.

In addition to the 73mm howitzer, this Soviet infantry fighting vehicle also had rocket launchers in the rear cabin, but they had to open the hatch and stick out their bodies to fire.

Now, the ground crew were temporarily suppressed, but the Soviet soldiers who had gone out to pursue the guerrillas were rushing back, especially the two tanks, which were accelerating to return. Muhammad's time was running out.

Durrani bent down, picked up the RPG from the cabin, and opened the hatch. Just as he was about to climb out, a burst of bullets hit the hatch, making a loud noise.

The guerrillas below immediately returned fire, suppressing the enemy's firing points. Durrani gritted his teeth and climbed out of the hatch.

Durrani didn't aim at the helicopters on the tarmac. He saw a machine gun position about fifty meters ahead. The heavy machine gun was turning toward them, about to open fire.

The armored vehicle couldn't withstand the heavy machine gun's fire. If the enemy opened fire, they would all be killed inside the vehicle. Durrani, a machine gunner by training, knew this all too well.

He pulled out the RPG and shouldered it. The armored vehicle was still moving, and he remembered his instructor's training. He estimated the lead, gauged the distance, and calculated the time it would take for the rocket to reach its target. Then, he held his breath and calmly pulled the trigger.

"Boom." A flame burst from the rear, and the rocket-propelled grenade flew toward the machine gun position.

At that moment, the machine gun also opened fire.

"Rat-tat-tat." A single heavy bullet could kill Durrani. He ducked, feeling the hot bullet graze his scalp, leaving a burning sensation and a trail of blood.

"Boom!" The entire machine gun position erupted in flames, and the heavy machine gun was blown away.

Hit! Durrani felt a surge of joy.

"Boom!" At that moment, a shell whistled toward the armored vehicle. A fragment hit the shield, and Durrani ducked back into the cabin, narrowly avoiding decapitation.

In just a few minutes, the Soviet tanks had returned. The first shell was a high-explosive round, which exploded near the armored vehicle.

Once a shell was loaded into the cannon, it was difficult to remove it. The tanks had been pursuing a few fleeing guerrillas and had loaded high-explosive rounds. Unfortunately, the shells hadn't been fired, and they had hurriedly returned, firing at the armored vehicle.

After the high-explosive round was fired, an armor-piercing round was loaded into the cannon. The accuracy of the armor-piercing round was much higher than that of the high-explosive round, and this shot would not miss!

Muhammad knew this was the most dangerous moment. He floored the gas pedal, and the armored vehicle rumbled forward, heading straight for a Mi-8.

This Mi-8 was being refueled and loaded with ammunition. When Muhammad's armored vehicle approached, the ground crew immediately joined the fight, without even disconnecting the fuel hose.

"Screech." Muhammad slammed on the brakes and shouted to the others, "Get out, get on the helicopter!"

Get on the helicopter? When he heard this, Khawaja almost thought Muhammad was talking in his sleep. Driving the armored vehicle out of here was possible, but getting on the helicopter? Wasn't that just waiting to die?

Muhammad didn't have time to explain. He opened the front hatch, stood on top of the turret, and climbed into the front cockpit.

Fly the helicopter? Was he really going to fly the helicopter? Khawaja knew Muhammad had many skills, but he didn't expect him to know how to fly a helicopter!

Seeing Muhammad sit in the cockpit, the others didn't hesitate and jumped into the rear cabin.

The Mi-8 was a special attack helicopter. Western attack helicopters could only accommodate two flight crew members, while the Mi-8 had a large cabin in the rear that could carry a squad of infantry. The advantage was that it could transport infantry to the battlefield and drop them off for coordinated combat. The disadvantage was that its large side profile made it more likely to be hit, which is why its successors, the Ka-52 and Mi-28, no longer had infantry cabins.

Driving a vehicle, even an armored one, might only require basic training, but flying a helicopter was different.

A qualified flight crew member needed to study basic knowledge, various flight theories, and the equipment of the aircraft, which could take one to two years. Then, they would undergo simulator training, followed by sufficient flight hours before being allowed to fly solo. This was a long process, and being allowed to fly solo within three years was a miracle. After that, they would undergo specialized training for the specific helicopter, serve in a unit, and fly for another two years before becoming a qualified pilot.

This was the standard training process for flight crew members in all countries' militaries. If Muhammad had followed this process, he wouldn't have been able to fly the helicopter.

As a special forces unit, they had dedicated attack helicopters for support, and their opportunities to operate helicopters were limited. They didn't need to master various theoretical knowledge; they only needed to know how to operate the switches, control the levers, and use the rudder.

Regardless of the switches, except for the weapons, he pushed them all up, then pushed the largest switch forward. Indeed, the engine on top roared, and the rotors began to spin.

Next, he had to pull the collective pitch control. Gently, gently! Muhammad thought to himself as he forcefully pulled the left collective pitch control lever.

Instantly, the massive Mi-8 swayed, rocking from side to side.