Super Zoo

The frontline commander Ivanov was speaking with the representative from Russia, and his voice was clearly audible in the hall of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense.

From the large screen in the command hall, several satellite images revealed that the small area where Ivanov was located was right in the heart of the IS armed forces' core region. Even though the main contingent of IS was currently defending against the government forces outside of the mountains, simply relying on a few airborne troops to break out from the encirclement was nothing short of a pipe dream.

Ivanov's request was immediately patched through to Moscow, and after a few seconds, a calm middle-aged male voice resounded in the hall.

"Ivanov, this is Vladimir,"

Everyone present was very familiar with this voice; it was none other than the current President of Russia, who hailed from the KGB of the Soviet Union and was nicknamed 'the Iron Fist'.

"Mr. President, should we use a secure line?" The sweat on the Russian representative's brow was visible. Was the president being too casual in his conduct? How could he openly communicate in front of so many international representatives?

"Why keep it a secret? Qould the conversation between a president and his soldiers tarnish the glory of Russia?!" Vladimir quickly retorted, and then, without pausing, said, "Ivanov, you have fulfilled your military duty. I now authorize you to surrender. The Russian military needs soldiers like you, the mother of Russia needs her sons!"

On the other end of the communicator, the battle raged on.

"No, Your Excellency, Mr. President!" Ivanov's voice was very faint amidst the gunfire and the sound of exploding shells, but his tone was exceptionally resolute, "My grandfather died in a suburb of Stalingrad, my father died in Chechnya, and my brothers died by my side. Now it is my turn..."

A loud boom drowned out Ivanov's voice, and Vladimir shouted, "Ivanov, Ivanov, are you still alive?! Your ancestors have already shed their blood for the country, I order you to surrender immediately!"

"Damn it... oh, Your Excellency, I don't mean you, pfft..."

Ivanov on the phone spit out a mouthful of blood-stained phlegm, looked at his last comrade whose head had been blown off by a bullet not far away, and roared into the communicator: "There's no time! Your Excellency, Mr. President, the country doesn't need soldiers who surrender. I request you give the order to bombard my location! There are at least a hundred IS members here, let them be buried with the warriors of Russia!"

There was a moment of silence in the hall, only to be interrupted by Ivanov's roar, "Mr. President, I'd rather be killed by my own artillery fire! Give the order!"
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"Mr. President, hurry and give the order, if I die, they will retreat. From this distance, just one area saturation strike can take them out!" Ivanov screamed with all his might.

Vladimir spoke in a deep voice, "Order the nearest armed forces to fire on the hero of Russia! Send those damned terrorists to hell!"

"Oh no, there are still our journalists there!" the United States representative yelled.

The representative from Huaxia furrowed his brows as well, the Russian indiscriminate strike might also harm Huaxia businessmen.

"To eradicate terrorists, every country should be prepared to pay the price! The heroes of Russia have set an example for you all!" Vladimir said coldly.

The president's words were almost simultaneously relayed to the nearest Russian military base to Iraq, where two long-range missiles slowly emerged from their underground bunker, beginning to adjust their trajectory according to the predetermined coordinates.

"Long live the 76th Division! Long live the Russian Air Force! Long live Russia!"

Just as the entire hall was covered by a mournful atmosphere, with only the roar of Ivanov remaining, the sound of gunfire on the other end of the communicator suddenly intensified.

Ivanov's voice changed slightly, "Oh oh... God, what do I see... wait... Mr. President, do not fire, do not fire...!"

What?

Everyone was dumbfounded.

What was this guy doing, joking around? One second ago, he was passionately requesting to die for his country, and now when the orders to fire were really given, he chickened out? Could it be that he was just pretending to be a hero?

Back in Moscow, Vladimir nearly spat out a mouthful of blood!

This call was heard loud and clear by everyone in the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, and even half of the Russian Military got the news immediately. Vladimir had also ordered the President's Office to record the call, planning to broadcast it nationwide to unite the people and boost morale.

But now, this guy was just pretending? At heart, he was a coward!

Damn it! Vladimir slammed his fist heavily on the table. Even if this coward didn't die, he'd have to face legal repercussions upon his return! This was simply smearing the reputation of the Russian Army and humiliating the Russian Military in front of the entire world. Even he, himself, was made a fool of!

The hero from one second ago turned into a fool the next, Russia would become the laughing stock of the world!

Ivanov's voice came in a hurry, "Mr. President, there's reinforcement, oh, it seems to be the Iraqi military, when did they become so capable?! Oh, Mr. President, don't fire, they have already charged up the slope... Who are you?! I am from the Russian 76th..."

The sound of gunfire on the other end of the communicator gradually weakened, followed by some static, and then a young man's voice came through.

"Hello everyone, I'm Suming, a young entrepreneur from Huaxia, Yangchuan City, and a member of the Huaxia Party. Right now, we are in Iraq at... well, I don't know the name of this damned mountain, bringing you a live broadcast. Oh, this beautiful girl's name is Ludmila; you've just seen these two, the Abelard and Heloise of the press world, both are American journalists... This soldier here, I don't even know his name, but Ludmila told me, he's from the ace division of the Russian Army, the 76th, truly formidable, a dozen men held off hundreds of IS fighters... Anyway, Shen Yan, are you there? The signal here is very bad, can you see clearly in the broadcast room? I have to dash now, it seems like the main IS forces have found us, Amir, let's hurry and run! Oh oh oh, and another thing, I dedicate this live broadcast as a gift for our Party's birthday!"

In front of two big screens, the reactions were varied.

In the operational room in front of the big screen at the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, a group of government officials looked at each other in bewilderment; they could all hear that it was spoken in the Huaxia language, which likely few understood.

The representative from Huaxia could fit a whole egg in their opened mouth! What in the world was happening? Why would that missing Huaxia businessman suddenly appear, and from the sound of it, he not only saved the Russian soldier but also two American hostages?

The Party's birthday? Oh, oh oh, it was indeed fast approaching, and this gift was quite significant!

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, in the director's office of the Yangchuan City Zoo, a burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted, and the zoo's staff hugged each other in celebration.

"This guy... scared me to death!" Nangong Yan finally couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into tears.

This screen showed the battlefield, but the signal was very poor, blurry and intermittent, and all that was visible was Suming gesturing a V-sign in front of the camera.

Aside from these two big screens, at this moment inside Huaxia's territory, tens of millions of people were watching this battlefield live broadcast.