Although the air raid on Moscow had been going on for two hours, Stalin and other members of the Politburo had not come to the safe and secure air defense command. Alexander? Sergeyevich wondered and panicked, and he walked out of the hall of the General Command, came to the corridor, and looked around. His feverish face felt a fresh stream of air, apparently from the air compressor.

"The observation post on the military headquarters building is out of contact!" A narrow-shouldered, thin-faced, bespectacled major ran into the corridor after him and hurriedly whispered: "Colonel Gilshovich orders to repair ...... as soon as possible"

"Yes, fix it now!" A captain replied, his hair brown to red, his face full of freckles, and the grayish white pupils in his eyes. He sat with a few signal soldiers in a large pit room, with many telephones on the table.

The two fighters, on the orders of the captain, took off their boots and ran down the corridor towards the elevator so as not to make too loud footsteps.

Shcherbakov remembered that above the air defense command, there was an observation post on the roof of the headquarters building. From the rooftop, you can see most of Moscow. He also did not hesitate to follow the communication warriors. The bespectacled major's hurried words seemed to still ring in his ears: "Colonel Gilshovich ordered......"

Only then did Shcherbakov pay close attention to the work of the chief of staff of the army, Colonel Gilshovich. He sat side by side with General Zhuravlev at the table near the console, and was indeed the commander's right-hand man. In front of him was an open notebook, and he jot down the reports coming from the various lines in a swift and accurate shorthand manner. Also note down the measures decided to take. He occasionally spoke with Zhuravlev, apparently discussing something, and then took up a pen to write off a piece of record and write something new. His pale, thin face, with a tightly knit brow, showed a preoccupied and worried look. The Colonel seemed to be juggling a rigorous exam, solving an extremely complex mathematical problem and struggling.

"But where is Comrade Stalin?" As Shcherbakov ascended the elevator to the highest floor, he asked himself repeatedly. From there, you can follow the ladder to an attic, and then go up to the roof, where there is a steel plate eaves is the observation post.

The sound of the cannon can be heard clearly in the elevator. But when Alexander? When Sergeyevich came to the roof, he felt as if he was in the midst of lightning and thunder, and a raging storm.

"Alexander? Sergeyevich; An observer ran to him in exclamation, "Can't come here!" And not yet wearing a helmet. Shrapnel will hurt your ......"

"I'll just stay for a minute." Shcherbakov replied calmly and solemnly, and looked around.

At this moment, several bombers were rushing towards Moscow from the west. From the observation post, it can be clearly seen that the night sky in the direction of the central part of the capital is densely packed with anti-aircraft artillery fire, one after another, like a cluster of boiling steel flowers. The glow of the searchlight flew nervously all over the sky. At the intersection of lights, there is a silver bright spot flickering, it is a Chinese plane. Suddenly, around the plane, dense artillery fire began to appear. The boom of the blasting bomb explosion was terrifying...... That is, enemy aircraft dropped bombs...... The heavy fire of anti-aircraft guns, the crisp click of large-caliber anti-aircraft machine guns, the constant screams of automatic anti-aircraft guns were mixed together, overpowering the hum of aircraft engines in the sky. Where machine-gun bullets and small-caliber anti-aircraft guns with tracer shells fired intensively, emitting colorful, continuous points of light, one can imagine that there were some single Chinese bombers there. Shcherbakov saw that there were vertical bands of light stretching into the sky above the building of the army headquarters. It means that there are enemy planes overhead.

The growing whistling sound turned into a long, startling roar, as if it were the sky itself that pressed against the city. The surrounding roofs made all sorts of crashing sounds, which were very violent and noisy. Looking out from the observation post, in the depths of the compound as far as the eye can see, at the intersection of Kirov Avenue and the circular boulevard, a formidable fire flashes.

"Bastard! Molotov cocktails set it on fire! One of the observation posts said, audibly, and the voice was muffled by fear.

Shcherbakov saw that where the incendiary bombs fell, they began to shine like a small sun, and the light was dazzlingly white and splashed with sparks. At this time, Alexander? Sergeyevich only noticed that there were people moving around in the rooms. Wherever there was no iron fence on the roof, men, women, and children tied themselves with ropes to chimneys, radio antennas, and protruding places. Some people put one end of the rope into the skylight and tied it to the attic.

Wherever there was a blazing glow from incendiary bombs, firefighters ran to extinguish the fire with tongs, shovels full of sand, and wooden barrels filled with sand. In many attics, the skylights and small doors were bursting with flickering flames. The flames rumbled across the tin sheets, illuminating the surroundings with a dazzling self-light. Some incendiary bombs did not penetrate the iron sheets, fell on the roof, and then fell to the ground. The flames burned on the ground, burning the asphalt and burning the trees, as if they were burning through the road.

All around was a miserable whiteness, neither like day, nor like the night when the moon was in the sky. The light that danced in the flames was miserable. The flames of houses, streets, and trees seem to be about to burst into the sky.

The voices of men and women were heard from all directions, shouting, giving orders, screaming, scolding, and reminding people to be careful:

"Stupid, don't be stingy with sand!"

"Glasses! Eyes, watch out for the eyes! ”

"Don't run around without gloves! Hear me! ”

"Fool, take the pot off your head, it can't replace the steel helmet!"

"Fuck you! Shut up! Fly into something, but you can't spit it out! ”

"No need for water! …… Grab it with pliers and throw it away! ”

There was also a joke in the middle: "Hey, neighbor! If you throw an incendiary bomb at us, we'll cut you off!" ”

"Throw us the young woman who is watching the yard! …… We'll give you the man who watches the yard! ”

Suddenly, the roar of a bombshell overwhelmed the clutter of vocals. It was as if the bomb had landed on the headquarters building, but it flew off into the distance, alarming the residential areas of the city, and with a terrible boom, it exploded near the gate of Nikita.

After the explosion, someone on the roof of a nearby building cried out as if pleading: "Help, good people! …… My foot was blown up! Can't stand! Yes! Ah......h

Yes, Moscow is suffering.

In all attics and rooftops of houses, office buildings, theaters, museums, hospitals, shops, Muscovites were fighting Molotov cocktails dropped by the Chinese. Some died after their homes were bombed. A special rescue team immediately went to clean up and dig up the rubble...... Shcherbakov's mind suddenly flashed to the familiar faces of the secretaries of the district committees, the leaders of the Moscow Soviets, the chairmen of the district executive committees, the directors of the factories, a number of scholars and designers, who were the embodiment of the party. He remembered the former secretary of the Frunze district, Nikolai? Fedorovich? Gerritschin, who was appointed political commissar of the 1st Army of the Territorial Air Defense, died just a while ago...... Tens of thousands of Bolshevik Party members, the elite of these parties, have gone to the battlefield to strengthen the ranks of the army, navy and air force, and many have died heroically...... It needs to be like this! Because now the time has indeed come for the survival of the Soviet state...... Alexander? Sergeyevich looked at the sky where the artillery fire was extinguished, and saw a plane that looked like a silver cross in the searchlight, and a series of glowing bullets were fired at the plane, but it was not from the ground, but an invisible Soviet fighter plane fired from the dark sky. The bullets trailing the light were heavy, as if they were attracted by the silver cross, and as if they had overwhelmed the plane and were no longer able to hover in the air. The plane suddenly turned around and fell under a brief beam of searchlights, staggering to the ground, and landed in the direction of the station on the south bank of the river.

The telephone rang on the observation tower.

"It's an observation post!" The observer on duty grabbed the earpiece and shouted excitedly. He reported that from the observation tower he saw a fire in the direction of the Belarusian station, as well as a downed Chinese bomber, and when he finished speaking, Shcherbakov ordered the observers: "Please ask the regimental commissar Glitchin to listen to the phone." ”

A minute later, Gretchin answered in the basement of the command headquarters.

"Nikolai? Fedorovich, "Alexander? Sergeyevich said, his voice showing panic, "Why can't you see Comrade Stalin?" Why doesn't anyone from the Kremlin come here? ”

"Why didn't you come?" Gretchin was amazed, "It's all here!" Comrade Stalin is also here! …… ...... in the meeting room"

It turned out that shortly after the air raid siren was issued, Shcherbakov was busy going to the command headquarters to listen to the preliminary report that dozens of Chinese bombers were flying towards the air defense zone, when General Gromakin met the Politburo members by the elevator and reported that the enemy planes had flown over Duteisk and were approaching Moscow, and the night fighters had taken off to meet them. Members of the Politburo silently walked down the corridor from the Commander-in-Chief Hall. Obviously, everyone was thinking about the situation of this night battle in the air near Moscow with trepidation.

Everyone saw them, except for Shcherbakov.

Alexander? Only then did Sergeyevich relax and go from the observation post to the basement of the headquarters. In the corridor, the regimental commissar Gerritchin was encountered. He had his forehead hair, and his figure was as well-proportioned and straight as that of a young man, and he took a step to the side in the carpeted hallway, the heels of his shiny boots touching the heels of his smiling tiredly. In this apologetic and tired smile, in the red-threaded, dull eyes, on his slightly emaciated face, Shcherbakov could see that Gretchin was extremely tired. However, during the fight against air raids, this military commissar was simply an active link between the general air intelligence post of the Zhuravlyov command post, the searchlight combat group and the artillery chief...... Everyone felt his presence and could hear his humble and decent words. He brought news from the sky, on the ground and on the streets of the capital in time. Gerrit was clever and never lost in telephone conversations, he always had a brief conversation with the commander of the garrison, Leviakin, the heads of the regiments and the commissars, and was able to learn about the work of the sanitary and fire brigades. One gets the impression that if everyone here is carrying out the specific tasks he has assigned, then this regimental commissar Gretchin is simply undertaking all the work and caring for everyone. Shcherbakov knew very well that the work of the commissar was an inconspicuous job, that Gretchin understood that the struggle between heaven and earth was one, and more importantly, that he knew that this commissar understood everyone. It is good at stimulating their fighting spirit and enthusiasm for work, so that they are conscientious and loyal to their duties. It is as if the political commissar has a sensitive instrument in his heart, and he is good at measuring the emotions and working atmosphere of the people around him at any time, using his own reason to estimate various situations, and then remembering them in his heart.

Shcherbakov did not go to the conference room, he remembered something. He turned and walked into the general command hall and began to look at the fluorescent screens, wondering what had happened in the air defense zone during his absence. But there was one thought that was most perplexing: no party leader had come here except him...... If Stalin had asked him Shcherbakov why he had been in the control hall and had gone to the observation post during his work at the headquarters, what would he have answered? But what can be done about it? If something happens, he is the only one, but Shcherbakov is the one who asks...... And what if something happens? …… Alexander? Sergeyevich suddenly remembered that a few days ago, General Zhuravlyov complained to him with a disturbed expression: "Some comrades warned him that as soon as a bomb fell on Moscow, his head would be moved......

Shcherbakov thought about it and again came to the ground observation post.

The battle in the sky was still raging, and at the moment when he arrived at the observation post, a burning plane whistled overhead, and he could see clearly that this time, it was no longer a Chinese bomber, but a Soviet fighter.

The badly wounded fighter staggered to avoid the neighborhood, but in the end it was unsuccessful, and Shcherbakov watched as the residential area in the distance instantly burst into flames, and the huge explosion was faintly mixed with wails and screams.

Shcherbakov withdrew his gaze from the flames, he looked up at the night sky, and faintly saw the hordes of planes passing by. The planes were of a strange shape, he had never seen them before, but he could tell that they were by no means Soviet.

At this moment, Shcherbakov thought of a statement to deal with Stalin, and he was about to go back underground, but he was surprised to see an oval-shaped plate in the sky silently flying through the clouds at a very fast speed.

Shcherbakov, suspecting that he had seen it wrong, rubbed his eyes and looked into the sky again, but the plate was gone.

"Strange ......," Shcherbakov muttered, turning around and leaving the observation post and descending into the underground passage.

Shcherbakov would have dropped his eyes in astonishment if he had known that "the enemies of the Soviet state and the Bolsheviks of the whole world" were on that plate just now.

At this time, in the "Gaokong No. 1" flying saucer, Yang Shuoming was watching the battle situation through the porthole.

At this time, Moscow has turned into a sea of fire.

Almost all the neighborhoods were on fire, and large clusters of flames continued to rise, one after another, and Yang Shuoming knew that it was caused by napalm dropped by Chinese bombers.

The searchlight columns of the Soviets on the ground were still slowly sweeping the night sky, and their number was significantly smaller than at the beginning of the air raid, and the Soviet anti-aircraft fire was not as dense as it had been at the beginning, but had become sparse and messy. The Chinese attack aircraft group in the sky clearly felt it, and the attack became more calm, as if it was conducting a pre-prepared exercise.

"The 'Quick Knife' fleet has completed its mission." A staff officer said to Yang Shuoming, "Most of the Soviet army's ground defense artillery fire has been destroyed by the 'Quick Knife' group, and according to the plan, the next step should be the 'Hongyan' group to attack." ”

Yang Shuoming nodded, did not speak, and his eyes remained outside the window.

A large twin-engine fighter with a large delta wing swept past the "Gaoqi No. 1" flying saucer at a rapid pace, this fighter may have regarded the "Gaoqi No. 1" as the secret weapon of the Soviets and wanted to attack it, but when the pilot approached it, he found the eye-catching red and black "human" logo on the flying saucer, and stopped the attack in time. Perhaps wanting to apologize to his comrades on the flying saucer, or to show off his superb combat skills and the surname of the fighter to his comrades, the fighter jerked sideways as it skimmed past the flying saucer, shook its wings, made a "wavering" gesture, and then disappeared into the night like a night owl.

"What kind of plane is this? Why haven't I seen it before? Yang Shuoming's bodyguard, Yan Shu, asked with some surprise, "Is the propeller down?" ”

"This is a 'two-haired bird', haven't you seen it?" A skeet pilot said with a smile.

'What?' Twin Big Bird'? Yan Shu asked, "I haven't heard of it." ”

"This is the 'Shark' heavy fighter. It's no wonder you haven't seen them, this is their first time playing. The staff officer replied, "There are many types of such aircraft, and they are general-purpose models that can carry out ground-to-air and sea-to-sea attacks around the clock. This time, they were given the task of attacking Moscow, mainly to provide cover for the bomber group, and at the same time to assist in ground attacks and eliminate the anti-aircraft artillery fire of the Soviet army on the ground. ”

"That's the benefit of a universal fighter." The skeet pilot said, "I just saw the Soviets attack them as bombers, and they all suffered a lot. ”

(To be continued)