ATPnovel Chapter 266 Full Bloom
Chapter 266 Full Bloom
Next, guided by the airborne command aircraft, Xuan Tie dropped 203mm high-explosive shells into the silicon-based creatures' camp at a rate of one shell per second.
During this period, Xu Ling, who had completed the second round of harassment in the assault ship, once again produced three specially made ammunition supply bins to resupply Roy and Xuan Tie, who were about to run out of ammunition.
When the assault ship resupplyed Xuan Tie, Roy, and others, Platinum, who was dancing among the enemy forces, suddenly felt a surge of pressure.
Just as he fired a smoke bomb and prepared to retreat temporarily, twelve dazzling plasma clusters flew from her left and right sides and crashed straight into the ever-growing cluster of silicon-based organisms.
Platinum's eyes lit up, and the aerial assault backpack was activated. As the mech flew backward, it also launched a series of energy mines.
Seeing this, the Kheshig and Tengu who were responsible for supporting him also retreated in sync. During the retreat, the two mechanical dogs overloaded the two laser cannons on the back of the mech and switched them to cutting mode.
The moment they left the smoke-shrouded area, four lasers, each tens of meters long, swept in different directions, instantly halting the silicon-based life form's advance.
The mechanical dogs supporting from the rear seized the opportunity and unleashed a volley of fire in unison. The most "ruthless" Xuan Tie lowered the 203mm heavy cannon on its back and fired a fan-shaped barrage at the front of the silicon-based biological front with the fastest rate of fire.
The shockwave from the explosion provided Platinum with extra thrust, helping her reach the supply depot located at the front line a second earlier.
As they approached the pod, Platinum remotely launched the fully-powered plasma cannon loaded in pod number 2.
Subsequently, the left nozzle stopped working after a brief reverse thrust, and the mech began to turn. When the front of the frame was facing the No. 2 compartment, the left nozzle started working again, stabilizing the mech's attitude.
Platinum casually tossed the already depleted plasma cannon towards pod 1, and then caught the plasma cannon that had been ejected from pod 2.
His mech repeated its old trick, making a quick turn and charging back towards the distant silicon-based bio-cluster without losing too much speed.
Before the people arrived, the cannons arrived first. A series of high-temperature plasma clusters exploded near the smoke, and the high-speed, high-temperature plasma clusters successfully dispersed the smoke after the explosions.
Then, Bai Jin slung the cannon over his shoulder, grabbed a high-frequency saber in one hand, and charged into the enemy ranks.
With the added speed, the two high-frequency military knives sliced through the two medium-sized silicon-based creatures blocking Platinum's left and right sides with ease, just like hot knives cutting through butter, and the intensity of the battlefield once again reached a fever pitch.
As Platinum emerged from the smoke one last time, carrying his sword and shield and enveloped in thick smoke, the second semi-permanent fortress had already closed, and the cannons inside had begun firing.
At this moment, a series of warnings flashed on Platinum's helmet. The mech's overall mobility had dropped to 67.2%, its integrity had dropped to 63.4%, and all four plasma cannons had run out of energy.
Meanwhile, the Tengu and the Qie Xue, who were advancing and retreating alongside him, were in an even more sorry state.
The Kheshig's external armor was almost completely destroyed, one of its laser cannons on its back was damaged, and only 12% of its sensor array remained intact.
The Tengu, which was tasked with a certain command mission, was in slightly better condition, with 14.3% of its external armor intact and 34.2% of its sensor array intact. However, both of its laser cannons on its back were destroyed, leaving only the two close-in weapon systems on its shoulders as its remaining weapons.
Roy and his team, who were responsible for providing support from the rear, were also in a sorry state.
Only two intact 75mm cannons remained on the interception position, but fortunately, the main frame of the mech was not damaged.
The Xuan Tie is slightly better, but the 203mm heavy cannon on its back is damaged, and the remaining components can only be assembled into a short-barreled 105mm electromagnetic cannon.
The best off was the cat who was sniping from the shadows; its weapon system suffered little damage except for the loss of 18 main gun barrels, 23 laser cores, and 44 cooling components.
As a cat guard, Di Ting's condition is not too bad. Its external armor is 64.2% intact, and the two small laser cannons and the 105mm electromagnetic cannon on its back are all under high temperature overload.
The reason the mech squad was in such a sorry state was that both the artillery groups on the east and west sides were attacked by the main force of silicon-based organisms. In order to isolate themselves from the outside world as much as possible, the artillery groups had to retreat down the ridge and hold their ground at the pass.
This meant that each artillery group could only allocate two siege tanks and four 155mm vehicle-mounted electromagnetic guns for fire support.
Meanwhile, Xu Ling in the sky was blocked by the enemy's dense anti-aircraft fire, which greatly reduced his efficiency in attacking ground targets.
On the flagship, Lorraine had just completed the deployment of a medium-sized combined arms battalion. While waiting for the troops to deploy, Lorraine grabbed an energy potion from beside his seat, taking small sips while glancing at the screen on his left.
Looking at the completed second fortress and the surviving mech squad, Lorraine finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
He then turned his head back to look at the holographic projection in the center of the cockpit.
At this point, the entire battlefield was in complete chaos, with some attacking inwards, some running outwards, and others trying to circle around and launch a pincer attack on the fortress.
However, there was still good news on the battlefield.
Two medium combined arms brigades, converted from stockpiled combat vehicles, have entered the battlefield, while large transport aircraft operating day and night have transported a heavy combined arms battalion from the Hongfeng Island base to the forward base.
At this moment, the heavy combined arms brigade was maneuvering at full speed, targeting a weak point in the southeast defenses.
At the start of the battle, three nuclear-powered furnaces were detonated. The shockwaves and tremors from the explosions successfully alerted other silicon-based life forms in the surrounding area, with the largest number of silicon-based life forms pouring in from the southeast.
According to information transmitted from the airborne command post, this batch of more than 3000 silicon-based organisms is expected to cross the electromagnetic shielding field in 15 minutes.
To ensure smooth communication and prevent information leakage, four WF01 fighter jets that had just completed a ground attack mission were fitted with specially made small shielding bays to escort two tactical transport aircraft to the outer edge of the battlefield to deploy an electromagnetic arresting system.
Due to the long distance, this heavy combined arms brigade will be deployed at the company level, with its three tank companies divided into three routes and entering the battlefield from different areas.
The unit responsible for blocking the silicon-based organisms' path was a temporarily mobilized mixed company-level force.
The combined force consists of four Wasp attack helicopters, eight 105mm assault guns, and three wheeled mine-laying vehicles. The four Wasp attack helicopters will enter from the flanks and use their under-mounted armor-piercing rockets to attack medium-sized enemy units.
The eight assault guns will appear diagonally in front of this force, and their direction of travel will be at a 45-degree angle to the direction of travel of this silicon-based biological cluster.
Before the convoy enters the enemy's attack range, the assault gun will first activate the heat smoke generator at the rear. After firing three rounds of rapid fire, the convoy will make a 90-degree turn, leaving only one wheeled assault gun on the outermost edge, trailing heat smoke as it moves forward.
Using the smoke as cover, the wheeled mine-laying vehicle will quickly move forward and deploy 225 smart top-attack anti-tank mines on the left and right sides of the silicon-based organism's path of travel.
After completing the deployment, Lorraine looked up at the real-time image of the battlefield, where a thick cloud of dust was being kicked up by the mixed forces.
Four wheeled assault guns led the way, while four Wasp attack helicopters flew low on both sides of the convoy.
To their south, two even thicker clouds of dust were being kicked up: a heavily armored combined arms brigade that was rapidly approaching and a cluster of over 3000 silicon-based organisms.
After confirming that there was nothing unusual in the surrounding environment, Lorraine turned her attention to the western side of the battlefield.
The situation here is more complicated, with a larger number of enemies, requiring frequent troop movements and constant infiltration into enemy formations.
Due to the limited mobilization capacity of the Lorraine army, this battlefield was handed over to the experienced Cromwell Knights for command, with Liu Huajian and Zhou Wei serving as assistants.
The highest command authority within the Stonehenge base was handed over to the Major Robot, which was enhanced by Lorraine, Ouyang Nian, and Cleveland.
It is equipped with a more powerful liquid metal battery, a warship-level electronic system, and a war command program personally written by Cleveland. It also has an essential communication system that has been enhanced many times.
The major would use his powerful computing capabilities to integrate battlefield information from various sources, and then use the communication system to send the integrated battlefield information to commanders in different locations.
However, the major will only make general decisions and indicate the movements of high-risk enemy units. The specific command and human troop deployment authority at the front line will be given to the highest commander on each defense line.
When a crisis occurs, the major will use his powerful computing capabilities to forcibly take over a team of robots on the front lines, replacing human soldiers to hold the line.
After a brief period of adjustment, his battlefield deployment efficiency was even slightly higher than that of the old knight, resulting in a decrease in the damage rate of human soldiers and an increase in the damage rate of robots.
However, thanks to the nano-repair system and abundant spare parts provided by the repair team, damaged robots can return to the battlefield in a short time, although the combat efficiency of some severely damaged robots will be reduced.
Lorraine glanced at the overall situation of the battlefield, then refocused her attention on the local conflict.
"Commander, how's the situation on your end?"
Cleveland automatically connected Lorraine to the communication, and Lorraine answered without blinking.
"Fortunately, the data link adaptation has been completed, the western region has been completely handed over to the old Knight Commander, two medium combined arms brigades have also entered the battlefield, and 8 super-heavy tanks and 30 vehicle-mounted electromagnetic cannons have been transported to the Stonehenge base."
"The two heavy combined arms battalions that completed their escort missions have moved to the eastern and western battlefields respectively, and all assault forces have been deployed to the eastern side of the battlefield."
"However, the situation on the eastern battlefield is somewhat different. The attack intensity is much lower than that on the western battlefield, and the enemy units are mostly avoiding battle."
At this point, Lorraine turned her head slightly to look at the communication window beside her.
"Anyway, all your mechs are under repair right now. Go and take a look for me. These mid-level officers aren't as sensitive to local conflicts as you are."
"clear!"
Bai Jin stood up straight, gave a solemn salute to the camera, then hung up the call and informed Xu Ling of the situation.
"Hold on tight."
Xu Ling pushed the throttle with his left hand and pulled the control stick sharply with his right, making a large turn in the assault ship, which then quickly climbed into the sky.
As the assault ship ascended, Platinum carefully examined the situation map of the eastern battlefield, then circled one suspicious location after another on the map.
Then, she looked at the available units on the eastern battlefield and silently began to calculate in her mind.
"Platinum, the assault ship has reached an altitude of 12000 meters. What's next?"
Platinum remained silent, gently tapping the armrest with his right hand, his eyes narrowed, still deep in thought.
Immediately afterwards, she made a call to Cleveland.
"Cleveland, are the Royal Guard on the flagship?"
"Only those three teams of experimental-grade guard robots are here; the medium-sized mechs are protecting Ms. Lin Shu and Ms. Ouyang Nian in Jask Harbor."
"I need sufficient heavy firepower, and the troops here may be difficult to mobilize in the short term."
Upon hearing Platinum's request, Cleveland responded after only a 0.17-second pause.
"We have large-caliber electromagnetic railguns, individual plasma cannons, and laser cannons."
"Portable bunkers and folding close-in weapon systems are also available."
Upon hearing this, Bai Jin hesitated for a moment.
"Is there sufficient transport capacity?"
"adequate!"
Having received the assurance, Platinum was about to rely on her experience to do the mental calculations when she suddenly remembered Cleveland's role. She then sent all the areas she had marked to Cleveland.
"Cleveland, I've sent you the situation. Calculate the troop strength needed for these areas based on the worst-case scenario."
Upon receiving the request, Cleveland did not respond immediately, but paused for several seconds.
"The operational plan has been sent back, and transport units are being deployed."
The mobilization of transport units takes time, and Platinum used this time to quickly review the report sent by Cleveland.
"Give us more shaped charge mines and mortars, and it would be best if we could also deploy some flamethrower soldiers."
"Received. The forward base has been notified via the laser communication system."
After receiving the assurance, Platinum's gaze was fixed on a reverse slope, which was why she needed to activate the flamethrower.
After all, such a large-scale troop movement could not be kept secret from those mining worms who often operate underground.
The fact that no mining bugs have appeared on the battlefield is suspicious, and neither the command aircraft in the sky nor the reconnaissance aircraft have detected any mining bugs in the surrounding area or underground.
In order to buy time for troop movements, Bai Jin marked the least dangerous points on the map and had Xu Ling control the assault ship to carry out ground attacks.
After confirming that enemy units could not attack the assault ship at an altitude of 10,000 meters, Xu Ling transferred partial control of the assault ship to the AI, activated the automatic evasion system, and then controlled the 80mm electromagnetic cannon under the ship to aim at the first suspicious area.
[Ammunition Selection - Bunker Buster Bombs]
[Ammunition loading complete.]
"Buzz—"
A low-yield bunker buster fell from the sky, smashed through a rock, and came to a stop 5 meters above the ground.
"Bang!"
A high-energy jet shot out from the front of the projectile, melting through a 15-meter-deep layer of rock.
Immediately afterwards, a stream of liquid explosive flowed out of the projectile, filling the 15-meter-deep tunnel.