This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 465: Times Have Changed

Chapter 465: Chapter 465: Times Have Changed

Daniel had guessed right.

His superior headquarters indeed encountered trouble,

and the trouble they faced was far from minor.

Simultaneously, as the Skeleton Corps launched an attack on his position, five "Cloud Dragonfly" Flapping Machines had already breached their defensive line’s left flank and continued to cut through deeper into the territory.

Flying at an almost ground-level altitude under the cover of artillery fire, the G40-1 position failed to notice these five flapping machines; meanwhile, the rear radar was completely unprepared.

As soon as these five flapping machines appeared on the radar, their remotely launched missiles, as planned, accurately struck the anti-aircraft defenses situated on the hill ridges.

The explosion’s flash and blast wave instantly engulfed the anti-aircraft guns and sandbags, killing and wounding countless anti-aircraft soldiers crouching in their positions.

From the front line to the command post, twisted steel and burning positions were scattered all the way, appearing from above like scattered bonfires.

At the same time that Defense Zone 40’s anti-air defense system collapsed, twenty H-1 "Dragonfly" transport planes arrived as scheduled above the battlefield, carrying five hundred elite troops from the Burning Corps who directly bypassed the stationed line of the forty thousand troops, advancing towards the Ten Thousand Team’s headquarters.

Fifty W-2 "Mosquito-style" attack planes took off sequentially from the Steel Heart, meeting the "Dragonfly" transport planes coming from behind to escort them and provide air support to the airborne troops.

Everything was going as planned.

Meanwhile, the Earth, shadowed by flying machines, was filled with faces of shock and utter confusion.

A Centurion looked up at the sky, his voice trembling as he said,

"Planes! Alliance planes!"

Close by, a logistics officer responsible for supplies swallowed hard, his voice carrying a slight tremor,

"Damn... how could there be so many!"

At that moment, the air-raid alarm finally went off belatedly, and everyone hurriedly grabbed their weapons and dispersed outside the tents, throwing the camp into chaos.

"Where are our planes?!"

"I don’t know..."

"Damn it!"

"What in the world is going on?!"

Until the day before yesterday.

The broadcasts were still reporting on Pangolin’s valiant achievements, and the Triumph Newspaper was still flaunting warehoused trophies on its front page.

The image of the Alliance as utterly feeble had taken deep root in people’s hearts; no one doubted that once the ammunition arrived, they could drive those natives out of the desert within minutes.

However,

the situation now was drastically different from their understanding.

Especially when the Alliance planes appeared overhead, many even thought they were dreaming, not fully awake.

Standing at the entrance of the command tent, Thousands of leader Pereon was dumbfounded as he stared at the sky, speechless for a long time.

Snapping back to reality, he suddenly grabbed the collar of his aide next to him and bellowed as he spat,

"Where are our anti-aircraft guns?! And the ten thousand front-line troops?! Why haven’t we heard anything!"

The aide, whose collar was grabbed, turned pale, his lips trembling for a long time before he finally managed to squeeze out the words stuck in his throat,

"The front lines... just reported that the Hundred-Man Team stationed at Sector 1 of the defensive line was bombarded by the Steel Heart—"

Pereon’s eyes widened.

Before the aide could finish, he roared with an order,

"Tell Daniel to hold at all costs! Even if he can’t hold, at least buy me half an hour!"

The bitterness on the aide’s face deepened.

Daniel?

Whether that guy was even alive was an unknown.

From the beginning, they had lost contact with Position 1.

According to the message from Position 2, the soldiers there saw the explosion’s flash nearly swallowing the entire position of their neighboring allies, and crouching in the trenches, they could even feel the Earth trembling.

Moreover, they also saw the Steel Heart, previously seized by the Alliance, appearing in the sky.

Clearly, the Alliance was in earnest this time.

The aide’s Adam’s apple moved, his voice hoarsely said,

"There’s no response from the communication channel; they... are most likely more dead than alive."

"Shit!"

Pereon cursed loudly, letting go of the aide’s collar forcefully, and hurried towards the radio inside the command tent, putting on the headset.

These idiots!

After connecting the call to the Ten Thousand Team’s headquarters, he nearly exerted all his strength as he shouted into the communications channel,

"This is the Forty Thousand Team!"

"We are under attack by the Alliance! They have dispatched their main force, including the Steel Heart and tanks!"

"We can only hold for a maximum of one hour! Send reinforcements immediately!"

"Repeat, send reinforcements immediately—!"

Most of the Forty Thousand Team’s ammunition had been allocated to Defense Area 53.

Pereon knew very well that the remaining weapons were not enough to withstand the Alliance’s dense offensive.

Perhaps the Army would ultimately achieve victory.

But for himself, who had been targeted by the Alliance, the chances of survival were slim.

However, he couldn’t understand, from either a strategic or tactical perspective, why Defense Zone No.40 was not the ideal target for an attack.

Even if they captured this location, it would hardly break open the overall situation.

But why had the Alliance specifically targeted his position?!

However, now was not the time to think about this issue.

The frontline troops had suffered heavy losses.

The enemy had definitely deployed a sufficient number of armored units to break through their defensive line, which had been prepared for over a month, in such a short time.

If he couldn’t survive this crisis, there was no point in thinking about the future.

After reporting the situation to the higher command, Pereon immediately rushed to the battle location with his Personal Body Guard and reorganized the camp’s various combat units.

Although the air raid had come unexpectedly, the Army’s soldiers were much better trained than those of the Falcon Kingdom. Even though they were at an absolute strategic disadvantage, their morale did not collapse, and they did not flee.

However—

This was not enough to give them much chance of success.

Under the gaze of countless eyes, twenty "Mosquito-style" attack aircraft broke away from the flying formation, turned their noses downward, and launched the attack first!

"B squadron, continue escorting. Brothers of squadron A, follow me!"

"Turn on all the beepers! Their air raid alarms are too quiet, sounds like they’re hungry! Let’s spice it up, haha!"

With a roar in the communication channel, the leader mosquito excitedly reached out and switched on the beeper.

The shrill, long sound resounded through the air, like the horn of the Grim Reaper.

Twenty 100-kilogram aviation bombs fell from the sky one by one, pouring a rain of death onto the ground!

Most of the Goblin Corps’ pilots were Agility system players, especially those carrying out bombing missions, whose Sequence Level had mostly reached Stage 2 and had unlocked the first Talent.

Under these pilots’ watch, the ground targets were not only slow as ants but also had visibly frightened expressions on their faces.

The high agility gave pilots visual and reaction speed enhancements, making their aircraft fly as if they were cheating.

Every delivery was precisely sent to where it was most needed!

Even better than AI!

Without the cover of anti-aircraft firepower, facing the aviation bombs falling from the sky, the entire battle had turned into a one-sided massacre.

The deafening roar echoed across the wasteland, with the fire and thick smoke from the explosions blooming everywhere on the battlefield.

Tents were instantly turned into seas of fire, and numerous clone soldiers, who hadn’t even seen the enemy, were burnt to charcoal, their eyes unfocused as they fell to the ground.

A centurion struggled to extinguish the flames on his body, but no matter how much he rolled on the ground, he couldn’t stop the fire from growing larger.

Pereon, the lucky survivor, struggled to stand up from the ground.

Noticing the shadows cast across the battlefield, he slowly looked up to the sky, and at that moment, he was stunned.

Unknown to him, the Iron Heart had emerged from the clouds and was now hovering above the battlefield, that airborne fortress like a dark cloud.

Watching those thick gun barrels slowly passing overhead, a sense of despair arose in his heart, feeling as though his soul was trembling.

The battles he had fought had always been one-sided victories.

As the advantaged side in asymmetric warfare, no one had lasted more than two rounds against the Army, let alone ride over his head like they did today...

At that moment, his adjutant, leaning on a rifle, staggered towards him.

"News from the front outpost. An armored unit is advancing from G40-1 defense line towards our direction... less than five kilometers away."

After a pause, the adjutant said in a strained voice,

"Sir... what should we do now?"

Pereon’s Adam’s apple moved.

His loyalty to Marshal Majesty kept him from saying anything discouraging, but the harsh reality was before him...

It was over.

His shoulders slowly drooped as he took his gaze away from the sky.

"...First, let’s tend to the wounded."

The adjutant was stunned.

"But—"

Pereon handed the rifle to the adjutant, patted his shoulder, and without a word, limped towards the burning site.

It was just one round of air raids.

Two hundred-man teams stationed near the command post had already suffered more than half casualties!

The remaining hundred or so were not only short on ammunition but also mostly injured. They couldn’t even put up a decent resistance against the advancing Alliance armored cluster, let alone hold them off.

To keep fighting.

Was no different from suicide...

As the Iron Heart arrived over the battlefield, the Alliance’s dive bombing ceased.

Perhaps seeing that the outcome was decided and not wanting to waste ammunition on trivial matters, the Alliance stopped bombing their positions and chose to continue advancing.

Pereon was acutely aware that he had already lost the battle.

And the loss was inexplicable.

Aside from the whirling propeller planes and the missiles diving along with them, he hadn’t even seen the Alliance’s ground troops.

Was this really the Alliance that the Pangolin Hundred-Man Team had easily annihilated three thousand men?

Looking at the wrecked camp, his pupils showed neither despair nor depression, only dullness and blankness.

What kind of "natives" were they actually fighting?

Was the Alliance deliberately hiding its capabilities.

Or was the "Triumph Newspaper" lying...

...

On the bridge of the Steel Heart.

Standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows, Chu Guang watched the war-torn battlefield.

This was the perfect vantage point to watch the battle, from where he could see both the enemy and our positions without any hindrance.

"They’ve surrendered," observed Vanus, a faint surprise flickering across his face as he watched the white flag raised by the enemy headquarters.

While the Alliance’s firepower played a role, he hadn’t expected these people to last less than ten minutes.

It seemed that these clone groups, freshly moved from the rear to the front lines, were somewhat lacking compared to the Expeditionary Army sent to the Grand Canyon...

"The operation is going smoother than planned."

Glancing at the time on the VM, a slight smile appeared on Chu Guang’s face as he continued, "Our soldiers have completed the objective an hour ahead of schedule."

Initially, the plan was for the Burning Corps to raid the command post of Defense Zone No.40, under cover from the Goblin Corps, while coordinating with the armored troops breaking through the front lines to obliterate the Forty Thousand Leader team.

But now, it seemed their plans were too conservative.

It’s understandable.

After all, the majority of veteran players in Wasteland OL still remembered the clone army from the battle a year ago.

Those fearless, bloodthirsty clone soldiers had left a deep impression on players who were still pioneers.

Even the crew of the Pioneer, equipped with exoskeletons and power armor, had struggled against their overwhelming numbers and firepower.

If it hadn’t been for the Pioneer using a tactical nuclear bomb to clear the battlefield later, the outcome might have been uncertain.

Many army commanders were from that version.

Whether it was Springs or Mole, everyone was extra cautious when planning and setting strategies in the group chat, even preparing contingency plans in case the paratroop operations encountered difficulties, urgently calling in air support from the Death Legion Wolf Cavalry.

However, they might have forgotten that back then, the Alliance didn’t have planes or tanks, not even an automatic rifle; they had to borrow from allies, and even a bolt-action rifle capture was treasured.

Their allies weren’t professional soldiers either, just employees from the overseas division of the Silver Wing Group. Although they had learned a lot on their travels, they might not have really been battle-tested.

Not like now...

The Alliance Army not only each had an automatic rifle, each person was an Awakener, and the player leading the team was a battle-hardened veteran.

The Army’s clone group was still the same clone group.

But the Alliance, now possessing numerous armies, was no longer the same.

It didn’t even reach the point for the Burning Corps to take action—the Forty Thousand Leader team had raised the white flag amidst the relentless bombing by the Goblin Corps.

And at that moment, the Skeleton Corps was still four kilometers away from the battlefield.

Even if they let the Burning Corps continue to parachute, it would be a lonely jump, and they would have to spend effort organizing their return to the airfield for reassembly.

Chu Guang decisively halted the eager Burning Corps poised for airdropping and ordered the B team of the Goblin Corps to escort the transport plane formation back home.

Standing next to Chu Guang, Vanus stared at the ground, deep in thought for a long while before suddenly speaking.

"Since the enemy has been caught off guard, why don’t we be more daring and continue to expand our victory while they are not ready to counter, pushing the armored troops forward a hundred kilometers to coordinate with the airborne troops in raiding the command headquarters of the four-hundred-thousand-team?"

A smile curled at the corners of Chu Guang’s mouth.

"That’s exactly what I was thinking."

Saying this, he tapped his helmet.

"Notify the Death Legion that they can proceed."

Xiao Qi’s enthusiastic response quickly reached his ears.

"Alrighty!"

Watching Vanus standing next to Chu Guang, strategizing, Finod in the corner swallowed hard, his face full of disbelief.

He had thought that like himself, Vanus was serving the Alliance reluctantly, but it turned out he was the only one "making the best of a bad situation," while this guy was genuinely strategizing for the Alliance.

This guy...

Is he really one of the Weilante People?

...

At the same moment that the Forty Thousand Leader team was falling apart, the headquarters of the four-hundred-thousand-team was in chaos.

Staring at the strategic map with its red arrow, Soft’s brows furrowed, his face alternating between astonishment and gravity.

He was the leader of the four-hundred-thousand-team, having arrived in Luo Xia Province just a month ago. His epaulettes bore no stars, his rank below McCullen and possibly two levels lower than Griffin.

Although unfamiliar with the situation in the Far East, having fought so many wars, he still understood maps.

That Defense Zone No.40 would be attacked by the Alliance’s main force was something he hadn’t anticipated at all.

This meant that the Alliance had exposed its supply lines directly under the power projection range of Defense Zones 41 to 49.

Even without the need for assistance from the neighboring 30,000 and 40,000 troops, all that was required was deploying two thousand-man teams from the depth area across the defense lines to the rear of the Alliance’s offensive thrust, effectively trapping the frontline Alliance forces in a quagmire.

However...

He had a better plan.

At that moment, a messenger ran into the tent from outside and saluted before reporting.

"A distress telegraph from the 40th thousand-man team! The frontline command post is under Alliance air attack, requesting air support!"

Softe didn’t look up.

His calloused index finger traced along the road network on the map and finally stopped at a contour line convergence in a valley, tapping it hard.

"Inform Pereon to avoid direct confrontation, to fight while retreating to No. 330 high ground, and draw the Alliance into our depths!"

"Additionally, send a telegram to the 43rd, 45th, 47th, and 49th thousand-man teams, instructing them to immediately move to areas near the No. 330 high ground and ambush the Alliance’s attacking forces from the eastern and western flanks!"

"The vacated Defense Zones 43, 45, 47, and 49 will be co-managed by the 42nd, 44th, 46th, and 48th thousand-man teams! Be vigilant for Alliance reinforcements from other directions!"

Softe’s expression flashed with excitement, and his right hand clenched into a fist, heavily slamming onto the red arrow on the map.

"We must crush this encroaching worm right here on this highway!"

No. 330 high ground is about 11 kilometers from Oasis No.3, with dense contour lines nearby and primarily hilly terrain, with major roads located mid-slope.

Due to its proximity to the oasis, the vegetation there was relatively denser than in other areas, and natural cover was available to hide from airships’ high-altitude views, making it an ideal ambush location.

Of course, the Alliance’s commanders could see this.

But even so, the Alliance’s forces had to continue along this route. Despite the poor condition of the road, it was at least passable.

Otherwise, penetrating deep into enemy territory and losing mobility would spell real disaster.

Softe couldn’t help but lift the corners of his lips in satisfaction at his own genius plan.

Though the Alliance came fiercely as if focusing all its strength on one point, he didn’t see this as cause for panic.

A mere hillock had cost these barbarians three thousand lives; what more now when they faced a ten-thousand-man team.

Their frustration would only hasten their demise.

After this battle, the Alliance would undoubtedly be severely weakened.

A sense of elation rose in Softe’s heart.

He hadn’t expected to earn such great merit just upon arriving in Luo Xia Province.

It seemed his shoulder insignia wouldn’t take long to acquire another star.

"Yes!"

The messenger saluted and trotted out of the tent.

The staff officer standing by furrowed his brows slightly and stared at the map for a long time before speaking.

"The 40th thousand-man team is severely low on ammunition, and with the Alliance pushing the ’Iron Heart’ forward, it’s unlikely they can retreat by themselves."

"No matter," Softe said, unconcerned, "the 40th thousand-man team isn’t key to the plan; whether they retreat successfully doesn’t matter, as long as they can delay the Alliance for a while."

"If Pereon pulls it off, that’s best. With reinforcements coming from the flanks, we could catch the Alliance halfway up the slope and give them a good beating."

"If it doesn’t work out, we’ll just give the No. 330 high ground to the Alliance and engage them there!"

The staff officer looked surprised.

It indeed was a good plan.

However, he had an ominous feeling.

"What if the Alliance’s forces arrive before our retreating ambush troops?"

Hearing the staff officer’s question, Softe paused for a moment, then resolutely said.

"That’s impossible!"

"Even if Pereon doesn’t buy us a single second, the distance from Defense Zone 40 to the No. 330 high ground is 30 kilometers more than from District 43!"

"No matter how fast their armored units advance, they can’t possibly be faster than our troop transports!"

The staff officer continued gravely.

"Under normal circumstances... The road from Defense Zone 40 to No. 330 high ground is indeed longer than the nearby District 43, but the straight-line distance is the opposite, less than 150 kilometers."

"I’ve heard the Alliance is equipped with a large amount of corporate-backed exoskeleton equipment. If they split off some infantry to leave the road network and advance in a straight line cross-country, they could reach No. 330 high ground in just one day."

"Splitting forces deep in enemy territory, moving infantry in a straight line cross-country?"

Softe seemed amused by the idea, his lips curling up wryly, "Their exoskeletons don’t need charging? You might as well say they are coming by air transport."

Using air transports was indeed troublesome, as their shields couldn’t be penetrated by anti-aircraft guns.

But that was all.

EMP bombs could disable external parts of the airships, like rotors that unfold on the flanks, leaving the ’Iron Heart’ drifting or stranded.

And the idea of lowering gangways right under their noses was as good as a dream; if anti-aircraft guns couldn’t hit the airships, couldn’t they hit such a large ladder?

Before the staff officer could speak, Softe continued.

"Not to mention, this 150-kilometer straight line would necessitate crossing over ten mountain heads, and along the way, there are our outposts and anti-air defense positions."

"Even if each of them were mutants, it’s absolutely impossible for them to reach No. 330 high ground before our defense troops!"

"Absolutely impossible!"