This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 736: Watch closely, I’m only demonstrating once!

Chapter 736: Chapter 736: Watch closely, I’m only demonstrating once!

At this moment, the Pioneer known as "Beast King" had no idea that his opponent was indeed carefully considering how to play the next card.

However, the card being played was somewhat different from what he had imagined...

Tavern entrance.

Looking at the smoky mess inside the tavern and the card players with flushed faces and thick necks, the newly arrived Spring Water Commander was completely dumbfounded.

It took him quite a while to come to his senses, as he blankly said,

"Good grief..."

It turns out, this was the reason why the company’s combat power was lacking.

Could it be that these scoundrels were all playing cards in the rear?!

Kakarot stretched his neck, looking around in the crowd, and soon spotted that familiar instigator, his face bearing an ’I knew it’ expression.

"Tch, I guessed it was something Mosquito Brother was doing."

I Max Black: "Treachery!! It’s a spy sent by Treachery!"

Centurion: "Call the iron cans of the Burning Corps!"

Grave Digging: "Drag this disgrace to military discipline out and be done with loyalty."

Just as the crowd at the entrance was chattering, Mosquito, who had just finished transporting goods, happened to slip out from the center of the crowd and immediately spotted the group standing at the door.

"Spring Water?!"

His eyes instantly lit up, and Mosquito walked up with a cheeky grin and slapped his arm.

"How did you get here? Weren’t you waiting for deployment in the rear?"

These were all his big customers.

Compared to that, the profits from these cards he sold were just pocket money.

"Waiting for deployment is correct, but didn’t the order for deployment come?" the Spring Water Commander smiled and continued, "The Manager is planning to come to the front line, so they transferred us over as well."

"What? The Manager is coming?"

Mosquito exclaimed in surprise and immediately threw the remaining few packs of cards in a sack to an NPC nearby.

Obviously, he also realized that he had been up to no good and quickly dissociated himself from the deal.

The young man beside him was quick-witted and immediately caught the sack, pretending not to know him.

The guy didn’t look like he was from the River Valley Province with his slightly curly hair, somewhat short stature, and gleaming black eyes; rather, he resembled someone from the Poluo Province’s Rat Clan.

"Manager isn’t here yet, stop looking."

Watching Mosquito look towards the outside, Spring Water made a helpless expression, then looked again at the smoky mess inside the tavern and couldn’t help but joke,

"Now everyone says that you’re the guy who wiped out our allied forces’ combat power. How do you plan to explain when the Manager arrives?"

Mosquito hadn’t expected this big accusation to fall on him and immediately protested.

"Damn, how is this my fault? It’s not like it’s my fault they can’t fight."

Speaking with his conscience.

These people were like this before he arrived!

However, this bunch of scoundrels wasn’t listening to him, just bawling and shouting.

Kakarot: "And you say it isn’t you! Do these guys look like they can fight?"

I Max Black: "Exactly! Too weak!"

Lame Leg Kevin also shook his head and said,

"With the way you guys are fighting, you’d be lucky to get over this mountain by next year!"

"What does this have to do with me," Mosquito said, half laughing half crying, "if you guys are so great, you go ahead!"

"Funny you should say that, we were just thinking the same."

Watching Mosquito, the Spring Water Commander grinned and patted his shoulder.

"Just you wait. When the Manager arrives tomorrow, I’ll show you a trick or two and let you see how a battle is fought."

...

Actually, speaking with a conscience, it wasn’t that the company was completely botching things up.

The average elevation of the Ten Peaks Mountain was over a thousand meters, especially a few critical peaks which were as much as two to three thousand meters high.

Its terrain was perilous, nothing like those small hills of two to three hundred meters, comparable to a real-world mountain range.

And places like Broken Blade Mountain had limited tactical width.; only about two or three hundred people could ascend at a time, with those behind stepping over the corpses of those in front.

Moreover, the opposition had built an extensive array of defensive structures, making the entire peak look like a fortress.

Even if there were a hundred thousand troops standing by, they wouldn’t be of much use.

Within the span of two days and one night, the company had launched three offensives, during the last of which they even deployed two underground missiles carrying 500 kilograms of warheads from the labs, but still couldn’t plant the flag on the mountaintop.

The casualties among the mercenaries had surpassed 300, exceeding the non-clone casualties suffered by the corps on Black Cloud Mountain.

Considering the battles to come, which still needed those mercenaries, the division commander of the Mechanized Mountain Division No.100 had to look toward their capable allies—the Alliance.

Back in the City of Dawn, the Spring Water Commander had volunteered on behalf of the Storm Corps to undertake this mission.

However, neither Spring Water nor the company commanders anticipated that while they were planning the next offensive, the Weilante People stationed on Black Cloud Mountain grew impatient and couldn’t wait any longer...

The third night.

Atop Black Cloud Mountain.

Glancing at General Modlin, who was looking through night vision goggles towards the distant positions, the adjutant standing beside couldn’t help but ask.

"Isn’t this a bit rash?"

Although disappointing, the company’s lingering performance at the front line did not warrant stripping them of the task to advance on this mountaintop.

It wasn’t just because it would deplete their strength, but also because this could be an excellent opportunity to test the strength of Ideal City.

The mercenaries had attacked the hilltop three times without any effective results, and he felt that if they pushed a little more, perhaps the corporation would send in their regular army.

Then, they could observe how capable the fully mechanized armed forces were.

After all, the corporation, a successor of the old era, was their true competitor.

As for the Torch Church, it was merely the most noticeable among many insignificant locusts.

However, General Modlin standing beside him held a different opinion and spoke concisely.

"...Didn’t you notice? The initial hilltops were relatively easy to capture, each subsequent position is harder than the last."

Adjutant: "So?"

General Modlin narrowed his eyes and continued, "So, the sooner we complete our missions, the more advantageous it is for us. As per the agreement before the war started, we need to take on the offensive for at least two hilltops, and counting the already captured Black Cloud Mountain, just one more would allow us to sit back and watch."

After that, they could leave those tough bones for the rest of the Allied forces to chew on.

If others wanted their assistance again, they would have to offer something worthy in exchange at the negotiation table of the Sticky Community.

Completing the combat mission ahead of schedule was, in itself, a significant bargaining chip.

He believed that Lord Lucien saw it this way too, which is why he had ordered tonight’s military operation.

Having said that, he turned to his adjutant and continued as usual.

"Notify General Mekar that our men have reached their battle positions, and his Glory Army can now advance."

Before sending in the Weilante People, he needed those Clone Cannon Fodders to exhaust some of the Mutants’ stamina and ammunition.

The adjutant instantly understood, his expression became serious, and he gave a military salute.

"Yes!"

...

At midnight, without any warning, the Loyalty Airship launched ten 400mm barrel-launched rockets toward Broken Blade Mountain.

The boiling flames, like a fire cloud plummeting from the sky, engulfed the entire mountain, instantly turning the vegetation into ashes, and even the rocks on the ground were heated to the point of being scorching.

At the same time, the thousand team of the Glory Army waiting at the base of the mountain had hung bayonets on their rifles.

A tall-nosed Centurion stood at the front of the formation, pulled out his pistol, fired towards the mountain, and shouted loudly,

"For the Marshal!"

"For loyalty!"

"Charge—!"

Eyes filled with frenzy, the Clone soldiers emitted deafening roars as they charged up the hill with their rifles.

"Hurrah!"

"Kill!"

Those short phrases were among the few human words that the Clones could utter.

Grown at eight times the normal speed, they lacked a complete human intellect, processing only an eighth of the information a normal person could.

Yet, those few words encapsulated their entire lives.

From the moment they were born, they had been preparing for today’s battle.

"Roar!!"

A big, green-skinned brute hiding in a trench let out a roar, swinging its shotgun, now devoid of ammunition, like a club, and smashed a Clone’s skull.

However, before it could enjoy the white brain matter, a bayonet streaked by like a flash of white light, stabbing upwards through its chin!

Hot blood sprayed on the zealously twisted face of the Clone soldier, who, without pausing, continued to charge.

They were like mad dogs on drugs, crawling forward with their hands once their legs were cut off, and if their arms were broken, they bit with their teeth, even more manic than those cursing big green brutes!

Apart from those who were numb to death, some mentally broken Clones curled up in bloody puddles, wailing.

Yet even so, no one retreated.

Under the command of the Weilante Centurion, they bit forward like wild beasts and quickly perished in their frenzy.

Exposed to such ruthless "fodder" for the first time, the Stone Axe Family’s Mutants were also a bit stunned.

Though these madmen’s combat strength was clearly inferior to the previous humans they encountered in exoskeletons, the reckless manner of these people indeed brought them considerable psychological pressure.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, the corporate headquarters was in chaos and turmoil.

The sudden bombardment by the Loyalty Airship followed by the unexpected deployment of the Clone Troops, these actions beyond the planned combat maneuvers surprised everyone.

Arriving at the scene, Lin Shangwen stared intently without saying a word at the holographic screen.

Standing next to him, his adjutant cursed and couldn’t help but growl,

"What the hell are those big noses trying to do?! Have they taken the wrong medication?"

Even if it was to show off, there was no need to act without any notice, right?

When they were attacking Black Cloud Mountain, he wanted to complain about these arrogant folks.

But the commander from the West Winds Empire could endure it, not even considering the colleagues who were mistakenly bombed as a big deal. As an outsider, he didn’t want to make a fuss about it.

Chief of Staff Yun Song also silently stared at the holographic screen but suddenly noticing the movements of another group at the base of the mountain, he instantly understood and said gravely,

"They’re probably trying to steal the profits."

The adjutant was momentarily stunned, then he also realized it and swore softly,

"Those shameless thieves!"

They had already sacrificed more than three hundred mercenaries on the mountain peak, launched hundreds of rocket shells and thousands of heavy grenades!

The killed Mutants, if not two thousand, then certainly three thousand!

Just as the enemy’s defenses were showing a sign of weakening, these bastards dared to jump in and steal the credit!

Lin Shangwen still didn’t speak, silently staring at the screen, pondering something in his mind.

Just as he was about to call Lucien to inquire what he meant, he saw that Lucien had beaten him to it.

An ugly nose appeared in the center of the screen, followed by a face that was smiling but not smiling, which was annoying.

This guy had a stick in his mouth even late at night, looking like it had grown on his face.

"I see you guys are having a tough time fighting this battle, so I’ll handle it for you."

Listening to that shameless remark, Lin Shangwen sneered, slightly lifting his chin as he looked at the face on the screen.

"Should I thank you for that?"

"Haha! You’re welcome," Lucien laughed and leaned back in his chair, his tone quite sardonic, "I just feel sorry for the young masters of the Ideal City who haven’t seen blood, scared they might wet their pants on the battlefield... better let them stay behind and play cards."

Cards?

Lin Shangwen frowned, and the officers behind him exchanged puzzled looks, unsure of what he meant.

Lucien didn’t elaborate, simply gazing at the group of weak officers, and continued confidently.

"Watch carefully, I’ll only demonstrate once."

With that, he turned off the video window, leaving the officers in the command room glaring at the place he had disappeared...

...

It had to be said, the Army’s calculation was very audible, so much so that even the Spring Water Commander, who had just arrived at the frontline, had heard it.

Broken Blade Mountain roared with gunfire and artillery; the flashing lights turned the place into daylight.

The dense, suffocating battle fires could faintly be smelled even from a distance, from government mountain.

"Goodness... the enterprise brothers are going to be embarrassed." Edge Shoveling said, holding binoculars, as he looked towards the south and smirked.

Due to visibility limits, he could only see a corner of the battlefield.

Even so, the bloodshed was fierce enough.

Standing next to him, Spring Water Brother chuckled, obviously not agreeing with him.

"I beg to differ."

Putting down his binoculars, Edge Shoveling looked at him curiously and asked.

"What do you mean?"

Spring Water Commander leisurely stated,

"These Mutants are not that easy to handle. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have held off the enterprise for three whole days. Honestly, facing those kinds whose heads can explode without them dying, and other unseen black technologies, any troop would find it difficult. Especially with such thick rock layers, we don’t even know how many people are hidden inside."

Difficult for the strong did try sneaking in to gather intelligence, but that fat old rat was a bit too fat.

The Big Guy with green skin certainly didn’t notice him, but those Goblins treated him as food.

He died three times and couldn’t even sneak into the cave, so he stopped wasting his effort and started thinking of other approaches instead.

Not only had they tried, the enterprise people were also making various attempts, like sending bionic special forces equipped with optical camouflage plugins to sneak in and scout the cave conditions and more.

However, nobody expected that the bionic squad would be exposed to EMP weapons and, after a brief pause, brutally crushed into scrap.

Even later attempts with drones as small as rice grains labeled as "beetles" failed.

These pieces of information weren’t made public within the Sticky Community allied forces, but they were shared between the Alliance and the enterprise Army systems.

In any case, the enterprise had used up all possible methods, but it seemed the opposition was well-prepared, countering every move they made.

Seeing that subterfuge was useless, the enterprise could only revert to the old method of bombardment followed by infantry charge.

However, even after utilizing all the support weapons they had and sweeping the entire mountain head countless times, they still couldn’t take the mountain from the green skins.

Spring Water estimated that the Weilante People were likely facing the same situation tonight, bound to suffer some hardships.

Those guys indeed had some skills, but always made the same mistake—underestimating others while overestimating themselves.

"...The enterprise didn’t stop them; I guess they also want to use the Weilante People to wear down the mountain’s living forces. Although we don’t know how many mutants are still up there, it surely isn’t infinite."

"That’s unfortunate," Edge Shoveling said with a smirk, knocking his fist on his breastplate, "we are infinite; let’s go for it."

Spring Water Commander gave him a side glance.

"Save your strength; it should be our turn this time."

Edge Shoveling: "Damn! Don’t you guys ever take a break when you get here?"

Spring Water Commander just smiled and said,

"We’ve been resting since coming down from Brocade River City; we’ve had plenty of rest."

While the two of them were chatting, the frontline situation had new developments.

Just as General Modlin had expected, a whole thousand team of Cannon Fodder quickly ran out.

The mountain was littered with the bodies of Mutants and clones, blood and flesh mixed together, the rugged terrain like it had been rolled over by the blades of a meat grinder.

Without any hesitation, the Loyalty Airship, as planned, fired another eight 400-mm heavy shells and, in coordination with the "Wild Bull’s" 200-mm cannon, started the second round of fire coverage on the mountain’s mutants tonight.

This round was even more ferocious than the last, thrilling not only the Weilante People at the frontline but also the allied forces further back.

Standing at the barracks doorway, General Babita greedily gazed at the "Wild Bull" exoskeleton standing in the wasteland, his eyes filled with desire.

If the Army would sell that thing to them, it would be great.

If General Arai Yang had that thing, they wouldn’t have lost Jinga Lun Port.

Mosquito, who just came back from Qun Town, was similarly shocked by the salvo-like firepower, muttering to himself,

"Goodness... what’s the barrel made from, it’s so durable?"

If only they could figure out the material of that thing.

Compared to the No. 60 electromagnetic cannon, which was temporarily useless and completely unclear in the real world, this thing’s practical value was much higher!

Having once tasted the sweetness of that aviation kerosene bottle, his eyes grew more eager, even contemplating some crooked ideas.

Perhaps...

I have to find a way to make those big-nosed people "lose" one.

At the same time as all the Waste Land Wanderers were looking up at the boiling gunfire, the distant battlefield was as horrific as Hell itself.

Some Big Guys who couldn’t retreat in time to the caves, tunnels, or shelters were blown up on the spot, and the Goblins trying to carry the wounded back into the tunnels also suffered heavy casualties. Many who were maimed by the explosions could only lie behind the rocks, screaming in agony.

General Modlin, equipped with night-vision goggles, looked out over the battlefield and as soon as the timing was ripe, he immediately gave the order to attack.

"The second thousand-team of the thirty-first Ten thousand troops, advance!"

"Yes!"

The adjutant saluted and promptly relayed the order to the thousand team.

The eager second thousand team began their assault up the mountain.

About twenty heavily armed infantry, dressed like iron towers and wielding Gatling Guns, charged under the cover of a hundred team toward a long-contested cave halfway up the mountain.

The silence of the night was broken for the second time, and the battle once again reached a fever pitch.

The well-trained Weilante soldiers erupted with combat power far surpassing that of the Clone soldiers, pushing back the Mutants on the mountain. Even Springs, who did not think they could take this mountain, could not help but show a surprised look.

"It seems you miscalculated."

Edge Shoveling smiled and glanced at him, tossing a binoculars into his hands.

"In one hour, those Weilante People have taken six cave entrances, and the battle outside the caves is basically over."

He had just seen with his own eyes a heavy infantryman with a flamethrower stepping into a cave; no doubt, the cave now was filled with the smell of roasting meat.

Compared to those fancy equipments brought out by the corporations, these straightforward and brutal gadgets indeed worked better.

At least to his taste.

Springs took the binoculars and, unconvinced, took another look only to see that the situation was indeed as Edge Shoveling had described. But he still stubbornly muttered,

"They’ve only just entered the dog holes; the real meat grinder has just begun... How long they can last inside is still up for debate."

"That’s true too," Edge Shoveling agreed with a nod.

He had a high regard for the opponents he had faced before.

Their success in the military actions of Luo Xia Province was greatly due to strategic factors.

These fellows weren’t lacking in fighting capabilities. With equal logistics, support, air superiority, and terrain factors, beating them on a frontal battlefield wasn’t easy.

If it were him, he would probably also pay a hefty price to completely annihilate those stubbornly defending Goblins.

At the same time, hundreds of kilometers away in the airspace, an imposing iron airship was slowly advancing toward the frontline.

It wasn’t just the players closely monitoring the frontline situation. Chu Guang’s gaze had never shifted away from the frontline.

At the very moment the Army launched their attack, Lin Shangwen, the commander of the Mechanized Mountain Division No. 100, had communicated with him about the matter and asked for their opinion.

Meanwhile, he had contacted Difficult for the Strong through the task system and had commissioned him to act as a war correspondent with a camera, spying on the frontlines.

Honestly, the Weilante People pretending to be magnanimous while playing such sly tricks was somewhat despicable.

If they managed to take the mountain, the people and money the corporations had lost would be in vain, instead becoming the Army’s accomplishments.

However, compared to his old friends’ losses, Chu Guang was more curious about the actual strength of the Army’s regular forces.

Thus, he and Lin Shangwen reached some trade-offs, persuading him to back down without pressuring General Lucien, allowing the Weilante People to rush forward and exhaust the Mutants’ manpower.

In case Broken Blade Mountain was taken by the Army, he could negotiate another position as "compensation" for the corporations.

After all, his players were eager for more chances to participate, and he was happy to arrange mutually beneficial opportunities for his players.

Of course, as part of the exchange, the ammunition, equipment, and "compensation funds" used in attacking the position would be covered by the corporations.

Lin Shangwen naturally wouldn’t reject such an opportunity and agreed almost immediately.

The council didn’t care about expenditure, nor did they care about how those outside Ideal City viewed them, as long as he achieved the maximum results with minimal battle loss.

Thus, Chu Guang, who also served part-time as the marshal of the Allied Forces, quickly reached an agreement with his "generals" to cunningly let General Lucien take the stage tonight.

They’re in a rush to perform, aren’t they?

Then let them have it.

Watching the vast sea of clouds outside the bridge’s floor-to-ceiling windows, Chu Guang smiled faintly and said,

"Vanus, do you think the thirty-first Ten thousand troop will manage to plant their flag on the summit of Broken Blade Mountain tonight?"

Although he seldom personally intervened in frontline command, his strategic gaze also didn’t favor the Weilante People winning this localized battle with inadequate preparations.

Staring at the holographic window’s display, standing beside him, Vanus pondered for a moment before suddenly speaking up,

"I think General Lucien might contact you."

"Oh?"

Chu Guang looked at him with interest, wanting to know why he would make such a prediction.

Vanus composed himself and continued thoughtfully,

"Based on my understanding of the Eastern Legion’s structure... they probably committed more than just a thousand team to this battle. And knowing General Lucien, who is talented but more like a gambler in character,"

Hearing this, Chu Guang, who initially had a slight smile, couldn’t help but slightly change his expression.

"You mean... he pulled troops from the defenses on Black Cloud Mountain?"

Vanus nodded, his expression no longer just solemn but gradually overtaken by a visible concern.

"He has no reason to plan a third offensive for an opponent he looks down upon. In other words, it’s very likely that only two troops were deployed on Black Cloud Mountain tonight, one defensive and one offensive. The Mutants letting them into the cave might not be out of desperation; they might have guessed that our side has committed ’unexpected’ forces to this battle and deliberately showed weakness in the local battle to increase our sunk cost of abandoning tonight’s offensive."

"And if faced with the choice between ’pushing harder’ and ’bowing to allies,’ General Lucien’s character will mostly likely gamble for the dignity of the Weilante People and push the frontline defense troops forward..."

Pausing briefly, he continued,

"Those Goblins..."

"Are probably going to counterattack."