Chapter 325.2: Great Victory in Pinewood Forest!

Bang, bang, bang!

Hot shell casings were ejected from the aircraft. Within a few shots, the reversing quad-barrel anti-aircraft vehicle was pierced through its hull by an armor-piercing incendiary round descending from the sky. In no time, it was engulfed in the flames of self-detonation.

Perhaps its ammunition box had been hit, but it blew up really quickly.

Around that anti-aircraft truck, a series of crackling fireworks-like flames erupted, resembling a cascade of firecrackers. Nearby marauders scrambled into the trenches, clutching their heads and scurrying towards the anti-artillery bunkers in a frenzy.

"Nicely done!" Peering through the optical sight at the marauders scurrying for cover, Ice and Fire excitedly pumped his fist while sitting in the gunner's position.

The firepower of the twin 37mm anti-ground gun was not just talk!

Although its rate of fire and firepower density were not as high as the quad 20mm autocannon, its killing power and armor-piercing capability were significantly stronger.

It was not even a challenge to take out a few anti-aircraft trucks. Even if it was a

Sherman

tank, he was confident he could take it down!

With the last anti-aircraft vehicle rendered inoperable, the Fang Clan's frontline forces had completely lost all their anti-air capabilities.

Without the protection of armored units and anti-air weaponry, their 3,000 remaining infantry were like fish on a chopping board.

There were not enough trenches on the southern high ground to accommodate 3,000 people. The Death Corps only had 300 people, and the fortifications they dug could fit 1,000 at most.

The 30 anti-artillery bunkers were quickly filled to capacity.

The remaining marauders either fled into the pine forest on the northern slope or could only huddle in trenches or under armor and pray.

Seeing the sea of heads, Ice and Fire smiled mercilessly and did not hesitate to squeeze the trigger, sending the remaining half magazine of armor-piercing incendiary rounds flying.

With a series of continuous shots, shells descended from the sky with trailing orange flames and struck the ground, kicking up rolling clouds of dust.

The running marauders fell like harvested wheat.

Standing beside him was Bathroom Goer, who could not resist the itch in his heart after hearing the sound of gunshots. "Move over, let me have a turn." He urged.

Ice and Fire, who was thoroughly enjoying shooting at his enemies, certainly did not want to yield. Half of his face was almost glued to the optical sight, and without looking back, he replied, "What's the point of letting a strength type operate this? Can you aim accurately at this height? Stop babbling and quickly change the magazine! Give me some high-explosive rounds!"

"Motherfckker, are you ordering food or what?" Although he grumbled, Bathroom Goer still did as he was told.

After all, he was hired as a weapons tester.

Furthermore, the battlefield performance of new equipment determined the profit from trial missions and the orders for new equipment.

In the unstable high-altitude airflow and without a fire control system, being able to take down seven enemy's anti-aircraft vehicles with 120 armor-piercing incendiary rounds was already quite impressive.

Quickly changing the ammunition for the twin 37mm anti-ground guns, Bathroom Goer walked up to the cabin door and tapped it before calling out, "Brother Retard, we've got the anti-air firepower under control. Move a little lower."

The pig-headed figure inside the cabin responded irritably, "My ID is Unprofessional Retort, you can call me Unprofessional or Retort, but what's with calling me Retard?!"

"Alright, Brother Retard."

"What the fuc...!"

The plane began to descend from a kilometer above the ground to a position about 500 to 600 meters in the air. The left gun was aimed at the ground, and the plane continued to turn counterclockwise.

At that distance, firing at their enemies was almost effortless.

Ice and Fire, sitting in the gunner's seat, was familiar with the ballistics and immediately switched to burst mode, firing at wherever enemy forces were concentrated.

The firepower poured down from above, leaving nowhere safe.

Unprofessional Retort adjusted the angle of the control stick, bent down and picked up the steel rod he had found near the airfield, which he used to secure the control stick in place. Then, he leaned back in his seat and entered spectator mode.

In the settings, the New Alliance's small UAVs provided players on specific battlefields with a fixed, non-zoomable perspective.

It was said that some veteran players had seen the UAV, which was a small metal sphere. However, he had never seen it and considered it a background setting.

Strings of orange-yellow projectiles fell from the sky, creating a series of densely packed dust and fire where they hit the ground, with flesh and blood flying near the impact points.

Watching the spectacle while holding his VM, Unprofessional Retort could not help but feel envious. "Damn... These high-explosive rounds sure are satisfying to use."

With the enemy anti-air personnel all down, if he did not have a KD of 200/0 after this, it could only mean he was a terrible player.

A KD of over 300 would barely pass. After all, there were only so many rounds of ammunition, and when the retreating soldiers rushed into the pine forest on the slope, collecting kills would not be as easy.

Firing through more than a dozen magazines in a row, Ice and Fire was still unsatisfied. "37mm bullets are still too small. It would be great if you could get a 105mm howitzer on board. I'd just level that forest!"

Hearing these nitpicky comments, Bathroom Goer could not help but roll his eyes. "What are you daydreaming about?"

If only it was that easy!

The large-caliber artillery pieces New Alliance currently used were mainly the seized 100mm howitzers and its replicas.

Whether it was reducing the recoil and chamber pressure of the 100mm howitzer and installing it on an aircraft or designing a special large-caliber cannon for the aircraft, it all took time.

Furthermore, weapons were determined by battlefield needs and current circumstances.

Without a reliable fire control system and aircraft, a large-caliber cannon with overcharged ammunition was far less effective than a properly sized one.

Not only the latter could carry more ammunition, most importantly, if they missed, they could fire a burst while using tracer rounds to correct the trajectory and eliminate soft targets behind cover.

As for destroying fixed fortifications, they left that to the little Mosquito dive bombers produced by the neighboring factory. They were economical and cost-effective.

When the New Alliance had the money, their H-1 Dragonfly utility aircraft could be slightly modified to become horizontal bombers, dedicated for large-scale carpet bombings.

Wasn't that much better than a large-caliber artillery?

"How many rounds do we have left?"

"I brought 1,200 rounds of spare ammunition, you can relax and keep firing," replied Bathroom Goer, who was loading rounds by the side.

Upon hearing this, Ice and Fire was astonished. "Holy shit? That many?!"

Chuckling, Bathroom Goer glanced at the rows of aluminum alloy ammunition racks beside him, raising his eyebrows in satisfaction. "Duh. Do you think our maximum payload of over 10 tons is just for show?"

...

While the H-1 Dragonfly aerial gunship was firing furiously, harvesting marauders fleeing from the southern high ground, Chu Guang, clad in an exoframe, had already arrived at the edge of the battlefield with nearly 1,000 players.

The entire battle plan was divided into 3 stages.

The first stage involved an attack by the Goblin Corps' aviation fleet during a break in the artificial rain, targeting the tanks and anti-aircraft vehicles located behind the Fang Clan frontline. While completely destroying all tanks would be ideal, if that was not possible, forcing the remaining tanks into the forest to weaken more than half of the enemy's anti-air firepower.

The second stage was carried out by intelligence type players from the Death Corps, who controlled a swarm of drones armed with IEDs to launch a sudden attack on the tank units from extremely close range. Since hexacopter drones had extremely fragile armor and could be easily shot down, they required the enemy's armored units to get close enough, resulting in significant casualties for the surrounding infantry and separating them from the high-density fire support.

As for the third stage, which was the counterattack stage... Assuming that the enemy had successfully taken the high ground, they would have 2 choices. Either continue advancing southward to attack Bluestone County in one fell swoop, or expand their fortifications while resting and gradually advance forward.

Regardless of their choice, the aerial gunships produced by Steel Plant 81 would arrive as scheduled. Faced with shells descending from the sky, the marauders on the high ground would be instantly split into 2 groups. The first would seek refuge in the limited defensive positions, while the other would flee down the slope. Some might remain in place to wait for their deaths.

At that point, the outcome of the battle was already clear.

In fact, according to the operational plan established by the command center, after the completion of the second stage, the defenders on the high ground could abandon their positions.

Unless there were still tanks left that were yet to be destroyed, they would charge forward to disable them.

If the defence force was made up of ordinary troops, Chu Guang would not hesitate to give orders for all the soldiers on the high ground to retreat.

However, since they were players, Chu Guang took gameplay into account, ultimately giving the Death Corps two choices. They could either return to the backline for a rest, or stay and fight.

What if Sideline Slacking led his hundred or so remaining troops and wiped out the thousands of opponents?

While the possibility of such an event was very small, it was not completely impossible. Otherwise, where did the epic victories recorded in history books come from?

Even if they failed, it would not be a loss.

Every death made those unkillable players stronger.

Using the hummingbird drones deployed above the battlefield, Chu Guang surveyed the area. He spotted a corner in the south, where incomplete and lifeless bodies lay scattered in all directions.

Even though the marauders had stripped them of their helmets, gas masks, VMs, and even clothing, Chu Guang could still recognize their identities. "The Alliance will remember your sacrifice."

'... Afterwards, I'll have Little Seven upload the edited battle footage to the official website.'

After silently mourning for the death of the players, who would not be able to log into the game for 3 days and would only be able to chat on the forums, for a moment, Chu Guang slowly raised the warhammer swung it forward. His voice, amplified by the speakers, resonated along the edge of the forest, "Troops... Advance!"

12 100mm artillery shells landed on the high ground simultaneously. Towering columns of smoke rose into the sky, and searing shockwaves boiled across the battlefield position.

At the same time, the charge signal sounded.

Several large and small corps launched their attacks simultaneously. The players, who had been impatiently waiting, charged forward with deafening battle cries, launching a thousand-player assault.

Leading the charge once again was the Skeleton Corps, adhering to the Mobile Warfare Doctrine. What was originally a single armored truck in the entire unit had now multiplied to 6.

Apart from 2 armored trucks carrying quad-mounted 20mm autocannon, there were also 2 carrying the latest product from Steel Plant 81, the 88mm low-pressure smoothbore artillery.

While the production line for the gun barrel was converted from the 88mm mortar production line, the weapons were entirely different.

The remaining trucks were armored personnel carriers with a 10mm heavy machine gun mounted on the roof, rated to carry 12 passengers each. However, they could comfortably squeeze in 20 people if needed.

"Don't bother with those infantry hiding in the trenches! Our target is those people fleeing north!"

"All the brothers of the Skeleton Corps, hold on tight! Drivers, pedals to the floor! Armored units, don't stop, keep charging forward!"

"We're going straight to the northern high ground to collect some heads!"

Sitting in the co-driver's seat of the armored personnel carrier, Escaping Mole, wearing a headset, excitedly screamed in the team voice chat.

As soon as the Skeleton Corps reached the high ground, they immediately activated their speed mode and paid no attention to the marauders crouched in the trenches.

The heavy machine guns on the personnel carrier kept firing relentlessly. With the cover of suppressing fire, the armored trucks broke through the high ground in less than 2 minutes.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

In the pine forest below the high ground, there was a path cleared by artillery fire, and that was also the main route of advance for the Fang Clan's tank unit before.

Disabled tanks and anti-aircraft vehicles were scattered along the roadside or tilted in the woods. Escaping Mole, sitting in the co-driver's seat, looked at the wreckage outside the window and felt a pang of regret. "... What a waste to blow them all up."

If only they could salvage a few!

As the Skeleton Corps charged past the high ground, various players from the Jungle Corps and the Storm Corps also began to advance onto the high ground.

In less than an hour after capturing the southern high ground, those marauders did not even have time to dig trenches facing south, let alone think that those blue gophers would dare to leave Bluestone County's defenses and initiate an attack.

Especially with the continuous suppression from the aerial gunship and the 100mm artillery, the bewildered marauders did not even realize that the forces of the New Alliance had already surged forward.

And when they finally realized it, the faster players had already reached the edge of the trenches.

A bloody trench battle began.

There were only around 1,000 marauders left in the trenches.

Facing an equal number of players with superior physical abilities and equipment, those thugs, who had just experienced a bloody battle, were practically pinned down in the trenches.

Facing the powerful firepower advantage of the LD 47 assault rifles, only half of the marauders, who were equipped with submachine guns and automatic rifles, were quickly pushed into the few remaining anti-artillery bunkers.

The next moment, the flamethrowers that were prepared to resist the Tide previously once again came in handy...

"Don't go into the bunker, leave it to me!"

Carrying a 100 kilogram fuel tank and wearing a green-painted KV-1 exoskeleton, Piltover Paratrooper cheerfully ran over.

With a grin to his good buddies from the Jungle Corps, this fellow swaggered to the entrance of the anti-artillery bunker, picked up the nozzle, and got ready to get to work.

Holding a large-caliber shotgun, Midnight Pubg shouted into the opening of the trench. "People inside, are you willing to surrender?"

He failed to get a response.

Midnight Pubg did not waste any more words and swung his hand.

Although capturing prisoners earned points, time was still precious. Surrendering was the best outcome, but if they did not want to surrender, there was no need to waste everyone's time.

His teammate carrying the flamethrower did not say a word and pulled the trigger. A long stream of fire sprayed from the nozzle and quickly entered the tunnel.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

The painful screams from inside the anti-artillery bunker echoed one after another.

In just a few seconds, the bunker went silent.

Watching the stick figure emerge from the hole, Pushup Model suddenly remembered something and spoke up, "Wait a minute, you just shouted in Mandarin."

Midnight Pubg was stunned, only now realizing that the NPCs could not understand, "Yeah, you're right... Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Who cares, they should've understood. Next hole." Piltover Paratrooper, who was just looking for some fun, chuckled and carried the flaming nozzle as he walked towards the adjacent anti-artillery bunker.

The whole battlefield was filled with the smell of roasted meat, and there were bodies everywhere.

When Chu Guang, wearing the exoframe, stepped onto the high ground, the battle in Pinewood Forest Valley was essentially over. Only sporadic gunfire could still be heard from the Skeleton Corps interspersed in the northern high ground.

Faced with the encirclement from the front and rear, as well as the continuous casualties, marauders who had fled into the pine forest dropped their weapons and surrendered.

In fact, even if they did not surrender, the remaining few could not withstand a few rounds of machine gun fire.

The armored trucks of the Skeleton Corps had cut off their retreat and the quadruple anti-aircraft guns were waiting for them up ahead.

Anyone emerging from the woods with a weapon in hand was met with a burst of high-explosive shells until they completely gave up resistance.

The H-1 Dragonfly aerial gunship, which had depleted its ammunition, began to return.

The various corps that had completed their capture missions started taking stock of their casualties and prisoners.

In just a short 10 minutes, the New Alliance had reoccupied the southern high ground of Pinewood Forest Valley and almost completely annihilated the occupying marauders.

After that battle, the Fang Clan had completely lost all its cards for continued resistance against the New Alliance.

It was a massive victory!