Chapter 326.2: Loot, Loot Everywhere!

Some equipment with sufficient firepower, durability, and ease of maintenance was much more useful than high-tech weapons that depended on logistics.

In the temporary camp of the New Alliance, at the entrance of the cave-like warehouse.

Looking at the piles of rifles, ammunition boxes, and the strength type players busily loading the spoils onto trucks, Chu Guang couldn't help but feel grateful.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Thank you, universe.

It was more than just a great victory.

It was a windfall!

"... It seems they plan to advance south directly after taking Pinewood Forest Valley, launching a relentless attack right at our doorstep. However you calculate it, with their firepower and personnel configuration, these supplies are clearly not prepared for just 2 or 3 localized battles."

Vanus, who was following Chu Guang, had a similarly surprised expression. The quantity of equipment, ammunition, and other supplies here far exceeded his expectations.

Storing so many resources at the front line indicated that they had big plans.

But as Vanus spoke, his raised eyebrows furrowed. "... But instead of saying I'm surprised, it’s more appropriate to say that it caught me off guard."

"Caught you off guard?" Chu Guang looked at him, curious.

"

Mhm

." Vanus nodded, walked to the warehouse entrance, picked up a rifle with a golden eagle emblem burned onto the stock from the ground, and toyed with it in his hands before he continued, "The Hawk assault rifle... The 21st Division couldn't possibly have these."

And neither could the brigade he had previously led.

The Army wouldn't issue automatic rifles to clone soldiers; it was a waste. At most, for urban combat or trench warfare, some death squads would be given PU 9 submachine guns or shotguns, but they were rarely provided with a lot of ammunition. After all, the clone soldiers, replenished every 3 years, were disposable. Their average survival time on the battlefield was just 10 minutes, so there was no need for excess ammunition.

As for suppression fire, that could be entrusted to specialized machine gunners.

"... The Army's backbone forces are the civilians who have received military training. Before becoming junior officers, they will join the Youth Corps and go to the front lines. This rifle with the golden eagle emblem burned onto the stock is the standard weapon of the Youth Corps and also proof of their identity."

Looking at the rifle in his hand, Vanus wore a somewhat nostalgic expression as he set it aside. Although he had become an officer immediately after graduation and didn't have a service record with the Youth Corps, he had also received one of it when he obtained his first medal.

"The 21st Division couldn't have had these weapons. Their main missions on the battlefield are fortifying positions and trench warfare; that's their specialty."

Chu Guang pondered for a moment. "Perhaps, besides the 21st Division, there are other deserters who joined the Bonechewer Clan? Like some Brigade Commander from the Youth Corps?"

Or perhaps they were purchased from the Bugra Free State.

It was said that in the late stages of the war, a large amount of the Army's equipment had flowed into that region. Some of it was sold as war loot by the people of Great Rift Valley, while others were sold by the Army's logistics officers.

Chu Guang had also considered the possibility that they were made by the marauders themselves, but it seemed unlikely. After all, that golden emblem wouldn't increase the damage of bullets.

Even if it was a replica, there was no need to recreate such minor details.

"I don't rule out this possibility, although my intuition tells me it's unlikely," Vanus pondered for a moment and then suddenly remembered something. "Speaking of which... What about their commander?"

Chu Guang's expression became somewhat complicated. "... He's dead."

"Dead?" Vanus was stunned.

Chu Guang nodded. "Mhm, the left half of his head was blown off, and we found over 20 shell fragments on his body... It seems a 37mm high-explosive shell fell into the trench. But Bear Fang was captured, and so was his subordinate, a man named Tumen, who used to be the brigade commander of the 21st Division."

Speaking of which, Chu Guang was quite speechless.

Previously, he couldn't extract any critical information from the Company Leaders or the Brigade Commanders they had captured. He originally intended to catch someone of the highest rank, but he didn't expect that one of them would be killed by a stray bullet instead.

He had even considered promoting one of them to a transport captain, especially after the person had gifted them so much loot.

After listening to Chu Guang's words, Vanus was bewildered.

Or rather, he was utterly confused.

A man who had deserted once before, dying on a battlefield that wasn't even his own, left him pondering for a long time about what Dillon was trying to achieve.

Chu Guang couldn't understand why that fool didn't take cover in the artillery bunker. But compared to these trivial matters, he had more important things to consider now.

"... Let's set aside where these weapons came from for now. Regarding the next plan, I'd like to hear your suggestions," Chu Guang said.

Vanus knew what Chu Guang wanted to ask and contemplated for a moment before responding. "Although we've wiped out 5 brigades of the Fang Clan, there are still over 20,000 marauders in West Continent City. The terrain from the 4th New District to the southern part of the city is complex, and it's difficult to utilize our mobility advantage fully. It's not a good idea to push the front line directly into the city and engage the marauders in urban warfare."

"My suggestion is to move the artillery positions from Bluestone County to a valley 5 kilometers north of Pinewood Forest Valley, where they've prepared fortifications for us."

"If we can solve problems with artillery shells, there's no need to send in our troops. At the latest, this war will end in 2 weeks."

In the end, they were merely facing a bunch of marauders.

The reason they gathered together was simply to form a gang and unleash their instinct to prey on the post-apocalyptic wasteland planet.

Of the 30,000 marauders stationed in West Continent City, at least two-thirds were opportunists.

What held their cohesion together wasn't faith, culture, tradition, or even blood ties. Once they couldn't keep winning, their unity would naturally dissolve.

Not to mention encountering a severe setback on the front lines, suffering continuous casualties, and having no hope of victory.

A kingdom of marauders?

That was just a pipe dream.

Perhaps only Skull Crusher Gold Fang would believe in it.

After listening to Vanus' plan, Chu Guang nodded in satisfaction.

Because he had been thinking the same thing.

"It seems we're on the same page." After a pause, he continued, "However, it's not enough to just bomb them strategically. We also need to bomb them psychologically."

"How do you plan to do that?" Vanus asked with interest.

"Apart from bombs and shells, there are also flyers and broadcasts," Chu Guang said with a faint smile. "We not only want to bombard those filthy goblins but also grab them by the ears and tell them that the Bonechewer Clan’s undefeated record has come to an end in our hands. We've defeated their most elite forces on the front lines, and they stand no chance against us!"

"... But we are the champions of civilization; we won't engage in senseless slaughter. We need people to help rebuild this wasteland, and we need help managing prisoners of war. As long as they come looking for us with these leaflets or surrender to local guerrilla forces, we'll give them a chance to start anew, and this is their final and only opportunity."

"What are goblins?" Vanus frowned and asked.

But the idea of air-dropping leaflets and deploying broadcasts in the city made his eyes light up. As a former Brigade Commander in the Army, he immediately understood the intention behind Chu Guang’s move.

Those leaflets could not only demoralize the defending troops but also disrupt their organization, leaving the marauders trapped in mutual suspicion in the face of impending doom.

They would have to endure the New Alliance's bombardment while simultaneously clearing out the guerrilla broadcasts deployed within the city, restricting the ongoing rumors, and checking their own people's pockets for hidden surrender letters.

It wouldn't take more than 2 weeks.

They would see marauders fleeing one after another or even surrendering...

The more he thought about it, the more he found this idea brilliant. Vanus couldn't help but exclaim, "This is a good idea... But most marauders are illiterate. You'll probably have to put some effort into making them understand what you've written on paper."

Chu Guang shook his head with a smile.

"No need for unnecessary words. Some simple drawings will suffice."

While it was true that problems that could be solved with artillery shells didn't require troops, artillery shells still cost money.

In any case, the war had reached its final stages, and saving a little was naturally better than spending it all. Printing leaflets was better than printing money.

There were still plenty of places where money would be needed once the war was over...