Chapter 427.1: The Storm That Sweeps Through The Desert

The night deepened.

In the southeastern part of Sunset Province, 12 Orca transport planes sped across the boundless desert, kicking up rolling dust as they advanced rapidly towards Oasis No.9.

To avoid detection by the Army, this air fleet flew at an extremely low altitude, barely fifty meters above the ground.

The faint blue electric arcs were not as conspicuous as the vapor trails of fuel planes, but in the clear, cloudless night sky, anyone on the ground could easily spot them.

Not to mention the Army also had planes and radar... Even though they weren’t particularly advanced, they still posed a threat, especially since the Enterprise had joined the war.

They would surely deploy more anti-aircraft defenses, more anti-armor weaponry to the front. They might even activate their pre-war era weapons!

As long as they weren’t stupid, they wouldn’t think the Enterprise’s support was useless.

Initially, when hearing Chu Guang's plan, the Enterprise’s Air Transport Fleet captain had refused to comply, especially since they were merely a logistics team and had not been ordered to enter the war.

Sending unarmed transport planes into the frontlines without obtaining air superiority, without escort from fighter jets, was tantamount to gambling with the lives on those on board.

Even if they were to proceed, it would require authorization from the Enterprise’s Military Department.

However, opportunities didn’t come every day. The situation was always changing. The New Alliance communicated with the Lion Kingdom via pigeons, and with the Enterprise via planes. By the time approval from the Enterprise's Military Department came, it would be too late.

Luckily, Yi Chuan and Wu Mu helped out a bit, persuading the stubborn transport captain to turn a blind eye and allow the fleet to deviate from their return route, crossing the border of Sunset Province.

Naturally, they had to be extremely careful whe .

Not to mention losing an Orca transport plane. Just a single bullet hole anywhere would be a massive headache to explain to the officers back in the Military Department.

As for the pilots, not much convincing was needed. When they heard they were heading to Sunset Province, the young men cheered with excitement.

The mobilization in Ideal City had begun even before the the Battle of Lucky Valley Municipality erupted.

Those young pilots were filled with fervor when they volunteered to pilot the Orca transport planes to the front lines. They were eager to clash with those big nosed fools on the West Coast, especially after watching the New Alliance’s promotional video.

Inside the cabin...

Construction Boy almost wanted to stick his head out the window to get a clear view of the so-called man-made oasis when they were flying past.

Oasis No.9 was said to be the largest oasis in Sunset Province, with a total area of 10,000 square kilometers. It was the size of

Zhejiang

.

Unfortunately for him... They were flying too low.

He could only see a rough outline in the night, unable to discern what lay behind the lush horizon.

"Damn! Why don't we fly higher? We’ll get a much better view of the entire oasis then!"

Hearing his annoying complaints again and again, Eye Owe Money rolled his eyes. “Are you afraid they won’t be able to see us coming?!”

Hearing the conversation between the two, other players nearby joined in with various remarks.

"Have we even entered Oasis No.9 yet? Surely the Army's anti-aircraft guns can't reach this far?"

"Well, you never know, they might have anti-aircraft missiles, but those wouldn't be used against ordinarily survivor settlements..."

"Is there a chance that they haven't actually built that part of the map?"

"Makes sense!"

"Probably not, our amazing developer Light is behind this! Knowing how thorough he is, he definitely finished it. He's just not showing it to you!"

"That's ruthless!"

Amidst the laughter that did not sound the least bit tense, the co-pilot looked back and couldn't help but admire them.

Worthy of being the elite of the New Alliance!

Just their spirit when they were going to certain death was enough to gain his respect!

The players sitting in the cabin were brothers from the most famous feeder corps in the New Alliance, the Death Corps! They had been paid 200 silver coins each for their bravery to accept the mission, but just the gear they wore was worth far more than 200 silver coins. In fact, they were worth even more than 20,000 silver coins!

Just the Vanguard Type 1 military exoskeleton they were wearing was worth 12,000 CR, which was three times the cost of a Miner series exoskeleton! Not to mention the infantry support weapons and individual heavy equipment they carried...

Considering the Death Corps' past experience in desert warfare, after much thought, Chu Guang assigned the honorable and arduous task to Sideline Slacking.

The operation was not only to help relieve the pressure on the allies in the north and cut off the Army's supplies from the northern part of River Valley Province but also to test the new equipment imported from the Enterprise, hence the substantial equipment investment.

The only thing they hadn’t brought out were exoframes!

And since they were operating away from the logistics supply line, everyone carried 2.5 times the standard ammunition.

All of them wore an expression of excitement.

The members of the Death Corps were basically feeders. They never fought such a well-equipped battle before, and Sideline Slacking was excited beyond measure, scrutinizing the map and repeatedly reviewing the battle plans written next to it, ready to give those nosey Westerners a grand fireworks show.

It was a chance he finally managed to snatch away from Spring Water Commander, and he couldn’t let he administrator and the members of the New Alliance down!

Eventually, the fleet crossed a cliff.

The co-pilot came over with two cups of tea, offering one to Sideline Slacking, the corps commander. "Care for a cup, friend?"

It had to be said, the Enterprise's technology was something else indeed.

Despite the high-speed, low-altitude flight, there was hardly any turbulence. The tea in the cup didn't spill at all.

Sideline Slacking took the cup and glanced at it. "Thanks... Could you get me a cup of water instead?"

Seeing the hesitation in his eyes, the co-pilot chuckled, "Don't worry, it's been de-alkalized. This tea only has a refreshing effect. You won’t need to go to the bathroom.”

Sideline Slacking heaved a sigh of relief at his confirmation and took the cup. Tipping his head back, he downed the tea in one cup before handing it back to the co-pilot under his astonished gaze.

If the situation was optimistic, the battle would begin before dawn. However, they would still have to wait for some time out there after the battle was over. It wouldn't hurt to drink more water.

Seeing the calm expression on the face of the New Alliance's corps commander that didn’t hold a trace of panic as they were sent deep into the enemy’s territory, the co-pilot raised his eyebrows slightly and casually said, "It seems you already have a plan?"

Sideline Slacking replied casually, "Of course, the command post formulated the battle plan overnight. We'll launch an attack from the north of the military base, while our allies in the south will launch a feint to capture the enemy's ammunition depot. If everything goes smoothly, our allies can capture a batch of Army equipment, and we'll be able to cut off their supplies from the north."

The co-pilot nodded. "Too bad we haven't fought such a large-scale battle in a while... We can't help you create a bigger advantage... You guys will have to handle this tough fight yourself..."

Sideline Slacking grinned and closed the map with the battle plan written on it. "No worries, it's enough!"

After chatting for a few more moments, the co-pilot turned and returned to the cockpit. Not long after, the pilot’s reminder came over the intercom. "We are about to cross a sandstorm. We will experience strong turbulence and you guys better return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts.”

Hearing the NPC's reminder, the players moved away from the window and returned to their seats, buckling down immediately. Almost half a minute after the broadcast, the plane began to shake violently, and the sound of howling winds rang in their ears.

The sandstorms in Sunset Province contained small amounts of iron oxide, which could create some interference with electromagnetic waves, effectively avoiding radar and infrared heat source detection and other active surveillance methods.

Since they were close to the frontlines, they had to be extremely careful.

Sticking close to the edge of the sandstorm, the fleet proceeded in an arc-shaped direction, made a big circle, and landed behind a sand dune on the north side of Oasis No.9.

The cabin door slammed heavily on the ground, kicking up billowing dust. Fully armed soldiers, carrying rifles, quickly ran out of the cabin in pairs, each carrying a meter-wide box.

"We landed! Hurry up and move, secure the area and deploy our equipment!”

Under Sideline Slacking's urging, all equipment and personnel were deployed in a single minute.

The pale blue electric arcs blew downward, gradually increasing their output. The high-speed airflow carried the heated sand around.