Chapter 442.1: Operation Sunset

In the boundless wilderness, the roar of tanks echoed through the lands as flames burst in the horizon. A Conqueror No. 5 light tank attempted to flank the left side of the Skeleton Corps but was quickly hit by a 155 mm caliber high-explosive shell.

The shockwave from the explosion penetrated the turret and hull seams and observation ports, instantly causing terrifying overpressure effects that perforated the eardrums of the tank crew, ruptured their spleens, and caused bleeding from their mouths and noses. They were instantly incapacitated.

Near the crater, the tank moved forward for a little more before it broke down.

One kilometer away...

The gunner who fired punched the air in excitement and yelled, "Hah! Bulls eye!”

"Awesome!"

"Hahahahahahahahahaha! Our 155 mm shell is just too fucking strong!”

“Shut the fuck up! Strength type player, hurry and load!”

"Damn, I have an ID!"

The Conqueror No. 5 light tank's 60mm smoothbore gun was basically scratching the itch of the New Alliance’s Tank 2s.

However, the Conqueror No. 10 and Conqueror No. 11 tanks, which could pose a threat to Tank 2s, were specifically targeted by the Model-B Tank 2s.

A 60 megajoule electromagnetic cannon, which were weapons that could deal with warships, had been mounted on them.

A Conqueror No. 10 tank was locked on by an electromagnetic cannon, and as it charged up, a deafening sonic boom blasted out with a massive shockwave.

In the mist-like gas, faint blue electrical arcs were visible, followed by an orange-yellow afterimage lingering in the air.

A nearly 20 kilogram steel needle left not a hole, but a deep inward dent on the opposing tank's body.

The steel twisted in an extremely cruel posture, the incoming sparks ignited the ammunition rack, and the entire tank turned into a burning iron coffin. It exploded into brilliant fireworks on the sand dunes.

"Beautiful shot! Hahahahaha!" Looking at the fire outside the observation window, the driver roared, "Hell yea!"

Escaping Mole grinned and flipped the switch to charge the capacitor while holding the control stick. He turned the turret towards a nearby foxhole and switched to the coaxial machine gun while it was charging.

Streams of red tracer bullets poured down like rain, dancing around the foxhole with sparks of death and dust.

A soldier tried to retaliate with a rocket launcher, but before he even had a chance to aim, he was riddled with bullets and fell into the pit like a rag doll.

Even though the massive scale of the war had greatly diminished the capabilities of infantry, the players with sharp reflexes still managed to perform exceptionally well with their equipment, outperforming the forces of the Army in terms of reaction and aiming speed.

"Don't get entangled with them, keep moving forward!" After firing again and destroying a tank coming from the north to assist, Escaping Mole yelled.

35 tanks pierced through the southern side of the defensive line like a spearhead, followed closely by infantry carriers and supply trucks.

The light infantry hiding in the foxholes tried to stop the advance of this steel torrent, but most were suppressed by the tank's coaxial machine gun, unable to move.

After all... They were facing a tank. The undeniable king of land warfare.

Without guided weapons and air support, how could a few infantry stop them?

Escaping Mole had to admit that the Army was pretty impressive for predicting their advance.

Lining up heavy tanks as fixed artillery using foxholes as their battellines, and distributing light tanks on the flanks to flank them was indeed a commendable tactic.

No matter where the New Alliance made contact with them, they could rely on their solid armor and sufficient firepower to pin the New Alliance down on the desert, and armored units circling from other directions would completely surround the New Alliance.

However, the Army and the Falcon Kingdom ultimately underestimated the strength of the New Alliance, as well as the mobilization speed and determination to support the battlefield with the help of the Enterprise.

When the 60 megajoules electromagnetic cannon fired, it already declared their victory.

When the Army’s heavy tanks could not stop the powerful payload, their impenetrable wall became a mere sheet of iron. All Escaping Mole needed to do was to pick up a shovel and smash a big hole in it.

Those tanks buried in the sand pits that lost their mobility, became live targets waiting to be harvested. However, those light tanks roaming at the edge of the battlefield caused quite a bit of trouble for the Skeleton Corps. Their 60mm guns, although unable to penetrate Tank 2s’ armor, was sufficient to break the tracks of the tank.

Shooting at the tracks rolling close to the ground while the tanks were moving required a bit of luck, but as the battle continued, they managed to succeed twice.

Two Tank 2s had their tracks broken and were subsequently immobilized on the battlefield. Several players with toolboxes jumped from their trucks towards the broken tracks, but before they could finish their repairs, a high-explosive shell struck the turret.

When the smoke from the explosion cleared, only a blur of blood and flesh remained around the tanks.

With a groggy head, the tank commander driving those incapacitated tanks roared in the general channel, "Don't worry about us! Keep going!"

The two immobilized Tank 2s no longer attempted to repair their tracks but instead acted as fixed artillery, supporting their advancing comrades with their 155mm smoothbore cannons.

Although it wasn't long before those two tanks were destroyed by the Conqueror No.11 heavy tanks from the north and south, they managed to take down six Conqueror No.5 light tanks attempting to rush up and strike the flanks of their comrades before being destroyed.

Both sides continued to suffer casualties.

Watching the halted green dots on his VM screen, Escaping Mole bit his lip in his Model-B Tank 2 and ordered his troops to keep moving forward.

By then, four tanks were destroyed.

In addition to that, there were five infantry carriers and two supply trucks. 10 infantry squads were forced to disembark, with only 79 squads left alive. Since they no longer had their vehicles in such a situation, their fate was already sealed.

Escaping Mole took a deep breath before they moved out of the command vehicle's communication range. In the group channel, he ordered, "Attention all squads, all units that have lost mobility, form up Group B!”

"Use everything you can think of, every means possible, to attack the closest enemy unit! Even if it's just to delay them for a minute, or even a second, do everything you can!"

"See you on the forum!"

Although he meant that those who couldn't move forward would be left behind, no one felt desperate, nor did anyone complain.

The only response to his command... Were shouts of excitement and vows of courage.

The Army would never know that the New Alliance's biggest trump card was not the 155mm cannon, nor their Model 60 Railguns, but the people in the shelters.

"Group B, Squad 1 received!"

"Squad 2 received!"

"Bang bang bang! Squad 3 charged!"

"This granddaddy is going all out!"

"Never retreat!"

Under the command of their corps commander, those who were stranded quickly dispersed. Some carried RPG rocket launchers to end the charge, while others occupied the previously suppressed foxholes by the Army’s tanks, pulling out their anti-tank weapons and 10mm heavy machine guns.

The soldiers of the Falcon Kingdom's First Armored Motorized Battalion and tank crews soon found that even though they had destroyed the New Alliance's vehicles, they could not take the burning wreckage lightly.

Even if their bodies were on fire, the crew members who climbed out would pull out their pistols and fire at them.

Looking at their demonic faces, the tank commander on the Conqueror No.10 tank paled slightly and subconsciously pulled the trigger, sweeping a barrage from his coaxial machine gun.

The person on the other side groaned a couple of times before collapsing in a burst of flames. Even though he had become a charred corpse, the pistol was still clenched tightly in his fist.

"... These people are madmen!" The tank commander couldn't help but curse. They were just about to turn the turret to aim in another direction when a loud bang came from outside.

The next second, their turret made a series of creaking noises before it was was firmly jammed onto the hull, no longer able to move.

The metal jacket from the armor-piercing shell squeezed into the joint between the turret and the hull. Although it didn't penetrate the turret, it welded the parts below the turret together.

The tank commander's expression suddenly changed.

"Damn! My turret is stuck! Turn left 30 degrees, back up immediately! Fast!”

Clearing the infantry gathered on the desert took some time, so much so that the supporting troops from the north and south couldn't complete the encirclement in time.

Under the leadership of five Model-B Tank 2s, the Skeleton Corps tore a hole in the defensive line. The Falcon Kingdom's First Armored Motorized Battalion, due to less effective support, scattered like a handful of sand in the desert.

By the time they regrouped and caught up, the Skeleton Corps would have left them behind by at least 20 to 30 kilometers.

Escaping Mole heaved a slight sigh of relief.

However, at that moment, the silhouette standing on the nearby sand dune suddenly made his heart skip a beat.

"Enemy tank spotted... Is that a tank? Strange, I can't see its heat source" Elf Wang’s voice came through the communication channel.

As a perception type player with an overpowered talent, he was the Skeleton Corps’ star spotter.

Escaping Mole also noticed the tank in the dunes in front of him, and Elf Wang’s report gave him a bad premonition.

The strange shape of the tank made it look extremely futuristic... Even a little sci-fi. However, the massive gun mounted on it still looked somewhat archaic. It was even welded completely into the body of the tank. The only question was... If the gun was fully welded, how were they supposed to aim at their opponents?

Were they supposed to turn the tank around completely when aiming?