Chapter 467.2: Bloody Battle For Hill 330

8:22 at night.

The area around Hill 330 remained silent.

Watching the engineers still working mid-slope, Yote breathed a sigh of relief and switched off his flashlight.

It was already so late, yet there was no sign of the enemy.

It seemed the New Alliance planned to attack in the second half of the night.

Relaxing slightly, Yote grew irritated. It seemed like he wouldn’t be getting any sleep.

His adjutant, who had remained silent for a long time, finally couldn’t hold back and asked, “I don’t understand. Since General Griffin is sure the New Alliance will attack tonight with paratroopers, why don’t we just send planes to intercept them?”

Yote replied casually, “Our planes are on standby. But the New Alliance aircraft are strange. Normal radar can’t detect them easily.”

That was what he learned from Simond.

Even if he hadn’t, he could’ve guessed.

Those anti-air positions that had been attacked earlier in the day didn’t get a radar lock until the enemy planes were already in visual range.

It was indeed possible for the New Alliance to drop paratroopers right under their noses using the cover of night.

Even with fast Cutlass fighters on patrol, it was nearly impossible to detect and destroy the transports before the paratroopers jumped.

Seeing his adjutant looking uneasy, Yote patted his shoulder and tried to reassure him. “Don’t worry. Commander Swofte already sent his Defense Battalion here. Even if the New Alliance drops paratroopers right on top of us, we’ll swat them down like mosquitoes.”

Before he could finish, a sharp gunshot shattered the stillness of the night.

Lights on the hillside flickered wildly. One of the engineers digging was shot and collapsed, while the others quickly turned off their flashlights and hit the ground.

Too bad they were a second too slow.

Less than half a second later, a barrage of gunfire erupted from the southeast side of Hill 330, tearing through the engineering squad laying explosives. The slope was soon filled with miserable screams.

“Enemy attack!”

Yote screamed, diving toward the nearest bunker just as blaring alarms rang through the hill.

“The southeast?!” Simond peered through the narrow window of the observation post, his expression shifting slightly.

Even though that wasn’t where he expected them to launch an attack, that didn’t mean his judgment was wrong.

If the New Alliance had dropped behind the southwest hills, they could’ve moved up the reverse slope and struck from the southeast.

Maybe seeing the repositioned guns had changed their plan.

Without hesitation, Simond grabbed the radio and gave the order. “1st Support Company, launch flares!”

Even as the order went out, the Defense Battalion’s mortar teams were already in position.

With several crisp thumps, over a dozen flares shot into the sky, lighting up the surrounding hills of Hill 330.

On the southeastern hill, shadowy figures lay prone, having dug shallow foxholes, opening fire on the hill with light machine guns and rifles.

They were less than 500 meters away.

At the same time, two New Alliance 100-man companies had infiltrated under cover of darkness and reached the base of the hill’s eastern and southern flanks. There, they clashed violently with sentries and squads supporting the engineers.

Watching the flashes of gunfire below the hills, Simond’s brow furrowed tightly.

Two support groups, two assault groups... There was a clear division of roles and they were well-coordinated.

It was a truly elite force. Judging from the intensity of their firepower, they were facing at least four companies...

Maybe even five.

If he hadn’t come, Hill 330 might already be lost.

A cold smirk appeared on Simond’s face.

Those savages probably had no idea that they weren’t facing a small support unit, but 4th Division’s deadliest elite, the Defense Battalion.

He picked up the radio and gave the command.

“All units, be advised, the force in front of us is the infamous New Alliance’s elite, the Burning Corps.”

“They humiliated our Air Force and stole the Heart of Steel. Now it’s payback time.”

“They may have gotten cocky, but this time, they picked the wrong opponent.”

“Light them up!”

“Show them what a real trump card unit looks like!”

...

4th Division’s Command Post

When the news arrived that Hill 330 was under attack, Commander Swofte, who had just been cursing General Griffin’s mother, broke out in a cold sweat.

Hill 330 was only 17 kilometers away!

He had studied the maps long enough to know exactly what that meant. If they lost that hill, the consequences would be dire.

Not only would their command post be exposed to the New Alliance’s firepower, but the four battalions pulling back for defense would be trapped and annihilated by New Alliance’s tanks and artillery.

The 4th Division might end up with nothing left but its name.

“Those bastards really know how to keep a secret! Ha! Eat shit!” He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Staring at the strategic map on the table, Swofte felt both frightened and exhilarated.

He hadn’t expected the New Alliance to actually deploy paratroopers without first securing air superiority, and to commit their elite troops right from the start. That had caught him completely off guard.

His previous judgment had been too absolute. He didn’t expect the other side’s commander to be a dirty gambler.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Luckily, he was the kind of man who listened to advice, and had followed General Griffin’s orders. Otherwise, they really would’ve been blindsided.

Swofte couldn’t help but praise him. “General Griffin truly has the gift of foresight!”

Standing nearby, his adjutant wisely remained silent.

He didn’t want to remind the general that someone, after hanging up on Griffin earlier, had spent a full five minutes cordially greeting the man’s entire family.

Calming his racing heart, Swofte looked to his aide and gave a rousing order. “Contact Simond! Tell him air support is on the way. He is to annihilate the New Alliance’s elite forces at the foot of Hill 330 at all costs! If we win this battle, the scales of victory will finally tip in our favor!”

The aide stood straight and saluted. “Yes, sir!”

...

Meanwhile, in the Army’s Oasis No.3 command headquarters.

General Griffin sat in his command tent, eyes fixed on the radio transmitter in front of him.

After a burst of static, a pilot’s voice came through. “This is Cutlass-1. No enemy aircraft detected over the target zone.”

Griffin frowned slightly at the unexpected response. “They’re already gone?”

The staff officer standing nearby also looked puzzled, falling into thought before speaking. “That’s awfully fast...”

According to Griffin’s plan, the Defense Battalion of the 4th Division would intercept the New Alliance’s paratroopers. The Cutlass fighters were tasked with providing air cover.

Yet strangely, the New Alliance hadn’t deployed any aircraft to support the assault on Hill 330. It seemed they had left the entire operation in the hands of their infantry.

Not only that, they hadn’t even seen any transport planes dropping the troops. Even the flapping-wing planes that had attacked the 4th Division’s anti-air positions earlier had vanished.

“Did they figure it out?” Griffin felt a sudden jolt of unease, but quickly dismissed the idea.

If the New Alliance knew they were prepared, they wouldn’t have dropped paratroopers at all.

Could it be that the New Alliance never imagined the 4th Division would reinforce Hill 330? That they were betting the Army wouldn’t expect the same sneak attack tactic twice?

That was the only reason they would leave the attack entirely to their infantry units...

A flicker of confusion flashed in those keen eyes.

Griffin paused for several seconds.

That possibility wasn’t entirely off the table.

But based on their past performance, they didn’t seem like the kind of idiots who would suddenly make a blunder like that.

Underestimating their opponent was a cardinal sin. Griffin furrowed his brow even tighter, staring intently at the map as countless tactical possibilities flashed through his mind.

Just then, a staff officer reminded him, “South of here lies the Heart of Steel’s radar zone. Our planes can’t go any farther.”

The Heart of Steel’s anti air guns weren’t very effective against supersonic jets, at Mach 3 and above, it was hard to hit anything.

But on the flip side, their planes couldn’t do much under that kind of firepower either.

Griffin nodded and turned to the communications officer at the side. “Tell Cutlass-1 to give one round of fire support to the defenders at Hill 330, then return to forward base immediately.”

“And scramble the air force of the Falcon Kingdom to replace Cutlass-1 and provide close-range support.”

“Yes, sir!”

...

Southeastern side of Hill 330

The howling rain of bullets bit into the ground at the same time as the roar of big guns that came from the air, instantly sending up clouds of dust and flying limbs.

The sudden airstrike silenced the New Alliance’s firing positions for two full seconds.

Though the gunfire quickly resumed, it had clearly lost its initial momentum. They were more cautious now and were clearly rattled.

The airstrike had hit them hard.

Without rear fire support, the two 100-man companies in the middle of their assault were immediately thrust into danger.

Simond didn’t miss the opportunity. He immediately pulled one of the companies from another sector and redeployed it to the east, planning to descend the hill and flank the New Alliance from behind, pinning and annihilating those companies stuck on the hill.

Though they had the advantage, Simond knew his troops were running low on ammunition. If they couldn’t finish the battle quickly, it would turn into a drawn-out stalemate.

“Ha! Beautiful work!” Yote cheered as he watched the jet roar overhead.

His adjutant standing beside him was also grinning from ear to ear.

The New Alliance was probably in total chaos now.

They would never have imagined that the hilltop they’d scouted earlier, seemingly held by just a single company, was suddenly crawling with over 1,000 elite soldiers.

Trying to charge uphill with just 500 men?

What a joke.

But just then, from the bushes on the southwestern hill, a shadow suddenly darted out, racing down the slope at an inhuman speed.

From his observation post, Yote glimpsed the shape but didn’t think much of it at first.

Whatever it was, it moved too fast, far too fast to be human.

Only when the sentries on the southwest flank spotted the movement and shone their searchlights toward the base of the hill, did the horrifying truth appear before their eyes.

There were talons and tails covered in scale-like armor. Under the glare of the lights, they gleamed with a chilling metallic sheen.

When his gaze locked with a pair of amber eyes, Yote froze. The prideful expression on his face hardened and it quickly turned into a look of disbelief.

It was the stare of a predator, and he felt his whole body seize up, as though his blood had frozen and his feet were buried in lead.

Even from hundreds of meters away, even with the terrain advantage, it offered no sense of safety.

“Deathclaws...”

Those were Deathclaws!

This... This is the Sunset Province! How can Deathclaws appear here?!