NOVEL NEXT Chapter 210: The Mission Continues
When the sound of artillery fire from Jiujiang City rang out, the battle at the Benghu Defense Line entered a new phase.
These expeditionary forces were no longer fighting alone; they received the most improbable help from the "enemy."
After a round of bombardment, a large number of the Church Protection Army also began to join the battlefield from the rear.
Their combat will and fighting strength certainly couldn't compare to the Huaxia Army, and it could even be said, not even to this temporarily assembled expeditionary force.
But they indeed came.
Holding various "outdated" weapons, they tentatively merged into the expeditionary force's defense line and began shooting at the distant monsters with their own weapons.
Initially, their impact was quite limited.
But soon, He Shuo sent them weapons that had long been prepared.
Besides Type 75 rifles, there were also a large number of "inferior" or "antiquated" rocket launchers acquired in advance.
They would not despise these weapons that the Huaxia Army deemed unworthy.
Because they were already far superior to anything they had.
The firepower density on the Benghu Defense Line instantly escalated a level, and simultaneously, the heavy artillery pieces, which originally belonged to the Holy Temple Guard but remained in Jiujiang after the Supreme Army's reorganization, were pushed to the battlefield.
These artillery pieces supplemented the expeditionary force's acute shortage of heavy firepower. When the monsters got close enough, the skill level of the artillerymen was no longer the key factor affecting artillery combat effectiveness.
Load, aim, fire.
Just that simple.
After two rounds of bombardment, a couple of monsters already in the lake were hit by shells, exploding into a pile of flesh and blood on the lake's surface.
The other monsters were suppressed by dense gunfire, unable to move, until ultimately being precisely harvested by the unmanned combat units carried by the expeditionary force.
But of course, this was not the end.
Wave after wave of offensive never ceased like a tide, but half an hour later, with the arrival of bombers launched from 011 Base, the beast tide pointing northward finally paused its frenzied offensive.
The stalemate He Shuo wanted finally arrived.
And at this moment, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"...So, you foresaw that Jiujiang City would participate in the battle? Is this why you set up the defense line at Benghu?"
Li Xian looked at He Shuo with some disbelief in his eyes, while He Shuo shook his head and replied:
"It's just one of the reasons."
"The Benghu Defense Line has its natural advantages, as you have seen. Relying on the rich and complex water system as a barrier, our defensive pressure is already greatly reduced."
"In fact, even if the Church Protection Army in Jiujiang City hadn't come, we could still hold out for half an hour."
"Only we'd have to sacrifice the first column of the expeditionary force, using them as filler infantry."
"Fortunately, I didn't need to do that."
"The commanders in Jiujiang City are more rational than I expected."
"...Understood.'
Li Xian exhaled deeply.
"So, what do we do next?"
"The beast tide has been stopped; our task is complete, right?"
"No."
He Shuo shook his head again.
"No?! The beast tide has suffered huge losses on our defense line. Why wouldn't they give up the northern attack and instead turn to the northeast, directly attacking Jinling?"
As soon as the words fell, He Shuo looked at Li Xian with surprise.
"Are you insane?"
"Have you forgotten what our purpose for deploying here was?"
"We never intended to annihilate them here."
"Our goal is to divide the beast tide, prevent the integration of beast tides coming from multiple directions, creating a time difference to defeat them one by one."
"If the beast tide really turns northeast, wouldn't that be exactly what we want?"
"If the commander behind the beast tide has basic intelligence, it certainly won't do that."
"It will definitely continue attempting to attack northward."
"Our battle has just begun."
"...Just begun?"
Li Xian directed his gaze towards the distant defense line.
There, the expeditionary force and the Church Protection Army had already closely cooperated.
In the previous battle, none of them died to the monsters.
The only injured was a person who stupidly injured himself with his own weapon.
The situation seemed exceedingly optimistic.
But Li Xian knew, the fragility of this defense line far exceeded the imagination of those frontline soldiers.
For this defense line, the probability of victory wasn't from 0 to 100.
But either 0 or one hundred.
Either they could hold it smoothly, with casualties so low it seemed miraculous.
Or the moment the defense line was breached, they would all die.
The slender defense line, like a thin rope on a cliff.
Even a strong gust of wind could potentially break it.
And the hundreds attached to the rope, the only strength they could rely upon, besides themselves, lay tens of kilometers away in the form of that "heavy hammer".....
...
Meanwhile, at the North Mountain Tail defense line.
The bodies of a dozen monsters laid scattered on the expansive plains, the mission of the Penetration Company's fifth squad already completed successfully.
Yet at this moment, no one standing had any expressions of excitement or joy on their faces.
The reason was simple.
Two of their brothers had died in the recent battle.
No matter how much of an equipment advantage they had, no matter how powerful their firepower was, or even when they utilized all the gathered intelligence to the utmost, there was ultimately one thing they could never overcome.
That is, the black box nature of monsters for humans.
No one can, through simple observation, completely and accurately discern the characteristics of a monster, nor can anyone predict a monster's attack method before it begins its assault.
And as long as this is impossible, no matter how cautious this squad is, they can never guarantee one hundred percent safety.
The unexpected happened with the last two monsters.
After the fifth squad utilized arm shield close defense systems, rocket launchers, and recoilless rifles to eliminate all the other monsters, these two monsters suddenly launched an unexpected attack from several hundred meters away.
Thousands of bone spikes descended densely from the sky, like a shower of arrows, covering the area where the squad was located.
Relying on drone surveillance and reconnaissance, they had advance knowledge of the incoming arrow-like rain.
But the mere few seconds of advance warning proved insufficient for them all to quickly find suitable cover.
They were forced to choose the nearest cover, narrowly avoiding the first wave of attacks from the monsters.
But immediately following, the succeeding waves of long-range attacks trapped them in a dire situation.
The boulders hurled from a distance crashed to the ground with great force, leaving those who were already locked into position with no way out.
The squad leader, attempting retaliation, rushed close and inserted two rockets into a monster's mouth, taking on enormous risk, and as a result, was grazed by a venomous bone spike.
His external injuries were not severe.
But the neurotoxin quickly made him lose the ability to autonomously breathe.
His entire body became paralyzed, and his heart stopped beating.
In the moments before his death, he didn't even have time to utter a single word.
His last action was to muster all his strength to swivel his eyes, looking at Yu Qian who rushed to his side in an attempt to save him.
Then, just a few seconds later, he abruptly closed his eyes.
Death occurred in an instant.
It came so heavily, yet so lightly.
The temperature of the squad leader's neck still lingered on Yu Qian's palm, but he had no time to mourn for this warrior and comrade.
He took up the sniper grenade launcher that the squad leader had dropped to the ground.
Then he stood up and said in a heavy tone:
"The squad leader has fallen."
"From now on, I'll take over command."
"Now listen to my order."
"Everyone move, carry the bodies of our fallen comrades back to the Mengshi vehicles."
"The mission continues!"