CHAPTER 462: CHAPTER 227: DECISIVE BATTLE (PART 2)

The ones they had to protect were the tens of thousands of civilians in Jinling City.

Time was running out.

They had to reach the vicinity of the Jinling Bridge within 3 hours to intercept the steam locomotive dispatched by the Mechanical God Sect and head to Jinling City for defense.

With his injuries still unhealed, Yu Qian sat in the only remaining cat car, clutching tightly the star his son had crafted for him out of tin can.

Perhaps, this trip might truly be a one-way journey.

But, among these three hundred people, who wasn’t facing the same fate?

Yu Qian took a deep breath.

As he raised his head, the attack-17 drone, once regarded as an "angel," whizzed past in the sky, creating a funnel-like sonic boom cloud.

And following it, more attack drones had already taken off.

Yu Qian knew that these drones would be guided by the so-called "hive network" to Tongling, where they would complete their first resupply within Tongling City and then immediately enter the battlefield.

Perhaps, even for these machines and the "mechanical souls" within them, this was also a fight with no return.

No one could retreat.

He turned back to look in the direction of Jinling New City.

The bustling scene had disappeared after all the combat personnel had left.

The women, children, and the elderly who remained behind had also taken up arms.

They were also militia, they were also reserves.

In this world, in this war, no one could remain untouched.

Yu Qian took a deep breath.

When he turned back again, only one target remained in his eyes.

Jinling!

....

Two hours later, the second Penetration Company arrived at the designated combat area, joining up with the first Penetration Company from Han Shui City.

Without waiting for the rear assault company to arrive, this Penetration Company immediately launched an attack on the Beast Tide.

Their mission was very simple.

Without aiming for kills, they had to penetrate the Beast Tide with the fastest speed and strongest firepower, lure the Beast Tide into attacking, and gather intelligence on the composition of the monsters within the Beast Tide.

This was a daunting task.

It wasn’t just about penetrating deep into enemy lines.

To be precise, what they had to do was "penetrate."

Even if any unexpected events occurred during the process, they would be stuck in the mire with no way out and eventually be devoured.

Everyone was aware of the possible outcomes they might face.

But no one backed down.

Because the armored regiment commander was charging at the forefront.

"Tanks, advance and clear the way!"

"Aim at that level-two monster!"

"Break through it! Blast a path open!"

Sitting on the cat car, Shen Yue had already unfolded the weapon rack behind him, and with his roar, a fin-stabilized discarding sabot penetrator shot out of the gun chamber.

"Boom!"

A massive explosion erupted.

The twisted, wriggling monster crawling forward was instantly penetrated.

Mucus and blood splattered, the creature’s jointed appendages shattered under the treads, and the chitin fragments embedded in the load-bearing wheels were crushed by the heavy steel.

"Do not aim for kills!"

"Proactively lure the creatures into attacking!"

"Everyone follows the predetermined plan and provides alternating cover while passing quickly!"

"We need to penetrate to the rear of the Beast Tide!"

"Ensure communications remain stable!"

"Relay intelligence to the assault company!"

"Mark high-priority, high-value targets!"

A slew of orders were issued, and under Shen Yue’s guidance, the Penetration Company pierced through the Beast Tide like a sharp knife.

And the monsters, like penetrated muscle, contracted and writhed towards the "wound" position.

Shen Yue had never seen such a diverse array of attack methods.

Acid spilled from a distance, parasitic spores sprayed from gigantic mouths, spears driven by airflow, rocks bulging from the ground...

There was even electric current.

And fire!

At that moment, the battle between humans and monsters, the collision of hot weapons with "bioweapons," played out with an intensity akin to equivalent-level combat.

Shen Yue carefully controlled the direction of the Penetration Company’s advance, using every section of passable road surface for rapid passage whenever possible.

The entire team’s speed maintained a pace of over 20 kilometers per hour throughout, narrowly dodging the monster’s blockade and pursuit at a sublime point of balance.

----But, of course, such a balance came at the expense of those at the rear making protective sacrifices.

After resupply, the Penetration Company’s scale initially reached a hundred in size.

But as they penetrated 12 kilometers into the Beast Tide, their number declined to 70.

"Third Platoon, Third Squad!"

"Establish a fire power base! Hold that moth off!"

Shen Yue issued the order again, and upon receiving it, the Third Squad, initially moving with the main force, immediately halted.

They mounted the only 12.7mm caliber machine gun in the team and fired wildly at the monster in pursuit from behind.

"Bang bang bang bang bang ----"

Bullets pierced through the monster’s body like shooting stars, but that momentary pause also instantly trapped them within the Beast Tide’s encirclement.

No chance to escape now.

The sound of hand grenades exploded on the temporary position, delaying the Penetration Company’s breakthrough by the last 20 seconds.

"I have reached the predetermined turning point!"

"When is fire support arriving????"

Shen Yue’s voice was already hoarse.

"Soon."

"10 seconds."

Chen Jian’s calm response came through the headset.

Moments later, artillery roared.

The assault company had arrived.

The robust durability of the towed artillery was on full display as 152 mm shells flew from the shelling position 10 kilometers away and, after traversing a breathtaking arc, landed densely within the Beast Tide.

"Boom----"

Explosions rang out one after another, transforming the monsters gathered near the "wound" into masses of blood and flesh.

The vast majority of the shells hit their targets directly.

Even those that didn’t still dealt significant damage to nearby monsters due to the dense impact points.

----Perhaps, if Zhang Tao could see this scene, he would understand why he couldn’t defend an advantageous Xuyi Defense Line despite having so much artillery.

Quantity wasn’t the key, it was efficiency that mattered the most.

Not just the artillery’s efficiency, but also the efficiency of the coordinated advancing infantry.

After the first round of shelling ended, the assault company’s infantry units had already advanced to within 500 meters of the Beast Tide.

There, they launched an attack, advancing like an iron wall.

Under the premise of not needing to consider ammunition consumption, every combat unit fired at full power.

Chen Jian meticulously directed the assault company’s attack vectors, utilizing concentrated, unified firepower output to cover every dense angle of the monsters.

Meanwhile, the drones and bombers ready on-site also finally launched their attacks.

Air and ground, intelligence and fire integrated as one!

The sound of gunfire, exploding shells, bomb detonations, and the propeller noise of attack aircraft circling to pursue high-value targets.

Everything on the battlefield seemed so chaotic yet so orderly.

In merely the first attack wave, the assault company easily wiped out nearly 20 monsters.

The eastern defensive line of the Beast Tide was thoroughly exhausted in an instant, but following that, the assault company faced an even thicker and more complex front line.

"Press forward!"

Chen Jian calmly gave the order.

"He Shuo! You can make your move now!"

"Cross the river! Prepare the encirclement!"

"Compress the front, I need a smaller battlefield!"

"Understood!"

He Shuo’s response came through the headset.

Subsequently, the expeditionary force, already seasoned by a round of battlefield baptism, joined the fight.

Their weapons were significantly inferior compared to the assault company, as were their tactical levels, combat skills, and combat resolve.

But it didn’t matter.

They were only there to do one thing.

Slowly advance, keep firing.

Without unified command, the Beast Tide at this moment resembled a leaderless, fleeing army.

Wherever the gunfire erupted, they’d flee in that direction.

Perhaps, for the first time in human-monster warfare, the monsters were experiencing real and intense fear.

They were originally afraid of fire.

But over the long struggle, they gradually discovered that ordinary flames couldn’t harm them, and so they overcame their fear of fire.

But now, that fear resurfaced.

Because what they faced was endless artillery fire.

The battlefield began to compress.

When the Beast Tide started to collapse, the reaping scythe was already raised high...