Chapter 736.3: Watch Carefully, I'll Only Do This Once

"I suspect the Enterprise allowed this because they want the Wislanders to wear down the defenders first. No matter how many Mutant Humans are up there, they can't be infinite."

"Perfect timing then." Sideline Slacking grinned and bumped his fist against his breastplate. "We're the never ending force, let us handle it."

Spring Water Commander rolled his eyes. "You guys don’t have to worry about that. Save you enthusiasm for next time. It’s our Storm Corps’ turn to play."

"Damn!" Sideline Slacking protested. "You guys just got here. Aren't you going to rest?"

Spring Water Commander laughed. "We've been resting since leaving Brocade Lake Municipality. We're more than rested enough."

As they chatted, the battle at the front entered a new phase.

Just as General Modlin had predicted, the entire cannon-fodder battalion was quickly expended. Corpses littered the mountainside, Mutant Humans and clones alike. Their flesh and blood mingled together until the rugged terrain looked as though it had been passed through a giant meat grinder.

Without hesitation, the Loyalty proceeded with the next phase of the plan. Eight additional 400mm heavy artillery shells were fired. At the same time, the Bison walker opened up with its 200mm cannon.

A second wave of bombardment engulfed the mountain with a barrage even more ferocious than the first.

The Wislanders at the front watched with excitement and even their allied forces in the rear couldn't help widening their eyes.

Standing outside the barracks, General Babita stared longingly at the towering Bison walker standing upon the wasteland. His eyes were filled with desire.

If only the Army were willing to sell them such a machine. If General Alyang had possessed one of those, they never would have lost Port Gallon!

Mosquito, who had only recently returned from Gwent Town, was equally astonished. Watching the walker spew firepower like someone casually spitting, he muttered to himself, "Holy crap... What kind of material is that barrel made from? How does it survive this kind of abuse?"

If he could figure out the metallurgy involved, it would be priceless.

Compared to the Model 60 Railgun, which was currently impossible to replicate and barely understood, the practical value of the technology of the Bison was far greater.

Ever since tasting the benefits of that aviation fuel windfall, Mosquito had grown increasingly hungry. He even began entertaining dangerous thoughts.

Perhaps... They needed to find a way for one of those machines to accidentally go missing.

...

While the wastelanders marveled at the bombardment, the battlefield itself resembled hell. Green-skinned brutes caught outside tunnels and bunkers were blown apart instantly. Goblins attempting to carry wounded comrades back into cover suffered horrific casualties as well. Many crippled survivors could only lie behind rocks, screaming in agony.

General Modlin observed the battlefield through his night-vision goggles. The moment he judged the timing right, he issued the next order. "The second battalion of the Army of Glory will advance."

"Yes, sir!" The adjutant saluted and immediately relayed the order.

The eager second battalion started its assault. Over 20 heavily armored infantrymen, resembling ancient iron pagoda warriors, charged forward carrying barreled machine guns. Protected by a 100-man escort force, they headed directly toward a tunnel entrance on the mountainside that had resisted every previous assault.

For the second time that night, the silence was shattered. The battle once again entered its most intense phase. The well-trained Wislander soldiers displayed combat effectiveness far beyond that of the clone troops. For some time, the Mutant Humans were pushed steadily backward.

Even Spring Water Commander, who had doubted they could take the mountain, looked surprised.

"Looks like you're going to be wrong." Sideline Slacking grinned and tossed him the binoculars. "In one hour they've captured six tunnel entrances. The fighting outside the caves is basically over."

Earlier, he had personally watched a heavy infantryman carrying a flamethrower enter one of the tunnels. The inside was probably smelling like barbecue right now. Compared to the Enterprise's flashy gadgets, this kind of straightforward brutality was much more his style.

Spring Water Commander grabbed the binoculars and stubbornly checked for himself. The situation was indeed unfolding exactly as Sideline Slacking described.

Still unwilling to concede, he muttered, "They've only just entered the dog holes. The real meat grinder starts inside. Whether they can stay in there is another question entirely."

"Fair point." Sideline Slacking nodded in agreement.

Having fought these opponents before, he actually respected them quite a bit.

The New Alliance's rapid victories in Sunset Province had owed much to strategic advantages.

The Wislanders themselves were competent soldiers. Given equal logistics, support, air superiority, and terrain, defeating them in a direct confrontation would not be easy. If he were the commander, completely eliminating those entrenched green-skinned defenders would likely cost him dearly as well.

At the same time, more than 100 kilometers away, a colossal steel airship was slowly making its way toward the front lines.

The players weren't the only ones watching the battle. Chu Guang hadn't taken his eyes off the front for a moment. The instant the Army launched its attack, Commander Lin Shangwen of the 100th Mechanized Mountain Division had contacted him to discuss the matter.

Meanwhile, Chu Guang had tasked Make Me with serving as a battlefield reporter and filming the action firsthand.

Truthfully, the Wislanders' attempt to appear magnanimous while secretly pulling such tricks was rather distasteful. If they truly captured Broken Blade Peak, then all of Enterprise's casualties and expenditures would effectively become the Army's achievement.

Still, compared to his ally's losses, Chu Guang was more interested in evaluating the true combat capability of the Army's regular forces.

As a result, he and Lin Shangwen negotiated an arrangement. Rather than pressuring Liam over the matter, the Enterprise would allow the Wislanders to attack first and wear down the Mutant Humans. If the Army succeeded in capturing Broken Blade Peak, Chu Guang would assault another enemy position himself as compensation.

His players were always eager for more action anyway and he was happy to create a win-win situation.

Naturally, the Enterprise would be responsible for reimbursing all ammunition expenditures, equipment losses, and casualty compensation incurred during those operations.

Lin Shangwen accepted the proposal almost immediately. The Highest Council didn't care how much money was spent, nor did they care what outsiders thought. Their only requirement was achieving the greatest results with the smallest losses.

Thus, Chu Guang, acting as coalition commander, quickly reached an agreement with the others and willingly handed the stage over to General Liam.

The Wislanders were desperate to show off, weren't they? He would let them.

Looking out across the endless sea of clouds beyond the bridge's panoramic windows, Chu Guang smiled faintly. "Vanus, do you think the Army of Glory will plant its flag on Broken Blade Peak tonight?"

Although he rarely involved himself directly in battlefield command, his strategic instincts told him that the Wislanders lacked sufficient preparation for victory.

Vanus stared at the holographic display for a long moment before unexpectedly replying, "I think General Liam may be contacting you soon."

"Oh?" Chu Guang looked at him with interest.

Vanus collected his thoughts and continued. "Based on my understanding of the Eastern Army's organization, they've likely committed more than a single battalion to this battle. And based on my understanding of General Liam... He's talented. But at heart, he's a gambler."

Chu Guang's expression shifted slightly. "You mean..."

"He pulled troops away from Black Cloud Peak?" Vanus nodded and his expression had become visibly concerned. "He has no reason to plan a third offensive for opponents he looks down upon. In other words, Black Cloud Peak is probably being held tonight by only two forces, a defensive contingent and an assault contingent. The Mutant Humans may not have allowed them into the tunnels because they're losing. It's entirely possible they detected that we've committed forces beyond their expectations."

"They may be intentionally feigning weakness in this local battle. The goal would be to increase our sunk costs and make it harder for us to abandon the offensive. If General Liam is forced to choose between one more push and admitting defeat before his allies..." Vanus paused before continuing grimly. "Given his personality, he'll probably gamble on Wislander pride. He'll commit the frontline reserve forces as well."

After a moment, he added, "As for those green-skins... I'm afraid they're about to launch a counterattack."

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