Chapter 761.3: Intense Battle On Sandbar Island

Realizing the severity of the situation, a bead of cold sweat appeared on the captain’s forehead. He hurriedly looked toward the operator responsible for the main gun.

“What about the fire-control system?”

“For now, no malfunctions have been detected!” The main-gun operator seated before the terminal gulped nervously before answering.

The answer brought the captain no comfort whatsoever.

At that moment, the communications officer seated at the radio suddenly yelled, “Sir! Headquarters has sent us a request to bombard the coastline! The landing ship ahead will deploy its landing craft in 30 seconds!”

The captain stared at him in disbelief. “Have they lost their minds?! Those are Sandbar Island’s residents!”

The operational plan did indeed mention covering the landing force as it approached Sandbar Island. It had even explained in detail that the Reef would serve as bait to draw out Peace Island’s “rebel fleet,” allowing the main fleet lying in ambush nearby to sink it.

However, nowhere in that plan had it said he would be required to bombard civilians!

Although the events on Sandbar Island had infuriated him, the ones who had caused the trouble were the guards. The survivors living on the island were innocent.

At least in his eyes, those people were his compatriots!

The communications officer reported the situation to headquarters. After receiving a reply, he looked hesitantly at the captain. “Headquarters says... they are traitors. They’ve ordered us to open fire immediately.”

There was no time left to hesitate. The captain gritted his teeth and looked toward the gunnery operator seated nearby. “Target the coastline! Avoid the urban area when you fire!”

The operator froze for a moment but still acknowledged the order. “... Yes, sir!”

Following the command, the 150mm naval gun aboard the Reef slowly raised its barrel. It first fired a ranging shell toward Sandbar Island’s southern coast, then began unleashing a continuous barrage of ferocious gunfire.

Hearing the deafening roar of the naval cannon, Old White, crouched inside one of the buildings in the urban district, took a deep breath. Holding his binoculars, he stared at the heavy landing craft drawing ever closer across the sea and issued the order to fight over the communications channel.

“Everyone, prepare. Disengage your safeties! Let the enemy reach the shore first, then hit them with everything you’ve got!”

After a brief pause, he switched the channel over to Midnight Pubg and spoke in a grave voice. “The EMP detonated successfully. The enemy ship did not react when our aircraft flew over it above the cloud layer. Its radar system appears to be disabled. If the engineers from Shelter 70 were correct in their analysis, its sonar system is probably in bad shape as well. It’s your turn now.”

A hearty reply came through the channel. “Copy that!”

At that moment, more than 30 landing craft were already approaching the shallows along Sandbar Island’s southern coast under the cover of naval gunfire. They charged straight onto the beach.

As the ramps dropped one after another, a massive horde of green-skinned Mutant Humans roared as they rushed onto the shore, an eerie green glow shining from their amber-colored pupils. They carried large-caliber rifles and even machine guns. Modified exoskeletons covered their bodies, while thick ballistic steel plates hung across their chests. Some of the plates were even smeared with the remains of vomit.

Clearly, it was their first time traveling by ship. And in all likelihood, it would also be their last.

After seeing that their opponents were Mutant Humans, and most likely Mutant Humans transferred from the Northern Front, the eyes of the players crouched inside the urban district hardened. Not the slightest trace of mercy remained within them.

“Send them to hell!”

The moment the furious roar rang out, flames erupting from heavy machine guns illuminated the rows of darkened windows. Streams of tracer rounds swept toward the beach like driving rain, slamming into the Mutant Humans that had charged onto the shore.

Blood dyed the beach red. However, the Mutant Humans still held an overwhelming numerical advantage. Nearly 1,000 of them had been crammed into the heavy landing crafts, and the countless heads scattering across the sand looked like cockroaches crawling over the ground.

That was not all.

Chalas had clearly used North Island’s industrial equipment to make certain improvements to the Mutant Humans, even manufacturing fully enclosed exoskeletons and specialized assault rifles for them.

The Mutant Humans who landed on the island divided themselves into 10 groups, spreading across the streets along the coastline in a massive enclosing ring. The raging flames of war burned along the contours of the urban district!

Meanwhile, the Reef, which had been bombarding the coastline, ceased fire and began watching for the possible appearance of the Southern Sea New Alliance’s main fleet or submarines, just as planned.

However, contrary to Chalas’s expectations, the Southern Sea New Alliance fleet never appeared.

After dispatching ground troops to Sandbar Island, the New Alliance appeared to have merely probed the Reef once with its aircraft and launched a single land-based missile before ending all of its naval attacks. It did not even react when the Reef shelled the ground forces it had deployed to Sandbar Island.

Honestly, their action, or lack thereof, was highly unusual!

...

At North Island Command Headquarters, Chalas watched the fierce battle below through a drone feed and cursed under his breath. “... What the hell is Zhang Ruowen doing?! Not a single damned shell landed in the urban district!”

Zhang Ruowen was the captain of the Reef.

The landing had already been underway for more than 10 minutes, and over half of the 1,000 or so Mutant Humans sent ashore had been killed or wounded. Only then did Chalas finally realize that the previous bombardment had accomplished absolutely nothing.

The defending forces stationed in the urban district had suffered almost no losses. At most, the shells had destroyed a few roads.

Now the landing force had been stalled, the Southern Sea New Alliance’s main fleet had not been lured out, and the fleet he had stationed in ambush nearby had also been left waiting for nothing.

Standing beside Chalas, a staff officer lowered his voice and said, “The forces currently deployed on Sandbar Island are probably insufficient to occupy the entire island. The New Alliance has also stationed a defensive force at the northern beachhead. If the decoy operation has failed, I recommend recalling the Reef.”

Chalas replied with a dark expression. “Our operation has not failed yet.”

The staff officer nodded. “Indeed, but continuing to wait will not produce a better result. Especially now that Peace Island knows our main fleet is no longer stationed at North Island...”

Hearing the latter half of the sentence, Chalas quickly calmed down.

That was true. The greatest risk in the entire operation was not the potential loss of a destroyer. It was the danger of leaving North Island’s defenses empty.

With his arms folded across his chest, Chalas tapped his forearm twice with his index finger before immediately turning toward the communications officer and issuing an order. “Tell the Reef to withdraw... No, have their captain take the call. Give me the headset! I’ll speak to that idiot myself!”

As he spoke, he snatched the communications officer’s headset and pulled it over his head.

“What the fuck are you doing?! I ordered you to bombard Sandbar Island’s urban district! Where the fuck did you send those shells, some godforsaken patch of nowhere?!”

There was no response over the communications channel. Perhaps the man knew he was in the wrong and was too ashamed to speak.

After thoroughly berating his subordinate, Chalas took two breaths, steadied himself, and continued, “I don’t care what ideas or excuses you have. Because of your dereliction of duty, we missed our chance to defeat our opponents in a single stroke! Get your ass back here immediately!”

However, to his surprise, a strange voice suddenly came through the channel after the long silence.

“Ah well, they won’t be coming back.”

Chalas jolted and instinctively blurted out. “Who the fuck are you?!”

The person on the other end burst into hearty laughter and readily introduced himself. “You can call me Midnight Pubg, commander of the Jungle Corps! Anyway, thanks for the ship.”

Chalas’ eyes widened in shock as he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “???”

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