Thunder Warrior Saves the World

Page 32

“An infantry company focused solely on capturing prisoners has little interest in reconnaissance. By the time they discover a stronghold here, they're already exposed to the Belken. Then, the Belken commander will wonder—what is this company's purpose here? If they had known about the facilities beforehand, they wouldn't have exposed themselves so easily; they would have been like a cobra hidden in the bushes, waiting for their chance to strike.”

"If we rule out that possibility, then there's only one left—they discovered the stronghold by accident. This means that Dr. Hal and his men haven't defected. So, after reaching this conclusion, they'll focus their efforts on dealing with the enemy forces outside the castle, and the castle's defenses will weaken."

“This plan sounds very… well,” Princess Rosa, who had listened to the entire process, hesitated for a moment before commenting, “meticulous.”

Lu Wu raised an eyebrow, looking at the blonde girl with considerable surprise. Considering the subtle pause before her assessment, he was certain the princess shared his opinion. The adjective "meticulous" is generally a compliment, but when used to describe an action plan, it's practically a high-EQ statement implying "difficult to implement"—after all, the more meticulous something is, the more fragile it is. If any link in the chain fails, the entire plan will collapse like a toppling domino.

“This plan is too risky,” Davis said, not optimistic. “We lack talent in researching Gilahani technology. If we lose Dr. Hal, it will be difficult for us to replace him for some time.” He didn’t mention an even more important point: after all, Hal had just jumped over from the Imperial Army, and he instinctively maintained a necessary wariness of this man.

“High risk brings high reward,” Sergeyev insisted. “Correspondingly, we can take all of the research results of the Belken Empire on the Fabandi battlefield.”

“These kinds of opportunities don’t come around often,” he added.

"Dr. Hal, do you have any ideas?" Lu Wu asked.

'Of all these people present, I'm probably the one whose thoughts are least important, and that of the princess…' Hal knew this perfectly well, inwardly scoffing. But since he had already made his judgment and choice, he naturally wouldn't change his mind easily. "I think this risk is worthwhile. A complete team, a full set of equipment and data—the value of these things is immeasurable. Although some of them can be reproduced through our own efforts, it will ultimately slow down our research progress. We need to remember one thing: the Empire's research in this area is ahead of all countries in the world—including the Federation."

Lu Wu felt the gaze fall on him again. He knew it was almost time to make a decision—whether to choose the relatively low-risk, low-loss special forces infiltration, or the high-risk, high-reward disguised infiltration?

Based on his past experience on the battlefield, he would have preferred the conventional approach, but then, a concept suddenly surfaced from the depths of his mind.

Do you know what a 'technological explosion' is?

The seemingly unrelated words left everyone present looking at each other in bewilderment, except for Hal and Rosa, who showed expressions of curiosity. Lu Wu ignored their confusion and mentally processed the theory he had seen decades ago. "Gentlemen," he said, "it took humanity seven thousand years to go from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age, and two thousand years to go from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age. But how many years has it taken from the invention of the steam engine to the widespread use of electricity? Technological development is not a gradual curve; it's like an explosion."

"Technological development has already shown this trend without the intervention of external factors. If we add a catalyst such as 'extraterrestrial civilization' to this path of technological development, then the 'technological explosion' will be even more intense."

"No one can predict when the Belken Empire's 'technological explosion' will arrive, but what is certain is that once the Belken Empire experiences this technological explosion and completes the process of practical application, our technological advantage will cease to exist. The empire will suppress us on both the scale and the technological level. Gentlemen, our time is running out. We must seize every opportunity to narrow the gap between us and the Belken Empire and achieve overtaking."

Volume 1: Chapter 178 (Chapter 163) The Plan

As soon as he said that, everyone understood what Lu Wu meant.

However, what happened next was quite different from what everyone had predicted: Lu Wu picked up a compass and began measuring the distance between Swarthburg and Alpha Base. Then he spread the legs of the compass apart and began gesturing along the road closest to Alpha Base. And the endpoint of this gesture was none other than Swarthburg.

“Brigadier, what are you thinking…” Vasily clicked his tongue.

“Spetznaz only has so many people and so many helicopters. Even if all these researchers are traitors, how much equipment can we take away?” Lu Wu licked his lips. “We’re already here, it would be such a waste not to pack all this stuff up and take it back. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

"And another thing, look at this highway. Route 76, less than ten kilometers from Swarthgard. By the standards of the Kingdom of Elgia, Route 76 is a top-class highway, that is, infrastructure level five. Do you think this highway could become a vital artery for the Belken Empire's frontline troops?"

As Lu Wu moved, everyone's attention turned to this highway, which was a Class 5 infrastructure project. The Kingdom of Elgia was one of the first countries in the world to establish standards for road transportation, and Fabandi, the most prosperous city in the kingdom, owes its prosperity to its well-developed transportation system. Highway 76 is Fabandi's main artery connecting it to the west; therefore, to ensure the efficiency of goods transport, this highway was expanded two years ago to the highest level, a ten-lane, two-way Class 5 infrastructure project.

“If we take Swarthburg, we can threaten their supply lines. The Belken will have to divert troops from the Farban front to protect their supply routes, slow down or even halt their offensive against Farban, and deal with this threat from the side first.”

These words made the eyes of the Ergia present light up involuntarily. One of the staff officers said, "If an armored force somehow manages to bypass my encirclement and sneaks up on my rear, even aiming directly at my supply line, unless I am 100% certain that I can take Fabandi in a short time, I would be anxious too."

Bai Xue, who had initially thought she was just there to create a buzz and make a cameo appearance, picked up the compass Lu Wu had set aside again. She glanced at the radius of the compass, made no adjustments, and traced the route Lu Wu had previously indicated. "Two hours, at most two hours, and I can reach the gates of Swarthburg."

"Are you aware of the Belken's deployment along this section of the road?" Vasily turned to the Georgian staff officer who had just spoken and asked. Snowy's T-72AV tank battalion could recklessly charge forward at full speed, regardless of the dangers. But his Berezov tanks couldn't do that! The encounter on the Tsavo Highway had already proven that the Belken possessed a certain level of anti-armor capability; any further overconfidence would truly lead to a Ukrainian victory.

The Ergia officers whispered among themselves, “The specific arrangements are still unclear, but according to the intelligence we have, the Belken have deployed most of their forces to the front lines, and there won’t be many troops stationed in the rear. Moreover, the route you’ve chosen is not of a high level, so the Belken probably won’t deploy too many forces here.”

"Have the army aviation unit fly over the area to thoroughly scout the situation along the route." Operational plans can't be based solely on deductions about enemy movements; those deductions must be verified. Lu Wu waved his hand, finalizing the matter. "Have Mead come over."

“In that case, Spetznaz’s mission will need to be adjusted.” His gaze returned to Sergeyev. “Your mission will be changed to control the research facilities and researchers within Svalbard, holding the area until the main force takes control of the entire castle. Ensure the safety of all facilities and data as much as possible.”

"Understood, mission accomplished." Sergeyev readily agreed. This left Princess Rosa momentarily unable to determine which mission would be more difficult. The method of infiltrating Swarthburg in disguise could still be used, but the later tasks involved close-quarters combat indoors. Princess Rosa had personally experienced the battle that erupted inside the Fabandi Palace and had a clear understanding of the dangers of such close-quarters combat.

"Commander, this is Mead, the logistics company commander, reporting for duty." Just as Princess Rosa was pondering, a strong, resonant voice came from the doorway—it was Scarp King.

"Mead, when will all our vehicles be repaired?"

"It will take at least four to five days," Mead had already estimated. "We still have some vehicles lying on the road waiting to be towed back, and the conditions here are quite poor. We can only rely on the equipment we brought. Fortunately, we have enough spare parts, otherwise it would probably take even longer."

"What if we only repair the T-72s and Berezovsks?" A third of the out-of-service equipment is fire support; self-propelled howitzers and mortars are less frequently used in the upcoming battles—and if the Swarthburg is of poor quality, falling bricks could damage the equipment and researchers.

"That will take three or four days." (Liu)

Even so, Mead's answer still didn't quite satisfy Lu Wu. Speed ​​is of the essence in war. The Belken had made significant progress on the northern front, but suffered a defeat on the southern front. With one victory and one defeat, the Belken army would undoubtedly focus its attention on this glaring failure. Then, with the Belken army's repositioning and shift of focus, whether they could continue to execute this tactic would depend on their cooperation. However, he also knew that Mead wasn't deliberately being difficult or trying to slack off; it was simply the truth. Before the troops were fully assembled, he had worked as a repairman, and he had some suspicions in mind.

Sure enough, Mead then explained, "Of the four T-72s and six Berezovsks that are disabled, three are T-72s, two Berezovsks have internal components like filters and gearboxes damaged, and the rest have suspension damage." Lu Wu showed a "I knew it" expression. "To repair them, we'd have to lift the turrets first, then remove the engines. We don't have much specialized equipment on hand to provide that kind of support. Oh, and one Berezovsk's turret traverse mechanism and radio are also broken; they need parts replaced too. Besides the ones that are grounded, the rest can still run, but they all need maintenance."

"Two days. I can only give you two days at most. Prioritize maintaining and repairing the vehicles that are still operational, and fix as many broken-down vehicles as possible." In two days, news of the defeat on the southern front will definitely reach headquarters, and the Belken will have to close the breach there. Where will the troops to plug the gap come from? Reserves and rear garrison troops, of course. The Belken can reseal the breach in at most three days, and incidentally, they can also establish another blockade line to prevent the southern front from being breached again. Although such a defensive line is better than nothing for armored forces, it will still slow down their advance, and Lu Wu doesn't like that.

I'm truly sorry for the month-long hiatus. There were just so many things going on – family, work… my personal energy is simply limited. I won't go into too much detail, but I can only say I'll try my best to update whenever I have time.

Volume 1: Chapter 179 (Chapter 164) - Infiltration and Strengthening Attack

Lu Wu's words made the older brother, nicknamed "Scrap Metal King," look somewhat troubled. Although Lu Wu's task for him was to prioritize fixing the vehicles that were "normally usable and without hidden defects," and to repair as many broken-down vehicles as possible, without even giving a specific target, with the great battle approaching, as a member of the 7th Brigade, he naturally hoped that the 7th Brigade could have as many cards as possible in its hand.

“Yes! I understand!” Even so, Mead maintained his upright posture and answered in a loud voice.

"Just ask for any support you need. We'll provide manpower and supplies if you need them." Of course, Lu Wu wasn't the kind of person who would give his subordinates a task and then leave them to their own devices. "Don't let your thinking limit you; there might be other ways to help us achieve our goals."

That's what they said, but what exactly this alternative method was, neither of them had a clue, or even whether it existed at all. In a normal situation, if an army was poorly equipped but still wanted to launch an attack, the commander would probably request "tactical guidance" from his superiors. However, none of the officers present made this suggestion, not because of so-called "dignity" or "pride," but for two very practical reasons.

The Ergia assumed this was all the fighting force the Amelia Volunteer Army could muster, and therefore, no reinforcements were expected. However, Lu Wu knew that reinforcements were indeed possible; using his remaining Golden Eagles could barely cover the losses in Pingk. The problem was, Gaijin wouldn't deliver his new vehicles to the Alpha base! Based on his experience, Gaijin would only deliver them to the main base in Svorbella. For the Alpha base personnel to get their hands on the new vehicles, either the tanks would become sentient and run over themselves, or they would have to send someone to traverse the Tsavo Highway again. Either way, the new vehicles would lose twelve hours of their original motorcycle time, and there was a risk of them breaking down en route—truly a case of "I just got my new vehicle!"

Besides, even if the new car smoothly completes its 2-kilometer journey and arrives safely at the Alpha base, it still needs to undergo inspections and maintenance. Otherwise, it might break down on its next mission. From both a time and other perspectives, the cost-effectiveness seems rather poor.

"Okay." Mead had already started thinking about whether there were any simple and easy-to-learn procedures in the maintenance process. If so, he could outsource that part of the work. He would only need to send a few people to train them and supervise and inspect them, which would free up a group of people to handle the more complex parts. Fortunately, the fire support vehicles were not a problem for the time being, so he said, "I will take over the crew members of the vehicles that are out of service. Anyway, they don't have any work to do right now."

“No problem.” Lu Wu waved his hand, thus deciding the fate of these crews to assist Mead. After all, the vehicles were broken in their hands, so it was reasonable for them to fix them. “If you need more people, come to me. The same goes for supplies.”

Mead nodded. "Any other tasks? If not, I'll go arrange them." Time was tight and the task was heavy, so he didn't want to waste any time. The entire equipment support company would have to work in shifts. Well, not just the support company, the field maintenance company would also have to share the burden. Those guys were also good at maintenance, so he couldn't let them go to waste.

After letting Mead go, Lu Wu turned his attention back to Spetsnaz's commander.

“Sergeyev, this time you will be facing hundreds of special soldiers known as ‘Gilahani Warriors.’” Sergeyev had never directly encountered enemies like the Gilakhani Warriors, whose abilities far surpassed those of ordinary humans and whose weaponry was far more advanced—enemies who could be called modern-day super soldiers. Therefore, Lu Wu had to remind him: “If you only use the Belken Empire’s standard-issue weapons to infiltrate, you will be at a disadvantage in indoor combat.”

Spetznaz are special forces soldiers, not Kamisama. They are human too, with their limits. Stripped of their technological equipment advantages, they are left with only tactical and training advantages. When facing Gilahani warriors, this advantage will be negated by the enemy's individual skill, and the pressure they face as a numerically disadvantaged group will increase dramatically. Nine

Especially since they even harbored the idea of ​​taking the entire research team, along with their findings, back with them, this made Spetznaz and his group even more hesitant to act. The Belken Empire, on the other hand, didn't have so many concerns. Based on their previous experience ambushing the convoy at the Interference Tower, Lu Wu was 100% certain that these Gilahani warriors, besides their mission to protect VIPs, would, if necessary, ruthlessly kill those they were protecting to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. It was an easy choice—killing them would deprive the enemy of their access to the relevant technology, while their own research would at most stagnate; their current research results were enough for the Empire to maintain its advantage for a period of time. But if they allowed them to fall into enemy hands, it would be a test of the researchers' loyalty. If even one of them betrayed them, the enemy would not only gain the relevant technology but might even risk overtaking the Empire…

"Therefore, I do not recommend that you continue to use the established infiltration plan."

“Your assessment is not without merit.” Sergeyev nodded, then added, “Speed ​​will be key if we want to achieve the greatest possible results in direct combat.”

He picked up his tablet and pulled up a series of reconnaissance reports from the scout company, confirming his thoughts: "These Gilahani warriors' defensive setup is clearly aimed at threats outside the castle. If we attack from within, we will achieve unexpected results."

Sergeyev pointed to the map drawn based on Khar's description and said, "The research area is concentrated on the three floors at the top of the main castle. We will blow open the roof to enter the top floor, then use explosives to open up these three floors. After clearing out the enemies on each floor, we will regroup on the fifth floor and block the two main passages to prevent the enemy from entering the research area."

This plan is simple and efficient. It does increase the probability of collateral damage, but it's not unacceptable. More importantly, it allows them to deploy more troops on the battlefield without having to use outdated and unsuitable weapons for fear of exposure. However, whether the castle supports this tactic is a question. What if the demolition point is poorly chosen, or too much explosive is used, resulting in the main castle collapsing? That would be disastrous…

"Do you have any architectural data on Swarthburg here?" Rosa asked the staff officer in a low voice.

Volume 1: Chapter 180 (Transition)

Alpha Base is a newly built military base, less than a month old, not an archive, so it naturally wouldn't have the design blueprints for Swarthgard. In fact, for castles with a long history like Swarthgard, the design blueprints are usually kept by the castle owner, rather than being centrally stored and archived like those for government-built buildings.

Fortunately, the royal family acquired the claim and ownership of Swarthburg a century ago, and the surviving design drawings naturally fell into their hands as well. These drawings are now kept in the royal archives.

When Princess Rosa learned that the blueprints were stored in the palace archives, she experienced a momentary cardiac arrest. When the palace was attacked by rebels, her father had prepared for the worst. As the situation deteriorated, a large number of confidential documents in the archives began to be destroyed. The rebels, in their attack on the palace, had a very clear objective and did nothing unnecessary. Therefore, the royal guards in the archives had ample time to destroy the documents, and it's possible that these blueprints were already destroyed in the destruction process…

But after contacting the Fabandi command, these concerns finally disappeared.

The 7th Brigade's raid on the palace was undeniably timely. This operation not only successfully rescued the royal family but also severely damaged the rebels. The armored vehicles, acquired at the cost of exposing the high-ranking moles, were completely destroyed by the Sheep. It's no exaggeration to say that after the rebels lost their most fatal attribute—stealth—their only advantage against the royal army lay in these captured armored vehicles. With this reliance gone, the rebels had no advantage whatsoever against the royal army.

We all have the same equipment, the same training, and the same tactical thinking. If I can't handle the Belken, can't I handle you? Knowing they had made a mistake and lost face, the Kingdom's army became even more ruthless in their fight against the rebels.

Meanwhile, the Belken people, having learned that they had lost their "advanced technology and equipment," felt that these traitors no longer held any special value—they couldn't seize the king, they couldn't seize advanced equipment, and they had no pledge of allegiance, so why should they go to great lengths to rescue them? After all, the Faban defense line wasn't easy to breach, and the Empire's compensation funds couldn't be wasted so easily… Anyway, both sides were Elgians, so let them fight it out. If they fought until their brains were spilled, that would be even better. No matter which side lost in the end, they wouldn't lose out.

Thus, the rebel army that had caused the "imperial capital misfortune" in Fabandi was quickly wiped out under the fierce offensive of the royal army. Those who wanted to defect, defected, or were executed were executed. After the royal army regained control of the palace archives, the destruction work naturally stopped.

The blueprints for Swarthavart, which the 7th Brigade needed, were not classified at the highest level, thus narrowly escaping destruction. Upon receiving Princess Rosa's message, they immediately began organizing the delivery of the blueprints to Alpha Base.

Even though Swarthorpe is not the largest of all the castles, it is still a complex building. Compared to warships, the amount of construction work involved is no less, and this is clearly reflected in the number of blueprints.

Fortunately, the 7th Brigade didn't need to look at all the blueprints. With Khar's help, Sergeyev picked out the research area, and the group got together to write, draw, and calculate for a while before finally reaching a conclusion.

“It can do it.” Shebalgeyev’s eyes gleamed. “The structural strength here can support us doing this much.”

"Then let's do it this way." Lu Wu had now finalized the action plan.

“However…” Sergeyev added, “If possible, it would be best to reconstruct these floors according to the structure on the blueprints so that we can practice.”

Several Ergia officers exchanged glances, and one of them said, "This might not be easy to repair, and it will need to be repaired even after it's blown up..."

"It doesn't need to replicate the materials exactly. It's just a simple killing house that can replicate the spatial structure, where people can run and jump around to familiarize themselves with the environment. If you really can't make it, then forget it," Sergeyev waved his hand.

This made things much easier, so the officers all turned their attention to Princess Rosa and took the initiative to handle the preparation of materials and manpower. Sergeyev and the other officers quickly left the command room to finalize the details of building the killing house, while those who remained began to supplement the plan.

The entire Alpha base sprang into action once again thanks to this meeting. The support battalion was undoubtedly the busiest, with over a dozen different types of armored vehicles lying around on their turf. Most of these vehicles appeared undamaged, but without exception, their suspensions had been removed or their engines had been pulled from their rear ends, dangling to the side in the sun.

Mead quickly divided and assigned tasks, while he himself went to the Berezok that had been destroyed by the Gilahani. Because the steering gear and radio were damaged, it was in a head-to-body state: its small head was hanging from the side of the vehicle, charred black from flames, and the steering gear below was visibly twisted. The hull wasn't in much better shape; the additional armor and side skirts on the left had been removed and simply tossed aside, exposing the drive shafts underneath. The removed tracks, road wheels, and side skirts lay together, looking rather pitiful.

4 “Get you healed first, big guy,” Mead muttered to himself. Then he rolled up his sleeves, called to the people next to him, picked up his tools, and crawled under the turret to start dismantling it.

One by one, the connecting bolts were removed; those that couldn't be unscrewed were cut with a chainsaw. Mead's actions, though seemingly rough, were actually precise and efficient. Damaged parts were replaced with brand-new spares as he worked. Life was being rekindled within this steel beast.

Scenes resembling sulfur were observed throughout the workshop. Besides replacing internal parts, the vehicle's surface was also thoroughly treated. The charred remains from the burning were scraped away one by one, and the unavoidable rust was removed by a rust remover. Then, abrasive particles sprayed under high pressure washed away the paint on the metal surface, revealing the original metal underneath. Rust-preventative paint adhered to the polished metal surface, dyeing it vermilion, and finally, a military green coat was applied, making it look like a nearly new, used vehicle from Anton.

Volume 1: Chapter 181 (Chapter 166) - The War Begins

Two days passed quickly.

Qisbetznaz and his men spent all their time honing their tactics in the makeshift Killinghouse, while the Meadians ultimately lived up to expectations, repairing the broken-down Berezok and T-72 tanks, enabling the armored forces to operate in full condition.

However, the Belken forces on the other side hadn't done much either these past two days. The Il-2's repeated reconnaissance missions seemed to have touched a nerve with the Belken, so they also deployed their air force units stationed in the Fabandi theater. This time, the Belken were wiser; even when facing the Il-2, a piston-engine aircraft that seemed relatively weaker, they didn't recklessly send their fighters in, but instead conducted reconnaissance missions in pairs.

The Löberkine people stumbled upon a lucky break this time. The 7th Brigade's SPAA units were all left in Svorbella, and the electronic warfare unit's 1L269Krasukha-2 jamming station lacked air defense capabilities. Air defense detection could only rely on traditional optical radar—finding the enemy with the naked eye. This resulted in the 7th Brigade's air defense capabilities being drastically reduced, much like the benefits of War Thunder in 2022.

However, what the Belken people probably didn't know was that some volunteer soldiers were also responsible for tactical coordination in the defense zones held by the Kingdom of Elgia. The little green men could contact their superiors the moment they saw those slow, old-fashioned planes hovering in the sky, and the intelligence was delivered to command in a very short time. Orders to annihilate these invading enemies were quickly issued to all units. Although they didn't have SPAAs, the 2A42 cannons on the Berezovs would do. As for those targets that were far away or at difficult angles, those were left to the professionals—the pilots of the 46th and 588th Air Regiments.

Needless to say, the two MiG-21PFMs are interceptors, so this is their forte. As for the Su-7 and Il-2 attack aircraft, although doing this job might seem like a detour, compared to the Belken Pesticide, which is inferior in speed, defense, firepower, and maneuverability, these two are definitely fighters.

Q. For a time, Alpha Base became a no-fly zone for the Belken Air Force. Any pesticide aircraft that dared to appear there were usually shot down. The Belken Air Force tried to learn about the situation through the radios on board the aircraft. However, the Belken pilots' radio messages were never sent out before they were shot down. The 1L269Krasukha-2 jamming station gave these pilots the opportunity to experience the feeling of being radio suppressed.

This tight-knit defensive posture confirmed the Belken's suspicions: the coalition forces at Alpha Base were about to make big news.

So when the armored forces of the 7th Brigade set off, the garrison at Belken on this road, known as FP106, had been reinforced from two companies to a reinforced battalion with an artillery battery.

Unfortunately, this enhancement failed to slow down the armored formation's advance. The artillery positions were the second to be destroyed, following the communication positions with their long antennas. Even without deploying Su-7BMKs, the Il-2's under-barrel rockets were enough to completely wipe out these hastily constructed artillery positions, which lacked adequate air defense camouflage.

The steel tracks rolled effortlessly over barbed wire and trenches, mixing flesh, fabric, and mud together. Bullets couldn't even detonate the explosive reactive armor of the leading T-72AVs. A few soldiers who survived the tank assault tried to sneak up on the seemingly easier-to-attack Berezoks behind them, but the infantry fighting vehicles, already in combat readiness, didn't give them a chance to get close—there were machine guns at a distance, and grenades at close range; there was always a solution for the Belken soldiers.

From the arrival of the Il-2 aircraft group over the checkpoint to the departure of the last Berezok, the entire process lasted only half an hour. An reinforced battalion stationed there was completely annihilated without even being able to send out a single message.

While the Il-2 aircraft group's pilots landed and rested, two Su-7BMKs were securing ZB-360 incendiary bombs to the landing site.

ZB-360 is a napalm bomb composed of B-70 gasoline, SKS-30A synthetic rubber, xylenol, and cumene hydroperoxide. While it is difficult to destroy heavily armored targets, it is undoubtedly an extremely terrifying weapon against lightly armored vehicles, convertibles, and human targets. This napalm is as sticky and flammable as lard; once it splashes on a person, slapping it on will only intensify the fire, and rolling on the ground will only allow the flames to spread throughout the body. The complex chemical composition causes the flames to produce large amounts of toxic substances, which then enter the victim's body through wounds, skin, and respiratory tract. It is no exaggeration to say that death is the greatest relief for napalm bomb victims.

The United Nations once signed an agreement in Geneva on the prohibition and restriction of the use of incendiary weapons. Fortunately, Fort Sirte is a completely military base, far away from civilian areas, so the use of napalm here would not be a problem for the army, nor would it violate any relevant regulations.

After destroying the only Belken outpost on FP106, the armored group advanced very smoothly. When they were still 20 minutes away from Swarthburg, two small black dots appeared on the horizon. Two attack aircraft with cigar-like thick fuselages and swept wings quickly flew over their heads, followed by the roar of their engines.

The Witch Squadron slowly climbed to an altitude of 1500 meters, then broke up and began a half-roll inverted maneuver to enter the dive bombing angle. As the fighters maneuvered, the white sonic boom cloud and the sudden loud noise attracted the attention of all the Belken soldiers. No one noticed the four ZB-360s that were falling.

"Witch One," Lilia, and "Witch Two," Mari Shinomiya, were slammed into their seats by the immense acceleration from the afterburner. The wall of flames was clearly visible in the cockpit rearview mirror. They pulled out a 9G overload, their blood rushing to their bodies due to inertia, their vision going black—but the nose of their aircraft was pointing back at the Imperial army's positions as they wished. The ballistic computer calculated the impact points of the NR-30 cannon shells. Their task was simple: aim at the target, pull the trigger, and the ammunition belt, mixed with armor-piercing and incendiary rounds, would help them remove the Belken with a single click, creating favorable conditions for the ground troops' advance.

……

Our company's non-combat casualties have exceeded 50%. Of the eight mid-to-senior level managers, only my IT staff and I remain today. Everyone, please take care to protect yourselves. Avoid testing positive if possible. Let's get through this together.

Volume 1: Chapter 182 (Chapter 167) Attacking the enemy is the only way to win.

The Su-7 attack aircraft did not have much ammunition in its cannons, only 120 rounds. After destroying four or five small bunkers, it was almost empty. The two attack aircraft withdrew from the attack, regrouped, and calmly withdrew from the battlefield.

Having suppressed the ground forces, Spetznaqiz and the ground troops also entered the land area.

Just like in the dozens of drills they conducted at Alpha Base, the doe hovered above the tower that served as the research area, with several ropes hanging down. Special forces soldiers rappelled to the top of the tower, attached "sanitary napkins" at specific locations calculated with complex mechanics, and then—"bang!"

Spetznaz didn't rush into the room through the breach. Before the smoke had even cleared, a large number of nine flashbangs were thrown in as if they were free. Only after the commotion below subsided did these special forces soldiers wearing gas masks finally hoist their ropes and enter the room.

Visibility inside was poor, filled with dust and chemical fumes from the nine-flash attack. The collapsed roof structure inevitably damaged some research equipment and data. Most of the targets were incapacitated, groaning on the ground, covering their mouths and noses. The Galahani warriors, responsible for protection, suffered even greater damage due to their heightened senses. After the roof was blown up, they deduced that the enemy would attack from above, so they formed a semi-circular defensive line around the breach, using various facilities. But they never expected that the first wave of attack would be the nine-flash attack…

The crimson blood seeping from their mouths, noses, and ears, along with their vacant eyes and limp bodies, indicated that several of the unfortunate souls had already lost their lives. However, Sergeyev and his men did not let their guard down. The AK-12s with suppressors emitted muffled gunshots, giving these gorilla-like creatures a kind of "third eye" before casually kicking their weapons aside. After all, no one knew if these things might come back to life.

Everything proceeded smoothly as planned. Spetznaz acted like a sieve, filtering out threats and high-value targets. Unarmed individuals were ruthlessly pinned to the ground, their hands tied behind their backs with strong nylon cable ties.

With such a commotion at Jiu Castle, it was impossible for the garrison outside not to notice, but before they could respond, armored units spearheaded by T-72AVs had already launched an attack on them.

"Tanks! Enemy tanks!"

The sharp whistles echoed across the ravaged battlefield, urging the surviving soldiers to their positions. However, the lingering flames, collapsed trenches, and scattered corpses slowed the preparations considerably compared to drills. Key positions such as bunkers and artillery emplacements, along destroyed sections of the line, had to be abandoned. Surviving soldiers were scattered across nearby defensive positions. From soldiers to officers, everyone was gripped by fear. No one could understand why they, deep behind the lines, had received no warning and were suddenly attacked by enemy armored forces.

The first to fire was the 2A46M. Although the 3OF26 grenade's armor-piercing capability was not ideal, its 3.4 kg aluminum-containing passivated RDX was excellent at destroying some defensive fortifications and dealing with light infantry. The breastwork made of sandbags in the trench, along with the soldiers behind it, was thrown into the air by the impact and reduced to pieces.

"Artillery? Where are our artillery?!"

"Bring up all the cannons behind us! Only cannons can possibly stop them! If we don't hold off this wave, we're all doomed!"

The hasty firing was not very accurate; the cannons only left a few craters in front of the armored spearheads that needed to be avoided. However, their heroic counterattacks were successfully seen by the tank commanders.

Vincent's Berezok malfunctioned again; this time, the ammunition feed for his 2A42 cannon was faulty. Therefore, although his cannon was pointed at a howitzer position at 10:30, he was unable to use it to give the brave and valiant warrior the proper treatment he deserved.