Feint, Raid, Support, and Server First Kill!

[Quest: Bombard the Target Area!] [Requirement: Launch 10 rockets into the designated area on the map.] [Reward: Each rocket landing within the area grants 5 War Score; landing within the precision zone grants 10 War Score.] "Fiiire!" An excited shout rang out from the pitch-black ruins. At Mosquito's command, Ratman, standing beside the rocket launcher rack, immediately lit the fuse with a match and bolted to the side as fast as his legs could carry him. The exhaust flared! Accompanied by a piercing whistle, rockets trailing plumes of flame shot from the launcher's rails into the air, tracing magnificent parabolic arcs across the night sky before slamming violently into the marauders' positions. Illuminated by the fiery exhaust, Mosquito's face was flushed with excitement. "Hahaha! Holy shit! This is fucking awesome!" Admiration was plastered all over Qiangren Suonan's face. "Badass! Boss, did you build this Katyusha yourself?" He had long heard tales of Goblin Technology's power on the forums, but seeing it in person was something else. This was too damn hardcore! "What Katyusha? I call this the Tempest 1.0!" After failing to make the Jab rocket work—unable to get sufficient velocity, penetration, or blast yield—Mosquito had simply scrapped the original design. He scaled up the caliber from that pitiful twenty-millimeter pipe straight to ninety millimeters, boosted the warhead weight from twenty grams to six kilograms, and returned to his old trade. To his surprise, the new design hadn't just passed review and secured R&D funding from the outpost; the outpost had even placed an order for twenty rockets in one go! Each rocket cost 120 silver coins to produce and was purchased for 140 silver, netting a tidy profit of 20 silver per shot! That single order alone earned him 400 silver coins! Bigger really was better! Six kilograms of TNT was no joke—its destructive power far outclassed the black powder warheads he used to make! Best of all, the outpost had already paid for these rockets, so he wasn't spending a copper of his own. Glancing at Qiangren Suonan, who was still standing there foolishly waiting for the explosion, Mosquito urged him on. "Hurry up and reload! Once the assault on the eastern front starts, we have another bombardment mission!" Snapping back to his senses, Qiangren Suonan nodded eagerly. "Right away, bro!" ... "Open fire!" To the south of the research facility. The quiet woods instantly erupted with roaring gunfire and flashing muzzle blasts. The moment they received the attack order, Group A, tasked with feigning an attack on the southern line, opened fire, sending a dense hail of bullets sweeping toward the marauders' positions on the slope. Most players in the feint group were equipped with bolt-action pipe rifles and Ripper rifles. Each of them had received forty rounds of ammunition before the battle began. Their sole mission was to do whatever it took to pin down the marauders' main force on the south side of the facility, buying precious time for the sixteen squads lying in ambush to the east! The marauders' machine guns sprayed down into the woods from higher ground, bullets whizzing past the players' heads. Scattered through the trees, the players were locked in a grueling fight. Right then, a high-pitched howling whistled overhead. Rockets arced over the forest and smashed squarely into the high ground ahead! Flames erupted, and thunderous explosions tore through the air. Clearly dazed by the saturation strike, the marauders saw their firepower on the high ground cut down by half in an instant. Staring at the blasts unfolding right before their eyes, the players prone in the woods were stunned. "Holy crap, Mosquito is a beast!" "Awesome! Damn it... I thought those rockets were gonna land on our heads!" "A few seemed to drift pretty far..." "Doesn't matter! Landing even one is plenty!" Explosions continued to detonate across the facility grounds. Hot shrapnel detonated the explosives strapped to mutant hyenas, blowing the marauders holding their leashes to pieces on the spot and leaving casualties all around. The man with tattoos across his face looked out the window. Gazing at the chaotic battlefield illuminated by the flames, a trace of shock and disbelief crossed his face. He had anticipated that the group he ran into this morning might run back for reinforcements, but he never imagined they would arrive so quickly—launching a counterattack the very same night. And hitting this hard right from the opening move! The marauder behind him spoke with a slight tremor in his voice. "Could they be from Boulder City?!" Ka pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Doesn't sound like it... listen to their gunfire." Calming down, the subordinate listened closely. "Ripper rifles?" Ka nodded, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. "Likely survivors from the northern suburbs of Qingquan City." Without hesitation, he barked out orders. "Pass my command: everyone is to hold the line with everything they've got!" "Reinforcements will arrive before dawn. As long as we hold out through tonight, victory will be ours!" ... On the southern line. Five mutated brown bears locked in iron cages were dragged to the edge of the battlefield. Agitated by the surrounding gunfire, the beasts let out furious roars and struggled violently, making the thumb-thick steel rebar creak under strain. The marauders pulled the pins securing the cages, shoved them down the slope with all their might, and quickly scrambled back behind cover. Breaking free of the cages, the mutated brown bears charged toward the players' defensive line, driven forward by Molotov cocktails and sweeping machine-gun fire. Seeing the bears charging straight at them, In Debt Big Eyes panicked. "Holy shit! These marauders have no shame!" "Use Molotovs to block their path! Don't let them reach us!" Edge Slacker yelled, hurling a Molotov cocktail. The bottle shattered against a pine tree, splashing ignited fuel everywhere. The nearby players had the same idea, tossing their own Molotovs one after another. Soon, a wall of roaring fire formed across the slope. Terrified of having their fur caught in the blaze, the mutated brown bears dared not run further downhill. They scattered to the sides instead, two of them gunned down by stray bullets zipping across the battlefield. Yet every tactic had its price. While the fire kept the mutated bears from reaching the players' line, the bright blaze also exposed their positions. Two players whose locations were revealed were quickly targeted by the marauders on the slope, riddled with concentrated fire. Casualties climbed steadily on both sides. The battle on the southern line fell into a stalemate! Inside the makeshift command post, Vannus stared at the VM screen and mused thoughtfully. "This plan is very risky... If your southern line collapses and your opponent charges down from the high ground, even if your forces gain the upper hand on the eastern front, they can easily flank you from the south, catching your eastern force in a pincer attack with the troops on the slope." Vannus left the rest unsaid; he believed Chu Guang understood the consequences. Had he been in command, he would never have taken such a gamble. He would have divided his forces into four groups and attacked simultaneously from four directions. That way, even if one front collapsed, securing an advantage on the other three would still win the battle. Of course, that assumed absolute superiority in numbers or equipment. Without a clear advantage, he would never order his subordinates into an unwinnable battle. Unless his superiors demanded it. "Your scenario won't happen." Hearing that calm confidence, Vannus raised an eyebrow. "Why?" Chu Guang answered without hesitation. "Unless they can deploy three times my numbers and wipe out all forty infantrymen from my four squads on the eastern slope to the last man." "They wouldn't need to wipe them out completely. Half casualties would be enough to—" "Let's make a bet." Vannus hesitated slightly. "Bet what?" "Ten thousand dinars," Chu Guang said with a faint smile. "I bet my people will fight to the very last moment. Even if only one man remains, they will not retreat." He had faith in his players. Having weathered several baptisms of fire, they were already experienced veterans; some had even died on the battlefield once before. They possessed far more than mere fearlessness. If this battle went smoothly and each squad completed its mission successfully, Chu Guang planned to introduce guild and mercenary systems in the next version update. He would let players with strong organizational skills serve as squad commanders, cooperating with teammates they knew well to direct localized engagements during campaigns. Out of a hundred players, there would always be ten or twenty standout veterans. Letting them play to their strengths was far more valuable than keeping them sitting in trenches. When that time came, Chu Guang would shift his focus toward training junior officers and his own guard corps. That guard unit would consist primarily of natives. After all, it was tedious, disciplined work, and players were unlikely to find it appealing. Chu Guang's unwavering certainty gave Vannus pause, but he saw no reason to turn down free money. Fear of death was instinctual for any living creature; even the Legion's clone infantry feared dying due to survival instincts. It was only forty men. Facing concentrated fire from higher ground, holding out after thirty percent casualties would already make them elite. He refused to believe a pampered bunch of shelter residents had that kind of resolve. Shrugging, Vannus said, "Then it's a bet." Besides, even if he lost, it hardly mattered. It wasn't as if he could pay off his two-million-dinar ransom anytime soon anyway... ... [Quest: Full-Scale Assault!] [Description: Our comrades on the southern front have bought us precious time; the marauders' firepower has been drawn south! It is time to strike a heavy blow. When the whistle blows, all forces charge!] On the eastern front. All remained calm and still until a piercing whistle shattered the silence of the woods. A forest that had been dead quiet seconds ago erupted with murderous intent and thunderous battle cries, sweeping toward the high ground like an overwhelming tide. Standing behind cover, the marauders watched in sudden terror. For a moment, they couldn't even count how many people were charging up the hill! "Kill them!" "Ura!" "Brothers, charge!" "Demacia!" "Take the point! Cap the point!" Surging up the slope alongside them was a downpour of bullets! A machine gunner at a third-floor window was swinging his barrel to pull the trigger, but before he could fire more than two shots, his head burst into a plume of blood, and he slumped over the sandbags. A marauder crouching nearby scrambled forward to take over the gun, but the moment he poked his head out, a bullet blew off the top of his skull, scattering brains and blood across the floor. Five hundred meters away, on the roof of a two-story townhouse. Cycling the bolt of his rifle, Ye Shi exhaled a breath of warm air, excitement gleaming in his eyes. "Two down! Twenty points in the bag! Hey, does this game give bonus points for headshots?" "Cut the crap... keep your eyes peeled!" A few hundred meters was beyond bow range, so Fang Chang served as a spotter, calling out targets for Ye Shi beside him. "Our guys are already pushing ahead... Should we move up with them?" The fastest squads had already breached the high ground. Group B's advance was going even smoother than anticipated. Sixteen squads, totaling nearly one hundred and sixty players, tore a gaping hole through the defensive perimeter, catching the defending marauders completely off guard. No one replaced the machine gunner. They had likely run out of men. Lowering his binoculars slightly, Fang Chang observed calmly. "Wait for orders. Our combat position hasn't changed." With no update to their objective, it seemed they weren't the stars of this engagement. Not that it mattered. As the support group, just like Group A tying down enemies to the south, they earned points simply by holding their designated position. ... "Giddyup! Charge, Rourou! Our teammates are already up there—if we don't hurry, we'll fall behind!" Perched on the back of a massive white bear, Tail tugged at the thick white fur and waved her pipe rifle, letting out a ferocious howl. Her voice wasn't particularly loud, but the spirit was definitely there. "W-Won't you get shot sitting up that high?" Just as she asked, a bullet whizzed past the bear's ear, scaring her so badly she nearly turned around to flee. Tail yanked her back. "Don't be scared! If Tail goes down, Sisi is right behind us!" Running alongside them, Sisi gave the white bear a thumbs-up. "That's right, charge with confidence! Just think of it as protecting Xiaoyu's smile! We'll take turns riding you!" "I-I-I don't want to be ridden at all, okay?!" With steel plates strapped to her chest and forehead, the white bear looked on the verge of tears, yet she mustered her courage and charged forward anyway. Soon after reaching the high ground, however, she was surprised to find that the marauders seemed completely dumbfounded the moment they saw her, briefly forgetting to shoot. Could it be... Just like they said... She really was strong? As the Bear Knight spearheaded the charge, the marauders' eastern defense collapsed entirely. The players storming the heights had no intention of entering a protracted firefight; like a swift gale, they tore straight into the enemy lines. Killing a regular target only awarded one point. However, reaching the designated objective markers and securing key terrain according to the VM's quest prompts granted ten War Score to the entire squad! For a ten-man squad, even if only one person made it through, the quest was considered complete. If they held the point for over three minutes or held until the next directive updated, they earned another ten War Score. That was twenty points! Capturing five control points over the course of a battle wasn't asking too much, right? It was an absolute windfall! Unlike Group A, which mainly used bolt-action rifles, the sixteen squads of Group B consisted largely of players armed with automatic weapons, with each squad carrying at least three "Sickle" assault rifles! Before the assault, these point men had each received sixty rounds of ammunition and two hand grenades. In addition, every squad had a support gunner carrying a Panzerfaust rocket launcher. Produced by the Legion, these rocket launchers used TNT-loaded warheads, exceptionally effective against both vehicles and infantry. They were especially devastating against targets hunkered down inside buildings or behind fortifications; a single rocket took out both the enemy and their cover in one blast. ... Hit by sudden, devastating firepower from the east, the marauders holding the high ground finally realized the truth. The force pinned down in the woods to the south hadn't halted out of fear of their superior firepower. They were simply a feint, acting as bait... Prepared for sacrifice, the players of Group A refused to yield a single inch, regardless of casualties. The marauders on the high ground launched two successive counterattacks down the slope, only to be driven back each time. Troops inside the facility began redeploying. Marauder squads holding the southern line, led by their decurions, hurried toward the east to reinforce their comrades. Yet right at that moment, a second volley of rockets descended upon them. Buzzers mounted on the rocket fins let out shrill wails as they screamed through the air, sounding like the shrieks of the Grim Reaper's hounds. A chain of fiery explosions erupted across the open ground before the facility. Few were killed outright, but countless defenders were scared out of their wits. "Aaargh!" "My hand! My arm!" "Help me..." Agonized wails echoed across the devastated grounds. Standing by a window, Lao Bai gazed out at the brilliant flashes of fire, his face filled with shock. "Holy crap... they really kicked up a storm." Were both rocket barrages Mosquito's handiwork? That was fucking insane! Hearing footsteps in the hallway outside, Lao Bai's eyes narrowed. Holding up his handcuffed hands, he grabbed a bedsheet and flattened himself against the wall beside the door. The door was kicked open, and two marauders holding rifles barged in. Before they could spot him, Lao Bai tossed the sheet over both of them. His muscles surged with power as he looped the handcuffs around one man's neck while slamming his shoulder into the other, driving him hard into the wall. With 17 points of Strength and the explosive power of Limit Break, neither marauder had time to react. Snapping the neck of the man in his arms, Lao Bai followed through with an elbow strike, finishing off the dazed marauder pinned against the wall. "Fuck, the wound on my gut tore open again." With 7 points of Constitution, it should have been sturdy enough. Why hadn't it healed yet? Ignoring the corpses on the floor, Lao Bai picked up a handgun and fired two shots to shatter the chain connecting his handcuffs and leg shackles. Tossing the handgun aside, he scooped up a Legion-issue Ripper rifle from the ground and walked out the door. Chaos and thundering footsteps filled the lower floors; nobody was paying attention to his room. Sauntering down the stairs, Lao Bai prepared to slip out through the back door. But just as he reached the landing, he bumped head-on into a familiar face in the hallway. Ka and his subordinate froze as they spotted Lao Bai. A flash of shock crossed their faces, and the two marauders instantly raised their assault rifles to fire. But as an Awakened, Lao Bai's reflexes were far quicker. His left hand clamped onto the nearest rifle, while the Ripper rifle in his right thrust forward, stabbing straight toward the man behind Ka. *Thwack—* The bayonet pierced straight through the man's chest. Lao Bai gave it a vicious twist, unleashing a spray of blood. The man deflated like a punctured balloon, his eyes glazing over in agony as he collapsed into a pool of blood. Having dispatched that marauder, Lao Bai looked at the man with the tattooed face. "You spared my life, so I'll spare yours." "Surrender." His rifle gripped as if in an iron vise, and unable to understand a word Lao Bai said, a savage gleam flashed in Ka's eyes. Drawing a dagger with his left hand, he slashed toward Lao Bai's throat. However, he soon realized what a grave mistake he had made. A strike he thought lightning-fast looked as slow as a crawling ant to his opponent. Without a word, Lao Bai delivered a front kick squarely into Ka's chest, sending him flying backward to crash heavily onto the floor. Every breath was forced out of his lungs, and several ribs shattered under the impact. Ka felt as though he had been hit by a truck. He coughed violently like a drowning man, only hacking up blood instead of water. "I already told you I'd spare your life. Why bother?" Tossing aside the Ripper rifle, Lao Bai picked up the assault rifle dropped by the marauder leader, walked over, and hauled him up by the collar. Just then, rapid footsteps rushed in from outside. Charging boldly into the lobby of Building No. 3, Battlefield Hype Group was about to sprint down the corridor when he caught sight of Lao Bai standing there, his face lighting up with pure joy. "Holy shit? Lao Bai?!" The hostage broke out on his own? And even bagged a prisoner! Dragging the marauder leader, Lao Bai looked back at him, equally astonished. "Holy crap, you guys moved that fast?" Battlefield Hype Group grinned. "You bet! Seeing you whine on the forums all day, how could we not rush over to rescue you?" Fifty silver, after all. How could they not hurry? Unaware of the bounty quest, Lao Bai cursed him with a laugh, then paused before continuing. "The rest of the marauders seem to have fled toward the ecological park beneath Building No. 3. There's an elevator and a fire escape on the ground floor leading down there. By the way, how's the battle outside?" Battlefield Hype Group chuckled. "Basically wrapped up! Our guys pushed straight up from the eastern front and trapped their eastern force inside Building No. 5—they're probably finished off by now. About ten squads were diverted south to reinforce, and the fight is in its final clean-up phase... Listen, that's the charge whistle. The boys in the feint group are charging too." Piercing whistles echoed across the battlefield, becoming the final straw that broke the marauders' will to fight. The defensive line collapsed. Their final resistance degraded into desperate thrashing. The shattered marauders were either cut down by battleaxes and bayonets in close quarters or gunned down behind barricades and inside half-dug foxholes. The squad led by Commander Spring secured Building No. 3 completely. After cutting power to the elevator, they forced open both blast doors to the fire escape. Cold air from the first floor rushed into the passageway. The players lit fires at the entrance. Wearing Type 5 exoskeleton armor, Vice Captain Liu Ding of the guard corps stepped up to the front line and bellowed down at the marauders trapped in the ecological park. "Your leader has been captured! Surrender is your only way out!" "Drop your weapons, raise your hands, and come out of your own accord!" "In ten minutes, none will be spared!" On the other side of the battlefield. Having retrieved his VM using Brother Battlefield's map, Lao Bai pushed his way into the tent directly opposite Building No. 3 with rifle in hand. Inside lay a dying Deathclaw, a metal box embedded in the back of its neck, its purpose unknown. An elderly man stood beside the beast. Upon seeing him, the elder stopped what he was doing without hesitation and raised his hands cleanly. "I surrender." Having fought in so many battles, Lao Bai understood the words "I" and "surrender." But what should he do with this beast? Just as Lao Bai hesitated over whether to claim the first kill, his VM suddenly vibrated, and a pale blue prompt popped up. [Congratulations to player "Fleeting White Horse" for securing the server first kill on a Deathclaw.] [Reward: 10 Silver Coins, 50 Contribution Points.] [Choose whether to announce server-wide: Yes / No] Staring at the notification, Lao Bai froze mid-motion. Holy shit? That counts too?!