# Chapter 52: Surging Enemy Forces
In the coastal waters, the thunderous roar of cannon fire continued without cease. All 135 steel warships had their full firepower unleashed, with large quantities of metal artillery shell boxes stacked on each ship's deck.
Both the Southern Alliance and the Eastern Alliance had issued strict orders to their respective fleet commanders: upon reaching the Western Continent, shells could be fired freely without concern for depletion.
Before departure, the high-ranking officials of both alliances had secretly summoned their fleet commanders, assigning them shell consumption quotas. If the specified amount of shells wasn't fired, the commanders' subsidy salaries would be deducted at year's end.
The reason for this was the continuously deteriorating relations between the two alliances in recent years. Once war broke out between them, the sea area caught in the middle would inevitably become the first maritime battlefield, consuming large quantities of shells.
Yet years passed without any substantial conflict beyond mutual condemnation. Mountains of shells had been produced but went unused, unable to be sold. The independent small island nations in the surrounding sea area simply didn't allow the construction or ownership of steel warships.
This was the opportunity to consume those shells. After the war, all weapon and supply losses would be evenly split between the Southern Alliance, Eastern Alliance, Containment Institution, and Eclipse Organization.
In other words, for both alliances, after years of producing shells, they were finally seeing returns. How could they not widen their eyes? Fire away, blast to death—Commander Bai Ye points, you blast.
Regarding this, the Containment Institution's financial department, namely Madam Xiu Lin, had specifically sought out Su Xiao before his departure. Her general meaning was that finances were tight lately, so unless necessary, try to avoid carpet-bombing style artillery strikes.
Su Xiao agreed readily, but the resentful look in Madam Xiu Lin's eyes as she left showed she had already guessed the outcome.
Not only Madam Xiu Lin, but the Eclipse Organization's Merchant Alliance also came to him, meaning: "Lord Legion Commander, please use fewer shells. Their power isn't great, and the noise is too loud."
Su Xiao gave the same answer: "Mm, I'll try."
As the Merchant Alliance members left, their expressions were as if each had had a kidney removed.
The main cannon of a ship a dozen meters in front of Su Xiao was fired. This main cannon had a caliber of 273mm, with a barrel length 46.75 times the caliber. Without considering barrel temperature, it could fire 3 shells per minute. With a well-coordinated artillery crew, it could reach 4 rounds per minute.
And this was just the main cannon. The steel warship also carried 4 secondary cannons and "Mitchell-type" ship-defense guns. These defense guns had a firing rate of 400 to 570 small wing shells per minute. In reality, these were oversized bullets, forming a dense barrage to intercept enemy shells.
At present, the "Mitchell-type" ship-defense guns were useless—their range was too short. Alliance soldiers jokingly called them "glaring guns." Every time this weapon was fired, the logistics soldiers on board would grit their teeth and glare. Three hours of ammunition loading for one minute of firing.
Boom!
The ship cannon was fired, flames and shockwaves spreading outward.
"Prepare to reload!"
The commander shouted. An artilleryman pulled the pressure valve, the rear of the ship cannon opened, and a shell casing slid out from the barrel. The casing, trailing a wisp of gunpowder smoke, landed on the metal deck with a crisp clang. A new shell was rammed into the chamber with a heavy thud, the sound carrying the deep, heavy feel of metal.
Due to the instability of blue gunpowder, the theoretical range of the ship's main cannon was 32 to 35 kilometers. Where the shells landed was entirely up to fate. In this world, gunpowder weapons were never known for precision—within range, all was justice.
The whistling of shells never stopped, crashing into the Western Continent's peripheral areas. Flames shot into the sky, and screams and roars continued without pause. The primitive tribes living within the ship cannon's range had truly unlucky luck. Some ferocious parasitic warriors charged straight toward the coast, but before they could get far, they were engulfed by artillery fire.
The shell carpet-bombing began. After one peripheral area was blasted into scorched earth, the steel warships changed position in a circular route, bombing each area one by one.
In a stretch of rocky terrain, a whole-body charred Tyrant sat on a strange boulder, with Guang Mu and others nearby.
Each boom reached Guang Mu's ears. For a moment, she wondered if she had arrived not at the Alliance Star, but at a World War II battlefield. If fighter jets had roared overhead, the immersion would have been even stronger.
In reality, Guang Mu needn't worry about that. The Alliance Star had no fighter jets—the technology tree hadn't developed in that direction. Compared to the sky, the vast ocean was more appealing. Additionally, the sky was the territory of large transcendent flying creatures. Although these big birds wouldn't actively attack cities, they would be very interested if any metal objects flew at high altitudes.
The ground trembled slightly. At first, the Tyrant and Guang Mu were on high alert. After three hours of continuous shelling, they had become somewhat numb.
"Is Kukulin Bai Ye going to blast this continent to pieces?"
"Theoretically, that's impossible. Even if those shells use transcendent substances as kinetic energy, they can't..."
Guang Mu's words trailed off as she looked at a distant mountain peak. That peak was getting lower and lower, lower and lower~
"What a joke... it really has been blasted to pieces."
"Stop looking, let's go!"
The Tyrant got up and ran. If the edge area of the Western Continent really sank, as long as the coastal waters were deep enough, the steel warships could continue advancing, exposing more areas to their cannons.
On the deck of a steel warship, Su Xiao observed a mountain peak more than ten kilometers away through his telescope. That peak was sinking, which he found somewhat puzzling.
He had originally only intended to conduct artillery carpet-bombing, clearing the peripheral area's terrain to facilitate landing. But who would have thought that an edge area of the Western Continent would actually slide and sink into the sea under dense artillery fire?
Su Xiao immediately realized that this phenomenon wasn't entirely caused by the shelling. Due to the abuse of the Abyss Portal, the Western Continent was being gradually encroached upon by the surrounding ocean. Coupled with the current artillery bombardment catalysis, the peripheral area of the Western Continent was sinking at an accelerated rate.
After a full three hours of carpet-bombing, a large area had been leveled by artillery fire. Su Xiao immediately ordered a change in the artillery bombardment range, targeting a specific area for sustained shelling.
All steel warships, upon receiving the order, turned their cannons to bombard the land ahead.
Boom, boom, boom...
The earth trembled. Rodent creatures parasitized by threadworms rushed out from the scorched earth, but before they could run far, they were blown apart by falling shells, eventually burned to charcoal by the flames.
The first round of concentrated shelling sent soil flying everywhere. After half an hour of continuous shelling, only thick smoke and flames remained in that area.
Just then, the flames subsided, seawater surged up, and the pockmarked land sank. A three-kilometer-wide trench appeared ahead.
Seeing this, Su Xiao ordered several dozen soldiers to descend into the sea for reconnaissance. The result was that the trench ahead wasn't deep, with a bottom covered in soft mud and broken rock, like a swamp. If the steel warships advanced, they would inevitably get stuck.
The plan to open a trench for the steel warships to advance had failed. Su Xiao ordered free artillery bombardment, to sink as much of the Western Continent's peripheral area as possible.
Time passed quickly. Su Xiao pulled out his timer from his bosom to check. Five hours of continuous bombardment had passed. The peripheral area's living creatures had been cleared. In fact, now there wasn't even a tree left in the peripheral area.
Baha looked down from above, witnessing a spectacular scene. The entire edge zone of the Western Continent was like a black ring, encircling the inner ring and center of the Western Continent.
Ferry boats docked around the steel warships, beginning to transport soldiers to the island. The soldiers' morale was absurdly high, reaching 92 points. This was actually normal—after more than five hours of shelling, it was hard for morale not to be high.
The anticipated landing battle didn't occur. Although the parasitic warriors were savage and cruel, they too could feel fear. The insane shelling had driven all parasitic warriors to flee to the inner ring and center.
Su Xiao stepped off the ferry, standing in seawater that reached halfway up his calves. The water surface was covered with charred floating debris, and the strong smell of gunpowder smoke entered his nostrils.
Su Xiao walked on the semi-vitrified beach, a crisp crunching sound under his feet. Around him were hundreds of fully armed soldiers with eyes like hawks, alert to any signs of trouble. At the slightest anomaly, a storm of bullets would immediately be unleashed.
As far as the eye could see, there were only friendly soldiers. A dozen kilometers away, numerous soldiers were digging trenches. Using these trenches as a defensive line, tents were being set up.
At this moment, the alliance had a total of 287,000 soldiers and 11,519 transcendent beings. Su Xiao had adopted a legion system, with each legion having 50,000 soldiers, formed by mixing the original military structures of the alliances.
Su Xiao wouldn't interfere with the original military structure of the alliances. He merely used the legion system to mix these units together, making it more convenient to issue orders.
Seven military major generals had come this time, but not a single lieutenant general. This was understandable—at that level, they rarely personally appeared on the battlefield. These seven major generals were all outstanding in various aspects. If their side won this time, they would become the top power holders in the alliance military's pyramid in the future.
Without destroying the original system of the alliance military, Su Xiao divided the 287,000 soldiers and officers into six legions: the Second through Seventh Legions. Among them, the soldiers and officers of the Second through Fourth Legions all came from the Eastern Alliance, while those of the Fifth through Seventh Legions came from the Southern Alliance.
Each legion had a major general as its wartime commander. Su Xiao's orders were first conveyed to these major generals, who would then command their troops according to the battlefield situation.
For example, if Su Xiao ordered the Second Legion as the vanguard, the Second Legion's commander, that major general, would formulate more detailed strategic plans, arranging the marching routes for infantry and artillery units, etc.
As for the First Legion, it was composed of 11,519 transcendent beings, serving as a trump card. It was divided into two parts: one led by Skinny Monkey Xili, and the other commanded by the Eclipse Organization's Hao Huo.
Su Xiao walked into a large tent. His adjutant, Bei Luo Ke, immediately stepped forward and spread a map on the table.
Su Xiao's strategy was, as always, simple and crude. This time, the enemy was an unimaginably large number of parasitic warriors. Therefore, Su Xiao deployed the Second through Seventh Legions around the temporary base camp, constructing an impenetrable defensive line.
He planned to start from the coastline and advance forward, setting up defensive positions along the way until reaching the ancient royal city at the center of the Western Continent.
"Commander-in-Chief, enemy attack."
Major Ge Wei quickly ran into the temporary command post. From his expression, the situation was very unfavorable.
In the team channel, Baha's transmission also appeared, likewise reporting an enemy attack.
Su Xiao put a contact lens into his right eye, receiving the overlooking image fed back by Baha.
The semi-circular trench line, spanning several kilometers, first appeared in Su Xiao's view. Directly in front of the trench, parasitic warriors swarmed forward like a tide. From above, it was a vast, dark mass stretching into the distance, with no end in sight.
The number of enemies was enormous. Just this first wave was 2 to 3 times the total strength of their own forces.
Su Xiao knew that the war between the Western Continent camp and the alliance camp had truly begun at this moment. He activated the title effect of War Lord, and a wave spread outward from him.
For melee soldier-type units, all true attributes +20 points was an incredibly powerful enhancement. But for alliance soldiers fighting with firearms, this enhancement wasn't as exaggerated as imagined.
However, don't forget that War Lord had another enhancement effect: all ability levels increased by Lv.10. For alliance soldiers, this was quite an exaggerated enhancement.
[Announcement (Void Tree): This world's characteristics have been changed to War World.]
[Warning (Void Tree): The Hunter has changed this world's characteristics. Detected that the Hunter once caused race extinction on the Primordial Continent, and at the current stage, the Demon Insect Race still resides on the Primordial Continent as its absolute overlord.]
[Warning (Void Tree): This world is a fully open Primordial World, certified by the Void Tree.]
[Checking... Check complete.]
[Warning (Void Tree): Due to this world's characteristics, the Hunter cannot summon the Demon Insect Race to this world. This behavior would cause this world's living creature population to decrease by more than 92% within 30 natural days! And would lead to severe resource depletion! If the Hunter insists on summoning the Demon Insect Race to this world, you will receive a marking penalty.]