Chapter 56: Full Firepower
Dark clouds filled the sky, occasionally accompanied by the rumble of thunder.
A steel beast rolled through the mud. This steel beast was a war chariot, with thick armor plating at the front, measuring 3.5 meters wide and 4.2 meters high. It had a tracked structure and used a mixture of fuel oil and sulfur coal as its hybrid power source.
A total of 72 of these steel beasts had been transported here. Due to their immense weight, transporting 72 was the limit the fleet could carry.
At this moment, the Second Legion, serving as the vanguard main force, had been allocated 20 steel war chariots. These 20 chariots advanced forward at intervals of 30 meters from each other, with a large number of infantry following behind each one.
The Parasite Warriors had ranged capabilities. Not only could they shoot threadworms from their fingers, but several individuals could also gather together to form a threadworm cluster, which would be thrown by the elite variant, the Twister. This thing was essentially a threadworm bomb. Upon landing, it would explode, and any soldier caught by the threadworms would either die or be crippled.
Clatter, clatter~
The tracks ground against the ground as a steel war chariot churned the grass into pulp. The veterans behind it held their rifles at the ready, advancing while keeping a wary eye on the front.
Su Xiao sat atop one of the steel war chariots. At this point, there was no need for him to stay hidden in the rear base camp. Such a thing was unnecessary.
Behind Su Xiao stood a lean man dressed in a black-green combat uniform, cradling a sniper rifle over two meters long. The barrel of this sniper rifle was as thick as an arm, covered in spiral stabilizing grooves. Calling this thing a gun was an understatement; it was more like a sniper cannon.
Among the 50,000 veterans, there were only 300 snipers. Due to the characteristics of Blue Powder sniper rifles, accuracy was out of the question, but these 300 snipers were essentially mobile artillery platforms.
The sniper behind Su Xiao was the strongest among the 300 veteran snipers. His name was Ge Zewu. This name, with its exotic style, indicated that Ge Zewu was not from the Southern Continent or the Eastern Continent. He was a Juelu person, from a small island nation. There, men at the age of 16 had to cut off their left ear and offer it to Sasaye (a deity manifested from an illusion).
An outsider, one-eared, taciturn, and nearly 40 years old and still single—these conditions combined painted a picture of how much strange treatment Ge Zewu received in the military. This made him even more silent, his gaze like that of a starving wolf.
Ge Zewu's sole duty at this moment was to blast apart any enemy that might threaten Su Xiao with a single shot.
Do not underestimate Ge Zewu. The effect of the War Lord could only provide a minor boost to his marksmanship skills; it couldn't push him to break through. This guy was a Gun Grandmaster at Lv.51, specializing in sniper rifles.
As the Second Legion marched, Su Xiao saw the main battlefield in the distance. It was a stretch of dark red ground, a mix of burnt and bloody smells. Shattered flesh and broken bones were everywhere, and shell casings littered the ground.
Ahead were countless shell craters, with trenches crisscrossing the area. From these trenches, it was clear how many times the soldiers had held their ground and been pushed back here. Discarded ammunition boxes were still burning with flames.
Click, click...
A sound like teeth chattering came from afar. The range of this sound was extensive, and with each occurrence, it made people's hearts beat heavier.
The veterans marching behind the steel war chariots heard this sound and immediately leveled their rifles. They were already familiar with this sound—it was the signal of an impending Parasite Warrior attack.
"Spread out the formation, prepare to engage!"
Major Gewei shouted. His several adjutants quickly relayed the orders. The Second Legion fully mobilized, with the veterans spreading out and standing ready.
Boom!
A dull thud came from the right, where the Seventh Legion had already clashed with the enemy. Do not underestimate the Seventh Legion; they had many elite soldiers, and their overall combat power was only slightly weaker than the First and Second Legions.
If one were to look down from above, they would see that Su Xiao's ten legions were almost stretched into a horizontal line. Judging by this posture, they clearly intended to push straight ahead to the Ancient Royal Capital.
Strategy? There was no strategy. The enemy was a sea of Parasite Warriors, and the disparity in numbers was too great. Stretching their own defensive line into a straight line was the best strategy. Before the front line was breached, the legions would not be surrounded by the enemy.
Rumble~
The ground trembled slightly. Su Xiao saw a tidal wave of Parasite Warriors surging forward from the front. This was the enemy's favorite tactic: first, charge headlong, then suddenly disperse once the distance closed, and finally use their numerical advantage to encircle the legions.
"Hold steady, let them get closer!"
Major Gewei's jaw muscles bulged. Having lost over a dozen battles yesterday, he had never felt so humiliated since joining the military.
It was worth noting that the veterans' effective range was much farther than that of ordinary soldiers. This was due to their mastery of the firearms. Blue Powder firearms never lacked range; the difficulty was controlling their wild kinetic energy and the trajectory of the bullets after leaving the barrel.
Four kilometers ahead, among the many Parasite Warriors, a Twister charged forward on all fours. Its pupils, with black threadworms swimming inside, darted around. At first, its gaze merely swept over Su Xiao, but in the next moment, it immediately locked onto him, focusing on the man sitting on the steel war chariot.
A brief confusion appeared in the Black Bug Twister's eyes. It felt that this human looked familiar. Suddenly, it remembered that the humans who had defected to their side had provided a "picture card" with this human named Kukulin Bai Ye on it. He was... the enemy's supreme commander!
"Roar!"
The Black Bug Twister let out an excited roar, then spoke in a low voice:
"Bowosuga... (Unknown language)."
With this loud shout, the gazes of at least several thousand Parasite Warriors nearby all focused on Su Xiao.
"Woo~"
The Black Bug Twister emitted a continuous spreading sound wave from its mouth. It was calling out to other Twisters.
The Black Bug Twister knew that the Western Continent had been engulfed in war because of that human sitting on the "iron lump," casually eating a soul crystal.
Due to the Black Bug Twister's repeated roars, the originally chaotic Parasite Warriors all changed their charging direction, converging toward Su Xiao's location.
"Open fire!"
Major Gewei shouted sharply. The shout was so loud that soldiers a kilometer away could hear it.
Bang, bang, bang...
A dense sound like popping beans spread out. After a volley, at least three rows of charging Parasite Warriors fell. As soon as they fell, they were trampled by their own kind from behind. For a moment, blood splattered everywhere, and screams filled the air.
After completing one volley, the veterans all ceased fire. They pulled out the magazines from their waists and inserted the 25-round magazines into the side of their rifles. This was a pre-issued order: the first volley was the signal, after which they would unleash full firepower.
Rat-a-tat-tat...
The gunfire was so dense it merged into a continuous roar. The bullets formed a curtain of rain, meeting the charging Parasite Warriors head-on.
Bullets tore through the air, leaving spiral trails of air currents. The Black Bug Twister, charging at full speed, twisted its body, sliding sideways in an attempt to stop itself. Its claws and feet plowed up scorched earth.
The Black Bug Twister's eyes no longer held ferocity, only fear. It made a move to leap toward the flank of the battlefield, but it was too late.
Crack!
The Black Bug Twister's body was shattered by a hail of bullets. The density of the bullets was so intense that in less than 0.5 seconds, the Black Bug Twister was blown into minced meat and a mist of blood. The countless threadworms inside its body were instantly killed by the True Damage, exploding into pus and blood.
Compared to the Black Bug Twister, the charging Parasite Warriors fared even worse. Before they could even react, they were instantly killed.
When the round of full firepower ended, the rifle barrels in the veterans' hands were already glowing red-hot, emitting wisps of white steam.
Looking ahead, the Parasite Warriors that had been roaring and charging had mostly disappeared. The ones farther away had stopped their charge, standing there dumbfounded.
"Kill!"
A veteran pulled a dagger from his calf and clicked it into place under his rifle.
"Kill! Kill!"
All the veterans did the same. Gripping their rifles, they charged out of the trenches, launching a counter-charge against the Parasite army.
Seeing this, the Parasite Warriors' chaotic thoughts cleared slightly. Anger filled their hearts. Mere humans dared to charge at them?
"Gusa (Unknown language)."
With this shout, the Parasite Warriors that had been about to turn and flee continued their charge, rushing to meet the veterans.
If the veterans were to engage the Parasite Warriors in close combat, even 10 against 1 wouldn't guarantee victory. That's right, even 10 veterans couldn't defeat a single Parasite Warrior in melee. Ranged combat was a different story.
The distance between the Parasite Warriors and the veterans closed rapidly. Just then, a signal flare shot into the sky. None of the veterans looked back; they only heard the sharp whistle of the flare. They all stopped, crouched down, and aimed their rifles.
Bang, bang, bang...
The charging Parasite Warriors fell like wheat being mowed down, row after row. Close combat? They were dreaming. The veterans had supernatural firearms. Were they out of their minds to engage in melee with Parasite Warriors?
This sudden volley sent the charging Parasite Warriors wailing and fleeing. The veterans pursued, unleashing volley after volley.
A scene of despair unfolded before the Parasite Warriors: the veterans' range completely suppressed them. They couldn't use the threadworms inside their bodies to attack the veterans from a distance. Even if they could, it would only be after paying a heavy price in casualties during the charge, allowing a few Parasite Warriors to hit the veterans with their threadworms.
50,000 veterans against 90,000 Parasite Warriors. After 36 minutes of battle, the enemy was completely annihilated. The threadworms that had previously caused heavy losses to their own side never had a chance to show their ferocity. Before they could even leave the Parasite Warriors' bodies, they were killed by the True Damage carried by the bullets.
This was no longer a war; it was more like target practice.