Reaching the Frontline
Chapter 27 Reaching the Frontline
Not far from a meadow's small clearing, just outside of the jungle, several tens of kilometers north of Asma City, a convoy of dozens of military vehicles was crossing a small village.
It appears the village here was involved in the animal-breeding industry or husbandry. Many of its people were breeding cattle for life.
But, when the convoy passed through the area, it was already an empty village. Not to mention villagers, even cows and bulls were no longer there. Everything had been moved to another location.
Leaving behind only the village itself.
However, if one were to look carefully, somewhere near the village square, a tightly sealed entrance to underground storage could be seen. It was the entrance to a large storage warehouse for the villagers to store everything, from large, bulky furniture to small electronic devices.
In fact, in every house or property in the village, cellars were dug for the same purpose.
Since everyone already knew they would lose all their asset and houses in a beast tide, they made it to store away those heavy items they couldn't bring along during evacuation. This way, they can reduce their losses and continue with their lives after the beast tide is over.
Similar scenes could be seen in every village and town around the world.
Only city-level settlements, which had a garrison standing by and a large and sturdy city wall protecting it, that people get to see concrete jungles with sky-high buildings and commercial cities.
As for the houses? Besides the stone and concrete foundation, every building outside the city wall was primarily built using wood. This way, even if it gets destroyed, it can be rebuilt easily.
The convoy continued their march as they left behind the village.
Armored combat vehicles, tactical vehicles with mounted radar sensors, and various military trucks were among the convoy.
Their destination is the first defense line.
A total of 600 soldiers were sitting inside with a heavy expression.
After leaving military base, along the way, they met many evacuees. Everyone was on their way to Asma City. However, after the third defense line, all they witnessed were empty and deserted towns and villages.
The evacuation process had been smooth and as scheduled, as expected. It is estimated that the remaining evacuees will safely arrive inside the city behind the protection of the city walls soon.
But their group was on their way to the most chaotic and brutal battlefield the military command estimated.
"Captain Ren, how long is it until the intersection road?" Ren Ya heard the other party's voice through the intercom.
It was Captain Zhang's voice. After the conference was adjourned, the two separated and left to assemble their team. After resupplying and equipping themselves with the necessary weapons and tools for their mission, they drove out of the city gate last night.
"We planned to use the adjacent mountain as our observation post. As the war progresses, we'll be moving along accordingly. The estimated pattern of our maneuver and movement is as shown."
Ren Ya immediately shared his map through the tactical glass they wore.
In Blanc Planet, compared to Virtual Reality, the technology in Augmented Reality had become more advanced. It offered more practical results and achieved better acceptance compared to VR.
It might be that in this world, there were no movies and story franchises like The Tron, The Matrix, SAO, Log Horizon, .Hack//, GITS, and so on. Or it might have been due to some other reasons. But the fact was, that the influence of VR on the younger generation was minimal.
Moreover, due to the appearance of dungeons and beast threats, demand for practical AR had been on the rise.
Extensive military funds had been channeled to the AR development projects to ensure the military had the best real-time report on beast movements while on the battlefield.
As such, technology in display panels and glasses has been leaping forward these years. The display resolution has become so much better that many even no longer use televisions and monitors in their work or daily life.
So, the map shown in the AR glasses was clear and precise without interfering actual view. In short, it offered what Vision Pro did, but much more in AR instead.
This is extremely important and useful in practical combat situations. Despite the need for fast reaction and intuitive response to the changes of a fast-paced battlefield, soldiers could still enjoy the benefit of having timely and detailed information right at their fingertips.
Captain Zhang carefully studied the mission routes given by Ren Ya. He must admit that compared to his ranger background, the routes given by Ren Ya's mission plan were more practical in hide-and-search operations.
Unlike an ambush and guerilla tactic, their blitzkrieg operation put high emphasis on remaining hidden while searching for their target among the marching horde. It was like sending a small detached squad to the enemy rear and beheading their commanders in ancient times.
Stealth, swiftness, and ruthlessness were what they needed.
Stealth and swift might be obvious, but they must also be ruthless. They cannot expose their whereabouts even if they see retreating soldiers being overrun and devoured by the beast in front of their eyes.
Otherwise, they not only would expose themselves to danger but also ruin the whole operation. These locations were precisely where the tragedy was anticipated to happen: The retreat route for the defense line.
It might be cruel to say it out loud but they were not hiding there to provide cover or reinforcement for the retreating soldiers. Those jobs were meant for other battalions and companies sent to guard the route.
They would hide, biding their time for the beast king to take the bait.
Yes, bait. It may sound cruel, but for the success of their mission, they needed the retreating soldiers as their bait.
When the beast kings were in their frenzied and berserk state, many would relentlessly pursue the retreating soldiers. The fight, blood, and madness from the battle would stimulate their mind and wild nature.
It was precisely during these moments of primal madness that the beast kings were most vulnerable. It would be the opportune time to strike and eliminate them.
So, seeing such battle plans, routes, and ambush points, Captain Zhang couldn't help but admire Captain Ren Ya. It showed how far Ren Ya was able to anticipate the development of the battle and plan ahead.
"It seemed the generals did not select him coincidently to assist this mission," he muttered silently. An understanding smile appeared on his face.
After thinking for a moment, he told his adjutant, "Send a communication request to the first defense line with the following message."
After listening to his captain's arrangement, the adjutant immediately went to the communication officer to relay the order.
-
In an office on the highest point of the northeastern outpost of the first defense line, the deputy chief of the base, a major rank officer, knocked on the door of the monitoring room before entering.
After giving a salute, the deputy chief, Major Dell, gave his report.
"Sir, we've received an encrypted communication message from Captain Zhang heading our way."
He was reporting to a man with a dark complexion and a thick beard. The man was looking at the hologram images ahead.
He was Lieutenant Colonel Gran.
After a brief silence, the man said without looking back, "Captain Zhang? The one headquarters sent here yesterday?"
Dell answered, "Yes."
"What was he planning on doing? Instead of coming directly here, he sends a message?" Gran whispered as he was lost in thoughts.
"What was the message?" he asked his deputy.
"The message he sent was: We, the Zhang's and Ren Ya's team will be deployed along the CTy Route of the adjacent mountain for the DCT Opt. Once there, we will enter radio silence. Please take note." Major Dell said.
DCT Opt? Isn't that a decapitation operation?
"Wait, did he say CTy route?" He asked his deputy.
"Yes." Dell knew what his boss, Lt. Colonel Gran, was worried about. Truthfully, he was also surprised when he received the message.
As the one who planned it initially, he was familiar with this CTy route and the plan they prepared for it.
Gran looked towards one of his officers in the room and said, "Bring out the 3D images of the area near CTy route."
"Yes, sir."
Soon, the hologram projection's images, which displayed the beast tide movements and various data and parameters, were changed to another scene and pictures.
What appeared on the hologram images was the picture of various locations along the CTy route. It even projected a 3D model of the adjacent mountain and its surroundings.
Looking at it, Lt. Colonel Gran began to ponder.
He walked towards the hologram and began manipulating the 3D images. He zoomed in and out as he looked through all the terrain in the area.
After several minutes, he told his deputy, "Call every leader of the detached team to come over for an emergency meeting. Also, call over all captain rank and above officers too. There's a change in our plan."
"Yes, sir." Dell immediately went out to call everyone.
-
Back to the moving convoy, the group was slowly approaching a deserted area at the foot of a mountain.
After Captain Zhang had confirmed the plan Ren Ya, he had immediately told the rest of the convoy to change direction to this destination.
They planned to establish their camp in this location, with their ambush point strategically positioned nearby. The mountain offered an ideal vantage point, allowing them to oversee the entire battlefield and plan their tactics accordingly.