Chapter 385 No One Can Sleep Tonight (End)

"What's the current situation of the 66th Brigade? Why can we only contact so many troops?!"

After passing the disguised command cabin, Van Fleet stared nervously at the electronic sand table and yelled. The bloodshot eyes and flushed cheeks were a good indication of his current state.

This army lieutenant general, who is good at mobilizing troops using "ghost-like" means, assembles superior forces in exercises and counter-insurgency battles, and uses ferocious firepower to overwhelm the enemy. The Army Lieutenant General, who has always been known as a "smart general" within the federal army, is at this moment with The word 'wisdom' basically has nothing to do with it.

"General, large-scale electronic interference has never stopped, and military networks have been under attack from electronic warfare viruses. Many units have already had to switch to quantum encrypted communications, so we can only contact units that are closer. , and the communication efficiency is not high.”

The communications staff officer said nervously. Including him, everyone in the command cabin already knew that they were being targeted.

After all, the situation arrow on the electronic sandbox points very clearly, and the enemy that suddenly appeared is making a crazy breakthrough in this direction.

According to the news sent by the Thirteenth Fleet before the communication was interrupted, a new HCP from Atlas came to the surface by breaking through the atmosphere alone.

Immediately afterwards, the two combined battalions of the 1st and 1st Heavy Battalions, which were attacking the gap on Highway 56, reported that they were under an "unstoppable" attack. Before Van Fleet had time to mobilize other troops for support, large-scale electronic interference and military The attack on the Internet began, and the general headquarters also lost contact with the two combined battalions.

To be honest, Van Fleet didn't quite believe that these two battalions had suffered a devastating blow at first.

Because of its relationship as a direct unit of Van Fleet, both equipment and personnel are given priority to be replenished, and based on the original battalion-level unit of 4 heavy, 1 firepower, 1 air defense, 1 reconnaissance, 1 support, and 1 support, additional Two medium-sized combined battalions were strengthened to increase tactical penetration capabilities.

However, as the defense force of the general headquarters, the 66th Brigade has not participated in any critical operations at Van Fleet's request, so the troop organization has remained relatively intact and morale has been maintained relatively well.

In this context, a heavy-duty combined battalion with more than 600 people, 20 main battle tanks, 8 HCPs, plus armored infantry fighting vehicles and other vehicles is different from a heavy-duty synthetic battalion with more than 600 people, 14 wheel assault vehicles or more. Medium-sized combined battalion of combat vehicles, 46 wheeled armored vehicles, 6 self-propelled howitzers, and 2 electronic jamming vehicles

Such a force was crippled by an HCP?

Normally, Van Fleet would not hesitate to go up and talk loudly to make the other party wake up.

But when the drone photographed a large number of HCPs and vehicle wreckage near Route 56, as well as the red body in the center of the battlefield that was charging at high speed with anti-human speed and attitude, the federal army lieutenant general had no choice but to believe it. .

Immediately afterwards, including this drone, the reconnaissance drones and communication relay drones flying over the war zone were clicked one by one.

Except for the long-endurance drone hiding at high altitude that escaped due to its high altitude, the drones released by the 66th Brigade in previous battles were basically cleared.

At this time, Van Fleet also realized that he had encountered a tough situation, so he immediately issued an order to have the 66th Brigade's originally encircling troops shrink back, intending to use a sea of ​​people and firepower to overwhelm the target.

"If two battalions can't handle you, can I really not handle it with one brigade?"

Then Van Fleet discovered that he seemed to be a little unsure.

Because when it reaches the size of a brigade-level unit, no matter how highly mechanized it is, it will still be a bit bulky.

At the same time, the opponent had no intention of entangled with these combat units, but relied on high mobility and high firepower to continuously break through.

The HCP unit of the 166th Heavy Synthetic Battalion even tried the tactic of concentrating all HCPs at once for interception, but this red body with blue light under the armor showed a combat power beyond the understanding of these pilots.

Incomprehensible prediction, terrifying reaction ability, instantaneous reverse maneuvering that normal people cannot control, and those two 'light blades' that can cut through steel.

Eight HCPs were cut down by the flailing lightsabers in just one encounter. The last scene these pilots saw was the red phantom sending the 'light blade' into the driver's seat after avoiding all attacks. cabin scene.

What is "integration of faith and fire" and what is "armor and bomb confrontation"? Those are concepts that are only useful against other conventional troops.

When you face a psyker like Amber who is driving a cutting-edge HCP, the best way is to find your own 'ACE' to fight, or else to suppress it with saturation firepower or even tactical nuclear bombs.

Van Fleet or the Federation Army did not have any psyker ace pilots available at this time - according to Amber's memory, the Federation and the Empire did not use all psykers for special operations until the middle and late stages of the war. combat, but separate a part for HCP driving

This is why Amber is able to charge into the battle alone so confidently, because he knows that Van Fleet has no pilots who can suppress him.

The only remaining solution at this time is to rely on saturation fire coverage or directly drop tactical nuclear bombs.

But what Van Fleet can think of, Amber will naturally think of.

The reason why he kept breaking through the defense line of the 66th Brigade was to prevent the opponent's long-range fire and self-propelled artillery units from launching effective attacks while finding Van Fleet.

No matter how urgent the situation is, Amber knows that it is impossible for the federal army to launch a fire attack on the area where its own troops are deployed.

And this kind of charge all the way is also a test for Amber and the machine.

At this moment, almost no part of the outer armor of the 'Colossus' was in good shape, and it was covered with various bullet marks and ablation marks.

Although Amber's prediction and reaction abilities are far superior to ordinary people, this does not mean that he can "clear the level without injury" when facing enemies of this magnitude.

Maybe if the spiritual strength level is higher and the body performance is stronger, it can indeed be done. But at least not now.

Ammunition and weapons supplies can be air-dropped by the 'Icarus' support component, but Amber herself can only rely on medicine and willpower to persevere.

Fortunately, after this series of battles, the scene of a single player breaking the formation has come to an end.

As Lilith completed her secret intrusion into the federal military network, the command cabin vehicle where Van Fleet was located was finally locked.

When the 'Red Devil' reappeared, the only thing that could stand between it and the command cabin vehicle was the troops of the guard company.

Although these federal soldiers still bravely opened fire on Amber under this situation, it was a pity that most of their attacks were in vain.

Just when the last three HCPs were about to rush forward and die together by melting their cores and self-destructing, the hatch of the command cabin vehicle was opened.

Van Fleet, who had taken off his military cap, got out of the car expressionlessly, and then said on the public channel:

"Stop, we surrender."

——

The live broadcast of the 'Eye of Truth' ended not long after the cat lady anchor said, "The battle on Para 4 and the planet's orbit has come to an end."

An uninterrupted live broadcast that lasts almost a day can only be achieved by a race with a physique beyond human beings, the Roma, as anchors.

Although we don’t know what happened on the ground in the final stage, which caused the ground battle to end suddenly, but for the viewers who were lucky enough to watch the live broadcast, especially the climax of the second half of the live broadcast, they just felt that this live broadcast was real. Worth it.

There were fortified positions, land battles, single planes entering the atmosphere, and exciting fleet battles. These first-hand battles, which ordinary people rarely have access to, spread throughout the Federation and the Empire in an unprecedented way.

Especially for those viewers who are in the night hemisphere of their planet, tonight is destined to be a sleepless night. People gathered together in high spirits to discuss the live broadcast, whether it was in bars, night markets, or in local forums, 'Art The topic of Lars vs. the Federation must be the most discussed one.

Similarly, on the federal capital planet, there are also a large number of people who will not be able to sleep tonight.

In the conference room of the Ministry of Defense building, Federal President Brandon looked at the corporate video that was played again on the screen after the live broadcast of the 'Eye of Reality' ended. He was stunned for a few seconds, and then burst into laughter.

"Hahahahaha"

In the originally silent conference room, everyone's eyes were drawn to Brandon's laughter.

Although the senior officials of the federal government, military, and CIA in the conference room have been here for almost a day, not only did they not have any rest, but they also only ate a large amount of fast food delivered from takeaways, but no one Dare to complain at this juncture.

"The regular federal army was beaten violently by a private company, and the whole process was broadcast live. Do you have any clues here?"

Brandon's tone gradually became colder, and the smile on his face slowly disappeared. Everyone knew that this was a sign that the president was about to explode, and no one dared to take action at this moment.

"When I signed the general mobilization order, you said that the Star Dragon Empire was on the verge of collapse and would collapse if the federal army stepped forward and kicked it. As a result, not long after each fleet entered the other's territory, they could no longer continue to advance. Every day Just keep 'burning money' on the front line.

When we started cooperating with Atlas in the communications business, I asked whether companies and technologies like yours could be completely in our hands? You all say that it is just a private enterprise and is not something to be afraid of. As long as the federation takes a little action, it can be completely controlled.

When you persuaded me to agree to build more unmanned fleets, you said that this technology is absolutely safe, the combat effectiveness of the fleet is definitely worth the investment, and it can reduce precious casualties."

As Brandon said this, he slowly stood up and looked around at everyone in the conference room.

"Can anyone tell me how you manage to make everything go in the worst direction?"

Seeing that no one said anything in the conference room, Brandon shook his head and continued:

"I know that many of you don't take me seriously and think that I am just a 'meat horn' of the military-industrial complex, a 'human stamp' responsible for signing and sealing various bills and resolutions. But I want to What I'm saying is that as long as I'm in office, I have the right to hold myself accountable for these things."

"Your Excellency," CIA Director Bernard spoke first, because he knew that Brandon, who was standing in front of the main seat, was indeed the kind of person who would pull everyone to die together.

"The live broadcast of the Eye of Truth cannot be fully believed. This is most likely some kind of public opinion control method by Atlas. The number of troops we have invested in Para IV is not small. I believe that under the command of General Van Fleet It shouldn’t be that bad.”

"Thank you for your words, Director Bernard."

Brandon sat down again, his face returning to that calm expression.

"I hope you can get the information about Pyla 4 as soon as possible, and then tell me what happened in that place?"

"I'll do it right away."

Bernard stood up and nodded to Brandon, and then led the CIA people to leave first. After all, what happened next had nothing to do with them.

After Bernard left with the people, Brandon looked at Defense Secretary Miller, who was sitting on his left.

"Minister Miller, do you have anything to say about the unmanned fleet? I saw clearly in the live broadcast just now that the three unmanned fleets stopped in place after completing the jump, and did not maneuver or move. Support the operations of the Thirteenth Fleet."

Hearing Brandon's question, Defense Secretary Miller didn't know how to answer for a while. After all, he didn't expect such a situation to happen, so he had to resort to procrastination first.

"I will investigate immediately, Your Excellency President"

Miller stood up, nodded and said.

"Go ahead, I hope you can find out~" Brandon waved his hand, obviously not wanting to say anything more to the Minister of Defense.

Although he felt uncomfortable seeing Brandon's current posture, Miller knew that he couldn't say anything now. The federal ground forces, navy, and even the unmanned fleet had all "showed their eyes" just now.

If we really want to pursue the case, he, the Minister of Defense, will have to step down as soon as possible.

Defense Secretary Miller quickly left the conference room. After he left, the remaining people in the conference room did not dare to say anything when facing President Brandon.

But Brandon was obviously not ready to let them go, and quickly found the next target to 'fire'.

"Finn, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, do you have any clue about the Thousand Star Empire's weapons appearing on the battlefield and opening fire on our army?"

——

"So the three unmanned fleets of the Federation are really out of control?"

A few days later, in the regent's fiefdom in the Star Dragon Empire, Norton II was sitting in his study listening to Astral's report. After hearing the news from the latter, he was rarely excited.

"It is not certain that it is out of control at the moment, but according to the news from our informants, it seems that the Federation cannot contact these three fleets for the time being, and cannot recall them."

Astral shook his head, with some uncertainty in his tone.

"Anyway, this is really surprising. I originally thought that Mr. Amber and his Atlas would bring a little trouble to the Federation at most, but I never expected that he could do this. .”

"So you still think that Atlas did something that caused the Federation to be unable to control these three unmanned fleets?"

"Otherwise?" Norton II raised his eyebrows.

"Do you want me to believe that Amber is the child of destiny, so he was so lucky that he happened to encounter the unmanned fleet out of control at the critical moment?"

"this"

After hearing the regent's words, the expression on Astral's face became a little wonderful, because he really didn't want to believe that the reason for all this was Amber's good luck.

However, he quickly adjusted his expression and continued to ask:

"As for the unmanned fleet, do we need to find ways to obtain relevant information while the federation's hidden activities continue?"

"No need." The regent waved his hand, and then continued:

"Recently, the federation will definitely strictly control information. Don't touch the hidden line at this time. It will be of greater use in the future. As for the relevant information, I have other ways to find out the truth."

A few days later, the imperial fleets on all fronts began to maneuver one after another, and soon launched a large-scale counterattack.

Norton II's method is also very simple, because the Federation often uses unmanned fleets as mobile forces to fill gaps in the battle line, and the loss of the three unmanned fleets will allow them to penetrate deep into the Star Dragon Empire's territory. Becoming a little nervous.

Therefore, under the 'suggestion' of the Regent, the Imperial Royal Navy launched a fierce attack on several key nodes on the battle line, hoping to see if the Federation would still use these unmanned fleets to 'put out fires' as usual.

You won’t know the result unless you try it, but you’ll be shocked once you try it.

Not only the three lost unmanned fleets, but also the original unmanned fleets on the front line were withdrawn by the federal navy. The entire front line was now maintained by conventional fleets.

After getting the news, Norton II was so excited that he didn't sleep all night, and at the same time he laughed and thanked Amber for this 'big gift'.

Immediately afterwards, the Imperial Royal Navy, which had figured out the situation, finally put aside the haze of the long tug of war and began to continuously create advantages somewhere on the battle line, connect these 'advantage points' into a line, and begin to push back the entire battle line.

The Federation seemed to know that they might be at a disadvantage at this time. Under the command of Marshal Trafalgar, they began to move forward flexibly. Finally, after converging with the two mobile fortresses that had arrived at the front line, they re-stabilized the battle line.

But even so, the federal navy's results in the past few months were basically wiped out.

In addition, after the news suddenly broke out at this time that the two federal lieutenant generals, as commanders of the federal ground forces and fleet of Para IV, had been controlled by Atlas, public opinion in the federation was promoted by thoughtful people. Finally, I can no longer control it.

The autonomous governments of various galaxies, especially those controlled by the opposition party, have also begun a new round of attacks against the federal government.

A series of chain reactions occurred, and the situation began to develop in a direction that all political commentators could not understand.

However, Amber and Atlas, who were at the center of the vortex, suddenly became "low-key", as if all this had nothing to do with them.