Homo Sapiens

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM...

After destroying another large minefield, the vanguard of the Tianzhu Army's 30th Division was closing in on Xilong City.

The Tianzhu Army despised this former air force base with a vengeance.

If the Xilong Air Force hadn't rebelled, the Tianzhu Air Force wouldn't have been dealt such a heavy blow.

However, they failed to notice that as their lines stretched, the 30th Division's heavy ammunition reserves had dwindled to about 6.8 basic loads.

The 26th Division, about 42 kilometers behind them, was also down to just 8.7 basic loads of heavy ammunition.

Meanwhile, their supplies were all stockpiled with the 21st Garrison Division at the West Gate Defense Line.

This situation had arisen mainly because the Assam Branch had destroyed many roads and railways. With no navigable, interconnected waterways in the area, the supplies were stuck in the rear.

Although Vichy had ordered them to conserve ammunition, faced with the dense minefields surrounding them, they had no choice but to use rocket launchers and artillery to clear a path. Otherwise, they couldn't complete their offensive mission on schedule.

The 30th Division was now a full 280 kilometers from the West Gate Defense Line.

Given the current state of transportation in Assam, even a specially designed armored transport would need at least a dozen hours to traverse the 280 kilometers of virtually roadless terrain.

Just as Vichy was urging the rear to expedite supplies to the front-line troops...

Near the West Gate Defense Line, not far from Fukou Town, lay the underground Fukou Base.

Although the Tianzhu Army's corps of engineers was already clearing mines, their progress was incredibly slow. After all, the minefield was spread across more than four hundred square kilometers, and the Tianzhu Army had only managed to sweep a single safe corridor. They hadn't had time to clear any other areas.

Under the cover of darkness, six battalions (3,000 troops) hidden in this base stealthily approached the West Gate Defense Line.

The incredible carrying capacity of their exoskeleton armor allowed each ten-man squad of New Human personnel to carry four 100mm rocket launchers (modeled after the Type 107) and forty rockets.

The nearly invisible New Human soldiers rapidly appeared around the perimeter of the Tianzhu Army's 21st Division.

Unaware of the impending danger, the Tianzhu Army soldiers were still busy transporting ammunition and supplies.

The next second.

1,200 rockets came screaming in from all directions.

Inside a Tianzhu Army radar monitoring vehicle, an operator stared, dumbfounded, at his screen. The dense swarm of dots covering the display made him break out in a cold sweat. "Enemy attack...!"

The terrified operator slammed the button for the air-raid siren.

But it was too late.

The moment the air-raid siren blared...

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM... Countless rockets slammed into the 21st Division's position. The transport vehicles, marked as priority targets, were hit by the concentrated fire of more than four hundred rockets.

Screams mingled with the fierce explosions.

A second wave of rockets struck moments later.

Only after the third wave of rockets did the New Human employees quickly withdraw.

While the battered remnants of the 21st Division were being relentlessly bombarded...

...hundreds of large drones streaked through the midnight sky at extremely low altitudes, dropping swarms of small objects around the West Gate Defense Line.

These dark-green, fist-sized objects immediately began to burrow into the ground upon landing. Their surfaces released a fungus that corroded the soil, helping the spheres drill down.

With the 21st Division thrown into utter chaos by the bombardment and its sentries eliminated, the soldiers remained completely oblivious to the changes in their surroundings.

A little over half an hour later.

The dark green spheres had drilled 20 to 30 centimeters into the earth, leaving only a bit of loose soil on the surface.

Their job done, the dark green, artificial-tissue shells rapidly self-decomposed, breaking down into simple organic molecules.

Once the dark green shell had decomposed, all that remained inside was a landmine.

In other words, in less than half an hour, the Siliguri Corps had successfully laid tens of thousands of mines around the Tianzhu Army's 21st Division.

And this very mine-laying operation was being carried out simultaneously along all the routes the Tianzhu Army had previously cleared.

...

「The outskirts of Bournia City.」

Inside the Tianzhu Army's forward command post.

After hearing the report, Vichy angrily stared at the head of the reconnaissance department. "Didn't you confirm there were no Assam Rebel Army forces near the West Gate Defense Line? Then why did a rebel unit suddenly appear out of nowhere?"

"..." The head of reconnaissance looked utterly dejected.

He had used reconnaissance planes and even risked losses by sending scouts into the towns around the West Gate. They had truly found no one.

Shah Abad frowned. "General, it seems the Assam Rebel Army must have an underground base near the West Gate Defense Line. We have to pull out this thorn."

Vichy squeezed the ballpoint pen in his hand. "Have the 23rd Garrison Division proceed to the West Gate Defense Line immediately and relieve the 21st Garrison Division."

"Yes, sir."

"Order the front-line troops to halt their advance and establish defensive positions where they are."

"Yes, sir."

Vichy, his head throbbing, continued to give orders. "Have the air force provide cover for the transport planes to the front..."

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM...

The violent explosions sent Vichy diving for cover.

Shah Abad's expression changed drastically. "That direction? Oh no! The Bournia Airport..."

RING, RING, RING... The communications officer immediately snatched the receiver. "This is the forward command post..."

A moment later, beads of cold sweat covered the officer's forehead. He reported to Vichy in a panic, "General, the Bournia Airport has been hit by a surprise drone attack from the rebels! All aircraft, ammunition depots, and fuel depots have been destroyed!"

"Hhhh..." Vichy felt a pang of sharp, heart-wrenching pain.

Shah Abad roared, "Impossible! We deployed two sets of electromagnetic jamming systems imported from Europe! They're specifically designed to counter drones! How could the rebels' drone attack possibly succeed?"

The communications officer didn't know how to answer. He was on the verge of tears himself; how was a low-ranking soldier like him supposed to know the answer to that?

Apparently, the Tianzhu Army was unaware that the drones produced by the Homo Sapiens Company used bio-chips and bio-sensors. Their onboard computing power was more than enough to handle simple tasks independently.

Unlike conventional drones, they didn't require constant correction from satellite navigation systems or ground-based personnel. Plus, the bio-chips themselves possessed an extremely high immunity to electromagnetic interference.

Never mind the jamming equipment imported from Europe; even jammers from America would have been completely ineffective.

The forward support airfield and the logistics base at the West Gate Defense Line had been destroyed in succession.

This string of events sent a chill down Vichy's spine. He took a breath and immediately ordered, "Shah! Order the front-line troops to return to Siliguri City at once!"

"What?" Shah Abad, still fuming over the failure of the drone jammers, was taken aback. He said anxiously,

"General! If we retreat now, what about Delhi...?"

But Vichy, already sensing the immense danger, was resolute. "Enough! I will bear all responsibility. Relay my orders immediately. Have them withdraw to Siliguri City tomorrow, at once!"

"...Yes, sir!" Shah Abad calmed down as well.

He realized that with their supplies and aircraft now in serious jeopardy, if the four Field Divisions weren't withdrawn, they would be in grave danger once their logistics were completely cut off.

Vichy had seen this and ordered the immediate retreat for that very reason.

If they lost these four Field Divisions, the northeastern region of the Tianzhu mainland wouldn't just lose its capacity to counterattack; in the short term, even its defensive capabilities would be critically weakened.