Players Invade Cyberpunk

"Get down!"

A burst of bullets grazed Roy's scalp, scaring him to the point his soul nearly flew away, causing him to fall flat on his face.

He was utterly bewildered by the fact that in such a devastating bombardment, there could still be people alive to resist, and with such fierce firepower at that.

But now, aside from the roar of machine guns, no one would answer the questions plaguing his mind.

"Damn it! Their firepower is intense, we need support, or we won't be able to push forward!"

Roy actually wanted to request artillery to bombard the mountain again, but considering the close distance between the two, he truly lacked the guts.

If the artillery accidentally killed him, he'd have nowhere to cry.

Light, who received the request for help at the foot of the mountain, didn't respond immediately but frowned as he watched the dense rain of bullets on the mountain, puzzled.

How did these guys manage to dig such hard fortifications in such a short time?

He asked the adjutant beside him,

"Can we send someone to walk around and climb the mountain from the back?"

The two hills blocked the entrance to the valley like gatekeepers, making other places unsuitable for large convoys to pass through.

"Hardly."

The adjutant was also embarrassed,

"I just sent a drone to circle around and check the back; their rear defenses have trenches dug, even more people than the front, and because it's on the mountain's backside, our artillery can't reach it. A frontal assault would result in unknown casualties."

"By the way, there seems to be snipers among them with excellent marksmanship; the drone lost contact soon after it was spotted and got shot down."

Troubling...

Although there didn't seem to be many people on the hills, judging by their displayed quality, they were definitely a tough nut to crack.

And it's impossible to bypass these individuals directly; who knows what's hiding behind them.

As for the claim by Huang Ban that the opposing force only had a few hundred people, reality with Night City's numerous mercenary activities proved that wrong; there were even more damn it.

Light reflected that he had led for years in the Chaotic Blade Association, dealing with various corporate military forces. Perhaps the current unit was far inferior in equipment and cyberware, but their quality was exceptionally strong.

He really didn't want to tackle this tough bone head-on, as it would inevitably result in substantial casualties for his men.

"Is there any other route to bypass to Big Sur?"

"Yes, but it's troublesome."

The adjutant was a bit headache-prone; California's north-south passage was mostly smooth, with most highways and railways running north-south. Moving laterally not only requires crossing deserts and mountains but also large rivers, with ridiculously high construction costs, something no company would undertake without government intervention and maintenance.

Moreover, normal people wouldn't bypass highways and railroads to go through valleys to get to Big Sur.

"The nearest route is about twenty kilometers north at a canyon between two mountains, but it's narrower and extremely dangerous, with tall mountains on both sides where only two vehicles can pass side by side at most. If they were to do something there..."

The adjutant didn't finish, but it was clear he didn't recommend Light choose that path.

Even if they eventually passed, with these guys' pace, they'd have time to return for defense, no problem in re-digging trenches.

Regarding whether the Chaotic Blade Association's speed could surpass the opponent's, judging from their current performance, the adjutant felt the hope wasn't high, and knowing the route didn't mean the opponent was unaware.

"Hmm..."

After contemplating a bit, Light said,

"We can't just hold here; take three hundred men and infiltrate through that path, attack their rear. If you encounter people or anything seems wrong, retreat immediately. I'll stay with the rest here to assault."

He looked at Roy, who had already retreated down the mountain, and thought viciously,

Just over a hundred people, I'll split my forces into three groups and attack in turns; a few against one, even if we can't kill you, we'll wear you down.

Olivia had over five thousand under her command, but that didn't mean she'd press them all at once; that would be the approach of pure brutes.

"Nakajima Keiichi, take three hundred men up and don't let those guys stop."

———

The Chaotic Blade Association's offensive from the foot of the mountain came in waves, with a new batch rushing up as soon as the previous one was pushed down, crashing like wave after wave against the dam with mortars and rocket launchers interspersed, bombarding relentlessly, numbing the players' scalps. This battle mode differing entirely from those within Night City gave them their first direct confrontation with what war truly meant.

Moreover, there was no test firing; each artillery strike would not warn players like other games do. Once the sky's whistling began, the shells were already hitting the ground.

If they hadn't managed to predict enemy artillery strike timing based on the Chaotic Blade Association infantry's retreat and slowing attack rhythm, the fifty players would have collapsed after just three mortar shells, even with MT-1 equipped, otherwise, their deaths would've been even worse.

After repelling another attack from the Chaotic Blade Association, just as they withdrew back into their hideout, another round of rocket bombardment swept the ground, dirt and rocks constantly falling on Sword Saint's head. He couldn't help but roar on the channel,

"Keep bombing like this, we won't be able to hold! Think of a way to knock out that damn artillery!"

They were dug into trenches, not air raid shelters; how many rounds of artillery can they withstand—almost every bombardment had unfortunate players disconnecting, and the bunkers dug out were revealed and visited by rockets and mortars. Unable to hold for long, they'd be blown away, and cleaning them out again was time-consuming and laborious, meaning the pressure on the front line was increasing.