This Is a Steel Torrent (Long Chapter)
Inside the command vehicle, Kim Geun-seok continued to observe the enemy's movements through the binoculars on board.
Choi Tae-won is dead, so this is the only clumsy method we can use to probe the enemy's situation.
He soon spotted a group of Armata T-14 tanks advancing in his direction.
It was a dark and windy night, and Kim Geun-seok couldn't see the exact shape of the tanks, but he could roughly estimate the number of enemy troops.
There were many, many tanks, but in terms of sheer numbers, they probably didn't outnumber ours.
Furthermore, after observing the situation, Kim Geun-seok noticed that the Bear Country side seemed to only have tanks, but no anti-tank guns or infantry.
"There's hope!"
Our side has more than 25,000 tanks and Howitzer Vehicle, plus 15,000 infantry in the trenches.
Dealing with several thousand Russian Bear tanks shouldn't be a problem.
Moreover, in Kim Geun-seok's view, trench warfare can also be called Tank Killer tactic!
Because trenches are a tactic designed to restrict tank movement, Kim Geun-seok specifically instructed Park Jeong-yong to dig them deeper and to set up anti-tank obstacles.
Now all of this will come in handy!
Kim Geun-seok refused to believe that a battle in which they had an advantage in both troop numbers and tactics could not be won.
"Lin Ye... this time I'm going to make you taste the bitterness of defeat."
Kim Geun-seok unconsciously clenched his fist.
Success or failure hinges on this!
"President Park! Your men will launch the first attack on the enemy from the trenches. If possible, remember not to destroy all the enemy tanks; leave a hundred Bear Country tanks."
"This way we can capture these tanks and prepare for our next attack on the capital city of the Bear Country."
"Roger that! I'll fire the first shot."
Kim Geun-seok had just finished giving his instructions when the ground began to tremble.
The first Armata T-14 tank has been spotted.
Then came the second, the third... countless tanks appeared one after another, as if a massive steel army was quietly assembling.
These tanks were arranged in an orderly square formation, with just the right amount of space between them. The tanks in front acted as guardians, paving the way for their comrades behind them. The massive gun barrels of the tanks behind could also be flexibly exposed between the tanks in front, providing cover for those in front!
It spreads layer upon layer, like waves of steel, converging into a surging black torrent.
What appears to be thousands of tanks is actually a complete organic Life-form.
"Such a well-organized legion formation!"
"Isn't this the formation that the South Korea Settlements have been trying to practice?"
Park Jeong-yong, inside the trench, sighed inwardly.
He had to admit that the sheer force of the Steel Torrent was incredibly impressive; it was something he had never seen before in any of the Instance on Azure Star.
"Everyone who listens, get into ambush!"
"We will attack when the enemy tanks enter the anti-tank traps we have set."
Park Jeong-yong ordered his men to lie prone in the trenches, waiting for the enemy tanks to fall into the traps. Once the tanks were stuck in the trenches, they would become nothing more than scrap metal to be slaughtered!
Soon, the Armata T-14 tank had moved to a position less than a kilometer outside the trench.
Suddenly, they all stopped moving forward in perfect unison, as if blocked by an invisible wall of air.
"Huh? Why aren't these Bear Country tanks moving?"
"Mr. Cui, it's a pity... we can't hit him at this range," his subordinate asked nervously.
While Park Jeong-yong was still wondering, thousands of tanks suddenly opened fire, pointing directly at the trench.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
A tremendous roar erupted, and tongues of fire spewed into the night sky.
Thanks to their advanced detection systems, these tanks seem to possess keen sensory organs, capable of perceiving everything in any environment. The 360-degree local situational awareness system, like a nimble owl, rapidly constructs a clear picture of the overall terrain of Uvs Lake in the background. Every ravine and every patch of jungle is clearly visible.
Thermal imaging technology and surround-view radar are like the eyes of a soldier, sharp and profound. They pierce through the darkness, locating every life hidden in the trenches without missing a single one.
All that remains is precision strikes.
Furthermore, due to its configuration with the 2A82-1M smoothbore gun, the "Armata" T-14 has an extremely high rate of fire and an extremely long range.
In theory, given clear data, the Armata T-14 tank can achieve a peak firing range of 15 kilometers!
This is the splendor and magnificence of Modern Warfare!
In early battles, due to rudimentary methods, tanks could get stuck in trenches. In Modern Warfare, however, such trenches pose absolutely no threat to new tanks.
On the contrary, their poor mobility makes them easy targets.
The Challengers inside the trench were already as densely packed as ants; with each shell, they would swarm together in droves.
A single shot could easily kill hundreds of people.
Thousands of tanks opened fire simultaneously, their artillery fire pouring down like Rainstorm, instantly shattering the trenches into pieces. The zigzag trench layout was long since beyond recognition.
Blood and severed limbs flew through the air.
At the same time, it detonated the piles of explosives in the trench, causing a series of explosions.
Wave after wave of explosive shockwaves, as if the earth were roaring, hurled the soil from the trenches high into the air before burying it deep beneath.
Poor Park Jeong-yong, before he could even give his men the order to fire, was unfortunately hit directly in the head by a cannonball.
[Firmament Notification: You have been killed by the "Armata" T-14 tank from the Bear Country. The Winter Is Coming Instance mission has failed. This was your first time entering the Instance, so there is no "Russian Bear's Wrath effect. After deducting 800 points, you will be teleported out of the Instance...]
"President Park!"
"President Park!"
"Sizzle..."
Kim Geun-seok roared, calling out to Park Jeong-yong on the communication channel, but received no reply.
All that remained was the hum of static!
In the background Instance interface, the number of players has been drastically reduced again under another round of bombardment from the Russian Bear tanks.
The number has dropped to 25,000!
This means that most of the troops in the trench have been killed.
Their carefully planned trench warfare tactics were thus ruthlessly crushed.
Even the soldiers who were lying in ambush in the trenches were killed before they even had a chance to Counterattack back.
Why!
Why!
Kim Geun-seok has countless questions in his mind right now.
Why could the Russian Bear tanks detect the trenches so easily?
Why can these tanks have such a long firing range?!
"Cheating!"
"That's fucking cheating!"
"Lin Ye, you son of a bitch! You bastard, I'll fight you to the death today!"
Kim Geun-seok had completely lost his mind; in his rage, he even bit his back teeth to pieces.
He spat out a mouthful of blood.
Time and again, the hopes that were ignited were extinguished by the Bear Country in this almost mocking way.
This trench warfare maneuver can be described as a stroke of genius on his part; looking back on his nearly thirty-year career, it can be considered his wisest move.
After that, he never dared to say that he could replicate this success.
But this personal peak was so easily and effortlessly crushed.
All of Kim Geun-seok's rationality, confidence, and pride vanished at this moment, leaving only madness.
"Lee Jae-yong! Charge!"
"Charge! Fight to the death with the Bear Country!"
"Our forces outnumber the Russian Bear several times over; we absolutely cannot lose this time!"
"Ah! Our South Korea Land Warfare are invincible!"
Under Kim Geun-seok's orders, 12,000 Kim 7V Tanks and 13,000 Howitzer Vehicles suddenly surged out from the high slopes on both sides of the lake.
This time, without any hesitation, they opened fire directly on the Bear Country tank formation.
Meanwhile, the Russian Bear's "Armata" tank group immediately located the Goryeo army's position.
In an instant, they split into two teams, which, with overwhelming force, began to engage in a fierce battle with the Kim 7V Tank and the Howitzer Vehicle unit respectively.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
On this fiercely contested battlefield, the most brutal and direct tank-to-tank battles unfolded.
Both sides were left with only Land Warfare Military Ordnance, so there was no further tactical engagement.
All that's left is pure head-on confrontation and the most brutal form of stationary input!
The roar echoed throughout Usubu Lake, and the lake water splashed back and forth as it vibrated, turning into a deluge of rain.
"Beat them!"
"Beat them to death!"
Kim Geun-seok continued to roar, trying to boost the morale of his troops in this way.
But he gradually realized that something was wrong.
In this tank-on-tank exchange, although there might be a difference in combat power, there is no situation where the tanks cannot be penetrated. Therefore, the "Armata" T-14 tank will also suffer damage, unlike the previous two Instances where they couldn't even touch a single Bear Country soldier.
However, the casualty ratio between the two sides was far worse.
Thanks to the T-14 tank's excellent armor system and automatic defense system, its defensive capabilities are particularly strong.
The Goryeo army fired artillery shells, many of which were intercepted in mid-air.
Even if some shells manage to hit the hull of the T-14 tank, the thick armor acts like an iron wall, greatly reducing the damage.
However, when the T-14 tanks attacked Kim Geun-seok's Kim 7V Tanks and Lee 9 Howitzer Vehicle, they were basically wiped out with a single shot.
Basically, Kim Geun-seok would have to spend the cost of five tanks or Howitzer Vehicle to cripple one T-14 tank.
The worst part is yet to come!
Once a formidable Armata T-14 tank is damaged on the battlefield, the next platoon of tanks will quickly move in and protect it closely from behind, like an indestructible escort.
Then, deep within the massive array of the Russian Bear army, a vehicle resembling a repair truck would quickly arrive to repair the damaged tanks.
Actually, this is the T-16 Armoured Recovery Vehicle from Bear Country, which is also built on the "Armata" tank platform. Its main function is to repair and restore vehicles.
The right side of the vehicle is equipped with a crane with a lifting capacity of up to 10 tons, specifically for lifting damaged equipment. The left rear side features an auxiliary crane with a lifting capacity of 900 kg, used for more delicate tasks. A bulldozer blade is also mounted at the front of the vehicle, which not only helps stabilize the vehicle in daily use but also plays a crucial role during winch and lifting operations.
Moreover, their repair speed is extremely fast. Although they can't completely restore a T-14 tank to its original condition, they can restore it to combat readiness in the fastest possible time, almost like casting magic.
Fighting and repairing at the same time, it felt like being a constantly resurrected undead corpse.
Kim Geun-seok felt nauseous and wanted to vomit! He angrily punched the cargo door.
Damn it!
"That bastard Lin Ye, how could he design something so disgusting?"
But amidst his anger and despair, he had to admit that the Bear Country Land Warfare system was indeed superior to that of their Goryeo Settlements!
Moreover, this overwhelming formation of Steel Torrent and the pattern of fighting and repairing simultaneously taught him another lesson!
The number of people working behind the scenes continues to decrease.
[Number of players in the Instance: 20,000...]
[Number of players in the Instance: 15000...]
[Number of players in the Instance: 10,000...]
[...]
With each reduction in the number of people, Kim Geun-seok felt as if a knife had been plunged into his heart.
We've lost, we've already lost!
Damn it! Damn it!!
Kim Geun-seok could not bear the pressure any longer. He felt as if he were in an invisible vortex, surrounded by an atmosphere of oppression and despair.
His nerves felt like taut strings, twisted and stretched to the brink of snapping. Finally, under unbearable pressure, he instinctively pulled out the pistol from his pocket and shot himself in the temple!
Bang!
As the gunshot rang out, brain matter danced in the air like bursting bubbles, splattering alongside blood. Those vivid drops of blood, like leaping flames, stained every inch of the vehicle's interior red.
Kim Geun-seok's vision went white, his world began to collapse, and a red character for "death" began to appear.
This was a sign of mission failure, but for him at that moment, it was the best relief.
[Firmament Notification: You chose to commit suicide in the Winter Is Coming Instance! Your Instance quest has failed!]
[Suicide is strictly prohibited in Firmament. It is a desecration of the Instance, more importantly, a desecration of the Firmament!]
[As punishment, you will have 100 times your Instance deducted, and your personal Instance will be disabled for three days!]
[This is your third time entering the Instance. Due to the stacking effects of the Russian Bear's Wrath, you have had 320,000 points deducted! You will be teleported out of the Instance!]