Orbital Bombardment

"Commander Klett!"

With a miserable scream, Klett fell to the ground. The group of Dark Tide Generation 2 Armor warriors in front of him were dumbfounded. They charged forward with righteous indignation, but in the blink of an eye, they were all knocked down by the rapid firepower of the Crimson Dragon-class Mecha!

"Brothers, let's go!"

With a swift and decisive move Gun Like a Dragon switched his primary weapon to a purple-glowing Explosive Gun and gave the order, "Suppress all enemy forces! Take Position 15 as quickly as possible!"

"Rush!"

The group continued to advance, and I switched from my Power Sword to Explosive Gun, leading Cai Cai, Ruolin, and the others to launch a flanking attack, maximizing our Experience Points and Reputation Value. The Blue BOSS, in particular, were a goldmine; each kill yielded at least 100 Reputation Value, making them reputation harvesters!

As for why killing enemies in the bomb depot didn't grant Reputation Value, my guess is that it's highly likely you have to kill enemy units under the watchful eyes of an "NPC" from the Crimson Dragon Country faction to trigger Reputation Value gain; you won't get any by doing it secretly.

Ten minutes later, the entire Position 15 was filled with the red battle flags of the Crimson Dragon Country, and cheers erupted. The majestic Crimson Dragon-class Mecha stood in the center of the position, like a god of war.

At that moment, a bell rang, signaling the completion of one phase of the mission!

[Congratulations on completing the battlefield mission "Escort the Crimson Titan Mecha II" (Rank A)! Rewards: 1.8 million character experience, 1350 Reputation Value. Due to your outstanding performance in the mission, you receive an additional reward: "Rising Dragon Slash" (S-rank Skill Tome)!]

'What the hell?'

Looking at the azure blue notification text in front of me, I was suddenly taken aback. I didn't expect that this mere A-rank would actually reward me with an S-rank Rising Dragon Slash, my second Rising Dragon Slash!

Could it be because I led the kill on Dark Tide Commander Klett? That's quite possible!

However, I've already mastered the Rising Dragon Slash, so this manual can only be used to strengthen my squad.

Turning to look at the other six, I saw that only Ruolin, like me, was Super Weapon Master and could learn the Rising Dragon Slash. So I said, "Ruolin, I've rewarded you with a Rising Dragon Slash manual. Are you interested?"

"Rising Dragon Slash?"

Ruolin's eyes suddenly lit up. "Really? How much? No, no... I'll take it all no matter the price! Can I pay in installments? I'm not exactly flush with cash right now."

Rising Dragon Slash is one of the essential skills for warrior-type players. As it is an S-rank skill, its hit detection is very high, and the chance of knocking the opponent back is almost 100%. Unless the opponent's level is too high or their resistance is too strong, it is almost guaranteed to control them successfully. This is why Ruolin values it so much.

"Insiders get the insider price."

I smiled slightly, "Just like with Kou Mei, you should have at least 100,000 Star Coins, right?"

Yes, yes, yes!

Ruolin immediately took out 100,000 Star Coins and handed them over, while I taught her the Rising Dragon Slash. She learned it right away, and from then on, the team had another important control skill.

As for me, the funds in my secret stash have grown significantly, once again surpassing the 1 million mark, reaching a staggering 1.11 million Star Coins.

Well, let's keep this money for now. We'll need it eventually. Besides, we'll need to spend money to go back to Tengshan City for the Spring Festival this year. Although Old Ding is an associate professor and doesn't lack money, he's too frugal. It's best if I, as his son, take care of things like preparing for the New Year and buying some appliances for the house.

Opening the chests, the Dimensional Storage Space not only contained an Orange Treasure Chest, but also a bunch of Blue Treasure Chest waiting to be opened. First, let's open the Orange Treasure Chest and see what good stuff Klett, the Fire Knight Legion Commander, has to offer.

[Congratulations! You have successfully opened your [BOSS Ability Crystal] and obtained the item: [UZI Improved Type II] (Quality: Orange)!]

Good heavens, an orange Submachine Gun?!

I was shocked! Actually, my purple Roarer is good enough for now, it has a lot of damage. But if I switch to an orange Submachine Gun, it wouldn't be a bad idea. Who would complain about having too much firepower!

The next second, he opened the Dimensional Storage Space and his gaze fell on a slightly short Submachine Gun, whose attributes slowly floated out.

[UZI Improved Type II] (Quality: Orange)

Rank: Tier 3

Base Parameters: Firepower 500-700, Rate of fire 1500 rounds/minute, Magazine capacity 60 rounds, Attack range 150 meters.

Strength: +40

Physical strength: +38

Weight: 3.5KG

Blessing: Continuous Shooting, attack damage increased by 20% during Continuous Shooting.

Blessing: Critical Hit Enhancement; when a critical strike is triggered, there is a 50% chance to double the damage dealt.

As expected of it, UZI is compact and powerful!

I was overjoyed. Although the orange Submachine Gun's firepower stats weren't much higher than the purple Roarer's, only 100 more points, its overall output was on a completely different level!

The theoretical rate of fire for the Roarer is 800 rounds per minute, while the UZI's rate of fire reaches a terrifying 1500 rounds per minute. Based on its 60-round magazine capacity, it can empty all 60 rounds in just 2.4 seconds after pulling the trigger!

This kind of output is fast and efficient, which is great!

Therefore, the UZI has high burst damage and a fast rate of fire, and can complete the output in a short time. It is very suitable for dealing a burst of damage when switching between the Wind Chaser and the Explosive Gun. It can deal unimaginable powerful damage to those units whose armor has been broken!

"Phew~~~"

I breathed a sigh of relief and quickly swapped out the purple Roarer for a UZI.

"Fatty!"

He tossed the purple Roarer to the fat man and laughed, "You can upgrade from a slingshot to a cannon now..."

"Holy crap!"

The fat man was shocked, then without saying a word, he quickly switched his Submachine Gun to the Roarer. The Roarer already had high damage, and with the fat man's Tier 3 Firepower Specialist bonus, the damage from Headshot would be terrifying.

At this point, the fat man had already passed the embryonic stage and was moving towards becoming a true master!

After that, I opened all the Blue Treasure Chest, which mostly contained Experience Points, or a small amount of Reputation Value and Star Coins. Only two Expansion Crystal, which together totaled 0.8 cubic meters, caught my eye.

Without a doubt, once you unlock the Expansion Crystal, you can use it immediately. I've always been obsessed with expanding my Dimensional Storage Space. I hope that one day, my Dimensional Storage Space will be as big as a three-bedroom apartment, and if conditions allow, even bigger, ideally big enough to fit a starship or something.

Night had fallen; Position 15.

After suffering a heavy blow, the Dark Tide army seemed to collapse instantly, even ceasing its artillery bombardment. As night fell, both sides seemed to have reached some kind of tacit understanding, halting their attacks and planning to resume the battle the next day.

Inside the trench, I took out a jianbing (Chinese crepe) and began to enjoy my late-night snack over a bowl of mutton soup.

Ruolin took out two hamburgers, gave one to Kou Mei, and then took out two disposable spoons. The two of them, without any hesitation, started drinking my mutton soup.

Cai Cai, Fatty, Fey Courtier, and Huo Bingzhi Ri also took out their supplies and enjoyed a delicious meal at midnight when they were exhausted.

A short while later, three people, including Gun Like a Dragon, Xu Tian, Worldly Uncontested, walked over.

"Ding Han."

Gun Like a Dragon put down his spear, not even bothering to look at the dirty ground, and plopped down on the black mud in the trench, saying, "Looks like we'll have to spend the night in the wilderness. Everyone, be careful."

"Um."

I nodded. "I wonder if the Dark Tide will launch an artillery attack tonight?"

"Probably not?"

Cai Cai was surprised. "Wouldn't it be better for everyone to call a truce for one night and get a good night's sleep?"

Worldly Uncontested laughed, "The people on the other side of the Dark Tide might not think that way. We'd better be mentally prepared, not sleep too soundly, and be ready to deal with any emergency."

"That's right, the Alliance Leader who Worldly Uncontested is correct."

I agreed, saying, "It's right to be cautious, especially for players who don't have Invincible Burst Skill or Resurrection Sacred Canon. They need to be extra careful. The Dark Tide Organization has always been ruthless. Today, a Generation 3 Armor commander was killed, so they might get so angry that they resort to unconventional methods."

"That makes sense..."

Gun Like a Dragon nodded and said to Xu Tian beside him, "Did you hear that? Tell the brothers to be careful. Everyone, light sleep. Anyone who dares to snore will be kicked awake. Each group will have one person on night watch to wake everyone up at any time."

"Knew!"

Xu Tian nodded.

Afterwards, the others left, while our team of seven huddled together, weapons in hand, and took a short nap.

I don't know how much time passed, but suddenly a very sharp sound came from the sky.

"Um?"

I snapped awake, grabbed my Power Sword, stood up, looked up at the sky, and shouted, "Air raid siren! Everyone wake up! Go into defensive mode immediately! Quickly!"

Immediately, Ruolin, Cai Cai, Kou Mei, and the others woke up one after another, each frowning as they looked at the sky.

In the sky, tiny starlight points grew larger and larger!

Just then, a voice Gun Like a Dragon rang out from within the star map. "All players, be careful! We've just received intelligence—it's Orbital Bombardment! It's Orbital Bombardment!"

"Holy crap..."

The fat man exclaimed in surprise, "What the hell is Orbital Bombardment?!"

"Enter defensive mode!"

I immediately took out the Lord's Shield to protect the fat guy and the Kou Mei behind me, while whispering in the Team Channel: "The Orbital Bombardment in <Star Abyss> is an attack launched from outside the atmosphere via Space Station or starships. It's extremely powerful. Use Medical Box as soon as your health drops above 40%. Don't be stingy!"

"Buzz~~"

Suddenly, the sky was bright as day, and the entire atmosphere seemed to be ignited. Instantly, the star map was filled with players' shouts of "Holy crap!" No one had ever experienced anything like this before, and many people were ready to die!

"Fuck you, so be it! If I die, I'll just be back in reality!"

"I'm sick and tired of this heartless, treacherous place, Star Abyss. Come on, what kind of bullshit Orbital Bombardment this? If you've got the guts, just blow me up!"

Some were terrified, while others shouted wildly.

The next moment, streaks of meteor-shaped bombs rained down from the sky, exploding one by one on the ground, and terrifying shockwaves swept in from all directions!

"Depend on..."

I secretly groaned and immediately used Annihilation Rock Armor. The moment the shockwave arrived, the Lord's Shield turned bright red, and at the same time, my health bar plummeted from the impact!

[Battle Warning: You are currently taking impact damage from [Orbital Bombardment], losing 7876 HP. The Essence Furnace reduces this damage by 2312!]

[Battle Warning: You are currently taking impact damage from [Orbital Bombardment], losing 8024 HP. The Essence Furnace reduces this damage by 3713!]

[Battle Warning: You are currently taking impact damage from [Orbital Bombardment], losing 7923 HP. The Essence Furnace reduces this damage by 3410!]