Is It Wrong to Play Modern Warfare in a Space Opera World?

Chapter 40: Is It Wrong to Play Real Modern Warfare in a Space Opera World?

In that ancient Stone Age, before he had yet walked among mankind.

Beasts tore flesh with fangs and claws, trampling the weak and devouring their blood and meat.

To flee from the ferocious beasts, weak humans could only hide and scurry, crawling to survive.

They might not have had strong bodies or sharp claws and fangs.

But humans possessed one advantage beasts could never match—intelligence.

Wise hunters no longer fought the enemy head-on. Instead, they chose to surround the beast in a dance, raising torches high and letting out roars.

The firelight and shouting from all sides drove it to distraction; the dancing figures left it unable to focus.

Every sharp stone spear seemed poised to pierce its heart; every leaping human looked ready to strike.

Flee!

Even the mighty beast knew the reaction called fear.

And though the beast, trapped in fear, possessed strength humans could never rival, humans with their greater wisdom always managed to overcome the strong with the weak, becoming the rulers of the world.

To track these fleeing beasts as food, the hunters chased them north and south, leaving the grasslands, crossing mountains, spanning continental shelves, and setting foot on every inch of the Earth.

From then on, humans scattered across the world.

Just like the fearful beasts driven off by humans in that ancient era.

The Xenos Army, facing enemies that could appear from any direction, suffered heavy losses.

Even though their Focused Energy Weapons were far stronger than the enemy's Explosive Guns and Laser Guns.

Even though their Crystal Defense was far superior to the enemy's flesh and blood.

But with the support of tactics, from all directions—including the Automated Mecha continuously dive-bombing from above—the entire Xenos Army was surrounded like a turtle in a jar.

And humanity's strikes were exceptionally precise.

With the precision guidance of the Automated Mecha, every time they surfaced or dove, they could reliably hit a Xenos Crystal Construct.

Even if the firepower wasn't enough to kill it outright, it consistently achieved combat attrition.

Countless laser beams flickered across the battlefield, accompanied by explosions and smoke, as attacks from countless directions surged endlessly toward the center.

The Xenos Army naturally didn't sit idly by.

They considered gathering their forces to break through at a single point, but every time they tried to make a move, the human side seemed to react instantly.

When the enemy advanced, we retreated.

Though the personnel were loosely spread out, the encirclement formed by countless Chemos Guard members always followed them, moving and fighting simultaneously.

While concentrated fire could indeed inflict some losses on the human forces, the corresponding cost in troops on their own side multiplied exponentially.

It felt like having strength but no way to use it.

Even though Xenos Landing Pods kept dropping reinforcements from above, as the battle grew fiercer, the Xenos Fleet's deployment of tens of thousands of soldiers still couldn't reverse the decline on the front lines.

Some Xenos Landing Pods were even locked onto and detonated by large Automated Mecha before they could touch down, turning into gray-black dust on Silent Star.

No help for it.

After all, the pieces were all tabletop game products from the 1980s. Getting outplayed tactically was only natural.

If it had been a normal attack-and-defense battle, the Defensive Fortifications built by these mere five hundred men couldn't have withstood the Crystalline Aliens' powerful Focused Energy Weapons.

But who could blame Kasgar for playing dirty!

Having known the Battle for Silent Star's plot in advance, he had already assessed the incoming Xenos Army.

Though they possessed high-destructive Focused Energy Weapons far beyond the Imperium of Man's level, their weakness lay in poor defense—relying solely on their own crystal structure, lacking any shield support.

At the same time, their slow movement meant these crystal constructs couldn't effectively counter their Guerilla Warfare tactics.

In other words.

Kasgar had cheated.

Full map vision, infinite turns, and a hidden health bar.

By pulling and stretching, he slowly wore down this glass-cannon type of stat monster.

Of course, that didn't mean Kasgar's tactics were invincible, with no one able to beat them.

They would face many more challenges in the future.

Perhaps the Chaos Demon Army would be nearly immune to ranged attacks.

Perhaps the data transmitted by the Automated Flying Mechs would be tampered with by some Digital Demon down the line.

But for now, against these unprepared aliens, it could be said—

Unsolvable.

"Sons of the Emperor, First Company and Second Company, report back."

The Xenos Army on the surface was retreating step by step, their morale shattered. It was only a matter of time before they were completely annihilated.

Kasgar ordered the Sons of the Emperor companies that had been waiting inside the fortress to return to his side.

"What are you bringing them back for?"

Aqua was somewhat surprised by this.

"Isn't this the moment to intensify the assault, throw the Space Marines into the fight, and deliver the final blow to the enemy?"

"Our battle isn't just against these surface forces."

As he spoke, he looked toward the stars beyond the toxic clouds that blotted out the sun.

Out there, several Xenos Warships were stirring restlessly, spurred by the failure of the ground offensive.

"Tavitz, Lucius, and Aqua Duna, prepare to board the Stormbird with me. We're going to launch a boarding assault."

"Teacher, I'll be relying on you this time."

The massive Xenos Warship gradually revealed itself through the veil of toxic clouds.

When the ground forces had been at a prolonged disadvantage and were on the verge of annihilation, the Xenos Fleet waiting in low orbit finally lost patience.

They decided to descend to the surface, using their powerful Shipboard Weapons to finish off these annoying flies once and for all.

But just as they lowered their fleet's altitude, attempting to pierce the toxic haze of Silent Star's atmosphere and unleash their Shipboard Weapons below—

The Strike Cruiser and its fleet, which had been evading the enemy for so long, reappeared above Silent Star at that very moment.

Do not engage the enemy.

Leave this place and wait for the optimal moment to open fire.

That was the order Kasgar had given them when the Xenos Warships passed through the Portal.

And now, with the enemy fleet descending and their Shipboard Weapons aimed downward, still charging up—

The Imperial forces had caught them off guard and seized the high-ground advantage!

An opportunity!

The Imperial Army had waited far too long for this moment.

Macro Cannons, Lances, Plasma Cannons, torpedoes.

And countless Gunships launched alongside them.

In an instant, they all opened fire wildly on the enemy fleet!

Under normal circumstances, an Imperial Navy vessel facing such a full-force assault would panic somewhat, but could still rely on its powerful Void Shields to withstand it.

But these Xenos Warships seemed to lack Void Shields.

Aside from the flagship at the center, which could endure missile and laser fire thanks to its own hull material, eight Xenos Warships were reduced to scattered debris in space within just a few minutes of bombardment.

Suffering such devastating losses, the Xenos Fleet chose to abandon their surface forces and immediately retreat through the Portal.

What followed was the enjoyable phase of pursuit and slaughter.

The Imperial fleet commander wore a pleased smile.

After holding back for so long, finally—

"Wait!"

"Leave that one!"

"We're boarding! Keep one alive!"

The Acting Prefect's voice came through the comms.