The Descent

The jungle 30 kilometers away from the Forward Base.

A disorganized but spirited Rebel Army, led by a flag, swiftly traversed the jungle.

In fact, after the establishment of the Forward Base, the range of people's activities naturally expanded due to the large number of people returning to the surface.

People swarmed Forward Base like locusts, cutting down all the vegetation and leaving only bare wooden stakes scattered everywhere.

In this way, once you cross this jungle, your view becomes wider and you won't be blocked by vegetation.

Those with good eyesight could already see the outline of the Forward Base in the darkness.

The Rebel Army did not stop to rest, but continued to move towards their Forward Base.

Unlike before, there was much less casual conversation among people, and the crowd appeared quiet and solemn.

The reason for this change is that people have noticed the swarms of drones hovering overhead.

Amid the dense buzzing of the drone propellers, the people in the Rebel Army ranks gradually felt the impending crisis of a major battle.

Although it was uncertain whether the drone could record their voices, most people chose to remain silent.

A young man behind the flag looked at the swarm of drones in the sky, his once clear eyes now showing a hint of seriousness.

While they were completely unaware of the City Council's preparations, their actions were entirely under the City Council's watchful eye.

This extremely disadvantageous situation made this clear-eyed young man want to make a change.

He whispered to his friend beside him, "The city knows everything we've done. This can't go on; it's really affecting morale."

Even though people's anger has not yet been vented, the close surveillance by the drone swarm has no immediate impact.

However, when things remain in such a passive situation, some people will eventually succumb to the pressure and desert their posts.

At that point, it won't be a complete rout, but it will be close enough.

"In that case, you lead the assault team ahead to act as scouts and surprise troops."

The young man patted his friend on the shoulder in encouragement. "Don't rush. I'll talk to Brother Wang and have them shoot at those drones to cover your operation. As soon as the gunfire starts, you set off immediately."

The so-called assault team was actually a group of strong men, each equipped with a fully automatic rifle, which was basically the strongest equipment the Rebel Army could currently provide.

"No problem."

The young man's friend readily agreed and immediately ran to gather the manpower for the task force.

Before long, gunfire erupted from the Rebel Army ranks.

Probably not expecting the Rebel Army to be so willing to waste ammunition, the drone swarm did not fly very high. In one fell swoop, dozens of drones were hit on the spot and fell down in flames.

Upon seeing this, the crowd paused for a moment, then cheers erupted.

Although they didn't understand why they were suddenly opening fire, people were happy as long as it caused damage to the city.

Forward Base, operations command post.

A staff officer wearing glasses held an electronic pen and swiped it across the screen.

"The movements of the rebel reconnaissance forces have been detected, and intelligence is being transmitted to the 106th Mechanized Infantry Regiment at the front."

"Oh."

Someone in the operations command center scoffed, "A bunch of rabble."

No one present objected to his statement.

To put it bluntly, these rebels were just ordinary civilians not long ago, and had no idea what kind of technological means they possessed.

Although they knew to have someone fire to attract attention, this clever trick was completely useless in the face of modern warfare systems.

"Rebel scouts have crossed the warning line. Frontline command is asking whether to open fire?"

"The 106th Mechanized Infantry Regiment is still deploying and carrying out construction. We can't hide the commotion, so let's make our move."

"Order the 213th and 214th Field Battalions to open fire freely; no one is to be allowed to pass."

Where is the 217th Field Battalion now?

"The 217th Field Battalion is expected to arrive at its designated location in another ten minutes."

After all, the number of the Rebel Army was considerable; for a force of just over a thousand men to annihilate more than 100,000, a flanking maneuver was essential.

"Tell them to act quickly; if necessary, use long-range firepower to buy time."

Boom!

Tap! Tap! Tap!

The deafening roar continued in my ears, and the dense barrage of bullets felt like a wall pressing down on me, making it impossible to stand up.

The young man's friend lay crouching behind a small mound of earth, his eyes somewhat dazed.

There was a time when he fantasized about taking up a gun and wreaking havoc, letting those officials know the wrath of the common people.

After all, in his view, everyone is a flesh and blood body with two shoulders and one head, and can be killed by a single bullet.

Now, he's leading an assault team, and everyone's armed; surely they can't be completely defenseless?

But as it turns out, these were all just his delusions.

Faced with the sudden and fierce firepower, the Rebel Army' carefully selected assault team couldn't even hold out for a single exchange, and more than half of them were killed or wounded in an instant.

The assault team members who were lucky enough to escape with their lives could only lie on the ground trembling, praying that the hail of bullets would pass quickly.

Occasionally, someone would regain their senses and raise their weapon to retaliate, only to be met with precise fire from the drone-based fire correction system. Following closely behind, self-propelled howitzers would quickly cover a kill zone with a diameter of ten to fifteen meters, ensuring that no one would survive within that area.

It's an apt analogy to say it's like using a cannon to kill a mosquito, which underscores just how vast the gap is between the two sides.

There's no need to think about reinforcements.

Because behind this battlefield, countless missiles were falling like meteors, gradually advancing the Rebel Army into the graveyard that the command post had prepared.

Despair.

Utter despair.

He unconsciously loosened his grip on the gun, completely losing the will to resist.

Just as he closed his eyes, preparing to await death,

In the pitch-black night sky, a deep red beam of light descended from the heavens, like a giant drawing a straight line on a black canvas with a red brush.

A crimson beam of light fell into the mechanized infantry regiment's position, like an eraser, effortlessly wiping away everything in its path.

The previously dense hail of bullets vanished instantly.

The young man's friend mustered his courage and stood up, only to be horrified to find that even the well-constructed fortifications in front of him had vanished, leaving behind only a semi-circular crater with a diameter of more than three kilometers.

Forward Base.

"Has it finally arrived?"

Lu Bai looked up at the sky, his gaze seemingly able to pierce through the clouds and see the interstellar warship in outer orbit. "The Mona people."