"All units—"
"Was this plan based on us being stupid, or Shrimp being even stupider?"
"Activate weapons, fire at will. Anything that appears in front of you is a target! I repeat, activate weapons, fire at will."
Udo sat up straight and rolled his shoulders and neck.
"If they aren't stupid—"
"Shut up."
Miviman said as he leaned forward, pressing his eyes to the periscope ahead.
"Huh?"
"Load the cannon, then keep quiet."
A second later, he felt the heavy impact of the cannon's breech slamming shut.
He did not need to check whether Udo remembered his words. His inability to keep his mouth shut did not affect his memory or his skill at operating the main gun.
"It's not light yet."
The second gunner spoke. Miviman glanced at the rotating green light on his scanning screen and pressed another communications switch.
His vehicle was a command tank, so it had plenty of new equipment installed—such as a scanning device inspired by captured human radar. It allowed airships ten thousand meters above to transmit the information they scanned directly to him in real time.
It was not necessarily accurate, but it could at least determine the movements of large enemy forces.
"Steel Brain, this is Miviman. What can you see?"
"Nothing. Doesn't look like there's anything there."
The voice of the mechanic specializing in electronics came through, brief and clear.
"But they're there. I can tell."
"Passed the first trench. No resistance encountered."
A signal from the vanguard column sounded through the communicator. Miviman slowly drew a breath and counted out the long seconds as he exhaled.
Directly in front of him, Udo leaned toward the aiming sight of the Inferno Cannon and flicked the cover off the firing trigger.
"All right, let's light things up. All units, await my