The Great Retreat (Part One)

Southern Industrial District, Tyre, 7:00 a.m.

Beluf tensed as the Trukk tank broke through the outer defensive line. It lurched over the rubble, easily crossing the trenches.

The driver kept its speed well controlled, without shaking off the infantry advancing under its cover.

Every vehicle was closely followed by a squad on foot. The broad tracks and wheels of these steel monsters packed the crushed stone beneath them tight.

Beluf peered out from atop the Trukk. In the thick fog, it was difficult to accurately assess the humans' strength.

But he was certain the enemy had never expected a surprise attack from the east.

Under the combined effects of the weather and tactical feints, the so-called Black Legion had been completely caught off guard by the flanking assault force.

Deadly flashes of fire streaked through the fog like bright ribbons. The air echoed with the sharp bursts of shootas and the continuous thunder of autocannon fire.

After a day of sustained assault, Beluf suddenly changed his previous strategy. He turned the focused breakthrough into a broad offensive, clearing the humans' outer defenses first before squeezing step by step toward the central area.

The advantage of this was that it could maximize their numerical superiority. The downside was that it would drag out the battle.

What prompted Beluf to make this decision was news from Tyre.

Guk had already captured that city!

That meant a breakthrough was no longer the most important task. Their first priority was to wipe out the enemy here completely. That was also Guk's order.

To annihilate the enemy and prevent them from escaping, he had no choice but to spread out his forces and form an encirclement.

But that did not mean the enemy would obediently wait in place to die like idiots. Beluf could roughly