Campaign Escalation
A barrage of small rockets roared out, skimming low over the coastline and destroying all the totem poles within a three-kilometer radius in front of them.
The extensive security perimeter was torn open.
The Marines quickly moved through and circled behind the defensive line.
A force of orcs was mobilized and moved toward the gap, but they were not caught.
****
Su Ming was paying close attention to this part of the situation.
Judging from the movement, the orcs had not discovered the exact location of the landing force, nor were they even aware that they had entered.
But this good fortune didn't last long.
After advancing for some time, the enemy clearly spotted the Marines' position.
On the satellite battlefield, several orc squads simultaneously changed direction and surrounded the area where the infiltration team was located.
"It seems the other side has some kind of mobile reconnaissance tactic," the analyst reported.
Su Ming sighed. This news meant that his plan to arrange infiltrators to assist him inside Water Chestnut Island wouldn't be so easy to implement.
However, this Marine Corps unit is currently still within the range of its own support fire.
They did not linger in battle and quickly retreated along the route they had come from.
Several rockets were fired in succession, and the electromagnetic cannons of the Pansy continued to rain down.
The nearby orc forces were quickly suppressed, keeping the evacuation route clear.
As they left, the Marine Corps also burned down an underground supply warehouse they passed by.
The defenders were swiftly killed in the surprise attack, and multiple incendiary bombs were thrown in. Flames spewed from the cracks in the cellar's ventilation shafts, and thick smoke billowed into the night sky.
This is a classic case of thieves never leaving empty-handed.
Newman laughed in the live chat.
Given tonight's consumption, how long will it take the Diamond Base to reach its production capacity?
Su Ming inquired.
Newman calculated it: about five days.
It took five days to produce just two thousand small-caliber rockets and two hundred large-caliber rockets.
Su Ming sighed inwardly.
It's clear that there's still room for development in Taya's industrial production capacity.
Otherwise, if we expand our scale and do this a few more times, the Plundering Clock will definitely be brought to its knees!
****
But the Plundering Clock was already weeping.
One hundred and fifty of the coastal defense guns, which were considered the main force, were destroyed within two hours.
The number of personnel operating the magical weapons and defensive magic arrays has exceeded one thousand!
These are not ordinary soldiers; the number of personnel is small, and it is impossible to train and replenish them in a short period of time.
In comparison, the burned-down warehouse was less heartbreaking.
Although the Plundering Clock did indeed leave the orc army on the coast as expendable resources to delay the landing of the Taya Allied Forces, it never expected them to be consumed so quickly.
What's worse, no matter how you look at it, everything that happened last night was nothing more than a "low-intensity" probing attack.
A military conference was urgently convened at the Cloud Fang Royal Palace in the early hours of the morning.
"We were not prepared to encounter Earth's tactics and weapons in the Taya Plane."
Abidaqi said in a low voice.
"Therefore, the instructions given by the Supreme God are insufficient."
He unfolded some picture books.
The first image is a diagram of tunnel warfare.
They searched for favorable terrain near the coast and excavated and constructed numerous underground fortifications.
Simply hiding personnel and supplies there, as before, is far from enough.
Heavy artillery, defensive magic arrays, and Magic Power crystal supply nodes should also be hidden in underground bunkers.
On the ground, only camouflaged positions, decoy turrets, and a small number of rapid-fire units were retained. "This should allow these orcs to hold out for a few more days," Hairspring nodded.
This plan actually started three days ago.
However, the selection of the site for the underground project, the allocation of supplies, and the organization of the orc laborers all require time.
Unexpectedly, the other side launched an attack in the early hours of this morning, completely disrupting their war preparations.
"Given the current situation, there's no time to slowly repair it."
Abidaqi sighed.
"I brought these things too late."
Previous tactical choices had focused on eliminating Su Ming.
Unexpectedly, the seemingly foolproof plans, such as the Super Crystal Dragon and the Miasma Throat, all failed one after another, resulting in numerous personnel losses.
The situation deteriorated rapidly, eventually turning into a defensive war on the mainland of Water Chestnut Island.
"At this rate, we won't last three months," a bell-ringing priest said anxiously.
Abidaqi gritted his teeth and made up his mind.
Therefore, the "Earthfire Plan" is imperative!
"Instead of hoping to stall and delay, we should proactively eliminate the enemy and clear the way for the arrival of Eden's army!"
The "Earthfire Plan" was originally an alternative because it was extremely costly and faced many uncertainties.
Hairspring and Death Knell exchanged a glance.
Judging from the current situation, this plan is actually more promising than sticking to the original plan.
The two then chose to agree, acting as the hands of the Clock Hand.
The three-person leadership group unanimously passed the resolution.
"Therefore, all tasks from now on will revolve around the ' Earthfire Plan '!"
Abidaqi gave the order.
The Hairspring slightly raised its hand.
"I believe the front lines cannot be left to their own devices. Otherwise, before ' Earthfire Plan ' is ready, the Taya Allied Forces will have already invaded."
Abidaqi paced back and forth a few steps.
"Hairspring, take two Quarter Hand and the shamanic troupe to the front lines and hold them off!"
As he spoke, he pushed the catalogue towards Hairspring.
Hairspring flipped through the pages, and what followed were various defensive methods against artillery fire and modern gunpowder weapons.
Zigzag tunnel.
Multiple layers of fortification.
Camouflage strategies to counter aerial reconnaissance.
There are many more, including matching runes, spells, and magic arrays.
These were all developed by the Eden Divine Sacrifice Society after receiving the Jörmungandr, with a large number of people working overtime.
"Understood!" Hairspring replied.
**** Morning, satellite intelligence feedback.
A team of several hundred members from the Plundering Clock departed from Cloud Fang City to reinforce various fronts.
Many of them were members who developed from the native orcs, mainly shamans.
In addition, the priest of the Plundering Clock personally oversees the operation.
However, of those who could be considered "important personnel," only three left.
Currently, the Plundering Clock has a total of eleven "key members".
In other words, there are eight people left in Cloud Fang City.
Moreover, that Destiny Level "VIP" is still around.
No matter how much Su Ming tried to bluff, he wouldn't dare to attempt to escape Tehran in this situation where he was surrounded by enemies.
He was very dissatisfied.
"Your actions last night weren't 'sneaky' enough," Su Ming couldn't help but complain.
"We're already burning up," Katharine retorted. " With Abidaqi here, I'm too restricted in what I want to do," Su Ming murmured.
According to reports from "Fang of the Wild" intelligence personnel in Cloud Fang City, Su Ming's side already knows the name of this Destiny Level powerhouse.
Although the Plundering Clock didn't really try to keep the name a secret.
Katharine's eyes flashed.
The way Su Ming sounded to her was as if he wanted to do something else besides running away?
But Su Ming didn't give her much time to think; he had already made his judgment.
"Let's play another round tonight!"
"The number of rockets deployed remains unchanged; ground infiltration forces—"
Su Ming paused.
"Increase it by more than ten times!"
Katharine quickly understood what Su Ming meant.
"By deploying ground troops, destroy a larger number of enemy supply depots?" "And thereby draw the enemy's high-end combat forces here?"
Su Ming nodded.
"The enemy has only sent three so far, so let's continue to create gaps in the battlefield and force them to send more!"
"The Albacore can't hold that many soldiers," Xiwo suggested.
"It's not just the Albacore that's attacking," Su Ming said.
"The Stars Navy fleet, and the dwarven semi-submersible ship Five Fangs, are all ready to be deployed!"
This significantly increased the scale of the battle.
However, after careful discussion, the General Staff found that the operation was worthwhile from a benefit perspective.
Don't be fixated on a high overall exchange ratio.
Su Ming pointed out.
"As long as the investment and returns are marginally worthwhile, we must be bold enough to fight and willing to pay the price!"
The Taya Allied Forces, having crossed the ocean, will inevitably be limited by the scale of their initial deployment. Therefore, it would be better to first inflict continuous damage on the enemy through a high exchange ratio.
This paves the way for the upcoming landing!
A small-scale military meeting was held, and after further analysis and evaluation of Su Ming's plan, it was deemed to be without problems.
The action plan was continuously refined, and a flood of orders poured in.
The fleets of various countries, which had just arrived at the Three Peaks Island, quickly began preparations for battle.
"Missiles can be used as an emergency measure if necessary!"
Su Ming added to the plan.
During last night's operation, the Pansy used only domestically produced rockets and did not launch any missiles.
However, as the scale of the campaign escalates, missiles should be placed in the "reserve" to deal with various unforeseen events on the battlefield.
"Understood!" Katharine replied.
****
During a break from her busy schedule, Katharine approached Su Ming again. "Hey, what are you planning to do in Cloud Fang City?"
Su Ming didn't hide anything; he pointed to the royal palace on the satellite cloud map.
"Didn't you ever think about where the Plundering Clock, the Plane Door that guides Eden's army, is located?"
Katharine looked towards the palace. In the central square, there was an observation array and a small-scale descent guidance array.
"This size isn't enough," Katharine said, "But the royal palace is certainly a very likely location."
Su Ming nodded.
"So I'd like to see if there's any chance I can confirm that."
"Then guide the missile for a long-range precision strike."
His eyes narrowed.
Let's cut off their supply lines!
Cloud Fang City must have anti-aircraft magical weapons, and such a crucial magic array must also have defensive capabilities.
Therefore, the scale of the strike cannot be small, and ground reconnaissance support is also needed. Katharine sighed.
Please prioritize your escape.
"My daughter is still with you."
Su Ming smiled.
"Don't worry, I'll be careful and make sure I escape safely with Yise."
Katharine shook her head.
"No, I mean you should run away first."
She corrected him.
"If there are indeed problems with the Cloud Fang Royal Palace, let Yise handle the related matters."
Su Ming was very surprised.
"... Are you even a mother?"
"That's why we had to choose the best option," Katharine said calmly. "Your daughter is listening too!" Su Ming added.
"My mother is right," Yise said calmly. "The bigger picture is what matters, and besides, this is something I should be doing in the first place."
Su Ming was completely convinced.
"Fine, now I'm begging you not to do anything reckless."
"I will make careful plans!"