Counterfeit Hero

Chapter 1573 -48: Massacre (Part 2, First Half)

The intercity highway from Xiushui River Town to Seven-star Town had now turned into a gigantic construction site.

On both sides of the north–south intercity highway, everything was a scene of blazing activity. Engineering Mecha were rapidly digging trenches, shuttling Transport Mecha were continuously hauling in metal bulletproof walls, explosion-proof sheds, and alloy supports. Combat Mecha were carrying weapons and ammunition down into the trenches, while soldiers, drenched in sweat, swung their entrenching tools, kicking up clouds of dirt.

Five Fei Alliance fighters, like wild geese, formed a V-shaped formation and roared over the skies above Xiushui River Town, flying north along the intercity highway. Their silver-white alloy fuselages gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.

From the air, the earth below rose and fell in rolling mountains, and the No.5 Resource Highway wound through the ranges like a white giant python, twisting back and forth until it crested the mountains, where it once again became straight and flat.

If the No.5 Resource Highway was the north–south aorta of Leifeng Star, then the surrounding intercity highways were like its branching capillaries.

The Fei Alliance Joint Army’s defensive line was laid out along this road network, like the veins on a leaf. The positions on both sides of the highway were already taking shape, and all the major peaks in the mountain areas were on full battle alert. Thousands upon thousands of Feiyang Mecha were maneuvering under orders from headquarters, each massive armored cluster galloping across the dust-choked earth like herds of migrating gnus.

Having seized the two major strongholds, the Fei Alliance Joint Army had completely penned the main forces of the Bellif Northern Cluster into the Sunset Mountain Basin. Nearly fifteen divisions of powerful troops formed an arc-shaped defensive line seventy kilometers long and fifteen kilometers deep, like a gigantic iron gate, sealing the western side of the Sunset Mountain Basin so tight not even a drop could leak through.

Faint sounds of artillery came from a point some thirty kilometers west of the outer defensive line of the No.5 Resource Highway.

Those were the last ten Armored Divisions of Bellif’s Northern Cluster; at this moment, they were hurling themselves desperately at Sunset Mountain. The two Chuckna Armored Divisions originally sent to intercept them had already received orders to switch to tactical harassment, avoiding direct confrontation with the enemy. The Feiyang 33rd Army following behind had gone even further and opened up a corridor.

At first, the warriors were a bit puzzled by this order, but once they saw the battle report from Sunset Mountain, everyone understood.

It wasn’t only the five divisions in the west that had opened a corridor; three divisions in the east had done the same. The entire line along the D88 intercity highway had almost turned into an undefended blank zone.

The division commanders executed the orders issued by Leray Lieutenant General Tian Xingjian with firm resolve. They knew that in the battle of Sunset Mountain, the sacrifice of the Bandit Army First Division Special Camp had already made that Fatty Vice Admiral see red.

Under his orders, the two Bandit Army Armored Divisions originally kept in the rear as reserve forces had already all set out, rapidly moving to the north and south sides of the 5th Resource Highway, ready to enter the battle. And five hundred Rampage units had already departed from the headquarters set up in the mountains north of Xiushui River Town, heading toward the 5th Resource Highway.

The Fei Alliance Soldiers on the positions silently watched as one Bandit Army Mecha after another roared past in front of them.

The main combat units in the lead were all uniform Ranger models. These stout, chubby Mecha wore a guileless, honest-looking face. Every time they saw that face, the warriors couldn’t help but find Leray Lieutenant General’s twisted sense of humor amusing.

Perhaps because of the bandit army’s close-quarters fighting style, there actually weren’t many Medium-sized Mecha or Heavy Mecha in the column. Each company had only three Heavy Mecha and eight Medium-sized Mecha. However, anyone who had seen the bandit army fight knew that the strength of their long-range firepower simply didn’t matter; their terrifying close-quarters killing ability was their most dreadful weapon.

Most of the Medium-sized Mecha and Heavy Mecha were concentrated in the bandit army’s Logistics troops. That place was practically a rolling antique parade. Not only were there Seventh Generation Warrior units, Honor 15 Medium-sized Mecha and Anger Heavy Mecha, Antenna electronic mecha, there were even quite a few Combat Mecha modified from Bumaers Private Mecha.

Although these Mecha had basically all undergone upgrades and modifications, and even a Seventh Generation Warrior still possessed decent combat power, their old-fashioned silhouettes and mottled paint jobs still made them look far removed from this era. The impression that the bandit army were militia, more than half of it probably came from these old, battered relics.

From Frenso Town to here, these Mecha, bodies caked with mud and scorched with smoke marks, had been charging at the very front of the column along with the Mechanical Warriors piloting them.

Originally, this blocking battle no longer had much to do with them. Once the garrisons of Seven-star Town and Xiushui River Town were combined, the Fei Alliance Joint Army’s strength had reached fifteen divisions, and south of 49 Peak, another six divisions had already crushed the remnants of Suss’s 21st Army Group and the remnants of the Jiepeng 25th Army Group and were swarming toward this area.

With such ample forces, combined with the main Allied forces launching a counterattack from Sunset Mountain, it should have been more than enough to swallow up those Western Alliance Forces scattered across the western part of the basin, a rabble that barely counted as an army anymore.

Yet that breathtaking battle on Sunset Mountain had rendered all the previous operational deployments null and void.

When the battle report on the Bandit Army First Division Special Camp at Sunset Mountain came through, the ordinary Fei Alliance Soldier felt solemn respect. Many of them had only joined the bandit army’s northward march at Saint John Town and had never personally witnessed the battles between the bandit army and the Judger units. They were half-skeptical of their comrades’ sworn descriptions.

But the battle report from Sunset Mountain held no falsehood. Through those figures that could only be described as tragic, they could fully picture hundreds of bandit soldiers standing Heng Dao in front of two hundred menacing Judger units, their blood-soaked silhouettes refusing to retreat!

The more powerful the Judger units were said to be, the more terrifying the legends about them, the deeper the bandit soldiers’ respect grew!

Yet in the eyes of the bandit soldiers, that battle report was a list of vengeance. They didn’t care how many Judger units they had killed; what they cared about was how much Western Alliance blood remained to be repaid!

A minute earlier, these bandit soldiers had still been joking and laughing with everyone, calling each other brothers, chatting about their hometowns, chatting about the mountains, rivers, and customs of Leray and Mars. The officers, gentlemanly and debonair on the surface, would occasionally, with spittle flying and a lewd expression, tell a couple of dirty jokes, exposing their true faces, making them seem even more “ordinary” than ordinary folk.

A minute later, these people had turned into ferocious beasts with twisted faces.

The officers bellowed orders with veins bulging in their necks. The soldiers, like enraged hornets, sprang up, frenziedly scrambling onto their Mecha and firing up the engines.

In less than ten minutes, the combat units of the Bandit Army First and Second Armored Divisions had fully armed and assembled, then stormed out of their positions, murderous intent surging.

The Fei Alliance units along the route that received the order all cleared the way, watching this Mechanical Army pass through.

One Mecha after another of the bandit army tore through the continuous lines of positions, streaking like lightning toward the center of the battlefield. The ground trembled beneath their feet, dust billowed under them, and the wind howled past their sides. On the boundless earth, all that could be seen was this rolling iron torrent brimming with murderous intent.

In the hearts of all the Fei Alliance Soldiers, there was only one thought!

The Western Alliance people are screwed!

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“Fatty, this is the latest SkyNet Situation Map.”

The voice of Little Pi sounded in his headset, and a map file was transmitted to Logic’s computer.

Opening the situation map, Fatty gave it a cold glance. As expected, according to SkyNet’s reconnaissance, both Bellif and Langman had chosen the third segment of the 5th Resource Highway as their breakthrough point.

Bellif was attacking from west to east, ten Armored Divisions forming three assault arrows, trying to pin both flanks and punch open the center. The troops on the two wings had already engaged the 33rd Army, and the central force was advancing very fast.

Langman, meanwhile, was moving along the D88 intercity highway, mopping up stragglers along the way while breaking out toward the third segment. Now, that unit was less than ten kilometers from the 5th Resource Highway, its column swelling to nine regiments, close to the scale of three Armored Divisions. Even though this routed force had discarded most of its logistics troops, their combat units still numbered over eighteen thousand Mecha.

Forty-two Judgers, leading two of Suss’s most elite Armored Groups, were at the very front. Several attempts at interception had all been spearheaded by them. Their moves were vicious in the extreme.

As for Reinhardt, Fatty was all too familiar with him.

This bastard son of James hid a cold heart beneath his gentle, refined exterior. He possessed outstanding military leadership, extremely sharp judgment, and an exceedingly obstinate personality. Once he set his mind on something, no one could change it.

He was a thorough lone wolf, indifferent and ruthless, never caring about others. As long as he deemed it necessary, whether it was his subordinates under his command or his own relatives and friends, he could sacrifice them all.

Although he had been screwed over by Fatty once at Mezrich, that had only been a gamble.

If Fatty hadn’t learned Mecha Martial Arts and improved his hand speed while being hunted by Reinhardt; if he hadn’t relied on Logic’s transformation ability to force Reinhardt, at the most critical moment, to sacrifice his own men and shatter his godlike image, then the battle of Mezrich would not have seen the Mythical Army abandon their offensive so easily.

Now, Reinhardt was back—back with control skills boasting a hand speed of over eighty-five moves per second.

Fatty sneered and pushed the control stick forward. With a howl, Logic shot through the positions, over the highway, and past countless gazes from the Fei Alliance Soldiers, leading five hundred black, devil-like Rampage units to thunder across the open field.

Reinhardt, fuck your mother!

If I don’t kill you, I’ll write my own damn surname backwards!!!

Bonnie stepped out of the Command Mecha.

The wind on the hilltop blew through her long red hair, like flames dancing on wild grass at the edge of a cliff.

Looking west, the 5th Resource Highway stretched northward two kilometers away, not diving back into the east–west D88 intercity highway’s northern side until twenty kilometers further on.

In front of and behind the highway, crisscrossing trenches lay like slithering snakes.

But at this moment, all the defensive units around the third segment had already withdrawn on orders, sweeping westward along the mountains on both sides. Between heaven and earth, only five hundred Black Mecha remained, running as they charged up a small earthen rise at the ninety-fifth kilometer mark of the D88 highway.

A battered Mecha at their head came to a halt, crouched down, and stared toward the eastern end of the highway.

Like a little punk waiting for his opponent.

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. Uh, I originally wanted to finish this chapter before posting, but I can’t get it done today, and I don’t want to drag it out for two days and post together, so I split off the (Part 2).

.(To be continued. Support the author, support legitimate reading!)