CHAPTER 405: CHAPTER 192: THE ARMY AT THE GATES (PART 2)

He was walking very slowly.

But eventually, he reached the front of the square.

And when he squeezed into the crowd that was already gathered here, he suddenly saw a familiar figure.

The battalion leader.

That battalion leader!

He was unscathed, standing calmly in front of everyone, introducing the situation.

"...The first wave of attack was just a test, those monsters are very smart, they are trying to use this method to probe our bottom line."

"However, our trump card has far from been revealed."

"The security of the base is ensured, please rest assured."

"However, we do indeed need more manpower, more volunteers to form the Civilian Reserve Team."

"All those willing to participate can sign up with Comrade Huang Yu later."

"He will assign you appropriate tasks and teach you how to maximize your combat effectiveness."

"Rest assured, you will not be used as cannon fodder."

"Before the Huaxia Army perishes, not a single resident will die in front of us, this is my guarantee!"

Chen Jian’s words were powerful, the crowd was silent at first, then erupted in chaotic shouts.

"I want to join the reserve team!"

"Commander, I’ve fought in wars before, I can go to the front line!"

"If I don’t have to go to the front line, I can still join... at least I can do something."

"I can too----the city needs protection as well, a few monsters got very close before, if it gets late, if there are more monsters, they will rush in..."

"Yes, that’s why we need us..."

"Quiet."

The chaotic noise was interrupted by Chen Jian raising his hand, then he spoke:

"I must immediately engage in a new combat deployment, leave this to Huang Yu for now."

"If there are any questions, he will answer them for you."

"Now, anyone wanting to join the reserve team, step forward!"

As his words fell, everyone began to move.

Yu Qian was stunned for several seconds in place, finally, he stepped forward.

And when he looked back, he found that the number of people standing behind him was already sparse...

...

A few minutes later, inside the 011 base operations command room.

Chen Jian stared intensely at the map on the screen, then spoke:

"All the forts have been replenished and personnel have been reorganized, the one fort that was destroyed cannot be quickly repaired at the moment, but we are transporting new artillery there."

"However, even with the artillery in place, it will become a new weak point for defense."

"We need at least double the personnel and weapons to ensure the safety at that point."

"Calculating the numbers, we don’t have enough people."

"260 Holy Blood from the Imperial City have all been dispersed to the buffer zone to form a mobile defense line, with the unmanned combat cluster, we can barely maintain the density of the line."

"But, this still doesn’t guarantee we’re foolproof when facing dense, highly mobile small monster swarms."

"In today’s first wave of assault, the total number of attacking small monsters and Terror Demons was around 600, but even so, there was still an unexpected breach of the line."

"And according to images returned from the reconnaissance balloons, the total number of small monsters gathering on the periphery has already reached over 3000."

"They are very likely to launch a full-scale attack on us tonight----defending against them isn’t difficult, the difficulty lies in how to eliminate or drive away all these monsters while minimizing core area losses."

"The situation is not optimistic, what are your thoughts?"

As Chen Jian’s words dropped, Ji Xing was the first to raise his hand and asked:

"Can we shrink the defense line? Our biggest problem now is the low firepower density, each firepower point is too far apart, making it impossible to effectively form crossfire, significant deficiencies in blocking capability."

"If we shrink the defense line, with our firepower and manpower, it’s completely sufficient to form an iron wall."

"This..."

"No."

Before Ji Xing could finish, Shen Yue immediately interrupted.

"Our enemies are not just small monsters, more than 40 large monsters have gathered on the periphery, most of which are enemies we have never seen before."

"We don’t know their abilities, we don’t know how they fight, nor do we know how to effectively deal with them."

"If we rashly shrink the defense line, we could easily fall into a complete collapse due to an attack from one of those monsters."

"Just like that Whale Catfish today----if we hadn’t spread out the fort firepower points, if it had directly reached the core zone, how many could survive?"

After listening to Shen Yue, Ji Xing nodded thoughtfully.

After a few seconds of silence, she spoke again:

"Then there is no other way."

"Most of the unmanned combat equipment has been dispatched to the buffer zone, leaving only a few weapon stations deployed at fixed points in the core zone."

"The role these weapon stations can play... is very limited."

"We can only rely on the reserve team."

"Then arm the reserve team."

Chen Jian took a deep breath and then made a decision:

"Arm them in the real sense."

"Give them weapon usage authorization?"

Shen Yue asked in astonishment:

"This could backfire, using unfamiliar weapons, against highly mobile monsters, the losses from friendly fire might be greater than those caused by the monsters!"

"I know."

Chen Jian nodded slowly.

"So my intent is not to give them weapon usage authorization, but to enhance their protective capabilities."

"One of the two tanks must remain in the core area of the base as a pillar of firepower and defense."

"Additionally, all motor vehicles, except those that must be retained for smooth supply transportation, should have protective enhancements completed in the shortest time."

"Steel plates, wood, scrap iron, use whatever works."

"Can the modifications be completed within two hours?"

"...Should be possible."

Lei Jie thought for a moment and then replied:

"Currently, the base has a sufficient stockpile of steel, and the steel plates are ready-made."

"Our demand for protection isn’t so exaggerated, just capable of blocking the claws and teeth of small monsters."

"Then it should be done quickly----Fu Xi, issue the order, let Jin Zan lead the execution."

"Understood."

Fu Xi’s voice sounded in the operations command room, and the order was promptly executed.

Once the plan’s execution was confirmed, Chen Jian did not delay further and continued to speak:

"Aside from small monsters, our biggest problem now is the 40 giant monsters lurking at the edge."

"Current situations show that long-distance bombardment poses very limited threats to those monsters, we might need to let them come closer for direct line-of-sight bombardment."

"However, this would significantly limit our bombardment window, and firepower density will also be restricted."

"Therefore, I need more sturdy and highly mobile firepower output positions."

"A tank, two bombers."

"The tank will be driven by Huang Meng, the bombers by Lei Jie and Jiang Yu."

"You must ensure the distraction of the giant monster horde to gain firing time for the artillery."

"The mission is dangerous----especially for the tank, it may well be a one-way trip."

"Participants must be prepared for sacrifice in advance and must not retreat midway."

"I understand."

Shen Yue nodded solemnly:

"Huang Meng won’t have a problem, his mentality is very firm."

"That’s good."

Chen Jian exhaled deeply and continued:

"Other combat personnel, just follow the original deployment plan."

"Facing large monster hordes, the role of individual combat is limited, I will not directly engage."

"I will stay within the base to command."

"The battlefield outside is up to you."

"Understood!"

Everyone stood up in unison, followed by Chen Jian standing upright and giving everyone a standard military salute.

After returning the salute, the people in the operations command room quickly left.

Chen Jian looked at the big screen.

Through the images returned by the drones and reconnaissance balloons, he noticed that a large number of monsters had begun to gather on the outer layer of the defense line.

As he expected, the evening attack was just a firepower reconnaissance.

And now...

Is the true, enemy at the gates!