Chapter 27: Defense Line Collapse (Part 1)
The assembly work was completed quickly, and Yan Huo breathed a small sigh of relief; even if Luoyu County could not be held, if they could save these children, the higher-ups would not blame him too much.
Meanwhile, at the front line, the second defensive line had gained significant strength after the reinforcements arrived, holding the line firmly.
"Order the spirit-might cannons to prepare." Although the charge of the intermediate savage beasts within the horde had been blocked, this did not mean they were safe.
The spirit-might cannon was a wide-area, high-damage weapon. It was not very difficult to manufacture, but it consumed an extreme amount of energy. A single standard crystal stone was only enough for a 75mm caliber spirit-might cannon to fire about one hundred shots; at minimum, a low-grade intermediate beast crystal was needed to barely fire a single shot. The power of this cannon was immense; a single shot would kill any low-grade savage beast within a thirty-meter radius!
For weapons like the spirit-might cannon, the larger the caliber, the greater the power, and the more astonishing the energy consumption. To deal with low-grade savage beast hordes, a 75mm caliber was sufficient; anything larger would be a waste.
This time, Luoyu County had prepared three hundred of these cannons on the second defensive line, with each cannon loaded with two standard crystal stones. Calculating it out, if all that energy were used up, it would be equivalent to spending six million spirit coins. And that was just the cost of ammunition; the spirit-might cannon itself was a third-grade spirit tool, and a single 75mm caliber cannon cost forty thousand spirit coins, making three hundred of them cost twelve million.
It was a bit expensive, but the effect was excellent. When the three hundred cannons unleashed their power, the horde suffered massive losses; a single simultaneous volley cleared savage beasts within a thousand-meter radius, causing over one hundred thousand casualties.
The entire horde was cut in half by the artillery fire, creating a gap between the front and the back.
The advantages of human thermal weapons were brought into play: they had high numbers, fierce firepower, and strong sustainability. As long as there were enough crystal stones, they were invincible for defense.
The three hundred cannons fired continuously; the firing speed of the spirit-might cannon was one shot per second, which was not to be underestimated. The artillery fire extended forward continuously, effectively decimating the horde.
Just at this moment, the intermediate savage beasts within the horde could no longer sit still. They frantically broke out from the horde, rushing toward the human defensive line while braving the intense artillery fire.
The artillery fire hitting these intermediate savage beasts only managed to tear open gashes; the thickness of the skin and flesh of these savage beasts exceeded everyone's imagination.
"Sir, it's bad! The intermediate savage beasts have entered the fray, and they are charging toward the defensive line." The command post received the news and immediately reported it.
"Let's go, we must intercept them. Our artillery fire here cannot kill them," an Earth-rank Martial Spirit Master stood up and said.
"Everyone, I have received news that the county magistrate is evacuating the children and pregnant women to Luoxing City. Our mission is to hold for five days, at least five days. Our task is not light, but for the sake of humanity, for the children in the county, we must do it!" Ma Chao said solemnly.
"Rest assured, Officer Ma. Luoyu County is our home. Even just to protect our home, we will do our utmost." The group of Earth-rank experts all stood up.
"For humanity, let's move out!" Ma Chao said, waving his hand while holding a long-handled saber.
Over two hundred Earth-rank experts boarded their respective transport spirit tools and flew toward the front line.
The command post was not far from the defensive line, and they arrived in just two minutes.
The two hundred-plus Earth-rank experts simultaneously jumped to the ground and donned their gear. Each of them was clad in battle armor and carried various weapons.
"Bring out the best D-type sniper rifles. Let the best snipers use the D-type sniper rifles to seize opportunities and shoot!" Ma Chao ordered urgently. "You must aim carefully; we will create opportunities for you."
Sniper rifles below the D-type could only injure these savage beasts, not kill them. Moreover, the bodies of intermediate savage beasts were often much larger than humans; small wounds did not affect their combat effectiveness, and their self-recovery abilities were something humans could only envy.
"Everyone, charge!" Ma Chao, clad in silver armor and holding a long saber, roared with intense killing intent.
The group of experts each brought out their signature skills, resolutely blocking the charge of the intermediate savage beasts against the defensive line.
Over at the artillery position, the commander ordered: "Advance the artillery fire and attack the horde behind the enemy lines."
The spirit-might cannons were moved five kilometers forward, avoiding the melee between the Earth-rank experts and the intermediate savage beasts on the battlefield, to shell the horde in the rear.
The horde suffered heavy casualties, and the savage beasts roared in anger, launching another charge.
"Clone Slash!" Ma Chao roared, and a blade aura was unleashed from his saber, powerfully cleaving through an intermediate-intermediate savage beast and an intermediate-low savage beast behind it.
The other Earth-rank Martial Spirit Masters, although not possessing cultivation and strength as formidable as Ma Chao's, were definitely not weak. They possessed powerful spiritual energy, could condense the power of the earth, were equipped with advanced human spirit tool armaments, and combined with secret martial arts passed down through the human legacy for countless years, they could unleash super-first-class combat power.
"Gravity Bind!"
"Heart-Severing Sword!"
"Hundred Flowers Dance!"
"Crescent Moon Slash!"
"Fire Dance of Spring and Autumn!"
"Five Hells Splendid Slash!"
Every Earth-rank expert had their own ultimate moves; some of these were self-created, some were studied, and others were extreme attacks unleashed by relying on spirit tool armaments.
The intermediate savage beasts were certainly formidable, but no matter how strong their physical body was, it could not compare to the power of the spirit tool technology humans had developed over countless years. The attacked savage beasts were either dead or severely injured. The severely injured savage beasts were immediately picked off by the snipers on the human defensive line. The D-type spiritual energy heavy sniper rifle had enough power to penetrate the defense of any intermediate savage beast, and could even break through the defense of an advanced savage beast. Compared to the previous three models, the biggest feature of this sniper rifle model was its excessive power and intense recoil. Only professionally trained snipers could control its accuracy.
Across the entire defensive line, there were fewer than six such professional snipers, but these six snipers showed their prowess, and the severely injured savage beasts were shot dead one after another.
Humanity held the absolute upper hand; as long as these intermediate savage beasts were dealt with, the other low-grade hordes would be nothing to fear. What was the use of having large numbers? Human weapons were not just for show.
The dying counterattack of the intermediate savage beasts was also terrifying. As one savage beast after another died, the remaining ones unleashed their power. They opened their mouths wide and shot out an invisible light wave from within.
"Quick, dodge! This is an ultrasonic dimensional wave; these savage beasts are fighting with their lives." Ma Chao and several other experts noticed this and warned them in time.
These Earth-rank experts each used their divine ability to dodge, but because they were too close, some experts could not evade in time and, having no other choice, activated the defensive shields of their spirit tool battle armor.
The third-grade and above defensive battle armor developed by humans had, in addition to passive defensive effects, an active defense function. Passive defense could weaken seventy percent of an attack's power before the attack exceeded the armor's defensive limit, while active defense could weaken ninety percent of the attack's power!