Half a second later.
The rocket hit the ground.
Time seemed to stand still for a moment.
Then, the earth shook.
The still-standing Golden Tai Tower, along with countless building wreckages, was torn to pieces by the tremendous force.
Like sand and stones, the debris, along with the expanding fireball, rose into the night sky.
And this was just the beginning.
A few seconds later.
More heavy artillery shells, centered around the now-destroyed Golden Tai Tower, fell in dense clusters, hitting a few kilometers around it.
The sound of thunderous explosions echoed through the air.
"So powerful."
Through several electronic reconnaissance vehicles and remote surveillance drones, the live broadcast of the battle was transmitted.
In the online joint command center.
Every officer affiliated with the official shelters couldn't help but feel a deep sense of shock.
The initial 400mm rocket.
Had it fallen on any large shelter location, even if it didn't directly demolish the shelter, the shockwave would have been enough to penetrate deep layers of rock, causing massive damage to the shelter's interior.
If facing such a strike on the surface, it was unimaginable the kind of pressure that would need to be endured.
The subsequent heavy artillery bombardment was equally formidable.
According to the computer statistics, aside from the initial 400mm rocket, in the first half-minute alone, the artillery from Su Wu's side caused over half of the total damage from all long-range strikes.
Qi Jingyu couldn't help but glance at Su Wu's calm face on the meeting room screen. He silently updated his opinion of him.
He was also relieved that they hadn't clashed fully with him earlier.
Otherwise, with such firepower, a single artillery shell from Su Wu would be more powerful than the official security forces' own 155mm shells by three times.
If it came to full combat, they would have been crushed.
With his attention back on the battlefield, Qi Jingyu noticed dozens of flares shooting up rapidly from the center of the bombardment zone.
His eyes narrowed.
He instinctively issued a warning.
"Pay attention to evasion. The enemy is starting to counterattack."
Faster than Qi Jingyu, the artificial intelligence from Su Wu's side had already initiated countermeasures.
Twenty 155mm self-propelled artillery vehicles, each firing five shells within 30 seconds, started their engines, retracting their support frames.
The artillery, which had been dispersed over tens of kilometers before the attack, quickly disappeared into the darkness and rain, leaving behind scattered fireballs from the delayed rockets.
The first wave of counterattacks from the Snowwind Mercenary Corps clearly targeted Su Wu's more destructive 155mm heavy artillery.
However, after all their attacks failed to hit, the mercenaries quickly adjusted their strategy.
They refocused their attention on the official shelters' fixed turrets, which couldn't move easily.
With the start of the second wave of retaliation, the losses for the official shelters began to mount rapidly.
The firepower points capable of launching long-range strikes were dwindling at a visible rate.
Adding to the trouble, the Snowwind Mercenary Corps' fleet, still stationed in the water, seemed to have reacted.
Although they hadn't established contact with their comrades at 4th Shelter, they spontaneously began providing support, joining in the long-range assault on the official shelter's firepower points.
Even their armed helicopters from the aviation unit began taking off from the ship decks and heading toward the center of the battlefield.
"Armored units, take cover."
"Activate air defense weapons."
"Prepare for combat."
The situation was urgent.
As the overall commander, Qi Jingyu kept a close watch on the entire battlefield, sweat forming on his forehead as he directed the ground forces to prepare for the approaching helicopters from the Snowwind Mercenary Corps.
From the intensity of the countermeasures from the enemy, it was clear that their losses weren't as severe as originally anticipated.
Under these circumstances, it was not yet the time for a direct confrontation.
They needed to buy as much time as possible.
At that moment, Su Wu's artillery cluster, which had arrived at the second combat position, began firing again.
Every six seconds, a new round of 20 155mm shells, bringing immense firepower, turned the area around 4th Shelter into a sea of flames once more.
This effectively suppressed Snowwind Mercenaries' retaliation, giving Qi Jingyu a brief respite.
"Luckily, we have an ally in Arshi Shelter."
Qi Jingyu silently sighed in relief.
The pressure from Snowwind Mercenary Corps' swift and fierce counterattack had made him realize that without Su Wu's support, his local defense forces would have been no match for them.
The only variable was Su Wu, and thankfully, Su Wu had proven to be a reliable ally, bringing a glimmer of hope for victory.
Thirty seconds later.
Despite not detecting any signs of attack, the artillery cluster, having completed five rounds of strikes, quickly moved to a new position, executing a maneuver under artificial intelligence control.
For the next few minutes, long-range bombardment remained the main theme of the battlefield.
Countless rockets and shells streaked across the sky, each targeting its designated target.
In this intense artillery bombardment, some small shelters hit by stray shells, located only a few meters below the surface, were instantly obliterated.
The tremendous vibrations from the explosions, transmitted through soil, rock, and concrete, wreaked havoc on the interiors of these shelters.
Those unlucky enough to be near the walls were killed instantly by the shockwaves.
However, despite the devastating performance of Su Wu's artillery cluster, after several rounds of attack, they inevitably became the target of Snowwind Mercenaries, who seized the opportunity to flip over several self-propelled artillery vehicles, weakening the firepower output of the artillery cluster.
"The situation's not right."
"They seem to have a way to resist our bombardments."
"The overall losses are much lower than we anticipated before the battle began."
In the online joint command center, Qi Jingyu quickly analyzed the information from the battlefield.
The intensity of the Snowwind Mercenary Corps' counterattack in the repeatedly bombarded area made it clear that they had not suffered as much damage as expected.
Noticing the numerous armed h
elicopters drawing closer to the hidden armored units, Qi Jingyu made up his mind and turned his gaze to Su Wu.
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