Chapter 63: Frontline Pressure

The "Lovers," a member of the Tarot Alliance, was the first to break through to the left side of the battlefield.

"The enemy is just ahead. Prepare to fire!" the Lord of the Lovers shouted urgently.

However, a puzzled voice came from the lookout through the speaking tube.

"Report, my Lord, there is no mobile city ahead."

"Impossible! The radar shows it is right there! It must have found cover and hidden!"

The Lord of the Lovers immediately hurried onto the deck and picked up his binoculars.

The moment he saw what was ahead, a trace of confusion and perplexity flickered in his eyes.

Before him lay an open plain, completely devoid of any cover.

The mobile city shown on the radar had vanished without a trace.

"This... how is this possible?" he muttered involuntarily.

At that very moment, a subtle distortion of the air rippled through the scenery not far away, and a mobile city materialized.

To his horror, the Lord of the Lovers saw that all the artillery barrels on its deck were aimed directly at him.

In that instant, a suffocating terror flooded his heart.

He tried to cry out, but the next second, he was swallowed by an overwhelming deluge of artillery fire.

"Got them!"

The moment the Lovers exploded, Li Ye threw a punch in triumph.

Relying on the urban camouflage as concealment and launching a surprise attack when the enemy predatory city arrived—this was his plan all along.

Thanks to the fact that he had never used urban camouflage in front of the Tarot Alliance, the enemy knew nothing about the Tomorrow possessing such a capability.

To ensure a devastating blow to the enemy in a single strike, Li Ye had mobilized all his Tier-1 artillery pieces this time.

Caught completely off guard, the Lovers was instantly engulfed by the barrage. As an assault-type mobile city, its urban armor was not as thick as that of the Chariot. The shockwave of the lava shell explosion shattered more than half of the city's armor in a split second. The combat personnel on the deck did not even have time to react before they were vaporized by the intense heat into distorted shadows.

More than half of the mid-tier area was ravaged by the explosion. The steel structures warped and deformed in the searing heat, emitting sounds like the shrill shrieks of banshees. Moments later, several steel support beams in the mid-tier collapsed and snapped, crashing heavily into the lower levels.

The control room, struck dead-on by a frost shell, froze instantly. The helmsmen turned into ice sculptures, shattering into countless fragments of various sizes amidst the trembling shockwaves of the explosions.

After another round of artillery bombardment, the predatory city could no longer hold its structural integrity and collapsed with a deafening roar.

"Nice!"

The combat personnel aboard the Tomorrow could not help bursting into cheers.

***

Although they had eliminated an enemy right at the start, the overall combat situation was far from optimistic.

The Tarot Alliance concentrated all its combat power, driving it relentlessly toward the right flank. Seven predatory cities advanced in a scattered formation, spearheaded by hundreds of off-road vehicles tearing across the ground. The immense pressure from the frontline was almost enough to crush the Moonlight and the Wanderer.

Had it not been for the support of the Tier-1 fortress and Tier-1 landmines, the right flank would have completely collapsed in the blink of an eye.

Charging at the absolute vanguard of the enemy forces were the Chariot and the Tower.

Repaired by their ally, the Hermit, this defensive-type predatory city had recovered its former combat strength. Its urban armor slowly unfolded during the charge, steadily accelerating faster and faster.

Closely following behind was the Tower, another defensive city enveloped in Tier-2 urban armor known as the "Protector," its armor plating staggering in thickness.

Like battering rams breaking through a formation, these two predatory cities slammed heavily into the Vanguard Alliance's positions!

The Tier-1 fortresses on the frontline of the Vanguard Alliance fired frantically, weaving a dense, interwoven web of artillery and machine gun fire.

Yet, before the Chariot and the Tower, it proved utterly futile.

The two predatory cities, one on the left and one on the right, continuously bulldozed through the Tier-1 fortresses along their path. Occasionally, a landmine would trigger an explosion, but the effect was negligible—as defensive cities, the wheels and treads of the Tower and the Chariot had undergone multiple rounds of modification, granting them extraordinary defense.

With their two companions clearing the way, the ensuing fleet and predatory cities surged forward like a black tide.

At that moment, the Echo situated in the rear opened fire.

A sound like tearing air echoed through the space, and the area ahead transformed into a sea of explosive fire.

This synchronized salvo of artillery forcefully suppressed the enemy's offensive momentum, forcing the predatory cities to scatter and evasively maneuver around the barrage.

Several off-road vehicles were struck during the chaos, rapidly transforming into burning fireballs.

"Incredible!" Li Ye could not help exclaiming.

In mobile city alliance warfare, fire-support cities were the absolute backbone of combat operations; the artillery bombardment they provided was simply crucial.

However, when he inadvertently glanced into the distance, his expression changed instantly.

The smoke billowing in the distance had dissipated, revealing two predatory cities.

The Magician and the Judgment.

Both of these predatory cities belonged to the fire-support class, and the sheer number of artillery pieces they possessed was equally staggering.

At this very moment, all the artillery barrels on their decks elevated in unison, locking onto their targets.

Li Ye realized the truth in an instant, a few cold sweat droplets beading on his forehead.

"Oh no, their target is..."

The next second, the Echo was consumed by an overwhelming storm of explosions.

***

[Industrial - Echo:]

[Wanderer - Two! The enemy actually has two fire-support cities?!]

[Moonlight - Without the Echo's fire support, our frontline won't hold!]

[Echo - I'm fine.]

As the smoke and dust cleared, the members beheld the situation.

Shielded by urban cover, the Echo had managed to evade the vast majority of the shells, but due to the sheer volume of enemy artillery, several rounds had still landed on its deck.

At this moment, several sections of the Echo's urban armor had collapsed, numerous artillery pieces were destroyed, and fires burned in multiple locations.

[Echo - There's no time to calculate casualties and lost artillery; I will do my best to prepare the next round of fire support.]

The Bronze Wanderer, positioned in the front-most position, moved to provide reinforcement, but a predatory city intercepted its path directly.

It was none other than the Chariot. Accompanied by a deafening roar, the steam ballista mounted on its deck fired.

A massive steam-powered bolt struck the Bronze Wanderer squarely.

However, the Bronze Wanderer was equipped with Tier-2 urban armor. The bolt only penetrated a fraction of its armor, and even when the explosives embedded within the shaft detonated, it merely warped that side's armor slightly.

The Bronze Wanderer immediately engaged it in combat.

Yet, it soon realized something was amiss, because not far away, another predatory city bypassed it entirely, driving straight toward the rear of the formation!

It was the assault-type city, the Grim Reaper. This predatory city was painted pitch-black, its banner bore the image of a Grim Reaper in a black robe, and even its entire convoy was painted black.

Its target was none other than the Echo in the rear.

[Bronze Wanderer - The Echo is about to be attacked! I'm pinned down, someone go and stop that enemy!]

[Tomorrow - I'll go.]

[Moonlight - No, I'll go instead. You head over immediately to support the right flank.]

[Wanderer - How much longer for the artillery support? I'm almost at my limit!]

[Echo - Most of my gunners were killed or wounded in that bombardment. We are currently relying on combat personnel to urgently fill the gaps. Fire support is expected to be delayed by about 5 to 10 minutes.]

[Vanguard - I'll do it.]