This Game Is Too Real-Chapter 786: Slaughter on the Shoreline!

"Roar—!!"

The resonant roar pierced through the billowing smoke, shattering the fear that entangled the position.

The mutant, riddled with shrapnel, struggled to rise from the twisted trench and picked up the machine gun that had been knocked to his feet by the blast wave. With a click, he chambered a round and repositioned it at the edge of the warped trench.

The mutants stationed on the beach numbered a ten thousand troops.

But these ten thousand mutants were not crowded together on the beach; instead, they had successively built a defensive line five kilometers in depth.

The high salinity of the sand and land was not conducive to the proliferation of Nago mycelium. Therefore, for the coastal region, the Torch Church did not spread the "Heaven" domain and instead entrusted the defense to the mutants.

However, although the blue-skinned mutants and green-skin mutants were of the same root, they clearly did not get along with each other.

"Stay behind cover!" a Mutant Centurion bellowed rudely, tossing a blue-skinned Fishman out of the trench, "You, don’t stay behind cover, go into the sea, hold them off!"

"Ka??"

The rattling of gunfire came from behind, bullets whizzed past overhead, and the Fishman scrambled forward, not forgetting to glare back fiercely.

But his embarrassed appearance did not win the sympathy of his allies.

The green-skins laughed heartily, shooting another volley of bullets close to his scaly feet.

Although the shelling from the naval guns was fierce, it didn’t actually kill many mutants.

These creatures were incredibly tenacious. Especially a few biologically engineered "Zombie Mutants," which could even regrow their heads if they were lost.

That wasn’t all.

Compared to those who died on Ten Peaks Mountain, their equipment was far superior.

Everything from the homogeneous steel plate welded to their chests to the heavy weapons in their hands spewing flames was a masterpiece from the Charles era of North Island Heavy Industries.

It was clear that Charles had not placed his bets on his own Marine Corps, or rather, he had no expectation that those particular fishermen would win against the men of the Alliance on the battlefield.

He saw at a glance that the Navy was the only reliance of the North Federation and that only those green-skinned "Big Guys" could compete with the soldiers of the Alliance on land. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Rather than using the already scarce resources to strengthen the Marines’ equipment, it was better to use steel and gunpowder to arm the mutant Cannon Fodder.

In fact, this approach wasn’t entirely wrong—letting the strong exert themselves and sending those who were unafraid of death to their demise was one of society’s operational rules.

Yet, unfortunately, the mutants had a fatal flaw that thwarted his plan in addition to their strength and fearlessness.

These creatures had no discipline to speak of, and to implant chips in every mutant for direct control was too costly.

Thus until the internal war in the Southern sea area ended, Charles had not been able to bring this "enemy of humanity" to fill the trenches on North Island, at most only using them on Shazhou Island. These green-skinned beasts stood on the coast of Death Coast, watching him lose the civil war with their eyes wide open.

Perhaps compared to the Torch Church, the Federation was the Survivor Forces that needed "rescue" the most from Poluo Province.

With the technical strength of the Southern sea area and the vast manpower of Poluo Province, even the Weilante People would have to tremble.

After all, Clones did not have a complete mind and were merely Cannon Fodder at best, but the people there were alive and breathing.

However, reality isn’t filled with so many "what-ifs," and Charles had already lost the civil war.

Now it was these vermin’s turn!

The Amphibious Armor vehicles at the very front drove onto the beach first, practically skimming the edge of the artillery fire to reach the Battlefield.

"The first battalion has landed on the beach!"

"Charge! Crush them!"

"Ao ao ao!"

The communications channel echoed with exuberant battle cries, and simultaneously, the roar of the guns from atop the "Short Snout Crocodile" Amphibious Armor vehicles.

The 37mm Rapid-fire Cannons banged loudly, the shell casings clinked and clanked as they were ejected from the side of the Gun Tower, spitting out long streaks of tracer fire towards the beach position’s trenches!

Against the 37mm Armor-Piercing Incendiary Bullet, the flesh and blood of the mutants couldn’t withstand a hit at all, being pierced through with armor and all, with each flash of artillery fire stirring up a bloody storm!

In just a moment of contact, dozens more mutants were pressed to death in the trenches.

Enduring tremendous casualties, the mutants’ ferocity was aroused, roaring as they extended their weapons out of cover to counterstrike against the players landing at the beachhead.

The 20mm caliber heavy machine guns spat flames, but firing at the Front Armor of the "Short Snout Crocodile" Amphibious Armor was like scraping, leaving only scratches and dents, other than that utterly useless.

Only one armored vehicle was unfortunate enough to have its barrel damaged by strafing bullets, but it didn’t prevent it from continuing to advance toward the beach.

"Use this!"

One mutant roared, huffing and puffing as it took out a big weapon from a wooden crate.

It was a two-meter-long heavy gun, with a muzzle the size of an adult’s wrist.

The mutant brought the weapon out of cover, aimed it at the nearest armored vehicle, and squeezed the trigger hard.

"Bang—!"

Flames exploded forward, and the enormous bullet instantly struck the Front Armor of the "Short Snout Crocodile." The searing metal jet poured in, paralyzing the engine at the front of the vehicle.

The armored car immediately lost power, with black smoke billowing from the ventilation holes at the front of the hull.

Seeing the attack was effective, the mutant cheered excitedly, taking out a pitch-black "little sweet potato" from the box, preparing to replicate the success with another shot.

However, just as it bent its head to search for another instant, several loud bangs flew over its head.

Without even a groan, the mutant fell flat to the ground.

Several high-explosive grenades followed the firing light and poured into the trench, and the raging shrapnel instantly turned it into a sieve.

At the same time, the "Short Snout Crocodile" armored vehicle that had been hit earlier crashed into a boulder and finally came to a complete stop. The gunner, left no other choice, ceased firing and shot out a smoke grenade.

The mutants at the beachhead positions clearly noticed the action as their machine guns targeted the area and began rattling away, sending long tracers slamming into the armored vehicle’s hull with loud clangs.

The communication channel was filled with a cacophony of voices.

"Shit!"

"Recoilless gun!"

"Damn it—have those things been delivered already?!"

"I think they might have made it themselves... North Island outsourced a small portion of experts to assist with research on Torch’s land."

"Where did they get a factory?!"

"The engine’s dead!"

"Get out!"

"No family member is down!"

"Do we have them or not?"

"It’s no family member! The ID is no family member!"

"Holy fuck, what kind of crap names do you all pick?"

"@%#! I was just knocked out, haven’t fallen yet!"

Without power, the vehicle on the beach was a sitting duck, and everyone knew they couldn’t dawdle there.

The doors on the rear of the vehicle swung open quickly to both sides, and players in exoskeletons, with cover from adjacent armored vehicles, quickly evacuated several crew members from the cabin.

Bullets pierced through the smoke, whizzing over their heads, and occasionally hitting the ground beside them.

However, not a single person was afraid; instead, everyone’s face was alight with excitement.

This game is damn realistic!

Only the team leader was there, screaming his lungs out.

"Move it! Don’t fucking find cover in the same spot! Charge to the trenches in front! Everyone, get moving!"

In reality, for the mutants crouching in the trenches, hitting the players clad in exoskeletons under the bombardment of heavy artillery and the armored vehicles’ strafing was no easy feat—even with their awkward handling of machine guns and rifles.

Although they possessed extraordinary vitality and regenerative abilities, it didn’t mean they were impervious to the shockwaves from exploding shells.

They too could be left dazed with buzzing heads and blacking out eyes; especially since their brains were underdeveloped, getting shelled could make them even more confused and frenzied.

Not only that, the armored vehicles that landed ashore were not the only support the players relied on.

The exoskeletons issued to the Burning Corps were mostly "Type Five" police models from before the war; their polymer material breastplates could even stop 2-3 heavy machine gun bullets.

Moreover, most of these players were Awakeners, and unless hit in a vital spot, a bullet or two wouldn’t phase them much more than if they hadn’t been hit at all.

In just a few breaths’ time, the players who were forced to disembark had caught up with the advancing armored vehicles, using them as a cover while pressing forward closely behind.

The 300-meter distance vanished in an instant, and the Short Snout Crocodile armored vehicle swiftly reached the trenches, successfully capturing the first line of defense laid by the Mutant Corps.

Apart from the players forced out of their vehicles, other players from the first battalion of the Burning Corps also jumped out of their armored vehicles and charged into the twisted trenches to engage in close-quarters combat with the mutants crouched inside.

"Roar!!!"

Towering and muscular, a zombie mutant gripped a large-caliber rifle in its hand and swung it like a hammer at the Kill dagger who had just leaped into the trench.

The latter ducked to avoid the blow and drew the short axe hanging on his breastplate, slicing upwards in a motion that landed squarely on the creature’s neck, cleanly severing its green, slimy head.

The mutant stood motionless, then suddenly its shoulders shook, and flesh-red tendrils started to sprout from the severed neck, visibly growing upward.

Seeing this, Kill dagger was taken aback.

"Holy shit! Can their heads really grow back?!"

He thought his northern brothers were bragging; this thing was something else!

The "Zombify" that was regenerating its brain wasn’t idle; gripping a rifle in one hand and a short dagger in the other, it slashed madly around the trench as if possessed.

The creature was blind and, apparently, also lacked hearing and smell, relying purely on memory and instinct to fight.

Kill dagger hastily backed away to dodge two lethal moves and pulled out an incendiary grenade, biting off the tab and tossing it onto the regenerating half brain of the mutant.

Blinding white light flashed briefly, and the burning red flames drenched the mutant.

A ’sizzle’ sound rang out, and the smell of roasting meat permeated the entire trench.

The body of the mutant convulsed as it staggered backward, its distorted form seemingly screaming in pain and agony without a voice.

"Be human in your next life."

Kill dagger picked up the large-caliber rifle the mutant had dropped, aiming two shots at its chest and base.

"Bang!!"

Chunks of flesh were torn apart by the shrapnel.

The horrifying wounds finally overwhelmed the "Zombify’s" self-healing capacity, and the creature twisting in the flames finally ceased its struggle, collapsing heavily to the ground.

Having dealt with a target relatively cleanly, Kill dagger discarded the retrieved rifle, picked up his own weapon, and continued to push forward along the twisted trench.

Over the communication channel, a teammate’s voice came through.

Based on their relaxed chatter, it seemed that things were going fairly smoothly for this bunch.

"A-07 trench has been secured, and we’ve captured a recoilless gun... It appears to be the experimental type we found in the North Island Industrial Warehouse."

"They finished the final design... but it doesn’t seem very smart; the fire and smoke from the gun’s muzzle are a bit too much."

"Hehe... I noticed it a long time ago. They simply don’t have any traditional army discipline, only some proficiency in electronics and shipbuilding technologies."

"Are you sure it’s just ’some’ proficiency?"

"Cough, of course, that’s based on the standards of the Wasteland—Game and reality are, after all, two different things."

"MMP! Can’t these mutants even dig a proper trench?"

"Damn, booby traps—"

With a loud explosion, a flash of fire rose from the trench, and a vague silhouette could be seen flying into the sky.

Killer Dagger quickly looked up in that direction and saw a mangled body crash to the ground.

Over the communication channel, the team leader By Some Mistake roared.

"No family member has fallen! We have one down!"

"I’ll go see if he needs a patch." Half-year Wasting Time eagerly crawled out of the trench and headed toward the wreckage, sounding somewhat schadenfreude.

"...for goodness’ sake, be careful! Do you think equipment grows on trees? If you break it, you’ll lose points!" Complaining and cursing, Kill Dagger switched the communication channel to report the situation at the front, "The first battalion has taken the beach! Requesting further instructions!"

After a brief crackling of static, Old White’s voice came through the communication channel.

"Coordinate with the armored units for a forward push. Initiate Stage 2 offensive!"

Full of vigor, Killer Dagger responded.

"Copy!"

The booby-trapped family member was just a minor incident; the battle was going rather smoothly for most of the players at the front.

The first battalion’s three Mechanized Infantry Battalions along with an Amphibious Armor unit had successfully breached a gap at the beach and annihilated a Mutant Corps of a thousand troops.

Casualty statistics temporarily totaled 20 dead, including severe injuries not recoverable within three days.

A battalion taking out a regiment was quite normal for the Alliance’s "Rapid Reaction Elite" Burning Corps.

After a short rest, the first battalion immediately launched a second offensive, leaving the position to the comrades who were landing behind them.

Fixed-wing drones circling in the sky not only provided information and guidance to the frontline units but also recorded the entire process of the battle. The images were broadcasted not only to the rear command post but also to the bridge of the Harpoon Cruiser.

Alliance officers had grown accustomed to the Combat Power of the Burning Corps.

However, Duke Nihak was witnessing the sight of these troops in action for the first time.

As he watched the images on the holographic screen, his face turned pale, large beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, his eyes filled with panic and disbelief.

Is this the Alliance?

The Burning Corps...

It seemed to be the same force that had defeated him before!

Last time, he was defeated so swiftly, he hadn’t even woken up properly before being thrown into a cell. He had initially thought these guys only won by sneak attacks against Jin Galun Harbor’s defense forces.

Now, it seemed that even if the defense forces and the Gray Wolf themselves were waiting in formation onshore, they might not be able to stop these guys.

He wasn’t sure if that force had used its full strength in that battle.

But at least now, he finally understood why Arai Yang had lost—

No!

What he should be wondering was how to defeat such an opponent at all!

Duke Nihak swallowed hard, his eyes inadvertently drifting out the porthole to gaze at those Destroyers.

Clearly.

Having just one Battleship was obviously not enough...

The Empire must build a fleet like the South Sea Alliance! This fleet must possess the capability of searching to destruction all in one, only then could they prevent the Alliance from landing and engaging them in ground warfare!

No—

Merely one fleet wasn’t enough. He had to find a way to buy the shipyards on North Island!

Li Minghui glanced at his "wealthy yet mysterious" old friend next to him, seeing his shocked expression, the corner of his mouth involuntarily curled into a smile.

Look at this ignorant guy, trying to act like an elephant with a leek in his nose.

Not lacking that bit of money?

What does ’not lacking’ even mean?

Having finally enjoyed a bit of bravado, Li Minghui felt quite pleased, but before he could savor the moment, his smile quickly faded.

Wait a second.

Did he accidentally wake up this pig?

Just as he thought this, Duke Nihak turned towards him with a feverish look in his eyes.

"Um... Mr. Li, I have a question, if it’s not too much trouble to ask."

Li Minghui asked cautiously.

"What’s the problem?"

"I was wondering if your esteemed party would be willing to sell the shipyard on North Island?... We’re mainly looking to use it for fishing..." Worried that Li Minghui would suspect his motives, Duke Nihak quickly coughed and flashed a friendly smile.

Li Minghui stared blankly at the Duke, whose intentions were poorly disguised, and couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Hasty.

It seemed his concern about the awakening of an oblivious party had been unnecessary...

With the South Sea Alliance Fleet joining the attack, the Alliance’s Stage 2 offensive was underway, raining down a barrage on the second defensive line of the Torch Church Mutant Corps.

At the same time, the second wave of landing crafts were launched from the large amphibious ships, pushing through the waves toward the shoreline.

Taking off alongside them were twenty Cloud Dragonfly Flapping Machines.

Like dragonflies skimming the water, these flying machines carrying rocket pods rushed towards the beach.

Just then, hiding beneath the surface, the Fishmen suddenly launched an attack, with harpoons soaring out of the turbulent waves, aiming for the low-flying Cloud Dragonflies!

The blue-skinned mutants had thought that if they could just aim for the wings of those "big dragonflies," they could bring them down into the sea, but they clearly underestimated the agility of the Flapping Machines.

One by one, the Cloud Dragonflies executed a fluid evasive maneuver, miraculously dodging the chain-trailing harpoons.

"Click—!"

The blue-skinned mutants hiding in the waves screeched in frustration, helplessly watching the Cloud Dragonflies gain altitude. Some dove back beneath the waves, while others pursued the landing craft, attempting to sink them.

However, the players had already seen through their ploy.

When the first wave of landing crafts came ashore without a sign of these creatures, many players were left wondering where they had gone—turns out they had been waiting for the second wave!

As one player killed a blue-skinned mutant trying to climb aboard a landing craft and crouched there, they shouted into the radio.

"First Company of the Jungle Corps, it’s your turn now."

A muffled voice came through the communication channel, along with the sound of bubbling water.

"Roger that!"

As the words were spoken, several mechanical crabs lurking in the shallow seabed turned on their spotlights, revealing their ferocious armored shells.

The Fishmen struggling with the landing crafts near the surface were oblivious to the underwater rifles already aiming at them.

By the time they noticed the lights rising from the seabed, it was too late.

Ground Model: "Fire!!"

At that command, streams of bubbles propelled torpedo-shaped bullets toward the Fishmen active near the surface.

Caught off guard, the Fishmen in the water were mowed down by the hail of bullets, turning the water almost completely dark red with their blood.

As the attack from beneath the sea caught them by surprise, the Fishmen panicked, turning around and rushing back towards the depths.

And at that moment, the second wave of attacks from the First Company of the Jungle Corps crashed into their faces.

Harsh screams rose and fell, and in an instant, blood and violence erupted anew!

While the Torch Church’s Fishmen were initiating their attack, the mutants onshore launched their first counter-offensive.

Though their communication had been crippled by an EMP strike, the mutants from other defense lines had apparently noticed the breach the Alliance had torn in their own defenses.

Two thousand-team units split into two waves, one attacking the Burning Corps’ First Company that had passed through the beach and advanced further inland, while the other targeted the Second and Third Companies establishing a temporary port on the beachhead, as well as the engineering troops and solo players.

Tracers danced in the air over the beach like drifting catkins, and players on the outer perimeter even saw the tank they had encountered in the North Island Industrial Warehouse.

The Short Snout Crocodile amphibious armor was clearly no match for this behemoth.

However, the Alliance had more than just armored vehicles at their disposal—there were "Thunder" and "Lightning" flying high, and a full twenty Cloud Dragonflies flying low... not to mention the ship cannons floating at sea, just waiting for these living targets to show their faces on the drone cameras.

The four-meter-high tank, monstrous both in-game and in reality, still crumbled like paper mache under the 150mm ship cannons, one hit sending one packing.

Even if the shells didn’t hit directly, the shockwave from the explosions was enough to shatter the patchwork hull to pieces.

The two charging thousand-team units were shattered in less than half an hour, leaving behind limbs, scrap metal, and fleeing in disorder.

Standing on the beachhead, Old White directed the frontline troops through his tactical helmet while firing his bomb gun’s trigger, picking off the stubborn resisters among the mutants.

As the flames of resistance grew weaker, the battle seemed to be nearing its end.

At that moment, a report from the first company came through his communication channel.

"...This is the first company, we’ve discovered a settlement ruin about 6 kilometers from our landing point, hidden in a crevice between two hills, covered with dense woods."

"We’ve found traces of mutant activity there, but our drones can’t see the specifics inside... I’d like to send a small squad to search the area."

Old White quickly glanced at the map, confirming the location marked by the Kill Dagger.

Just from looking at the map, it appeared possible that something could be hidden there.

He made a decision in just two seconds and immediately issued an order.

"Request approved."

A clear and forceful reply came from the other end of the communication channel.

"Yes!"