However, the guns in the hands of ordinary soldiers did not fire.
At present, the enemy was still over three kilometers away, and firing ordinary rifles at this distance would be purely a waste of bullets.
For the moment, the only weapons firing were the mortars owned by companies. The upgraded 80mm mortars had much more firepower than before and hadn't sacrificed much in terms of portability. Five such mortars, operated by mortar crews, launched a fierce barrage forward.
Another weapon that could fire was the heavy explosive rifle. Its effective range completely exceeded three thousand meters, and at that distance, it still maintained accuracy—it was the humans who couldn't ensure precision. After all, seeing something three kilometers away with the naked eye, it's good enough to see a small black dot.
But if there were a bunch of small black dots, they would just use the sights on the guns and their training experience to sweep across them.
As the infantry unit's heavy firepower rained down, the enemy was indeed thrown into disarray for a moment.
It seemed they hadn't expected to encounter such an intense firestorm from an infantry troop. They had just annihilated and defeated the unprepared 3rd Squad; at that time, the warriors of the 3rd Squad hadn't even managed to set up their heavy weapons before they were suddenly thrust into close combat.
But now, facing the firepower of a prepared human infantry position, they suffered heavy losses.
Valen Zu'an, lifting binoculars, saw many cyborgs, mechanical dogs, and even another type that had been less common before—machines with four mechanized legs that could move sideways like crabs and were equipped with firepower platforms—were also blown apart by a burst of heavy explosive rounds. Enjoy new tales from My Virtual Library Empire
Company Commander Valen Zu'an wore a faint smile.
Seizing the initiative was quite important, at least it had stirred up the morale of the troops.
But soon, the enemy's counterattack arrived.
Whistling through the sky, artillery shells approached.
The shells were launched from beyond where eyes could see, definitely from a position they couldn't retaliate against. The enemy also had large-caliber, self-propelled heavy artillery that could hit targets tens of kilometers away, with firepower at least as devastating as the Alliance's 155mm howitzers.
As these shells fell, they struck 9th Squad's position, raising dust and dirt in an instant.
Upon hearing the whistling of incoming artillery, Valen Zu'an shouted 'Artillery!' and then ducked his head, wishing he could bury himself in the foxhole dirt.
The intense shaking of the ground, the almost deafening explosion, and the splattering of sand, soil, and pebbles on his helmet and uniform...
These were all profoundly shocking.
But as soon as the bombardment ended, Valen Zu'an immediately raised his head and surveyed the area.
The damage was difficult to assess. One Bull vehicle had been flipped by the explosion, and the other foxholes were still with no one popping up their heads, so their condition was unknown.
But he clearly saw, at the position where the heavy explosive rifle had been mounted, the bodies of the original gunner and ammunition feeder twisted unnaturally, obviously dead.
Looking further ahead, the mechanical beasts that had been previously suppressed by the firepower had taken the opportunity to charge.
He gritted his teeth, yanked a nearby warrior, and dashed out, crouching low.
He took control of the explosive rifle while the somewhat dazed young warrior he dragged over helped him to feed ammunition.
Fortunately, the heavy explosive rifle itself was relatively sturdy, and the artillery shell hadn't landed directly in the foxhole; the gun was still usable.
With some operations, he made the explosive rifle roar again!