"The most basic scout?"
"Even the most basic scout is that formidable?"
The foundational combat units of the mecha lacked the capacity to carry too many intelligence modules, and their combat choices were limited to only two modes: "close combat escape" and "long-range firepower".
When encountered at close range by humans, they would use spear-like weapons carried on their bodies and rely on their mechanical strength to forcefully push back, maintaining a certain distance before raising their machine guns and firing instantly.
As basic units, the movements of mecha scouts were certainly not agile, but with the powerful firepower of the machine guns in their hands and the immense force that machinery could exert, they still caused quite a bit of trouble for the players.
Especially since mecha were inherently made of steel, players armed only with rudimentary handmade pistols could hardly inflict damage that penetrated their defenses.
The foundational mecha scout units often required three or four players to work together to defeat them without injury or with only minor injuries, and if they encountered units that were more numerous and ferocious, wouldn’t they all be screwed?
The game’s death penalty was so severe, no one wanted to recklessly risk their lives.
Having only been in contact with the "Dawn" organization for a short time, they didn’t yet feel that the organization within the game was worth sacrificing one of their in-game lives to protect.
Dai Lian took a glance at the players whispering among themselves; he knew their mentality.
As a player himself, when he was unfamiliar with the adults, he had the same mindset. When confronting an impossible situation, running away was the most natural choice.
He wouldn’t keep these players around by lying to them, but at least... he had to let them see a glimmer of hope for victory.
"I’ve investigated carefully, and the mecha army’s structure is divided into three echelons. The first echelon consists of scouts carrying out a carpet-like search; the second echelon is made up of the Vanguard Team that performs confirmation; the last is the actual main force of the mecha."
"The true main force of the mecha only has one group, and they do not divide their forces. Currently, they are also in a silent state of preparation. They will only be deployed when they have confirmed that we are the enemy. So, for the short term, our actual opponents are actually the Vanguard Team from the second echelon."
The mecha clearly had their unique ways of communication. Whether it was the active return of the first echelon’s scout units to report back or the entire loss of scout units searching a particular area, both were sufficient to trigger their second-tier lockdown measures.
From what Dai Lian observed, there were already two Vanguard Teams from the second echelon on their way towards the town.
One in front of the other, approximately more than ten kilometers apart.
"...So, we actually do have the possibility of resistance."
There was a substantial amount of time between the discovery of mecha scout units, the attack from the Vanguard Team of the second echelon, mounting a defense, and the mecha’s third echelon locking down the town and launching their final assault.
They didn’t need the strength to defeat the third echelon’s main mecha force, but only needed the capability to defeat the second echelon’s Vanguard Team and delay until the main mecha force initiated their actual attack.
What remained to be seen was whether the adults would be strong enough.
"...If by then the adults still haven’t sent help or arrived to support us on their own, even if we abandon the town and retreat, we won’t lose everything in the eyes of the organization."
Most players didn’t have a profound relationship with the "Dawn" organization, but Dai Lian and the others didn’t want to give up the relationships they had accumulated since entering the game.
They definitely couldn’t hold out until the arrival of the adults on their own; only if these dozens of players worked together did they have a chance to protect the vulnerable town.
Dai Lian’s thoughts didn’t escape the notice of those players.
"What’s in it for us, huh? There’s no mission, and if it gets destroyed, so be it."
"Exactly, if this place gets destroyed, that big shot might even come back to rebuild. Then there might be a new wave of pioneering missions. Bliss~"
"You may be afraid of losing face in front of that big shot, but we’re not. I’m not going to risk my life for you guys!"
"I’m heading west; who’s with me!" A brawny man raised his huge axe, leading the way with a loud call.
And so supporters gathered, "Me!"
"Me!"
"And me!"
[A time-sensitive mission has been triggered—Protect the Town (Regional Commission)...]
"..."
"I’m not going!"
"I’m not going!"
"I’m not going either!"
"To live as a person of Li Ming Town, to die as a ghost of Li Ming Town!" the burly man hoisted his great axe and turned to look in the direction of the northeast, "Brothers, let’s go chop up those iron clunks!"
"..."
"..."
Watching their morale instantly boosted, Gong Yan and Dai Lian exchanged a silent look, feeling both relieved and speechless.
Relieved because the adults really packed a punch.
Speechless because the players were truly realistic.
Not wanting to waste their high spirits, Gong Yan made an immediate decision, "Attack! Meet the enemy!"
The experience rewards in the mission depended on the integrity of the town. If they actually let the Mechanoids break in, even if they managed to defend using the fortifications prepared in advance, the town would inevitably suffer losses.
The pre-set defenses could only be activated at the very last resort. If possible, they naturally had to repel the enemy outside the gates!
"Lin Lude! You take a hundred people to hold the position. Do not leave no matter what happens. If we can’t hold the front, we will retreat on our own."
The players couldn’t be commanded by her, but all NPCs regarded her as "Sheng Yan."
It was impossible for the town’s military force to rely solely on players. Among the NPCs, there also had to be their own self-defense forces established.
Selecting two hundred robust NPC soldiers from the more than a thousand somewhat defective Grey Iron City failures was the limit of what she could do, and now... she would lead another hundred of them, after some rudimentary training, onto the real battlefield against the alien race.
"All remaining people, follow me and strike out!"
...
"Clang clang clang clang!" The machine guns brought from Grey Iron City were the most powerful individual weapons available to Li Ming Town.
However, the firepower of the machine guns that the current players of limited strength could carry to battle was ultimately limited, and when fired at the thick Mechanoid armor vehicles, they only sparked a shower of sparks.
As for other small pistols and rifles, they weren’t even worth mentioning, not causing even a spark upon impact.
Dai Lian drew his bowstring, hesitating whether to take action.
His Spiritual Energy wasn’t very strong, standing at 10/10 even up to this day.
The Mechanoids’ Vanguard Team had not only some basic light combat units but also five heavy armored vehicles and two heavy firepower humanoid Mechanoids.
Coordinating with other players to deal with those two humanoid Mechanoids with heavy firepower had already drained all of his Spiritual Energy and some of his reserve of action power. His remaining reserve of action power could support him at most to shoot two more arrows.
Two arrows, could they penetrate five heavy armored vehicles?
Moreover, completely exhausting himself on this wave of the Vanguard Team, what would he do about the next wave of the attack? Not to mention, many players were already battered and bruised, with a few unlucky ones already waiting for three days to resurrect.
In such a direct confrontation with a large number of alien forces, Dai Lian realized just how limited an individual’s power truly was.
"Damn it, I’ll give it a shot!" a male player, after aimlessly shooting a rifle for a long while and finding it useless, threw away his rifle.
Instead, he picked up the iron shield of a fallen comrade and a string of grenades and charged towards one of the heavy armored vehicles.
"Da da da da!" The Mechanoid armored vehicle that noticed the player’s move instantly redirected its firepower, with two machine guns spewing even hotter streams of bullets at the charging warrior.
"Cover him!" Gong Yan called out from a distance to Kuang Xin.
"Got it." Kuang Xin, with his twin axes in hand, charged forward and hurled an axe at one of the firing machine guns.
The hit machine gun immediately fell silent, but the remaining one continued to spit out its fiery tongue.
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"Aaaahhhhh!" The player charging with the shield could only hide his upper body behind it, attempting to dodge in an S-shaped pattern as much as possible. The few bullets that still hit the shield were extraordinarily powerful, and in the intense clash, the player had forgotten everything.
A scarlet color descended invisibly amidst the charge, and the player felt an unprecedented surge of strength coursing through his body.
[You have received the Admiration of the God of Strength. Your body transcends the fear of death and is sublimated, physical strength +1.]
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