Quickly leaving behind the self-proclaimed sniper Fatty Bai, the Lieutenant crawled up to the sniper position.

In front of him, Jiepeng Soldiers surged like a tide over the gentle slope.

At the forefront of the tide, a "Fushan" Mecha was advancing slowly. The energy cannon on its left forearm and the two energy machine guns aligned vertically on its right arm emitted three light chains at varying tempos, ruthlessly ravaging the battlefield. The web of intersecting firepower upon the battlefield merely created dense ripples on its energy shield.

Jiepeng Soldiers advanced in staggered formation, some providing cover fire for suppression, while others pushed forward swiftly and decisively.

The hillside was teeming with dense shadows; in just five minutes, they had pushed nearly two hundred meters up from the advancing position at the base of the hill. Had the hill not been pyramid-shaped, tapering toward the summit, the current firepower on the battlefield would have been insufficient to halt these fearless Jiepeng Soldiers.

Lieutenant Samson added his rifle to the chorus of the battlefield.

A series of precise point shots quickly restrained over a dozen eager Jiepeng Soldiers facing the shooting position. Forced them to halt their charge and crawl down, seeking concealment behind small mounds and large trees.

Samson pressed the rifle stock against his shoulder and fired swiftly.

Ahead of the battlefield, scattered woods provided excellent cover for the Jiepeng Soldiers, along with protruding mounds and moss-covered rocks.

The sights of the M26 rifle moved quickly.

A Jiepeng Soldier, slow to conceal himself, was hit in the chest. He staggered on the slope, his gun fell powerlessly to the ground, and the blood from his chest spread like a spider web over his gray uniform until he finally fell backward with wide eyes and rolled down the hill.

The Jiepeng Mecha noticed the suppressed area. The mecha’s energy cannon began to pivot towards Samson’s shooting position. Blinding flashes and two fine energy light chains quickly swept over from the left of the battlefield, stirring up a spray of mud, stone, and splintered wood.

Though the sights caught a Jiepeng Captain which presented a perfect target, Samson nevertheless had to abandon the shot before being shattered by the opponent’s mecha and pulled back behind the metal bulletproof wall.

"Son of a bitch," he cursed ruefully, glancing to the left.

In the dirt flying under the mecha’s fire, that Fatty shot like a groundhog swiftly emerging and firing.

*********************************

"How’s it going?"

In the trench downhill, Corleone, the Battalion Commander of Jiepeng Army 203 Infantry Division 2031 Brigade Second Regiment First Battalion took a stance behind a concealed structure, using a tripod-mounted electronic telescope to observe the mountaintop positions.

Behind him, Deputy Battalion Commander Bernasera clutched the communicator, loudly urging the two companies involved in the assault.

Amid Bernasera’s bellowing, a staff officer reported to Corleone: "Battalion Commander, current battle records show that the enemy positions have not deployed any anti-mecha weapons including energy cannons and portable missiles. Only light weapons are in use, consistent with our inference."

Corleone nodded, moving his eyes away from the electronic telescope.

"Damn it!" The Deputy Commander Bernasera suddenly discarded the communicator, violently tugging at his already loose collar, red-faced and bulging-necked as he spoke to Corleone: "A position defended by a single company, our Battalion with three companies charged twenty times over eight hours without breaking them! It’s utterly disgraceful. Now, the main force has already fully breached the first line of defense and is attacking the second line. These bastards......"

Bernasera’s bloodshot eyes swept over the soldiers in the trench with lowered heads, his voice fierce: "Once this battle ends, I’ll drill them thoroughly!"

"This place is easy to defend and hard to attack," Corleone said, his face dark: "Their positions are solidly built, firing points allocated without any gaps. Unable to breach them, we underestimated the enemy. Concerns about drilling can wait; I believe...... once the positions are captured, consider how you’ll handle the Chuckna prisoners!"

Bernasera chuckled grimly: "As long as any of them are still alive, I’ll make sure they wish they were dead!"

The nearby staff officer shivered instinctively at the wolf-like gaze of the surrounding low-ranking Jiepeng nobles. He still remembered the tragic state of the Chuckna prisoners under Bernasera’s grip during the pursuit days ago, left in mangled dismembered remains. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The Jiepeng Empire upholds the principle of survival of the fittest. Even nobles are steeped in bloody conflicts, and murderously inclined noble officers are not uncommon within the Jiepeng Army. Among them, Bernasera was undoubtedly the most perverse.

"Commander, how much longer do you think it’ll take to capture the positions?" Bernasera gritted his teeth audibly: "Earlier, those bastards at the division headquarters asked us if we needed them to call in a squadron of fighters for support...... Total insult!"

"Not much longer!" Corleone’s face was iron-clad: "They lacked anti-mecha weapons during the last assault. This time, as long as our mechas charge in, the positions will be ours!"

Speaking, Corleone walked over to a makeshift marching table, swept aside the scattered items with a wave of his hand, and opened the electronic terrain map, frowning: "Have we identified the crashed spaceship?"