Chapter 223: Drone Raid!

"Perfect, absolutely perfect." Johnson tapped the tabletop with great satisfaction.

"After a week of reconnaissance and probing, we have finally figured out the bottom line of the Long Country people.

Do you see this line, gentlemen?" He pointed his baton at the striking red line on the map.

"This is the safety distance. As long as our troops and facilities remain outside this line, the Long Country people won't even be able to touch our car exhaust!"

The surrounding officers let out a chuckle, the atmosphere relaxed and confident.

Intelligence Analysis Officer Colonel Thomson stepped forward, pointing to several marked points on the map:

"According to the latest reconnaissance results from the U-2, the Long Country's firepower deployment has been completely exposed.

Their Cloud Bomb range is at most 15 kilometers, the 'Flying Dragon-1' anti-aircraft rocket hits a maximum altitude of 6 kilometers, and the quantity is decreasing sharply.

Our high-altitude bombing has destroyed 70% of their supply lines, and it is estimated that in another two weeks, they won't even have enough ammunition."

"Excellent!" General Johnson clapped and laughed, "That cunning fellow Li Yunlong is finally going to suffer.

I want him to watch with his own eyes as his troops are starved and bombed to death, while he is powerless to do anything!"

Chief of Staff Colonel Buleike pushed up his glasses:

"According to the plan, we will establish a new forward base 1 kilometer outside the red line as a springboard for the next phase of the ground offensive.

At the same time, we will strengthen aerial reconnaissance and bombing to completely cut off all supply lines for the Long Country and Sun Country troops."

"Approved." Johnson nodded, "Act immediately. Remember, all facilities must be kept outside the safety distance; not a single step can be taken into the Long Country people's firing range."

Just like that, over the next three days, the Di Guo army followed the plan and established a series of forward bases 16 kilometers away from the Long Country's firepower coverage—1 kilometer more than the determined maximum range as a safety redundancy.

These bases included ammunition depots, fuel depots, repair shops, command centers, and barracks, covering almost all the logistics facilities required by a modern army.

The enemy soldiers were full of energy, and many even joked during work breaks:

"Look, that over there is the Long Country people's position. They can only watch us build here, but they can't even let out a fart!"

"I heard Li Yunlong is so angry he's stomping his feet, and hasn't slept well for three days!"

"Once the base is built, our cannons can shell them day and night. Let's see what they do then!"

Laughter and the noise of construction mingled together, echoing through the valley.

The enemy's morale reached its peak, and everyone believed that victory was right before their eyes.

General Johnson personally came to the front line to inspect the construction progress, standing on a high ground and observing the distant Long Country positions through high-magnification binoculars.

"Look at them, like tigers locked in a cage, only able to stare!" The general lowered his binoculars and turned to the accompanying Chief of Staff,

"This is the charm of scientific warfare, Buleike. We don't need to clash head-on; we just need to find the enemy's weaknesses and then strike precisely."

The Chief of Staff nodded in agreement, but a trace of imperceptible worry flashed in his eyes:

"General, don't you think the Long Country people have been too quiet lately? Especially Li Yunlong; this fellow has always been cunning and doesn't seem like the type to sit and wait for death."

"What can he do?" Johnson waved his hand dismissively,

"We now have complete air superiority and firepower advantage. Their Cloud Bombs can't reach here, and the Flying Dragon rockets can't reach our planes.

No matter how brilliant a general is, without weapons, they can only stare!"

The adjutant was just about to agree when the Radar Operator's voice suddenly erupted from the walkie-talkie:

"Alert! Alert! Unidentified flying objects detected! More than ten of them, speed extremely fast, direction—" The rest of the words were drowned out by a burst of harsh electronic static.

"What the hell is that?" Johnson frowned and grabbed his binoculars, scanning the sky to the northeast.

A few seconds later, he saw it—more than a dozen black dots were emerging from the clouds, approaching the base at an astonishing speed.

"Are those... planes?" The adjutant squinted, "The shape is so strange, not like any model we've ever seen."

Johnson struggled to adjust the focus and finally saw the outline of those flying objects—streamlined, oval-shaped fuselages.

There were no conventional wings, only two small stabilizer fins, and the tail was emitting bright blue exhaust flames.

Most bizarrely, they seemed to have no cockpit, the entire fuselage smooth as an egg.

"Damn it, what is that? The Long Country's new bomber?" Johnson blurted out, but an ominous premonition already surged in his heart,

"Where are the anti-aircraft units? Shoot them down for me!"

At the same time the order was given, the alarm in the center of the base began to shriek.

Anti-aircraft gunners rushed to their positions, and the Anti-aircraft Machine Guns began strafing the sky.

However, those strange aircraft were too fast, scattering in irregular formations, dodging and weaving, making it impossible for the gunners to lock on.

"They're too fast! Can't hit them!" A gunner shouted in despair, watching his shells explode behind those aircraft, unable to even touch them.

Johnson's face turned livid as he watched those aircraft sweep over the base. The next second, the bomb bay doors opened, and countless black dots poured down like raindrops.

"Get down!" Johnson instinctively threw himself to the ground, and at this moment, hell descended.

Unlike the single massive explosions of traditional bombing, this time hundreds of small and medium-sized explosions went off almost simultaneously across the entire base.

The first wave hadn't even ended before the second and third waves followed in quick succession.

Each aircraft didn't drop one large bomb, but a peculiar device that exploded in mid-air, releasing hundreds of fist-sized Submunitions, forming a "death zone" nearly 500 meters in diameter.

"My God..." Johnson climbed up, staring dumbfounded as the base turned into an ocean of explosions.

The ammunition depot was detonated, and the soaring flames instantly swallowed the surrounding buildings;

The fuel depots exploded one after another, black smoke mixed with orange-red flames shooting straight into the sky;

The tanks under repair were blown to pieces, armor fragments flying like Bullets, injuring even more personnel.

The most terrifying part was not the explosions themselves, but the density and range of the explosions.

In traditional bombing, soldiers could at least find bunkers to hide in, but this Cluster Bomb caused omnidirectional, no-blind-spot lethality.

There were no safe areas, no room to hide, and the entire base turned into a veritable "death factory" in just a few minutes.

"Communication! Get me the fighter squadron!" Johnson roared frantically, "Shoot down those damn things for me!"

The Communication Soldier shook his head, sweating profusely: "Sir, the 14th Squadron just took off... but they reported that they can't catch up to those aircraft!"

"What?" Johnson was struck as if by lightning, "Our F-86 is one of the fastest fighter jets in the world, how could they not catch up?"

"Sir, listen for yourself." The Communication Soldier handed the radio to him.