Chapter 263: Ceasefire, Three Months

Explosions followed one after another, forming a bizarre scene in the sky—white phosphorus bombs were struck in mid-air, releasing dazzling white flames like blooming flowers of death; after the cluster bombs were intercepted, countless small bombs detonated prematurely, forming a dense chain of explosions.

"Interception rate is about 35%!" the technician reported, "The system is running normally, but ammunition is being consumed very quickly!"

Li Mingyuan gritted his teeth: "Hold on! The enemy is testing the limits of our system!"

The entire air raid lasted for nearly half an hour, and the enemy planes dropped hundreds of various bombs; although the "Steel Umbrella" system intercepted a large portion, many fish that slipped through the net still landed on the positions, causing a certain amount of casualties and damage.

When the last enemy plane departed and Li Mingyuan checked the system status, he discovered that the No. 1 Radar was severely damaged, two anti-aircraft machine guns had overheated and deformed, and the missile launcher had only a few spare rounds left.

"We intercepted most of the white phosphorus bombs, but the system has reached its limit," he said to Colonel Wang, "If the enemy comes again, we won't be this lucky."

Colonel Wang nodded: "At least we taught them a lesson today! Looking at their sorry state, they certainly didn't expect us to be able to intercept so many special munitions!"

Li Mingyuan looked at the distant horizon, lost in thought: "The enemy will definitely report the results of this operation; how will their high command react? I am very curious..."

At the Di Guo frontline command post, Major Jackson listened to the bomber pilot's report with a livid expression.

"It's simply incredible, sir!" the pilot's voice was filled with terror, "The Long Country's anti-aircraft system can actually identify different types of bombs and prioritize intercepting our white phosphorus bombs and cluster bombs! What kind of advanced identification algorithms and fire control system must this require!"

"What are the weaknesses of that system?" Jackson asked urgently.

"Quantity!" the pilot replied, "When we drop a large amount of ammunition at the same time, their system clearly cannot cope. Moreover, after continuous combat, the system's efficiency drops significantly, likely due to overheating or ammunition consumption issues."

Jackson was lost in thought: "So the key is saturation attack... a large amount of ammunition attacking one point simultaneously, exceeding the processing capacity of their system..."

He looked up abruptly: "Contact the artillery regiment immediately! Prepare for multi-wave, large-scale shelling! I want at least 200 shells to land on the same target area at the same time! Let's see how they intercept that!"

Half an hour later, the enemy forces mobilized all available artillery power in the vicinity, including 155 mm Howitzers, 203 mm heavy howitzers, and Multi-tube Rocket Launchers, all aimed at the Long Country's anti-aircraft positions.

"All artillery units, prepare to execute a saturation strike according to the predetermined schedule!" Jackson ordered, "Air Force, stand by; move out immediately after the shelling ends to confirm whether the target has been destroyed!"

However, just as the enemy forces were preparing to launch this large-scale shelling, an emergency order arrived from headquarters.

"What? Cancel the attack?" Jackson stared at the telegram in disbelief, "What is the reason?"

The Communication Officer explained cautiously: "General Maise personally ordered a suspension of all large-scale offensive operations so as not to affect the negotiation process... At the same time, he requires us to continue monitoring the Long Country's anti-aircraft system, but we must not initiate attacks."

"What kind of damn order is this?" Jackson threw the telegram onto the table in anger, "We clearly had a chance to destroy that damn system! Now they want us to sit here and watch?"

The Chief of Staff said in a low voice: "Perhaps headquarters has a bigger plan... After all, 'Thor' is our trump card."

Jackson sneered: "'Thor'? If the Long Country's anti-aircraft system can intercept our bombs and Rocket Shells, why would 'Thor' be an exception?"

……

"Damn politicians!" General Maise's fist slammed heavily onto the desktop, and the mahogany desk let out a groan, "Everything was going so well, why stop?"

"General, this is the order from the leader," the adjutant said cautiously.

"The international pressure is too great, and... the protests from those anti-war groups have already surrounded the Black Palace..."

"Trash! A bunch of trash!" General Maise roared in fury, his gaze sweeping toward the map on the wall, where the deployment progress of the 'Thor' Missile system was marked.

"We only needed two more weeks to make the Long Country people taste real suffering!"

A ceasefire agreement was urgently signed under international mediation, and both sides agreed to a three-month truce period, during which large-scale military operations were prohibited, while a comprehensive peace talk process was initiated.

The Long Country Military was not as overjoyed as it appeared on the surface.

Li Yunlong dragged his exhausted body and kicked open the door to Li Mingyuan's laboratory.

"It stopped, it really stopped, damn it." Li Yunlong pulled out a crumpled cigarette, stuffed it into his mouth, but forgot to light it, "These Di Guo bastards have something up their sleeves."

Li Mingyuan looked up from a pile of reports, his eyes bloodshot, "It stopped at just the right time. We were almost exhausted to death."

"What do you mean?"

Li Mingyuan stood up, stretched his stiff neck, and pointed to the mountain of frontline reports piled on the table.

"Look at these. The 'Fire Dragon' self-propelled anti-tank gun's accuracy dropped severely after concentrated use, the 'Hunter-Killer' system's failure rate reached as high as 40% in environments with large temperature changes, and the 'Steel Umbrella' system's radar sensitivity dropped by nearly half after continuous combat..."

Li Yunlong frowned, "Didn't we win all of these battles?"

"We won, but we won too arduously." Li Mingyuan sighed,

"To be honest, we caught a good time when the Di Guo bastards' stance was wavering. If they had been determined to fight, our technological advantage wouldn't have lasted long at all."

That night, Li Mingyuan urgently summoned all the Technical Backbone.

Dozens of engineers and research personnel crowded into the temporary conference room, their faces filled with exhaustion and confusion.

"Comrades," Li Mingyuan stood in front of a simple blackboard,

"The ceasefire has given us a chance to breathe, but it has also given the enemy time to recover. Three months from now, when we clash again, they will be even stronger."

Lao Liu rubbed his graying hair, "Xiao Li, aren't we also making progress? Hasn't that 'Ferocious Dragon' tank already completed prototype testing?"

Li Mingyuan shook his head, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote four large characters on the blackboard: Fire Control Accuracy.

"This is our biggest shortcoming." He tapped the blackboard,

"No matter how powerful a cannon is, if it can't hit the target, it's just scrap metal. Our current computing power and industrial precision simply cannot support the development of more advanced weapons."

The conference room fell silent, and everyone fell into deep thought.

"The Di Guo's M48 tank fire control system is already using primary mechanical Computers, while we are still using hand-cranked calculators..." one fire control expert said in a low voice.

Li Mingyuan looked around at everyone, a firm light flickering in his eyes,

"Without stronger Computers and an industrial system, our weapon upgrades are just castles in the air. I propose that we use these three months to go all out on these two directions."