Chapter 301: Is That It?!

Following this order, the Long Country rocket artillery positions immediately went into action.

Unlike conventional bombardments of the past, this launch appeared unusually quiet.

There was no deafening roar as usual, nor was there any blinding fire; there were only rows of Rocket Shells streaking across the sky, flying toward the distant enemy positions.

At the same time, several fighter jets loaded with graphite bombs also took off, flying rapidly toward the designated target area.

On the enemy positions, sirens suddenly blared.

"Long Country Rocket Shells incoming! Activate the interception system!" Major General Maikeersi shouted, "Let them see what we're made of!"

The "Lightning" interception system reacted rapidly; the Radar locked onto the incoming Rocket Shells, and interceptor missiles were launched one after another.

However, a strange thing happened—as the Long Country's Rocket Shells approached the airspace above the enemy positions, they actually detonated on their own!

The explosion lacked the intense shockwave one might expect, instead releasing a large amount of black, powdery substance that quickly diffused in the air, forming a strange, black-gray cloud.

At the same time, the fighter jets in the air also dropped batches of graphite bombs, detonating them over the enemy's vital facilities, causing even more Black Fog to permeate the area.

In the blink of an eye, the entire enemy position was shrouded in a black mist; visibility plummeted, and the sky seemed to be covered by a thick, black curtain.

Soldiers on both sides were stunned.

"What... what is this stuff?" A soldier at the enemy's forward observation post stared in shock, unable to believe his eyes.

"Looks like smoke bombs? But why is it so black?" his comrade next to him asked in confusion, "What are the Long Country people up to?"

Major General Maikeersi stood at the entrance of the command post, watching the increasingly thick Black Fog in the sky; the smugness on his face turned into confusion.

"What is this smoke? What are they trying to do?" he asked the staff officer beside him.

The technical staff officer shook his head, equally bewildered.

"Not sure, sir; it seems to be some kind of special smoke bomb, but I've never seen this effect before..."

"Ha!" Major General Maikeersi realized something and burst into laughter.

"I get it! They want to use smoke to cover an attack! But this is simply seeking their own destruction! Our Radar isn't affected by smoke; we can pinpoint them perfectly!"

He shouted to the Communication Soldier: "Order all units to maintain vigilance and prepare for a counterattack! The Long Country people are just playing a game of deception!"

But just as his voice fell, the entire command post suddenly plunged into darkness.

"What's going on?" Maikeersi shouted, "Backup power!"

"Re... report, sir," a soldier ran in, panicked.

"It's not just the command post; the power systems across the entire front line have failed, and all electronic equipment has malfunctioned!"

"What? How is that possible!" Maikeersi's expression changed drastically.

Even more terrifyingly, the communication systems were paralyzed as well, and contact between all units on the front line was severed.

The "Lightning" interception system, which had been operating perfectly, was now nothing more than a cold metal shell, showing no reaction at all.

"My God, what is this hellish thing?" An interception system operator looked in terror at the completely dead control panel, repeatedly tapping the unresponsive instruments.

The position was in chaos, with panicked soldiers everywhere.

Tanks sat motionless, their Engines stalled and unable to start; communication equipment emitted only harsh static; even flashlights had lost their function.

"Damn it! Those Black Fog seem to be causing short circuits!" A technical officer finally realized the problem, "Quick, cover all electronic equipment!"

Unfortunately, it was too late; the Black Fog had already seeped into the interior of almost all equipment.

On the Long Country side, the situation was equally baffling.

Li Yunlong watched the rolling Black Fog over the distant enemy positions through binoculars, his expression slowly changing from confusion to surprise.

"Is... is that it? No movement at all?" He lowered his binoculars and asked Li Mingyuan beside him, "I thought there would be a big explosion or something."

The soldiers nearby also looked at each other, discussing it in hushed tones.

"Is this the power of the new weapon? Feels like they just set off a bunch of smoke bombs..."

"What's the situation? The enemy hasn't even fired a single shot?"

"So many Rocket Shells, just to create a patch of black smoke?"

Some young soldiers couldn't even hide their disappointment; clearly, they had expected earth-shattering explosions and the wails of the enemy, not this eerie Silence.

Under the shroud of the Black Fog, the brief chaos on the enemy position was soon replaced by a strange sense of optimism.

Major General Maikeersi quickly recovered from his initial shock; he stood in the temporary command post, slamming the table hard.

"Don't panic! This is just a deception by the Long Country people!"

The communication staff officer ran in to report: "Sir, some communication equipment has recovered, but it's still intermittent. We suspect these Black Fog might contain some substance that interferes with radio."

"See?" Maikeersi let out a sigh of relief, revealing a confident smile.

"The tricks the Long Country people are playing aren't working! They think they can interfere with us using this low-level smoke? What a joke!"

He quickly issued a series of orders:

"Notify all units that this is just the Long Country's smoke bomb tactic; no need to panic!

It doesn't matter if power is temporarily interrupted; our main weapon systems all have backup mechanical operating modes. Air force units, take off immediately and break through the smoke blockade!

Armored units, advance as planned!"

Soon, the orders were transmitted to each unit.

Although the malfunction of some equipment left the soldiers puzzled, the officers quickly stabilized the morale.

"Listen up, boys!" Battalion Commander Graham shouted to his subordinates.

"The Long Country people are out of Bullet, so they can only set off smoke to scare us! They can't even fire a decent shell, which is why they're pulling this stunt! Start the backup systems and advance as originally planned!"

The soldiers' confidence surged, and they quickly went into action.

At the enemy airfield, the Engines of dozens of fighter jets roared, preparing for takeoff.

The pilots were performing final checks inside the cockpits, all wearing confident smiles.

"The Long Country guys are truly at their wit's end this time," ace pilot Lieutenant Jackson said to his wingman with a smile.

"Those Rocket Shells last time did give us a scare, but relying on smoke this time? They're underestimating us too much!"

"That's for sure!" the wingman echoed.

"I heard they don't even have enough food to eat, so where would they get the resources to make decent weapons? I bet this Black Fog is just produced by them burning coal, intentionally blown toward us!"

The two laughed heartily, then put on their helmets, preparing for takeoff.

At the same moment, the enemy tank group also began to push forward, the roar of tracks crushing the soil shaking the earth.

Although the electronic systems were interfered with, the mechanical systems remained reliable, and the tank crews were full of confidence, believing that Long Country was merely bluffing.

General Maise received the report from the front line at the rear command post, learned that the troops had begun to counterattack, and could not help but clench his fists, shouting excitedly:

"See that? The people of Long Country are already out of ammunition and food; this Victory will surely belong to us!"

He faced the map on the wall and drew several attack routes with a red marker pen:

"Within three days, we will completely break through the Long Country defense line, and within a week, advance to their logistics base!"