71: New situation

In the current context where the average player has a Level 6 base, a Level 9 might not necessarily be the absolute leader, but they certainly belong to the most cutting-edge group in the world.

Of course, if Li Xiao were ruthless enough, he might already be on the way to upgrading to a Level 10 base by now.

The Level 9 base had expanded to 20,000 square meters. It would now take Li Xiao several minutes just to walk out of his own base.

The Level 9 base's military factory didn't offer any new vehicles or equipment, but Li Xiao finally gained access to a brand-new building: the Integrated Supply Plant!

This was a comprehensive factory specifically designed to produce food and supplies for soldiers.

One could spend money at the markets of major cities to purchase various fresh ingredients and clothing materials like cotton. Once transported to the Integrated Supply Plant, the building would produce delicious individual field rations, as well as uniforms, backpacks, bedding, and other supplies.

This building could be said to have arrived just in time. Li Xiao's food reserves were already low, and he had already stopped supplying food to Yun Dongliu and Liu Nian.

With this building, he could purchase raw materials like grain, vegetables, and meat from the market at low prices to manufacture field rations, breaking free from the constraints of relying solely on captured supplies.

One had to realize that as the number of players' troops grew steadily, food sources had actually become a thornier issue than resources or ammunition.

Because the amount of Star Coins looted was small, normal players couldn't steadily purchase food from the market. Consequently, some players had already begun reclaiming wasteland around their bases to grow grain and vegetables, or even penning livestock.

In fact, food supply wasn't too much of a headache while inside the base, because Du Ziteng could process raw materials.

The real headache was that his troops were often out fighting, and field rations were consumed very quickly. This stuff couldn't be bought on the market and could only be obtained through looting.

Although Du Ziteng's cooking squad could follow the army to prepare meals, it would delay a lot of time for a fast-moving mobile unit.

Now with the supply plant, the problem of field rations was easily solved, and even the clothing and bedding security for the upcoming autumn and winter seasons could be addressed at the same time.

The only regret was that the siege-type units and equipment he desperately needed still hadn't appeared.

As a result, the battle for Xi City would likely be an exceptionally difficult one.

On the final day of the second month since arriving on Hanhai Star, the Xiaoyao Squad's battle to attack Xi City was about to begin. Li Xiao assembled nearly ninety percent of the squad's military strength. A total of 80,000 troops from four directions began to gather at the four access roads leading into Xi City.

Among them, Yun Dongliu led 10,000 men from the west, Qin Luming led 10,000 from the south, Xuan Yu led 10,000 from the east, and the main attack direction in the north had 50,000 men.

Seemingly sensing the approaching danger, the night before the attack, the Xi City Armored Combined Regiment split its forces into four. Aside from the north, ten main battle tanks blocked the essential roads in every direction.

There were also twenty Armored Personnel Carriers, ten armored combat vehicles, and command vehicles. Even more surprising was a report from the soldiers Yun Dongliu had sent to infiltrate the city for intelligence: overnight, the combined regiment had somehow produced twenty Infantry Fighting Vehicles equipped with twin 25mm rapid-fire cannons and retractable anti-tank missile launchers!

If it were just shells fired by main battle tanks, Li Xiao could still use human wave tactics to close in and then rely on Syrian-style suicide attacks to take them out.

However, the appearance of five Infantry Fighting Vehicles in each direction would be a massacre for the attacking troops.

The armor-piercing incendiary rounds equipped by the twin 25mm rapid-fire cannons would be a nightmare for the attacker's light armored vehicles and a hell for dismounted infantry.

"What should we do?! The battle is imminent; should we call it off?" Liu Nian looked at the intelligence brief in his hand and turned toward Li Xiao with concern.

An infantry cluster charging without effective anti-armor weapons would only become live targets for the enemy; even someone who knew nothing about warfare understood this logic.

"The troops are all in position. If we retreat now, it will greatly affect morale and give the Black Hawk Empire time to bring in reinforcements. It will be even harder to fight then!" Li Xiao voiced the concerns in his heart.

Currently, the Xiaoyao Squad was riding a tiger and couldn't get off. Outside Xi City, there were many scattered players waiting for the outcome of Li Xiao's battle.

If they won, the remaining players would undoubtedly throw themselves into the Xiaoyao Squad's embrace. If they lost, not only would the solo players take the opportunity to cause trouble, but internal conflicts would also arise within the squad, which would lead to fragmentation.

"Liu Nian, we're changing the plan. The 2,000 troops originally scheduled to backstab the Black Hawk defenders from Xi City High School to the north is now increased to 10,000. You lead them personally. Break into the defensive zone at all costs and blow up those iron lumps for me. Even if you can't destroy them, draw enough fire!"

"Got it! I'm going now!"

Liu Nian turned around and shouted in the squad channel: "Squad units twenty-one through thirty, proceed to the coordinates for assembly immediately!"

Eighty thousand men was equivalent to eight infantry divisions without anti-armor capabilities attacking an armored combined regiment with sufficient ammunition and depth-defense buildings. Li Xiao was not a professional military commander; all he could do was try to defeat the enemy as efficiently as possible while minimizing casualties!

"Xuan Yu, Yun Dongliu, Qin Luming, take note: once the gunfire starts in the north, you all attack with full force immediately!"

"Understood!"

"Understood!"

...

After receiving confirmation, Li Xiao took a deep breath and shouted in the squad's tiered command channel: "First echelon, prepare to attack in five minutes! Civilian Off-Road Vehicles in front! meng hu off-road vehicles behind! All-Terrain Vehicles, insert rapidly from both sides!"

In the squad, over twenty people including Liu Nian and others had successively reached Level 7. In the past few days, they had produced about seventy meng hu off-road vehicles.

His plan was to use Civilian Off-Road Vehicles to draw the fire of the tanks and IFVs, covering the meng hu off-road vehicles equipped with heavy machine guns as they closed in to first wear down the health of the APCs and IFVs.

Then, his high-health meng hu off-road vehicles would break through the defenses, creating an opportunity for the All-Terrain Vehicles strapped with large amounts of C4 explosives to detonate.

As soon as the five minutes were up, the players of each combat unit commanded their troops to launch a charge. In an instant, hundreds of Civilian Off-Road Vehicles rushed toward the intersection toll station.

The Black Hawk defenders also opened fire immediately. Thirty main battle tanks blocked the front of the toll station, firing at the off-road vehicles entering the eight-lane passage area of the intersection.

Dozens of 125mm high-pressure smoothbore guns erupted with deafening sound waves. The tungsten alloy fin-stabilized discarding sabot rounds they fired instantly pierced through the bodies of multiple off-road vehicles charging in formation before exploding. The massive explosion radius and lethal shrapnel affected a whole cluster of vehicles.

With just this one volley, over seventy vehicles and more than three hundred soldiers of the first echelon were gone.