151: Chapter 151 Dawn Offensive: An Unstoppable Steel Torrent

South of Meiktila, US Military Command.

Lieutenant General Miller waited all night, but instead of the Rangers' victory report, he only received news of a total communication blackout.

"General, the 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions have been out of contact for over two hours." The communications officer's voice trembled. "The last signal transmitted was a warning of an ambush, and then... there was nothing."

Brigadier General Carter's face was pale. "How is that possible... Our infiltration routes were meticulously planned. How could they have been discovered?"

"Because they have reconnaissance methods we don't know about." Miller rubbed his temples. "Zhang Cheng's battlefield monitoring network might be even more sophisticated than we imagined."

He walked to the window and looked at the sky gradually brightening in the north, an ominous premonition welling up in his heart for the first time.

Day broke.

6:00 AM, the plains north of Meiktila.

A light mist shrouded the earth, and visibility was less than five hundred meters. But this didn't hinder the tense preparations at the US forward positions—the 120mm smoothbore guns of the M1128 Stryker Mobile Gun Systems were already raised, the 25mm chain guns of the M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles were preheated, and soldiers lay in the trenches, fingers on triggers, waiting for the offensive to begin.

Three kilometers behind the first line of defense, in a temporary observation post, Major General Mark Thompson, commander of the US 25th Light Infantry Division, was observing the north through high-powered binoculars. Standing beside him was the regimental commander responsible for this section of the line, Lieutenant Colonel John Wilson.

"General, forward reconnaissance reports that Zhang Cheng's forces have begun to move." Wilson pointed to the dust rising on the horizon. "At least fifty tanks, plus a large number of armored vehicles. They are in a standard wedge attack formation."

Thompson nodded. "Order the artillery to fire according to the prearranged plan. Anti-tank missile teams, wait until they are within two kilometers before firing. Remember, let them get close; our mission is attrition, not a desperate stand."

"Understood."

The orders were relayed, and the muffled roar of artillery echoed across the US positions. M109A6 Paladin Self-Propelled Howitzers began their first volley, 155mm shells streaking across the sky and slamming toward the advancing armored cluster.

But strangely, the shells' points of impact... were wildly off-target.

"What's going on?!" Thompson frowned. "Artillery command post, report status!"

"General, our fire control system... seems to be malfunctioning." The artillery commander's voice was full of confusion. "GPS signals are unstable, laser rangefinder readings are jumping, and even the inertial navigation is drifting..."

Thompson felt a chill. "Electronic jamming! It's Zhang Cheng's electronic warfare system!"

Just as he spoke, the armored cluster to the north suddenly accelerated!

The m1a2 tanks, which had been advancing sluggishly, instantly surged to fifty kilometers per hour, the roar of their engines clearly audible even from three kilometers away. Even more terrifyingly, they weren't charging in a straight line; they were constantly shifting formations while moving at high speed, sometimes dispersing and sometimes clustering, leaving the US targeting systems completely bewildered.

"Fire! Fire at will!" Wilson roared over the radio.

The stryker Mobile Gun Systems fired, 120mm shells whistling out. But Zhang Cheng's tanks seemed to know the trajectories in advance, completing evasive maneuvers before the shells even landed—some stopped abruptly, some veered sharply, and some even performed near-impossible lateral drifts.

"This maneuverability... it's unscientific!" a gunner stammered, wide-eyed.

"Keep firing! Use volume to make up for accuracy!" Wilson roared.

But then, the real blow came.

A dense buzzing sound filled the sky, like countless bees flapping their wings. The US soldiers looked up to see a swarm of black dots emerging from the mist—drones, at least three hundred of them!

These drones were divided into three waves: the first was reconnaissance, sweeping low over the US positions to transmit real-time footage back; the second was attack-oriented, carrying small-diameter bombs and miniature missiles; the third was the most terrifying—suicide drones, each loaded with high explosives.

"Air defense! Air defense!" shrill cries rang out across the position.

stinger missile operators scrambled to aim, but the drones were too maneuverable and flying too low—some even darted through the treetops, making missile locks extremely difficult.

"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"

The drones opened fire. Miniature missiles accurately struck the stryker vehicles' optical equipment, machine gun turrets, and even the bases of their gun barrels. Although the power of a single shot wasn't great, there were so many of them that a single vehicle was often attacked by five or six drones simultaneously.

"My barrel! The barrel is bent!"

"The machine gun turret is jammed!"

"Engine compartment fire!"

The forward positions fell into chaos.

By this time, Zhang Cheng's tank cluster had surged to within one kilometer.

"Anti-tank missiles! Fire!" Wilson screamed.

Dozens of javelin anti-tank missile launchers fired simultaneously, missiles trailing tongues of flame as they lunged toward their targets. This was the US military's ace weapon, with a top-attack mode specifically designed to hit a tank's most vulnerable roof armor.

But Zhang Cheng's tanks once again demonstrated incredible defensive capabilities.

As the missiles approached, the Trophy active protection systems on the tank roofs activated, intercepting and detonating most of the missiles in mid-air. A few managed to break through, but after impact... they actually failed to penetrate!

"How is that possible?!" an anti-tank team leader looked through his sights, unable to believe his eyes—the javelin he fired had clearly hit the top of the turret, but the M1A2 only shuddered slightly and continued its charge.

"It's a new type of armor! Their M1A2s have been modified!" Thompson discerned from the observation post. "They've added explosive reactive armor and composite armor layers to the top! The javelin's penetration depth isn't enough!"

As he spoke, the first tank had already charged to within five hundred meters of the forward position.

"Rat-tat-tat-tat!"

The tanks' coaxial machine guns began to sweep the area, suppressing the US infantry in the trenches. The following Bradley vehicles used their 25mm chain guns to clear out remaining strongpoints.

"Retreat! Fall back to the second line of defense!" Wilson finally issued the order he least wanted to give.

But retreating was easier said than done.

Zhang Cheng's mechanized infantry had already burst from the rear doors of their armored vehicles. Their movements were startlingly fast—not running, but crawling forward in a low posture like cheetahs, using the terrain for cover to rapidly approach the trenches.

Even more terrifying were the Mechanical Dogs accompanying the infantry.

These four-legged steel monsters moved across the battlefield as if on level ground, vaulting obstacles, crawling through craters, and even jumping down vertical trench walls. The 7.62mm machine guns on their backs fired precise bursts; every shot meant a fallen US soldier.

"Monsters! You can't kill these monsters!" a young soldier broke down, curling into a ball in the trench and clutching his head.

An old veteran beside him gave him a tug: "Move! If you don't leave, you'll die here!"

The US forces began to rout. While the well-trained units could still maintain formation and retreat in stages, the Myanmar Army troops filling the positions had long since collapsed—they threw away their weapons and turned to flee, some even shoving each other to clear a path.