306: Chapter 306 The Swarm of Bees Passes By, Leaving Not a Single Armor Left

"Report: The first wave of interception missions is complete. Four Thai Army F-16s and two JAS-39s have been shot down, and the downing of one US military E-2C Hawkeye has been confirmed. The remaining enemy fighters have begun to retreat and break contact."

"Our 'soaring dragon' fighters suffered no losses and have returned to base for resupply."

"The drone attack groups have entered the target area and begun ground hunting operations."

The commander nodded. "Order the 'Thunder' fighter-bomber groups (J-16 Exchange Version) to take off. Once the 'soaring dragon' and drones have cleared a safe corridor, conduct the first round of heavy precision strikes against the Thai Army armored clusters, artillery positions, and logistics convoys that have penetrated deep into our territory. Use laser-guided bombs and stand-off air-to-surface missiles."

"Order the 'Attack-2' MALE UAVs (Exchange Version) to maintain continuous surveillance of the Thai Army's movements in depth, focusing on locating their command posts, air defense positions, and follow-on echelon assembly areas."

The struggle for air superiority ended quickly in a one-sided fashion less than two hours after the war began. After losing its first batch of elite fighters and a crucial early warning aircraft (which belonged to the US military), the Thailand Air Force's offensive came to a sudden halt, and they were forced into a defensive and contracted posture.

Meanwhile, the Thai Army ground units, having lost their aerial protection, were currently advancing toward the Federation military's preset 'slaughterhouse' without realizing it.

The sky now belonged to the blades of the Federation.

In the final afterglow of dusk, the first batch of 'Thunder' fighter-bombers, laden with precision-guided munitions, roared off from the rear airfields, flying in formation toward the eastern border airspace that had been marked as a hunting zone.

At the same time, in the mountainous region toward Mae Hong Son, a vanguard battalion of the Thai Army 7th Mechanized Infantry Division was struggling along a winding mountain road. Suddenly, the signalman inside the battalion commander's vehicle screamed, "Drones! Drones overhead! So many of them!"

The soldiers looked up in terror to see dozens of small dots flashing with red navigation lights appearing in the deepening twilight sky. Like bloodthirsty fireflies, they were silently diving toward the convoy...

Northeast of Kengtung, in a narrow area known as 'Elephant Trunk Valley'.

This was the night advance route selected by the 3rd Armored Brigade under the Thai Army 1st Armored Division. The valley was about five kilometers long and less than eight hundred meters at its widest point, flanked by steep limestone mountains with dense vegetation. According to the Thai Army General Staff's assessment, although the terrain was treacherous, it could effectively avoid potential long-range artillery fire from the Myanmar Army, and once passed quickly, it would allow them to strike directly at the flank and rear of Kengtung, achieving a tactical surprise.

News of the afternoon's aerial defeat had been strictly suppressed and had not yet reached this forward unit. Brigadier General Chaipon, the brigade commander, had only received a vague instruction to 'accelerate the advance according to the original plan; air support may be briefly interrupted.' Now, night had completely fallen, and dozens of tanks and armored vehicles moved with faint night-vision lights, the roar of their engines echoing through the valley in a heavy metallic reverberation.

Chaipon sat in his command tank, staring at the images sent back by the forward reconnaissance unit on the thermal imaging screen—the valley seemed 'quiet,' with only some small animal heat signatures.

"It's too quiet..." A trace of unease crossed his mind, but he quickly suppressed it. Intelligence showed that the main force of the Myanmar Army was not yet in place and the border defenders had been routed; this dangerous path was the key to a surprise victory. "Order the vanguard company to speed up! The entire brigade is to maintain a tight formation and pass through the valley as quickly as possible!"

He did not know that from the dense forests and rocky crevices on both sides of the mountain peaks, countless pairs of 'eyes' were staring at them in the darkness.

A forward command post belonging to the 5th Mechanized Infantry Division of the Federation Eastern Military Region was located in a reinforced bunker on the reverse slope at the exit of Elephant Trunk Valley. Inside the command post, LCD screens displayed split infrared images of the Thai Army convoy in the valley, their precise coordinates, and a constantly ticking number—the number of 'Swarm' drones about to be released.

"All targets have entered the optimal kill zone," the operator reported. "The 'Swarm' Hive is ready."

The frontline commander, a cold-faced Colonel, nodded. "Release. Activate AI coordinated attack mode. Priority sequence: tank command vehicles, air defense vehicles, main battle tanks, armored personnel carriers, and logistics trucks."

"Yes, sir! 'Swarm' attack wave, release!"

The moment the order was given.

On the ridges on both sides of Elephant Trunk Valley, dozens of inconspicuous camouflage lids popped open simultaneously. It wasn't a grand scene like missile silos, but rather like opening countless beehives.

"Buzzing—"

A low, dense hum, as if billions of insects were vibrating their wings at once, suddenly erupted over the valley! The sound amplified rapidly, drowning out the roar of the tank engines and filling the entire narrow space!

The Thai Army soldiers looked up in shock toward the dark sky.

Then, they saw a sight they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

Countless fist-sized black micro-drones, flashing with eerie red and green indicator lights like a Swarm of locusts from hell, poured down from the mountainsides! They were not in disarray but quickly organized themselves into attack squads in the air. Through high-speed data links and built-in micro AI chips, they coordinated their movements, tracing lethal trajectories as they dived toward the steel dragon at the bottom of the valley!

"What is that?!"

"Drones! Small drones!"

"Fire! Shoot them down!"

Panic-stricken screams exploded across the Thai Army communication channels. Tank commanders operated anti-aircraft machine guns, and infantrymen raised their rifles to fire blindly into the sky. Bullets wove a net of fire in the air, and occasionally a few drones were hit and exploded mid-air, turning into small bursts of sparks.

But there were too many! They numbered in the thousands! And they were too small, too fast, and their flight paths were too erratic!

The first wave of attacks descended.

Dozens of 'Swarm' drones nimbly avoided the sparse anti-aircraft fire and, as if they had eyes, accurately pounced on the vulnerable top of an M60A3 tank! Some struck the sighting equipment and the commander's panoramic sight base on top of the turret; others attached themselves to the cooling grilles of the engine compartment cover, and then—detonated!

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

It wasn't the thunderous roar of heavy missiles, but a continuous series of dull, micro-explosions. They didn't sound powerful, but they were extremely lethal!

The gunner's periscope of one M60A3 was shattered, leaving the commander instantly blinded. Another's engine compartment cover was blown open, smoke billowed out, and the tank was paralyzed. More tank-top equipment—laser rangefinders, crosswind sensors, and communication antennas—turned into scrap metal in the succession of micro-explosions.

"Top attack! They're specifically hitting the top!" an experienced tank commander shrieked, terrified. A tank's thickest armor is at the front and sides; the top and rear are always the weak points, and these cheap, agile little things were the Reapers specifically born to attack those weaknesses!

The second wave of drones followed immediately. This time, their targets were even more specific: tank engine exhausts, track drive wheels, and external fuel lines. Another portion specifically pounced on the accompanying 'Gepard' self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and off-road vehicles carrying 'Igla' anti-aircraft missiles.