Los Angeles defector

Heavy artillery

Jason lazily lay on the field ridge, hands behind his head, the sunlight massaging him into a drowsy state. It was a good day, yet not a good day. If only it could rain heavily for three days, the pressure of defense would be much lighter, at least those damn planes wouldn't be in sight. Now, with the sun shining, it felt comfortable to bask in it, but...

A shallow pit shelter was almost completed. Now, they were doing the finishing touches. The excavated soil couldn't be piled up here; it had to be integrated as much as possible into the surrounding environment, so that the shelter location wouldn't stand out. In front of the shelter was a horizontal field ridge, overgrown with weeds. With a little arrangement, it would have a concealment effect.

The tall soldier casually stabbed the shovel into the ground, wiped the sweat off his forehead, and asked for Jason's opinion, "Hey, bro, is this trench too shallow? It's just enough for us to crouch down. If a shell comes over, will this shallow depth keep us safe?"

Jason turned his head to look at the tall soldier. This guy was really good at working, strong and with a lot of physical strength. It didn't take long for the fortification to take shape. "We don't need to defend against artillery here, just need it to conceal us. If a shell really comes flying, digging deeper won't make a difference."

Brown had almost finished dealing with the soil dug out by the tall soldier. He ran over cheerfully and sat down in the shelter. "Damn it, they're treating us like a joke. I say, boss, even if we dodge the shells as you say, what if the vampires really come from the west? We've put ourselves out there now."

Jason continued to gaze at the blue sky and replied without hesitation, "Well, there's nothing we can do about it. We can't have all the good luck to ourselves, can we?"

"Oh? So you're also taking it one step at a time? Alright, I almost mistook you for General Patton."

Crack—A gunshot shattered the tranquility.

Jason jolted upright. That gunshot—clearly an M1903 rifle, quite a distance away, probably coming from the east of the town. What's going on? Is it a sentry alert? Or accidental discharge? While Jason was still speculating, the subsequent gunshots finally started to ring out continuously.

Old Blackskin had been on the low hill keeping watch, but upon hearing the gunshots, he ran back and joined Jason in the shelter. "From the sound, it seems to be the Third Battalion on the east. Looks like they've made contact with the vampires. Damn it, they've come so quickly."

The five members of the Third Platoon all huddled inside the shelter on the open ground, squeezing together and crouching down. Brown curled up his legs, leaning against the damp soil, feeling uncomfortable all over. He held his g*n close, grumbling, "I'd rather not endure this suffering up front. Even if the vampires start shelling, I think staying in the city wouldn't be much worse than this barren land. Find a hole in a wall, crawl in, what else can they do to us?"

Old Blackskin lifted his leg and kicked Brown, saying, "You understand nothing! How many times have you even seen blood, kid? Just stay put."

Brown tilted his head and replied, "What's the big deal? I've been under shelling before. I've seen those vampire cannons too. As long as the shells don't hit the windows or the roof, you can still hide inside the house."

Old Blackskin chuckled, "After just two months in the army, you already think of yourself as a seasoned soldier. Do you really think those vampire cannons are the real deal?"

The main force of the vampires arrived at the banks of the Barona Creek. Three divisions lined up from west to east, with the 6th Division facing the 107th Division directly.

The suitable ferry crossing locations for the logistics have already been preoccupied by the 107th Division. The vampires, unwilling to waste time, with lightly equipped infantry, took a detour upstream and downstream to cross early. The heavy firepower temporarily deployed on the south bank of the Barona Creek to support the troops that crossed the river, recapturing the docks and ferry crossings.

The vampire forces that crossed downstream from the San Juan Ferry Crossing have reached the outskirts of the crossing and conducted a firepower probe on the eastern defensive line of the San Juan Ferry Crossing. The gunfire that Jason and the others heard was due to this activity.

The eastern engagement has put the entire 638th Regiment on high alert. The platoon leader has gone through the defensive positions within the defensive zone, except for the third platoon in the field ahead. He reminded the brothers below to stay vigilant, check for any oversights, and be mindful of the anti-artillery measures. After all, being a veteran platoon leader for many years, he definitely possesses this level of awareness.

Although the platoon leader's character may be lacking, he is extremely cautious on the battlefield, otherwise he wouldn't have survived until today. He hasn't forgotten the possibility of vampire artillery fire and early on informed the brothers to disperse as much as possible and take cover in sturdy buildings. After inspecting the area, the platoon leader is very satisfied with Winston Reed's arrangements.

The common saying goes, "Forewarned is forearmed." The anti-artillery awareness of the platoon leader and Winston Reed is based on experience, treating it as a routine before every battle, a habit ingrained over time, similar to Brown's mindset. However, Jason's mention of anti-artillery measures this time is based on an assessment of the current situation. The vampires are feeling urgent psychologically, which may lead to intensified and fierce firepower. They are eager to swiftly seize and capture the San Juan Ferry Crossing. That's why Jason refers to this anti-artillery defense as a "raid."

However, this time, the situation exceeded everyone's expectations, including Jason's assessment.

The reconnaissance of the San Juan Ferry Crossing and the data obtained from the firepower tests have been transformed by the vampires into electromagnetic waves in the air, crossing the Barona Creek and reaching the firepower support units on the south bank.

The large frame unfolds, the fixed hoe is set, and the high-low machine handle starts to rotate rapidly, squeaking and creaking—amidst a series of harsh metallic friction sounds, the cold g*n barrel slowly raises, menacingly pointing towards the northern sky. Clang— the 150mm shell slides into the breech, ready for action.

This time, the first wave of artillery fire was not the commonly used 75mm mountain g*n, nor the 105mm field g*n as speculated by Jason, but a 150mm heavy g*n! Jason was right about one thing—the vampires are more concerned about "time" than the means.

Boom—intense vibrations and the force of the artillery shell's departure kick up large clouds of dust, shrouding the sky above the artillery positions. The 150mm heavy artillery shell, carrying the sinister mission of the invaders, breaks free from its constraints, howling eerily as it soars into the sky, crossing over Barona Creek and then viciously crashing down, targeting the small town bathed in sunlight by the riverbank.

As the first mushroom-shaped cloud of explosion dust surged into the air for tens of meters, seemingly soundless, the entire town jolted violently. All the windows in the town shattered, sending shards flying into the houses.

The second one then burst forth, causing roof tiles to leap off the roofs, allowing sunlight to filter through.

Next came the third bloom, tearing through sturdy walls in an instant, with dust cascading down the walls like a waterfall...

Amid the swirling dust, the third lieutenant saw soldiers across from him seemingly shouting something, yet no sound reached his ears. Attempting to prop himself up against the wall, he was once again violently thrown to the ground by another massive shock. The ground's dust continued to billow from the tremors, swirling around and revealing eerie patterns in the light filtering through. The third lieutenant tried to make his way back to the corner of the wall, when suddenly, almost half of the wall vanished, allowing light to filter through...

The town was completely enveloped in swirling dust, mingling with the scattered sunlight, casting everything into a dim yellow hue. There was no sound, only a series of soul-shaking shocks, accompanied by occasional mushroom-shaped clouds billowing into the sky...