Chapter 98 Live Global Battlefield Coverage—An Insane Firepower Bombardment!

“Welcome to International News. I’m your host, Sally.”

“Today’s leading story is the establishment of the Joint Operations Command and its plan to launch a full-scale counteroffensive.”

“According to information obtained by our network, Foundation forces, the JTF, and the international expeditionary forces have formally established a unified Joint Operations Command.”

“Lieutenant General Ethan has received an emergency federal appointment as its commander.”

“Following his appointment, Lieutenant General Ethan announced that a full-scale counteroffensive would begin today to reduce the biochemical disaster to the lowest possible level.”

“Almost nothing is publicly known about Lieutenant General Ethan’s background.”

“Reliable sources confirm only that he serves as Director of the Strategic Homeland Division and has spent much of his career within the Foundation.”

“Since assuming command, Lieutenant General Ethan has rapidly developed and executed a series of military plans.”

“His most famous victory was the North American orbital-drop operation, which effectively saved the entire United States.”

“After rescuing the endangered Jefferson Line in a single battle, the Death Korps deployed from orbit advanced the front by thirty kilometers.”

“Today, the combined forces will continue that advance.”

“As the Joint Operations Force prepares its full counteroffensive, our battlefield correspondents have received special authorization to board the aerospace carriers stationed above New York.”

“They will provide live global coverage of the battle.”

“Let us connect with our correspondent on the front, Helen.”

The broadcast switched to a woman wearing a reporter’s helmet and ballistic vest.

Helen stood on the bridge of a futuristic warship.

“Helen, this is the studio. Can you hear us?”

“Yes, Sally. I can hear you clearly.”

“As the audience can see, I’m aboard one of the Foundation’s Goliath-class aerospace carriers.”

“This is the lead vessel, Goliath.”

“In addition to our team, a small number of internationally recognized media organizations have been invited to broadcast the counteroffensive from this powerful and captivating warship.”

Helen suddenly pointed toward the command area.

“Look over there!”

“Can everyone see that young, handsome commander?”

“That is Lieutenant General Ethan, the newly appointed commander of the Joint Operations Force.”

“Unfortunately, we have not received authorization to interview our heroic commander.”

“However, he already achieved a glorious victory during the previous operation.”

Elena frowned slightly when she noticed the reporters and cameras broadcasting nearby.

She quickly approached Ethan.

“Commander, are you certain allowing the media to broadcast directly from our command center is appropriate?”

“This has never been done before. It could cause serious problems.”

Ethan smiled and waved dismissively.

“This is the best political spectacle we could ask for, Elena.”

“We cannot continue fighting in complete silence.”

“If we do, the American public will never remember our sacrifices—or feel grateful toward the people who saved their country.”

“You don’t want the deaths of your subordinates reduced to meaningless statistics or quietly covered up, do you?”

“Besides, we possess an overwhelming advantage.”

“This will be an easy battle. Any counterattack the Twelve Round Table Council can organize will be insignificant.”

Elena studied Ethan’s confident expression and nodded thoughtfully.

Sometimes, the Commander’s behavior did not resemble that of a traditional Chinese officer.

He seemed far more American.

Whenever he possessed overwhelming power, he displayed it openly and used it to intimidate his opponents as much as possible.

If Ethan knew what she was thinking, he would have laughed.

When resources were scarce, one relied on tactical maneuvers.

When resources were abundant, one saturated the battlefield with firepower.

If you possessed sufficient strength, why wouldn’t you display it?

Without seeing that strength, why would the enemy fear you?

Why would they submit?

The ability to defeat an enemy without fighting first required overwhelming superiority.

Agent Natasha, serving as Ethan’s temporary adjutant, reminded him, “Commander, we’re approaching the scheduled time.”

Ethan checked his military watch.

“Fifteen twenty-eight and thirty-two seconds.”

“You’re right. It’s almost time.”

He turned toward the communications station.

“Open an all-command channel.”

A moment later, Ethan’s holographic image appeared throughout the allied command network.

His voice reached every formation participating in the operation.

“This is Ethan, Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Operations Command.”

“The current time is 1530 hours.”

“I hereby declare the commencement of Operation Heaven’s Judgment!”

“All warships—advance!”

At Ethan’s command, the engines of the 550,000-ton Goliath-class ground-suppression carrier roared to life.

Its sister ship activated moments later.

The two steel behemoths slowly advanced from their positions above New York.

Countless soldiers and civilians below erupted into cheers.

They waved their arms and watched the colossal warships depart for battle.

Across all three fronts, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles filled with soldiers, armored personnel carriers, self-propelled artillery, and rocket-launch systems started their engines.

Large infantry formations followed in transport trucks.

The massive ground army advanced toward its assigned combat sectors in orderly columns.

“Goliath combat information center transferred to Yukikaze control.”

“CIC restart complete.”

“Engines operational. Maintaining conventional speed, Level Two.”

“Carrier Air Groups Six through Ten are ready.”

“Electronic-warfare squadron Yukikaze is ready.”

“Reactor operating normally.”

“All weapons systems are operational.”

After receiving the status reports, Ethan—temporarily serving as both captain and campaign commander—nodded with satisfaction.

He sat in the captain’s chair and looked down at the landscape below.

Under the battlefield reporters’ cameras, the Goliath-class carriers passed through the clouds.

After approximately twenty minutes of flight, Yukikaze’s voice sounded throughout the CIC.

“Commander, we have reached the target airspace.”

“Shall I begin deploying the carrier aircraft?”

“Launch the squadrons.”

“Carrier Air Groups Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten—launch.”

“Catapult connections complete.”

“Opening hangar doors.”

“Aircraft cleared for launch.”

The flight decks opened.

Carrier-based fighters launched from both Goliath-class vessels one after another and accelerated toward their objectives.

The war correspondents filming the enormous formation could not suppress their amazement.

Large numbers of American military aircraft arrived from another direction.

More than five hundred aircraft now filled the sky.

The massive formation nearly blotted out the heavens.

After ordering the carrier aircraft to launch, Ethan issued another command.

“Unlock aft heavy-missile bays Eleven through Fifteen.”

“Launch Flame tactical missiles.”

“Aft heavy-missile bays Six through Ten—launch Jericho Type-3 cluster air-to-ground missiles.”

Weapons officers aboard the two Goliaths immediately executed the order.

Forty large tactical missiles launched from their aft missile compartments and accelerated toward the target zones.

Scattered zombie hordes within the encirclement seemed to sense something.

Large numbers of zombies and mutated creatures raised their heads.

Meteor-like objects were descending toward them.

Some advanced infected creatures apparently recognized the danger and released terrified roars.

Then the first Flame tactical missile struck.

A small mushroom cloud rose over the battlefield.

The resulting black smoke was clearly visible from more than ten kilometers away.

Flames generated by the explosion continued burning across the ground, consuming every living organism within the affected area.

The Jericho Type-3 cluster air-to-ground missile was one of Tony’s recent research projects for the Foundation.

The large missile had originally been designed for use aboard strategic bombers.

After reaching its target area, its main warhead separated into twenty-four smaller munitions.

Each submunition possessed destructive power equivalent to a thousand-pound aerial bomb.

When the Jericho missiles arrived above their targets, they split apart in midair.

The submunitions scattered like flowers cast by a celestial maiden before plunging toward the surface.

An ocean of explosions swallowed the zombie hordes.

With the assault underway, the assembled fighters descended like vultures and bombarded every infected organism throughout the target zones.

The battlefield broadcast clearly showed enormous explosions appearing across the surface one after another.

The flashes remained visible even from an altitude of ten thousand meters.

The Foundation forces under Ethan’s command conducted precise and efficient strikes.

The American Air Force took a far more straightforward approach.

After receiving intelligence on the target areas, enormous formations of B-52 and B-2 bombers began carpet-bombing them.

Each bomber carried tons of ordnance.

Dozens—and sometimes more than a hundred—bombs descended into concentrations of infected creatures.

Entire blocks were flattened.

The previously smooth, snow-covered ground was torn open by countless craters.

Allied artillery units then joined the bombardment.

Howitzers, self-propelled guns, and rocket-artillery batteries poured fire into the infected zones as if ammunition cost nothing.

The explosions never stopped.

Thousands of tons of shells descended upon the hordes, burying the infected beneath a rain of steel and fire.

When the enormous ground army finally swept forward, it encountered terrain cratered like the lunar surface.

Living zombies were almost impossible to find.

Only countless pulverized corpses remained.

The artillery continuously extended its bombardment deeper into the infected zones.

Ground formations advanced behind the creeping barrage.

Once the first fire mission concluded, enormous formations of attack helicopters, gunships, and ground-attack aircraft began the second wave.

“Motherfucker… This really looks like the surface of the Moon.”

As an attack-helicopter pilot flew above the bombarded ground, he could not find a single patch of undamaged terrain.

The formerly snow-covered landscape had been transformed into a cratered, blackened hellscape.

The war correspondents stared blankly at the “fireworks” unfolding before their cameras.

They were more spectacular than any fireworks display they had ever witnessed.

Every block in the infected zone had been nearly flattened by the extraordinary density of firepower.

The footage was broadcast without reservation to viewers around the world.

“Even Van Fleet never used artillery this brutally…”

“Forget zombies. Not even a fly could survive inside those bombardment zones!”

“They’re firing thermobaric warheads like they’re free!”

“High-explosive shells, thousand-pound bombs, and even larger ordnance… That bombardment alone could flatten a major city!”

“What kind of lunatic is commanding this operation?!”

“Holy shit, the allied forces have completely lost their minds!”

“They’d slap every dog along the road twice, split passing earthworms lengthwise, shake the yolks inside every egg, and crush every packet of instant noodles!”

“Even the zombies passing by are getting roasted well-done!”

“Zombies: Now this feels familiar!”

“LeMay: At last, a worthy successor! The art of barbecuing lives on!”

“Commander Ethan’s operation is so warm and compassionate.”

“The temperature in New York State is especially pleasant today—five thousand degrees Celsius!”

“It warms the heart so thoroughly that even the zombies are melting!”

Ethan glanced at the comments scrolling across his phone and smiled.

He ignored the ridiculous viewers.

This was only the beginning.