Chapter 1497 - 1229: I Remain Unshaken

On the large tactical screen at the command post, high-definition real-time images transmitted by the drone quickly appeared.

More than a dozen armed pickup trucks, equipped with heavy machine guns and recoilless rifles, were kicking up dust, advancing cautiously in a sparse skirmish line, maneuvering towards the rear flank of the right-wing position.

1515 Armed personnel on the vehicles clutched their rifles, watching their surroundings vigilantly. It was apparent that they intended to probe and uncover the firepower configuration and defensive weaknesses of the "motionless" enemy outside the city through this tentative attack.

What they didn't know was that the eyes of the Grim Reaper had already locked onto them from high above.

"Coordinates transmitted! All elements set!"

The artillery command post reported.

Song Heping stared at the slow-moving red target markers on the screen and, without hesitation, issued the command to fire: "All batteries, five-round salvo, fire!"

The order spread through the entire artillery position like a thunderclap.

The first to roar were the 122mm heavy howitzers hidden beneath camouflage nets at the rear of the position.

Boom——

Boom——

Boom——

Boom——

The long barrels recoiled violently, hot gas gushing from the sides of the muzzles, stirring up the dust on the ground, roaring like a giant beast.

Following closely, even more 120mm self-propelled mortars joined in this deadly symphony.

"Whoosh—— Whoosh—— Whoosh——!"

"Boom——!"

The shrill whistle of shells slicing through the air blanketed the maneuvering enemy convoy overhead in an instant.

The next second, devastating explosions burst forth like flowers blooming abruptly on that desolate Gobi Desert!

The fall points of the first salvo were incredibly precise!

At least four 155mm high-explosive shells directly hit several of the pickup trucks at the convoy's front and center.

Huge fireballs soared into the sky, accompanied by deafening blasts, as vehicle frames made of steel were torn and flipped like toys!

Fragments of the vehicle body, pieces of tires, along with remnants of human bodies, were hurled dozens of meters into the air by the violent shockwave!

"Boom! Boom Boom Boom!"

More shells rained down densely like hailstones; the fiery explosions and dense smoke merged into a single entity, instantly swallowing the entire convoy.

The fragments from 122mm howitzers scattered like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, fanning out madly, mowing down armed personnel that hadn't been directly hit.

The 120mm mortar bombs fell nearly vertically, mercilessly striking the gaps in the convoy. The overpressure and preformed fragments from the explosion caused devastating injuries to the enemies hiding under the vehicle shadows.

The drone's camera shook violently, transmitting suffocating images back——

A pickup truck was directly hit by a shell, instantly turning into a burning heap of scrap metal; a gunman holding an RPG had just jumped off the vehicle when flying shrapnel sheared off half his body; scattered firing points trying to rely on sand dunes for resistance were quickly covered by correcting shells, blown sky high along with the dunes…

In just two to three minutes, over a hundred shells of various calibers were poured onto an area less than one square kilometer.

As the artillery fire gradually subsided and the smoke slightly dissipated, the images transmitted back by the drone showed that the once menacing enemy convoy had ceased to exist, leaving only smoldering wreckage, charred craters, and the scattered, unrecognizable remains of bodies.

A full-strength reinforced company, along with its vehicles, was completely wiped out under the fierce artillery fire, unable to mount any significant resistance.

From the forward position came the restrained cheers of soldiers.

In the command post, Song Heping just looked calmly at the screen and said calmly over the radio, "Well done. All units maintain alert, guard against enemy retaliation. The same order: stay vigilant, hold the ground, do not initiate attacks."