Yang Wei announced in a deep voice.
As his words fell, a cluster of crimson firelight shot through the depths of the snowstorm, smashing heavily against the fortress's outer wall, causing the entire structure to tremble slightly.
It was the Magma Roarer, a variant of the Amethyst Crystal Entity, launching a long-range attack.
The situation was critical.
Liu Yi didn't have time to think too much. He hurried to his combat position, responsible for remotely operating a multi-barrel electromagnetic machine gun located on the sixth floor of the fortress.
This multi-barrel electromagnetic machine gun was one of the four heavy weapons in the fortress. Although it couldn't match the destructive power of the Thunder-class optoelectronic cannon, the basic penetrating power of electromagnetic weapons, combined with their ultra-high rate of fire, formed a unified torrent of metal, still delivering considerable lethality.
Sitting at his combat position, Liu Yi clearly saw through the built-in optoelectronic targeting system that outside the fortress, monsters the size of calves were slowly approaching. He pursed his lips, refraining from firing immediately, and observed the readiness of his own forces.
On the tactical screen, 30 newly upgraded ordinary Spider Robots and over 200 Machine Dogs, serving as auxiliary combat units, were densely distributed as green dots across key positions of the fortress.
The sole Heavy Main Battle Spider Robot, which in the past had been used to support convoys passing through Jianghe City that were attacked by bandits, was now stationed at the very top of the fortress. Its main weapon, which had reached the specifications of an electromagnetic cannon, was aimed at the distant ground.
In one corner of the screen, the ammunition reserves of the entire fortress were displayed. Liu Yi noted that the current reserves were nearly full, with the corresponding bullet count for his multi-barrel electromagnetic machine gun showing 1.5 million rounds.
This staggering number slightly eased his pre-battle tension. With such ample ammunition, no matter how many enemies there were, they should be able to hold out in the end.
Boom! Another series of explosions echoed through the snowstorm. The Amethyst Crystal monsters gathering outside had officially stepped into the minefield surrounding the fortress.
"All units, attention. Commence firing."
Captain Yang Wei's voice sounded over the combat channel.
Liu Yi refocused his attention on the optoelectronic targeting system's lens, adjusted the firing angle slightly, and pressed the button to activate the multi-barrel electromagnetic machine gun.
With the faint hum of the motor, a torrent of metal projectiles erupted from the barrel at a rate of 6,000 rounds per minute, forming a destructive metallic stream that struck a distant monster with a vaguely scorpion-like form.
Under this rain of bullets, the monster let out a low roar, its body writhing violently as if enduring unimaginable agony. Six seconds later, it stopped struggling, completely lifeless.
Seeing the target eliminated, Liu Yi temporarily ceased firing. Although the ammunition reserves were still plentiful, the machine gun's terrifying rate of fire meant that it couldn't be wasted carelessly. Conservation was still necessary.
"Hit rate: 93%. Over 500 bullets to completely kill one?" Liu Yi glanced at the combat statistics, his heart sinking as he realized the tenacity of the enemy. Even with one of the fortress's four heavy weapons, the fight was this difficult. The pressure on others must be even greater.
Suppressing his worries, Liu Yi locked onto several nearby Amethyst Crystals and continued to sweep them with fire. Since the enemy was tough, he had to shoulder the responsibility of being the primary gunner, eliminating as many enemies as quickly as possible.
As the longest-range and most powerful multi-barrel electromagnetic machine gun and rocket launch pods were successively activated, the battle intensified.
Soon, those inside the fortress discovered that the monsters' attack methods were rather limited. Apart from hurling magma spheres, they could only fire needle-like projectiles with rifle-like force. Neither of these posed a significant threat to the militarily fortified structure.
In contrast, the defenders, relying on solid fortifications, could unleash their firepower freely, maximizing their lethality. However, this temporary advantage didn't mean the battle was won.
As the fight dragged on, the pressure on those inside the fortress grew. Liu Yi noticed that no matter how many Amethyst Crystals he killed with the multi-barrel electromagnetic machine gun, new ones kept replenishing the ranks, gradually tightening the encirclement around the fortress and depleting the surrounding minefields.
By the second hour of the battle, the number of Amethyst Crystals gathered outside the fortress had exceeded ten thousand. Their sheer numbers created an overwhelming, suffocating pressure.
When a large group of Amethyst Crystals breached a certain distance and self-destructing variants began infiltrating underground to detonate near the fortress's foundation, the threat finally crossed the artificial intelligence's warning threshold, prompting it to escalate the situation directly to the highest level of the command system.
Underground Control Center, Rural Cottage.
Su Wu, who was handling internal affairs of the shelter, received this special alert and turned his attention to the war-torn Jianghe City.
"The number of Amethyst Crystals gathering there is quite significant. This is likely the largest group ever seen outside the Qinling Mountains."
After spending half a minute reviewing the combat logs, Su Wu's eyebrows raised slightly, piquing his interest.
After a brief consideration, he decided to annihilate this group of Amethyst Crystals first, securing a batch of rare materials.
The group of over ten thousand Amethyst Crystals that had nearly pushed the military fortress at Communication Tower No. 6 to the brink was, for someone of Su Wu's caliber, merely an opportunity to conveniently harvest rare materials. Resolving the situation wouldn't be particularly difficult.
Their appearance, however, prompted Su Wu to seriously consider another matter: whether the communication towers built outside Jianghe City were still necessary.
"Most of the population in the Wide River Basin has already been relocated to the Rural Cottage. The internet needs of the remaining few can be handled by communication satellites. From any perspective, these towers no longer serve a significant purpose."
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