Black technology: a super empire spanning two worlds

Chapter 367 [High Ground Attack and Defense Drill]

This power armor is technologically advanced and truly high-tech, but it has a very low learning curve. Anyone who knows how to use basic electronic devices, such as mobile phones and computers, can easily get started.

In just two days, the soldiers memorized and mastered all the skills and operating procedures for using power armor. The rest is up to them to train and improve their proficiency over time.

Two more days passed, and the base military approved a simulated attack and defense exercise to capture the high ground.

The attacking force consisted of a special operations squad of 12 fully armed power armor warriors. They had no heavy firepower support or air support, and relied solely on the conventional rifles carried by the power armor warriors.

The defending side is a fully-fledged conventional combat company with air support from a swarm of drones. The combat company, including commanders and logistics personnel, has more than 120 people, which is ten times the strength of the attacking side.

Moreover, the high ground they were stationed on was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it was also covered with minefields.

This offensive and defensive exercise adopted a semi-live-fire drill, meaning that the defending side was fully armed and the mines in the minefield were real, while the 12 power armor warriors on the attacking side used non-live ammunition.

……

Today, the sky over the northwestern desert is a leaden gray. On a high ground to the east of the military base, a fully-equipped combat company is stationed, ready for battle.

The defenders have already constructed fortifications, trenches, barbed wire, and bunkers, which are scattered along the ridgeline.

On the high ground, the defending company commander stared at the tactical map, while 12 figures gleaming with silver-gray light were already advancing from the foot of the mountain toward the high ground; they were none other than the attacking team's powered armor special operations squad.

"Attention all units, the enemy has no heavy firepower or air support, and their numbers are only one-tenth of ours, but their power armor is extremely powerful and their defense is astonishing." The company commander issued the order over the communication device: "The minefield is the first line of defense. The drones continue patrolling, and any targets spotted are marked immediately."

In the trenches on the high ground, soldiers put their phones on the triggers, and a swarm of small drones had already taken off, each drone carrying a high-explosive bomb.

At the same time, the squad leader of the attacking side at the foot of the mountain raised his hand to signal his squad members to stop. The projection of the forward-facing eyepiece inside the power armor mask showed the minefield distribution. The squad leader immediately ordered: "Divide into three groups. Group A draws fire, Group B covers the left and right flanks, and Group C provides cover on the right flank. All three groups advance at the same time."

These 12 power armor warriors were dressed in special camouflage uniforms, concealing their metal shells.

Because the offensive and defensive exercises were conducted outdoors, it was clearly to avoid detection by satellites in high-altitude orbit. It cannot be ruled out that Amelia's satellites might be spying on them at this time.

With this layer of camouflage, even if satellites capture images, they cannot identify it as a powered armor. This new equipment will soon be unveiled at the military parade, but it must remain undetected by the outside world for the next few months.

"Squad leader, what do we do about the minefield?" a squad member asked.

"The defensive advantages of power armor are obvious. Ignore the minefield, charge straight in, ignore the drones in the air, take the high ground as quickly as possible, and annihilate the enemy." The squad leader said decisively, "Attack immediately, the team advances in a fan formation."

When the four power armor warriors of Group A stepped into the minefield, the ground suddenly trembled violently.

An anti-personnel mine exploded at the feet of the second soldier, sending up a burst of flames and blasts of air.

The energy shockwave from the explosion struck the power armor, lifting him into the air. However, the power armor's automatic balancing system quickly adjusted its posture, and upon landing, the warrior landed steadily on the ground, narrowly escaping injury.

"Whoa! Holy crap!!" The soldier exclaimed instinctively, his adrenaline surging. He checked himself and found that he was unharmed. The energy shockwave from the explosion had been absorbed by the nanocomposite armor on his power armor, and the shrapnel had only caused some scratches on the armor.

If it weren't for the protection of this power armor, if I had stepped on a landmine and it had exploded, that leg would definitely be gone, probably in pieces.

"Don't linger, don't panic, quickly advance through the minefield!" The squad leader's voice rang out in the communicator inside the power armor. Upon hearing the order, the four soldiers of Group A snapped out of their daze and immediately charged forward, ignoring the minefields along the way.

Boom!Boom!Boom!
Landmines were exploding intermittently beneath their feet. One soldier, who had not adjusted his posture properly, was thrown to the ground by the shockwave of the explosion, but he was unharmed and immediately got up to continue the charge.

This was the first time they had ever been in real war; previous acting had never been this realistic, let alone actually walking on landmines with their bare hands.

On the other side, the company commander stationed on the high ground, watching the footage transmitted by the drone, immediately ordered, "All drones, launch a saturation bombardment!" *Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Nearly 200 small drones took off from the high ground they were stationed on, emitting a cacophony of whistling sounds as they flew over the high ground.

This whistling sound was a nightmare for soldiers on the battlefield, just as terrifying as the Stuka bomber's roar during World War II. It was as if each generation had its own version of the Stuka.

Even for a simple offensive and defensive exercise, only Dongda University has the resources to deploy so many drones at once. And that's just a small matter. If they really wanted to do something big, they would start by using "tens of thousands" of drones as the unit of measurement.

Meanwhile, a swarm of drones arrived above the power armor warriors and began dropping a barrage of bombs.

Boom! Boom boom! Boom!

Immediately following was a deafening explosion, the sound of which echoed across the high ground, and dust obscured the entire valley.

In the base command center, Lin Baiyu looked at the large screen. The high-altitude drone in front of him was acting as an observer on the battlefield of the exercise, transmitting real-time images. The commanders standing next to him stared at the screen in silence, though they were also a little nervous.

Clearly, they were worried about the safety of the 12 warriors wearing power armor; any casualties would be a serious matter.

In this offensive and defensive exercise, the defending side used real ammunition. Just that round of saturation bombardment by the drone swarm would have meant that the 12 soldiers would have had no chance of survival under normal circumstances.

"Comrade Baiyu, there shouldn't be any problem, right?" One of the colonels couldn't help but ask Lin Baiyu. The latter said confidently, "Don't worry, such firepower will not only be a scratch on the power armor's defense, but it will definitely not cause any casualties."

On the offensive and defensive positions, as the dust settled and dissipated on the ridge, the 12 soldiers in power armor were seen rapidly advancing towards the higher ground. Despite the fierce saturation bombardment from the air, none of them were injured; their power armor only had a few burn marks and scratches on its surface.

"Good! Good!" The base commander was greatly encouraged by the footage being transmitted back and exclaimed repeatedly, now completely relieved.

Meanwhile, the company commander stationed on the high ground on the offensive and defensive position was also taken aback when he saw the images transmitted back by the drone: "Good heavens, these iron lumps are indeed bomb-resistant kings. All of you, suppressive fire, heavy machine guns, suppress them!"

Along the ridgeline, several heavy machine guns spewed fire, and bullets rained down like a storm.

The power armor warriors immediately raised their left hands to support their shields and continued their advance. Bullets slanted and pounded against the shields, and the huge kinetic energy impact of the bullets slowed down the power armor warriors' advance, but overall they were still getting closer to the high ground.

Just then, the power armor warriors began to fight back. They held their shields in front of them with their left hands and their guns on the shields with their right hands. The real shields had supports on the sides.

The power armor warriors on the field don't need precise aiming at all. With the support of the aiming assistance system, they only need to aim at the general location of the enemy and pull the trigger.

The next moment, a machine gunner stationed on the high ground saw red signal smoke rising from his body. He immediately stopped firing, dejected, and withdrew from the exercise, because he had been fatally wounded and died on the spot.

The attacking power armor warriors do not fire live ammunition. The signal smoke for the defending warriors when they are hit is generated by a laser-guided engagement system. The laser signal simulates the effect of a bullet impact, and different colored signal smoke is released by a smoke generator to indicate different levels of damage.

The defending soldiers are equipped with smoke generators on various parts of their bodies. When a laser beam hits a certain part, the computer analyzes the "hit" location and the type of "bullet" and triggers the corresponding smoke generator.

Red smoke indicates fatal damage; the appearance of red smoke means that the soldier has "died" in combat and must immediately withdraw from the exercise.

Green smoke indicates that the character has lost combat capability and needs to wait for rescue. If the rescue is not timely, it may result in "death".

White smoke indicates serious injury. The soldier can only wait for rescue on the spot. If teammates arrive, they can provide first aid. If enemies arrive, they can be dealt with at will.

Blue smoke indicates minor damage; the warrior can continue fighting, but has suffered minor injuries.

……

(End of this chapter)