Under Lu Yuan's "facilitation", Hart spoke with the City Lord.
【City Lord】: "This is Ke'er, what is it?"
【Hart】: "My men are ready, but before we set out, there's something I must clarify. About two weeks ago, our radar picked up an aircraft, and strangely, it wasn't on the Oasis City route."
【City Lord】: "Hart, you know, 'Apollo' is a partner of Oasis City, just like you, not a subordinate. They don't inform me in advance where their aircraft are going."
【Hart】: "But shortly after that, Red Iron Town reduced metal supply, causing you to want to punish them through me. Is all this just a coincidence? Come on, City Lord, you and I both know a new group of Celestials has arrived on this planet."
【City Lord】: "I only know that Red Iron Town lied and concealed their metal production. Other than that, whether or not Celestials have landed nearby, and what their strength is, I don't know any more than you. And even if they have, so what? I'm asking you to attack Red Iron Town, not the Celestials. As for whether Red Iron Town has allied with the Celestials, can't you find out yourself? Do you still need me to teach you how to be a Raider?"
【Hart】: "..."
【City Lord】: "No response? Then it seems you haven't found out. So what exactly do you want to discuss with me?"
【Hart】: "I hope you will share information without reservation!"
At this moment, Jubian gave a thumbs up.
"Executive Officer, voiceprint sampling is complete. You can imitate the voices of these two people now!"
Lu Yuan: "Cut off the call immediately."
He walked to the communication console and took the microphone from Jubian.
【City Lord (Lu Yuan's imitation)】: "I've already said, I don't know any more than you do. How about this, to show sincerity in cooperation, if you are really worried, tell me the specific time of the operation. I will send troops to support you then, how does that sound? Of course, my men won't be convenient to show their faces directly, but they can cover your retreat if the situation is unfavorable, or help you defend the main camp."
【Hart】: "No need, I appreciate your kindness! In fact... City Lord, if I discover any Oasis City troops ambushing nearby during the operation, then the operation will be immediately canceled."
Lu Yuan smiled slightly, knowing his goal had been achieved.
He wanted to use this seemingly helpful, yet subtly threatening proposal, to make the Stormwind Gang uncomfortable, to make them feel like they might be walking into a trap, and could be backstabbed by Oasis City at any moment.
If they canceled the plan to raid Red Iron Town because of this, Cangyuan would have more time to develop slowly.
If the Stormwind Gang left more defensive forces and reduced the forces going out to raid because of this, the result would also be beneficial to Lu Yuan.
The difference was just a big win and a small win.
【City Lord (Lu Yuan's imitation)】: "Alright, suit yourself. I just wanted to help. Since you don't need it, Oasis City won't send troops."
"The City Lord is still waiting on the other side," Jubian reminded after hanging up on Hart.
"What did the City Lord say just now?"
"He relented, saying that Red Iron Town previously had a convoy heading north, and suggested the Stormwind Gang could scout that direction."
"Hmph..."
Lu Yuan switched to the Oasis City line.
【Hart (Lu Yuan's imitation)】: "No need. Given the City Lord's previous attitude, the Stormwind Gang will reconsider cooperation matters. At the same time, we also suggest you strengthen city defenses to avoid certain unpleasant things from happening."
【City Lord】: "What did you say!?"
Lu Yuan didn't listen to the other party's rambling and hung up directly.
If the distrust between the Stormwind Gang and Oasis City was 30 before, after this conversation, it would probably increase to at least 70.
Both sides might realize something was off in a few days, but at this moment, the opportunity was on Cangyuan's side.
Lu Yuan turned to look at the players who were watching.
What was coming, was finally here.
Sensing the atmosphere of a big battle, their eyes lit up, like a pack of wolves seeing meat.
"Judging from the Stormwind Gang leader's tone just now, I don't think he will send out all his forces."
Lu Yuan turned and said to the players.
"I completely agree!" Caoyuan said.
"The enemy should leave elite troops for defense, and are estimated to deploy 30 to 45 percent of their forces."
Lu Yuan: "How many troops do you think the enemy has in total?"
Caoyuan: "According to information from Red Iron Town, the Stormwind Gang has 800 people, but I suggest we estimate generously, using 1.5 times this number, which is 1200 people."
"In such a large paramilitary organization, at least 15% will be dedicated to logistics, leaving about 1000 combat personnel. Multiplying by a coefficient of 0.3 to 0.45, that's 300 to 450 people."
"The Stormwind Gang is fully mechanized. Battle tanks and vehicle-mounted artillery are about 3 to 8 people per squad. Infantry fighting vehicles require 2 to 3 people to drive, with 6 to 10 crew members."
"Therefore, we are facing an attack of approximately 40 to 50 armored vehicles and 200 fully armed infantry!"
The surroundings were silent.
What a battle with such disparate forces!
"Good thing."
After a moment, Ye Xing was the first to break the silence.
"What does this mean? It means every player has a chance to get 20 kills, plus two vehicles. It's practically like celebrating the New Year!"
"Damn... leave some for the militia, okay."
"As players who can revive, do we still need the militia to be on the front line? Militia casualties will definitely lower reputation. We've only just reached cooperation."
"Besides, there aren't many militia, just those 50 people. We are the main force."
Amidst the lively discussion and jokes, the tension gradually dissipated.
Players were naturally battle-hungry. The more enemies, the more exciting the fight, and the more honor points they would earn. They wished for even more.
The initial nervousness was entirely due to the high realism of the game, which caused emotions to be brought in.
This kind of mentality is difficult for the militia to obtain no matter how much they train; there is a fundamental difference between the two.
Lu Yuan clapped his hands, signaling the employees to quiet down.
"Alright, person in charge of military production, check the equipment."
"Yes, Executive Officer!"
Jubian pushed up his imaginary glasses and stepped forward with a pad.
"The camp currently has 8 'Barbarian' military exoskeletons, 135 FPV drones, 10 all-terrain vehicles, each already installed with a small turret, specifically armed with coaxial heavy machine guns and heavy grenade launchers; 4 trucks have been fitted with cargo beds and are ready to be deployed as weapon platforms at any time."
"In terms of personal armament, players and militia each have a set of combat gear, and there are plenty of rocket launchers, guns, and ammunition."
"Executive Officer, there are more troops than that," Nan Guo de Xue said calmly from the side.
"As of today, the players who went out farming instances have captured a total of 29 Mechanical Desert Spiders, all of which have been reprogrammed. 5 of them still retain their weapons, and the rest can be quickly converted into mechanical guards if needed."
Hmm...
Mechanical Desert Spiders are dull-witted and not as tactically skilled as players, but they have strong firepower, are durable, and suitable for holding the line.
"Then convert them. We'll take 20 out on the expedition, and the rest will guard the base."
Nan Guo de Xue: "Okay, those little guys are also useful. They can be buried in the sand beforehand and drill under vehicles when enemies pass by, detonating methane fuel tanks."
"Little guys? The ones in the Mechanical Hive?"
"Yes."
What terrifying robots...
Lu Yuan thought for a moment and decided against it.
"No need. Let them also stay and guard the base. These are used to maintain the production line. I don't want to over-consume them in the battle."
Lu Yuan looked at the players.
"The objective is not just defense, but also to try to consume the enemy's effective strength. If the Stormwind Gang retreats with most of their forces, then everything will be meaningless."
"Regarding tactics, I'd like to hear everyone's opinions."