Chapter 629.2: The Strange Fog |
There were plenty of men called that in Boulder Town’s slums. Those without names usually took one when joining a gang, Dagger, Cleaver, Axe, and so on.
The officer frowned, noticing the wrinkled scar tissue on his arm.
Members of the Dagger Gang tattooed daggers on their forearms as a symbol. Other gangs had similar marks, and that was how the New Alliance had identified many of them.
Later, when they were sent to the camp, the overseers forced them to burn or sand their tattoos off, but the scars remained.
The officer could already guess who the man had been, but said nothing.
“From today onward, your name is Bit. You’ll be in charge of these hundred or so men.”
Glancing at the time on his wristwatch, the officer continued, “Before lights out tonight, give me a full count of who’s staying.”
Bit let out a quiet breath of relief, noted his new name, and gave a sharp salute.
“Yes, sir!”
With just two weeks remaining before the Tide, preparations for war had entered their final phase.
Large quantities of military supplies poured into Dawn City by rail, then were distributed across Clearspring City’s various defensive zones by transport trucks.
After forming the alliance with Boulder Town, the New Alliance had repaired the major urban road networks, both above and below ground.
At the edge of the fifth ring.
Wearing his exoframe, Chu Guang inspected the front-line defenses, accompanied by Wrench.
Though the defense line was technically the same as the year before, the difference was staggering, like comparing an old ruin to a reborn city.
If the New Alliance Army of a year ago had been a ragtag militia cobbling together WWII and Cold War weaponry, then the soldiers standing before him were a true professional army.
Fully automatic weapons had been issued across the board, even at the squad level.
Rows of 155mm artillery pieces stood proudly along the line, their barrels jutting toward the horizon like a forest of steel.
It was hard to imagine that just a year ago, most of the New Alliance’s artillery had been third-hand scavenged pieces captured from marauders, or hand-built imitations hammered together by Mosquito and his band of equally insane players.
It wasn’t just artillery either.
Even support equipment like exoskeletons had evolved drastically.
Back then, a KV-1 exoskeleton with a few welded steel plates was already considered advanced weapons. Now, even dock workers were wearing mass-produced Miner-class exosuits from Ideal City.
Of course, the change wasn’t just in weapons and gear.
The most visible transformation lay in the fortifications themselves.
Concrete walls topped with barbed wire connected entire high-rise towers, forming the innermost line of defense. From there, the fortifications extended outward, fire support nests built into skyscrapers, each forming a natural bastion. Only the main thoroughfares remained open, fitted with retractable gates.
These fortified towers acted like the angled bastions of ancient fortresses, each providing overlapping fields of fire that covered the streets in every direction.
This vast defensive line encircled the entire survivor-populated zone between Dawn City’s southern edge and Clearspring’s northern sectors. Any Slime Mold wishing to bypass it would have to swing far east or west, outside the city limits.
However, the Slime Mold data transmission rate was linked to spore density, and conversely, the movement of the sub-entities depended on that same concentration.
It was like running an overloaded server. If a server had bandwidth for 100 players and someone crammed in 10,000, even the admin couldn’t stop everyone from lagging into a slideshow.
Mutant Slime Mold operating through Node Organisms had the same flaw. Their genetic limitations prevented the Hive’s will from extending into low-density spore zones, forcing them to mass their strength in concentrated waves to break through civilized defenses.
Thus, detours were rare. The majority of Slime Mold always struck head-on, one of the key findings of the New Alliance Biological Research Institution’s field studies.
There was no need to wall off the entire city like the old Post-War Reconstruction Committee once did.
Instead, it was enough to build a line of defense stretching from zones of high spore density toward zones of low density.
…
“… We’ve kept the same positions as last year, but we’ve reinforced everything and improved our defense procedures!” Wrench reported enthusiastically.
“Following the recommendations of the staff officers, we’ve divided the line into 20 sectors, each assigned to a battalion. Every sector is further divided into 10 positions arranged in a 3-3-4 formation, ensuring overlapping fields of fire that cover every inch of ground ahead!”
There were far more technical improvements, fire distribution, logistics, and support protocols, but Wrench spared the details.
The Tide the year before had exposed the New Alliance’s inexperience in large-scale warfare. This year, things were different.
After the campaign in the Sunset Province, New Alliance officers and soldiers alike had gained experience in maneuver warfare, positional warfare, and every variety of modern battle.
Chu Guang nodded approvingly at the beaming old soldier. “Well done.”
Wrench’s weathered face flushed red with pride, his grin broadening.
The first generation of New Alliance officers were people like him, wastelanders rescued from marauder camps by Shelter 404.
He didn’t have lofty ideals or complex philosophies. To him, the administrator’s praise was the greatest honor a man could receive.
Chu Guang paused, then continued calmly. “But there’s something I need to discuss with you.”
“Yes, sir!” Wrench replied instantly.
“It’s not an order,” Chu Guang smiled, his tone conversational. “Just something about the future.”
“Our army’s getting too large. The current structure’s becoming bloated. Once the Tide is over, I plan to reorganize our military system, replacing the old battalions and Corps with the prewar Federation practices.”
Military structure had always been a hot topic on the forums. Chu Guang had studied the suggestions of several veteran players and discussed them with Vanus.
The Army used a crude structure of thousands and tens of thousands because they had endless three-year-grown clone soldiers, and because the Wislander officers were hereditary nobles whose status came from military rank. Their entire society revolved around martial merit, so they didn’t even need formal ranks.
Other survivor settlements had copied that model out of convenience.
It wasn’t wrong, after all, the Army’s weapons were widely sold across the wasteland, and every weaker force imitated their example.
As for marauders, they worshiped violence above all. To them, Centurion and Decurion weren’t just ranks, they were badges of honor and ferocity.
Thus, between the settlements and the marauder tribes, the thousand-man and hundred-man formations became the wasteland’s de facto standard.
But standard didn’t mean optimal.
Enterprise forces, for instance, were completely different.
Private military companies from Ideal City worked in squad-based structures. They were leaner than modern battalion task groups, some even operating at the platoon level.
The Enterprise’s own security forces consisted of compact, 100-man assault teams.
Of course, Ideal City wasn’t trying to expand. Their army’s main job was exterminating nearby Mutant Humans or buying off problems with money, so the lean structure made sense.
Neither model suited the New Alliance perfectly.
Chu Guang intended to take a middle path, combining both.
He would restructure the NPC army using the army, corps, division, brigade, battalion, company, and platoon hierarchy with the Three-Three System.[1]">https://www.academia.edu/22996048/Lin_Biao_s_Principles_of_Tactics_vs_the_Human_Wave_A_Disagreement_with_Edward_C_O_Dowd[/ref]
The reorganized First and Second New Alliance Corps were essentially divisions at the moment and would become the proper First and Second New Alliance Corps, each commanding 10 to 20 brigades of roughly 2,000 personnel.
This structure would be simpler, more standardized, and allow a clear rank system.
As for the players, they would retain their existing system. They would simply be renamed.
So far, their operational efficiency had been excellent. There was no need for sweeping reform, just a few adjustments to their battlefield roles.
In truth, each player Corps functioned as an independent battalion-level tactical group, specializing in high-risk, high-intensity special operations.
Since players’ individual combat strength far exceeded NPC standards, forcing them into rigid regular army doctrine was neither practical nor fun.
From experience, Chu Guang knew one thing. Players could tolerate being exploited, even enjoy it, but they would never accept being lectured on how to play.
That was why he never told them how to play, only what they couldn’t do, and what punishment awaited if they crossed the line.
Using that moment, Chu Guang outlined his long-term vision for the New Alliance’s four military branches. He would create the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Orbital Force.
Even though half of those didn’t yet exist, Wrench listened earnestly, never once thinking it was a joke.
When he finished, Wrench stood at attention, saluted, and declared solemnly, “The First Corps will unconditionally obey your command! Your will is the will of the New Alliance Army!”
Chu Guang smiled faintly. “No need to be so formal. The reorganization will wait until after this Tide. I just wanted you aware of it so you can start thinking in that direction during the operation. Later, I’ll convene central command and gather everyone’s input.”
He had barely finished speaking when a long siren wailed from the south.
Both men turned instinctively.
The once-still gray-green fog suddenly surged forward, rolling through the streets like a collapsing flood.
The mist was rising and the Tide had begun.
Seeing the furious tide of fog sweeping toward them, Chu Guang’s brow lifted slightly in surprise.
It had come earlier than the Biological Research Institution’s forecast. But then again, no prediction was ever perfect.
Wrench’s pupils tightened. Instinct honed from countless battles screamed danger. He turned sharply. “Administrator, please fall back!”
But Chu Guang didn’t move. He simply tilted his chin toward the defensive line and said calmly,
“My safety is irrelevant. What you should care about are the people behind this line.”
“Now go, do what must be done. I’ll be here to witness your courage.”
1. ☜
