Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 500: A Probing Attack on the Royal City While Depleting the Buffer Zone
The effect of deploying the Han Hai [Jiuquan] troops to the battlefield was extremely dazzling.

Every tactic of warfare has its advantages and disadvantages. The orcs' strategy of using human slaves as hostages, while effective against the indiscriminate bombing of Dongxia, proved somewhat ineffective against the skeleton legion of the [Nine Springs] army.

In terms of strength, they are about the same, except for those carbon fiber "elite" skeletons, the orcs are even stronger.

But it was no use; undead units are never defeated by overwhelming force.

Their characteristics are that they neither eat nor drink, never sleep nor rest, are fearless and inexhaustible.

The skull in front had its head shattered by the orc's battle axe and rolled far away. The skull behind it followed expressionlessly and thrust its spear into the orc's gaping mouth before the orc could even cheer.

After a battle, the scattered bones are quickly pieced together by the "Tinker," and summoned by the necromancer's incantation, they shakily rise again...

If it weren't for a decisive, overwhelming victory, fighting a war of attrition against the undead would be an absolutely hopeless experience.

Even more critically, on the wasteland, the orcs even thoughtfully provided the necromancers of the Vast Ocean with a "resource incubation pool".

The open-air mass graves scattered throughout the various orc tribes provided a continuous supply of skeletons for the Vast Ocean.

That was the place where the orcs had wantonly slaughtered and buried human slaves. Layers upon layers of bones lay piled up in the pit, accumulated over countless years.

Awakened by the "tender and affectionate" incantation, one after another, they sprouted from the ground. Those poor people who trembled under the whips and knives in life and never dared to resist finally straightened their spines after death, brandished bone spears, and fiercely stabbed their former abusers.

It can be considered that a cycle of destiny has been completed.

To be honest, the trouble caused by the settlement of human slaves was greater in the Vast Ocean than the battle with the orcs.

Directing the flow of people, maintaining order, treating the wounded, registering identities, providing food, arranging evacuations...

While the skeletons and orcs in front were still fighting, the Han Hai stability maintenance team behind them was already extremely busy.

In the distance, the faint sounds of explosions could be heard, as the air force continued its final clearing of the remaining orc strongholds along the retreat route. Closer in, the sounds of everyday life, a mixture of fear and hope, created another equally harrowing scene beyond the battlefield.

While the orc army was being intercepted, the joint supreme command of Han Hai and Dong Xia entered the final sprint of the war.

According to the timeline of the "Liting" campaign, the army will withdraw completely in about eight hours, the artillery will withdraw from the wasteland in ten hours, and the air force will be the last to withdraw.

They fly fast.

During this final sprint, Dongxia focused on two key tasks.

First, ground troops completed the clearing work in the southern part of the wasteland.

Completely eradicate them, wipe out the orc fortresses in the south, blow up every stronghold, burn down all the supply depots, level every arrow tower and beacon tower, and cut off all bridges and roads...

Even the pastures and fields in the wilderness were repeatedly trampled over by the engineering corps with bulldozers, and even sprayed with special agents to physically "abandon" them.

In the words of the chief of staff, even if a single blade of grass were to grow here in the future, it would have to be approved by Han Hai.

In the future, the vast area between the Savage Stone Gate and the Howling Valley will become a huge vacuum zone.

A purely undefended, uninhabited "demilitarized zone," or even a "no man's land," lies between humans and orcs, with only one purpose: to provide a sufficiently, sufficiently, sufficiently wide strategic buffer zone for the Vast Ocean Territory.

When the vast ocean can accumulate enough strength to continue its northward advance, this scorched land will be reawakened and transformed into a springboard for progress.

Second, the command is planning a bombing campaign deep into the northern part of the wasteland.

So far, the orcs' sacred mountain and royal court remain unscathed, not because Han Hai is kind-hearted, but because he has some reservations.

The area around the Orc King's Court is a bit strange.

Han Hai had previously deployed many intelligence agents to that area and also sent in some highly technologically advanced hidden cameras and eavesdropping devices through special channels. However, strangely, once these devices entered the area, their operation became extremely abnormal and intermittent.

Even the "Penglai" airship of the Vast Ocean experienced signal loss during its exploration to the north.

Fortunately, to prevent these valuable assets from being damaged, the airships of the Vast Ocean Territory are equipped with several emergency systems, including an emergency return system, a backup diesel power system, and undead safety officers on duty around the clock.

After a flurry of frantic efforts, they finally managed to turn the airship back.

But ever since then, the area within a radius of 150 kilometers centered on the orcs' sacred mountain has been marked as a restricted zone by the Vast Ocean.

Intelligence gathering in the Orcish Royal Court relied solely on the physical reconnaissance of Orcish intelligence personnel and information transmitted through a few unreliable eavesdropping devices.

The expert team from Dongxia once proposed a hypothesis regarding this phenomenon. They believed that there might be a vast and extremely strong natural magnetic field anomaly in the sacred mountain region of the orcs. This anomalous magnetic field would severely interfere with or even destroy all electronic devices that enter its range.

But despite the speculation, during the operation, the joint command firmly rejected the air force's proposal to bomb the orc capital.

Now, as the entire tactical operation nears its end and the army is about to withdraw, the Chief of Staff has once again made a suggestion.

"I think we should still give it a try!"

"We won't take any risks, we won't let the pilots get close, we'll fight from a safe distance."

The chief of staff pulled up a list on the screen, which was the bomber force's follow-up operational plan. Some of the items marked in bright red were projects that needed to be submitted to command for review and approval.

"The Air Force suggested that one option is to send inertial-guided drones or loitering munitions in. Even if the signal is jammed and the flight control fails completely, they can still fly in along the preset trajectory. In any case, they will still bomb the enemy's ground."

"The second is to have fighter jets launch air-to-ground missiles outside the safe zone to bomb and see what effect it has and how the enemy reacts."

General Political Commissar Han Mu coughed lightly and asked, "Why not just launch a medium-range missile? Didn't our launcher come over here?"

The chief of staff nodded: "Yes, theoretically, we have the conditions to directly attack the orc capital from the White Deer Plain, but the staff believes that it is not appropriate at the current stage."

"Our satellites have just been launched, and the navigation system is still in the debugging and establishment phase. The entire long-range navigation and guidance link still needs a lot of testing and correction. Moreover, in the starry environment, our medium and long-range missiles have not experienced actual combat, so it is hard to say how they will perform."

"To be on the safe side, we should figure out the enemy's defense mechanism more clearly and do a few test shots before using it. That would be more reliable."

After the chief of staff finished speaking, Gu Liyang added, "It has a bad influence."

"We must also consider the political implications of war. We have informed all countries about our deployment of troops, and our aircraft and artillery have already been deployed in the vast sea. Even if they are more powerful, they are still within the range that all countries can barely understand and accept."

"It would be inappropriate to rashly display such long-range strike capabilities, as it might cause panic among other countries and forces."

"It's better to keep it as a trump card!"

After a brief meeting, the joint command reached a consensus: before leaving, they should at least have a match to see what happens.

Since we've already beaten the orcs to this extent, even if we don't bomb their capital, this deep-seated hatred won't be resolved anytime soon. So we might as well bomb it; maybe that will make the orcs more wary.

This time, the elite fighter jets from Dongxia are being deployed. After a long and tedious escort mission, they will take center stage for the first time and play the leading role.

Six streamlined fighter jets taxied, accelerated, and took off from the runway. Following closely behind were twelve massive, aerial fortress-like unmanned space carriers.

Like a flock of silent steel migratory birds, they formed a formation above the clouds, adjusted their course, and quietly disappeared into the deep sky of the northern wilderness.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The news that "No Return"'s plan had failed plunged the Beast God's Palace into silence once again.

Over the past period, the frequency with which these orcish high-ranking members have been talking has indeed been far too high.

The tactic of using human slaves as human shields has failed.

"No, we can't say it's completely ineffective!"

Knowing the Beast King's temperament well, Leon immediately knelt down the moment he was brought up, making a final struggle: "The enemy's bombing has become much less of a concern, and the soldiers of various tribes are mixed among the slaves, so the casualties have been much smaller!"

"As for the army that went to war... they failed to win..."

"My strategy has created an opportunity for our warriors to engage the enemy in close combat. The enemy is too powerful and we failed to win, but that's not my fault!"

"Your Majesty, please see the truth! Please see the truth!"

Leo Lyon banged his head against the massive stone floor of the hall, his voice filled with despair.

What he said seemed to make some sense.

Reinhardt pondered for a moment before finally speaking: "So tell me, what's the next step?"

Lyon grasped at a straw: "Your Majesty, I have said before that the price for the Han Hai to invite such a large-scale divine descent must be high."

"We'll wait!"

"As long as we protect the major legions and tribal elders, and keep fighting the enemy, they will eventually give up!"

"As long as they..." Boom!
A muffled explosion came without warning from not far outside the main hall, causing the animal bone decorations on the dome to sway slightly and scatter dust that had accumulated over countless years.

Golden Mane Reinhardt suddenly stood up, his eyes wide open, as if a storm had swept through the hall.

"What's going on?!"

The roar drowned out the aftershocks of the explosion, echoing throughout the hall.

No one could answer him.

Almost at the same time he asked the question, a second explosion followed, this time a little further away, seemingly from the orc generals' quarters on the west side of the royal palace.

There's no need to ask anymore.

The Beast God's Palace had no roof. At this moment, the orcs looked up at the sky and saw two drones in each group, lined up in neat rows, swooping down from the high sky in the south, heading straight for the orc capital.

This operation was primarily for probing and data collection. The initial attacks were not frequent, more like a light, harassing spree.

But this is not just about harm; even if none of these attacks hurt a single orc, it is still an unbearable pain for the orcs!

This is the Orcish Royal Court!
Reinhardt stomped his foot in fury, and several fine cracks instantly appeared on the hard ground beneath his feet. As he leaped high into the air, his golden mane spread out like a halo of light, and the Beast King landed directly on a tall stone pillar on the outer edge of the hall.

Looking around, in the royal city, one after another burst of flames exploded, briefly illuminating those familiar yet terrified faces.

"Enemy attack—!"

Sharp, distorted screams finally echoed throughout every corner of the city.

The roars of warriors, the cries of women, and the screams of children blended into a cacophony of sounds that began to rise and spread throughout the ancient city.

Another small black dot descended from the sky, seemingly heading towards the throne in the Beast God's Palace.

Reinhardt stared intently at the black dot.

Then, as if there was a slight ripple in the air, as if the air itself was being distorted, the drone suddenly jolted, flew off in the opposite direction, and then exploded in mid-air.

"coming!"

The command center, far away in the vast ocean, was not angry but rather pleased.

The bombing test finally allowed them to gauge the opponent's reaction.

Although airships cannot enter the airspace near the royal court, satellites in outer space are certainly unaffected. If the orcish royal city's mysterious interference mechanism can affect space tens of thousands of kilometers away, then this war is pointless.

From the moment Han Hai launched his bombing raid on the royal city, two high-precision military reconnaissance satellites kept a close watch on the city. To obtain a clearer view, Han Hai chose to launch the attack in the morning when the light was best.

Previously, all six drones successfully entered the city, but as before, signal delays, interruptions, and even complete loss of control of the equipment occurred.

However, it doesn't matter, as inertial guidance is already completed the moment the loitering munition is released.

It plunges into the ground.

contact.

explosion!

The camera carried by the loitering munition failed to transmit any images, but the satellite comparison images were very clear. The attack path was slightly deviated, but it was completely within an acceptable range.

Starting with the seventh loitering munition, the orcs' counterattack began.

Above the royal court, the light seemed to undergo some strange refraction.

The loitering munition, which was accelerating forward, was suddenly gripped by an invisible hand, causing the fuselage to shake violently and the signal to be completely lost.

Then, one after another, like toys being crushed, they exploded in mid-air.

It disintegrated and shattered in the flames of the explosion, turning into a flurry of falling sparks.

"Increase the frequency, give me a test of its counterattack height and power!"

The drone carrier, which had been patrolling 200 kilometers and 10,000 meters above the royal city, was spraying out swarms of drones like a beehive, with the attack frequency rising to 20 sorties per minute, rushing towards the orc royal city from five directions: east, southeast, south, southwest, and west.

But I can't get through.

The flames from the mid-air explosions rose and fell, forming a dazzling net of fire.

The expert team, urgently summoned to the command center, was rapidly whispering among themselves, passing around slips of paper covered in scribbled handwriting. The technicians at the front were responsible for compiling this information in real time and reporting it to the command leadership at the front.

"Based on the current situation, the second expert group believes that the defenses of the Orc King's City are at least divided into two parts."

"The first layer is a passive defense that is continuously effective and covers the entire royal city and surrounding areas. Its main function is to suppress signals, similar to electromagnetic interference, which may cause our electronic equipment and instruments to malfunction intermittently or even be damaged."

"The other layer should be active defense, which needs to be activated in some way. Judging from the orcs' reaction time and counterattack effect, the activation time is between three minutes and twelve seconds and three minutes and forty-one seconds."

"The fourth group believes that this does not appear to be electromagnetic interference."

"If it were electromagnetic interference, it would have crashed out of control or lost the signal directly, not felt like it was being crushed like this."

"It's more like... some kind of force field."

"According to the latest data, there are currently no blind spots in active defense. The current maximum defense altitude is around 3,300 meters, but most attacks on loitering munitions occur in the altitude range of 1,700 to 2,200 meters."

"As of now, the enemy's interception success rate in this altitude range is 100%."

Gu Liyang nodded and whispered into the microphone on his collar, "Continue to increase the frequency and conduct extreme tests!"

"Fire a few air-to-ground missiles too!"

Soon, this contest between spear and shield came to an end.

The drone carrier released all its loitering munitions, and a dark, almost half-obscuring cloud of steel flew across the sky.

Among these missile swarms, the missiles launched their penetration operations at supersonic speeds.

A few seconds later, an even brighter fire blazed up in the royal city.

Although the dense array of drones was still firmly blocked, some missiles successfully penetrated the defenses.

"Subsonic speeds seem to be able to be stopped, but supersonic speeds are unstoppable!"

"I feel like this is the Starry Sky version of 'Iron Dome,' only good against weaklings, not tough guys, right..."

"Give them more!"

Since the Dongxia fighter jets had no intention of returning with missiles, once the order was given, the Dongxia fighter jets, which had been circling for a long time, opened all their bomb bays.

One after another, air-to-ground missiles, trailing long plumes of flame, roared toward the brutal city.

Explosions echoed one after another, and smoke and dust billowed throughout the royal city.

Each roar was like a slap in the face to all the orc leaders.

Their proud royal court, the sacred and inviolable chosen land they regard as their own, is being wantonly trampled upon by an unseen enemy.

The orc kings, chieftains, elders, and warlords could only watch helplessly as this unfolded, their epic fury and impotent roars echoing through the air.

"Your Majesty, let's go first, let's retreat!"

Lyon, who had been kneeling the whole time, crawled several steps to the stone pillar where Reinhardt was standing and shouted loudly.

His Majesty the Beast King suddenly awoke, immediately tearing off his rough yet ornate robe and sprinting towards the outside of the palace.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you can't leave!"

In his desperation, General Ig couldn't help but shout, "The royal city cannot be abandoned lightly! The beastmen's centuries of blood and courage are all here!"

"With your departure, the orcs' morale will crumble!"

Without turning his head, Goldenmane Reinhardt simply left a resounding, powerful, and majestic statement in the wind.

"Wherever I am, that is the royal city!"

(End of this chapter)