Chapter 1108 - The Battalion's Backup
"The Bone Spirit Demons!!! The Bone Spirit Demons!!! More of them are coming out from the fog! They are getting bigger too! Run! Run! Run!!!!" Some of the Pandarens began to panic and retreat in a panic to the Demopolis Walls after encountering some variations of the Bone Spirit Demons in the midst of a fog. It was a defensive mechanism from the Ooofpa Loopa in an attempt to shield the eggs from the constant firing of artillery fire.
"Hold your ground! Do not retreat any further! Remember that this is just a Raid Instance! It's better to injure the monster in front of you than run! The rest behind you will finish it up! Trust in the teamwork of your fellow Pandarens! Do not falter against the enemies!!" Zhang Min shouted repeatedly to encourage the rest as he plunged his sword through the neck of a two-headed Bone Spirit Dog and wasted his bullets through its heads. The moment he heard a click sound, he immediately unloaded it while twisting his sword to ensure that the Bone Spirit Dog Demon stayed dead.
"Reloading!" He shouted to let Wei Yi and Meng Ruo cover him in the process. He took out a new cartridge from his waist belt with the necessary clips for subsequent battles. His breath was starting to get a little strained but the adrenaline kept him sane while his comrades were shooting nearby Bone Spirit Demons to taunt them to charge towards the soldiers.
This was also to relieve the pressure from the retreating Pandarens who had lost the will to fight. It was understandable since many of the soldiers themselves had not been prepared for the Bone Spirit Demons' ferocity when they had first encountered those abominations on the field.
"The variations are coming out from the fog, we should change our firepower." Wei Yi suggested as he too spent his current clip of bullets but was able to reload quick enough with the remaining cartridges on his waist belt.
"Let's properly clear this wave first. Do not make the same mistake again. The last time they left the small fry, they would wait for a chance to backstab us at the worst possible timing! If we can clear as many of the first wave Bone Spirit Demons, it should be easier for us to handle the second wave." Zhang Min declared as he finished reloading and took his sword out of the dead Bone Spirit Dog.
"You are once again assuming Boss Jin is playing by the rules." Wei Yi said as he took two Bone Spirit Monkey Demons head on. When they jumped right in front of him, he instantly used a basic Snake Sword Technique, Whirling Curve which enabled him to swipe right through the monkeys bisecting them before they were able to touch him.
"Stop jinxing us! So far, they are behaving exactly how they did in the real world, so let's hope that the pattern continues without any nasty surprises!" Zhang Min nearly shouted at his buddy, when he suddenly heard a beep in his Pandamonium App.
With his phone attached to his upper c.h.e.s.t for easy access, the Royal Snake soldier saw that they were indeed going with a coordinated elemental barrage against the Northern Ooofpa Loopa. No wonder the artillery shots had been greatly reduced in the past few minutes, making the unaware Pandarens on the frontline panic for a moment.
He and the group also realised that the Ooofpa Loopa did not leave any opportunity unwasted and already sent the second wave out when the artillery fire had lessened. "Man, Boss Jin sure is ruthless with the programming of his boss monster." Zhang Min said to his group as he pointed towards the fog with his sword. His half masked visor was already sensing multiple groups coming about.
"It is already as real as it could get with the raid instance. The rest of our Battalion coming in will be in for a treat." Meng Ruo remarked until he heard a familiar chatter in the Pandaren Channel.
"Treat your a.s.s, Corporal!" And suddenly that harsh voice went to the public channel for the Pandarens in the Northern Walls to take cover.
Without hesitation, the trio ducked for cover and a series of loud blasts was heard coming from the direction of the Demopolis walls.
"Are those?!" Meng Ruo saw a few large tracer rounds zooming past them and headshotting the Bone Spirit Demons right in front of them.
"Shit, those really are tanks! Hahahahah! However, these ones seem to be the american versions!" Zhang Min was very happy to see their reinforcements arrive in M60 Tanks from the bottom of the Demopolis Walls and to the battlefields. The M60 tanks were a series of second generation main battle tanks made by the Americans and were used in several wars throughout the years since its inception in the 1960s. Their reliability was commendable and their model had been revised and updated several times during its service in the US Military.
"I'm more concerned about the one who talked to us…" Wei Yi pointed out a bit dejected and soon enough, they spotted their very familiar personnel. A person who they had a serious love/hate relationship with. A second father to them on duty and a brother off duty.
Sarge Rocher.
"What are you punks waiting for?! Get into the f.u.c.k.i.n.g tank and get some anti demon gear on! You think you can fight those Bone Spirits with whatever shit you have right now?!" Rocher started shouting in his work voice and the trio didn't waste a second to lower their stance and run through the battlefield as the tanks roared loudly at the second wave of Bone Spirit Demons hiding in the fog.
"Sarge!" Zhang Min and the rest exchanged greetings with Rocher with a quick bro handshake before picking up the equipment which their sergeant had already left right behind the tank. Looking around, they realised that a number of the tank commanders were also his comrades.
"Geez, you guys got to play with the tanks while we had to get out into the fight and get dirty in the mud?" Meng Ruo complained to his platoon mate who was driving the opposite tank.
"Sucks to be you! Should have explored your options when the Pandamonium App asked you to go in." His mate ridiculed him and gave him a friendly middle finger as a payback for calling him to join the raid instance so abruptly.
"Asshole!" Meng Ruo returned the favour and Rocher hit his head directly which prompted Meng Ruo to apologise almost immediately.
"Still, god damn it, to be able to lead and drive a tank like this, Boss Jin really isn't your average Dungeon Supplier." Rocher praised as he touched the metal plates of the tank before looking at the enemies. "My only complaint that I have is that the controls are too f.u.c.k.i.n.g amateur! Where are my pedals and pulleys?!"
"Sarge, this is a raid instance, not everyone is as learned as you to get into a tank and operate it immediately. Besides, you just want a tank under your name, right?" Zhang Min pointed out and Rocher scoffed at him.
"Shhh. Do not even dare to bring up that incident in the previous military exercise or I will make sure to give you latrine duty for a week straight."
"Sarge, as much as you like to warn people, we-" Before Zhang Min could finish his sentence, a volley of artillery were fired right behind them, and their coordinated attack was not a pleasant sound to their ears. On the other hand, the thunderous explosions of the artillery shots moving fast towards the Ooofpa Loopa were a sight to behold as they got to watch the Ooofpa Loopa squirm in pain when it received the water elemental shots and everyone could see that the hit points were going down.
There was a series of approving screams and shouts as its HP dropped, increasing the morale of the Pandarens since it was proof that this was not a fruitless endeavour. However, the artillery crew had little time to celebrate as they were hastily preparing another volley of shots before the beast started to get immune against the water elemental shells.
For now, there seemed to be a light glistening beyond the depths of a dark tunnel and the Pandarens were rallying to do the same for the Southern Ooofpa Loopa as well.