Chapter 476: Firepower Suppression
That’s right, whether it’s shotguns, crossbows, or harpoon launchers, all are ranged weapons. While I understand the theory of overwhelming firepower and the inevitable obsolescence of melee combat, judging by the heavily armed guards I saw in Cando City, melee combat still has a significant market in this era.
Moreover, isn’t the armament of the townsfolk here a bit too excessive? Everyone has a ranged weapon. Even if they don’t have shotguns, they at least have pistols or crossbows. The prevalence of these weapons is something even the guards of Cando City don’t possess.
I even noticed women, the elderly, and children who were brought in as reserves behind me were armed. They even had logistical personnel transporting crates of ammunition, bundles of crossbow bolts, and harpoons onto the plaza with practiced ease.
Clearly, these townsfolk must be very enthusiastic and hospitable.
“Everyone, remember, absolutely do not engage the Nightmares in close combat! If a Nightmare gets too close, retreat, cover each other, and don’t be reckless. Townsfolk in the back, just aim and shoot! Those without weapons, go to logistics to get them!” Fabes shouted loudly.
Fabes’s pre-battle mobilization was filled with confusing words. For instance, he instructed his troops to retreat when the enemy got close. At this era, with such low soldier training, especially since these people weren’t regular soldiers but rather private forces of a family, retreating would easily lead to a rout.
Then, he actually distributed weapons to ordinary townsfolk. Was he this generous because he had a mine at home? Looking back, logistics had indeed brought over a batch of shotguns and left them on the ground for anyone to take. Some townsfolk who found the crossbows inconvenient went to pick up the guns.
“Older Brother Jayad, let’s go grab a couple too,” I said decisively. It would be foolish not to take advantage of free things. So, we also picked up two shotguns, and the logistics personnel nearby didn’t even pay us any mind.
Furthermore, I noticed that all the shotguns here were of the same standard model. Although they weren’t as exquisite and ornate as the shotguns held by the Vampire Banshees, they were still well-made, quality items.
Double-barreled, with rotary gunpowder loading and a folding bullet magazine. Yet, despite using round lead balls, the barrels were rifled. This shotgun immediately gave me a sense of dissonance and strangeness as soon as I held it.
I felt as if these parts were indeed gun components, but their combination was highly contradictory, and I even doubted if this gun could even fire.
Looking at this gun, I had the same feeling as when I saw a revolver with a magazine under the grip in a game from my previous life – the trigger was misaligned, and a part was missing in the trajectory of the bullet, a truly bizarre design.
“They’re here!” a sharp female voice echoed from the sky, interrupting my thoughts. It was the Vampire Banshees. They fly high and see far, and they were now issuing a warning.
But as I looked towards the Black Forest, I saw nothing but impenetrable fog, nothing at all. As I was wondering, a black shadow suddenly darted out from the mist.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!” Before I could even clearly see what that thing looked like, it was immediately focused-fired upon by countless shots, reduced to a shattered state like a tattered rag. The projectiles hitting it included crossbow bolts, bullets, and harpoons.
Then, I could finally see what those Nightmares were. When they emerged from the fog, space seemed to shatter like a mirror, and they would emerge from the breaches.
The first few to appear were immediately focused-fired and killed. When they died, they would shatter themselves, as if they were also made of glass. Because they died too quickly, I couldn’t even get a clear look at their appearances.
It wasn’t until a large one floated out of the fog that I was able to see the first Nightmare clearly. It was a colossal whale, covered in dense barnacles and parasites, with harpoons stuck in its body and tattered fishing nets hanging off it. Fresh blood continuously flowed from its wounds.
“A whale?” I looked at the colossal creature suspended in mid-air with confusion. Is this what they call a Nightmare? But this whale was clearly no ordinary whale, because it’s common knowledge that normal whales don’t fly in the sky.
Moreover, this whale instinctively evoked a feeling of intense loathing in anyone who saw it. The barnacles and other parasites covering its body were enough to induce trypophobia, and its scarred body, riddled with harpoons, fishing nets, and hooks, also brought to mind cruel whaling.
However, the townsfolk showed no pity for its seemingly pitiful state. Countless weapons immediately focused fire on the whale that was flying in the air. Due to its immense size and aerial position, most people in the plaza and on the buildings opened fire, hitting it even with their eyes closed.
The whale’s flesh was instantly torn apart, riddled with a thousand holes from the gunfire. Blood spurted out, and it actually exploded, splattering blood and flesh everywhere.
Is that all? I thought such a large creature would at least be a mid-boss. It didn’t even last three seconds.
“Don’t relax your fire, continue attacking! Do not falter until all the Nightmares are dead!” Fabes commanded.
Our angle was blocked by a wall of people, making it inconvenient to see the Nightmares outside the town. I observed my surroundings and spotted a three-story-tall pointed building.
“Older Brother Jayad, shall we go up and take a look?” I pointed to the building. Jayad nodded, embraced me, unfurled his Bone Wings, and flew us to the rooftop.
Several townsfolk were already on the pointed building, aiming their guns and firing towards the outside of the town. They didn’t say anything when they saw us fly up, continuing their barrage.
I felt like they weren’t aiming at all, just shooting wildly. As soon as they fired, they reloaded, and after loading, they raised their guns and fired again, without any proper aim. Many shots landed in the fog or on the ground.
It wasn’t just them; any Nightmare that emerged from the fog was immediately subjected to an all-out concentrated assault. Because the Vampire Banshees were flying high above, they could provide unobstructed fire on the Nightmares. A single Nightmare would typically be targeted by dozens of people, and would be shot into a sieve the moment it appeared.
This seemed like a massive advantage for Robin Town, but I couldn’t help but frown. Battles aren’t fought this way; the firepower is too excessive, even wasteful.
A Nightmare that could easily be killed by five or six people was being attended to by dozens simultaneously. In such a situation, a commander would normally order them to conserve ammunition and fire in waves, to save firepower for subsequent Nightmares.
But Fabes gave no such orders, letting the townsfolk unleash their firepower freely, as if they had never experienced such a wealthy battle in their lives. In my previous life, only the US military expended ammunition like this.
This should lead to their firepower being depleted very quickly, especially for the Merfolk wielding harpoon launchers, whose harpoons were visibly diminishing on their backs.
Furthermore, with so many standard firearms, ammunition, abundant arrows, and harpoons, I felt this far exceeded the manual crafting capability of an ordinary townsfolk. It would require a large factory to produce all of this.
However, I hadn’t seen any factories or factory-like facilities in the town at all.
