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Chapter 831: Total War, Part 7
🕑 Added 2023-11-17 09:22:17 +0000 UTCTransformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List
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When the first wave of deployed combat squadrons was discovered, the U.S. Military commanders in the rear had a grim realization that they would likely suffer heavy casualties.
However, when the battle erupted, the continuous loss of contact with aircraft on the control screens in the command center left a group of fervent Hawk Faction soldiers, who had originally been clamoring for revenge, feeling like they had been doused with a bucket of ice water.
"…Report… The number of lost aircraft has increased to 22…"
"Report… Data update, an additional 4 aircraft lost…"
"…The last F-15… is gone…"
The real-time battle reports constantly coming in from the front lines turned the command center located at the Warren Air Force Base into chaos.
Whether they were officers in military uniforms, civilian staff, technical sergeants, or those with wide eyes, expressions of shock, and faces of despair, no one could accept what they were witnessing. Through the monitoring equipment installed on the front-line aircraft, even though they were thousands of kilometers away in the rear, they could see glimpses of the battle.
A U.S. Military F-22 fighter jet, at supersonic speed, maneuvered recklessly amidst the U.S. Military squadron.
None of the missiles fired by their side could hit the target.
Even worse, nearly every missile fired by the enemy took down one of their own fighter jets.
Despite the fact that there was only one suspected F-22 type aircraft among the enemy, the data coming back from the front was overwhelmingly unfavorable.
Within the communication channel, there were continuous cries of ace pilots and the sounds of mental breakdowns.
Before launching their counterattack, although the U.S. Military believed that they were well-prepared, it was clear that they were not as strong as they had thought.
"Is this extraterrestrial the one mentioned in the Autobot's files, the Decepticon—Starscream?" asked a senior Air Force officer with a grim expression.
No one could answer him because they did not know.
Since their falling out with the Autobots, all the information the Americans currently possessed about the Decepticons was from the Sound Nest unit's time.
After the establishment of the Tombwind Unit, although they organized several raids on the Decepticons and did indeed pay a heavy price in eliminating a few Decepticons, there was no longer an Autobot to kindly introduce and analyze the types, identities, and strengths of the Decepticons.
Lightning, one of the most powerful Triple Changers, soon joined the battlefield along with Elegy and several others from the flying squadron who could transform into aircraft, making what was already a one-sided situation even more hopeless.
A little over ten minutes later, when the last fighter jet was shot down, everyone at the Warren Air Force Base fell silent.
"The 46th Squadron has been completely wiped out!"
The losses were so devastating that no one had the heart to speak anymore.
Fortunately, the transport aircraft fleet carrying the Tombwind Unit was cautious enough. Upon receiving unfavorable battle reports from the front, they first circled in place for a while and then decisively chose to return.
After all, this was a country that had been involved in external conflicts almost every year since World War II.
Although the U.S. Military's 46th Squadron suffered heavy losses, for the true decision-makers at The Pentagon, this outcome was not entirely unacceptable.
At least, at a barely acceptable cost, they had obtained valuable intelligence.
"Across from us are Decepticons capable of transforming into fighter jets. Currently, there are confirmed to be five Aerial Combat units among them. Our aircraft are having a difficult time gaining air superiority when facing them..."
"Based on satellite reconnaissance, the number of Decepticons invading Earth this time is at least over a hundred. To prevent the possibility of more hidden Aerial Combat units among them, I recommend launching Tomahawk cruise missiles to conduct a saturation strike on designated areas!"
The Tomahawk cruise missile was the largest in the U.S. Military's arsenal of universal subsonic cruise missiles. Although primarily used by the United States Navy, both the Army and the Air Force had procured this cruise missile, with a maximum range of up to 2,500 kilometers.
In the absence of air superiority, launching Tomahawk cruise missiles preemptively to conduct a saturation strike on the Decepticons' arrival zones would help eliminate a portion of the Decepticons and, at the very least, gather intelligence on their capabilities.
Furthermore, compared to combat aircraft with a comprehensive price tag in the hundreds of millions of dollars, a Tomahawk cruise missile with a cost in the millions clearly made more economic sense for utilization.
The new order was quickly issued, followed by the deployment of Tomahawk cruise missiles from both the U.S. Army and Air Force.
Not to mention the U.S. Military's counterattack, the news of the Decepticons reappearing on Earth and engaging in battle with the Americans quickly became known to various forces on Earth, including the Autobots located in Africa!
East African Rift Valley, New Iron Fortress City.
Optimus Prime frowned as he looked at the information just delivered by the Cassettebots.
"Is this information confirmed?"
"Yes, Leader. The first Decepticon invasion on Earth was discovered by Frenzy, who was surfing the human networks at the time. He stumbled upon footage of the Meteor Rain taken by humans in Great Canada. Then, he had our satellites scout the area and discovered these Decepticons."
With the awakening of Sentinel Prime, news of the two Autobot Leaders gathering on Earth had already reached the Autobots on Cybertron Planet through their satellites over the past few months.
As a result, more and more Autobots began to follow the two Leaders and make their way to Earth from distant star systems.
In the past few months, the total number of Autobots in New Iron Fortress City had exceeded a thousand.
Although most of the Autobots who arrived were ordinary civilians, due to the unique nature of the Autobot race, the majority of them were exceptionally skilled workers and technicians.
With their efforts, New Iron Fortress City was expanding at an incredible pace.
Buildings and research facilities unique to the Autobot capital were being reconstructed, and a large number of mechanical equipment was being put into use.
Among them were several satellites created by Jack, designed to resemble Earth's artificial satellites, exclusively for Autobot use.
Their primary task was to monitor and surveil any traces of Decepticon activity on Earth.
Now that it was confirmed that a large number of Decepticons had reappeared and even launched attacks on the Americans, with whom the Autobots had previously cooperated, Optimus Prime was starting to get a headache.
From the perspective of an Autobot Leader, he understood that allowing the powerful humans, who were Earth's strongest nation militarily, to engage with the Decepticons was undoubtedly the choice most in line with Autobot interests.
The Americans possessed the most formidable military power on Earth, and they did not trust the Autobots, treating them as enemies, much like the Decepticons.
So, letting them suffer some losses and, in the process, possibly consume more Decepticons would benefit the Autobots without causing harm.
But was this really the right course of action?
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Next Chapter >>Chapter 832: Total War 8
