An hour later, General Briggs convened all frontline officers, as well as key members of Maine's squad, for a combat briefing.
On the enormous holographic tactical platform, a detailed map of the French coastline was displayed, marked with numerous red enemy markers and blue UDF unit markers.
"Gentlemen," General Briggs' voice echoed in the command room, "we are about to launch a massive counter-offensive codenamed 'Verdun'."
He pointed to a beachhead area on the map, saying, "The main landing force will make a forced landing here, on Sword Beach, to establish a beachhead position.
At the same time, the Second and Third Mobile Battalions will advance from the flanks of Juno and Gold Beaches, forming a pincer attack."
His finger traced across the map. "The objective is to destroy the main mimics nests located in this area—" he pointed inland to a region marked as high threat, "and cut off their access to the interior."
Maine listened quietly, taking notes on every detail on the map.
Rebecca looked at the blue arrows representing UDF forces on the map, then glanced at the UDF main battle tank parameters displayed on the screen next to her, and muttered in the squad chat: "Those metal boxes? Are they serious?"
Dorio, however, was more concerned about the possible deployment of mimics: "According to current intelligence, mimics are most densely distributed in the beach area. They are adept at using the terrain to ambush."
General Briggs concluded his brief explanation and turned to Maine: "Captain Maine, your fighting prowess has proven its worth in the previous engagements.
The UDF expects you to serve as the spearhead, opening up the battlefield for the troops in the early stages of the landings and suppressing the mimics heavy units."
Maine's processor rapidly assessed the mission risks, intelligence value, and the pros and cons of cooperating with local forces.
Participation in this large-scale military operation will provide a wealth of real-world data on simulated combat models and the world's military capabilities.
"Maine Team will participate in this operation," Maine finally responded. "We will be responsible for the initial clearing of the beachhead area.
We request that UDF provide real-time battlefield data sharing and ensure the freedom of movement of our units in the combat zone."
"Alright." General Briggs nodded. "The specific details will be coordinated with you by my staff. The operation is scheduled for 24 hours from now. Good luck."
After the briefing, the officers quickly dispersed and began their intense pre-battle preparations.
Maine's squad also left the command post and returned to their temporary assigned area.
"Everyone, conduct a final gear check," Maine ordered in the squad channel. "Valerie, Jackie, make sure the Iron Guards are in peak combat condition."
David and Lucy continue analyzing the mimic samples, searching for potential weaknesses.
Sasha, Kiwi, maintain monitoring of UDF communications and mimic signals. We will be participating in this 'Verdun' operation.
The massive metal gate slowly closed behind them, shutting out the noise of the command post.
The squad members began their respective tasks, preparing for the upcoming large-scale battle.
The distant, faint sounds of artillery fire foreshadowed a conflict far exceeding any they had experienced in Night City.
——
The deep roar of the engines filled the enclosed cabin of the landing craft.
Maine's squad huddled together with dozens of UDF soldiers as the boat rocked violently.
A series of explosions came from outside the bulkhead; it was the ship's guns preparing fire on the beachhead.
"Approach the enemy in thirty seconds!" The captain's voice came through the internal communication system, accompanied by static.
Maine's synthesized voice crackled through the squad channel: "Proceed as planned. Iron Guards, establish fire support points first. Rebecca, clear the landing zone. Dorio, cover the flanks."
The hatch indicator light turned from red to green, and the heavy ramp slowly lowered, instantly flooding in with blinding sunlight and deafening explosions.
The scene before me was one of utter chaos.
The murky seawater pounded against the beach, black smoke billowed everywhere, and the sand was littered with the wreckage of burning vehicles and the bodies of fallen corpses.
Countless dark gray mimics surged forth from the sand dunes and the rear fortifications like a tide, rushing towards the UDF soldiers who had just landed and were in disarray.
The UDF forces were engaged in fierce fighting as soon as they left the landing craft.
Their rifle and machine gun bullets, when hitting the mimicking rotating tentacles and sturdy outer shell, often only produce a few sparks, rarely causing fatal damage.
Its swift and unpredictable movement made it difficult for soldiers to aim, and its metal tentacles easily pierced through bulletproof vests, kicking up clouds of blood.
Screams and explosions echoed throughout the landing zone, which was rapidly turning into a slaughterhouse.
"Advance," Maine commanded.
Two "Iron Guard" prototypes were the first to step out of the landing craft, their heavy mechanical feet sinking deep into the wet sand.
Valerie, piloting the Neural Link Iron Guardian's shoulder-mounted heavy explosive gun, fired first, unleashing a barrage of 30mm explosive rounds that rained down on the densest area of mimics, blasting several mimics and the sand dunes they were hiding into pieces.
Jackie, controlling the standard Iron Guard, uses automatic cannons to fire precise shots, clearing close-range threats for the advancing UDF soldiers.
Rebecca stood in the gap between the Iron Guards, and the muzzle of the plasma bombardment cannon once again shone with a blazing white light.
"Turn them all to ashes!" she roared as she pulled the trigger, a thick stream of plasma sweeping across a fan-shaped area nearly a hundred meters wide in front of her.
Those directly hit instantly vaporized, while those at the edge were ignited by the high temperature, turning into twisted and burning metal remnants.
A clear, vitrified, molten mark appeared on the beach.
Dorio burst out from the Iron Guard's flank like a ghost, her speed far exceeding that of ordinary people, weaving through the mimics swarm.
Each swing of the fists, covered in terracotta gloves, was accompanied by a dull thud and a burst of white flames.
She crashed directly into the arms of a mimic, her fist piercing its shell, causing the internal combustion generator to ignite and explode it from the inside.
Another mimic that tried to attack from the side had its core shattered by her backhand punch, and the burning remains flew backward.
The promethium flamethrower behind Pilar continued to spew out incandescent flames, clearing away the scattered mimics trying to approach the squad from the side.
Falco continued to report on the battlefield situation: "A large number of signals are gathering behind the dunes on the left. The UDF squad on the right flank is retreating, and a gap has appeared in the line."
David and Lucy were positioned relatively far back in the group. Lucy controlled the quadrupedal Titan to fire at the survivors who slipped through the Iron Guard's fire net with a heavy machine gun, while David took the opportunity to quickly collect mimics samples of different damage states and record the changes in their energy signals when they died.
Sasha and Kiwi focus on the electronic battlefield.
Sasha monitors the UDF's crumbling communications network, attempting to maintain the transmission of critical commands.
Kiwi stared intently at the sensor screen: "High-intensity energy signal source detected... direction: directly ahead, behind the dune line. The signal characteristics are significantly different from those of ordinary individuals."