Armor-Piercing Munition: Face Me, Carbon-Based Monster!
Chapter 205 - 79: The Truth Lies Within the Range of the Cannon!

Chapter 205: Chapter 79: The Truth Lies Within the Range of the Cannon!

[Basic Physiological Structure: Titan Symbiote (Suspected)

The monster exhibits a highly complex biological structure, composed of a main fungal core and symbiotic biological groups.

It stands 48-52 meters tall, with a base diameter of 350-400 meters, overall forming a conical structure.

There are at least three functional layers:

Surface Accumulation Layer (4-6 meters thick): Mainly composed of humus soil and dense fungi, with a relatively loose outer layer and a relatively compact and solid inner layer.

Secondary Armor Layer: A chitin layer (suspected), a common structure for wasteland monsters.

Core Activity Layer: Arthropod Layer (suspected), representing the monster’s main body.]

[Attack Methods:

Toxic Aerosol (containing hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulfide, phosgene, and other toxic substances)

Spore Cloud Ejection (containing acidic digestive enzymes)

Physical Devourment (to be verified)]

[Combat Plan:

Use concentrated artillery coverage to disrupt the accumulation layer and utilize large-caliber armor-piercing weapons to inflict damage on the main body]

...

Within Fortification 095, Chen Jian, having narrowly escaped danger, updated the information about the second-level monster onto his PDA as a matter of routine. Meanwhile, Lei Jie, who was responsible for assembling the Electromagnetic Cannon, had completed his work.

Looking at the Electromagnetic Cannon mounted on the Warrior VI remote weapon station, replacing the arm shield close-in defense system, Chen Jian asked:

"How is it? Can this thing be used?"

Hearing his question, Lei Jie shook his head and replied:

"It may not be effective, but we have to use it."

"This Electromagnetic Cannon is a classic design. It uses a non-explosive warhead, which is good for penetration on rigid bodies but not effective against sand or fluids."

"Once the stability of the needle-shaped warhead is compromised, it can easily deviate or twist, significantly reducing its penetration performance."

"And unfortunately, the monster is covered with ’near-fluid armor.’"

"If we use the Electromagnetic Cannon directly, not to mention penetration, causing effective damage would be very difficult."

"Therefore, we must first destroy the monster’s surface armor."

"For this, we need the 152 gun and the 107 fire."

"We need someone to operate the 152 gun for a rapid-fire round at the monster, trying to disrupt the covering accumulation layer as much as possible."

"Once the monster’s core is exposed, we can finish it off with the Electromagnetic Cannon."

"The good news is, this 152 gun is not the old 66-type we used before. Although it still has a 34-caliber barrel, I noticed that the chamber, loading structure, and barrel material seem to have been improved, likely enhancing range and accuracy."

"If we can ensure the shell impact deviation within 20 meters, it should be effective enough."

"However, achieving this goal might actually be... a bit challenging."

As Lei Jie finished speaking, Lingxi, who had been in standby mode, suddenly spoke:

"The minimum deviation for this model of howitzer is less than 3 meters."

As soon as the words were said, Chen Jian was stunned.

He instinctively looked up at the microphone, then suddenly realized that when he previously asked Lingxi to introduce the weapons, he seemed to have skipped this slightly "old-fashioned" looking artillery.

But now it seems, this artillery has some notable features?

Thinking of this, he immediately spoke:

"Lingxi, introduce this artillery!"

"Received. The full name of this artillery is the ERCS-2040 Extended Range Intelligent Artillery System, using variable volume chamber technology, also known as stepped expansion composite chamber, capable of dynamic adjustment of chamber volume through chamber pressure sensors."

"The outer wall of the chamber is fitted with a micro-channel cooling layer, using phase change material (gallium-based alloy with a melting point of 280℃) in a cyclic manner, with a single-shot heat dissipation efficiency of 8MJ/min."

"In terms of ammunition, this artillery is compatible with a modular charge system, utilizing CL-20 based gradient density propulsion charges. The smart charging unit integrates RFID chips and micro pressure sensors, automatically optimizing the ignition sequence by the fire control system during loading."

"All ammunition bases are equipped with miniature turbines, utilizing the residual pressure of launch gases to drive ballistic correction wings."

"With traditional grenades, this artillery has a circular error probable (CEP) of 120 meters within a range of 28-36km."

"With pulse-corrected projectiles, this artillery has a CEP of 15 meters within a range of 40-56km."

"With rocket-extended satellite-guided missiles, this artillery has a CEP of 3 meters within a range of 72-90km."

"Fortification 095 is not equipped with satellite-guided missiles, but if pulse-corrected projectiles are used for bombardment within 20 kilometers, the CEP should be less than 3 meters."

"....Impressive."

Chen Jian let out a long breath.

Wow, no wonder this artillery doesn’t look particularly elegant, it seemed to only have an automatic loader compared to the 152 howitzers he had seen before.

It turns out all its technology was internal!

What a variable volume chamber, phase change material cooling layer, modular charge system, new ammunition design...

Evidently, Lee, even an artillery expert wouldn’t notice these without a close examination.

----Wait a moment.

No wonder he previously felt that the Mechanical God Sect’s use of 152 howitzers resulted in mixed results, could it be related to this?

Perhaps they also obtained a similar type of 152 howitzer from somewhere, but they couldn’t use it properly...

What a waste!

Chen Jian felt a sense of regret, but clearly, this was not the time to dwell on it.

He turned to look at Lei Jie again and then asked:

"How about it, is it enough?"

"Completely sufficient."

Lei Jie nodded and, after a brief pause, said:

"According to Lingxi, this artillery’s maximum range can reach 56 kilometers."

"But obviously, we don’t need such a long range at all."

"From the drone tracking images, the monster is currently only 13 kilometers away from us, already within our killing distance."

"That means we don’t need to risk getting close for any direct-aim bombardment."

"We just need to set the artillery outside the 095 perimeter, and we can hit it."

"The only issue now is that the monster is in a state of constant motion."

"After we disrupt the accumulation layer, we must ensure that the impact points of the Electromagnetic Cannon shells overlap with those of the 152 howitzer shells."

"This is not a simple task----maybe we’ll need some luck."

"Better to rely on luck than to rush in blindly."

Chen Jian replied calmly:

"As long as we initiate the bombardment near 095, we have a high margin for error."

"The ammunition is ample, and safety is assured. Even if one round of shelling doesn’t kill it, we have the capacity to adjust and launch a new attack."

"We can’t hesitate any longer."

"The Mechanical God Sect is already watching closely. From their preparatory stance, it seems there are only a few hours left before they launch their final assault on the monster."

"We cannot let them destroy the monster first because once they seize the monster’s core area, it will be extremely difficult for us to reclaim it."

"One 152 howitzer and one Electromagnetic Cannon can easily take down a single monster, but to annihilate a dispersed deployment of a thousand-person unit is entirely insufficient."

"We only have 8 people, even with the Mecha. If we get surrounded, we will inevitably face a prolonged struggle, which is utterly unacceptable."

"Therefore, we only have a few hours left as well."

"Before they reach their designated attack positions, we must take down the monster and then find a way into Fortification 011."

"Only then can we secure enough leverage."

"When the time comes, whether to fight or negotiate, we will hold the advantage."

"Let’s do it this way!"

"Those Mechanical God Sect fanatics know nothing but blind charges and direct-aim shelling. We’ll show them what artillery is truly capable of."

"We’ll let them understand what it means... that the truth lies only within the range of artillery!"