The journey of film and television world is endless

#622 - Chapter 59: The Final Battle in Chicago (Part 2)

The U.S. Army's 25th Light Infantry Division, nicknamed the "Tropic Lightning," was originally stationed in Hawaii. To counter the threat of the Decepticons, the 25th Division was recalled to the mainland to strengthen defenses. They were sent to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, the army unit closest to Chicago. Simultaneously, another unit, the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division, was mobilized.

The 25th Infantry Division has a total strength of 11,000 personnel. The core of the division is three rapid reaction brigades and a combat aviation brigade. It is equipped with a large number of LAV-3s, also known as Stryker armored vehicles.

The three formidable mechanized infantry battalions of the 2nd Brigade, heavily shielded by the 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment of the aviation brigade, advanced aggressively towards Chicago. However, things did not go as smoothly as expected, and this seemingly powerful force encountered unexpected circumstances.

Unsurprisingly, shortly after entering Chicago, they were met with a fierce Decepticon attack. These Decepticon-piloted small aerial gunboats were like phantoms, darting through the air with astonishing speed and agility, while constantly spewing out ferocious firepower. Each small aerial gunboat was equipped with three incredibly powerful high-energy beam guns and two extremely destructive plasma cannons. Such firepower would be difficult for even the impenetrable armor of an M1 main battle tank to withstand, let alone the relatively fragile, "thin-skinned" armored vehicles.

The AH-66B attack helicopters providing cover were supposed to be a sharp sword on the battlefield, but nearly half of them were instantly shot down after merely catching a glimpse of the enemy. However, the fighting spirit of the U.S. military should not be underestimated! Faced with such a dangerous situation, the soldiers did not hesitate, quickly jumping out of the vehicles and immediately using all kinds of weapons at their disposal to launch a fierce counterattack. Although ordinary firearms posed a limited threat to the Decepticons, they skillfully used a large number of armor-piercing weapons specifically designed to deal with armored targets. Anti-tank missiles carried by individual soldiers, if operated properly and held high, could also pose a certain threat to the enemy aircraft.

Moreover, some Stryker armored vehicles were additionally equipped with advanced air defense units, including the U.S. military's 25mm anti-aircraft guns and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. Those aerial gunboats, touted as being able to precisely strike Decepticons, actually had extremely weak defensive capabilities themselves. Their almost unprotected bodies could not withstand even one or two attacks. Once hit by a shell, these aerial gunboats would immediately emit thick smoke and fall rapidly like birds with broken wings.

However, it is worth mentioning that although the aerial gunboats were shot down, the Decepticon pilots inside would not die easily. In most cases, after the crash, they could still climb out of the wreckage and continue fighting.

Faced with such "squishy" opponents like humans, the Decepticons adopted beam weapons with a faster rate of fire and higher efficiency. This terrifying weapon was incredibly powerful, and with just a light strike, it could melt a large hole in a sturdy armored vehicle in an instant; if it unfortunately hit a human body, the consequences would be even more unimaginable—the entire person would instantly turn into a cloud of flying ash.

At this critical moment, twenty-four F-16D fighter jets, divided into three batches, arrived over Chicago. These fighter jets belonged to the 119th Fighter Squadron from Atlantic City. They spotted the 25th Division ground forces fighting fiercely with the Decepticons below, pulled the control stick, dove down, and opened fire fiercely on the surrounding Decepticons.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. These brave pilots had just blasted open a gap when they encountered a large number of Decepticon aircraft. These Decepticon single-person gunboats were not only maneuverable and agile, but their firepower was also staggering, although their flight speed was slightly slower than that of fighter jets.

After a thrilling dogfight, only six damaged aircraft from the 119th Squadron limped away, while the remaining aircraft were shot down by the Decepticons. However, they desperately opened a gap for the ground forces.

Although the soldiers of the 25th Division fought desperately, they suffered heavy losses in the face of the enemy's fierce offensive. A large number of combat soldiers were killed or wounded, with casualties exceeding half.

The vanguard of the 25th Division withdrew from the city. They lost all 18 armed helicopters in the battle, and as many as fifty LAV-3 armored vehicles were left on the streets, now burning fiercely.

At the same time, Sentinel Prime felt that the humans in the city were a nuisance and ordered the Decepticons to blockade Chicago. They disregarded any targets and launched indiscriminate attacks on humans.

The citizens of Chicago were terrified, fleeing in all directions, and desperate wails echoed throughout the city. However, these poor people could not escape the Decepticons' pursuit. Anyone they encountered would be attacked. Most humans did not even have time to let out a final scream before being directly turned into a cloud of flying ash under the powerful energy impact, dissipating into the air.

Although there was no terrifying scene of rivers of blood like in traditional warfare, the explosions and raging fires that could be seen everywhere still brought endless disaster to the city. Countless innocent people were burned alive by the shock waves of the explosions or were ruthlessly buried by collapsed buildings.

But in this chaos and fear, some brave citizens still stepped forward, resolutely picking up crude weapons in their hands and attempting to fight against the powerful Decepticons. Unfortunately, these small-caliber guns were like tickling to the steel-bodied Decepticons. Bullets hitting them could only spark a series of weak sparks, and could not cause substantial damage at all. Faced with such enemies, the military and police were not much different from civilians.

As the battle continued, night had quietly fallen, and the sky seemed to be shrouded in a thick black curtain. At this time, if someone stood high and looked out over the entire city, what would be seen would be a shocking picture: explosions and raging fires rising and falling everywhere, illuminating the originally prosperous and bustling city like the end of the world.

Just at this moment, the second batch of reinforcements from the U.S. Air Force arrived on the battlefield with lightning speed. This fresh force came from the 195th Fighter Squadron and 357th Fighter Squadron of Arizona, including 23 F-16c fighter jets and 15 A-10C attack aircraft.