At objective B in the valley, the Imperial offensive had ground to a standstill.
The rebels, leveraging the complex terrain and sturdy pre-built fortifications, had constructed a dense network of fire.
Laser beams, bolter rounds, and the occasional missile had turned the main routes to objective B into veritable corridors of death.
Imperial soldier corpses were already piling up in front of the position, yet the rebel defensive line remained unmoved.
"Boss, we seriously can't push through! Their firepower's too intense, crossfire with zero blind spots, even smoke screens don't work!"
An Assault trooper in Scorchwind's squad shouted anxiously over the comms channel, his voice tinged with frustration.
Scorchwind's brow furrowed as he crouched behind a boulder, swapping out his energy magazine.
Using his personal skills, he'd already cleared out several rebel fire positions, but individual valor seemed so powerless against this kind of fortified defense.
No matter how many kills he racked up, he couldn't instantly dismantle their carefully arranged defensive system. The battle had devolved into a grinding war of attrition.
He glanced at his score: 6,350. Then he checked the squad's shared pool. His three other squadmates had each accumulated a decent amount of points as well.
A bold idea took shape in his mind.
"Guys, do you trust me?" Scorchwind's voice came through the squad channel, carrying an undeniable decisiveness.
"If you trust me, dump all your points into the squad shared pool! We'll concentrate all our resources and make one big play!"
Pool their points? That meant turning over all individually earned resources to one person's control. After a brief silence, responses came through the squad channel.
"Wind, I trust you! Take my points!"
"Yeah, if we win we profit, if we lose no regrets! Here!"
"Screw it! I'm all in too!"
Without much hesitation, the three squadmates decisively transferred their points.
Instantly, the squad shared pool skyrocketed like it was on a rocket, finally settling at a jaw-dropping number: 16,450! Scorchwind alone had contributed over six thousand, while the other three had collectively contributed more than ten thousand!
"Perfect!" Scorchwind's spirits soared, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Watch us work!"
Without hesitation, he opened the battlefield support interface, completely ignoring options like artillery bombardment and equipment airdrops.
His cursor locked firmly on the icon that required 6,000 points to summon: Armored Vehicle Support!
"The Imperium needs purification by steel and flame! Come forth!"
He slammed down the confirmation button.
[-6000 Squad Points]
[Hellhound Tank has arrived on the battlefield. May the Emperor protect you!]
Accompanied by the system's solemn and cold notification, at the Imperial rear staging area, a massive beam of light descended from the heavens!
As the light dispersed, the silhouette of a steel beast slowly materialized, its treads crushing ground rubble with deep rumbling.
It shared the basic chassis of a Chimera armored personnel carrier, but was bulkier, more menacing.
The main gun wasn't a traditional tank cannon but an enormous, terrifyingly large-bore inferno cannon—in reality, a massive flamethrower!
The tank's body was covered in pitch-black armor, its sides painted with the Imperial Aquila and skull markings, radiating a bone-chilling aura of death.
"Mount up!"
At Scorchwind's command, all four squad members quickly climbed into the tank. Scorchwind personally took the roles of commander and main gunner, while the other three handled the coaxial heavy bolter, observation, and defense respectively.
RRRUMBLE—
The Hellhound's engine roared to life like an ancient beast awakening from slumber.
The massive vehicle began to accelerate steadily, rolling with unwavering determination toward the rebel core position at objective B!
"Holy crap!!! A tank!!"
"Hellhound!"
"So badass! That texture! That presence!"
"Wind's a legend! Squad fundraising was genius!"
Scorchwind's stream chat exploded instantly, viewer count spiking. No one could remain indifferent to such a war machine embodying violent aesthetics.
The rebels clearly spotted this unwelcome visitor.
Dense laser beams and bolter rounds rained down on the tank's frontal armor like hail, throwing up a cascade of sparks with sharp clanging sounds. But to the heavy frontal plating, these attacks were like an itch.
"Don't stop! Roll right through!" Scorchwind commanded coolly.
The Hellhound tank ignored the light arms harassment.
Its massive frame, like a mobile fortress, charged straight through the barricades and barbed wire the rebels had placed at the entrance, its treads pulverizing sandbag emplacements!
When the tank's enormous body fully breached objective B's core area, exposing itself to the rebel soldiers entrenched behind cover and structures, Scorchwind's lips curled into a cruel smile.
"Have a taste of barbecue, heretics!"
He pressed the flamethrower trigger.
FWOOOOSH—!!!
A massive, viscous, searing fire-dragon erupted from the inferno cannon's muzzle!
This wasn't simple combustion but a destructive energy stream laced with special chemical fuel that surged forward like a living thing!
Wherever the flames passed, sandbags instantly blackened and melted, wooden cover turned to ash, metal supports began to twist and glow red!
Most critically, those rebel soldiers hiding behind cover, whether AI or players, had absolutely nowhere to run!
Piercing screams erupted instantly! Soldiers directly engulfed by flames became charcoal in seconds.
Even those merely licked by the flame's edges immediately caught fire in a continuous burn state, health bars plummeting as they collapsed and died mid-desperate sprint.
The entire core area of objective B instantly transformed into a burning hellscape!
The rebels' carefully arranged defensive line crumbled completely before this absolute power and terrifying flame!
"Advance! Crush them!" Scorchwind roared inside the vehicle. The Hellhound tank, like a demon god of fire and steel, rampaged through the rebel position unstoppably!