Alice in the Land of Steam

Under the cover of darkness and the sound of artillery fire, Mitch led his men to quietly move towards the enemy's fortress. The fortress was located on an isolated rock platform, surrounded by a valley tens of meters deep. There was only a suspension bridge connecting it to the mountain road. The terrain was easy to defend but difficult to attack. Fortunately, the rock platform had been eroded by wind and rain for many years, and its internal structure had long been fragile. Therefore, the builders of the fortress did not dare to build more fortifications on it to increase the load. Instead, they built two more piers on both sides of the mountain road to protect each other with the suspension bridge. The defense capability of the fortress itself was also relatively weak. The outer wall was only three or four meters high. In addition to the soldiers guarding the wall, the only threat was the two magic chariots parked in the fortress. However, as far as Mitch knew, these two chariots were usually used for transporting supplies and daily patrols, and their combat capabilities might be discounted.

The enemy built a turret at the highest point of the fortress, and several burst-type magic machine guns were emitting flames from the firing holes, pouring fire on the battlefield below without stopping. The cross-fire network formed by the two fortresses almost covered the entire battlefield, causing huge casualties in just a few minutes, which made Mitch feel a sense of urgency.

He knew why Grayhill Eagle had given him this mission, because it seemed important, but it wasn't. The real killer of the Liberators Front was the teams that launched the raid from behind the mine, and all the movements on the front battlefield were just to cover them. Therefore, even if Mitch and his companions could not capture the fortress and let the enemy's machine guns pour fire, it would not have any impact on the final result.

But the boy did not relax. On the contrary, an irresistible thought arose in his mind: he must destroy the enemy's machine gun. Only in this way could he save more people.

That's right, in this battle, his mission was no longer to kill as many enemies as possible, but to save as many companions as possible. Even if only one person died in the end, he would think that tonight's battle was worth it.

Although the latter cannot bring victory, its status is equal to that of the former, or even greater, in terms of the significance of war.

After letting out a breath, Mitch began to arrange tactics. He asked two companions to lead a team to attack the forts on both sides of the mountain road, while he led his men to ambush in a hidden place out of the enemy's sight, quietly waiting for the opportunity to come. He knew that the enemy would not remain indifferent, because although the power of the burst magic machine gun was huge, in order to remove the recoil during shooting, it must be fixed with a base, which meant that there was a blind spot in its shooting range, and it had to rely on the cover of the two forts to shoot recklessly. Once the fort was lost, the fortress would be isolated and helpless. For this reason, even if the enemy knew it was a trap, they had to send troops to rescue it.

Mitch heard the sound of swords and guns in the wind, and knew that his men had already started to engage the defenders in the fort. This war was different from any action they had experienced in the past. Death seemed to be a foreseeable future. However, he hardened his heart and threw all those meaningless thoughts out of his mind, staring at the fortress intently. Even though the naked eye could not penetrate the high walls, he could still feel that the defenders in the fortress were hesitating. After a period of dispute and restlessness, they finally made a decision. The gate of the fortress was opened from the inside, and the drawbridge was slowly lowered with the creaking of the capstan and the rattle of the chain. A team of fully armed soldiers came out with weapons in hand.

As they walked up the mountain path, a gunshot broke through the dim night. Kadora, who had been waiting for a long time, pulled the trigger of the sniper rifle without hesitation, and took the life of the leading sergeant with a bullet. Then there was another series of gunshots, and the enemies fell to the ground one after another. At this time, Mitch also rushed out from the ambush site with his men. They did not even look at the enemies who were still rolling and groaning on the ground, and rushed to the drawbridge. The commander in the fortress saw that the soldiers he sent out were killed by the sudden cold gun, and another team of people was running towards him. He immediately realized what happened and hurriedly ordered the soldiers guarding the door to raise the drawbridge and close the gate.

But Mitch would not give him this opportunity. He injected magic power into the plant seeds that he had already held in his palm. After feeling a violent force brewing, he shouted without hesitation: "Ike, Moya!"

The next moment, the three of them threw the seeds in their hands together. The fiery red peppers that grew rapidly under the stimulation of magic made a strange scream in the air. The terrifying energy exploded in an instant. Everyone only saw a dazzling light flashing in the darkness, and then the red air wave suddenly spread outward, causing Mitch and others who were running at full speed to feel their chests stagnate, as if they were being pushed back by a pair of invisible giant hands. Finally, they heard a sharp explosion that was enough to pierce the eardrums. The gravel on the mountain road flew up, and the dead trees and weeds fell backwards one after another. The high temperature generated by the explosion melted the iron cables of the suspension bridge and even tore several huge holes on the bridge deck. The suspension bridge, which lost its support, trembled violently in the air, and then fell heavily to the ground. The shaking sound under their feet made people inside and outside the fortress mistakenly believe that a terrible earthquake had occurred.

The terrifying impact even affected the people and objects in the fortress through the wall. Several soldiers who were about to close the gate according to the commander's order were blown away by the shock wave before they could dodge. They hit the wall hard and fainted. Their life and death were unknown. The soldiers behind wanted to make up for it, but they were called out one by one by Kadora in the back and took away their will to resist with bullets. At this time, Mitch and others had also rushed across the drawbridge and occupied the main gate of the fortress, but they did not rush to fight, but took out the remaining seeds and activated them. As a result, the tall nut wall rose from the ground, blocking all the enemy's firepower outside the wall. The shaky pea shooters grew out from the corners of the wall, from the tables and chairs, and even from the ceiling. They had no sense of pain and were not afraid of death. They were able to launch a counterattack against the enemy's offensive. The fierce firepower once suppressed the defenders in the fortress...

Taking advantage of the enemy being held back by these difficult magical plants, Mitch pierced a soldier who was blocking the stairs and trying to stop the invaders from rushing to the roof. Before he died, there was still a sense of attachment to life and a little relief in his eyes. He might have felt that his last resistance was not in vain. He bought a little time for his companions, which might be insignificant, but it was enough for the defenders on the second floor to react. When they realized that the enemy's target was the magic machine gun on the roof, they could no longer care about other thoughts and rushed to the stairs desperately. In such a small range, long-range weapons would only accidentally injure friendly forces, so they all changed their weapons to magic weapons, just like the magic sword in Mitch's hand. It seemed that a more tragic hand-to-hand combat was about to come, but the boy took out the last seed from his arms expressionlessly, injected magic into it, stretched his arm out of the shooting hole on the wall, and threw it up.

Mitch ignored the fortress defenders who were rushing up to fight him, turned around and left quickly, hiding his body behind the stairs, and loudly reminded his companions: "It's going to explode, be careful!!!"

They had discussed the tactics before the attack, so as soon as Mitch finished speaking, the others quickly found shelter. Before the defenders of the fortress realized what was happening, a violent explosion had already struck. The explosion occurred on the roof, but the energy released during the explosion affected the entire fortress. The solid stone building began to shake, and rubble and debris collapsed. The facilities in the fortress were either knocked down or torn apart, and the scattered smoke and dust blurred everyone's vision. The huge shock wave shook everyone's internal organs. The defenders of the fortress, who were completely unprepared for the explosion, felt like they had their heads hidden in a bronze bell and were hit hard by someone. Their heads were buzzing and they lost consciousness for a while.

In comparison, Mitch and his companions recovered quickly because of the protection of the bunker. A flying nail plowed a scar on the boy's cheek, but he did not bother to wipe the blood. Instead, he listened carefully to the noise coming from the rooftop. In addition to faint groans, he also heard angry scolding and roaring like venting, but the sound of the magic machine gun spitting flames and taking lives like a devil was completely silent, as if those killing machines had never appeared.

"The plan succeeded!" He suppressed his inner excitement and whispered to his companions who still wanted to continue fighting: "Retreat!"

Their only mission was to destroy the enemy's machine guns and avoid greater casualties. Although the enemy was stunned by their surprise attack, they had not completely lost their combat capability. There was still at least a small team of troops in the fortress. If they continued to fight here, they would be the ones who would suffer.

Unfortunately, the alchemical props given by Pastor Lingge have been used up. If there were more seeds, even if there was only one more explosive pepper, Mitch would have the confidence to completely wipe out the defenders in the fortress. But now it is not possible. Without the help of those alchemical props, the price would be very painful.

As the leader of the Youth Army, Mitch's orders were very effective. Under his leadership, the Youth Army fought and retreated, and withdrew from the fortress before the defenders could react, leaving the enemies to fight the remaining magic plants. Before retreating, Mitch looked up at the top of the fortress, and was relieved when he saw that the enemy's fortifications, including the base of the magic machine gun, had been blown to pieces. Without the base, even if they could repair the damaged magic machine gun, it would be impossible for it to continue to exert its power.

After retreating all the way back to the valley where he had been hiding and confirming that the enemy was not pursuing him, Mitch breathed a sigh of relief. This battle was too stressful for him, not in terms of combat, but psychologically. When he thought that if he could not destroy the enemy's machine gun, more people would die, the boy always felt a suffocating pressure, as if two big stones were pressing on his shoulders, heavy and making him breathless. He now understood that this was the responsibility and duty of being a leader. He was so nervous just destroying a machine gun in a fortress, and how much pressure should the Gray Hill Eagle, who truly carried the life and death of the Liberators' Front on his shoulders and had to be responsible for the thousands of soldiers who trusted him, bear?
Being a leader is not that easy.

He smiled bitterly, not noticing that the sweat on his forehead had mixed with the blood from the wound, making him look very miserable.

Someone nearby handed over a handkerchief.

"Wipe it off, Mitch." Kadora put down his sniper rifle and sat down next to the boy. He looked at the scar on his cheek again and frowned slightly: "You are injured."

"It's just a minor injury." Mitch took the handkerchief, wiped it across his face, and asked casually, "Why did you bring this thing to the battlefield?"

"It was given to me by Metien. I just said it was beautiful and she insisted that I accept it."

"Really? Well, I have to clean it thoroughly after this battle is over."

The two chatted for a while, as if they had suddenly returned from the tragic battlefield to the peaceful island. However, the whistling mountain wind, the faint sound of artillery fire in the wind, and the pungent smell of blood quietly spreading in the air still reminded them from time to time that they were here at this moment.

When there was nothing else to talk about, Mitch was silent for a while before he slowly opened his mouth and asked the question he was most reluctant to face: "... casualties, how are they?"

"Fortunately, no one was killed."

The girl's answer made him feel relieved, but before he could completely let go of the breath, Kadora added: "It's just that Sieg's palm was shattered by the enemy's bullet, and Cress and Misha's injuries are also serious. If they are not rescued in time, they may... not survive. Mitch, we have completed the mission... Should we retreat temporarily?"

She was asking for the leader's opinion.

Mitch's breathing slowed down quietly. He couldn't help but glance at the battlefield below. The death squad led by Gray Hill Eagle was still fighting bravely to attract the enemy's attention. Kadora was right. They had completed their mission. No one could say anything even if they retreated. Besides, Sieg and the others were too seriously injured and really needed help. But on the other hand, his comrades and partners were fighting bloody battles. At such a critical moment, as a member of the Liberation Front, could he just walk away and convince himself that he had a clear conscience?
There was no more time to hesitate. The situation on the battlefield was changing rapidly. A moment of hesitation would lead to lifelong regret. Mitch persuaded himself to make a choice that would satisfy both parties. Of course, it could also be a choice that would not please both parties: "Kadora, you take some people to escort Sieg and the other wounded back, and I and the rest of the people will stay to support Brother Carson..."

Before the boy could finish his words, a burst of fierce, rapid, rain-like gunfire suddenly interrupted him.

He was stunned for a moment, and when he realized what the sound was, his face turned pale in an instant.

"How can it be……"

His voice was almost like a groan, as if he was in a nightmare. (End of this chapter)