Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 505 Cataclysmic Mutation

In the afternoon, the resistance fighters opened the gates of Sladedinburgh and filed out.

The resistance was severely lacking in livestock. The few horses they had were mostly used to carry goods or pull carts. Even Grisha was struggling to keep up with the troops using a prosthetic leg. He and other wounded soldiers with less serious injuries could only take turns resting in the carts.

Strictly speaking, the resistance army is not entirely an army. In the beginning, they were just refugees fleeing from the White Raven Principality who were forced to choose resistance.

This group included children, including Grisha, as well as some elderly people.

In addition, many people in Sladedinburgh chose to leave with them, resulting in a large number of civilians mixed in with the resistance forces.

"Grisha, are you alright?"

"Son, there's still room for one more person to sit in my stroller. Why don't you get on?"

Grisha sincerely thanked the people around him, and then refused all help.

The resistance fighters carried enough rations to barely last three days, but they had to travel for nearly four days, and that was assuming everything went smoothly.

There was no other way; they had to squeeze out some transport capacity to carry weapons and ammunition. Without the ability to protect themselves, they wouldn't even survive three days.

Grisha glanced furtively at Uncle Wood's cart, which was already full and very difficult to push. There were no metal bearings in this era, and the wooden rims were smeared with grease, making it extremely difficult to push.

The resistance marched forward in silence, with young people leading the way and covering the rear, while children followed in the middle of the column.

There were actually quite a few elderly people, but almost all of them chose to stay in the city. When the Dragon Fang Duke's army arrived, they found the city to be deserted. You can imagine their anger at that time, but these elderly people still chose to stay and face the Dragon Fang Duke's wrath.

They did not give up completely, but instead asked for some weapons and decided to defend the castle.

The castles of this era have undergone many iterations, featuring designs that make them virtually impregnable. Perhaps these old castles could indeed cause considerable trouble for the enemy.

That was also the last time they showed their fangs.

Gwen looked back at Sladedinburgh, the castle that had been held for half a year.

The evacuation was not without cost. The seriously wounded, the incapacitated, and many who volunteered to stay did not leave; they are now peering out from the city walls.

Strangely enough, they did not despair; instead, they laughed happily.

It was as if the departing resistance fighters were living on in their place.

Gwen gripped the hilt of her sword, not turning around, but remaining silent for a very long time.

On the other side, the old woman was talking to Isaac.

"How is it going? Has the message been delivered?" Isaac asked anxiously.

After realizing something was wrong, the mother-in-law immediately returned to the train and delivered the news that the resistance had decided to retreat, while Isaac assisted Gwen in organizing the evacuation.

My mother-in-law has just returned.

"The message has been sent. Kyle immediately arranged for a train to return urgently. There aren't many resistance troops stationed in the North. Defending the train isn't a problem, but providing support to us is a bit of a stretch. Besides, they just wiped out the Allied forces. To prevent enemy retaliation, we have to leave people behind."

"So, we have to walk there ourselves?"

“If Bloodharbor sends troops at full capacity, the expeditionary force here will soon be substantial. Kyle will then lead the vanguard to provide support. If we can provide guidance, we should be able to rendezvous in about two days.” Isaac keenly sensed a hint of worry in his mother-in-law’s words.

"What's wrong? Are you in trouble?"

"Yes." The mother-in-law nodded, her expression not very good.

"Not only have the people from the Holy See cooperated with the Grand Duke of Dragon Fang, but I've also encountered quite a few extraordinary individuals on the road. I can't kill them all. Damn it, how did so many people from the Church come to the Northern Territory!"

Isaac frowned upon hearing this.

This is wrong, very wrong.

Superhumans are not cheap expendables; on the contrary, every investigator is a valuable asset to the Church. They would rather sacrifice hundreds of elite soldiers than waste superhumans at will.

However, the number of superhumans killed by the two in the Northern Territory was already more than a handful, and the number of people they forced back or tested was more than ten times that.

This means that the Vatican must have deployed at least twenty extraordinary individuals, which is an astonishing number.

Although the Fire Moth has a large number of followers scattered and hidden in various corners of the continent, the total number of extraordinary individuals in the entire Fire Moth is definitely less than twenty.

This is already the most dangerous cult organization on the entire continent.

The number of superhumans that the Candlelight Society can mobilize is probably no more than a hundred. The fact that more than one-fifth of them came at once, even after several people had already been lost, suggests that they have a very big plan.

How many investigators can you handle?

“One-on-one is no problem.” The old woman raised the Dragon Breath Cannon in her hand. “But if we are surrounded, two people are fine, but three people will be in danger. Of course, no matter how many people surround me, I can at least take down two.”

The mother-in-law's tone was somewhat resolute; she was prepared that she could never go back.

"In a head-on battle, I can handle five, and holding off seven or eight wouldn't be a problem, but right now the enemy has too many of them."

"And he just happens to be an investigator!"

Both men had somewhat gloomy expressions. The investigators were best at tracking and investigating, which meant they could never escape the enemy's pursuit.

In the past, the Candlelight Society usually disdained cooperating with mortal lords, but this time they not only approached the Dragon Fang Duke, but also chose to cooperate right away, which is very unusual.

"Could there be some cult causing trouble in the North?"

After thinking for a long time, Isaac and his mother-in-law realized that the biggest cult might be them, these moths drawn to the flame.
"Another catastrophe-level anomaly may be about to occur. Do you remember that incident decades ago?"

"Ha, of course I remember. Back then, you were a newly appointed investigator in the Southwest Diocese of the Candlelight Church, and we even had a fight. How could I forget?"

“That time, dozens of investigators were sent out, but only Jules and I survived. It took the Candlelight Society decades to slowly recover,” Isaac shook his head. “Hopefully, it’s not a similar natural disaster.”

"What is that? Even the 'Mother of Compassion' could be considered a natural disaster. If the Candlelight had come, it would still have required human lives to pay for it. But we solved it. Castel didn't suffer much loss and we got it over with. If you ask me, this is what can truly change the world!"

The old woman picked up the Dragon Breath Cannon.

"Even if it's a natural disaster, I'll still give it a couple of shots first!"

(End of this chapter)