Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 473 The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish

Three days later, all the preliminary preparations for the "Ice Fishing" operation were ready. Harvey personally took charge of the ice sea exploration base and watched as the guards responsible for carrying out the mission and the original exploration team members were divided into two groups and left on the airship at the same time.

According to the original plan, while Harvey's personal guards were carrying out the mission of trapping alien enemies, the members of the exploration team led by Duncan would quickly cross the wilderness and dense forests and go straight to the refugee settlement in the snowy mountains, trying to persuade and guide them to come to the exploration base, and gradually move to Spark City through the long-distance teleportation array.

The presence of traces of alien enemies in the permafrost and ice sea areas means that the already dangerous wasteland is even more unfavorable for the survival and reproduction of the human race. With the exploration base as an alternative outpost, the refugees in the snowy mountains can also unload the burden of lighting beacons for warnings that they have shouldered for thousands of years, and can go to Spark City to live and work in peace.

The Royal Guards, who were responsible for more important tasks, drove two airships. One landed on the ground near the sea mouth to serve as bait, and Tommy was in charge of the other one to be responsible for air control and alert.

A total of thirty bloodline warriors participated in this operation. They were all elite veterans who first joined when Harvey established the Pioneer Territory Militia. Not only were they the first to master the shooting of magic guns, they were also the first soldiers to fight against the evil orc tribes and the remnants of the demon army. Harvey personally presided over the bloodline awakening ceremony, and they had absolute loyalty and fanaticism to Harvey, the bloodline lord.

Although they had not personally experienced fighting against the skinned monsters, they were repeatedly reminded during the pre-war drills that they were facing alien monsters that were several times more ferocious than the evil orcs and demons. It was possible that even the magic guns they were proficient in could not completely suppress and defeat them. A certain casualty rate must be paid to ensure the complete success of the mission.

But the Guards did not retreat in fear. Instead, it aroused the soldiers' fanatical desire to win and strive for merit.

"If the situation is unfavorable, don't insist on capturing the target alive. Prioritize your own safety... Even if all we bring back are dead bodies, it's still a huge gain for us!" Harvey patted Tommy's shoulder and solemnly instructed, "I don't want to see another soldier with my last name buried in the Martyrs' Cemetery in Spark City."

Tommy rarely put away his nonchalant attitude, and with red eyes he knelt on one knee to salute Harvey. The bloodline warriors behind him followed suit, pounding their fists and beating their chests in unison.

……

Two airships, each carrying ten guards, flew towards the edge of the ice sea. A separate team was sent out from the ground to transport the heavy frozen cages and wolf spider beasts on magic carts. The airships deliberately slowed down their speed to keep pace with the ground troops.

As required by the plan, both airships deliberately maintained a low-altitude flight posture. The magic power cores running at half speed continued to emit a low hum. The ground troops less than fifty meters away could clearly sense the waves of magic power coming from above their heads.

The "bait" begins to work from the moment the team leaves the base.

Of course, it is difficult for alien enemies under the thick ice to quickly lock onto a moving airship. In the end, it is necessary to pretend to land and open an artificial "landing point" for the other party in advance to maximize the temptation for the target to attack.

"Boss, tell me...if we successfully complete this mission, won't everyone deserve a silver medal at the year-end commendation ceremony?"

The medals of honor in Spark City, whether they are for the military, government or civilians, are divided into three categories according to the level of merit, namely gold, silver and iron. In the military, only the Northern Army with its outstanding military achievements has won several silver medals. The Defense Army and the Royal Guard have fewer combat missions and have suffered from the lack of opportunities to make meritorious deeds. They have always been jealous of this annual honor and award.

Tommy carefully placed the half-smoked cigarette, which had been extinguished by the cold wind, back into his jacket pocket and glanced at his deputy. "The operation hasn't even started yet, and you're already dreaming of rewards? You forgot all the instructions before we set off, haven't you? Focus! Be careful! Don't nag me about anything other than the mission."

Several soldiers who had been eagerly waiting for his response quickly shrank their necks and returned to their respective posts on the airship, concentrating on guarding the ground troops.

Then, a sliver of deep green slowly emerged from everyone's view, and the distinct demarcation between the icy sea and the dense forests of the wasteland gradually became clearer. Tommy took over the communicator and calmly informed the ground team—they had reached their destination. The airship rose slightly in altitude, using its superior field of vision to quickly locate a suitable ambush site. The location must be clear of any natural estuaries and preferably far from the dense forests of the wasteland to prevent the target enemy from escaping into the forest in the event of a sudden attack, complicating the search.

Soon, Tommy decisively designated an area, commanded the airship to slowly land, and quickly rendezvous with the ground troops.

Without much instruction, the soldiers silently arranged and built a "temporary camp" according to the established procedures. In order to make the camp confusing enough, they lit several fires in advance before sunset. Then, they went into the tarpaulin tents in groups of three, buried their bodies in the snow and began to wait patiently.

The ground forces manipulated several alchemy beasts to rapidly dig out an artificial ice cave with a diameter of more than ten meters, which went straight down to the sea level. They did not stop until they saw the deep dark blue churning sea water.

Several fist-sized magic bombs were buried in advance at the edge of the ice cave. The bombs mixed with dragon flame powder were pre-assembled with a metal shell with a detonation array in the alchemy laboratory. One only had to hide in the distance and control the small magic power core to instantly collapse the deep ice cave.

Two ambush teams of ten people each were ready, and the most important link came to the soldiers who stayed in the camp pretending to be active - Tommy chose to give up sending an airship into the air for alert, and instead decided to stay in the camp himself with ten bodyguards to act as the "live bait" at the forefront of danger.

Accompanying them were, of course, five wolf spider beasts that were given orders to continuously release magical fluctuations. With the assistance of these big guys, they were fully confident in dealing with attacks from enemies of equal or even slightly greater numbers.

……

The sun soon set behind the endless wasteland and snow-capped mountains, and darkness gradually enveloped the entire wasteland and the edge of the ice sea. The cold wind, carrying fine snowflakes, began to rage on the endless ice sea.

"Boss, these alien monsters... can they really sense our airship and troops from beneath the thick ice? Could it be that they're not hiding at the bottom of the ocean at all?"

Tommy threw a piece of oil-soaked fuel wood into the fire and said in a deep voice, "Lord City Lord, their judgment is correct. We have expanded the search area on land as much as possible. They can't hide in the wilderness and dense forest without being discovered... Unless they can become invisible, the only place they can hide their tracks is under the ice."

A half-orc guard came over and whispered, "Doesn't your bloodline allow you to quickly lock onto a target and accurately identify its weaknesses? Can you sense movement on the seafloor through the ice?"

"Huh? I've never thought of that..." Tommy was stunned for a moment, frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "I'll try!"

After saying this, he mobilized all the blood power in his body, which quickly rushed to his eyes and turned his gaze towards the ice cave not far away. His vision quickly penetrated the crystal blue ice layer and reached the deep sea surface.

In an instant, in the sea water as dark as thick ink in the night, it seemed as if hundreds of thousands of deep red bulging eyeballs suddenly focused and looked directly at him!

Tommy felt creepy and a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on his back under the pressure of fear.

"They are right under our feet!" He immediately interrupted his ability and shouted hoarsely.

(End of this chapter)