Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 667 The First Shot of the Counterattack!
The black dots that suddenly appeared over the enemy's position were coming with great force. It wasn't until they were really close to the warning position that the soldiers holding the trenches suddenly realized that... these strange things that were so dense that they blotted out the sky were actually black crystal spikes as thick as an average person's arm.

Despite receiving advance warning from their superiors, most soldiers had little time to react to such a massive concentrated attack. Almost instinctively, they lowered their heads, buried them in the trenches, and curled up to minimize their exposed area. Everything else was left to luck.

After Battalion Commander Karon issued a warning, he immediately tackled the two stunned recruits to the ground, pinning them down to protect their heads and faces, praying that the damned crystal spikes wouldn't hit them directly.

A few breaths later, a barrage of crystal spikes rained down and covered the first line of defense.

Thud! Thud! Thud—

The whooshing sound of sharp weapons cutting through the air overhead was incessant, followed by the loud explosions of hard objects colliding, and chilling screams of pain immediately echoed from the nearby trenches.

Once the light returned, Chiron cautiously raised his head, calmly picked up his weapon, and looked around.

Fortunately, the seemingly dense crystal spike attack actually spread out at relatively large intervals, so that it did not cover the section of the line where he was when it finally landed.

On the contrary, the situation in the area further back looks rather bad. Thick, long crystal spikes are deeply embedded in the ice, and snow debris is flying everywhere from the explosions. Looking along the longitudinal trench, soldiers wearing optical camouflage robes lie motionless in the ditch, and there are even more groans and cries for help from the unseen wounded.

"Battalion Commander! Enemy!" The new recruit suddenly grabbed him and shouted, pointing at the distant ice field.

Chiron immediately turned around and found that in the vast snowfield that had just been boundless, countless black figures had emerged. Several groups of demonic lizardmen, who had clearly gathered together, spread their fleshy wings that were bound behind their backs and flapped them into the air.

These damned giant bats were indeed hiding under the ice with the ordinary demon lizard soldiers, waiting for their chance.

At a glance, Chiron immediately estimated their numbers... Compared to the battle at Great Bear Lake, the number of demonic lizardmen attacking this time was probably more than double, and those crystal spikes that had just been fired from afar were some kind of terrifying technique.

The enemy on the ground quickly approached the front of the position. Without waiting for orders from the command post, the machine gun squads, who had been holding their firing positions, opened fire immediately. The dense gunfire exploded like firecrackers, and the dense net of bullets covered the entire ice surface hundreds of meters away.

Chiron's battalion was located on the right flank of the entire line, and together with another battalion on the left flank, they protected Newman's battalion at the very front.

As several shells from portable artillery whizzed overhead, he keenly observed, based on his rich combat experience, that while the left and right flanks were firing almost simultaneously, why was Newman's unit, positioned in the center, showing a weaker counterattack?

Something's wrong! The machine gun squad at Newman's battalion headquarters has been hit hard by Black Crystal Spikes!
He immediately rose from the trench, bent over, pulled his adjutant over, and roared, "Have the others maintain suppressive fire. You take command of the right flank. Two squads, come with me immediately to reinforce Newman's unit!"

……

After the attack on Newman's battalion headquarters, which was located in the center of the front line, the trenches, which stretched for hundreds of meters, were in complete disarray. Several spikes even accidentally hit a few ammunition depots, causing explosions that sent up thick black smoke and dust that completely enveloped the surrounding trenches.

As they ran quickly along the ravine, they could only vaguely see many wounded soldiers lying in the ravine. Several machine gun squads that Chiron passed along the way were all out of commission, so they could only send reinforcements to take over while continuing to move forward in silence.

At the junction of the interconnected trenches, numerous rescue teams could be seen rushing from the rear, carrying stretchers and first-aid kits. After meeting up, they had no time to exchange words and began to drag the wounded soldiers away quickly. Before long, Chiron found Newman lying face down on the ground at a gap in a trench. Shocked and angry, he turned him over and discovered that a shard of crystal spike had broken off and was embedded quite deep in his body in his waist and abdomen. Judging from his slowly rising and falling chest and pale face, he was clearly unconscious due to excessive blood loss.

After quickly stopping the bleeding with the hemostatic spray from his waist, Chiron pushed aside the soldier who was already lying motionless on the machine gun and gripped the weapon's firing handle tightly.

The deputy quickly picked up the fallen ammunition belt and put it back into the magazine located on the side of the butt handle.

The machine gun's sights quickly locked onto the enemy a kilometer away. Experienced veterans didn't need to predict the bullet's landing point; they simply estimated the trajectory angle by feel.

"Fire!"

With a sudden slam of the trigger, the barrel of the magic machine gun burst forth with a burst of blazing white flame, and a dense hail of bullets transformed into a long, blurry trail, rushing toward the distant enemy.

The demon lizardmen at the forefront crashed head-on into the interwoven barrage of bullets, instantly turning into clouds of red and black blood mist. The bullets, even after piercing their bodies, continued to strike more enemies surging up from behind.

The machine gun squads that had previously misfired were not idle either. They took turns firing in perfect coordination, buying time for their comrades who had quickly emptied their ammunition belts to reload, ensuring that the fire suppression continued.

"Battalion Commander! Look at the sky!"

Chiron didn't even need to look up; he could hear the flapping of wings overhead with just his ears. Those damned giant bats were getting closer!
Several soldiers covering him decisively raised their guns and fired a few shots into the sky, shooting down two winged beings who were about to throw spears... But this level of counterattack could not directly repel these enemies who had gained air superiority. Dozens of spears still came whistling through the air, forcing them to duck and dodge.

Fortunately, the second line of defense finally recovered. The deep hum of the beam weapons rang out instantly, followed by a dazzling net of light that exploded in mid-air, engulfing the winged beings who had taken advantage of the chaos to approach.

A fine rain of blood suddenly began to fall from the sky, with countless fragments of alien flesh and blood crashing to the ground, drenching the soldiers below.

"What are you all standing there for! Keep firing! Suppress the enemy on the ground first!" Chiron wiped the foul-smelling pus and blood from his face and shouted the order at the top of his lungs.

The soldiers snapped out of their daze and rushed back to the firing ports of the trench to return fire. Watching the enemy pouring into the front line, they gritted their teeth and kept firing, but their legs went weak and their scalps tingled.

There are too many... There are so many enemies that they hardly need to aim; they can fire blindfolded and hit their targets.

Finally... the artillery positions from the rear have awakened from their silence.

The earth-shattering roar of cannons instantly resounded across the sky.

(End of this chapter)