Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 732 Escape
Listening to the constant warnings coming through the communicator, beads of sweat appeared on Holmes' forehead... The accelerator was floored, and the entire convoy was pushing the speed to the limit, but the pursuers behind them were still gradually closing in.

Anything that flies in the sky is faster than something that runs on the ground...

Wood kept looking back, his voice trembling as he said, "What do we do? They...they're catching up with us!"

Holmes remained unmoved, staring intently ahead, and said in a deep voice, "Never mind that, check on the power core for me!"

Wood pushed the driver's seat back slightly, then lifted the cover under the seat, revealing the alchemical core, infused with the soul of the camel beast, firmly embedded directly beneath the driver's cab.

A drop of sweat slid down his nose, and the moment it touched the metal shell of the core, it turned into a wisp of smoke and drifted away... Wood knew that the surface temperature of this alchemical instrument was probably high enough to fry an egg, so he dared not reach out to touch it.

"The temperature is very high... I'm afraid it's reached its limit."

"Activate the water cooling system to cool the core!"

Wood was taken aback and said anxiously, "It's getting colder now? The car speed will decrease too!"

"It's better than it overheating and overloading later, blowing the whole car up into the air!"

Taking a deep breath, Wood pulled the cooling lever... A metal pipe connecting the water tank and the core was opened, and a large amount of thick white steam was discharged from the flue on the side of the wheel.

At the same time, the other vehicles traveling at high speed also made the same choice, and the speed of the entire convoy slowed down. Through the rearview mirrors installed on both sides of the wheeled vehicles, the figures of those winged beings flapping their wings could be seen clearly.

The hastily recruited crew members were not equipped with any weapons for self-defense. Wood looked around for a while, and finally, at Holmes's signal, he took out a thick, long crowbar from the toolbox in the driver's cab. Holding it tightly in his hand, he felt much more at ease.

Before they set off, the officer who had recruited them had said that if they encountered the enemy during the mission, the Northern Army soldiers who escorted them back would still be responsible for the combat. These soldiers had frequent encounters with other races and should have made adequate preparations for such a sudden situation long ago.

He and Holmes only needed to follow the pre-arranged plan, diligently drive the vehicle, and avoid falling behind or suddenly overturning.

……

"Can you go any faster?" The Son of Flame flung open the door of the airship's gondola and pounded on the chair, urging loudly.

Michelle was disoriented by the sudden gust of wind and said with a pained expression, "Mr. Holden... oh no, Colonel! This is a patrol airship, not a speedboat. If we accelerate any further, the power core won't be able to hold up!"

Taking off amidst a sandstorm was difficult enough. Just relying on the communicator to determine the direction and maintain formation was already quite challenging for Michel, an "old hand" at airship piloting. Without his usual superior visibility, he had to concentrate fully on controlling the aircraft to barely ensure that he wouldn't get lost in the sandstorm and fog-filled sky.

"Ground troops have sent a request for assistance, saying that several squads of Winged Ones have broken through the defenses and are harassing our temporary outpost in the rear. There, we're currently surrounded by unarmed refugees, with only a handful of army soldiers from the battalion headquarters. Without air defense reinforcements... we simply can't stop them from wreaking havoc." Michelle couldn't expose his flesh and blood at high altitude like a high-level spellcaster, nor could he rely on the magical shield surrounding his body to prevent rapid heat loss. The oncoming gale at high speed also made it impossible for him to open his mouth. After struggling to close the hatch, he explained in a hoarse voice, "The aerial mages responsible for reconnaissance have already spotted them. These damned monsters didn't stay at the outpost; instead, they went straight to pursue our convoy protecting the refugees."

The Son of Flame nodded, suppressing his agitation, and said patiently, "We can't let them catch up with the convoy. The soldiers escorting them are no match for them, and once a firefight breaks out, the refugees will suffer heavy casualties."

He personally issued the order to organize a temporary transport team to rescue the refugees to the garrison in Highland City, so ensuring the safe return of these refugees and their crew members was a responsibility he should bear.

As the two were discussing, their communicator suddenly crackled with instructions from their comrade in charge of reconnaissance ahead: "Attention! We've located the evacuation convoy. They... the Winged Ones are closing in! Descend! Prepare to engage!"

Overjoyed, the Son of Flame, before Michelle could even react, had already flung open the hatch again and rushed out.

Dozens of airships swooped down from the clouds, instantly restoring the vision of all the aerial mages. On the yellow-green ground below, a convoy was speeding forward at full speed, kicking up clouds of dust. More than a hundred winged beings followed closely behind, and military vehicles accompanying them slowed down and landed at the rear. The soldiers on the vehicles frequently raised their guns to return fire, fighting back and forth with the pursuers.

The power of the rapid-fire magic gun was limited. No matter how accurate the soldiers' shooting skills were, they could not withstand the enemy's counterattack of a single shot of concentrated red light. Many military vehicles were hit one after another, either losing their balance and overturning in the meadows and gullies, or being directly detonated and rising into a scorching cloud of fire.

As the airship adjusted its dive trajectory, it gradually aimed its onboard magic machine guns and beam weapons at the enemy. Once the attack from above was launched, it would be difficult for these low-flying winged beings to dodge.

Before the order to fire was even given, the first few high-ranking warriors who rushed out of the airship, led by Commander Flame Child, launched an aerial assault unique to battle mages.

In an instant, several magical streaks of different colors flashed in the sky. Scorching missiles, frost blades, and arcane shocks cut into the enemy group with lightning speed. Several winged beings had no time to react before they were hit squarely... A shower of blood immediately fell from the sky.

The surprise attack worked, and the winged beings, regaining their senses, immediately dispersed. The few at the front continued to relentlessly pursue the convoy, constantly projecting black water and red light, while the rest changed direction and headed straight for the arriving aerial reinforcements.

The airship quickly encountered them face-to-face in the air.

The magic-powered machine guns and beam weapons exploded simultaneously, and in just a few dozen seconds, they were like a fine-toothed comb, mowing down these alien races.

In an encounter of this scale, there is almost no doubt that the balance of power is tilted, with the aerial mages holding absolute dominance.

Michelle released the weapon's fire button and peered down to see the Son of Flame and several other high-ranking enemies catching up quickly with the remaining stubborn foes still entangled with the convoy. In just two rounds of magical bombardment, they were completely wiped out.

"Buzz—Buzz—All targets have been eliminated. Should we continue escorting the convoy to safety?"

"Hmm... send a few airships to follow, to ensure everything goes smoothly, the rest of you return to the Chensang River Valley position immediately."

(End of this chapter)