Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 748 Full Evacuation
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Benny pulled the bolt, skillfully removed the empty magazine, and casually pulled a fully loaded magazine from his waist to reload it.

He raised his gun again to aim at a target crawling slowly on the meadow a few hundred meters ahead of the trench, but the next second his comrade next to him shot him in the head.

"Tsk..."

He glanced at it with some displeasure, but out of the corner of his eye he saw a communications soldier rushing towards him from the end of the trench.

"Captain Benny, the battalion commander has ordered that the battle be resolved within ten minutes. All squads are to follow the refugee convoy and evacuate the station directly."

What? A complete evacuation?

Benny frowned and subconsciously asked, "The transport team doesn't have enough vehicles. Didn't we agree to wait for the next convoy to arrive before we leave?"

The communications soldier, slightly out of breath, said urgently, "There's no time to wait for them. We have to go, even if it means walking alongside the convoy... The reconnaissance airship spotted another large number of Black Lizardmen pouring into this area from Steel Rock City more than ten miles away, and there are also traces of Winged Beings in the sky. If we don't leave now, we won't be able to get away!"

Benny felt a sharp jolt in his heart.

So this is why the enemy, despite not having a numerical advantage, insisted on fighting them to the bitter end!
The current scattered ground troops are merely used to hold back the Northern Army, making it easier for follow-up troops to catch up and encircle and annihilate them.

"Have the artillery squad fire their portable cannons to buy us time to retreat. The rest of you can fire freely... We'll leave in five minutes!"

Seeing the communications soldier jogging towards the trench area where another squad was located, Benny also stood up and quickly moved to the combat area where beam weapons were set up.

Several soldiers responsible for operating the beam weapons were sweating profusely as they dismantled the heavy weapons in front of them after receiving the evacuation mission. Benny couldn't help but urge them in a low voice, "Forget about these big guys. We can't take them with us after we take them apart. Just leave them here... There will always be a day when we retreat and retake the station. Anyway, the Lizardmen won't use these things."

The soldier hesitated for a moment, then stammered, "Boss, we can keep the beam weapon, but... what about the liquid magic energy bullet?"

The liquid magic bullets used to power the anti-aircraft beams are also incredibly heavy. Each bullet, as thick as a human thigh, weighs nearly fifty pounds, exceeding the standard load carried by ordinary Northern Army soldiers during field marches.

The idea of ​​taking them with you on foot to evacuate is simply a pipe dream.

"Notify the demolition team to come over..." Benny narrowed his eyes, a sinister look appearing on his face. "Bury all the remaining liquid magic energy bombs into the trenches, have them quickly camouflage them, and after we withdraw, blow those bastards who stormed the transport station to smithereens!"

In fixed-point attack and defense battles, demolition teams often don't play a significant role, but when it comes to setting up explosive traps, they are quite adept... By using consumable miniature alchemy beasts to create time-delay bombs, they can almost pinpoint the detonation time to the second.

Sure enough, the other squad leaders stationed at the stations all shared the same idea.

The group quickly huddled together to discuss the matter, and the demolition specialists, having received their orders, began to busily set up the equipment.

……

By the time the distant horizon could vaguely make out the winged figures flapping their wings, the garrison at Station Seven had already retreated to the second line of defense at the edge of the camp.

The evacuation bugle call soon resounded throughout the camp, and the battalion's combat squads began to take turns firing according to the operational procedures, providing cover for friendly forces to move to the rear in an orderly manner.

The alchemy wagon, crammed full of refugees, rumbled to life and slowly drove out of Transport Station No. 7.

"Captain Benny! Have your squad retreat into the camp. You are to be part of the first evacuation with the convoy... The battalion commander's personal squad will cover the rear."

Benny leaned against a supply shelf, emptied another magazine, and said without turning his head, "I understand. Tell the battalion commander and the others to watch out for the enemies coming from the side of the camp, and to be careful not to get surrounded."

Several sharp whistles sounded, and the soldiers, weapons in hand, moved nimbly through the camp, firing back at the approaching enemy while slowly retreating along a pre-arranged route.

The demolition expert in charge of detonating the bomb, holding the alchemical beast control device in his hand, said to Benny, who was rushing over, "Captain Benny, the miniature alchemical beast is in position and can be detonated at any time."

“Very good, await the battalion commander’s orders. His squad will cover the rear… The demolition must buy them time to evacuate.” Benny led his squad of soldiers to the military vehicle that was about to start moving. He only peeked into the closed compartment before frowning and shaking his head… The transport convoy was fully loaded, and the military vehicle was also crammed with refugees hitchhiking.

It seems the battalion commander is determined not to abandon a single one and to bring all these poor grassland people to safety.

A soldier poked his head out of the driver's cab and shouted, "Captain Benny, get in! There's still room for two more people in the cab!"

Benny didn't reply. He tossed the magic gun behind his back, grabbed two young soldiers with immature faces beside him, and shoved them into the driver's cab without a word.

"Let these newbies hitch a ride... the rest of us will walk alongside them."

The soldier, forcibly pushed into the vehicle, struggled and was about to refuse—

Rumble!
Two muffled explosions suddenly reached everyone's ears, followed by a slight tremor in the grass beneath their feet. A huge column of smoke rose from the camp, engulfing the entire site.

Good heavens! Did they detonate all the liquid magic energy bombs buried in the ground at once?

Benny was startled, but breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the battalion commander emerge from the billowing dust unharmed.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go! The enemy will be drawn to the commotion in the camp for a short time, and the winged beings will have their vision restricted by the rising smoke and flames. It's the perfect time for us to slip away."

The remaining soldiers immediately stopped delaying and, with clouds of dust rising from behind the military vehicles, they all started jogging.

A forced march across the grasslands was not a difficult task. As long as they were not pursued and bitten by the enemy like mad dogs, they could rely on their strong physique to reach Station No. 5, which was more than 30 miles away.

Of course, the scattered pursuers were not a threat at all... The Northern Army had standard field combat procedures. They only needed to arrange for rear guards in batches along the way to retreat, and each combat unit, based on a squad, could withdraw in an orderly manner under alternating cover.

As several more loud explosions echoed from the camp behind them, some of the demon lizardmen, finally realizing something was wrong, chose to circle around the perimeter of the camp to the rear.

They also naturally spotted the human convoy that was rapidly retreating into the distance.

Several winged beings instantly received the order to pursue, flapping through the thick smoke that stretched to the horizon, and rushed swiftly toward the infantry army that had fallen behind the convoy.

"Watch out in the air! Prepare to engage the enemy!"

Benny instinctively raised his weapon, adopting a standard half-crouch firing stance, and aimed at the approaching winged beings.

These guys seem determined to hold on no matter what... a smooth evacuation might not be as easy as it seems.

Just as all the soldiers covering the rear gritted their teeth, preparing to stay in place and fight the enemy to the death... a familiar, low hum suddenly came from the sky behind them.

Benny turned around in disbelief and found that more than a dozen airships were also heading straight towards their location from the south.

Soldiers immediately spotted the situation and shouted in surprise and delight, "It's not a reconnaissance airship, it's...it's an aerial combat mage's speedboat! They've come to reinforce us!"

When the three figures stepped out of the airship and hovered in the air, the soldiers on the ground erupted in cheers.

"He's a high-level battle mage!"

"Long live Saint Valen! We don't need to fight these monsters anymore. Let's work with the mages to wipe them all out!"

"Long live the Emperor! Let's kill these bastards who attacked the site!"

(End of this chapter)