Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 788 Material Recycling
Benny knew very well that taking short-acting stimulants could only temporarily suppress the pain and weakness caused by the injury; it was not a cure in essence.

Once the medication wears off after a few hours, the pain that was initially relieved will return in a devastating manner, and even if timely treatment is received afterward, the suffering the injured person has to endure will increase exponentially.

Moreover, the young soldier's injuries... seemed beyond saving; there was absolutely no way he could be saved.

The knife wound on his shoulder didn't sever any arteries. Although it was deep enough to expose the bone, it should heal well after proper suturing. However, his leg was severed at the knee. Even with a tourniquet, the bleeding couldn't be stopped. Based on experience, he would likely go into shock due to massive blood loss in less than fifteen minutes, making it very difficult to save him.

“This child… his injuries.” Benny’s lips moved, but the words caught in his throat, as if he couldn’t bear to tell him the truth in front of him. “The ambulance team can’t get here in time. What do you plan to do?”

The unfamiliar lieutenant squatted down and carefully lifted the wounded soldier's body, raising his lower limbs slightly to keep him lying flat.

He then took out a vial of medicine from his tactical pouch, fed half of it to the soldier and gave him the medicine, and dripped the other half onto his bleeding wound.

Benny was startled and exclaimed in surprise, "Rejuvenation potion? How come ordinary officers are issued this stuff?"

The lieutenant shook his head and explained in a deep voice, "The medical team came by yesterday, and I asked them to keep three sets for emergencies... It's just a pity they didn't leave any syringes. If it could be injected directly into the body, the healing effect would actually be better."

This guy looks to be under thirty, but he knows so much... Benny was secretly amazed. Without thinking too much, he squatted down to help him treat the soldier's wounds.

"Are there any other survivors along this trench line?"

The young soldier, sweating profusely from the pain, gritted his teeth and said, "It...it should be just me. I'm lucky...there were only three enemies who crawled in, and they were all killed by the other fallen comrades."

The lieutenant turned his gaze to Benny, who nodded at him with a somber expression.

When he arrived to provide support, he checked the condition of all the human soldiers along the way and found that there were indeed no other survivors.

"These damned aliens have dug through our trenches... Many soldiers didn't even have time to react before they were attacked by the enemy that rushed out from underground."

Benny touched the bullet pouch at his waist and asked, "The trench line I'm in... has lost its ammunition supply from the rear. The machine guns have been silent for a long time, and the soldiers don't have much ammunition left. They can only hold out until nightfall at most."

If the enemy continues to send troops to attack this defensive line, they will soon run out of ammunition and food.

The lieutenant nodded, his face also not looking good. "The section of the defensive line I'm in charge of has also lost its supplies, and the machine gun squads we deployed were attacked by jet worms, so we've also lost our firepower suppression... We absolutely cannot retreat and abandon the defensive line before we receive orders from headquarters."

While bandaging their wounds, the two men complained to each other. The young wounded soldier lying on the ground was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses and stammered, "Sirs, the logistics team transporting ammunition... was attacked by the Winged Ones near the second longitudinal passage of the third defensive line. Although the casualties were heavy... a lot of ammunition and supplies were left behind there."

Benny and the lieutenant stared wide-eyed, exclaiming in unison, "Really? How did you know?"

"My 100-man team came to reinforce the area along with the logistics team, and we arrived at the combat zone a little earlier than them... that's why we didn't have time to go back and support them."

The lieutenant slapped his thigh and decisively said, "We'll immediately send soldiers to retrieve the ammunition and supplies left behind at the scene!"

……

The two men acted swiftly, moving the wounded to a safe, defended area. Taking advantage of a lull in the enemy's offensive, they each returned to their posts, gathered a few strong soldiers, and rejoined at the junction of the trenches. Following the trenches back towards the rear positions, they discovered that within the less than three-mile-long defensive line, several areas had been hit by long-range enemy fire. Thick, thumb-sized crystal spikes were scattered everywhere, and some trenches were filled with tiny crystal fragments.

It took the supply recovery team a full fifteen minutes to finally reach the No. 3 defensive line section mentioned by the wounded soldier, where they immediately spotted the ammunition boxes scattered at the entrance of the passage.

"No wonder the supplies have been delayed... It turns out that this passage has been destroyed by the Winged Ones."

Benny and his companions held up the heavy steel plates in their hands, occasionally crouching down to protect their vitals from a barrage of crystal spikes raining down from the sky.

The lieutenant then rushed to the pile of supplies and began inspecting them on his own.

"Good. In addition to machine gun ammunition belts, there is also ample portable artillery ammunition... If we take it back and distribute it, it will be enough to last us until dawn tomorrow."

By then, the third wave of reinforcements should have arrived from the rear.

The problem now is... without transport alchemical beasts that are good at moving quickly through trenches, how are these five or six people supposed to haul hundreds of kilograms of ammunition and supplies back to the front line using only four wheelbarrows with their handles removed!
The Lizardmen could launch a new attack at any moment, and they didn't have much time left.

Just when everyone was at a loss, a familiar whistling sound came from above. Almost instinctively, everyone raised their protective plates, squatted down, and pressed their bodies as close to the trench wall as possible to protect their vital parts.

After a series of clanging and clattering sounds, Benny heard two muffled groans beside his ear.

Turning their heads, they saw two soldiers who had come with them. Unfortunately, their hands and ankles, which were exposed outside the protective plates, had been pierced by crystal spikes. They were gritting their teeth, covering their wounds, and trembling.

"Quick! Stop the bleeding!"

The others held down the two wounded, broke off the crystal spikes stuck in their bodies, and hurriedly applied hemostatic gel and bandages... Not far away, around the corner of the trench tunnel, three dark-skinned aliens suddenly rushed out, wielding long swords formed from black water, and charged straight at them.

The lieutenant was the first to react. Before he could even raise the rifle on his back, he could only draw his revolver from his waist and fire all five bullets without even aiming, instantly knocking down an enemy who was about to rush in front of them.

Benny snapped out of his daze, shoved aside the stunned soldier beside him, drew his revolver, and fired back.

The second alien soldier was shot in the shoulder, but he still fearlessly threw his long sword, which plunged straight into the abdomen of a soldier who had just gotten up.

The lieutenant ducked behind a stack of supply crates, narrowly avoiding a crystal spike projectile. He took down his spear and was about to retaliate when a bolt of red lightning, as thick as an arm, shot towards him.

The supply crates were blown apart in an instant. One of the iron crates containing portable artillery shells rolled over to the lieutenant's feet, and a round shell fell out with a thud.

Another beam of red light suddenly struck...

"Watch out!" Benny shouted, and tackled the lieutenant to the ground. The two of them rolled several times into the trench.

The next second, there was a loud bang!
The trenches were filled with flying mud and billowing smoke, and a falling artillery shell was instantly detonated.

(End of this chapter)