Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 420 The Charge Begins

The battle reports coming from underground were not reassuring.

Lieutenant General von Lane frowned deeply. The underground passageway had collapsed, many of the excavating beasts had perished inside, and the remaining soldiers were unlikely to hold out any longer. If this continued, then…

"Lieutenant General."

Just then, a voice rang out from behind Lieutenant General von Lane. He turned around and saw a blond, blue-eyed Krant soldier walking towards him. Upon seeing this soldier, Lieutenant General von Lane's heart sank.

"What is the current situation of the battle?"

"The resistance from the Imperial army was much stronger than we had imagined."

Lieutenant General von Lane treated the man before him with utmost respect.

"But you're not planning to bet all your cards yet?"

"I... am considering it."

"I can understand that."

The latter nodded, but his expressionless face showed no trace of agreement.

"However, the opinion of the General Staff is that we must take Port Der Lai at all costs."

"However, our progress is not going well right now, and that intelligence is also very suspicious..."

Lieutenant General von Lane hesitated for a moment before speaking his mind. In his view, the attack on Port Derlai was somewhat inexplicable. He had received intelligence from his superiors that Port Derlai would soon be unstable, and upon arriving there, he found that the intelligence was accurate, thus launching the attack.

However, the Imperial army acted as if nothing had happened. Not only did they withstand their own attack, but according to intelligence from the underground front, the enemy had repeatedly blown up the tunnels from above, causing heavy losses to Krant's underground forces. Although reports came from below about crazed Imperial soldiers, Lieutenant General von Lane dismissed them as mere excuses from the soldiers.

However, the Empire's response was so methodical that Lieutenant General von Lehn had to consider the possibility that it was a trap.

“We are currently short of manpower, and I highly suspect that the sacrifices made to capture Port Dailai may exceed our expectations.”

Lieutenant General von Lane's concerns were not unfounded. Francis, the Empire, and the Western European Empire were now encircling the Kingdom of Krant from three sides, which was bad enough. What was most frustrating was that the Sasha Alliance, which had launched a fierce offensive against the Duchy of Seth at the beginning of the war, had been dealt a crushing blow in the Valley of the Dead, and was now desperately begging Krant for reinforcements.

Ironically, Emperor Wilhelm II of the Crown had once promised the Sassa Alliance unlimited support…

This means that Krant currently needs to divide its forces into four groups, a situation that couldn't be worse than it gets. Every legion is crucial to Krant right now. They should be thankful that the relationship between the Empire and Francis is strained, which is currently creating a subtle check on each other; otherwise, Krant would probably have been forced into a defensive war long ago.

Although things aren't much better now.

To be honest, the loss of 120,000 vanguard troops in the initial planned surprise attack on the Duchy of Tiris was already heartbreaking enough. If his Sixth Army suffered another crushing defeat, he seriously doubted whether the men in the General Staff would have a heart attack.

"But if we don't gamble, we'll never win."

The man's expression remained unchanged, his voice unchanged, as cold as a machine. Yet, his words burned with a kind of morbid passion.

"My Crimson Company and I will bring you victory, Lieutenant General. Rest assured. The Empire's scrap metal is no match for our giants."

"this……………"

Upon hearing the man's words, Lieutenant General von Lane hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Okay, I understand. I wish you success in completing the mission."

“I assure you, before sunset, the flag of the Kingdom of Krant will once again fly over Port Drei.”

After saying this, the man turned and left, while Lieutenant General von Lane watched his retreating figure in silence.

All I can say is, if only that were true.

The man returned to the back of the column, and soon a group of soldiers surrounded him. He glanced at the soldiers around him and nodded.

"It's time for us to make our move."

"oh-----!"

Upon hearing the man's reply, the soldiers let out an excited shout and quickly dispersed, while the man walked towards the back. Soon, he arrived at the nearby forest, where a colossal creature was crouching on the ground. Its size was almost the same as a general-class mech, and its overall appearance resembled a shaved gorilla, with heavy armor covering its muscular body.

The man took off his outer military uniform, revealing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts underneath. This seemed somewhat irregular on the battlefield, but he didn't care and climbed up the gangway made of the giant beast's armor, all the way to the back of the beast's neck.

A thin, long wound was clearly visible on the beast's neck.

The man reached out, and with his movement, the scar parted to reveal the thin membrane of muscle underneath.

The man went inside.

Soon, the scar closed up again, and then nerves emerged from the surrounding muscles, wrapping around the man's hands, feet, and body like tentacles. The man could even feel the slippery sensation entering his mouth, nostrils, and ears.

The feeling of a foreign object invading the body was unpleasant, but it only lasted for a moment. The next instant, the man felt his vision suddenly clear.

He stood up, his gaze now extending far beyond the woods, reaching even the distant port of Derrey. He looked down and saw his comrades and the trees, now appearing as small as toys. He could easily raise his hand and destroy them.

The man took a step forward, and he felt that he had taken a step forward; it was no different from reality.

Or rather, this is reality. He is no longer just an ordinary person, but a giant, a towering giant.

No enemy could withstand the Giant Legion.

Those steel pieces are even less desirable.

That's right, bro.

The man heard a voice echoing deep within his heart; it was the giant's soul, and also his own.

Flesh and blood are the future; cold, ruthless, heartless steel will ultimately fail completely.

The man raised his hand and waved it forward; he was ready.

"Prepare for action."

Lieutenant General von Lehn also made a decision at that moment.

"Enhanced Beasts, prepare!" With Lieutenant General von Lane's command, hundreds of enormous, rhinoceros-like monsters marched forward, each carrying a large, round barrel on its side and a crew compartment on top. If Levi were here, he would recognize this monster; he had encountered it during the capture of Port Dreyfus—oh, I misspoke, it was the ground forces who encountered it then; Levi was merely observing from the air.

"attack!"

The next moment, these enhanced beasts instantly took off running, charging forward with all their might. Although they were enormous, their speed was by no means slow. They charged forward with unrestrained abandon, and nothing could stop these powerful beasts.

No, it's not that it doesn't exist.

"Captain Barnes, Sector 11-45, cover bombing."

Li Wei watched the battlefield through the puppet bird, then silently issued orders.

The next moment, the whistling sound of cannonballs rang out. They tore through the air, emitting a teeth-grinding shriek, soaring through the sky, and then falling to the ground in beautiful arcs, bursting into streaks of fire and smoke.

"Boom boom boom boom!!!"

A series of plumes of smoke rose from the ground like a city wall, drawing an ugly arc across the plain. Most animals would have been terrified by such light and sound, but these enhanced beasts paid no heed. They continued running forward, through the flames, and into the flying shrapnel of shells, without the slightest hesitation.

"Puff!"

Soon, thick smoke billowed from the cylinders on either side of the enhanced beast's body, forming a thick sea of ​​clouds that enveloped everything behind it. Even the enhanced beast itself vanished into the cloud, its whereabouts unknown.

"The Kingdom of Krant has this trick up its sleeve?"

Seeing this, Li Wei was somewhat surprised; he had to admit, the idea was quite good…

Unfortunately, it's useless to me.

"07-36, cover salvo, shorten in sequence."

The sound of cannons roared in succession, a relentless and relentless bombardment of the entire plain. Naval guns poured forth shells indiscriminately; it was the only thing they could do. After all, once the enemy entered Dre, they would be unable to provide cover fire anymore.

One wave, two waves, three waves.

Li Wei stared at the battlefield, watching countless glimmers of life vanish in the bombardment, only to be quickly replaced by new ones. Some were small, some large…

"Boom boom boom boom—!"

Another round of bombardment followed. This time, the enhanced beasts at the front were not spared. Most of them were blown to pieces in the relentless bombardment, and the thick smoke began to dissipate. But even so, the Krant army's attack did not stop. Li Wei watched as soldiers, weapons in hand, rushed out of the smoke, shouting as they charged forward.

Soon, another round of bombing engulfed them.

But this was still not the end, after all, it takes time for shells to travel through the air. During this gap, they moved forward again, continuing onward.

This was the final wave of attacks, and then Li Wei saw the soldiers, and...

What is that thing?

Li Wei was momentarily stunned as he watched the figure emerge from the smoke. He stared blankly at the giant, who was nearly ten meters tall, clad in armor, and wielding a greatsword, and even wondered if he was seeing things.

Let's take another look... white?

Good grief, it's not a mysterious creature?

What the hell did Krant come up with?

Is this something humans could actually create?

Fortunately, Li Wei was a seasoned veteran who had seen it all. He muttered a complaint to himself before regaining his composure. He then immediately connected to the radio and made contact with the others.

"Attention everyone—respond if you hear me!"

"………………………"

No one answered; perhaps everyone was stunned.

"Cough cough."

Li Wei coughed.

"Gentlemen, I know the giants' circus act is very entertaining, but we're at war right now, so let's be professional."

Perhaps it was Li Wei's calm tone, tinged with a hint of mockery, that had an effect, because the others also came to their senses and hurriedly responded.

"Yes, sir!"

"Very well, those hound-class soldiers, you go deal with the ordinary Krant soldiers. Knight-class and general-class soldiers, keep your distance and focus fire on the big guy in the lead! I want to see if their bodies are harder than dragons!"

Upon hearing this, the other drivers immediately realized what was happening.

Yes, this knight slew a giant dragon!

Compared to dragons, giants are nothing!
Thinking of this, their legs stopped going weak, their backs stopped swaying, and their kidneys stopped feeling weak.

"Everyone, obey my command!"

Staring ahead, Li Wei squinted at the giants—they had now overtaken the Krant soldiers who were originally running in front and become the vanguard.

They carried shields and blades, looking like medieval soldiers—except they were rather large.

"Prepare---!"

The giants were already upon us, easily spreading their legs and crossing the trench.

"Prepare---!"

The giants raised their shields; at that moment, Port Derlai was almost in sight.

"Fire!"

With Li Wei's command, the next moment, countless cannons erupted, whistling as they transformed into a hail of bullets, blasting towards the giant legion!

(End of this chapter)