Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 423 Assemble the Gundam Meat Grinder

The sudden war on the West White Deer Plain exceeded the expectations of all participating and related parties from the very beginning.

To summarize in the words of the staff of the East Xia [Cihang] Engineering Office, for Han Hai, this was a war that took place at the wrong time and in the wrong place... but the final result proved to be the right one.

As for why it is correct, it is naturally because, in this war, Han Hai's opponent was even more seriously wrong.

The Vast Ocean Territory was not prepared for war, nor were the orcs.

Even more critically, in terms of the reaction speed of the war machine, organizational scheduling, and resource conversion efficiency, the Vast Ocean leader was more than an era ahead of the orcs.

This disparity was magnified to its fullest extent on the battlefield of Vulture Cliff.

From the day Colonel Lin Xiangming and his "technical team" arrived at the Vulture Cliff mining area, the previously restless leopard orc warriors on the mountaintop found themselves suddenly becoming "idle" and quickly relegated to auxiliary positions.

They withdrew from the front lines, and the ensuing war was... well, let's just say it was quite bizarre!

After completing the initial assessment upon landing, Lin Xiangming submitted a report to the headquarters of Han Hai Ling.

"Special application regarding the use of existing skeletons as war tools in order to achieve effective defense and kill enemy troops during the Vulture Cliff war, due to the need for emergency refuge."

It's clear that Lao Lin has not only made great progress in his abilities, but also in his thinking; he's just a bit long-winded...

After General Commander Chen Mo quickly completed the approval process online, Hanhai's personnel rapidly set up the engineering assembly line on-site.

This place is different from Cracked Claw Canyon. During that battle, because the field army was responsible for burying the bodies, each skeleton was basically kept relatively intact.

But at Vulture Cliff, the situation is much more complicated. It is a huge crater of bones, a chaotic graveyard accumulated, buried, naturally decayed, and dumped by humans over many years. The bones are tangled, piled up, and scattered, requiring a systematic sorting and reassembly.

Lin Xiangming assigned this task to the special sequence he brought—the Torch Vanguard Team of the Han Hai Human Race.

A group of relatively healthy mine slaves and laborers were organized and, under the arrangement and guidance of the "Return to the Cemetery" team, formed a three-shift work team. They were stationed next to the burial site in the mine and worked enthusiastically.

Their mission was clear: to retrieve and organize the remains from the crater and complete the preparatory work for the summoning at the designated location.

Strong and robust orc laborers were responsible for moving the skeletons. They wore safety ropes around their waists and work gloves. They were thrown into the burial pit. Beside them were "cranes" modified from catapult arms, with vine-woven baskets hanging down, the bottoms of which were carefully lined with dry straw and fluffy cotton.

The sign on the outside of the basket reads: Handle with care, protect equipment!

The laborers worked nimbly, using the tips of their shovels to pry open the hardened soil and reveal the tangled bones underneath; with a few quick shovelfuls, they sorted out the main parts such as the skull, spine, pelvis, and leg bones and threw them into the baskets beside them.

Once a basket is filled, it is hoisted up, and an empty basket immediately follows and falls down.

The bones that are brought to the ground are dumped into a dozen or so "sorting areas" enclosed by wooden stakes and canvas, where they are sorted by the second-stage workers.

This step involves relatively nimble slaves, including women and children. After simple training, they can roughly distinguish the location of each bone by referring to the pictures hanging next to them, and quickly complete the initial assembly of a skeleton.

Then, raise your hand to signal, and quality inspectors from "Return to Cemetery" will conduct an on-site inspection.

The inspection process isn't that strict; there are only two core standards: the main load-bearing bones, such as the leg bones, pelvis, and spine, must remain intact, and the bones of key joints, such as the scapula, hip bones, and joints, must not be missing.

As for missing a rib or a few knuckles in insignificant places, it doesn't matter at all.

Well, it's not entirely without impact; it will affect the quality!

Quality inspectors will affix different labels to each skeleton according to its condition: some are green ("99% new"), some are blue ("95% new"), some are yellow ("90% new"), and some are red ("80% new")...

If less than 80% is used, it can only be considered a component.

The sheer number of skeletons here has led to an implicitly high standard for quality control.

"A crack in the third rib on the left side? It's about 90% new, so put it in the reserve team."

"Missing a metacarpal bone, that's about 80% chance. Let's see if we can find a claw in the scrap yard and piece it together!"

"Then this counts as a renovation, we need to keep a record of it!"

"Aren't you guys going too far? It's just a missing tooth, what's the big deal? You won't even give me a 95% discount?"

"What if things get heated and we need to bite each other?"

"..."

They complained privately, yet it was a kind of "luxurious trouble." After all, the monks at the "cemetery" still preferred something fancy!
After the quality inspection is completed, the skeletons of the "99% new" and "95% new" skeletons will be directly packaged and transported to the mountainside of Vulture Cliff. Here, a group of carefully selected, quick-witted slaves will quickly assemble the skeletons.

That is, to restore the skeleton to a human or beast-like posture while lying flat.

The skull was placed on the neck bone, the thigh and lower leg were connected, the surface dirt and dust were cleaned off, and finally, a standard weapon, currently mainly a hardwood spear with a simple iron spearhead, was firmly fixed between the ulna and radius of the skull.

For the craftsmen who "returned to the cemetery," assembling skeletons was once their livelihood in the Valley of Exile, but after arriving in the Vast Ocean, this skill was once thought to be lost.

Now, returning to their old ways, they felt a nostalgic excitement and were full of energy.

Interestingly, these technical instructors from the "Return to the Cemetery" headquarters would all shout "Gundam assembly complete!" after completing the assembly of a skeleton!

It is said that this was a sentence that the lord uttered when he was watching the skeleton being assembled, and it subsequently spread widely among the technical team.

Following suit, everyone quickly learned how to do it, and for a time, shouts of "Gundam!" echoed all along the defensive line, creating quite a lively scene.

According to the established schedule, the placement of the skeletons along the entire defensive line is usually completed in the early morning, before sunrise. Then, the necromancers who "return to the cemetery" take over, complete the skeleton resurrection ritual, and then retreat.

As the sun rises, countless lurking skeleton warriors have been deployed along this seemingly silent defensive line, silently awaiting the arrival of the enemy.

Lin Xiangming was full of praise for the smoothness of the performance.

“When I was still in the land of exile, the valley spent a lot of effort every year to train many servants who were dedicated to this task. But even with a tradition that had been passed down for hundreds of years, they could not compare to the team that was temporarily put together here in terms of seriousness and meticulousness in their work.”

"You guys did a really good job!"

Aiden, the serpent from the White Deer Independent Brigade, quickly approached: "Colonel Lin, this isn't our achievement. It's mainly because most of the people here are miners. For them, this work is pretty much the same as mining..."

That's quite true. Miners are a group that is generally well-organized and obedient. And the work of digging bones out of the ground, sorting them, and moving them is indeed not much different from mining in essence; both are physically demanding jobs that require sharp eyesight.

"No need to be modest!"

Lin Xiangming waved his hand, stopping him from speaking: "The quality of the miners themselves accounts for a small part, but good on-site arrangements, proper organization, and orderly scheduling account for a large part!"

"Your comrades in the Independent Brigade and the officers of the Leopard Clan have all made outstanding contributions! I will recommend you for commendation later!"

"Of course, you must also realize a fundamental reason—"

Upon hearing Colonel Lin's change of tone, Aiden and Milos both perked up their ears.

“In the past, whether in our technologically advanced outcast lands or in your well-organized mines, it would have been impossible to achieve this level of work efficiency! No matter how much we whipped, threatened, or punished, it was all the same – we just didn’t have the spirit!”

"This is a fundamental difference in the system!"

"A dark and corrupt system only breeds apathy, laziness, and forced cunning; only an alliance bathed in the great glory of Chairman Chen can make the best use of people and resources!"

The crowd and the orcs nodded in agreement, as if enlightened!

This statement contains an element of flattery, but the underlying principle is correct.

The system of the Vast Ocean is fundamentally different from that of any country or power on the Starry Continent. Even its inherited Eastern Xia system is extremely rare and unique on Blue Star. Neither Aiden, who came from the Restoration Society, nor Milosh, who came from the orc race, could understand it at first.

For example, the miners who do this assembly line work actually work in three shifts, and they spend two-thirds of their day resting.
Are you kidding me? If this were a mine in the old days, the overseers would beat the miners into the air, and the foreman and manager would break their legs.

For example, miners are paid for their work, and the money they receive is real money that can be used to buy food at the mine.
Shouldn't the main motivation for working be to avoid being beaten to death?
What if these people sneak away after they've eaten their fill?
Furthermore, what are mine safety protection measures? What is workers' compensation? What is mine accident compensation? What are maternity leave and paternity leave?

Even Aiden of the Restoration Society, who was extremely sympathetic to human slaves, felt that the policies of the Vast Ocean were too extreme.

In short, every single protective measure that Han Hailing implemented for the miners after arriving at the mine was completely outside the comprehension of these remnants of the old world.

But the results were outstanding.

Not only is the "Gundam assembly line" in full swing, but even more unbelievable is that while the outside world is engulfed in war and the defense line is under strain, the mine deep in the Vulture Cliff Valley has gradually resumed some production!
With their lives guaranteed and food and clothing plentiful, and looking at the giant crater of skeletons before them, the miners' enthusiasm was completely ignited. They pieced together skeletons with one hand and mined iron ore with the other, managing both tasks without any delay, working with great enthusiasm.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The biggest advantage of having a swarm of skeletons in defense is that you no longer need to focus on ranged attacks.

They could definitely engage in close-quarters combat.

You can enter the defensive line at will, trample the positions at will, and launch surprise attacks at will!
Whether it's the Iron Spine Warrior or the Fire Rock Chieftain, although they can easily shatter these skeletons, they will inevitably be destroyed by the artillery and firearms of the Vast Ocean Human Race from the rear due to the delay of these enemy cannon fodder.

The war thus descended into an endless cycle of orc soldiers and hordes of skeletons exchanging blows.

In this tense situation, the orc warlord Kagarus, unable to withstand the pressure, finally came to the Vulture Cliff front line in person.

The Golden-Maned Lion-Man's overseer stood on a high ground several miles from the main peak of Vulture Cliff, watching his valiant warriors charge toward the mountainside through an expensive crystal telescope from the Vast Ocean. Each time, they surged up like waves crashing against rocks, only to scatter in disarray.

The enemy's position was like a bottomless black hole, continuously devouring his elite troops.

The warlord waved his hand – “Continue the attack!”

From this moment on, the battlefield of Bailu Plain was completely engulfed in an out-of-control vortex.

For Kagalas, there was no other choice. This mine was a "strategic stronghold" that he had to reclaim, without exception! Its importance even surpassed the significance of the war itself!
Because the mines at Vulture Cliff were originally the property of the Golden Mane Clan.

Capital is the same thing in any world. To put it bluntly, everything in Bailu Plain can be lost or lost, and everyone can die, but this mine is the one thing that absolutely cannot be compromised.

The Orcish royal court sent him because the Goldenmane Clan wanted to protect their important resource-producing areas.

Kagaras's handling of the situation was also flawless. He disregarded the casualties of his scouts and deployed a large number of sentries north of the Huanyan River, striving to keep a close eye on the enemy's every move.

However, he never expected that the enemy's main force had not moved at all. A small squad of a few hundred men moved in and out, and captured Vulture Cliff, which had thousands of orc soldiers, tens of thousands of human servants, hundreds of thousands of slave miners, and occupied a strategically advantageous defensive position.

How can this be?

Kargalas could only furiously mobilize the orc army and order the various tribes to reclaim Vulture Cliff at all costs.

Under a series of death orders, the Iron Spine Tribe mobilized its entire force, the Fire Rock Tribe mobilized its entire force, and the Bell Armor Tribe mobilized its entire force. One after another, tens of thousands of troops marched to this mining area, embarking on a relentless and endless journey of attrition.

Opposite them was an equally endless army of undead skeletons.

After witnessing this almost insane scene through the "Sky Eye," although they still didn't understand what was wrong with the orcs, the highest military command of the Vast Ocean had already seen an opportunity to completely resolve the problem of the Western White Deer Plain.

Another massive air transport operation has begun.

Every day, hundreds of transport planes drop a steady stream of weapons, ammunition, food, and supplies onto Vulture Territory, their roar continuing from dawn until midnight.

For the first day or two, the sound kept the mine's guards and miners awake, but they soon became completely accustomed to the roar.

There is no more comforting lullaby than this; even the children in the mines have come to use it as their cradle song.

To conserve the resources of the Sky Dance Leaf, the Vast Ocean Territory used simple parachutes produced in Xuan Shui City for the airdrop. The gray and white parachute flowers bloomed one after another, almost obscuring the entire sky.

Various boxes and packages fell from the bellies of the metallic "giant birds" that were faintly visible in the clouds.

It was as if a messenger from the heavens had bestowed upon this land the divine grace of the legendary great lord!
Due to the vast disparity in troop strength, the Supreme Command made the most difficult predictions about the war situation, so the main focus of the supplies sent was to ensure large quantities and sufficient supplies.

Rifles and machine guns made in the Hanhai region, coated with moisture-proof grease; gleaming yellow bullet belts; light and heavy mortars and shells; compressed biscuits, canned meat, whole bags of rice and flour; tightly wrapped medical supplies; rolls of canvas; spare toolboxes; various replacement parts...

There were also many boxes marked with skull symbols, which contained energy replenishment arrays and spirit crystals prepared for the mages who were "returning to the cemetery".

It's hard to imagine the intense emotions these anxious people, facing an uncertain fate of death, would have when they saw such a mountain of supplies.

This was the first time they had learned what saturation marketing meant.

Similarly, they firmly believed that the lord, who was thousands of miles away, had sent them supplies worth thousands of times more than their own, and that he would surely protect them.

They were even more confident than the orc soldiers, because they knew their lives were worth less than these food supplies.

Often, a thousand or ten thousand promises are not as effective as actually investing money!
Of course, emotions can't always be high. In the first few days, seeing the spectacular scene of the airdrop and the mountains of supplies, many people were moved to tears and knelt down to pray.

Over the next few days, transport planes continued to arrive, and everyone cheered and rejoiced.

A few days later, everyone just felt a little happy.

Alright, that's all for now. Everyone, go do what you were doing!

It's very busy outside!
To retake the mine, the orc army launched wave after wave of attacks. A thousand-man squad would roar as it charged forward, but under the combined onslaught of artillery fire, bullets, and skeletons, it would often be decimated in less than twenty minutes. Another thousand-man squad would immediately trample over the still-warm corpses of their comrades and charge again, their eyes bloodshot.

Working tirelessly day and night.

The defending forces have also entered a rolling defense phase.

The airborne troops' professional artillerymen took over the main firepower mission, calibrating, loading, and firing. The deafening roar of the cannons shook the mountains from morning till night, and the entire Vulture Cliff main peak was filled with a strong smell of smoke and fire.

The Leopard Clan Orc Guard and Restoration Society warriors joined the transport army. Overhead roared artillery fire and flying spears, and underfoot piles of corpses and broken bones, they led laborers and slaves to continuously transport the assembled "Gundams" up and drag down their own wounded and the enemy's corpses.

The wounded were sent to field hospitals, while enemy corpses were thrown into "corruption pools".

The pool contained "Kiss of Decay," a solution made by necromancers. This solution, a mixture of corrosive substances from the mouthparts of tomb beetles and black mushroom spores from the Dark Forest, could greatly accelerate the decomposition of corpses.

Within just one or two days, the corpses thrown in will dissolve, leaving only a relatively clean gray-white skeleton.

After being salvaged and rinsed, they can be sent to the "reusable products" testing process to begin a new round of "service" life.

Almost all the necromancers at the "Return to the Cemetery" headquarters, as well as all the necromancy apprentices at the Vast Ocean Academy, were conscripted to Vulture Cliff. For this unprecedented defensive battle, Lord Chen Mo specially granted them a special designation—"Nine Springs Legion Starry Sky Independent Column"!
The first commander was Lin Xiangming, and the first instructor was Qiu Yeyu.

The soldiers of Han Hai hold a uniquely high status. Having completed the transformation from a "civilian academic institution" to a "regular army," the team of mages and craftsmen returning to the cemetery displayed tremendous enthusiasm.

With the continuous supply of spirit crystals and charging arrays, the undead army held firm in the path of the orcish attack, refusing to yield an inch.

In this brutal war that lasted for more than twenty days and whose ferocity escalated day by day, the hundreds of thousands of orcs were not only facing enemies from the vast sea, but were also fighting against history itself!
The countless bones of millions of people ruthlessly slaughtered and buried in this mine over the past two hundred years, along with their human servants and overseers, have become an insurmountable barrier in their path.

Then, when they themselves turned into skeletons, they became new members of the undead army.

Isn't this a cruel and absurd cycle?

As the war intensified, the leopard-like orcs of the "Thunderjaw" headquarters, who had been hunched over and on high alert two hundred kilometers north of Vulture Territory, suddenly discovered...?
Perhaps we can stretch our arms and legs a bit?

(End of this chapter)