Gunpowder Plate Armor and the Magic Revolution

He pointed to the still raging sky to the south, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger. "The Herber naval port has been deliberately attacked by spies. The shipyard has been damaged, and the ammunition depot has been destroyed. The number of casualties is currently unknown, and a large number of civilians are trapped in the fire. Herber City has entered a state of emergency and all entrances and exits have been closed."

"The enemy, right on the doorstep of our Herbert Military Academy, bombed our naval port and killed our compatriots! This is the greatest disgrace in the history of Herbert Military Academy!"

"I hereby order! Everyone, immediately proceed to the naval port! There are three missions: First-term trainees are responsible for maintaining order at the scene, evacuating civilians, and preventing riots. Second-term trainees are responsible for assisting firefighters in extinguishing fires and rescuing trapped personnel. Third-term trainees, as the reserve force, are responsible for sealing off all entrances and exits to the city, apprehending all suspicious individuals, and ensuring that not a single spy escapes Herber City!"

He abruptly drew his sword from his waist, the tip pointing directly at the firelight in the south, and shouted sharply:

"Everyone! Form marching columns! Move out!"

"yes!"

More than 700 young trainees responded simultaneously with a deafening roar that pierced the night sky, carrying the fiery passion of youths who had never experienced war.

The troops immediately sprang into action, forming four columns and marching rapidly toward the naval port.

"Damn it! Those sons of bitches from the Empire!"

In the queue, Lucas muttered a curse under his breath, his eyes fierce, "Always resorting to underhanded tricks!"

Not only Lucas, but almost all the students present had already concluded that the destruction was caused by the Imperials.

Noze looked up at the burning sky to the south and took a deep breath.

I thought I would be able to board the ship home tomorrow, and I thought the war was still far away.

But now, an explosion is imminent.

Father Cisse was right; there is no such thing as fifty years of peace in the world.

Whether he likes it or not, whether he accepts it or not, war has already begun.

As the procession passed through the streets of Herbert, residents stood at their doorsteps, whispering and looking toward the naval port, their faces filled with panic and fear.

Thankfully, Herb City had some fire safety awareness and didn't directly connect the General's Port to the residential area, but instead established firebreaks and isolation zones; otherwise, there would be even more people crying and screaming now.

After the queue turned the last street corner, the Herbert Naval Base finally came into view.

At that moment, everyone stopped in their tracks and gasped.

The Herbert Naval Base can no longer be described as hell on earth; it is hell itself.

The First Fleet of Fleurs, which was undergoing repairs in the harbor, was now a burning forest.

Twelve capital ships, eight transport ships, three gunboats, and one Fleet Glory were all engulfed by the towering flames, and with the help of the sea breeze, even fire tornadoes appeared.

Thick black smoke twisted into dozens of thick columns, piercing the sky and turning the entire sky of Herber City into a murky leaden gray.

Several warships that reacted quickly had already raised their sails, and the captains were desperately steering their ships, trying to get them out of the inferno.

However, the main channel of the port was already completely blocked by rubble, broken ship planks, and sunken barges that had been overturned by the explosion.

In addition, it was late at night, and most of the sailors had already disembarked to have fun. Now even the pier was in disarray, making it impossible for the rescue team to get close to the warship, let alone carry out damage control repairs.

The lead frigate, the "Falcon," accelerated desperately, raising its burning sails to clear the way for the fleet flagship, the "Prosperity," only to crash headfirst into an underwater obstacle.

A huge hole was torn in the bottom of the ship, and seawater rushed in frantically. The ship tilted at a visible speed, and the soldiers on the deck screamed and jumped into the sea, only to be burned into human torches by the burning fuel around them.

"Boom—!"

Another deafening explosion came from the center of the port.

That was the fleet's ammunition supply ship that exploded. A huge fireball rose into the air, and the shockwave, like an invisible giant hand, rained down on the dock with broken pieces of wood, metal fragments, lead pellets, and human remains.

The armory on the west side of the dock has long since vanished, leaving only a huge bomb crater, from which scalding black smoke still rises.

The shockwave from the explosion leveled almost all buildings within a 500-meter radius, turning warehouses, barracks, and office buildings into piles of twisted and broken bricks and stones.

Amidst the ruins, flames burned everywhere and scattered fragments of limbs lay scattered about. Blood flowed through the cracks in the stone pavement, forming dark red streams.

There were no wails, no cries, only an eerie, chilling silence.

With an explosion of that power, there could be no survivors near the ammunition depot.

Meanwhile, the "Autumn Forest," which Norze and Lucas were to board the next day, lay quietly engulfed in flames at berth number three.

Its superstructure was burned beyond recognition, masts were broken, military flags were tattered, and orange flames spewed out of every porthole, like a giant beast struggling in its death throes.

The ship had begun to slowly sink, and seawater flooded the deck, making a hissing sound and rising in plumes of white steam.

Just hours ago, Norze was looking forward to returning to the province of Storm and seeing his adoptive parents. But now, the ship that carried all his hopes of returning home was being swallowed up by flames and the sea before his very eyes.

"The Qiulin... is gone. We'll never go home..."

Lucas's voice trembled. This once fearless swordsmanship genius was now filled with confusion and helplessness.

"What the hell are you all standing there for?!"

Lieutenant Colonel Hoffman's roar exploded like thunder. He leaped from his horse, his boots slamming heavily onto the gravelly ground. "This is not the time to stand around!"

He suddenly drew his sword from his waist, the tip pointing directly at the burning harbor, his voice filled with barely suppressed rage and murderous intent.

"First-term trainees! Divide into twenty teams and immediately evacuate and escort the surviving civilians around the port! Move them to the church in the north of the city! Anyone who tries to take advantage of the chaos will be killed on sight!"

"Second batch of trainees! Clear the streets! Clear the rubble! Rescue the wounded!"

"Third batch of trainees! Form your own groups, block all entrances to Herber City, set up roadblocks, and search for suspicious individuals. The city gates are already closed. We cannot allow a single spy to leave the city alive. I will hang them all! One by one!"

"Did you all fucking understand?!"

"yes!"

More than 700 trainees responded loudly at the same time, and the initially somewhat chaotic group quickly became orderly under the command of Hoffman and the instructors.

Nozer turned to look at Lucas and Andrew, and said in a deep voice, "Let's go."