Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Some soldiers, flustered and panicked, grabbed their bayonets and stuffed them into the muzzles, but before they could fire, their muskets misfired, knocking down several of their own men.

——The bayonets of these muskets were directly inserted into the muzzle; if they fired at that moment, the barrel would burst.

Some soldiers raised their guns to shoot, but since they had not heard the drumbeats or orders for loading, they froze on the spot.

More soldiers were utterly terrified. The unknown weapon that had killed all their officers made them extremely fearful. Some even dropped their muskets and directly knelt on the ground praying.

Isabella looked at Gwen and the Resistance Army charging forward, then withdrew her gaze.

The battle had already lost all suspense.

The Resistance Army already had a numerical advantage. After the opposing side lost their officers, they had become meat on a chopping block, ready to be butchered.

“‘This heavy machine gun’s burst fire is actually this effective?’” Granny spoke in mild astonishment.

This weapon was a bit too large and not convenient to carry; it also could not be used in battles between Transcendents, so she never paid particular attention to it.

When Isabella deliberately carried it earlier, Granny had not understood why. She never expected that it would change the battlefield this effortlessly.

“‘I thought this kind of weapon could only roughly aim in a general direction, but it can actually fire burst shots so precisely.’”

“Yes. A calibrated heavy machine gun can even be more accurate than a rifled musket. The one I’ve got is like that.” Isabella patted the gun’s body. “A heavy machine gun uses its own dedicated ammunition—longer range, greater power. If we ignore portability, it’s actually a more suitable weapon for long–range elimination.”

Armies of this era were nearly defenseless against long–range sniping. The extreme range of muskets was actually quite far, but the Northlands still used smoothbore guns with virtually no accuracy.

So all the officers simply stood there stiffly—perfect targets in front of Isabella’s heavy machine gun.

“The shape of future warfare is going to be completely transformed.” Granny sighed.

“It’s fine. The impact on the enemy won’t matter much, since they don’t have a future anyway.” Isabella calmly packed up her weapon, narrowed her eyes, and looked toward the distant battlefield.

“Remind Gwen: don’t waste time chasing them. Driving the enemy back is enough.”

The appearance of firearms had indeed changed the nature of the battlefield, but the ones holding them were still people.

A hundred yards at full sprint took only a dozen seconds. Facing the charging Resistance Army, the soldiers—who had not even finished fixing their bayonets—collapsed almost instantly.

The Resistance Army was not as specialized as line infantry. They carried not only muskets but also blades and spears.

Thus, although the Resistance Army had no time to mount bayonets either, they managed to drag the fight into close–quarters with cold weapons—a field in which they had far more experience.

One clash was enough to shatter the enemy completely. If Gwen had not been trying hard to hold them back, they would have already started the chase.

“‘Don’t pursue! Don’t pursue! Reload another volley and fire!’”

Gwen shouted loudly while holding a longsword. The captains under her did their best to relay the command to the soldiers.

The Resistance Army suffered very few casualties, but they still lost time. They had no opportunity to rest. These soldiers, who had just finished a battle, barely gathered some spoils before having no choice but to continue marching.

They had felt nothing during the battle—blood boiling, rushing forward. But once they calmed down, even walking became difficult for many of them.

Gwen had no choice but to slow down the march further. They barely stopped at all throughout the day, and when the sun finally began to set, the pursuers still had not caught up.

“Set camp. We can’t march any farther.” Gwen looked at the exhausted Resistance Army and sighed.

The soldiers were as if granted a royal pardon. Many simply collapsed straight onto the ground, not even eating, rolling over once before falling asleep from exhaustion.

Gwen forced herself to stay awake to assign watch shifts. After Isabella went out to scout around, she returned quickly.

“The Grand Duke Dragonfang’s army is not far from us. There will definitely be a battle tomorrow.”

Gwen bit her lip, anxiety flickering in her expression.

“Mr. Isabella, how much chance do we have?”

“Breaking their first wave shouldn’t be difficult. The first to catch up are their cavalry—fewer than four hundred. But the regular troops behind them are not something we can handle. At least two thousand men. If we’re lucky, we’ll fight while retreating.”

Seeing Gwen’s look, Isabella patted her shoulder.

“Don’t worry too much. A two–thousand–man army needs a huge open area to fully deploy. If they chase us while we run, only a portion of the Resistance Army will engage. The battle line won’t stretch too long.”

“At that time I will act as well!” Granny enthusiastically brandished two Dragon’s Breath Cannons.

Isabella did not show anything on her face, but she sighed inwardly.

They had only the two of them as Transcendents. If all several dozen Investigators pressed forward, the two of them would not stand a chance. They would even need the Resistance Army to help delay them.

They could not defeat a mortal army, nor could they win against Transcendents. Tomorrow’s battle would not be easy.

“You said before that reinforcements were coming.”

“Impossible. They’re still far away. If we survive tomorrow, perhaps then support might arrive.”

But Isabella knew clearly that even if they lasted a full day, it was unlikely the Expeditionary Army would reach them.

The Expeditionary Army did not know the Northlands at all. Although the Lord had an approximate map, it was still difficult to use it for guidance.

And that was only when going to a fixed town. The Resistance Army had been constantly moving. Hoping to accidentally run into support was pure luck.

Ultimately, they had to rely on themselves.

One machine gun, two Dragon’s Breath Cannons usable only by Transcendents—relying on these alone to face the enemy behind them was still too difficult.

“What is done is done. Rest first. We will speak of tomorrow’s matters tomorrow.”

Granny gently stroked Gwen’s white hair, comforting her softly.

Night passed quietly.

The Investigators, as Transcendents, were indeed powerful, but they did not have the ability to confront an entire army head–on. If Granny and Isabella stayed hidden within the Resistance Army, they could do nothing. Against a structured mortal army, even Transcendents were somewhat helpless.

At barely dawn, before the Resistance Army had finished resting, a sharp whistle tore through the Northlands’ morning air.

“What happened?” Gwen stood up, still half–drowsy.

Before the messenger could speak, Isabella drifted to her side: “The Grand Duke Dragonfang’s cavalry has arrived.”

“So fast?” Gwen was surprised. “Weren’t they still some distance away?”

“This cavalry force force–marched through the night. Only about two hundred have arrived. The remaining riders probably lost their way.” Isabella narrowed her eyes.

“The Grand Duke Dragonfang has truly gone mad—he is determined to keep us here at all costs.”