Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 571 - 391: Saving the Collapsing Building (Part 1)

Chapter 571: Chapter 391: Saving the Collapsing Building (Part 1)

"The Military Judge has counted a total of 1,742 Black Orc heads afterward, your troops had seven dead and thirty-nine wounded, and that regiment of the National Defense Army lost nearly half," the messenger reported. "The vast majority of the dead were lost in the first minute of the ambush."

Malin, of course, understood everything the messenger said, but the fact that his men still suffered forty-some casualties atop the hill left the young man somewhat puzzled, "How did my people suffer these losses?"

"Two platoon-sized units took it upon themselves to join the battle down the hill; they helped the National Defense Army’s vanguard units to stop the Orcs’ pincer attack. All seven died from arrows and spears."

In other words, the line infantry formed by the two platoons didn’t let the Black Orcs get close from start to finish, very good.

"...Having courage is a good thing, Matilda, award all members of these two units one rank higher service medal, plus another rank for the wounded, and posthumously bestow the Medal of Honor to the fallen, with free school admission for their children. For those with talent, I will personally write a letter of recommendation to the Church," Malin turned his head and said, then took the map Matilda handed to him and spread it out on the large coffee table.

"The Black Orcs’ advance camp is here..." Malin first pointed north, then toward a point closer to Carterburg from that spot, "This is where they encountered the attack... Messenger, I need confirmation on the situation of towns around this Dark Zone. Please inform your commander that my need for information will be very... urgent."

"Your Excellency, are you suspecting that there is a long-term transportation fissure for the Black Orcs in the Dark Zone?"

"That’s one way to put it. When the Sydneyans drove the Black Orcs into the forest back in the day, they killed almost all the women and children. Even if they could produce many offspring in three hundred years, what about weapons and equipment? And the magicians? Black Orc magicians have a tradition, and a Black Orc magician without tradition is just a charlatan, not worth their shield formations."

"You’re right, I will report back to my lord immediately. Mr. Malin, if there’s any new intelligence, my colleagues and I will notify you with the utmost speed," the messenger said.

After the messenger left, Faye knelt by the coffee table and looked at the map, "From the day I was born until yesterday, I never thought that the Black Orcs would trouble Sydneyans. In the East, they indeed are trouble, but there’s the Church of Justice, the Eastern Kingdom... I never imagined that they would re-emerge in the softest, most vulnerable places of the Kingdom of Sydney."

"Do not worry, I can halt the work in all but the essential factories. The existing weapons and equipment can arm at least three divisions. Most of those who fled to Carterburg are young and vigorous. I will tell them this is their last line of retreat. When the Tide of the Dead rises again, I need every brave soul to stand with me in the trenches, facing annihilation," Malin said, then looked at the girls before him, "And the Black Orcs are merely the appetizer before a dinner named destruction."

"Can you really arm several thousand more?" Lulu asked.

Malin nodded, "The previous 2,400 were the first batch of mobilized soldiers. Most had service records or were young individuals who had excelled during the half-yearly week-long military training. If we need to expand conscription, I can draw from the farms, secondary factories, and various factions of the Western District," pausing to glance at the girls, "enough to arm two fully organized division-level units."

"Malin, Why are you divulging this?" Faye looked at Malin with a tone of bewilderment and doubt.

"Because everyone present is trustworthy," Malin said as he looked towards Lulu.

The observer tilted her head slightly, "Why are you looking at me? I’m not like those gossipy old women in The Capital."

So Malin shifted his gaze back to Faye and sat down himself, "Ladies, what do you think I’m preparing this power for?"

"It can’t be a rebellion. I understand who you are, Mr. Malin, and can say that your aspirations don’t lie there," Jessica said with a smile from the doorway.

"Yes, Mr. Malin fed so many hungry people, arming them more is also for protecting the factories and the conglomerate. This world is so dangerous." Lillim sat down next to Faye, "You’re not worrying about your noble house, are you, Faye?"

"No... I’m worried about those who don’t understand Malin. They won’t see his sincerity, nor will they understand his heart. They’ll only see Malin as a threat," Faye looked at Malin with concern, "Malin, promise me that on the day of doom, you won’t show all your power before the world, okay?"

"I understand, don’t worry," Malin replied while pointing toward the spot representing the Dark Zone in Switzerland, "If the Black Orcs really are entering our world through a fissure in this area, it’s not just us; the whole southern Sydney, northern Farole, and other regions will mobilize. Black Orcs are actually just part of the Tide of the Dead. The number of Black Orcs previously engaged with our troops was too small. From what I understand, a Black Orc warband is at least made up of four thousand members. I suspect..." "Are you suspecting this was a Black Orc reconnaissance force, Mr. Malin?"

Matilda finished, then shook her head, "But that seems too many. Those whose brains were shattered by bullets weren’t counted. Rounding off, there are close to 1,800 Black Orcs, which is a significant number. A normal reconnaissance team usually only consists of about a hundred members."

"No, what I mean is that this might be a small Black Orc clan, because as per the battle report, there has only been one sighting of a Black Orc magician. So I’m thinking, it’s very possible that this is a small clan that has burrowed out of the Dark Zone, maybe they are running out of food inside the Dark Zone..." Malin said, turning to Matilda, "Do Black Orcs have a record of eating zombies?"

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"These guys will eat any kind of meat, there are records, lots and lots of them, so much so that in our Church, zombies and humans are just a feast on the menu of Black Orcs..." Matilda exclaimed with shock, "The Orc Tide!"

"Yes, the Orc Tide. Immediately use the Spell Formation to notify our troops and have them send a team back to check the stomachs of those Black Orcs," Malin sighed, "I’ve always wondered if the Astrologers could be wrong, but it looks like the bells of destruction have been tolling all along; it’s just that we humans... can’t hear them."

Then Malin extended his hand, "Faye, immediately inform your father, tell him about this situation, and mobilize all the defense forces in the southern and eastern provinces to enter a state of war preparedness."

"I will inform my father right away," Faye nodded, then began writing a note—besides using portals to communicate directly, long-distance communication through spirit realm messengers was the second-best and fastest method, the only problem being, you must know where the other person is, which is the only way to outpace a spirit realm messenger.

"Ladies, do you remember our last operation here?" Malin pointed north towards the location of that inn in Farole.

"I remember, Matilda grew an extra tail because of it," said Clovis with a smile.

"That place had an abnormally high number of zombies. Now, it seems likely that the zombies in the northern Dark Zone were forced by the Black Orcs to cross over the mountains into the south, and the Black Orcs think that compared to the flesh of zombies, the world of living humans is more worth invading, which is their favorite thing to do every millennium," as Malin spoke, he took a tablet handed down from above by Bippo, "Jason, can the satellite scan the northern regions of former Switzerland to confirm the presence of life clusters?"

"Scanning is impossible, there’s severe interference in that map area, unable to confirm," Jason’s reply made Malin fall silent for a moment, then he switched his approach, "Then what about the northwest region near Switzerland, is there any presence of battle there?"

"A satellite will pass through in seventy-five minutes, there are still seven satellites in the satellite launch factory we control, we need to avoid unnecessary orbit changes and their associated costs."

"I understand, thank you, Jason," Malin said.

"No need for thanks, Commander, see you in seventy-four minutes," Jason replied before terminating the communication.

Malin handed the tablet back to Bippo, then turned to look at Nova, who had sat down next to Faye, "Nova, tell the Patriarch that the entire northern region of Farole must raise its level of alert."

"...You mean, the zombies’ living space has been squeezed, and if they can’t find enough food, they will definitely choose to move south, correct?" Nova was quick to understand and immediately began contacting her Patriarch.

"I always thought that for the next few decades it would be an age of great strife, so I told you that I would change the world, but now it seems we must first take a step back," Malin said to the girls, "Indeed, the world will still be an age of great strife, but what we will be fighting against are not those murderous, vile Merchants and old Nobles, but those ’different kind’ who treat us no differently than they treat themselves... we must first clarify what we are fighting for, we must abandon the idea of waging war against the former because we... are still human, we are humans with only different ideologies and mindsets, indeed we will kill each other, but at least, we are not the ’different kind’, but for them... they see us as food, in their eyes, there is no distinction of status or nobility, only a difference in height and girth, so we must unite all the forces we can, we must live through this incoming Tide of the Dead that may soon arrive, to have any chance of going on living."

Having said this, Malin looked at the girls and sighed, "Sorry, our plans have changed, the saying that no plan survives contact with the enemy rings true now."

"It’s okay; I believe in you, Mr. Malin," Matilda responded.

Malin looked at the girls as they each expressed the same willingness and finally turned his gaze to Maya.

Cat Girl snuggled into his embrace.

Unguardedly laying her head on Malin’s lap.

Malin didn’t know if this was a feline trait, or if Maya was just being affectionate.

But Malin understood everyone’s intentions.

That was enough, Fate had brought him to this world, and now it seemed, not only to use Malin’s hand to shatter the old world, but more so, to enlist the wills of those determined to defend humanity.

To support a collapsing house, to mend a rift in the sky.

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