Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 877: Section 577: Plans and Changes (Part 1)

Chapter 877: Section 577: Plans and Changes (Part 1)

Before the operation, Malin asked Tuojin and his team to discuss the plan—such a caravan was definitely armed, and the troops that inspected them upon entering the city confirmed they were carrying Revolvers and the oldest model of breech-loading rifles from the workshops.

These rifles are currently widespread all over the world, from the armies of friendly nations fighting Chaos alongside Sydney, to the hunting grounds of wealthy Nobles, from caravans that got Malin’s discarded goods through connections to the Adventurers’ Guild which still faces a supply-demand issue. Malin’s first batch of bolt-action rifles held a reputation akin to the AK47.

Robust, durable, and produced in large quantities, they were sold everywhere.

Therefore, all four commissars unanimously agreed to use lethal force, which meant no more rubber bullets and specialized Revolvers, but instead short-barreled rifles displaying exposed lead bullets—to avoid excessive penetration harming innocents during combat while possessing high lethality; and the 10-inch short-barreled semi-automatic rifles were suitable for use in towns.

After rearming, the four commissars led their teams to begin encircling, while a prepared Patrol Team casually passed nearby, with soldiers from the North warning the townspeople, sternly reminding them not to treat the nighttime curfew lightly, otherwise, there would magically be vacancies on the gallows outside the town.

Malin thought that with the temperament of the Northerners, there would likely be some bold enough to speak out, then his soldiers could give them a harsh punishment to draw the attention of the caravan inside the courtyard, allowing the other three sides to sneak in.

He was not able to make up for the assault later; Malin had overestimated the courage of the townspeople and underestimated the impact of the hundreds on the gallows outside. In any case, as the Patrol Team passed through, the townspeople who were initially watching curiously swiftly closed their doors and windows, with some more timid ones even drawing their curtains.

A slight miscalculation there.

Watching the Patrol Team finally leave the area, Malin had no choice but to order them to back off—as another appearance of the same Patrol Team could attract unnecessary suspicion.

However, it was fine; darkness was the best cover. Under the cover of the night and Spell Formations, Malin’s soldiers advanced. To cover the response of the Spell Formations, Malin personally performed several scanning Spell Formations.

Indeed, there was a person proficient in Spell Formations in the courtyard, but still too green in Malin’s view; from above, he could see two individuals dressed as Mages running out, using artifacts to check the intensity and types of Spell Formations before finally turning towards the leader who walked out of the building.

Malin started listening with a surveillance spell.

"He is a very powerful Caster, sir, likely a Psychic; his strength compared to a Mage... at least Tier 6 or higher," one of the guys reported.

His leader was silent for a while, then responded in a very hoarse voice to his subordinate: "Is it targeted at us?"

Indeed, this could be questioned; if it were targeting a specific area, the intensity and wavelength of the detection Spell Formation would change, and this could be verified with artifacts.

"It’s not, it’s a very regular scan, aiming at detecting stealth and invisible targets, with high intensity. I find it strange, could someone have sneaked into the town?" The other Caster’s voice sounded much younger, and his reply held some confusion.

The leader didn’t think so: "It’s very quiet inside the town, there were no incidents even when the Patrol Team passed by. Maybe a strong caster is just trying to confirm if anyone is trying to take advantage of the situation."

"Then he must be insane. I don’t know how many Psychics are in this army from Carterburg, but when we entered the town today, I saw at least a dozen Transcendents among the troops guarding the gate. Playing hide-and-seek with so many Transcendents must be a very thrilling activity," the older Caster said.

It didn’t seem like much, but Malin, from the air, saw the leader had already ordered his caravan members to pick up their guns.

A small group entered the building, while others ascended a platform on the inside of the fence, a feature many caravan buildings possess. Previously, it was for teaching unruly bandits a lesson with bows and arrows from high ground, now, Malin wasn’t sure if they actually confirmed someone had come over.

Was it intuition on the battlefield? Or a sixth sense during a hunt?

Malin didn’t know, but he still ordered his troops to halt their operation.

Then, fifteen minutes later, on command of the leader who re-emerged, the caravan members on the shooting platform inside the fence left the platform.

"Perhaps I’m being paranoid, but... Nathan, Wald, Carter, Ter, the four of you go to the rooftop to keep watch, and someone will come to take over your shift in four hours."

Four individuals stepped out from the group; they entered the building, and soon, Malin saw all four appear on the rooftop, one on each side, starting their watch.

Malin left the decision to Tuojin and his team—Malin always encouraged his subordinates to exercise their initiative, and Tuojin’s team did not disappoint, quickly coming up with a plan.

Four snipers, one for each target, firing simultaneously.

As for the sound of bodies falling on the roof, they found an even better solution—a fixed altitude Silent Field Spell Formation encompassed the entire rooftop and a small portion of the interior.