Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 529 Urgent March

It is extremely rare for an emergency assembly whistle to be blown.

How many times, excluding exercises, has this been the first time that a whistle has sounded in the expeditionary force's camp?

When the soldiers rushed out of the barracks and saw Hodge, they didn't even ask him anything right away, but instead breathed a sigh of relief.

Generally speaking, when the emergency assembly whistle sounds, the main commander is most likely already dead—if the commander is still alive, it is unlikely that the crisis will reach the point where a whistle needs to be blown.

Instead of forming ranks, the soldiers grabbed their weapons and rushed to the sentry posts near the barracks to stand guard. Several squad leaders under Hodge moved closer to them.

"Alert! Immediately report the situation in the surrounding area and prepare for evacuation!"

Before they could ask any questions, Hodge gave the order. The officers' eyes widened in surprise, but they didn't stop moving. They immediately went to organize the soldiers to search for enemy positions and gather supplies.

After the group left, the door of a tall house a little further away was suddenly pushed open.

A tall figure clad in heavy armor rushed over quickly.

The moment Hodge saw that figure, she couldn't help but feel relieved. Her icy eyes and steel body covered in weapons always gave people a sense of security.

Ash.

Due to the restrictions of the symbiotic contract, the Banshees cannot stay permanently in the North, so they are scattered and stationed there on a rotating basis.

The banshee on duty at the Canary Islands forward camp this time was Ash.

If you were to discuss which of the banshees is the smartest, they could argue for three days and three nights. But if you were to ask which of the banshees is the strongest in combat, there would be no other name that comes to mind.

Ash's combat power is overwhelming; she is even far superior to other banshees. She is an iron wall, and wherever she is, the battle line will never collapse.

"What happened?"

A cold gaze swept over him, and Hodge took a deep breath, stepping aside to reveal the writing on the ground: "Lord Ash, look!"

He quickly gave a brief summary of the situation, and Ash nodded, turning to look behind him.

Several squad leaders rushed over: "Report!"

"Say!"

No enemy detected in the direction of the Canary Mountains!

No enemy detected in the southern railway direction!

No enemy detected in the eastern valley!

No enemy detected in the western wasteland!

Hodge was taken aback.

The primary requirement for the expeditionary force's camp location was excellent visibility. Given their significant advantage in weapon range, ensuring clear visibility within their firing range was a much higher priority than anything else.

The fact that no enemy was seen from the outposts in all four directions meant that there were no enemies within at least ten kilometers, a distance that meant almost absolute safety for the expeditionary force.

Hodge frowned.

Am I being paranoid? Maybe. Perhaps it's just a prank by one of the soldiers, and Gwen's senses just happened to be malfunctioning.
But the thought of that hasty and anxious handwriting made Hodge feel uneasy.

He looked at Ash—Ash was practically the commander-in-chief among the Banshees, her rank far higher than Hodge's, only slightly lower than Alexei's. However, since the Banshees weren't currently serving as the main force on the battlefield, she was nominally also subject to Hodge's orders.

Hodge gritted his teeth: "Lord Ash, I think this is very likely a reminder from the person who secretly helped us. Helping to find the resistance proves that he has a reconnaissance ability far beyond ours. I am preparing to have the expeditionary force evacuated immediately."

This was a somewhat risky decision. In the military camp, the expeditionary force would at least not lack supplies, but it would be a different story in the wilderness.

The expeditionary force's firepower far surpassed that of any opponent. Their greatest weakness was that they were still human and could not carry more supplies, especially since there were no spare steam locomotives available here.

Ash's gaze lingered on the writing on the ground for a moment, then her steady voice rang out: "I also agree to the emergency evacuation."

A hint of seriousness appeared in Hodge's eyes. Ash's agreement did not make him feel relaxed; on the contrary, it made him feel even more uneasy.

"Everyone assemble immediately! We're preparing to evacuate! Bring one basic ammunition load! Abandon all heavy firepower, and bring half a day's worth of food!" Hodge shouted the order.

The squad leaders exchanged glances, all seeing shock in each other's eyes.

According to the expeditionary force's calculations, one basic load of ammunition is enough to sustain a day of moderate-intensity combat. Troops deployed to the battlefield must carry at least 2-3 basic loads of rifle ammunition and more than 5 basic loads of machine gun ammunition, otherwise it will not be enough.

Once intense fighting breaks out, one ammunition load is simply not enough for a whole day's combat. This load is only enough to sustain normal combat and cannot cope with emergencies.

Abandoning all heavy firepower and carrying only a basic load of ammunition is not much different from running for one's life.

Does it have to be this pathetic?

Seeing the hesitation in his subordinates' eyes, Hodge quickly explained, "We're evacuating along the railway line. The next train is already on its way; we'll meet it in less than half a day!"

The group then showed expressions of sudden realization and quickly ran away to organize an evacuation.

“Gentlemen, please carry some heavy firepower and ammunition. The expeditionary force are all mortals and can’t carry too much weight. We need you to help them,” Hodge said, looking up at Gwen and Ash.

“Okay.” Ash replied without hesitation, and Gwen didn’t dwell on Hodge’s form of address either, nodding in agreement.

She exercises regularly and is indeed much stronger than others; carrying several hundred kilograms of bullets is not a problem for her.

Ash goes without saying; the heavy machine guns she carried were basically enough for Hodge's entire company of expeditionary troops.

"Then let's meet at the entrance of the military camp in ten minutes!"

Ash and Hodge left immediately. Both of them were in the expeditionary force and had a lot to do. Gwen was only responsible for assisting the expeditionary force. She was still wearing her armor and didn't have much to pack. She could leave as soon as she stepped on the ground.

She glanced down at the "Run!" sign on the ground and pursed her lips.

A dozen minutes later, the expeditionary force filed out of the open camp gates, carrying almost only light weapons and going into battle completely unprepared.

Hodge glanced back at the military camp, where a large amount of munitions and supplies were still left behind. There was no time to take them away, so he could only prepare some explosives to destroy them all. This should be the biggest loss for the expeditionary force since arriving in the North.

If he had made a mistake in his judgment this time, he would definitely have been dismissed, and might even have faced a military court-martial, but he still gritted his teeth and issued the order.

Castells' arsenal had no shortage of weapons and supplies, but the entire company of expeditionary troops under his command was brought from Castells.

He was determined to bring these people back no matter what.

The expeditionary force jogged along the railway line southward. Once they were far from the camp, the pre-prepared explosives detonated with a loud bang.

The land in the North seemed to tremble. Hodge turned around and saw only an orange-red mushroom cloud.

(End of this chapter)