Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 536 Reloading is a lie told by the church; the loyal heavy machine gun only needs to fire!
Hodge was taken aback, then hurriedly scrambled up the observation post and shoved the sentry aside.

If the White Disaster really appears ahead, they're all doomed!

He looked up and immediately felt a jolt in his heart.

It really is a mass of bones, right ahead!
"It's over, it's over, wait!"

Hodge suddenly widened his eyes: "Only bones have landed on the tracks, the White Calamity hasn't arrived yet!"

He shouted in a distorted voice, "Machine gunner, shoot down those skeletons! Quickly! Shoot them down!"

If they destroy the skeletons, the mist will slow down, and they might be able to rush over before the white mist rises up!

This distance was beyond the range of the machine guns, but all the heavy machine guns that could fire immediately opened fire. In this life-or-death moment, no one bothered to calculate the angle. They just roughly gestured the angle and immediately opened fire, providing direct fire coverage!

Even though many soldiers knew the range was insufficient, they still picked up their rifles and began firing.

However, bullets have their limits, and the propellant charge is strictly limited. The effective range is limited to this distance. Beyond the effective range, the bullet can actually travel a considerable distance further, but this distance even exceeds the maximum range of a heavy machine gun.

The bullets, sprayed upwards, lost all kinetic energy in mid-air and eventually fell limply to the ground, still far from the bones.

"Damn it! Damn it!!"

Hodge cursed loudly, and the soldiers' expressions gradually turned to despair. They watched helplessly as the white mist was led closer by the skeleton, and at this rate, the train would inevitably crash into it.

"What to do, what to do?" Hodge tore at his hair, looking at Ash with almost pleading eyes: "Lord Ash, you..."

“I can’t help it, the distance is too far, and my charging speed isn’t much faster than the train.” Ash shook his head.

Just as Hodge's expression began to turn despair, a commotion suddenly arose in the carriage behind him. The soldiers piled up at the back were pushed aside, and someone was shouting:

"No, a heavy machine gun won't work; the range isn't enough!"

"I don't care about range!" Gwen charged over menacingly, holding the heavy machine gun that had been handed to her; she had rushed back to get it immediately.

"Get out of the way!" She shoved aside the soldiers on both sides, raised the heavy machine gun in her hand, and the sound of the barrel hitting the chuck was crisp and loud, as if it were thirsting for battle.

"You haven't loaded a bullet."

"Shut up!" Hodge jumped up and shouted, startling the soldier who had spoken, who shrank back. Gwen was already holding a gun in one hand and turning the crank with the other!
The bullet roared out of the barrel almost instantly. Hodge had a feeling that the gun fired the bullet even before Gwen turned the crank!

If other people's machine guns fire like rain, then the bullets flying from Gwen's muzzle are a storm!
Gwen roared, and the blazing steel in her hand responded in kind.

Iron and fire erupted before their eyes, and in almost an instant, a string of white bones in front of them was blasted away.

The trail of fire woven from tracer rounds once again swept across the skeletal mass, blasting them to smithereens!

The white mist following behind them paused for a moment.

The expeditionary force was silent for a moment, then erupted in cheers. It hadn't taken long for them to go from despair to breaking the deadlock, but it felt as long as half of their lives.

Hodge let out a long sigh of relief, his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

He's just started playing a movie in his mind, reminiscing about his entire life.

"Praise Castel! Praise Hughes! Praise Gwen and her loyal Gatling!"

"Praise be to the machine spirit!" "Long live the machine!"

The soldiers cheered, and Hodge's face broke into a smile.

“Damn it, Miss Gwen, I have to get you a medal! You’re the best machine gunner!” Hodge shouted.

"Huh? Uh, is that so? But I still don't understand what range and reloading mean."

"That's something only weak little water pipes need; a loyal heavy machine gun doesn't need reloading!"

"Commander Hodge, we need to apply for a medal for the machine spirit inside her gun too!"

"Of course, of course." Hodge grinned from ear to ear. "Miss Gwen, the Lord will surely present you with an award in Castel when he finds out. This shot was just in time!"

Gwen gave a shy smile. She was always a bit impatient, and as a Northerner, she knew the dangers of the White Calamity—anyone who went inside it was certain to die!
So she just felt like a string in her head snapped, and without thinking, she went back to get her gun and opened fire.

She actually managed to blast away the swarm of bones that no one else could hit.

But at that very moment, something unexpected happened.

The train beneath them suddenly lurched to a screeching halt, the wheels rubbing against the rails and sending up a trail of bright red sparks.

This wasn't an impact, but an emergency stop. Armored trains transporting cargo rarely brake suddenly, at least not this abruptly.

Caught off guard, the people inside the carriage who were still celebrating were suddenly thrown against the carriage wall. Fortunately, this armored train was designed for war, and the observation windows were very small, so at least no one was thrown out.

"Ouch!"

You bumped into me!

"Damn it, what happened?"

"Someone's injured! He just bumped into the corner of a table. Does anyone have bandages?!"

Hodge was nearly swept away, but Gwen grabbed him, and Hodge staggered a few steps before regaining his footing. Then, his face turning pale, he yelled at the train conductor:
"What are you doing? Why did you brake so suddenly?"

Train acceleration always takes time, and sudden braking can easily cause problems for the entire train. The wheel bearings may fail under the enormous pressure, and the connections between the carriages may even detach under impact.

Even if everything is normal, it will take a long time to regain speed, and with this delay, they may not be able to get through the fog ahead.

The train conductor didn't speak, but just stared ahead with trembling lips. Hodge followed his gaze and suddenly froze.

Ahead on the tracks lay a group of skeletons, the same ones Gwen had just shattered, which nearly blocked the train's path.

But once the skeletons were shattered, everything that had been hidden by them was revealed to the people.

Ahead lay endless white fog, and a vast, boundless mass of white bones slowly surged from the horizon, obscuring the entire railway line ahead.

Hodge stiffly turned his neck to look to both sides.

Before anyone knew it, the groups of white bones on both sides dragged the white mist and surrounded them. At this moment, the high wall formed by the white mist had already completed the encirclement, without the slightest gap.

They couldn't get out; they were completely surrounded by the white fog.

(End of this chapter)