Steel torrents pioneering a different world.

Chapter 285 A Mountain of Bones: The Demon Cave Fortress! Everyone Must Be Lied! (Please Subscribe)

Pangulle Fortress, 35 kilometers away.

The night was as dark as ink, and the mountain wind howled, sharp as a knife.

On the mountain, a 300-strong elite dwarf force is currently trekking along the rugged mountain path.

The magical creatures of this other world, the Grumon, are very strong and can move swiftly even at night.

However, the Gru beasts they were riding were breathing heavily through their noses, clearly indicating that they had expended a lot of energy.

Riding two beasts, they traveled day and night to support Pangule Fortress.

Unfortunately, exhaustion was already ingrained in the dwarves' very bones. If it weren't for the repeated crisis warnings from Pangule Fortress, they really wouldn't have expended their precious Gru beast life force to travel!

This unit was originally one of the Mithril Clan's elite forces responsible for clearing out invading monsters from the nearby Sky Crossing.

Within the 300-strong force, there were a full 35 incredibly powerful heavy armored units!

Besides these, there were also elite dwarven alchemists and blacksmiths, dwarven mages, and priests. This demonstrates their power!

There are more than 700 Grumon in total. In addition to carrying infantry magic cannons, the Grumon also carry dwarven heavy armored canisters and other war machines.

However, these items were too heavy, so they were separated and transported by Grumon after being unpacked.

Centurion Lepongas popped a marching pill into his mouth, the intense magic and chemistry stimulating his exhausted body and mind. As the troops marched along the treacherous roads, he looked up at the sky.

The stars were dim, and the night sky at three in the morning was exceptionally deep.

He felt uneasy.

Throughout the journey, he always had a feeling of being spied on.

However, he used a lot of magical counter-surveillance equipment and couldn't find any enemies at all.

Once it's past 4 o'clock, it will start to get light.

Based on past experience, if they were exposed to sunlight, their movements would likely be discovered, and at that point, their surprise attack would lose its element of surprise.

I wonder what the situation is like at the fortress!

He was anxious and gripped the reins even tighter.

Splash—

"what!"

A short, piercing scream tore through the night sky.

It turned out that a giant rock under the feet of a Gru beast suddenly loosened, causing it to fall into a cliff more than 300 meters deep, along with the dwarf warrior on its back.

C

The echo lingered in the valley for a moment before being swallowed by the wind.

If the Gru beast had enough stamina, it could easily carry a dwarf warrior weighing several hundred pounds up on it.

Unfortunately, the twenty-odd Grumon that were marching at full speed were already at their physical limit and were unable to complete the simple jumps they usually did.

A commotion immediately broke out in the dwarf marching column.

Everyone stopped and stared in astonishment at the dark abyss.

Le Bongas pursed his lips, glanced towards the abyss, and said softly, "Stop looking, let's keep going. Pangulet Fortress is waiting for our reinforcements."

A white-bearded officer rode his beast forward: "Chieftain, the brothers and the Gru beasts need rest. We've been marching for almost twenty hours straight!"

"The dwarves of honor are forged of steel. Can a little hardship break your will and strength? Our brethren at Panguler Fortress await our rescue! Are you cowards?"

The dwarves bowed their heads in shame, not daring to reply.

Le Bongas saw the dwarf's shame and looked around, his unease at being spied on growing stronger.

Le Bongas took a deep breath, then snapped, "Gentlemen, in two hours, we have to walk another nine kilometers! There's a secret passage over there; with a little digging, we can get right into the fortress. Cheer up! Don't let me look down on you."

Hearing that the secret underground passage was nearby, a glimmer of hope rekindled in the eyes of the exhausted dwarves.

They patted their exhausted mounts and followed Le Bongas.

We must get into that tunnel before dawn.

However, these dwarves, who thought themselves to be in seclusion, were unaware that at an altitude of 4,800 meters, more than ten kilometers away, several large, multi-functional drones were silently circling around them, transmitting the situation to the human command center.

Under the multi-functional thermal imaging lens, their group of three hundred dwarves and a full seven hundred and fifty Gru beasts looked like a row of glowing beetles wriggling in the night, every movement crystal clear.

Outside the Pangule Fortress, inside the well-equipped command post built by humans, the movements of this dwarven force were clearly displayed on the screen.

Bi Shengli has gone to rest; the deputy commander is in charge of this operation.

"Report: The target has entered the pocket area within the mountain pass. 0.3 kilometers from the designated ambush point."

"Report: The silent drones have been confirmed as corrupted warriors of the Mithril Clan; they're all decorations from the armor previously worn by the Pangolier Fortress!"

The vice commander stared coldly at the dwarf in front of the screen.

"Let's move out, little motorcycles," he said calmly, without a trace of emotion, because they had been engaged in battles like this many times in the last ten hours or so.

If human warriors encounter dwarves leading a large number of the elderly and weak, they will be hesitant to act, because the elderly and weak have value in saving and later winning them over.

An army composed entirely of dwarf soldiers is the easiest to deal with.

The best method is to annihilate them completely, reducing them to ashes!

"First wave of small motorcycle bombardment covering the entire area! Second wave of rocket bombardment continues!"

"The third and fourth waves will be finished off with thermite incendiary bombs and man-portable missiles! I don't want to see any living thing leave that valley."

"yes!"

As the order was given and the dwarven army crossed a mountain and began to enter a relatively gentle downhill valley, a strange buzzing sound suddenly came from the horizon.

The sound grew louder as it approached, quickly transforming from a faint noise into a chilling shriek.

Le Bongas, who was halfway up the mountain, twitched his ears and abruptly stopped in his tracks: "What was that sound?"

"Elder, the sky!" A sharp-eyed dwarf pointed to the sky, his voice trembling.

Le Bongas looked up and saw hundreds of thin white lines tearing through the darkness in the night, like the scythe of death, slashing down on them!

What is that?

Our aircraft and air reinforcements?

That's not right!

Why are there so many?

And the direction is wrong!

Le Bongas's pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints: "Enemy attack! Take cover! Take cover now!"

His roar echoed through the valley, but it was all too late.

As soon as he finished speaking, three hundred small motorcycle drones swooped down.

These dwarves were indeed elite. Faced with a desperate situation, some frantically searched for cover, while others crouched down on the spot, raised their muskets, and tried to fire at the dense white lines in the sky.

boom! boom! boom!

The sporadic fire sounds seemed so ridiculous and powerless amidst the sharp, piercing noises of the drone swarm.

Rumble!

Countless explosions occurred within the dwarven marching ranks.

The first to suffer were the otherworldly Grumon, resembling strong goats. Because of the army's need for a rapid march, the Grumon's armor had been fitted onto some pack animals. This left the Grumon without any protection, making them the first to be killed.

In the three hundred explosions, some who weren't wearing rune armor were blasted into a bloody mosaic that splattered everywhere! Elite dwarves with activated rune shields were sent flying in all directions by the explosive mini-motorcycles carrying 50 kilograms of explosives.

Those heavily armored warriors were the most unlucky; the thirty-five tanks were not attacked, but the dwarf warriors piloting the tanks were all blown up.

The dwarves were also unlucky; although they only had three hundred men, they stretched out a reconnaissance squad a full three kilometers away.

Moreover, during the march, they occupied key points that could be attacked from all directions.

But they didn't expect the enemy's attack range to be so far!

The first wave of 300 small motorcycles delivered a total of 15000 kilograms of explosives to this area spanning several kilometers.

At least two-thirds of the dwarves were killed in the explosion, and even those dwarf survivors were severely injured.

Only a small number of dwarves wearing top-tier runic armor formed an energy shield defense line, thus avoiding losing their lives in the first wave of saturation fire.

But—are they really safe?

Blood gushed from Le Bongas's mouth, nose, and eyes. His lungs felt like they were about to explode, and his head was spinning. Despite his tinnitus and blurred vision, he struggled to his feet and looked around, only to be immediately stunned.

He was one of the few survivors of the dwarven force. Because he was not close to the center of the explosion, and a dwarven rune mage nearby activated a shield, the suicidal motorcycles did not attack this area, allowing them to hold out.

But this is just a matter of breathing more air.

Because in less than a few seconds, even greater despair descended.

At this moment—

The east wind at night releases a thousand trees of blossoms, and scatters stars like rain!

The rocket, accompanied by a dazzling light, crashed down and then exploded in mid-air at a distance of about 30 meters.

The previously costing 25,000 yuan each, the aerial scooter was loaded with 50 kilograms of high explosives.

However, the second wave of attacks was even more outrageous, with higher damage and greater power.

These 300mm caliber rockets were originally 25-year-old models with a range of 350 kilometers and a warhead of 250 kilograms.

With the industrial capabilities of Industrial Cthulhu greatly enhanced, the new rockets were modified and put to new use.

Their range was reduced by two-thirds, while their warhead explosive charge was significantly increased.

Today, a single 300mm caliber rocket carries a propellant charge of 1000 kilograms.

And the cost of these rockets is only 25 each.

36 rockets fell from the sky!

A dazzling shower of stars bursts forth!

The violent explosion unleashed a powerful shockwave, sending sand, rocks, and the remains of dwarves and Gru beasts flying into the sky, turning them into indistinguishable wreckage!

That's not all —

The pioneering team, already suffering from a fear of insufficient firepower, received other weapons in quick succession.

Although the explosive shockwave was not very powerful, it covered a wider area, and thermite incendiary bombs and napalm bombs, which are mainly designed to burn and purify, flew in quickly.

Rumble—!

Multiple thermite incendiary bombs and high-temperature solidification incendiary bombs were set to detonate at an altitude of 200 meters.

The kerosene and thermite fuel all began to burn.

In an instant, the valley, spanning several kilometers, was illuminated as bright as day.

The blinding white light devoured everything, and the temperature of over three thousand degrees fell on the soil and steel, easily burning the incredibly sturdy steel armor and soil. The high temperature even turned flesh and blood into charcoal.

The dwarves were proud of their rune armor, which, once activated, could withstand firearms and elven armor-piercing arrows. However, under a saturation-burst explosion, it became as fragile as paper.

The sporadic screams only lasted for a few dozen seconds before abruptly ceasing with the second wave of attacks.

The third wave of attacks completely transformed this mountain pass into a raging inferno, a veritable death trap.

Subsequently, battlefield reconnaissance units, as well as various damage confirmation drones, arrived.

"Report! Twelve relatively intact dwarf corpses have been discovered! They are still alive!"

"Give them peace!"

"clear!"

With the order given, the belated missiles began to precisely search for the enemy.

The missiles are not expensive, costing 3 yuan each, and are carried by drones, but their destructive power is not small at all!

The 8-kilogram combat tribe, when placed on flesh and blood, can be easily destroyed.

This elite force, carrying the hopes of the Mithril Clan, was completely wiped out of the other world by justice that descended from the heavens before they even saw the enemy.

In the frontline command post, looking at the still-warm inferno on the screen, a young staff officer couldn't help but murmur, "Truly magnificent—"

The commander remained expressionless, simply picking up the communicator to relay the information to Su Mingjin and the others at the time portal.

"Report to command, enemy reinforcements have been cleared! Repeat, enemy reinforcements have been cleared."

Su Mingjin's voice came from the other end: "I've received the order. We can dispatch helicopter units to search for any remaining wounded! Also, collect the dwarven spoils! Remember to preserve some of the corrupted equipment! Clean the rest of the spoils using the purification equipment."

Despite the dwarves being beaten senseless, the materials experts back home told the pioneering team to collect as many dwarven rune armor materials as possible.

Because these materials contain large quantities of adamantite and mithril.

Based on the fact that a single set of armor contains at least 1.5 kilograms of rare materials such as refined gold and mithril, remelting those hundreds of armor fragments could recoup at least hundreds of millions of yuan!

Of course, even though those dwarfs' heavy canned goods were badly damaged by the explosion, they contained even more rare materials.

As thrifty, peace-loving, and skilled farmers, the pioneering team would never give up so many good things!

"receive!"

One hour later ————

Dozens of kilometers away, at the Pangule Fortress, the fighting and explosions inside had almost subsided.

With the capture of Elder Rice, the supreme commander of Pangule Fortress, the pioneering team is now carrying out cleanup and finishing work.

A potential source of corruption: the remains of countless sacrificed individuals are being transported out by robots.

Tap tap tap —

Heavy metallic footsteps echoed through the dark fortress passages as a large backpack robot carrying several headless corpses slowly emerged from the darkness.

"Five bodies in total! The number of victims' remains has increased to 15,362!"

A home inspector wearing a fully enclosed protective suit spoke in a hoarse voice through a communicator, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

[The 15357th victim's body! Race: Human, Male! Age: Around 30 years old! Time of death: At least six days!]

The coroner's voice was like a cold machine; each number he announced felt like a heavy hammer blow to the hearts of the soldiers around him.

A young assistant beside him was rapidly recording on a terminal with trembling hands.

"Recording complete!"

"It's a human! Throw him into the No. 3 internal circulation incinerator!"

"receive."

As the order was given, the soldiers in the distance controlled the backpack robots to take steps and carefully place the body into a huge, enclosed incinerator that had been urgently brought in.

Then the high-temperature resistant transfer belt was started.

The other warriors then placed the purification equipment nearby again.

After detecting the presence of evil energy, the special energy patterns quickly released a soft golden-white light, which then cleansed the surrounding air considerably.

The large furnace door was closed, and with the fan blowing, flames at a temperature of three thousand degrees rose up and engulfed the remains.

This self-circulating incinerator, modified using industrial Cthulhu technology, is a product of the logistics department's modifications.

A total of thirty machines were operating simultaneously, capable of processing multiple bodies at a time.

Moreover, the high temperature of incineration is filtered multiple times to ensure that the air is safe and pollution-free.

To ensure there are no safety risks, the special advisory team will repeatedly use purification rune items to ensure that all fel corruption is completely eliminated.

Even so, the cleanup work is not progressing very quickly.

From a distance, one can see the remains of some dwarf victims lined up, waiting to be cremated.

"Damn it, how many people have died in this godforsaken place?"

A young soldier watched as more bodies were brought out and muttered a curse under his breath.

The veteran next to him patted him on the shoulder: "Stop looking, it'll only make you feel worse. Do your job well, don't let those poor people not find peace even in death."

The young soldier fell silent, gripping his gun tightly.

The environment here is too complex; the entire Pangulak Fortress is a maze of interconnected passages, like a giant anthill.

Although the overall battle was over, surviving dwarves would occasionally rush out from the shadows and perish together with the humans while they were checking the passageways.

This undoubtedly caused trouble for the final finishing work.

The only saving grace was that the chaotic evil energy permeating the vicinity of the spacetime rift, while highly poisonous to the living, strangely slowed down the rate of corpse decay.

Otherwise, this place would have long since become a plague-ridden place where one couldn't even step inside.

Just then, a communications soldier ran up to Sun Huicong, his expression extremely grim.

"Battalion Commander Sun! We've made a major discovery in the dwarfs' mess hall area!"

Sun Huicong frowned, then watched the video recorded in the dwarf canteen area.

After reading it, he gasped in shock!

The dwarves' dining hall was vast, filled with the blackened residue of burning coal and animal fat. The area was extensive, with numerous large metal cauldrons standing side-by-side, many still containing cooled meat.

Upon closer inspection of the video, it was revealed to be a hellish scene of numerous severed limbs and broken arms stewed with various spices.

Besides this, there are also some processing areas.

Inside, you can see piles of bones, like small mountains.

It was pure white, and you could tell at a glance that it was human bone.

"Preliminary forensic examination indicates that these bones—come from at least a thousand victims of various ethnicities—" a soldier reported, his voice trembling. "They—they killed so many, so many people—"

He couldn't bring himself to say the rest.

All the soldiers present clenched their fists so tightly they cracked, and their eyes turned red.

Some people even imagined Lion Camel Ridge as a mountain of skulls, a forest of bones, human heads and hair matted into felt, human flesh rotting into mud and dust, and human tendons wrapped around trees, dry and shiny like silver.

This is exactly the scene in the dwarf canteen at this moment.

A chilling and murderous intent, originating from the depths of the soul, frantically grew in everyone's heart.

Seeing that everyone was in a bad mood, Sun Huicong immediately activated the mind-cleansing device.

Many people who were feeling a bit tipsy suddenly felt a refreshing coolness.

"Damn it!"

"I'm hooked!"

"Is there still corruption in that place?"

"I guess so."

As the group whispered among themselves, the soldier reporting on the situation paused for a moment before continuing, "Besides this, we also discovered that they ground a large amount of bones into powder—and then used that powder as nutrients for the various mosses and mushrooms growing in the cave—those weren't ground up in time!"

Sun Huicong stared intently at the mountain of bones, forcing out a few words through gritted teeth: "Take pictures! Every single detail, not a single one can be missed!"

He gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger: "Record this evidence and keep samples! These are key pieces of evidence to bring down those corrupt dwarves."

"OK!"

The hellish scene here has already been transmitted back.

Humans who witnessed this tragic scene were filled with boundless rage.

Some soldiers even shouted that it was good that those corrupt bastards were killed!

That's exactly how they should be!

Not far from the incinerator, several cameras held by soldiers were recording the moment when humans gave these victims their last words. After the incineration and purification, the remains would be buried and a monument would be erected to commemorate the event.

One and a half kilometers away, in the upwind safety zone, many survivors who had just been rescued were silently watching all of this.

Dwarves, humans, elves, and even a few tall orcs—they came from different races, yet they all shared the same complex gaze.

The heat rising from the incinerator seemed to distort the air itself.

Perhaps their fathers, brothers, or children are among them.

In the crowd, a white-bearded dwarf elder leaned on a wooden stick, watching everything. His cloudy eyes reflected the blazing firelight. After a long while, he spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Humans—our friends—thank you for seeing them off on their final journey."

The races in this other world have their own traditions regarding the handling of the dead.

But in the face of the corruption of evil, any tradition must give way to reality.

They all understood that the intense heat and flames were not just a funeral procession, but also a purification, the only way to prevent their deceased loved ones from being transformed into a more terrifying being.

Yu Qiwen, who was in charge of contacting the survivors, nodded and replied in a slightly stiff dwarven language, "Old man, you're welcome."

"We will collect the ashes of all the victims and build a monument for them outside this fortress, so that the sins of those corrupt dwarves who succumbed to their depravity will be forever etched upon it, for all the world to know."

Upon hearing this, a low sob rose from the crowd of survivors.

A burly human man with slave brands on his arms walked over with red eyes, knelt down before Yu Qiwen, kowtowed several times, and said, "Thank you! Thank you, noble knights, for saving us."

Yu Qiwen tried to help him up, but the other man was very strong.

They had no choice but to wait until he finished kowtowing before helping him up.

"We are all human beings, and any normal person would save us if they saw us. Gentlemen, this is not a place to stay for long; you are all very weak!"

We need to rest! Please return to our rear camp with our soldiers.

The man bowed and thanked him profusely, then wiped the tears from his face and turned to help a young companion who was still crying and trembling.

The crowd began to slowly retreat under the guidance of the soldiers.

Beside him, Gong Pengfei was directing his men to count the number of people. He leaned closer to Yu Qiwen and lowered his voice.

"Those handled in centralized locations are doing relatively well, but some victims detained in centralized locations are in a worse situation!"

Gong Pengfei sighed, "Those 325 female prisoners are in very poor mental condition. We've discovered that they're probably trying to release some kind of lust. Once they can't hold on any longer, they'll probably be used as cannon fodder by the dwarves—"

"How are they feeling now?"

"Tang Huanzhu and the others are trying to calm them down, but with little effect. Many people aren't saying a word; it will probably take a long time for them to recover! Besides that, some people also have infections and mutations. If they can't be saved, we can only offer them physical mercy!"

Perhaps some things in the Warhammer world are extreme, but when it comes to the safety of more people, you have to learn to make choices.

Yu Qiwen sighed. This kind of trauma cannot be healed with just a few words of comfort.

"Have the medical team prepare more sedatives and tranquilizers, and prioritize providing them with food and water."

Gong Pengfei nodded in agreement and added, "Among these survivors, dwarves make up the majority, numbering over two thousand, most of whom are old and weak. The remaining four hundred or so are slaves captured from various places, mostly young and strong men."

Yu Qiwen's gaze swept over the dwarves who were being helped away. They came from several villages around the fortress and had been almost entirely wiped out by the corrupters of the Mithril Clan to be used as fuel to break the seal.

Yu Qiwen squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth.

"The closer they are to their own people, the more ruthless they become, these beasts. After those guys are judged, just hand them over to the victims and let them give them the death penalty!"

Just then, the burly human who had thanked him earlier suddenly returned. He strode up to Yu Qiwen, looking tense, as if he had made up his mind.

"Your Excellency, Knight!" he said in a low, hurried voice, "I—I just remembered something! When I was imprisoned, I overheard the conversation of those mad guards!"

Yu Qiwen's expression hardened: "Thank you for the clues, they are very useful to us! Please tell us about these details in detail, don't overlook any specifics."

The burly man swallowed hard, fear creeping into his eyes: "They say this is just one place, and those madmen are doing this sacred—evil—thing in other places too!"

"Thank you for letting us know! It's very useful!"

A few minutes later.

Frontline command post.

At five o'clock in the morning, the makeshift command post was still brightly lit, and the air was filled with the aroma of espresso, strong tea and various stimulating drinks.

"Report: The incineration plant we have set up is operating very smoothly, and the remains of the victims are undergoing incineration and purification processes."

The latest generation of special energy purification equipment array is remarkably effective, suppressing contaminated magic with an efficiency exceeding 98%.

An officer pointed to the data flashing on the screen and reported calmly.

"Excellent! The research by our special advisors has once again proven invaluable!"

"Yes, Mr. Bi, we have started deploying energy purification equipment in the fortress areas we have recaptured. Small amounts of blood are being treated with incineration. However, those purification devices consume too many magic stones, and we don't have many magic stones to begin with! I reckon the logistics department is going to have a headache."

Bi Shengli waved his hand, signaling him to continue: "There's nothing we can do about a headache. At worst, we can temporarily reduce research in other fields. We can't increase the chances of our soldiers being corrupted."

At this point, Bi Shengli yawned.

This is exhausting!

Bi Shengli, who is in his forties, is no longer young, and a full nineteen hours have passed since the start of the general offensive.

In the days leading up to this, they worked with the General Staff to develop various plans, resulting in better sleep.

Bi Shengli's bloodshot eyes quickly scanned the battle report, and he took a big gulp of strong, bitter coffee. The bitter taste instantly sobered him up.

How much organized resistance force remains within the dwarven fortress?

"General Bi, the moderate-intensity fighting ceased half an hour ago." The staff officer marked several areas on the map. "Based on the captured fortress map, we are now systematically clearing the core area layer by layer. However, according to the fortress map, the dwarf caves and underground spaces are far more extensive and complex than we anticipated, resembling an anthill! The general staff initially estimates that a complete cleanup will take at least three days, or even longer!"

"Luckily, all those corrupted dwarves have on their minds is hacking and slashing! Otherwise, if they hadn't chosen to fight head-on, our losses would have been enormous!" another combat officer couldn't help but interject, his tone somewhat relaxed.

In order to counter the dwarves, the pioneering team not only attacked, but also deployed a large number of automatic warning machine guns and remote-controlled bombs in various passages. The dwarves, however, used the same old trick: hiding and then trying to ambush, charging straight up with axes and muskets.

Unfortunately, the human setup is almost foolproof as long as it doesn't encounter the dwarves' heavy canned goods.

Even in a confined space, encountering the dwarves' heavily armored canned goods, the more than 700 man-portable sub-nuclear bombs urgently deployed by humanity, and the 250 modified [unclear - possibly referring to weapons or equipment]...

Even a heavy-duty bomb can make a heavy-duty can look good.

Industrial Cthulhu suffers from a severe phobia of insufficient firepower.

Once it is discovered that the Dwarven Heavy Armor is extremely dangerous in close combat, they will never be allowed to get close again!

"What about our casualties over the past few hours?" Bi Shengli raised an eyebrow.

"Report, apart from two sprains, there are none else!" The operations officer grinned. "Unfortunately, ammunition consumption is rather alarming."

"That's good!" Bi Shengli laughed. "It's better to crush those beasts in an unreasonable way than to waste our lives!"

"By the way, hurry up and move the captured armories. Everything must be contaminated before being stored. I don't want our warehouses to be corrupted."

Although the dwarves' armory contains things that humans would look down on, many of their weapons and ammunition contain magic stone powder!

These magic stone powders can be used as propellants, explosives, and even as an energy source for some rune armor.

Humanity has obtained these materials, and they can be transformed into more powerful weapons and ammunition simply by re-selecting them.

"yes!"