Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord
Chapter 223: Total Line Collapse

The great bell of the Castel Cathedral was struck.

People walked out of their residential areas in confusion but were quickly informed of the situation. They then rushed off in all directions.

Can after can of entity pollution was thrown into the central furnace, and the noise of the Clamorer made the cathedral hum with vibrations.

The protective inscriptions were activated at full power.

Heavy machine guns had now been installed at the machine gun positions on top of the cathedral. Box after box of ammunition was transported up, leaving the islanders both puzzled and fearful. They didn’t understand why bullets were being transported here—weren’t battles usually fought on the coast?

This was the central area of Castel, after all.

Although no enemy had yet been seen, the activation of the last defensive line was unsettling in itself.

The Holy Guard had already set out, and the usual patrols and guards around the cathedral were nowhere to be seen. As for the Banshees that could occasionally be spotted, they had all disappeared as well.

The crowds gradually poured into various factories, the fires of steam engines burning ever brighter. Castel’s war machine was slowly ramping up to full power.

Hughes paced quickly within his room, his expression grim.

Since that day, the battle situation in Castel had undergone a complete change. Previously, the intensity of the war had been laughably low—the Holy Guard hunting monsters on the battlefield seemed no different from a leisurely outing.

But ever since he was forcibly brought back, the sea seemed to have boiled over. Every second, monsters poured out incessantly from the deep sea. The Murlocs, though slow-moving and easy targets for the rifled muskets’ precise aim, now surged forth like a rising tide.

No matter how much the Holy Guard fired, the creatures would not retreat. The once cowardly, self-preserving monsters had suddenly become fearless.

As for the Arm Monsters, they now gathered in groups to launch attacks. When the battlefield was lined with these creatures, two or three stories tall, only the roaring heavy machine guns could pose a threat to them. Even the Banshees had to avoid direct confrontation.

"How is the battle line?"

"Total line collapse."

Ash’s voice was heavy, mixed with labored breathing. She stood at the entrance of the Network Path, a high vantage point from which she could see far into the distance.

Everywhere her eyes landed, there were hideous monsters.

"There are simply too many of them. The defensive lines we built on the coast were quickly surrounded. Some bunkers held out for a while, but the number of monsters far exceeded the amount of ammunition the Holy Guard had. I’ve already ordered them to retreat through the Network Path and have sealed its gates."

Hughes took a deep breath and spread out a map on the table. He needed to know the current battlefield situation.

He began asking the stationed Banshees about their locations, point by point.

"Each squad, report your position and status, starting with Squad One."

"Yes! Squad One was originally stationed at the northern docks. The docks have fallen. The residential district has fallen. The soap workshop district has fallen. We are currently engaging the enemy at the former nitroglycerin factory district!"

"How is the battle? How long can you hold?"

"The situation is grim. After falling back to the third defensive line, the speed of the monsters’ advance slowed somewhat, but their numbers remain overwhelming. We have few Holy Guards here and are already setting explosives, preparing to retreat."

Hughes traced the map with his finger from the northern coastline to a location not far from the central core area. He swallowed hard—the rate of collapse was too fast. The Murlocs, as enemies, were indeed unimpressive, but sheer numbers alone made it impossible for his soldiers to hold the line against enemies attacking from all directions.

Thankfully, with the battle lines shrinking, fewer areas needed to be defended, and the soldiers no longer had to worry about being attacked from behind.

"Squad Two? I remember you were stationed at the eastern caves?"

"Yes, Lord Hughes. The caves have completely fallen. Before retreating, we transported all stored entity pollution back. We are currently constructing a defensive line at the Eastern Test Site to hold off the enemy."

Entity pollution—the primary fuel of Castel.

Hughes was no longer worried about the fuel supply. Whether Murlocs or Arm Monsters, their corpses would eventually turn into entity pollution. Even though the central furnace and Clamorer were running at full power, the fuel supply kept increasing as the battles raged on.

As long as they dragged a few corpses back from the battlefield, pollution would continue to replenish itself. Hughes even used surplus steel production to build several large fuel storage tanks.

Yes, despite the ongoing war and the massive steel consumption everywhere, the steel production still managed to keep up—and even had a slight surplus.

Although Castel had fully contracted its front lines, it hadn’t lost its key factories. Under total mobilization, production capacity had skyrocketed to a terrifying degree.

This was the greatest feature of an industrial nation—as long as the rear remained stable, the output of weapons, steel, and large machinery would only increase as the battle continued.

Once the production process was mature, factory output would exceed consumption rates.

The soldiers were consuming ammunition at astronomical rates, yet the munitions factories were producing even more gunpowder. Not only did it sustain the soldiers’ gunfire, but it also ensured a continuous supply of explosives.

"How is the Eastern Test Site holding up?"

"This defensive line is fairly stable. This is an old industrial zone—it already had walls in place, and after reinforcements, it became a massive war fortress. Plus, we are close to the factories, and supplies are abundant. We also have many members of the Moths Chasing Fire here."

The Moths Chasing Fire? Hughes had heard of them.

After the technological lock was lifted, under Chloe’s leadership, they conducted non-stop experiments at the test site. Their warehouse was crammed with various inventions, useful and useless alike. These fanatics were also particularly enthusiastic about war.

They would do research in the lab, take a break by grabbing guns and shooting monsters in the fortifications, then return to their experiments when they had their fill. The Holy Guards all thought they were completely insane.

With them present, the Eastern Test Site was relatively secure. Although most key factories had been moved to Castel Cathedral, the production capacity of the remaining factories there was still invaluable.

"What about the south? That should be Squad Five, right?"

"Yes, Squad Five was guarding the southern front. Uh… we’ve now fallen back to the cathedral."

Nini’s voice came through the Mind Link.

Ever since the third ironworks was built, Nini no longer needed to use Fossil to Mud to manually create steam engines. Her magic was powerful, but even with six hands, she couldn’t match the sheer output of multiple production lines in a factory.

"What about the mining district? Can we still hold it?"

"No. There weren’t many fortifications there to begin with. We’ve lost all our mines."