Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Hodge froze for a moment, then scrambled up the observation point, shoving the sentinel aside.

If the White Calamity was truly ahead of them, they were all finished!

He lifted his eyes and looked forward—his heart instantly lurched.

It really was a cluster of White Bones, right in front!

“It’s over, it’s over—wait!”

Hodge’s eyes suddenly widened. “Only the White Bones have stepped onto the Railway—the White Calamity hasn’t arrived yet!”

He shouted in a cracked voice, “Machine gunners! Take out that cluster of White Bones! Hurry! Shoot them down!”

If they destroyed the White Bones, the speed of the White Mist would slow. They might still break through before the mist reached them!

The distance was beyond machine-gun range, but every heavy gun that could fire opened up immediately. In a life-and-death moment, no one cared about calculating angles—just a rough estimate, then fire and blanket the area with bullets!

Many Soldiers, knowing full well they were out of range, still raised their rifles and pulled the trigger.

But bullets had limits; the propellant charge was fixed. A firearm could only shoot so far. Beyond effective range, the bullet might still fly some distance, but this range even exceeded the maximum reach of the heavy machine guns.

The upward-arcing bullets lost all momentum midair and dropped feebly, still far from the White Bones.

“Damn it! Damn it!!”

Hodge cursed loudly as despair crept across the Soldiers’ faces. They watched helplessly as the White Mist, dragged along by the White Bones, drew closer. At this rate, the Armored Train would crash straight into it.

“What do we do… what do we do…” Hodge clawed at his hair, turning pleading eyes toward Ash. “Lady Ash, you—”

“I can’t, either. The distance is too far. Even my charge speed isn’t much faster than the train,” Ash said, shaking her head.

Just as hopelessness began to cloud Hodge’s expression, noise burst from the rear carriage. The Soldiers piled at the back were forcefully shoved aside as someone shouted:

“No! Heavy guns won’t work—the range isn’t enough!”

“I don’t care about range!”

Gwen charged forward like a storm, clutching the Gatling Gun assigned to her. She had already sprinted back earlier to grab it.

“Move!” She shoved Soldiers aside and raised the heavy gun. The clean metallic snap of the barrel locking into the feed assembly rang out, sharp and eager—hungry for battle.

“You didn’t load it.”

“Shut up!” Hodge jumped in panic, roaring at the speaking Soldier, who shrank back. Gwen was already gripping the gun with one hand and cranking the handle with the other!

The bullets screamed out almost instantly; Hodge even felt as though the gun fired before Gwen began turning the crank!

If others’ guns were like falling rain, then Gwen’s muzzle spat forth a storm!

Gwen roared, and the blazing metal in her hands roared back.

Iron and fire blossomed before them. In mere moments, the White Bones ahead were blown apart in a chain of explosions.

A line of tracer fire swept across the White Bones once more, grinding them completely into fragments!

Behind them, the sweeping White Mist faltered for an instant.

The Expeditionary Army fell silent for a heartbeat—then erupted in cheers. The shift from despair to salvation had taken only moments, yet it felt like half a lifetime.

Hodge exhaled a long breath; his legs went weak, nearly collapsing.

He had even begun replaying his life like a film in his mind.

“Praise Castel! Praise Hughes! Praise Gwen and her loyal Gatling!”

“Praise the Machine Soul!”

“Long live!!”

The Soldiers cheered wildly, and even Hodge’s face broke into a smile.

“Damn it, Miss Gwen—I will apply for a medal for you! You’re the best machine gunner we have!” Hodge shouted.

“Eh? I—I am? But I still don’t understand what ‘range’ or ‘reloading’ means…”

“That’s something only weak Little Water Pipes need! A loyal Gatling doesn’t need reloading!”

“Captain Hodge, you should apply for a medal for the Machine Soul inside her gun too!”

“Of course, of course.” Hodge grinned from ear to ear. “Miss Gwen, once the Lord hears about this, he’ll definitely award you in Castel. Your timing was perfect!”

Gwen gave a shy smile. She had always been impulsive, and as a Northlander, she knew too well the horror of the White Calamity—once swallowed by that thing, death was absolute.

So just now, something had snapped in her mind. Without thinking, she grabbed her gun and opened fire.

And the White Bones none of them had hit… she had actually destroyed.

But at that very moment, an unexpected change struck.

Beneath their feet, the train suddenly jolted with a sharp KLANG, braking violently. The entire Armored Train screeched as its wheels ground against the tracks, throwing up showers of red sparks.

This wasn’t a collision—it was an emergency brake. Armored trains carrying cargo rarely braked, and never this abruptly.

The celebrating Soldiers were thrown against the carriage walls. Fortunately, the small observation slits of the war-designed train prevented anyone from being thrown out.

“Ow!”

“You hit me!”

“Damn it—what happened?!”

“Someone’s hurt! He hit the table corner—who has bandages?!”

Hodge nearly flew across the carriage, but Gwen grabbed him and steadied him. He stumbled a few steps before regaining balance, then shouted at the Conductor, face pale:

“What are you doing?! Why brake?!”

Accelerating the train required time. After such a hard brake, the train could easily suffer mechanical issues—wheel bearings might fail under the immense strain, and carriage couplings could even break apart.

Even if nothing broke, regaining speed would take far too long. With this delay, they might not outrun the White Mist at all.

But the Conductor said nothing. His lips trembled as he stared ahead.

Hodge followed his gaze—and froze.

On the Railway lay a cluster of White Bones—the very ones Gwen had just blown apart. They had nearly blocked the train’s path.

But with them destroyed, everything they had been hiding from sight was now fully revealed.

Ahead stretched endless White Mist, and from the horizon surged an immense, boundaryless mass of White Bones, flooding forward. The entire stretch of tracks was buried under White Mist.

Hodge stiffly turned his head to look to both sides.

At some point, the White Bones on both flanks had also dragged the White Mist inward. Now a towering wall of White Mist had completely sealed them in—without a single gap.

They could not escape.

They were fully encircled within the White Mist.