bookrebus Chapter 723 Machine Gun Barrage
Chapter 723 Machine Gun Barrage
After the dust settled, Kod's gaze pierced through the lingering smoke and landed on the dwarf huddled on the ground.
The intense gunfire had clearly taken a toll on the dwarf. He slumped to the ground, his body still trembling uncontrollably, his hands pressed tightly against the ground, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force, and even his breathing was rapid and labored, clearly indicating that he was terrified.
Kod strode forward, his heavy boots clattering on the gravel, and walked step by step to the dwarf, extending his hand.
The dwarf raised his head, his gaze lingering on Kod for a moment before quickly sweeping over the several equally tall figures behind him. The armor covering them reflected a faint light, exuding a menacing aura that kept strangers at bay.
He hesitated for a moment, then slowly stood up with the help of Codd. His legs were still a little weak, and he had to bend over slightly to keep his balance.
After regaining his footing, he looked again at the creatures that were far taller than him, and asked in a trembling voice:
"Who...are you?"
Kod's voice was calm and even, without the slightest fluctuation, as he responded to the dwarf's question:
“We are soldiers from the Kingdom of Hilderan, and we have come here to seek the help of you dwarves.”
The dwarf blinked, seemingly still not fully recovered from the shock. He stared at Kod's face for a while before asking again:
"What ethnicity are you from?"
"Human race."
Kod's answer was concise and clear.
The dwarf's face showed a look of sudden realization, his mouth slightly open, and then he nodded:
“You are the human race. Although I have never seen you in person, I have heard from the elders of my tribe that human wizards have visited our city before.”
After speaking, he straightened up slightly, his tone calmer than before, and began to introduce himself.
“My name is Hafdan Iron Pickaxe. My family has been mining for generations, so we used Iron Pickaxe as our surname.”
The surname is so straightforward, which makes it seem quite pure.
Koder suppressed the fleeting thought, his gaze becoming more serious, and asked:
What happened here?
Upon hearing this question, Hafdan immediately became agitated. His earlier timidity faded considerably, replaced by anger and anxiety, and his voice rose slightly:
"We were attacked by goblins! Those bastards, there were so many of them, like a sea, that they all rushed into our mine. The mine guards couldn't hold them off at all, and they were all killed. The remaining miners were all locked up deep underground. I managed to escape by hiding in a crevice in a boulder during the chaos and ran out."
Upon hearing this, Kod frowned slightly, quickly calculating in his mind that the mine must be quite large to have been dug up like this.
He looked at Hafdan and said solemnly:
"If we help you rescue your people, can you take us to see your High King?"
Hafdan's eyes lit up, his anxiety instantly replaced by elation. He immediately patted his chest, the sound heavy and his tone unwavering:
“No problem! We dwarves have always been clear about our gratitude and resentment, and we are always very warm to our friends. If you are willing to help us rescue people, then you are our friends. Leave the matter of seeing the High King to me.”
After reaching a consensus, the group followed Hafdan deeper into the mine.
When Kod noticed that Hafdan was still naked, he turned to a soldier beside him and gestured. The soldier immediately took off his robe and handed it to Hafdan.
Hafdan didn't refuse, taking the robe and quickly wrapping it around himself. The thick fabric instantly brought warmth, making him involuntarily shrink his neck, a look of gratitude appearing on his face.
He then looked at the axe the soldier was carrying and asked:
"Could you lend me two axes? If we see any goblins later, I can go up and chop them a few times. I can't just rely on you guys for help."
Kord did not refuse, and had the soldiers take two axes from their packs and hand them to Hafdan.
Hafdan took the axe, weighed it in his hand, a satisfied expression on his face, and gripped it tightly.
Along the way, Hafdan led the way while occasionally telling Kod about the mine's conditions, where there were forks in the road, where the passages were narrow, and where there used to be guard posts.
Kod listened attentively, occasionally asking a few key questions, while constantly signaling with his eyes for the soldiers behind him to stay alert and prepare for battle.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the passage ahead gradually widened. Hafdan slowed his pace, gestured for Kod to be quiet, and said in a low voice:
"The place where the miners are imprisoned is just ahead; there should be goblin guards at the entrance."
Codd nodded, signaling everyone to stop, and then quietly leaned forward to look towards the end of the passage.
Sure enough, on either side of the cave entrance sat a goblin holding a spear. They had their heads down and their shoulders were shrugging, clearly asleep, with intermittent snoring coming from their mouths. Their spears leaned against the wall, completely unguarded.
Codd withdrew his gaze and gestured to the two soldiers beside him, signaling them to quietly step forward and take care of the two guards.
The two soldiers immediately understood. Their faces remained expressionless as they gripped the daggers at their waists and moved with utmost quietness, almost making no sound, as they approached the two sleeping goblins.
When they were still a few steps away from the goblin, the two soldiers simultaneously sped up, pouncing like two black shadows. They covered the goblin's mouth with one hand, and with the other hand, they held a dagger and precisely slashed the goblin's throat.
The goblin didn't even have time to make a sound before its body went limp and collapsed, blood slowly flowing from the wound in its throat, soaking the ground beneath it.
After taking care of the guards, the two soldiers gave Kodb a safety hand signal.
Codd led the others carefully through the cave entrance and into the depths of the cave.
As soon as they entered, the scene before them suddenly opened up, revealing a huge open space.
Kod's gaze swept quickly across the entire open space, where a large number of goblins were lying haphazardly on various simple wooden tables and chairs, and many were sprawled on the ground in various postures.
The air was thick with the pungent smell of alcohol, mixed with the distinctive stench of goblins, making one feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, the sound of snoring echoed through the open space, clearly indicating that these goblins were completely drunk and unaware of the intruders.
Hafdan's eyes turned red when he saw the wine jugs scattered on the ground and table. He gripped the axe tightly and cursed through gritted teeth:
"These bastards! How dare they drink our dwarven wine! This wine is carefully brewed by us, they don't deserve to touch it!"
Not long after Hafdan finished cursing, a goblin lying next to the table seemed to be startled. It opened its eyes groggily, shook its head, and seemed not yet fully awake.
It struggled to sit up, rubbed its eyes, and its gaze swept aimlessly across the empty space, landing on Cod and his group.
The goblin was stunned for a moment, clearly not realizing what was going on. A few seconds later, it finally realized something was wrong, its face showing a look of terror. Then it opened its mouth and let out a sharp, piercing scream.
The strange cry shattered the silence of the empty space, instantly drowning out the snoring around them.
Koder's eyes narrowed, and without the slightest hesitation, he immediately gave the order:
"Free fire!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers behind him sprang into action. Everyone raised their weapons and aimed them at the goblins in the open field who had just been awakened and were still in a daze.
Immediately afterwards, a barrage of gunfire rang out in the cave, breaking the previous silence.
Bullets whistled towards their targets, and goblins fell one by one, losing their lives before they even had a chance to put up a fight.
Some goblins reacted quickly enough, trying to get up and run away or grab their weapons to fight back, but under the overwhelming firepower, they had no chance at all.
At the same time, several soldiers in steam armor stepped forward and stood at the front of the line.
They slowly raised their left arms, revealing a six-barreled machine gun mounted on them. With a crisp, mechanical sound, the barrels began to spin rapidly, creating a blurry afterimage.
The next second, a barrage of bullets erupted from the rotating barrel, sweeping across the open field like a storm of bullets at the goblins who had just reacted and were trying to fight back.
The entire cave was filled with the piercing sound of gunfire. The muffled thuds of bullets hitting goblins, the goblins' dying screams, and the mechanical sounds of weapons whirring mingled together, creating a chaotic and intense symphony of battle.
Kod stood still, his sharp eyes scanning the entire open area to make sure no one escaped, while also keeping an eye on his surroundings to prevent other goblins from coming to his aid.
The soldiers fired methodically, maintaining a constant level of firepower. The goblins who had attacked the dwarven mines were now utterly helpless in the face of overwhelming force.