MTLNOVEL Chapter 216: It's Over
"It's over."
In the moment he confirmed the nuclear bomb hadn't exploded and the sun hadn't risen, Zhang Tao felt as if he'd been struck by a heavy blow, standing rigidly in place.
As the overall commander who deployed this battle from start to finish, he couldn't possibly be unaware of how dire the situation was now.
All the armies were amassed on the western shore of Qili Lake, while a considerable number of monsters from the Beast Tide had already crossed Nushan Lake.
They seemed to have received some sort of command; instead of scattering and running wild, they charged straight for Qili Lake with a clear goal!
They wanted to bury Zhang Tao's entire Supreme Army here, to drown everyone under the water!
Zhang Tao's hand began to tremble uncontrollably.
He looked towards the Archbishop beside him and asked:
"Didn't you say you could detonate it??"
"Why didn't it explode??"
The Archbishop was similarly enveloped in a deep and boundless fear, looking speechlessly at the dust and smoke from the far-off explosion, wanting to say something in his defense, yet when the words reached his lips, there was only one phrase left.
"Run fast!"
"I know I have to run fast!?"
Zhang Tao glared at the Archbishop angrily, then took a deep breath and gave the orders.
"Continue heading to the defense line on the eastern shore of Qili Lake if you've boarded."
"Those who haven't boarded, stay on the western shore and cover the remaining troops' retreat!"
"...Understood."
The Archbishop slowly nodded.
Perhaps only those who personally stood before the soldiers and orally delivered orders could truly realize how cruel this order was and how difficult the process of issuing the order was.
Those soldiers who hadn't boarded the ship had already overcome their fear and willingly took their place at the back.
But now, after the others had boarded, even though there were vacant spots on the steamboat, they could no longer leave.
Could those remaining on the western shore survive?
Perhaps this was a question every one of them asked themselves.
And the answer, in fact, was quite obvious.
Impossible.
No one could survive without any cover or long-range artillery support.
They were merely used as cannon fodder to buy time.
And what's more brutal, they weren't even the most suitable cannon fodder.
The more loyal the battle groups left behind were to Holy Trinity, the more steadfast their faith, and the more excellent their combat quality, the more loyal they were to the Saint.
They were the elite of the elite, yet these elites had to cover for the less capable to retreat.
The moment the Archbishop clearly conveyed the order from the Saint to all the soldiers, the previously chaotic and noisy lakeside suddenly fell into silence.
Silence so profound that in a group of nearly a thousand, only the sound of the wind could be heard.
Moments later.
The Battle Group Commander of the Second Battle Group stepped forward first.
"For the Holy Trinity!"
"Brothers of the Second Battle Group, hold your ground with me!"
"We must block those alien creatures!"
"We will defend the glory of the Holy Trinity to our deaths!"
"For the Holy Trinity!"
The soldiers of the Second Battle Group responded in unison.
Immediately, the Battle Group Commander of the Third Battle Group moved forward as well.
"Brothers of the Third Battle Group, quickly set up defenses."
"We will not die here today."
"We're covering the retreat of the great cannons to the Qili Lake defense line!"
"The great cannons of the Holy Trinity will blast those heretic monsters to dust!"
"Move out!"
At the order, everyone immediately sprang into action.
Second Battle Group, Third Battle Group, Fourth Battle Group.
Most of the elite from the three battle groups, totaling 500 men, stayed on the western shore of Qili Lake.
Alongside them were equipment and ammunition that couldn't be taken in time.
Seeing the warriors' expressions, ready to die bravely, Zhang Tao's face was complex.
"Leave all the cannons that haven't been boarded."
"Gunpowder, bullets, don't load them onto the boats."
"Leave them for the soldiers!"
"Yes!"
The Archbishop immediately relayed the orders, and by this time, the first steamboat fully loaded had already set sail.
The burning boilers spewed black and white smoke, the lake waters split by the bow, waves rippling out layer by layer.
And after it, more and more steamboats were starting up.
Under the rising, high sun, the surface of Qili Lake resembled a large naval battle scene, incredibly majestic.
But in reality, it was nothing more than a frenzied flight.
Zhang Tao did not leave with the first departing ship; his flagship still lingered on the western shore of Qili Lake.
A defensive line gradually took shape, and those brave and fearless soldiers were about to pay the highest price for their faith.
Yet at this moment, they seemed to have put everything behind them.
Without the Mechanical Servants or the assistance of the servant convoy, they transported ammunition and weapons themselves, dug simple trenches on their own.
Soon after, they crawled into the trenches, aiming their weapons at the approaching terrifying Beast Tide.
"Sir, there's no more time!"
The Archbishop urged anxiously beside Zhang Tao.
Zhang Tao knew it was time to go.
But why?
It wasn't long ago that he was a commander of the Guard Brigade, charging at the forefront.
And now, after assuming the position of the Saint, did he have to abandon his brothers?
At this moment, Zhang Tao truly felt the agony brought on by the shift in his identity for the first time.
The steam turbine was already running at full speed, and everyone on board watched his face in tension.
Zhang Tao looked back, and suddenly he understood.
It wasn't just the battle groups left behind that wanted to survive; these people who had boarded also wanted to survive.