Hearing the report from the magitech technician chief, Planck finally lifted his head from the thick stack of reports.
No significant emotion could be seen in his deep-set eyes; he merely pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose calmly.
“Proceed according to the plan.”
His voice sounded more like a professor instructing students in a laboratory than a commander directing a behemoth of war on a battlefield filled with artillery fire.
“The primary objective of this combat test is to provide fire support to the front line. All actions will follow the signals from the Seventh Army Group Headquarters.”
After speaking, Planck pulled out the top few sheets from the report in his hand and handed them to the magitech technician chief beside him.
It was the detailed combat report regarding the ‘Odin’ in the Battle of Paris, sent previously from the Army General Staff.
“The ‘Odin’s’ performance in Paris was excellent, exceeding all our expectations.”
Planck’s words carried a rare hint of approval for this period.
“In that chaotic battlefield environment, the combat performance of ‘Gungnir’s’ First Mode basically maintained the best standards from the Kummersdorf Proving Ground.”
The somewhat elderly magitech technician chief took the pages and scanned them roughly, his gaze immediately drawn to a particular paragraph.
Meanwhile, Planck continued speaking, a trace of regret in his tone: “The only problem is that ‘Gungnir’s’ Second Mode caused too much damage to the barrel itself…”
“Ten sets of acceleration coils were melted on the spot, and the remaining two also suffered severe overload…”
The magitech technician chief murmured to himself, knowing better than anyone what this meant.
“This barrel is basically completely ruined. Repairing it would be more troublesome than building a new one.”
As one of the Empire’s most senior magitech technicians, this experienced chief had personally participated in the entire process of the ‘Gungnir’ project from initiation to testing.
This weapon was like his child, so seeing this “damage the enemy by a thousand, self-damage by eight hundred” situation left him with complex feelings.
“However, the good news is that the attack effect of the Second Mode was even stronger than we anticipated…”
The chief technician quickly composed his expression and continued to Planck: “If the report says that even the fully activated Eiffel Tower could be destroyed in one hit… then the loss of a barrel isn’t entirely unacceptable.”
Planck made no comment on this and did not continue the topic.
For him, while the weapon’s combat results were important, the exposed technical issues and room for improvement were what concerned him more.
Just then, the entire train emitted a heavy sound of metal friction, and the massive vehicle body slowly came to a halt amidst violent vibrations.
Planck and the magitech technician chief exchanged a glance, stepped off the command carriage together, and walked to an open space at a safe distance. Several engineers also rushed over carrying tools and materials to build a temporary shelter.
From this angle, the suffocatingly massive silhouette of the ‘Jormungandr’ was fully revealed before their eyes.
It was like a steel serpent crawling out of Norse mythology. Just quietly parked there, it exuded an oppressive presence that made it hard to breathe.
Two twin-mounted 305mm main gun turrets, removed directly from a battleship, rotated slowly, beginning to aim in the direction of the distant Gaulish positions.
And the 150mm secondary guns deployed on one side of the vehicle body also adjusted their angles like rows of activated fangs.
Of course, the most eye-catching feature was the three ‘Gungnirs’ located in the middle section of the train.
At this moment, they were slowly transitioning from standby to the First Attack Mode, preparing to fire conventional Radiant Crystal Reaction Shells.
Countless burly engineers, under the command of officers, began operating hydraulic equipment to deploy massive support spades, thicker than a person, from beneath the vehicle body, stabbing them deep into the ground.
With the fixation of the support spades, this mobile war behemoth was temporarily transforming into a steel fortress, ready to pour out all its fury.
Planck watched this magnificent scene quietly, seemingly recalling something, and suddenly spoke to the magitech technician chief beside him: “By the way, the report on the ‘Odin’ mentioned that Captain Morin, who developed the High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) warhead, also participated in the entire Battle of Paris, and in the end, he completed the assault mission with the ‘Odin’.”
“Captain Morin?”
Hearing this name, the magitech technician chief was stunned for a moment, then a look of amazement appeared on his face.
“It’s him… That’s truly a remarkable person. An army officer who hasn’t graduated from the military academy for long, I don’t know how his brain works, but he could come up with a genius concept like the HEAT warhead, directly giving our Empire’s Armored Knights an overwhelming advantage in weaponry.”
As a technician, he had the purest admiration for such genius ideas that could change the battlefield landscape.
Planck nodded in agreement and took over the conversation: “More than just remarkable… I read his file; he is also a spellcaster! For a moment, I even wanted to transfer him back from the front line directly to our Magitech Research Institute.”
“I just don’t know if this Captain with little foundation can participate in research…” Planck’s words made the magitech technician chief’s eyes light up; this was indeed a good idea.
“It’s a pity…” Planck changed the subject, a hint of helplessness in his tone.
“This idea was rejected by the Army Department and the General Staff as soon as it was proposed… Captain Morin is now their darling; how could they bear to let him go?”
“Oh? Why is that?” The magitech technician chief was puzzled.
Before Planck could answer, a young magitech technician leaned halfway out of the command carriage of the ‘Jormungandr’ in the distance, waved vigorously at them, and shouted loudly: “Your Excellency Dean! Chief Technician! We received a telegram from the Seventh Army Group Headquarters! They said everything is ready. The main force of the Gauls is assembling for a new round on their attack launch positions. We can start the attack!”
The technician paused and added: “The military also sent the approximate coordinates of the Gaulish assembly area!”
Hearing this, Planck nodded in that direction, then turned back to the magitech technician chief and said: “Let’s not talk about this for now. Let the boys start. Conduct the fire strike test as planned.”
The magitech technician chief immediately entered work mode, returned to the command carriage, and issued attack orders to the various gun crews on the train.
Over ten minutes later, the ‘Jormungandr’s’ two twin-mounted 305mm main gun turrets roared first.
One of the main guns in Turret No. 1 first conducted two calibration shots.
The massive shells, carrying a scream that tore through the air, cut across the sky and landed precisely on the Gaulish army’s foremost attack launch position over twenty kilometers away.
The violent explosions kicked up towering columns of smoke. After the impact points were confirmed by frontline observation posts, the relevant situation was quickly fed back via the wired telephone that had just been connected to the pre-laid line.
“Calibration complete! Target area confirmed! All main guns, fire in sequence! Three rounds rapid fire!”
With the commander’s order, the four 305mm naval guns, ready for a long time, began to roar in turns with amazing efficiency.
“Boom!”
The moment the first main gun fired, the entire earth trembled.
A 329-kilogram high-explosive shell whistled out amidst fire and thick smoke.
After firing, the barrel quickly leveled, and the breech opened automatically.
New shells and propellant bags were quickly loaded into the chamber by the semi-automatic loader under the control of the artillerymen in the turret.
While it was reloading, the remaining three 305mm naval guns also fired in sequence, forming a continuous “artillery concerto.”
Accompanying the roar of the main guns were the twelve 150mm naval guns deployed as secondary guns on both sides of the vehicle body.
Long-barreled naval guns naturally had a huge advantage in range and accuracy over the army’s clumsy heavy howitzers.
Not to mention the earth-shattering power brought by their calibers far exceeding conventional army artillery.
For a time, the Gaulish forward position, where they had just been nervously digging fortifications and preparing to launch a new round of charge, instantly fell into a sea of fire.
Every explosion caused by the fall of large-caliber high-explosive shells would tear everything within a range of dozens of meters—whether soldiers, fortifications, or weapons—into pieces.
Countless Gaulish soldiers didn’t even realize what happened before they turned into fertilizer for the earth in the earth-shattering explosions.
Soldiers lucky enough to survive the first round of shelling were also shaken by the terrifying explosions until they bled from their seven orifices. They lay in shell craters, watching the surrounding apocalyptic scene in horror.
“God… what is that…”
A Gaulish officer hid in a relatively rear shelter. Through the observation port made of sandbags, he watched the scene of his own position being completely swallowed by fire and thick smoke in the distance, despair written all over his face.
He could feel the earth beneath his feet trembling like a sieve and hear the screeching sound of shells coming from the air like the roar of the Grim Reaper.
He had been a soldier all his life, participated in countless battles, and thought he had seen the fiercest artillery fire.
But the scene before him completely exceeded his scope of understanding.
“Did the Saxons move a Dreadnought onto land?!”