The garrison of the Hot Sand Consortium's second city was completely subdued in less than half an hour.

  The goblin driving that Gatling gun proved himself a valiant sort.

  From the very beginning until the end, he never once retreated, engaging in a furious firefight with Nu.

  His Gatling gun even had the capacity to launch short - range bombs. Nevertheless, he was ultimately defeated.

  He was reduced to a bloody pulp by Nu's machine - gun fire.

  Nu, heedless of defense, simply trudged forward step by step under the enemy's fire, delivering a point - blank assault.

  The ten - centimeter - thick heavy armor, combined with the Branding of the Rock, rendered Nu impervious to harm.

  Unless employing specially crafted armor - piercing bullets or bombs, it was impossible to inflict significant damage on him.

  Conversely, for a physically frail goblin, a single shot from such a machine gun would be sufficient to obliterate half of his body.

  To a certain extent, nature is equitable.

  It has endowed goblins with sharp minds, remarkable money - making acumen, and boundless creativity, yet denied them robust physiques.

  In contrast, it has given ogres near - omnivorous digestive systems, towering statures, unparalleled strength, and formidable defenses, but at the cost of their intelligence.

  Ogre mages are extremely rare; one might not find even a single ogre mage among ten thousand ogres.

  This further attests to the might of the Dragon's Lair Tribe in the past. A tribe of fewer than a hundred ogres boasted two ogre mages.

  Saying they could lord over the land was an understatement.

  However, the drawbacks were equally apparent.

  Nu's father, who lacked judgment, and that male ogre mage got drunk, resulting in the Dragon's Lair Tribe losing two - thirds of its members.

  This directly led to the current situation where the Dragon's Lair Tribe can only act in a rather unrestrained manner.

  "Order them to lay down their weapons and kneel in surrender."

  Karin sashayed forward, her slender waist undulating rhythmically, as she made her way towards the now - silent battlefield.

  "Huff..." Nu panted heavily, his eyes fixed on the remaining goblins with a cruel and bloodthirsty glint.

  The dwarf leader, perched on the tank, waved his hand.

  "Comply with our ally's directive and make them all kneel."

  The dwarves, gripping a war hammer in one hand and a hunting rifle in the other, roughly compelled the goblins to kneel on the sandy ground.

  The exhilarating battle had left these dwarves in no doubt about the terrifying combat prowess of the ogres.

  "Among the survivors, are there any goblin craftsmen? If so, they may stand up."

  Karin stood amidst the surviving goblins, with the hellhound beside her, baring its fangs menacingly.

  The goblins quivered in fear, and not a single one dared to speak.

  "None?" Karin sounded a bit disappointed.

  Then, with a wave of her hand, she said, "Then they're of no use. Kill them all."

  A flicker of excitement and approval flashed in Nu's eyes.

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  Cruel ogres favored like - minded companions! He raised his hand, ready to pull the trigger.

  The powerful firepower of the three - barreled machine gun had thoroughly won over this one - eyed ogre. Other ogres were also itching to join in.

  "Don't... don't... I'm a craftsman!!!"

  Sensing the impending danger, a goblin threw caution to the wind and quickly raised his hand. "I... I'm a tinker..."

  Once one goblin took the lead, soon another followed suit.

  "Me too..."

  Another goblin also raised his hand.

  "Three of them?"

  Karin wasn't deterred by the small number. She pointed to an open area nearby.

  "You three, scurry over there."

  The three goblins scrambled towards that spot as fast as their legs could carry them.

  "Lord Nu, the rest are useless. Dispose of them."

  The succubus uttered these words and then turned to leave.

  Behind her, the cruel laughter of the ogres mingled with the pitiful cries of the goblins, creating a macabre symphony.

  Moments later, the combined forces of the Dragon's Lair Tribe and Giant Sand City departed from this place, setting their sights on the last remaining city of the Hot Sand Consortium.

  The three goblin craftsmen were bound together and tied to the Kodo beast. Beside them were the common tools they had managed to salvage.

  The dwarves ransacked the goblins' warehouse for supplies, replenishing their water and food stores to the brim.

  The remaining buildings and factories were then blasted and set ablaze.

  The second city of the Hot Sand Consortium was reduced to a smoldering ruin.

  Even if they failed to completely vanquish the Hot Sand Consortium, it would still take them an eternity to restore the second and third cities and resume machinery production.

  In this way, they would no longer pose a threat to the dwarves.

  The only lamentable aspect was that the slave camp here was struck by an airship's aerial bomb.

  The slaves were either killed or maimed, rendering them of no further value.

  Karin's plan to select high - value slaves would have to be deferred until they reached the headquarters of the Hot Sand Consortium.

  Three days passed.

  The combined forces of the Dragon's Lair Tribe and Giant Sand City reached the headquarters city of the Hot Sand Consortium.

  Unlike the previous two cities, the oasis within the city and the overall scale of the headquarters city of the Hot Sand Consortium were on an entirely different level.

  The goblins who had fled back for reinforcements earlier had brought the news.

  Now, the combined forces were confronted with a city that was fully fortified and ready for battle.

  The sandy terrain outside the city was littered with landmines.

  The Hot Sand Consortium was in a desperate situation.

  They had suspended all business operations, cleared the area outside the city completely, and laid explosives and landmines with no blind spots.

  Various machines on the city wall belched thick smoke. There was also a sizeable contingent of foreign mercenaries.

  This was all the might that the Hot Sand Consortium could muster.

  At this juncture, there was no room for compromise between the two sides.

  The airship gradually ascended, increasing its altitude, and its gunports began to unleash a relentless barrage of firepower downwards.

  Chirp chirp chirp chirp~~~

  The goblins might not have had aircraft, but they did possess anti - aircraft weapons.

  These were akin to a crude version of the Katyusha, with rockets carrying bombs whose fuses had been lit.

  The bombs were wrapped in numerous thin iron sheets.

  When they soared into the air and exploded, the iron sheets scattered in all directions, posing a significant threat to the leather - made airbags of the airship.

  Sensing the danger, the airship was forced to climb even higher.

  On the city wall, the goblins' city - defense guns and Gatling guns opened fire.

  Three heavily - armored ogres, each bearing a massive iron shield, stood firm like immovable bastions, weathering the onslaught of shells, bullets, and bombs without so much as a flinch.

  The landmines hidden in the sand also posed a substantial threat to the ogres.

  Every form of powerful defense has its vulnerabilities.

  The upward - directed explosions from the landmines made the ogres, whose crotches were merely covered by a tattered cloth, feel a distinct chill.

  Nu, with his innate combat prowess, needed only a single glance to discern how to break the deadlock.

  Sizzle~~~ Bang bang bang bang~~~

  The three - barreled machine gun whirred to life, rotating rapidly and spewing forth a continuous stream of firepower.

  However, instead of targeting the goblins, it was trained on the landmines on the ground.

  The unending volley of shells carved out a clear path through the sandy terrain.

  All the landmines along the way were detonated, and the series of explosions kicked up massive clouds of sand and dust.

  If people from Earth were to witness this scene, they would likely struggle to fathom that this was a battle from a savage and untamed otherworld.

  There were no elaborate magics or dazzling combat techniques. The battle here was far from primitive, yet it was equally brutal.

  The ogres, hoisting iron shields as thick as the armor of World War II tanks on Earth, charged towards the goblins' city along the path cleared by the three - barreled machine gun.

  The steam tanks provided cover for the mortar teams behind them, relentlessly bombarding the goblins on the city wall.

  The primitive hunting rifles might not have boasted high accuracy, but at a range of fifty meters, they were still serviceable.

  The elite dwarf warriors, shielded by the ogres, gradually closed in on the city.

  The goblins watched in despair as the machines they had once relied on and were so proud of were soundly defeated in the face of the heavily - armored ogres.

  "What on earth are these ogres!!!"

  "Who provided them with the heavy armor and shields???"

  The leader of the Hot Sand Consortium roared in fury from the city wall.