Gu, who was squatting in the space center as a commander, pressed his ears and spoke seriously about the "intelligence" that actually did not exist at all. Of course, Lord Maldiush, who knew that he had no right to access the high-level intelligence channel between the Mechanicus and the Astartes, did not know that Gu was actually communicating through the Hammer Channel, let alone that Gu was trying to "mislead" him.
"Is it possible?"
"The only possibility is that our temporary allies took action against these things and relieved our pressure. Obviously, they don't want us to be consumed too much by cannon fodder."
Gu continued his explanation in a serious tone, earning a slight nod from the Lord of Fort Maldiush, who had been successfully misled by him.
“看来，那些异形还是略微看重了一下盟约——也好，这样的话，我们作战压力就下降很多了。”欢;:迎"进?"!入?【,!夜;袭";的":月:?费.'群;:】:.6;9?.4?:9.,3:""6!，1:3";5?."
"That's a good thing. Since they have been thrown so far away, Lord Maldiush, shall we skip the first and second phases of the battle plan and directly start from the third phase?"
"At your command, Master Astarte."
16. The lured robot frenzy
Night falls and sand is blowing in the wind.
The transport ship, which had been broken into two pieces, fell to the ground in an extremely "indecent" posture. Thick smoke kept billowing out from the cracks and some gaps. From time to time, a small-scale explosion would occur on its body, throwing some metal fragments into the sky, and then letting them fall to the ground.
The blasphemous servitors are gathering. These poor creatures are pouring out of the transport ship like ants and gathering together - as the Dark Mechanicus uses them.
Defective products were randomly manufactured defective products. These miserable creatures had only one goal in their existence, and that was to find their target area and then destroy all moving things inside. Under the guidance of the evil technology implanted in their brains, these monsters that were once citizens of the Empire but have now become slaves of darkness roared slightly and swayed under the stimulation of the electric current. Step by step, bit by bit, slowly and like a wave, they "flooded" towards the direction they had locked on.
"At least fifty thousand..."
On a small commanding height with a simple shelter about three kilometers away from the crashed transport ship, Wilton, the squad leader of the reconnaissance squad from the 144th Armored Regiment of Cadia, put down his handheld night vision binoculars and frowned slightly. As a veteran who had fought on the battlefield for many years, Wilton had already estimated the number of profane servitors he saw now.
"This is the number of servitors that can still operate when the transport ships cannot be deployed normally. Those traitors who have been cursed ten thousand times must have desecrated the entire Udal Hive City. May we be able to pour the Emperor's vengeance on them, and may these poor tortured people rest in peace in the Emperor's wrath."
Wilton's adjutant, who was also the communicator of their reconnaissance team, quickly compiled and sent the intelligence Wilton obtained, and at the same time parsed the ciphertext from the headquarters at an extremely fast speed. In less than a minute, the latest order was delivered to Wilton.
"Guys, get in the car, a new mission is coming."
After quickly browsing the order from the headquarters, Wilton recalled the nearby terrain and immediately made a plan. He quickly packed up his weapons and equipment, and led his men to his team's transportation vehicle - the Centaur transport vehicle that had been modified and armored by the Mechanicus to make it suitable for roaming and reconnaissance in dangerous areas. He opened the door, jumped into the cab, started the engine, and turned on the lights.
Then, he and his team rode away and rushed towards the group of profane mecha servants.
————————————Fifteen minutes later——————————
“Boom, boom, boom—!”
"call out--"
"Snapped!"
Wilton's body was bouncing up and down with the bumps on the road. He pressed down hard, stuck to the driver's seat, held the steering wheel tightly with both hands, stepped on the accelerator, and stared at the road ahead illuminated by the strong lights. Although the lasers or live bullets shot by the enemy passed by the car from time to time, hit the car body, and even passed by his ears at a close distance, the Cadia warrior seemed to be unaware of it. He just tried his best to squeeze every bit of performance of the engine, controlling the speed of the car without being too slow or too fast, and rushed to the direction designated by the command center.
"Da da da... da da da..."
In addition to the sounds of the engine and enemy fire, what came into his ears from time to time was the sound of the heavy logging rifle mounted on the Centaur weapon rack. Whenever the profane servitors behind the vehicle slowed down because the Centaur transport vehicle was passing through complex terrain and got too close, the team member in charge of controlling the heavy logging rifle would pull the trigger and use a barrage of bullets to cut down the profane servitors in the front to ensure that the Centaur transport vehicle would not encounter any substantial threat.
"Captain! Urgent contact from Reconnaissance Team 2!!"
Just as Wilton used his veteran driving skills to skillfully make the Centaur transport vehicle climb up the slope of a small dirt slope in order to save distance and further reduce the chance of being hit by the blasphemous robot servants chasing behind, his deputy loudly informed him of something.
"Give it to me!"
While answering his deputy, Wilton quickly flipped a switch on the control panel. Suddenly, the voice of the captain of the second team came into his ears along with the rustling sound of electricity.
"We are carrying out the induction... rustling... some of the profane robot servants are ahead... coordinates Xx, Xx... rustling... rustling... number... rustling... three thousand... rustling..."
"I see. What about Team Three and Team Four?"
Although part of the captain's words were obscured by the sound of electric current interference, Wilton still roughly understood what he meant.
"I have already notified...Sha..."
"Contact the captains of Teams 3 and 4 immediately. We need to concentrate our forces and charge forward. How much ammunition do you have left?"
After plugging the coordinates into the map in his mind and outlining the scene, Wilton immediately realized that it was impossible to go around, so he immediately made tactical arrangements. At this time, the captains of teams three and four also joined the communication channel.
"That's more than enough... sand..."
"Shasha... no problem..."
"Ammunition...Sand...Enough"
"very good……"
After realizing that the abundant supplies were enjoyed not only by his own reconnaissance team but also by other teams, Wilton silently lamented inwardly that the Mechanicus who came this time turned out to be a group of wealthy people who really didn't care about logistical supplies. He took a deep breath and began to give orders.
"Everyone! Secure yourselves. Put up the bulletproof plates. Everyone except the driver should prepare their light weapons. We will rush through in half an hour at most."
A chaotic array of profane servitors!"
———————————————Space Center Command——————————————————
"The latest report from the outermost line of defense is that they have engaged in a firefight with scattered blasphemous servitors."
"Communication from the reconnaissance squad. They have successfully executed the luring operation plan."
"Krieg communication, the Death Troopers are in place."
"This is a communication from the respected Raven Guard Master Astarte. They are approaching the abandoned industrial town. He also requested that, unless there are extreme accidents after this communication, we suspend active contact with their team until the end of the operation."
"Bishop Egger of the Mechanicus..."
As communications refreshed on the screen, new cursors kept lighting up in the corresponding battle map areas. While Castle Lord Maldiush was quickly reporting back the information he was qualified to report back, Gu was standing beside him, "pretending" to tap on a tablet and "giving orders" to his chess pieces.
"Lord Maldius, my battle brothers have sent me new contact. They have confirmed the outskirts of the enemy's main force. Your people have done a great job."
After struggling "at the air" for a while, Gu, who had arranged the positions of his chess pieces on the front line, turned his head and looked at the Lord of Maldiush Castle, his tone full of praise.
"My pleasure."
Knowing that the war had entered the countdown, Lord Maldiush gently pressed the earphone on his ear.
"Everyone, make the final confirmation. I want to see that after I give the order, our artillery fire completely engulfs the target area."
17. Centaur Transporter - Roar of the Machine Soul
Wandering, wandering.
A large group of Profane Servitors roam the land.
As blasphemous robot servants that fell from the transport ship to the Sosaki world in advance, they suffered varying degrees of damage due to the high "descent altitude", so that they have forgotten their goal, but the curse fire boiling in their "hearts" still reminds them again and again.
Reaping lives and desecrating souls.
So, when the Centaur transport vehicle carrying Wilton's reconnaissance team appeared within their perception range, these monsters who 'finally' smelled the scent of fresh flesh and blood collectively let out a horrible roar, and could not wait to push everything in their bodies to the limit, raising their weapons in their hands, charging or firing, vowing to 'save' their lives - lasers and live ammunition bombarded the front armor of the Centaur transport vehicle, splashing continuous sparks, like a 'broken' necklace.
And the gift these monsters received was——
A storm of bullets from the heavy felling gun.
———————————The dividing line of the reconnaissance team——————————————————
"Everyone! Keep moving straight! The Emperor is watching us!"
Wilton, who was controlling the direction with both hands tightly gripping the steering wheel, roared loudly in the communication channel, encouraging all the drivers of the reconnaissance team to keep up their enthusiasm, and from time to time he glanced at the countdown of the remaining distance displayed on the electronic screen. At this moment, he no longer cared about the ups and downs of his body, and he did not try to "press" himself on the seat like before - because after he pushed the engine power of the Centaur transport vehicle to the limit, its furious machine soul made Wilton feel as if he was not driving the car, but the car was frantically dragging his team forward in the opposite direction!
"Poor mechanical servants, may the Emperor grant you true liberation!!"
Behind Wilton, the shooter of the heavy logging rifle controlling the Centaur transport vehicle had already pulled the trigger tightly with his finger, causing a tongue of fire to continuously draw an arc within a range of 180 degrees in front of the vehicle. When he first came into contact with these blasphemous servitors, their number allowed the shooter to aim slightly before shooting, but now, the shooter no longer dared to let his finger leave the trigger, because he knew that if his firepower weakened a little, the vehicle might be stopped!
"Wilton! Our rear armor plate has been breached!"
Next to the shooter, Wilton's deputy, who was half-crouching inside a few additional defensive armor plates, threw a fragmentation grenade, which blew up a bunch of servitors that were chasing and shooting at their vehicle from behind, and reported loudly to Wilton that the Centaur transport vehicle was in a somewhat bad situation. Admittedly, this Centaur had been modified by the Mechanicus chess pieces, and some additional armor plates had been added to the vacant areas, but what was added was what was added. After holding out for a relatively long time under the torrential firepower of an increasing number of blasphemous servitors, their lifespan was approaching the end.
"We still need to hold on for at least twenty minutes! Hang in there!"
After hearing his deputy's report, Wilton couldn't help but feel a little nervous. He knew very well that the destruction of the additional armor plate at the rear meant that the additional armor plates in other parts of the Centaur Transporter were probably not in good condition. If the armor plates in the engine area were destroyed, the engine of the vehicle would be directly exposed to the chaotic firepower of the Profane Servant. If the engine was decisively damaged...
Then they would be trapped in this area - which meant that they would have to fire the flare before the last person died, which also meant that their team's mission would probably be over.
The rate would end in a flawed way - because Wilton knew that he had no way of guaranteeing that at least one person's life and that of his teammates would be able to survive among so many blasphemous objects until the moment when the large group of blasphemous mecha servants behind entered the designated bombardment area!
"boom------!!"
Just as Wilton was yelling and continuing to boost morale, an abnormal sound of engine running suddenly reached his ears. Before Wells could order his deputy to find a way to confirm whether the engine was really damaged as he had guessed in the worst case scenario, he was "stunned" to see that on the dashboard in front of him, the number representing the engine speed of the Centaur transporter broke through the limit little by little without any instructions from him, and finally stabilized in the red area representing "danger"!
"this?"
Wilton, who was vaguely aware of what was happening, was about to say something when he was pressed down on his seat by the force brought by the sudden acceleration of the Centaur transporter - along with this acceleration, there was a group of people blocking the road ahead, who were hit by the Centaur transporter's extremely high kinetic energy, causing the broken limbs of the Profane Servants to fly into pieces.
"The Machine Soul - the Machine Soul of our Centaur is angry!"
"Oh my god! Can a centaur... Shasha... run at such a speed?"
"The fourth team has already rushed out... rustling... has already rushed out of the danger zone... rustling... is slowing down..."
The next moment, Wilton heard the exclamations of the captains of the other three teams through his earphones. At this moment, Wilton was finally completely sure that the machine souls of the Centaur transport vehicle he was sitting in - no! It was the Centaur transport vehicles of all their reconnaissance teams - were assisting them and ensuring that they could complete the mission as perfectly as possible!
"——Take out the signal gun immediately! Get ready! Send out the signal in fifteen minutes!"
Looking in the rearview mirror at the cluster of Profane Servants that had previously blocked its way and were left far behind by the Centaur transport vehicle in just two minutes, and then looking at the scattered Profane Servants in front that had recovered, Wilton, knowing that he had overcome the most difficult part of this mission, took a deep breath, and put aside the question of why all the Centaurs obtained by the reconnaissance teams had such powerful machine souls. After quickly confirming the relative distance between his current position and the large group of Profane Servants, he tilted his head slightly and gave new orders to his deputy.
"Yes!"
18. Heavy gunfire
Howling Wilderness.
This is the place where those brave pioneers set foot when Sosekhi was first discovered by the Imperial Expedition. At that time, this area was still an undulating hilly area, and these hills were blown by long-lasting winds due to the temperature and terrain - this left a deep impression on the members of the expedition at that time, so they named this place the Howling Hills.
However, as time passed, as the world of Sosekhi was confirmed to be a world rich in valuable minerals, and as the Mechanicus officially established a forge world near the world of Sosekhi to utilize the resources of this world, the hills of the Howling Hills gradually disappeared under the action of huge machines - although, although, based on the reason that it was meaningless to give this area a new name, this area was simply renamed the Howling Wilds. However, there is no doubt that without the special terrain created by the hills, the "Howling" in the name of the Howling Wilds is just a kind of "extension" to commemorate the past...
However, after the howling sound disappeared for who knows how many centuries, the land that was originally named after the howling sounded again. However, it was not the sound of the wind that brought the howling sound, but the sound of the Emperor's hammer -
The sound of the hammers of the Astra Militarum being swung.
————————————Strange dividing line————————————————————
"Load flares—"
"put----!!"
When the four reconnaissance teams fired flares into the sky one after another, and when the Astartes chess pieces that were placed in the early stage as a precautionary measure confirmed that the large force of Profane Mecha-Servants had indeed entered the tactically preset artillery coverage area, and passed this information back to the command center, the Lord of Mardiush Castle, who knew that the time had come, immediately issued an order to fire - as the first round of artillery fire fired hundreds of flares that exploded one after another in the designated area, a "little sun" rose slowly above the Howling Wilderness!
"?????"
As the entire wilderness designated as the bombardment area was illuminated like daylight, a small portion of the Profane Servant machines that still had a pitiful bit of sanity left, driven by certain "feelings", stopped charging into the distance, raised their heads in confusion, and "looked" at the slowly falling flares. However, before they could find a way to deal with this situation from their monotonous programs, a rainstorm of artillery shells and rockets had already whizzed down, carrying the sound of breaking through the air, symbolizing death!
“BOOM BOOM BOOM——————!!”
"call out------!!"
“Long——!”
The next second, the horrific shock wave from the explosion and the flying bullets from the explosion of artillery shells and rockets
The pieces, together with the special fillings in some special shells, completely devoured the wilderness selected as the bombardment area...
——————————————Command Center——————————————————————
"According to the estimates of our regiment at the frontline observation post, according to our original plan, we may not be able to completely tear apart the main force of the incoming profane servitors. This will increase the difficulty of our mopping-up operations after the bombardment and waste more time. Therefore, I propose to extend the bombardment time by another fifteen minutes based on the original plan."
In the command center, Gu, who was still "pretending" to command his U Group chess pieces, gave orders, asking his chess pieces to destroy as many of the profane servitors that were not torn apart by the artillery fire as possible and were heading to the first line of defense. At the same time, he turned his head slightly and gave the Lord of Maldiush a tactical suggestion - although, this suggestion was a bit inconsistent with the style of 40K in some senses.
"Yes, Master Astarte."
However, although this suggestion was very un-40K style, since it was proposed by a respected sergeant-major of the Astartes Brothers "based on the battlefield situation", Lord Maldiush did not refute it, nodded and passed on the order. Seeing that the battle plan had been modified, Gu breathed a sigh of relief, and then opened Hammer's chat channel.
"Everyone, I don't have any major problems here. Once the artillery fire is over, my U Regiment and the Lich's Death Cavalry will be ploughing the land. How are the situations in other places?"
"I have no problem. My White Phosphorus is chasing those things and burning them. I estimate that by tomorrow night at the latest, their large group will be burned by me."
The first to reply was the Egg, who had already held the Axe of the Mecha God and personally joined the battle line under the cover of a group of 'Big Whites'. From his tone, Gu could easily judge that this Mecha God was in high spirits.
"Liang Feifan and I are heading towards Mine No. 1. Theoretically, it won't take an hour to completely clear out the place, right?"
Although she was directing the continuous bombardment of her 51st Regiment, the political commissar sister who was also distractedly directing her Iron Hand Regiment said so.
"What about the Chosen One... Oh, he said not to contact us for the time being - um, Chosen One, didn't you send a request to the command center not to contact us for the time being?"
"...Our method of communication does not involve radio silence - hey, let me tell you something, there might be fish in my blasphemous servitor."
"what?"
"What? What's that?"
In an instant, all the Hammers were attracted by the words of the Chosen One. Even Silence and Abathur, who were directing the patrol around the Sosek world in space at their command desks, curiously joined the chat channel.
"The blasphemous servitors dropped near this mine are not so monotonous. Moreover, I have intercepted some simple radio commands from inside the mine. These signals are definitely not sent by anything left in the mine. They can only be something 'new'."
"Aha?"
"How could something survive a fall of this magnitude? Are the survivors lucky? Or unlucky?"
