《Invincible after death, but in Warhammer 40K》


 Chapter 1: Never Has There Been Such a Wonderful Beginning

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    The Warhammer 40k universe¡ªa world often associated with grimdark despair for transmigrators.


    However, for Zhang Ge at this moment, it was the best possible news.


    A system had detected the high-dimensional information he carried the instant he crossed over to this side.


    Now, as long as Zhang Ge died in a "reasonable" manner, the system could use that high-dimensional information to instantly make him invincible.


    At that point, punching Chaos cultists and kicking Necron star gods would be child''s play.


    If he were unlucky enough to transmigrate into one of those idyllic garden worlds, Zhang Ge might have to worry about how to die "reasonably."


    But as he looked up at the sky, covered in what seemed like clouds but more closely resembled a smoggy haze, and felt the damp trenches around him, the exhaustion of his comrades, and the laser gun in his hands...


    Zhang Ge thought to himself, he had never had such a perfect starting point.


    For now, he couldn¡¯t ask outright where he was¡ªotherwise, if they mistook him for someone corrupted by Chaos, things could get messy. Being executed by an Inquisitor or a Commissar might not count as a "normal" death.


    But given the Astra Militarum''s usual casualty rates, Zhang Ge figured that even if he tried his hardest to survive, the odds of making it were slim. Let alone if he was actively trying to die.


    "Ah, hello, may I ask..."


    A female voice interrupted Zhang Ge''s wandering thoughts, pulling him back to reality. He turned his head, puzzled as to why there would be a woman on the battlefield. Following the direction of the voice, he saw a figure clad in power armor with medical insignias.


    A Sister Hospitaller. That explained it.


    "Apologies, I mean no harm. It¡¯s just that everyone else seems to be resting, and you appear to be more alert, so..."


    The Sister Hospitaller smiled faintly, raising her hands to show she was unarmed.


    It was only then that Zhang Ge realized his body had instinctively reacted to the anomaly. His hand had gripped the laser gun beside him, and before his head had even turned, the barrel was already angled toward the Sister.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Password."


    No, something was wrong.


    Even as Zhang Ge demanded the password, a deep sense of unease surged within him. Something wasn¡¯t right.


    As the thought crossed his mind, the laser gun in his hand suddenly fired a red beam of light before he even pulled the trigger. The scorching beam struck the Sister Hospitaller in the head.


    The sound of the shot¡ªor more accurately, the sound of air expanding around the heated barrel¡ªinstantly woke the nearby soldiers. Zhang Ge¡¯s slightly sluggish brain finally caught up to what was wrong.


    The procedure was off.


    If reinforcements from a different unit were arriving, the first step would always be for officers to coordinate in advance and then relay the details to the rank-and-file soldiers. This would include specifics like timing, direction, unit identity, and personnel count.


    Even in the worst-case scenario, during a first contact, the initiating party would always provide the password first.


    A Sister Hospitaller would undoubtedly know this protocol.


    For a Sister Hospitaller to suddenly appear in the trenches like this, and for Zhang Ge to take so long to realize it despite inheriting the instincts and fragmented memories of this body, there was only one explanation.


    As the laser beam struck the Sister¡¯s skin, the searing heat tore apart her grotesque disguise. Her face melted and ripped away, revealing dozens of pink tendrils that instantly shredded the "power armor" from within.Torn apart from within.


    A recently awakened ally reacted with incredible speed, realizing almost instantly that death was inevitable at such close range. Instead of reaching for his gun, he immediately extended his hand to try and pull out the grenade pin lodged in his chest.


    But even so, the tendril was far faster. Its slender, pointed tip, moving at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye, pierced through the unarmored area beneath his neck, penetrating his brainstem and causing all his movements to cease instantly on a physiological level.


    And the worst part was yet to come. Somehow, through an unknown means of communication, the moment the demon revealed itself, frenzied shouts of zealotry erupted from the heretics in the distance.


    On Zhang Ge''s side, the very moment the ally was impaled, the tendril¡ªmomentarily delayed by the laser¡ªwas already closing in on him.


    Zhang Ge, however, felt no fear¡ªmore accurately, he didn¡¯t even have time to react. In his previous life, the average reaction time for an ordinary person was around 300 milliseconds, while top-tier athletes with professional training could manage about 150 milliseconds. In this life, as a well-trained soldier of the Astra Militarum, his reaction time was likely within the 100-millisecond range. Yet the speed of the tendril far outpaced the body''s ability to even process fear.


    At such a distance, against even the lowest-tier demon, a mortal could only rely on their body''s instincts.


    It was a stark reminder of the grim reality of the Warhammer universe, where human lives were as worthless as discarded pennies.


    But to his surprise, in that split second, the lasgun, which had autonomously fired once before, suddenly unleashed another burst of blazing red light. Despite being a semi-automatic weapon, the beam shone with the relentless intensity of a hellgun, firing continuously without the slightest pause, as if in a frenzied outpouring of energy.


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 Chapter 2: Cultists

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    The immense recoil generated by the compression of heated air pushed Zhang Ge backward, causing him to topple diagonally to the ground. This resulted in the tentacle missing its mark. Meanwhile, the rapid succession of high-powered attacks delivered in such a short timeframe forced the demon before him to emit a wailing screech, its movements momentarily stalled.


    In that brief moment, the muffled sound of a heavy explosive round gun resounded from behind, slamming into the demon¡¯s grotesque pinkish form that had been partially revealed. The spinning steel-tipped rounds tore through its material existence in the physical universe, with successive explosions ripping apart its massive body.


    Under the overwhelming firepower of the heavy weapons, the demon¡ªcapable of annihilating an entire squad of Astral Guards¡ªwas obliterated in an instant.


    Zhang Ge, who had fallen to the ground, was showered in smoldering ash. He held a laser rifle in his hand, its flickering energy cells seeming to express some kind of emotion. His expression was complicated.


    "Brother, aren¡¯t machine spirits supposed to be temperamental and hard to please? Why does yours behave like this?"


    Logically speaking, Zhang Ge, as a civilian with no military background prior to his transmigration, should have started feeling fear once he had regained his composure.


    Whether it was the demon¡¯s grotesque and horrifying appearance or the life-and-death confrontation that lasted but a fleeting moment, even if he wouldn¡¯t face eternal sleep due to death, the biological instincts and subconscious beliefs of a living being couldn¡¯t be overturned so quickly.


    Yet within this body, it felt as though such experiences¡ªwalking the razor¡¯s edge¡ªhad already become second nature. Although his subjective thoughts registered a sense of horror, his outward behavior showed no signs of fear or tension.


    Shaking his head to cast aside this dissonant feeling, Zhang Ge propped himself up into a semi-crouched position using the reinforced plasteel ribbing along the side of the trench. After catching his breath, he stepped onto the sandbag-covered firing step to survey the situation.


    The demon that had infiltrated the defensive line wasn¡¯t the only one, and the Astral Guards in other directions clearly weren¡¯t as fortunate as Zhang Ge.


    The trench was about 2.8 meters deep, requiring ordinary Astral Guards to stand on the firing step along the trench wall to expose themselves for shooting. Yet even with a trench depth designed to accommodate Primaris Space Marines, parts of the demons¡¯ desecrated forms could still be seen emerging in various places.


    In an instant, the silence that had gripped the defensive line was replaced by roars, gunfire, and explosions. The heavy explosive weapon emplacement that had just supported Zhang Ge was now obliterated by a bomb fashioned from the corpse of an Astral Guard, thrown by a demon before they could reposition in time.


    From the body exploded countless malevolent creations resembling multi-legged starfish, which spread out in all directions, consuming and tearing apart the entire heavy weapon squad stationed there before surging further into the defensive line.


    Under such circumstances, on the other side of the trench, the indistinct figures of numerous cultists began appearing in front of the defensive line. The sentinels, impaled on tall stakes that pierced through their skulls from below, explained how the line had been infiltrated so silently.


    Zhang Ge retracted his body, replaced an energy cartridge, and moved to the combat-facing side of the trench, raising his laser rifle. The swift and precise beams of light seemed almost alive¡ªsometimes firing even before he pulled the trigger, and at other times responding with a slight delay after he did.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Despite these seemingly malfunctioning behaviors, every laser beam hit its mark with uncanny precision, striking the most threatening enemies in his line of sight at exactly the right moment.


    Each vibration and every bit of recoil seemed to assist Zhang Ge¡¯s aim, making micro-adjustments to his shots. The red laser beams drilled into the gaps in the cultists¡¯ armor, their searing heat annihilating the corrupted flesh beneath.


    This precise shooting naturally drew the enemies¡¯ attention. However, on one hand, although the cultists appeared to have boundless stamina, their physical limitations were evident. Even at a full sprint, they couldn¡¯t close the distance significantly in such a short time, leaving the engagement range still over a thousand meters.


    At this distance, the laser rifle¡¯s straight trajectory and high beam velocity allowed for pinpoint accuracy. Meanwhile, the cultists¡¯ automatic rifles and similar weapons were incapable of achieving precise fire over such a long range.


    On the other hand, most of these cultists lacked any military training prior to their rebellion. The majority were mere civilians, with poor combat skills to begin with. Moreover, Zhang Ge wasn¡¯t the only one on the battlefield; they wouldn¡¯t concentrate all their firepower on a single infantryman.


    As a result, even though Zhang Ge exposed himself above the trench for over ten seconds and managed to shoot down more than a dozen cultists, the incoming bullets merely kicked up dirt around the trench or flew harmlessly into the distance, failing to hit him at all.


    After emptying another energy cartridge, Zhang Ge silently sat back down in the trench. Clearly, deliberately exposing himself in the trench to invite death wasn¡¯t a valid way to die; he could only hope that in the next round of shooting, the cultists would perform better.


    Just as this thought crossed his mind, a piercing whistle sounded from the rear of the defensive line.


    The message conveyed by the whistle reached his mind: Withdraw from the first trench line and regroup at the second.


    With no other choice, Zhang Ge abandoned the idea of popping back up for another round of shooting. He jogged over, bent down, and removed the dog tag from a fallen comrade. After shaking off the viscous mixture of what appeared to be brain matter and blood clinging to it, he moved toward the communication trench.


    By now, seven or eight nearby comrades had already gathered at the entrance of the trench. Leading them was the squad leader, Dulles, reportedly a veteran. A few other squadmates were hurrying to join from the rear.


    This was, of course, not a standard formation. The group was slightly larger than usual, but in a battlefield of this scale, such irregularities were common. Many comrades who had lost their officers or retreating remnants from other units were often reassigned to existing squads. Conversely, squads that had suffered losses but hadn¡¯t received reinforcements operated with fewer numbers.


    Compared to the standard formation, being over- or under-manned was the norm.


    After crouching about half a meter behind the comrade in front of him, Zhang Ge spoke up:


    ¡°Goss is dead. I have his dog tag.¡±


    The comrade ahead merely nodded numbly and repeated the message verbatim to the next person in line. As the words were passed down the line and gradually drowned out by the sounds of gunfire and explosions, they eventually reached Dulles, who acknowledged them with a nod.


    This method of communication was extremely inefficient but unavoidable. The communication equipment had been corrupted, emitting only a series of blasphemous and chaotic noises. As a result, the regiment had ordered the cessation of all communications equipment, including those used by individual soldiers.


    Before long, the remaining squad members were fully assembled. Despite Zhang Ge¡¯s timely warning and elimination of the demon earlier, the squad had still lost four members in the recent engagement, reducing their strength by about a fifth.


    However, there was no time to mourn or lament the fallen. As the squad moved quickly through the communication trench, a series of violent explosions erupted behind them. High explosives buried beneath the trenches detonated in succession, sending dirt and debris flying.


    Demons, wounded soldiers, and comrades who had been entangled and unable to retreat in time were all reduced to ash in the fiery blasts.


    To prevent the enemy from using the communication trenches to breach other defensive lines, the junctions at key nodes were almost entirely leveled. The intense shockwaves even traveled over a hundred meters along the relatively straight sections of the communication trenches that hadn¡¯t been constructed to standard defensive specifications.


    By this time, Zhang Ge and his group had already entered the second trench line. Amid the relentless exchange of fire, they temporarily regrouped, awaiting further orders.


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 Chapter 3: Sacrifice as the Foundation of the Empire

    After reaching the second trench, Zhang Ge was struck by a realization: Wait a minute, am I the elite force?


    The troops stationed here were not clad in carapace armor like himself but only wore ballistic armor, most of which bore the same insignia¡ªlikely the crest of a local noble family. Even though their faces were covered by full-face respirators, their subtle trembling and rapid breathing were impossible to hide.


    It seemed they were a mixed detachment of the planet''s PDF (Planetary Defense Force) conscripted for service.


    No wonder the Astra Militarum, who valued holding the line more than human lives, had pulled Zhang Ge and his unit back from the first trench. If the PDF alone were left to hold the line, another wave of demonic assaults would likely be enough to collapse these "rookies"¡ªmen whose combat experience, at most, involved fighting gangsters or civil wars.


    It wasn¡¯t that Zhang Ge looked down on them; it was just that maintaining a large-scale force capable of enduring the kind of casualty rates that could erase entire units from the roster was rare. Even on Zhang Ge¡¯s homeworld in his previous life, where wars had been fought for millennia, there had only ever been one such force. As for these PDF troops, who were essentially feudal noble private soldiers, it was questionable whether their training even approached the level of modern professional armies from his past life.


    Fortunately, the local noble seemed well-funded. At least every soldier had a laser gun. This simple and efficient weapon, with its straight trajectory, could still be used effectively at engagement ranges of over a kilometer, even with the PDF''s limited combat skills.


    This allowed the chaotic situation caused by the demonic assault to be temporarily stabilized through brute force. A barrage of laser beams, heavy explosive rounds, and autocannon fire managed to suppress the cultists'' waves of charges, giving Zhang Ge and his unit a brief respite while awaiting further orders.


    When no new orders came for some time, Zhang Ge, half-squatting, idly observed the surroundings. Suddenly, Duluth issued a command:


    "Into the bunker."


    This order was passed down the chain of command step by step, so no other allied units overheard it. After they had been in the fortification for a while, Zhang Ge couldn¡¯t help but ask:


    "Shouldn''t we warn the other units?"


    The semi-enclosed environment of the bunker significantly dampened the external noise, turning it into a kind of background hum. This made direct conversation possible here.


    In the dim yellow glow of a hastily lit torch, Zhang Ge vaguely saw Duluth glance at him for a moment. After a few seconds of silence, Duluth finally spoke:


    "There are demons among those cultists. The sorcery of demons falls upon the battlefield like artillery shells. But unlike artillery, demons leave once they¡¯ve killed enough."


    To be precise, some of the demons of Slaanesh. These lesser demons, summoned by cultists, pursued eternal stimulation. However, if banished back to the Warp in the material universe, it was uncertain when they could return again.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Thus, in the absence of effective restraints among these low-level cultist groups, some lesser demons would often leave on their own once they believed they had claimed enough sacrifices or experienced sufficient stimulation.


    Returning to their current situation: the Astra Militarum¡¯s organizational structure strictly segregated equipment by regiment. Infantry regiments consisted solely of infantry, artillery regiments solely of artillery, and so on. In other words, a conventional infantry regiment like theirs lacked the heavy firepower typically found at the brigade or divisional level.


    Given the dire circumstances, where the PDF had been mixed in as the main force and communications had failed, hoping for sufficient indirect heavy firepower¡ªor air and artillery support¡ªto counter enemy bombardment was clearly unrealistic.


    This left no choice but to sacrifice some to preserve others.


    "Our lives need to be saved for when they¡¯re more useful. If we all die meaningless deaths like your previous unit, then everyone on this planet will perish."


    After Duluth finished speaking, a fellow soldier next to Zhang Ge shifted closer and patted him on the shoulder. The soldier pressed a small cross with a grayish-white skull at its center into Zhang Ge''s hand and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:


    "The Emperor protects. Thank you¡­ You¡¯re a good man, but surviving is more important than doing good deeds."


    Zhang Ge froze for a moment before realizing what the soldier meant¡ªif someone''s dog tag was recovered intact, it served as proof of death. Compared to such confirmed casualties, greedy officials were more inclined to label those without evidence as "missing," pocketing the compensation meant for the deceased¡¯s families.


    By comparison, confirmed deaths at least allowed the families to receive a relatively decent pension.


    As the conversation ended, several more squads of Astra Militarum infantry poured into the bunker from outside. Some carried heavy explosive launchers and other heavy weapons, but their condition was noticeably worse¡ªtwo or three squads combined barely outnumbered Zhang Ge¡¯s single squad.


    In this oppressive environment, no one seemed inclined to talk. In the silence, broken only by the sounds of weapons and equipment being checked, the slaughter outside began.


    Clusters of seemingly light, pinkish mist¡ªprojectiles moving too fast for the naked eye to track¡ªdescended from the sky. Warp energy tore through the fabric of the material universe, as if some grotesque living entity was gnawing at the membrane between the Warp and reality.


    The PDF units, fully focused on holding back the cultists, were annihilated in an instant.


    The sorcery, which favored humans with Warp projections over inanimate objects, latched onto any exposed flesh the moment it made contact. Armor and flesh were twisted together into grotesque lumps of meat mixed with shards of metal. Depending on the caster, these lumps either withered and shriveled, exploded, or swelled grotesquely before lunging at surviving comrades.


    Those struck suffered excruciating pain, their muscles, organs, and nerves crushed inch by inch, their senses agonizingly amplified several times over¡ªenduring all this before death finally claimed them.


    Combat experience, training, and defensive equipment were meaningless now. Faced with this sudden sorcerous assault, all they could do was pray to the Emperor.


    But clearly, even the Emperor couldn¡¯t extend his light to everyone. No matter their specific fate, those hit were now far removed from the state of being alive.


    The screams of agony were so horrifying that they penetrated even the thick layers of earth above the bunker. Amid this harrowing cacophony, Duluth stood up and approached his squad. Just as Zhang Ge thought he might offer some words to boost morale, Duluth instead announced:


    "If we encounter this situation up there, the closest person is responsible for ending their pain. Now, fix bayonets."


    The laser rifles, now fitted with monomolecular bayonets, cast distorted reflections of Duluth¡¯s figure. The chainsword in his hand roared to life with a buzz, filling the bunker with its grating noise.

 Chapter 4: Machine Soul – Combat, Thrill!

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    Bayonet combat, a traditional skill of the Astra Militarum, often proves more reliable than the "feeble" laser guns they carry. A monomolecular bayonet thrust with the full weight of the body might actually stand a chance of piercing the defenses of those heretical abominations.


    That said, the cultists were still at least a kilometer away. Even if they advanced closer, the distance would still be several hundred meters. Why fix bayonets now?


    Despite this question lingering in his mind, Zhang Ge didn¡¯t hesitate to seize the opportunity to volunteer for what could very well be a suicide mission. Watching as Dulles turned to head toward the first position, Zhang Ge stood up and spoke decisively:


    "I¡¯ll go first. The squad needs a commander. Your life should be saved for when it¡¯s more useful."


    As Zhang Ge said this, his face remained devoid of fear or tension, as if the life he was offering up wasn¡¯t his own. Of course, there was no fear¡ªhis tightly pressed lips made him look more unyielding than an ancient relic like an AK.


    Dulles paused for less than half a second before handing over the plasma pistol in his other hand, its blue glow shimmering faintly.


    "If you want a quicker death, just hold the trigger down. The Emperor¡¯s light will consume both you and your enemies."


    Zhang Ge said nothing further. He accepted the plasma pistol and, with his other hand, gripped the midsection of his lasgun like a short spear, raising it as he prepared to charge.


    However, no one present noticed the subtle, but suddenly more radiant, blue glow that flickered across the plasma pistol as it changed hands.


    A suffocating tension began to spread throughout the bunker as each member of the Astra Militarum completed their preparations, akin to the oppressive atmosphere inside a landing craft just before storming a beachhead.


    This tension persisted until two piercing whistles rang out in succession. Even deep within the bunker, the sound was clear. Without hesitation, Zhang Ge charged out.


    The abrupt transition between the dim bunker and the bright outside world didn¡¯t hinder Zhang Ge¡¯s vision. His pupils adjusted rapidly to the light, allowing him to take in the scene in the trench.


    Blood, flesh, and metallic fragments were scattered everywhere, staining the trenches as if a child had carelessly spilled paint from a palette. The "survivors" were mostly missing large portions of their bodies, yet they still emitted incoherent sounds and convulsed in their final moments.


    Before entering the bunker, this trench had been manned by at least a full PDF infantry platoon. Now, not a single one had survived. Worse still, some had been twisted by the warp¡¯s dark sorcery into grotesque abominations. Retaining their sanity but trapped in swollen, pulsating flesh, they writhed in agony, crushing their comrades in the process.


    Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, Zhang Ge understood why bayonets were necessary. As he sprinted toward the nearest mass of flesh, he raised the plasma pistol in his hand.


    The trigger was pulled, and a searing heat blasted forth. The plasma¡¯s intense heat distorted the air, and the familiar delay between pulling the trigger and firing caused Zhang Ge¡¯s heart to sink.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    This power¡ªwas this really a plasma pistol?


    But the machine spirit, roaring in satisfaction, left no time for further thought. As the monstrosity noticed Zhang Ge and let out a piercing scream, its maw opening wide to crush him, a brilliant blue plasma orb shot forth.


    In an instant, the superheated plasma struck the creature¡¯s open maw with unerring precision, bypassing its tough exterior and detonating inside, melting it from within.


    Starting from the point of impact, the creature¡¯s "head" began to swell from the inside out. Radiant light burst through the cracks in its flesh, followed by vaporized gases and liquefied muscle, forming tiny pink droplets. Finally, the explosion¡ªcaused by the rapid release of energy¡ªtore apart most of the creature¡¯s upper body with a deafening bang.


    Zhang Ge wasn¡¯t the only one to witness this. The second in line, a plasma gunner clad in heavy carapace armor and wielding a plasma rifle, had also seen it. He had raised his weapon to fire another shot, but after seeing the scene before him, he glanced incredulously at his plasma rifle, then cast a complicated look at Dulles, who had been his commanding officer for years.


    "Old Dulles, we¡¯re comrades. I trusted you. And you¡¯ve been hiding this little plasma pistol all along?"


    Unaware of what had just transpired, Dulles, thinking there might be trouble outside, gestured quickly for the plasma gunner to avoid blocking the exit.


    Meanwhile, Zhang Ge, seeing that his shot had seemingly incapacitated the creature, approached cautiously to ensure it was truly dead. He raised his bayonet, intending to deliver a finishing blow¡ªbetter safe than sorry. If the thing still had any life left, it could counterattack at close range.


    Just as he was about to strike, a well-aimed grenade was lobbed into the gaping wound left by the plasma shot. The creature''s body swelled once more, and a mix of shrapnel and flesh fragments erupted from its surface. One of Zhang Ge¡¯s comrades, who had followed Dulles, grabbed the drag handle on the back of Zhang Ge¡¯s armor and gave him a reassuring pat, signaling it was safe to move on.


    While another plasma gunner and Dulles focused on clearing the other side of the trench, Zhang Ge and his teammate were tasked with securing their side. The remaining squad members split into two groups: two followed each team to provide backup and finish off any stragglers, while the rest, seeing that this section of the trench was secure and without casualties, removed their bayonets and resumed suppressing the advancing cultists.


    Busy. But busy was better than dead.


    For a fleeting moment, Zhang Ge resented not being reincarnated as one of the PDF troopers. But he could only sigh and press on.


    As Zhang Ge advanced toward a bend in the trench, a wave of PDF reinforcements surged into the second line of trenches from the rear. The second whistle from earlier had been their signal to attack.


    Amid the escalating cacophony of shotgun blasts, grenades, and lasgun fire, Zhang Ge rounded the corner.


    There, three monstrosities loomed, clustered around several grievously wounded soldiers. They gnawed and crushed their victims like snails devouring food. These creatures didn¡¯t need sustenance, nor did they have the biological structures for it. Their actions were purely to torment the living.


    Zhang Ge raised his plasma pistol once more. The glowing blue orb cut through the blood-soaked, cloying air, purging one of the abominations in a blaze of flame. As he prepared to fire a second shot, a sudden tug on his armor yanked him backward.


    By mere inches, he avoided a mass of writhing crimson flesh that was hurled at where he had just stood. The grotesque chunk splattered against the trench wall, sprouting tiny tendrils as it began to creep forward.


    The Star Realm Army is not like the cannon-fodder police or military in horror movies that wait until the monster finishes transforming before opening fire. As a laser beam from the rear blasted the creature to pieces, a teammate rushed forward, activated a sensor-triggered anti-vehicle thermite mine, and tossed it around the corner.


    Those mindless monsters, of course, went berserk and charged after their initial attack missed, only to be reduced to ashes by an explosion powerful enough to take out a Leman Russ tank. By then, the four of them had already retreated to a safe distance.


    Zhang Ge''s face was expressionless, but his heart was bleeding: I must have been a saint for eight lifetimes to end up matched with you pro-gamer bros today.


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 Chapter 5: A Gathering of Heroes

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    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


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 Chapter 6: Red Triple Speed

    At this point, Zhang Ge couldn¡¯t voice any objections. He could only bow slightly as he stepped through the hatch and found the nearest seat to settle into.


    The moment his hand touched the cabin wall, the dim lighting inside the Chimera suddenly brightened a few degrees. The previously aggressive roar of the engine took on an oddly... pleasant tone? It was akin to the way car enthusiasts might revel in the sound of a sports car¡¯s engine revving.


    This unexpected change even managed to soothe the previously irritable Ogren¡¯s nerves, if only slightly.


    Following Zhang Ge, the Commissar stepped into the cabin as well, casually closing the hatch behind him. The only light remaining inside now came from the white glow of the wall-mounted lamps.


    Once seated, the Commissar pulled out a map and displayed it to the group in the cabin, saying:


    ¡°While we don¡¯t have precise intelligence on the heretics¡¯ troop deployments, based on the intensity of attacks encountered by various units earlier, we¡¯ve conducted a rough analysis of their approximate distribution.¡±


    His chainsword left a shallow mark on the thin leather map, not cutting through to the back.


    ¡°The PDF will launch an assault on the area with the densest enemy presence to draw their forces there. Meanwhile, we¡¯ll break through at a weaker point. Two Sentinel walkers and a squad of Astra Militarum will provide cover for us.¡±


    After finishing his briefing, the Commissar glanced around the cabin and found that only one and a half people seemed to be paying attention. Zhang Ge was fully focused, while Ogren was barely pretending to listen.


    The Sister of Battle and the Priest were silently praying, while the Psyker appeared utterly lost in thought, as if their mind had wandered to another plane of existence. To an outsider, they might have looked like a lifeless corpse.


    The Commissar shook his head but chose not to comment further.


    Before long, a whistle sounded, and the muffled noise of explosions could once again be heard in the distance. Judging by the sounds, it was likely mortar shells and... some kind of locally manufactured howitzer rounds.


    At that moment, the Chimera¡¯s engine roared to life with renewed vigor. It was as if it had received some kind of signal, accelerating from a standstill to an incredible speed in an instant, its treads kicking up dirt and dust that scattered in all directions.


    The red Chimera shot out of the defensive position like an arrow loosed from a bow, leaving the two Sentinels and the Astra Militarum squad¡ªoriginally meant to coordinate with it¡ªfar behind. Even though the Sentinel pilots quickly realized something was amiss and pushed their machines to their limits, they couldn¡¯t catch up to the rapidly disappearing red vehicle.


    Meanwhile, inside the sealed cabin, the six passengers were completely unaware of what was happening. Only Zhang Ge, gripping the edge of his seat, asked with some confusion:


    ¡°Is it just me, or is the bumpiness and acceleration a bit... excessive?¡±


    Surprisingly, the first to respond was the Psyker, who seemed to snap out of their trance:


    ¡°Hehehe, what, do you wish we¡¯d slow down and let the heretics tear us apart? Oh yes, being torn apart might not be such a bad fate after all. Death!


    What a beautiful word. Let us embrace it together... hehe, hahahaha...¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    As he spoke, he unexpectedly started laughing to himself. His dry, raspy laughter echoed within the vehicle cabin.


    It was clear he had no intention of stopping, but Ogren, after glancing at the Commissar and receiving a subtle nod of approval, leaned forward.


    Thud.


    Ogren''s broad palm came down, a heavy strike like a warhammer that silenced the psyker. The man returned to the pale, trance-like serenity that Zhang Ge had first seen¡ªhead tilted back, lost in his own world.


    However, the two drivers and one weapons operator separated from Zhang Ge''s group by just a single partition were far from serene. To their horror, they discovered that none of their controls worked on the armored vehicle. Every hatch was locked, leaving them no way to escape.


    As for the usual rituals meant to appease the machine spirit, they elicited no response whatsoever.


    The Chimera was now hurtling forward of its own accord, racing in a specific direction with unstoppable momentum.


    Their cries for help and frantic struggles were drowned out by the roar of the engine.


    The vehicle crushed the corpses of cultists strewn across the battlefield in the wake of their failed assault. After some time at full speed, the cultists¡¯ forward position came into view in the distance.


    The crude fortifications, barely resembling proper trenches, had been hastily constructed in a relatively flat area.


    Cultists gathered in small groups, performing various blasphemous rituals and ceremonies, with only a token defensive force stationed on the perimeter.


    It wasn¡¯t that the cult leaders didn¡¯t want to organize a proper defense, but rather that they lacked the capacity to sustain long-term fortifications or orchestrate disciplined defensive strategies.


    Chaos cults, which often grew through a cult-like recruitment model, were adept at amassing large numbers of followers quickly.


    However, they couldn¡¯t produce disciplined junior officers or leaders capable of maintaining order in such a short time. This left most spontaneously formed Chaos cults severely lacking in organizational ability.


    Elite cultists like those bound by blood pacts were typically structured more like military units.


    For the rank-and-file cultists, their minds were consumed by the fanatical desire to please their dark gods, leaving little room for rational thought.


    Simply keeping them from rushing headlong to their deaths was already a significant achievement. Preventing them from abandoning their posts to perform rituals? That was asking too much.


    You might as well accuse them of insufficient devotion to the dark gods. *insert sarcastic meme here*


    Even so, the sheer number of cultists made a large-scale counterattack impractical. If their advance were stalled, they would inevitably become entangled with the endless waves of reinforcements and daemons.


    Without the advantage of defensive positions or pre-laid fortifications, even a fully equipped Astra Militarum infantry regiment would struggle to prevail.


    Let alone now, when their main force consisted of a ragtag PDF unit. That said, if the objective was merely to bypass the cultists, that was a different matter entirely.


    When the unmasked roar of the vehicle¡¯s engine reached the cultists, most of them heard the noise but failed to grasp what was happening. After all, simply starting the engine was already considered a cautious move in this situation.


    It wasn¡¯t until a crimson beam of light pierced the crowd like a sword, precisely melting the upper body of a minor cult leader whose lower half had already mutated, that the cultists began to comprehend the attack.


    The Chimera, its red-painted hull trailing smoke and dust, barreled through the poor-quality plasteel anti-tank barriers on the perimeter. Only then did the word ¡°enemy¡± register in their rudimentary minds.


    The Chimera¡¯s mounted laser weapons fired continuously, painting a grim picture of death.


    Heavy weapons, clumsily camouflaged, were disabled with pinpoint shots to their barrels.


    Cultists attempting to fire cumbersome meltaguns or rocket launchers often exploded into a mist of blood and gore before they could even pull the trigger.


    Even the rare successful shots, hampered by poor training and the Chimera¡¯s unnervingly swift and agile movements, only managed to leave scorch marks on their own defensive positions.


    Had there been any daemons stationed on the battlefield, they might have put up some resistance. But the few profane entities that had been present were already redeployed to another location under heavy assault.


    Left behind on this front were only fragile, mortal bodies, just waking from their hedonistic excesses.


    The unstoppable Chimera, lubricated by blood and marrow and adorned with shredded flesh and splintered bone, charged forward.


    Its crimson and scarlet hull tore through the cultists¡¯ flimsy defenses like a feral beast, plunging deep into their lines. Amid the unrelenting laser fire and the sparks of bullets scraping against its hull, it ravaged the cultists¡¯ fragile formation, carving a bloody path straight into their heart.

 Chapter 7: Not Only Are the Electronic Eyes Hard, But So Are the Bombs

    The Chimera¡¯s rapidly spinning treads quickly crushed through the first trench line of the cultists, followed immediately by the second and third.


    Given that the distance between the trenches was practically negligible by Astra Militarum standards, the cultists¡¯ defensive depth was actually shallower than that of the comparatively smaller Astra Militarum forces.


    This allowed the Chimera to pierce through their lines with astonishing speed.


    After all, if even the depth of their defenses couldn¡¯t be relied upon, how could one expect them to widen the spacing between trenches to account for strategic depth?


    The trenches, which resembled little more than haphazardly dug ditches, were scattered in chaotic patterns.


    The Chimera¡¯s high-speed advance sent soil flying high and far as it barreled through, leaving a trail of dust and debris that stretched across the cultists¡¯ entire defensive line.


    The transport vehicle, carrying several passengers who were jostled about inside the cabin, sped from one end of the line to the other like a smoke screen cutting through the battlefield.


    Before the cultists could complete any large-scale, effective regrouping, the Chimera had already smashed through their entire defensive position.


    Unhindered by the clutter of the battlefield and without needing to change direction, it accelerated further and disappeared into the distance, far beyond the cultists¡¯ line of sight.


    After bypassing several patrol units and covering a considerable distance, the Chimera came to a halt in front of its target location.


    This was a small underground water extraction town, originally a vital source of fresh water supplies, and also the site where the cultists¡¯ rebellion had first begun.


    Considering that items like altars are difficult to relocate, if one were to guess the most likely location of the cult leader, this would undoubtedly be it.


    Noticing that the vehicle had stopped, the Commissar ordered the Ogryn to prepare for deployment at the hatch.


    The massive Ogryn, with the sound of armor clanking, obediently positioned himself at the center of the hatch. He raised his shield and angled it across the floor of the cabin, creating a makeshift metal barricade large enough for someone to crouch behind even when laid horizontally.


    Zhang Ge understood the signal, crouched behind the shield, and raised his lasgun to aim outward.


    As the hatch lowered, sunlight poured into the cabin. Zhang Ge and the Commissar scanned the surroundings with their weapons raised. Finding no immediate threats, the Ministorum Priest began reciting litanies and released a servo-skull.


    Equipped with various detection instruments, including the renowned augury scanner, the servo-skull floated outward, transmitting its scan data back to the terminal in the Priest¡¯s hands. Soon, the Priest¡¯s calm voice came from behind Zhang Ge:


    ¡°No enemies detected. Warp readings are also low.


    For now, this cult¡¯s strength is insufficient to allow the tendrils of the Chaos Gods to extend significantly into the material universe. However, the situation could deteriorate at any moment.¡±


    The Commissar nodded in acknowledgment and turned to the Ogryn, issuing a command:


    ¡°Big Mouth, jump forward.¡±


    At the order, the Ogryn hefted his shield and leapt out of the cabin. With a heavy thud, he landed a short distance away. If Zhang Ge hadn¡¯t witnessed it himself, it would have been hard to imagine that the seemingly cumbersome, heavily armored Ogryn could unleash such explosive speed in an instant.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    He pressed the large shield tightly against himself, scanning the surroundings. Following the sequence of the vehicle''s cabin, the remaining five quickly disembarked from the Chimera after Oglin¡ªthe unconscious psyker was strapped to the priest''s back like a corpse and carried out.


    A sufficiently powerful psyker, such as a Librarian of the Space Marines, could shield themselves and their comrades from detection in such situations. However, it was clear that this psyker was incapable of doing so. If he recklessly used his psychic powers, the resulting uncontrolled psychic waves would quickly attract every nearby demon.


    After leaving the vehicle, Zhang Ge saw a small town in the distance. Massive water storage tanks, each towering over a hundred meters, were densely packed together.


    Numerous tall buildings topped with enormous chimneys were enclosed within walls. It resembled more of a militarized industrial facility than a settlement.


    The Commissar clearly had no intention of wasting time and addressed the group:


    "Let¡¯s confirm our roles one more time. Big Mouth serves as the shield-bearer, Sister Amelia as the sword-bearer, Priest Laid will handle demons and vehicles, Sergeant Zhang Ge is responsible for counter-sniping and suppressing heavy weaponry, and I will lead, guard the flanks, and make decisions."


    He paused briefly before continuing:


    "As for the psyker, Priest, wake him up when I say so. He knows what to do."


    "This town was originally an underground water extraction site supplying the hive city.


    Around the area, there are tunnels dug by raiders to steal water.


    We know the locations of some of these tunnels. The nearest one is about two to three kilometers away. We¡¯ll use it to enter the town."


    Two to three kilometers¡ªmanageable, as long as the cultists hadn¡¯t yet detected their intentions. Otherwise, if they fortified their defenses, even a distance that short could be enough to get an elite squad killed ten times over.


    As they pressed forward in silence, the only sound being their own footsteps, a bleached skeleton came into view.


    Upon approaching, the Commissar gave it a quick inspection, confirmed its identifying features, and then said to the priest:


    "This is it. Laid, ten meters to the right of this skeleton, use the melta gun to make an opening."


    This weapon, capable of instantaneously releasing immense heat, was generally used to breach armored vehicles. Of course, it was also quite effective for other purposes when needed.


    The priest nodded in acknowledgment, raised the melta gun, and aimed at the indicated spot.


    A near-blinding white-hot beam erupted as he pulled the trigger, the intense heat making the surrounding air feel several degrees hotter.


    The targeted area melted into a spray of orange-red molten liquid, and the blast left a gaping hole. Around the edges of the hole, crystallized glassy formations shimmered in the light.


    The hole was large enough for several people to jump through simultaneously. Below, only a single beam of sunlight pierced the darkness, faintly illuminating the ground below.


    The pitch-black interior gave an unsettling impression, as though something was lurking and watching them.


    "The tunnel walls shouldn¡¯t be this wide," Sister Amelia said calmly.


    Normally, a gang¡¯s water-stealing tunnel wouldn¡¯t be built very wide.


    For one, they wouldn¡¯t have the manpower or resources, and for another, wider tunnels were easier to detect. A tunnel wide enough for two people to walk side by side was already considered large.


    However, this tunnel seemed wide enough to fit an armored vehicle, which was clearly unusual.


    The Commissar, however, simply patted Oglin¡¯s arm reassuringly, switched on the high-powered flashlight mounted on the shield, and replied:


    "True, but we don¡¯t have other options.


    The other entrance is too far, and time isn¡¯t on our side. May the Emperor protect us."


    With that, he directed Oglin to jump into the hole. Sister Amelia followed without hesitation, and Zhang Ge was fourth in line.


    As he approached the opening, the plasma pistol at his waist flickered faintly, as if trying to provide some illumination.


    However, upon jumping down, Zhang Ge realized that additional light wasn¡¯t really necessary.


    The four high-powered flashlights mounted on the shield illuminated the tunnel as brightly as daylight.


    The near-blinding output lit up the surroundings, revealing the figures standing in the tunnel, armed and facing off against the squad.


    They were all bald, with overly developed foreheads, pale skin, and some with deformed hands.


    It took only a glance to confirm their identity.


    Zhang Ge leaned closer to the Commissar and whispered, "They¡¯re Genestealer Cultists."


    The Commissar nodded, showing no sign of surprise. He raised his voice and said:


    "Whatever you¡¯re doing here, we¡¯re just passing through to reach the town. We have no interest in you. Why not bring someone who can speak for your group so we can talk?"


    The cultists exchanged glances and murmured amongst themselves. Before long, a figure stepped out from around a corner. This one was dressed differently, with a noticeably deformed forehead and purplish skin. He approached with a wide grin:


    "I¡¯ve heard there¡¯s an old saying from Terra: ''Hee-hee matter¡ª''"


    Before he could finish, the Commissar¡¯s bolt pistol roared.


    The explosive round streaked through the tunnel in a bright orange arc, burrowing into the abomination¡¯s misshapen skull.


    The subsequent explosion tore its head apart, leaving nothing but a mangled mess.

 Chapter 8: The Alien Doctor, One Bullet Per Treatment

    The figure across the way might appear to be merely a deformed human, but in reality, both their mind and body have already crossed into the realm of the inhuman.


    In fact, these hybrids, tainted with human blood, are even more detestable than pure aliens.


    At this moment, the exploding grenade tore apart the grotesquely twisted head, warped by the bloodline of gene-stealers, scattering bright red blood in all directions.


    The color of the liquid, at least in death, proved indistinguishable from that of ordinary humans.


    The sound seemed to act as a signal, and in the next instant, the firefight between the two sides erupted.


    Zhang Ge''s laser gun, following the Commissar¡¯s lead, precisely struck a heavy lumber gunner hiding behind the enemy''s cover. However, the somewhat self-aware weapon quickly realized this method was inefficient at such close range and sought a more effective approach.


    In the next moment, the swiftly arriving laser beam landed on the energy magazine of an enemy wielding a laser gun.


    The unleashed, unrestrained energy, melted by the intense heat, transformed into a massive bomb. The magenta brilliance first consumed its wielder, then several nearby enemies in quick succession.


    The explosion sent up a cloud of dust, obscuring visibility.


    Fortunately, the reinforced structure of the tunnel walls held firm; otherwise, the blast could have caused a collapse.


    Amid the chain of explosions triggered by Zhang Ge¡¯s precision laser shots, the swirling dust blanketed the battlefield, shrouding both sides¡¯ vision.


    Yet the deadly beams seemed unaffected, piercing through the haze again and again.


    Each explosion claimed multiple lives, forcing the enemy to quickly distance themselves from anyone carrying energy weapons.


    Naturally, the dust also rendered the enemy''s counterattacks wildly inaccurate.


    The only visible target was the growing, radiant light source steadily approaching them.


    Yet firing at that light was futile¡ªOgryn¡¯s immense strength was more than enough to hold a shield capable of deflecting explosive rounds fired by mortal weapons.


    The automatic gunfire and laser shots striking the shield were no more than an annoyance, akin to scratching an itch.


    And if you didn¡¯t move toward the Mountain Overlord, the Mountain Overlord would crush its way toward you.


    Ogryn, the massive shield-bearer, didn¡¯t need visibility at all.


    He simply charged into the smoke, swinging his hammer at anything he encountered.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Each strike sent enemies flying several meters as if hit by a speeding truck. In comparison, the feeble counterattacks of the enemy were utterly incapable of penetrating his heavy armor.


    Before Ogryn even arrived, Sister Amelia had already launched herself forward with explosive force, leaping like an arrow. The recoil from her movements tore chunks of soil from the ground where she had stood.


    In Zhang Ge¡¯s line of sight, her figure moved with impossible speed, bounding off the tunnel walls and ceiling in a display of three-dimensional agility, dodging the enemy¡¯s erratic bullets as she dove into the dust cloud.


    As seconds ticked by, stray bullets inevitably struck Zhang Ge, but his carapace armor absorbed the impact.


    Bullets either deflected off in a shower of sparks or embedded themselves shallowly in the armor, leaving Zhang Ge feeling no more than a gentle push. The armor held firm, protecting him from harm.


    Even so, the enemy¡¯s resistance was rapidly weakening. Despite their tenacity, the heavy losses they suffered in such a short time finally broke their resolve.


    Under the command of their remaining leaders, they retreated further into the tunnel, leaving behind a field of corpses.


    But how could the squad allow them to escape so easily?


    ¡°They¡¯re trying to flee,¡± Sister Amelia¡¯s voice came from behind the dust cloud, her tone calm and unperturbed, as though she were merely chatting and not standing amid carnage.


    Hearing this, the priest, who had yet to act, pulled a round grenade from his waist and hurled it upward at an angle.


    Based on his memory of the tunnel¡¯s layout, the grenade landed precisely on the enemy¡¯s only escape route. It detonated, unleashing high-temperature flames that engulfed the fleeing Genestealer Cultists¡¯ path.


    Trapped with no way forward or back, and now densely packed due to their retreat, the enemy¡¯s vulnerability greatly accelerated Zhang Ge¡¯s squad¡¯s efficiency in eliminating them. What was already a one-sided battle quickly devolved into a massacre.


    One by one, the twisted heads of the cultists fell until the last of the dozens of Genestealer Cult combatants were wiped out.


    As the squad pressed deeper into the tunnels, the remaining non-combatant cult members, already disorganized and lacking leadership, were unable to mount any effective resistance.


    They were swiftly eliminated one by one.


    At the deepest point of the tunnels, the squad arrived at a room that appeared to be the cult¡¯s most critical location.


    A dozen enemies fought to the death here, likely the last remaining defenders. Judging by the absence of a first-generation Genestealer, this was likely just a branch of a larger cult.


    The Commissar glanced at the priest, who shook his head, indicating no life signs detected within the room.


    The squad breached the room, only to find a scene quite different from what they had expected.


    Instead of sacred relics or hidden enemies, a human infant lay in the center of the room.


    The child was so pure, so endearing, as if it embodied all the beauty of the world¡ªa creation that seemed like an angel sent to Earth by the Emperor himself.


    For the first time, Zhang Ge heard emotion in Sister Amelia¡¯s voice: ¡°Disgusting blasphemers.¡±


    The white glow on her blade flickered briefly, and the psychic illusion before them was dispelled.


    The figure on the platform was not a human infant but an abhorrent, four-armed insectoid larva. Its grotesque form was fully mutated, with a swollen head, inward-curling claws on all four arms, and a purple, carapace-covered body.


    This creature was commonly referred to as a ¡°Fifth-Generation Genestealer.¡±


    Due to its complete atavistic traits, it possessed the same capabilities as a first-generation Genestealer and was also known as a ¡°Purestrain Genestealer.¡±


    It seemed this was the purpose of this cult branch.


    However, the squad had no intention of investigating further.


    Sister Amelia¡¯s sword cleaved through the platform and the mutant in one swift stroke. She then poured a canister of fuel over the alien corpse and set it ablaze, ensuring it was utterly destroyed.


    With the task complete, the Commissar led the squad through the tunnels, eventually discovering a hidden staircase leading upward. It connected to a disguised manhole cover, likely opening into the small town they had seen on the surface earlier.

 Chapter 9: The Machine Spirit Rejoices…?

    The staircase appeared to be long neglected, covered in dust, and the well opening below had been welded shut.


    It seemed that after occupying this place, they had never used the inner exit of this tunnel to go outside.


    This was good news, as it greatly reduced the risk of exposure.


    Zhang Ge stepped forward and ran a gloved finger along the outer edge of the staircase.


    After wiping away the layer of dirt and dust on its surface, he discovered that the stairway''s plast-steel structure still shone as if brand new.


    Seeing this, the Commissar, rarely in a joking mood, quipped from the side:


    "Afraid of getting dirty? You can go back and take a shower first."


    Zhang Ge shrugged and replied, "If I can make it back alive, I hope the medal the Department of Military Affairs awards me will be of better quality than this staircase."


    Flag success!


    As Zhang Ge wiped his laser gun, he couldn''t help but feel a small sense of satisfaction.


    They were currently conducting pre-battle preparations, which explained why the two had some downtime to chat.


    Tasks like appeasing machine spirits, checking ammunition, cleaning off bloodstains, and offering prayers or blessings were best completed before entering a dangerous zone¡ªespecially one deeply affected by Chaos.


    Naturally, Zhang Ge had no intention of being labeled reckless, so he followed the Astra Militarum''s standard firearm inspection procedures to the final step.


    Wait a second... something feels off. Why does it feel sticky?


    Puzzled, Zhang Ge removed the magazine that had given him the strange sensation.


    To his surprise, the energy cell was oozing a semi-transparent, viscous liquid from the top, which trickled down the outer casing and smeared his fingertips.


    The magazine slot was also coated with what appeared to be electrolyte fluid.


    "Why does the battery have to leak at a time like this? Couldn''t it have waited or happened earlier?"


    He muttered under his breath.


    After double-checking and finding no other abnormalities apart from the magazine, he discarded it, cleaned his hands, and replaced it with a new one.


    At that moment, Sister Amelia, who had gone to check for any lurking xenos, returned.


    Seeing this, the Commissar tossed a cutting tool to Zhang Ge and said:


    "Alright, you''re taking point next."


    The Commissar pointed at Zhang Ge. "Sister Amelia will follow.


    You two check the area above. Once it''s clear, signal us from the shaft opening, and we''ll follow."The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Nodding to indicate he understood, Zhang Ge secured the cutting tool to his belt and began climbing the ladder. The ladder was firmly anchored, making no noise even with two people using it simultaneously.


    Upon reaching the shaft opening, he noticed a small cylindrical mechanism resembling a periscope attached to the cover.


    Well, since it was there, he couldn''t just ignore it. Testing it with his fingers, he found it still functional. He pushed the upper part upward until it locked in place, then leaned in to peer through the lens.


    The image outside, refracted through the lens, revealed a highly concealed location behind a massive metal pillar. There were no signs of cultists in the vicinity.


    After confirming this, Zhang Ge retrieved the cutting tool.


    Aiming its nozzle at the welded seams, he activated it. The intense heat quickly melted through the sealed edges.


    Once the cut was complete, he used his hand, already braced against the underside of the cover, to push it aside. A faint pinkish light from outside streamed down into the shaft.


    Tossing the cutting tool aside, Zhang Ge raised his plasma pistol and cautiously scanned his surroundings as he exited the tunnel. He found no trace of cultists nearby.


    However, suddenly, he felt an inexplicable pull on his vision, as if something were compelling him to look upward.


    In the sky, the massive rift that should have been obscured by clouds was now vividly exposed. It stretched across the entire firmament, dominating most of the heavens.


    This astronomical phenomenon of the Warp, which split the Imperium in two, shone as brightly as the stars, resembling an unimaginably vast eye gazing down at all who dared to look upon it.


    "Don''t look up."


    Sister Amelia''s lips were almost pressed against his ear as she whispered.


    Her hand, at some point, had landed on his head, forcibly tilting it downward to break his line of sight with the rift.


    It was said that merely gazing at the rift carried the risk of Warp corruption.


    Many planets had even enacted laws prohibiting people from looking at the sky. However, Zhang Ge faintly felt that the compulsion to look upward just now was different from the usual effects of Warp influence.


    It didn''t feel like he had been corrupted.


    Still, to avoid unnecessary trouble, he nodded to indicate he understood.


    After surveying the area, he realized they were in the array of water storage tanks he had seen earlier. Confirming that the environment was currently safe, Zhang Ge signaled Sister Amelia to return and relay the all-clear.


    He remained on guard.


    Receiving the signal, the rest of the team quickly climbed the ladder and regrouped.


    Once the Commissar reached the top, he surveyed the surroundings and lightly tapped the ground with the flat side of his chainsword as a signal.


    This indicated that there were no spatial disturbances in the area and that the previously provided geographical information and plans could be followed as-is.


    The water tank array was far from the polluted mining sites and factories, situated right next to the town mayor''s residence.


    This location allowed the mayor to indulge in the traditional art of embezzlement while staying far from the grimy workers.


    At the same time, it provided an opportunity to network with the various hive transport teams that came to fetch water.


    Who knew? One of those transport teams might even be backed by a hive noble.


    Why would there be a gang''s tunnel exit near the heavily guarded mayor''s residence? Well, of course, even the officials under the mayor need to make a living.


    As such, under the condition that the gang pays a certain amount of protection money, it¡¯s ¡°tacitly accepted¡± that their water-stealing tunnels exist.


    In fact, the mayor himself is quite pleased with this arrangement.


    After all, if someone from higher up were to come one day to inspect the accounts or warehouses, he could conveniently stage a ¡°small accident,¡± shift the blame onto the gang, and then pin the responsibility on the head of the guards and those involved. Wouldn¡¯t that allow him to escape unscathed?


    However, with the mayor raking in profits through this chain of schemes, he naturally began to indulge in unrestrained hedonism. Before any higher-ups arrived, what came instead was the Warp Rift¡¯s subspace shockwave.


    His already fragile willpower crumbled further, leaving him as nothing more than a plaything for the Chaos Gods of the Warp.


    And now, the very tunnels that the mayor had dismissed as unworthy of investigation have allowed the decapitation squad to bypass the tightly guarded array of water tanks and reach this close proximity.


    But... this also means they¡¯ve entered a part of the operation that wasn¡¯t in the plan. This is precisely where the danger of this mission lies¡ªand what Zhang Ge has been seeking all along.

 Chapter 10: The Pinnacle of Stealth, the Simplest Approach

    Zhang Ge, who was carrying out a reconnaissance mission, had already reached the edge of the outer wall of the mayor''s mansion. To avoid making noise from his armor clinking, he had removed all his gear.


    Theoretically, if he were discovered, it would almost certainly mean a dead end for him.


    However, even though Zhang Ge had been exposed to the surveillance cameras several times while evading the guards¡ªsometimes with no way to avoid it¡ªthe cameras seemed to act as if they hadn¡¯t seen him. Even when he deliberately paused for a few seconds, there was no reaction at all.


    What¡¯s going on? Is the guy in the monitoring room slacking off?


    Zhang Ge fumed inwardly.


    But if he had been in the monitoring room at the same time, he would have realized that things weren¡¯t so simple.


    On the large screen in the monitoring room, where the feeds from numerous cameras should have been displayed, every single one of them was pitch black.


    This wasn¡¯t caused by the decapitation squad but rather because the mayor¡¯s mansion was the epicenter of the rebellion and the primary hub for demon summoning.


    The influence of the Warp on the material universe was particularly intense here, causing subtle but frequent distortions in the otherwise stable laws of physics.


    For individuals with Warp projections to stabilize their surroundings, such changes might not have much impact. But for certain devices, especially precision electronic instruments without special protection, even a single occurrence of such distortion could be catastrophic.


    Military-grade components, which undergo blessings and sanctification during every stage of assembly, might still function normally.


    But as for this mayor... it was clear he hadn¡¯t spent money on such measures.


    As a result, the surveillance system had been damaged from the outset, and the monitoring room had long since been abandoned.


    After carefully scouting the outer wall again, Zhang Ge concluded that without special skills or the coordinated efforts of an entire specialized team, reaching this point was already the limit.


    The cultists weren¡¯t like video game enemies, deliberately leaving blind spots in their field of vision for Zhang Ge to exploit. On the contrary, whenever conditions allowed, they overlapped as many sentry points, traps, and defenses as possible.


    This was the norm.


    The cultists guarding the mansion appeared to be the mayor¡¯s private soldiers or perhaps defectors from the PDF or Astra Militarum.


    Under such a tightly organized watch, even if Zhang Ge managed to take out one or two sentries to create a brief opening, it wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference.


    Unless he could eliminate an entire section simultaneously, the remaining guards would quickly react.


    That said, the tighter the security around the mayor¡¯s mansion, the more it aligned with Zhang Ge¡¯s expectations.


    Having come this far, the squad couldn¡¯t just turn back, could they? When it came time for a frontal assault, with bullets flying everywhere, who would be afraid of dying?If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Perfect plan.


    With that thought, Zhang Ge retraced his original route, avoiding the outer patrols, and reported the situation to the commissar and the others waiting on the perimeter.


    The commissar, however, showed no particular reaction upon hearing the report.


    Perhaps he was too experienced to be fazed. He simply asked Zhang Ge to repeat the route he had taken to bypass the outer defenses. Then, leading the entire squad, he began approaching the outer wall of the mansion.


    But even with the utmost caution, accidents still happened.


    ¡°Trai¡ª¡±


    The laser beam cut off the cultist¡¯s words and the rest of his life.


    Zhang Ge thought to himself: infiltrating with an entire squad is a completely different challenge compared to going solo.


    Especially with an Ogryn in tow, many of the hiding spots were simply unusable. It wasn¡¯t surprising that the squad¡¯s presence had been detected.


    Sister Amilia, who was positioned closer, immediately darted forward and decapitated the remaining two cultists with a single swing of her blade. But the squad¡¯s exposure was now irreversible.


    In such a sensitive location, ¡°no information being relayed back¡± was no longer an option.


    Information in itself is a kind of message.


    Recalling the patrol patterns he had observed earlier, Zhang Ge spoke up:


    "According to Terra''s timekeeping, we have roughly five minutes left."


    The Commissar didn¡¯t respond.


    He merely glanced at the outer wall of the mansion, then, after a moment, turned to Priest Laide and said:


    "We''re close enough. Wake the psyker."


    The latter lowered the psyker from his back, unfastened the restraints binding him, and retrieved a syringe, injecting its contents into the psyker¡¯s neck.


    The potent solution took immediate effect, causing the psyker to convulse before slowly regaining consciousness moments later.


    "Oh... I¡¯ve never felt such clarity in my connection to the Warp.


    Is this my destined place? How marvelous."


    The psyker pushed himself up from the ground as he spoke, standing while surveying his surroundings.


    His gaze quickly locked onto the massive structure ahead.


    However, the Commissar had no intention of indulging in further ramblings. He pointed at the psyker and then turned to Big Mouth, issuing a command:


    "Big Mouth, throw him. Aim for the wall ahead."


    Compared to the ogryn, the psyker''s frail and emaciated body resembled a bamboo stick. Gripping him around the waist, Big Mouth effortlessly hoisted him into the air. The psyker offered no resistance, as if he had anticipated this. His expression even grew more exhilarated.


    "Glory, glory!


    Through suffering, my soul returns to the heavens!"


    Under the ogryn¡¯s immense strength, the psyker traced a graceful arc through the air, hurtling toward the mansion¡¯s outer wall.


    Countless guards naturally witnessed this scene, but before they could intercept, the psyker seemed to suddenly lose all momentum, freezing in mid-air.


    His robes billowed as if caught in an unseen wind, and brilliant blue lightning began to dance around him. Psykic energy radiated from his pale body, forming an otherworldly spectacle of milky-white orbs of light.


    In an instant, dazzling and resplendent psykic lightning surged and erupted from his upraised hands. Though silent, the agonized screams of cultists reduced to ash by the blasts were deafening.


    The unrestrained use of psykic power caused an overflow so intense that it shredded and annihilated the cultists¡¯ counterattacks. Bullets and lasers aimed at the psyker were devoured without exception by the radiant energy.


    But this display came at a cost.


    As the psyker laughed maniacally, his body withered rapidly, soon resembling little more than a dried husk.


    The brilliant, fleeting burst of power extinguished his life force quickly.


    At the same time, the Warp, drawn by this dazzling projection, began to spew forth daemons in a relentless torrent.


    Yet this was the final part of the psyker¡¯s plan. As his body and soul were invaded by one, then multiple twisted entities, he ignited himself using his last psykic reserves. The daemons from the Warp became fuel for his final act.


    With an unrestrained surge of psykic energy, a white sphere as radiant as a star appeared on the ground, expanding rapidly.


    Accompanied by the anguished howls of daemons lured into the furnace, the sphere transformed into a storm of annihilation, indiscriminately engulfing and shredding everything within its range.


    As the storm finally subsided, those who had retreated to a safe distance witnessed a circular breach hundreds of meters wide, centered on where the psyker had been.


    Cracks in the ground radiated even further outward.


    Through the most brutal means, the psyker had forcefully torn open the final breach for the decapitation squad''s "infiltration."


    "Don¡¯t let anyone¡¯s sacrifice go to waste.


    Now it¡¯s our turn to pay them a visit."

 Chapter 11 It is a technique of exceptionally high purity

    The massive spherical breach tore through a large section of the area, including the outer wall and part of the mansion¡¯s main structure.


    This exposed much of the mansion''s interior and underground sections while simultaneously engulfing all the cultist guards on that side.


    However, despite creating this opening, the cost was the entire town erupting into chaos.


    Once the nature of the event was realized, a piercing alarm blared through the town.


    Large numbers of cultists began converging on the mansion, and countless demons, drawn by the psychic disturbance, were already swarming toward the area.


    Time was running out for the decapitation squad.


    Even if they succeeded in their mission, the odds of escaping alive were slim to none.


    Yet, it was clear that the five remaining squad members didn¡¯t care much about that.


    The group quickly circled around the edge of the breach and entered the mansion''s interior.


    Zhang Ge found a section of the ruined wall to use as cover and raised his laser rifle to intercept the first wave of cultists, who had originally been part of the external patrol.


    The twisted heretics swarming in were eliminated as quickly as Zhang Ge could pull the trigger.


    But their numbers were so overwhelming that even after dozens fell, more would immediately fill the gaps.


    For now, all Zhang Ge could do was barely suppress them on the opposite side of the breach.


    But as the enemy numbers grew, their counterfire became increasingly intense.


    Bullets whizzed past his ears and struck the cover relentlessly. Even as he constantly shifted positions, the situation continued to deteriorate.


    While reloading after emptying another magazine, a bullet from an automatic rifle finally grazed past his face, drawing a thin line of blood. Just a few centimeters closer, and it would have pierced his skull.


    Seeing this, Zhang Ge shouted, "I won¡¯t last much longer! If I get seriously injured before you¡¯re done, make sure to finish me off before you leave!"


    This was a precaution. If he ended up captured alive by those depraved cultists of the Lustful Heresy, the consequences would be unimaginable.


    Even in ancient times, humans had developed horrific tortures to stimulate the senses.


    One could only imagine what these heretics, with no moral boundaries, might do. The thought alone was enough to send chills down his spine.


    The commissar''s voice, slightly labored from exertion, soon came from inside. Under the increasingly oppressive influence of the Chaos God¡¯s domain, his emotional side was beginning to outweigh his rationality, making his words more verbose than usual.


    "Typically, officials would build shelters beneath their mansions, and the altar is likely underground as well.


    We need to block them off from below first. If that doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll clear them out from above. This will take some time! ¡­ Sister Amelia, go assist him!"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The mansion''s interior was complex, with numerous rooms.


    Clearing it out room by room wasn¡¯t feasible given the time constraints.


    Yet advancing recklessly in such a layout was equally dangerous, as enemies could emerge from unknown corners at any moment.


    Guns would be bad enough, but who knew if the crazed cultists had strapped themselves with thermal explosives?


    Thus, they decided to head directly underground, gambling that the mayor wouldn¡¯t have placed the shelter or the initial ritual site above ground. The goal was to block off the enemy from below.


    Given that enemies surrounded the exterior, attempting to rappel directly into the breach from outside was out of the question¡ªit would be no different from serving oneself up as a live target. The only option was to blast a hole through the floor.


    However, the structural steel used in the mansion''s construction was far stronger than the soil outside.


    Even with thermal guns and thermal explosives, it would take time.


    As the commissar finished speaking, a white blur suddenly shot out from the building, streaking past Zhang Ge at an incredible speed and stirring up a gust of wind.


    Sister Amelia, wielding her greatsword, moved with agility that defied its cumbersome appearance. At a speed far beyond human limits, she dodged incoming bullets while her sword traced elegant arcs through the air.


    By predicting the direction of enemy gun barrels and the timing of their trigger pulls, she positioned her blade along the path of incoming laser beams, deflecting them before they could strike her.


    The resulting bursts of energy disrupted other bullets and beams, making her movements appear almost as if she were orchestrating the enemy¡¯s attacks. Each parry was executed with perfect precision.


    Unable to react in time to organize concentrated fire, the cultists found themselves overwhelmed as Sister Amelia charged into their ranks.


    In close combat, their attempts to adjust their aim were far too slow to keep up with her movements.


    Even when their weak automatic rifles occasionally hit her, the bullets only managed to embed themselves shallowly in her muscles, failing to cause fatal damage.


    Amidst the spray of severed limbs, the pressure on Zhang Ge¡¯s side eased considerably.


    Seconds ticked by as attacks continued to fly toward Zhang Ge, yet none managed to cause further harm.


    While it was understandable for shots to miss over such a distance, the complete lack of accuracy was beginning to feel absurd.


    Experiencing the cultists¡¯ poor marksmanship firsthand, Zhang Ge couldn¡¯t help but feel like he¡¯d discovered a group of unpolished talents.


    Finally, as the blood from his earlier wound began to seep deeper into his mouth, the first wave of demons came into view. At that moment, the commissar¡¯s voice once again rang out:


    "Sergeant Zhang Ge, call Sister Amelia back!"


    Shaking his head in disappointment at the cultists, Zhang Ge fired a few shots into the sky as a signal.


    Though they hadn¡¯t agreed on this beforehand, Sister Amelia wasn¡¯t foolish enough to think he¡¯d waste ammunition on skyward shots for no reason in such a situation.


    Sure enough, a short while later, the white blur returned.


    But as Sister Amelia approached, Zhang Ge noticed something was off.


    One of her arms seemed to have been directly melted off by something.


    The wound was cleanly severed, but there was no bleeding, as the burned flesh at the stump had fused together, sealing the blood vessels.


    "Painkillers."


    Sister Amelia calmly said to Zhang Ge as she planted her longsword into the ground.


    Although enduring pain was also a part of serving the God-Emperor, pain could objectively impair physical functions.


    Weighing the sin of failing to complete her mission to the fullest against enduring pain, she was clear on which was the lesser evil.


    As Zhang Ge pulled out a painkiller from the emergency medical kit and injected it into her, Sister Amelia continued speaking:


    "They brought in a laser cannon, using a crowd to obscure our line of sight. They tried to vaporize me along with a dozen heretics. They failed, but I didn¡¯t completely evade it either.


    This position can¡¯t be held. Heavy weapons will arrive soon."


    "The task inside is already complete.


    There¡¯s no need to hold this position anymore."


    Why does it feel like you people talk so much?


    Zhang Ge silently complained without much concern.


    However, he didn¡¯t fully understand that in a place like this, talking more was actually normal.


    On one hand, it was necessary to exchange information.


    On the other hand, the insidious corruption of the Warp¡¯s Chaos Gods was often silent and subtle; no one wanted their teammate to suddenly snap and fall to corruption.


    Thus, as long as it didn¡¯t interfere with combat, speaking in logical, coherent sentences or sharing personal memories could help both oneself and allies gauge whether and to what extent they had been corrupted.


    The two didn¡¯t waste much time.


    After the injection was administered, they quickly entered the building. Inside, a barely sufficient opening for Ogryns to jump through appeared before them. The others were already on guard below.

 Chapter 12: Turning Gears

    After Zhang Ge leaped into the entrance, although he did not experience any adverse reactions from the corruption of the subspace, he could still perceive the exceptionally intense non-reality phenomena present in this area.


    After all, he wasn''t blind; he could see the bizarre creations littering the corridor.


    Most of those objects were not intentionally made by the cultists but were merely phenomena resulting from the erosion of the original objects themselves.


    Pastor Ryder also spoke with a grave expression:


    "If those demons were summoned from a single altar, then this underground space is probably on the verge of becoming a living entity."


    The team hesitated, not out of fear, but because everyone understood that in this environment, anything could potentially become an attacking entity. Rushing in would mean not surviving more than ten seconds, and they wouldn''t even last long enough to find that mayor.


    Such a large-scale demon summoning could be considered normal for a water supply town¡ªprovided it was developing secretly in multiple locations at the same time. However,


    if it were concentrated in one place, the subspace fluctuations caused by the rituals would be too bright to conceal.


    But they never expected the local officials to be so corrupt as to allow such a thing to happen.


    However, if they had investigated a bit more, they would have discovered that this place was already in a terrible state before the chaos arrived.


    The governor''s family of this planet had promised a continent to the Mechanist Church long ago in exchange for sufficient industrial resources. But as the Mechanist Church developed, they became dissatisfied with just one continent to spread the glory of the Omnissiah and a precious mineral known as "Black Stone."


    Thus, a brutal political struggle began, and even before the chaos invasion, this place was already on the brink of civil war.


    What interrupted the civil war later was an even worse situation¡ªthe invasion of the Orcs.


    This powerful external enemy breached the space defenses and struck various locations on the planet, establishing orc garbage cities and destroying several nests.


    Yet even so, the internal conflicts did not cease, and the planetary defense forces struggled to establish unified command.


    Amid such internal strife and external threats, the entire planet was already exhausted, and local control had significantly diminished.


    If there had been enough time for a thorough investigation, perhaps the decapitation team would never have been formed in the first place. After all, to decapitate, one must be stronger than the "head," right?


    But they did not have enough time or investigation, and thus had to face the consequences.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Now, there was no time to hesitate any longer.


    The political commissar ultimately issued the order:


    "Continue moving forward with me; if I fall, let Priest Ryder lead the way."


    At that moment, a second unexpected event occurred.


    As Zhang Ge was about to step into that corrupted land, he felt a warmth at his waist, and radiant light began to pour out from the seams of his pouch, growing more intense.


    When he curiously reached inside to grasp the source of the heat, the object suddenly flew out on its own.


    It was the skull cross that Zhang Ge had received earlier in the artillery shelter.


    At this moment, it floated slowly in mid-air, releasing a gradually expanding golden light. The skull seemed to come alive, emanating a powerful force.


    The energy surging from the cross purified the surrounding environment.


    Those grotesque creatures and fleshly tendrils began to panic and flee as they approached within several meters of the cross, some simply turning to ash.


    Simultaneously, this power enveloped the five surviving individuals, revitalizing their exhausted bodies with an inexplicable strength.


    From the moment Zhang Ge had bent down to pick up that dog tag in the trench, the gears of fate began to turn. Now, as the final circle of those gears came to a halt, the ultimate result presented itself before him in this manner.


    "Emperor above..."


    Faced with this scene, even the political commissar couldn''t help but gasp in astonishment, let alone the priest and the nun.


    "Um, perhaps we should keep moving forward?"


    The only one not immersed in the scene was Zhang Ge, who, feeling frustrated, gritted his teeth and reminded them.


    Damn it, if I had known, I should have listened to Brain Platinum and not accepted gifts during the holidays this year.


    This thought seemed to awaken the cross, which began to float forward on its own. Seeing this, the others snapped back to reality and, under the cross''s protection, quickly moved in the direction it indicated.


    Before they left, Priest Ryder made sure to fire a heat-melting shot at the cave entrance, sealing it with the melted plastic steel.


    Following the corridor that had once been adorned with extravagant golden decorations and various treasure sculptures, they now encountered blasphemous heretical symbols and disturbing ornaments.


    After a while, the sound of their pursuers became barely audible, and for some reason, they did not encounter any other cultists ahead.


    Until the cross stopped at a corner, and as they turned, a massive underground space appeared before them.


    It was a vast circular "theater," where countless individuals were pierced and bound in twisted postures to bright red seats, facing the center.


    Blood continuously flowed from them into drainage channels, leading to the passageway, creating a constantly flowing crimson carpet.


    Though their bodies had become hairless, emaciated forms, their features seemed to meld together, twitching as if from some relentless, intense stimulation.


    However, upon hearing someone intrude, they still reacted violently.


    They were still alive.


    The sounds of their struggles converged, amplified by the underground space and the theater''s unique circular structure, echoing back like a chilling applause, inciting a wave of nausea in the five individuals present.


    At that moment, the curtain in the center of the "theater" was lifted, and several performers with pink tendrils hanging from their necks, seemingly having their spines pulled upward, entered with stiff movements.


    With perfect smiles on their faces, they bowed to the audience and began their bizarre dance.


    "Ha... ha... ha... What vulgar guests... Seeing the performance, isn''t there any applause?"


    As the performance began, a sweet voice resonated from all corners of the theater, as if emerging from the mouths of everyone present.


    The voice fluctuated between male and female, but without exception, it carried a syrupy sweetness that coiled around them.


    But amidst this harmonious sound, a disruptive retching noise broke through.


    It was Zhang Ge, who could no longer suppress his physiological urges.


    He vomited a mixture of food remnants and stomach acid onto the corridor before him, blending it with the blood as it flowed downward.


    Wiping his mouth with the robe of the nearby priest, Zhang Ge smirked disdainfully and replied, "Heretic, your performance and taste are revolting.


    I really shouldn''t have eaten anything before coming here."

 Chapter 13: The Favorite Concubine

    Zhang Ge knew that regardless of whether he lived or died today, that androgynous heretic would definitely die.


    However, even though he mocked them, he had no intention of acting rashly.


    After all, he had no experience dealing with such scenes, and acting recklessly would most likely be seen as a deliberate attempt to seek death.


    What Zhang Ge did not know was that the others were also facing this situation for the first time. Incidents involving cultists and demon invasions were extremely rare, let alone to this extent.


    Although the political commissar, Oglin, and the priest had fought many battles, most of those situations involved ordinary cultists and rebels.


    Sister Amelia had seen the most, but previously, it was always in coordination with a full-fledged combat nun squad, with each person responsible for a specific task.


    Now, everyone was a makeshift group, and she did not dare to act rashly.


    Among the five who were trying to find a way to respond based on their limited past experiences, the first to take action was Priest Ryder.


    He silently raised his heat melt gun, aiming at the center of the stage, but he did not intend to attack the dancers; instead, he directly pulled the trigger upwards.


    The heat beam that erupted from the gun instantly swept across the entire theater, evaporating the liquids in its path, creating a faint red ring, and roaring towards the ceiling connected to those fleshy tendrils.


    At the moment of contact, the searing beam instantly melted the curtain at the impact point and ignited the surrounding fabric materials, but it was swallowed by the deeper darkness, leaving only flickering flames that cast a layer of destructive madness over the already eerie stage.


    After a brief silence, the voice returned:


    "How boring... I originally planned to let you finish watching my new show, but since you are so impatient, let my beloved pets play with you."


    As his words fell, the lights of the entire "theater" went out from bottom to top. In the pitch blackness, only the light of the cross still enveloped everyone, corresponding with the flames on the stage, while the unending "applause" sounded particularly jarring in this silk-like thick darkness.


    After all the lights went out, a cylindrical beam of light, piercing like a searchlight from above, illuminated one person.


    Unlike the twisted cultists and demons outside, this person''s figure was robust with excellent proportions.


    Although their legs were replaced by two pink, bow-shaped feet, they perfectly integrated with their body, and coupled with their handsome face and shoulder-length silver hair, it accentuated a non-human beauty akin to a mysterious forest spirit.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Under the stage light, like the entrance of an actor, the voice rang out again, tinged with excitement and delight:


    "Allow me to introduce one of my perfect pets¡ª"


    Zhang Ge responded with action: as his left hand moved to his waist, he set the laser gun aside and pulled out a flare, igniting it.


    The crimson star shot into the sky, breaking through the darkness and illuminating the remaining three pets, while his right hand simultaneously drew a plasma pistol.


    With the gun raised and the trigger pulled tight, a faint current jumped along the excitedly flickering body of the plasma pistol.


    Without hesitation, Zhang Ge fired, a sense of crisis enveloping the posed pet below like a needle prick.


    As his pupils constricted, he unhesitatingly ignored the punishment he might face afterward, defying his master''s order to remain still, and leaped to the right, evading at high speed.


    However, the bright blue light that suddenly exploded and rushed towards him seemed to anticipate his dodge, striking his chest at the moment he overlapped with another pet.


    The light wrapped around him with high temperature, causing his blessed body to char instantly and then further vaporize.


    Yet, because the temperature of the plasma was too high, this pet''s nerves had already been burned before she could feel the pain, granting her a merciful death...


    But the pet behind her was different; the subsequent explosion not only purified the first pet''s upper body but also engulfed the second pet.


    The plasma burned through her eyes and further drilled into her brain from this fragile point, but this was not immediately fatal for her.


    Instead, the sudden pain granted her more blessings, allowing her to clearly feel the process of her insides being destroyed by high temperatures, her life slipping away bit by bit.


    Seeing that everyone lacked experience, Zhang Ge simply said while firing:


    "Why don''t we burn this place to ashes and leave the rest to the Emperor''s judgment?"


    Sister Amelia had already rushed out the moment Zhang Ge made his move. She wielded her double-handed sword with one hand, swiftly darting past the rows of seats, her toes precisely landing on the backs of the chairs, causing no more pain to the emaciated figures.


    In the blink of an eye, she confronted the remaining two pets. Their combined attack was forcibly torn apart by the immense momentum she gained from her inertia.


    Although she held the sword with only one hand, after breaking through their force, she suddenly stopped in front of the two pets, and the next swing of her hand moved even faster than when she was on the ground.


    Under the rigidity caused by the first powerful strike, the sword light flashed, and with one encounter, the right hand of one pet was severed.


    But the clash was far from over. Amidst the red glow, the increasingly frenzied assaults of the two pets intertwined with Sister Amelia''s form, the sounds of clashing blades ringing incessantly.


    In this attack, which was difficult for ordinary people to even react to, the nun remained calm to the point of indifference, expressionless as she countered, her sword slicing and hacking without any defense.


    Using one hand and the strength of her body to guide the double-handed sword, and relying on the greater mass of the sword compared to the pets, she responded with precise attacks to intercept their strikes, managing to hold her ground against two opponents and even subtly suppress them.


    The focus returns to the remaining four individuals, who are not assisting the nun not out of unwillingness, but because they are facing a greater trouble at the moment.


    The mayor, seeing Zhang Ge recklessly destroy the carefully planned atmosphere he had created, and having already killed two of his favored concubines with a blast of plasma, was so enraged that he no longer cared about maintaining any semblance of decorum.


    He transformed his arms into twisted, curved blades and tore through the luxurious wooden panels at the back of the stage, revealing his true form.


    "False emperor''s lackeys, I will use your suffering to honor the true god!"


    His massive, corpulent body, now a purplish hue, was supported by six legs that had morphed into long, curved, blade-like arms, and a handsome face that hung upon this grotesque body.


    The words came directly from the mouth on that face.


    Using all six legs, he charged forward, crushing the two dancers who stood in his way and countless chairs behind them, rushing towards the four.

 Chapter 14: Blood Battle

    <div>


    Although the mayor, who had almost turned into a monster, appeared to be stout, his speed was anything but slow. In the blink of an eye, the political commissar shouted:


    ¡°Big Mouth!¡±


    Ogrelin, known as Big Mouth, reacted to the call.


    The sound of his armor plates clashing mixed with the dull thud of the monster''s footsteps hitting the ground. He slightly rotated his arm,


    leaned forward, and pressed his feet against the steps behind him, firmly angling his shield against the passageway, forming an inverted V with his massive body to block the opponent''s charge.


    At that moment, Zhang Ge''s second plasma shot had already whizzed past Big Mouth, aimed at the mayor''s face.


    This was his first failure in what had been a series of successful shots.


    The mayor displayed an exceptionally high reaction speed¡ªrather than following the conventional method, he directly judged the shooting point based on the extremely brief energy accumulation before the plasma shot left the gun''s muzzle, tilting his head back to evade, watching the plasma streak past him.


    However, the situation was not too dire; the opponent''s momentary loss of vision was undoubtedly an excellent shooting opportunity.


    At the same time Zhang Ge pulled the trigger, Pastor Ryder''s gun erupted with a searing molten beam, slicing through the heated air in that instant.


    Unexpectedly, this seemingly assured strike also failed.


    The mayor, appearing to lose his composure, had actually deduced the shooting characteristics from the previous two shots. Ryder''s attack was a normal response to pulling the trigger and did not require him to evade with his vision.


    Based on the direction of Ryder''s attack he had seen earlier, the mayor suddenly swung his arm while losing sight, causing the glimmering curved blade to collide precisely with the molten beam.


    The surging energy of the subspace, a force not belonging to the real universe, manifested at that moment.


    The high temperature, which should have been enough to melt tank armor, left only a bowl-sized dent on the blade under the influence of the subspace power that could even alter physical laws, without causing any harm to the mayor himself.


    A hint of mockery seemed to hang on his turned face, but the onlookers had no time to ponder the meaning behind that mockery. The mayor''s massive body collided directly with Big Mouth, as if two war chariots had crashed together, the thunderous roar echoing between them like heavy artillery hitting the ground.


    Under such immense force, Big Mouth''s ceramic steel shield was deformed. His eyes were bloodshot, and his thick arms bled from ruptured capillaries, while the feet he used for support emitted crisp sounds of cracking bones.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    In contrast, the opponent''s frenzied charge came to a halt at that moment. Big Mouth had successfully intercepted the charging opponent right in front of him; the mayor had misjudged Big Mouth''s strength in their first encounter.


    While trying to pull himself as much as possible within the protective range of his shield, Big Mouth delivered a heavy blow to one of the mayor''s front legs, causing the massive body to topple to one side due to the imbalance from the broken leg.


    At the same time, the mayor''s fierce thrust had already landed on Big Mouth.


    The curved blade pierced through the shield and heavy armor as easily as puncturing a thin sheet of paper, directly stabbing through Ogrelin''s side.


    After stabilizing his balance by bracing the other blade against the seat, he became truly enraged, raising his remaining front leg, intending to stab the heart of this lowly subhuman who dared to harm him.


    This surge of uncontrolled emotion made him momentarily overlook the details of the battle.


    At this moment, the political commissar had already approached his side, holding a molten bomb.


    The deadly projectile forced the mayor to temporarily divert his attention, lifting one foot to hook the tip into the handle of the incoming bomb and flinging it away.


    At that instant, the cross that had been shimmering with light was grasped by Zhang Ge, who hurled it downwards towards the subspace abomination.


    As his body was enveloped in light, a sizzling sound akin to roasting meat filled the air, but what truly sealed the mayor''s fate was the plasma light and molten beam that followed closely behind the glow.


    The molten beam struck his chest, instantly tearing open a large gash in his torso, which had lost the protective power of subspace distortion, while the plasma sphere accurately hit the connection point between the curved blade and his body.


    With one arm severed, panting heavily, Ogrelin swung down again amidst the distant explosion of the molten bomb, striking the mayor''s head, causing what should have been a precise thrust into the heart to merely pierce his chest.


    The third plasma shot that followed became the concluding chapter of the battle, the brilliant blue light evaporating and shredding his oddly combined head.


    His decaying body twitched and struggled as if it still wanted to do something, but the blessing of the dark god was ultimately insufficient to allow him to continue fighting after losing his head.


    As the two pet mistresses'' masters fell, Sister Amelia seized the moment of their unsteady minds and removed their heads.


    Amidst the still echoing "applause," the mayor and his four concubines took their final bow. However, for the five members of the execution squad, this was not the end. The cultists outside would not spontaneously disperse just because the mayor was dead.


    Therefore, retracing their steps was no longer an option; they could only continue forward in search of another way out.


    They retrieved the cross and gathered the bodies of the four concubines and the mayor together, pouring Sister Amelia''s fuel over them and igniting it to prevent the cultists from using these corpses for rituals. As the flames, fueled by the wooden materials of the "theater" and other combustibles, grew larger, the five made their way to the spot where the mayor had broken through.


    It was a wide corridor, perhaps kept relatively clean due to the mayor''s not yet fully altered aesthetic.


    There were no traces of evil to be seen, and it retained a resplendent appearance, with numerous artifacts and paintings displayed along both sides of the corridor.


    At the end of this corridor was an elevator large enough to accommodate the mayor''s previously massive frame.


    Just as everyone was about to move toward it, the adrenaline-fueled Big Mouth suddenly collapsed to the ground.


    Despite having received emergency medical attention, the current conditions could only keep him barely alive; he was far from being able to move on his own.


    Big Mouth removed his helmet, coughed up blood, and looked up at the political officer, slowly shaking his head.


    After a brief silence, he received a response from the latter:


    "Big Mouth, stay here."


    Ogrelin nodded, revealing a simple smile, and leaned his body against the wall on one side.


    This was Zhang Ge''s first and last time seeing that expression.


    <div>

 Chapter 15: Altar

    The artworks on both sides of this corridor are exquisitely crafted, and just from their appearance, one can perceive their high value.


    Perhaps the price of a single piece could sustain a person from the lower strata for generations, making it hard to imagine that such accumulation could belong to merely the mayor of a water supply town.


    However, no one among them had any intention of lingering over these artworks, nor did they genuinely want to pocket such corrupted art from this environment to sell it later.


    After quickly passing through the corridor, the remaining four arrived at the elevator.


    Three of them spread out to maintain vigilance while Pastor Ryder pressed the elevator button.


    With a distinct sound of mechanical operation, the elevator doors, which had already been stationed on this floor, slowly opened.


    Inside, there were no other beings, revealing the mirror-like interior before the team.


    A small, enclosed space¡ªa term fatal for urban combat, especially in such an environment¡ªbut there was no other choice at the moment. After letting the cross enter first as a means of purification, the four followed in succession into the elevator.


    After a quick inspection, Zhang Ge, who was closest to the right-side control panel, discovered that this elevator had only one option.


    It seemed to lead to the mayor''s bedroom or something similar?


    There was no time for further thought.


    After pressing the button, the elevator doors closed, and as the mechanism operated, Pastor Ryder looked at the moving terminal before him and suddenly said:


    "The depth gauge shows that our depth... is decreasing."


    In other words, it didn¡¯t seem to lead to a room like the mayor''s office, unless that mayor lacked a sense of security and preferred to live underground.


    Zhang Ge shrugged and said, "In that case? At least if they want to catch up, they¡¯ll have to take the elevator down in waves."


    "This should lead to the altar; there are usually some guards around."


    Sister Amelia interrupted the banter with a reminder.


    The political commissar remained silent.


    Although his expression didn¡¯t change, the low mood was palpable.


    In the silence, the depth continued to decrease second by second, finally stopping just before reaching a thousand.


    This depth far exceeded the depth of nuclear defense facilities on Zhang Ge''s previous planet.


    When the elevator doors opened, what lay before them was not an enemy but a vast, boundless void.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Aside from the light spilling from the elevator, the only source of illumination in this void was a harsh white light shining down from the cave ceiling, illuminating a central altar inscribed with blasphemous symbols.


    The altar seemed to be situated right in the center of the void, surrounded by six bodies, each dissected into six parts, with each part occupying precisely one-sixth of the whole.


    Zhang Ge glanced at the others, quickly assessing who would be best suited for reconnaissance, and then spoke up: "Shall I take a look?"


    The political commissar turned his gaze to Pastor Ryder, who paused for a moment before realizing what he meant and shook his head, saying: "This is just a standard instrument; the subspace readings have long been undetectable."


    Gaze into subspace, and subspace will gaze back at you.


    Due to the need for high-intensity exposure to the subspace environment, instruments used to detect subspace readings typically have a short lifespan. Once corrupted, they self-purge.


    Pastor Ryder hadn¡¯t anticipated they would delve this deep before coming here.


    In other words, once they left the protective range of the cross, it was entirely possible to be corrupted into a chaos egg in the next moment.


    But Zhang Ge had no intention of backing down and continued to speak:


    "Sacrificing one of me is better than letting everyone die. If something goes wrong, remember to give me a quick end."


    However, Sister Amelia, who had been silent since she spoke a word at the beginning, raised an objection at this moment:


    "You are one of the sources of the miracle; your value is far greater than all of ours combined, at least until the cause of the miracle is determined."


    Upon hearing this, Pastor Reid wanted to voice his agreement, but before he could, Zhang Ge countered:


    "If the Emperor truly favors me, how can I tolerate a coward who only seeks to save himself, especially when that coward is me?"


    After saying this, Zhang Ge turned to look at the political commissar, and once he nodded, he stepped out of the elevator and further away from the area illuminated by the cross.


    That was close; he almost died.


    As for the discomfort... to be honest, it didn''t exist. Aside from feeling a bit cold, Zhang Ge didn''t sense any special changes in the environment.


    But this did not mean that the phenomenon of subspace corruption was absent.


    Zhang Ge took a flare from his waist, pulled the pin, and found that although it triggered normally and flew into the sky, the flickering crimson light did not illuminate the surroundings at all, as if it were a distant star embedded in the dark ceiling.


    After pondering for a moment, Zhang Ge decided to continue forward. After walking roughly another ten meters in the darkness, an anomaly suddenly occurred.


    From beneath his feet, a massive pink ring surrounding the altar abruptly lit up, followed by a second ring closer to the altar, encased within the first, and then a third ring, similarly shaped and even closer to the altar, all the way to the sixth ring, as the profane radiance began to fill the underground space.


    Before Zhang Ge could take a closer look, he felt an unimaginable force pulling at the back of his neck, and he was yanked off the ground, as if he were in a convertible speeding down the highway, being dragged back into the elevator amidst the howling wind.


    He steadied himself and turned to look back, only to see Sister Amelia with a blank expression.


    At the moment the anomaly began, she had dashed out of the elevator and, braving the external subspace corrosion, pulled Zhang Ge back, who appeared to be standing there in a daze. However, Sister Amelia was left with only one arm, forcing her to abandon the longsword she had never let go of, throwing it down where Zhang Ge had just been.


    Sister Amelia said no more than necessary and extended her hand:


    "Weapons."


    Zhang Ge sighed lightly. Seeing her like this, he figured he wouldn''t be able to die before her for the time being.


    Reluctantly, he handed over the laser gun and several magazines he had been carrying on his back:


    "Thank you, but if you could let me die in glory, I would be even more grateful... produced by the Military Affairs Department; I hope you find it useful."


    In the brief exchange between the two, the sixth ring had completely brightened, illuminating the contours of the natural cave.


    Following that, a phantom gradually appeared in the center of the altar. It did not see the usual worshippers and seemed to express a momentary confusion, but soon noticed the people in the elevator.


    This was not a color sin; cultists of this level could not communicate directly with the subspace evil gods. But even if it was just a powerful demon''s avatar, the emanating spiritual energy was suffocating.


    "Ah, you carry his scent."

 Chapter 16: Ascalon

    <div>


    Who is he referring to?


    Although he is not the true embodiment of lust, being worshipped by others at the very least puts him at the level of a great demon, a status that ranks highly across the entire galaxy.


    For ordinary people, it is meaningless to get caught up in the differences between great demons and deities.


    Even the weakest among them are worthy of a personal intervention for at least planetary-scale corruption, or to launch an expedition that could outright annihilate an entire star system.


    For them, conducting a mass ritual involving hundreds of billions of people directed at their deity is merely a tiny fraction of their long lives, while an ordinary person is just an insignificant decimal in that vast number.


    Those who can be remembered by such beings, or rather, things, are not something anyone from a decapitation squad could ever hope to encounter.


    However, it is clear that the other party has not provided a specific explanation for that statement.


    Their form solidifies further, indicating that more attention is being directed here.


    Although the offerings are clearly insufficient to allow the other party to manifest further into the physical universe, the great demon is not an ordinary subspace demon.


    For them, having obtained a specific coordinate and breach, they can easily tear through the thin veil separating the real universe from subspace. With the great rift now cutting across the galaxy, this has become much easier than usual.


    Nonetheless, it seems the other party does not intend to descend here.


    Before becoming a perceivable and concrete existence, they came to a halt.


    Aside from Zhang Ge, even with the protection of the cross, everyone else is currently unable to take effective action.


    But what would it matter if Zhang Ge could act? Should he try to blow the great demon''s head off with a plasma pistol? Or press the elevator button? The demon could just as easily press the entire elevator back down if it wanted to.


    He might as well pretend to be completely still: if worse comes to worst, you can just stab me, you wouldn¡¯t know I¡¯d become invincible if I died. Does a great demon really plan to take an ordinary person as a collectible?


    It¡¯s as absurd as if the Earth¡¯s leader personally went to the moon just to pick up a specific rock from its surface.


    And to be honest, even if the four of them were tied together and squeezed for oil, it probably wouldn¡¯t be enough to fuel the few seconds of the great demon¡¯s spontaneous descent.


    "Ascalon."


    He raised his hand, and a long sword that appeared completely unrelated to the color of sin descended from the void. This sword looked plain and unremarkable, with no decorations at all; it resembled the most ordinary single-handed longsword, at best slightly retro in design.


    But "Ascalon" as a name was entirely different from its ordinary appearance.


    This name comes from Christian mythology, referring to the dragon-slaying weapon used by Saint George, the saint who killed the evil dragon.


    So, who is Jesus''s sheath?Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    If what He said is true, then this is an ancient relic from at least the 1,000-year-old era of Old Terra, and it is an ancient relic associated with the Emperor, so ancient that aside from Zhang Ge, the others present knew nothing of this name.


    Not to mention, just the three phrases used to describe Saint George''s dragon-slaying symbolism: "The annihilation of beastly nature by humanity, the protection of the weak by mankind, the innate sanctity of the human heart"¡ªthese alone are enough to convey the significance of Ascalon.


    Simply taking this sword out and placing it at the center of the altar caused the figure of the opponent, which had nearly solidified, to vanish completely.


    It seemed that was not all; even the subspace corruption phenomena within the cave were cleared away, or rather, drained.


    As the six circular rings dimmed, the illumination flares still hanging in the air replaced the previous pink glow, becoming the new source of light in the cave.


    The other three naturally regained their normal mobility.


    Surviving a direct encounter with a great demon and receiving a gift in return¡ªsuch an experience... for people like them, it would be akin to voluntarily seeking out the Inquisition, where even the inquisitor would feel you were wasting his time and provoking trouble.


    However, despite the absurdity of the experience, one thing was beyond doubt.


    Zhang Ge raised the plasma pistol in his hand, letting the searing plasma burst strike the altar.


    The altar, stripped of its subspace evil energy, was merely an ordinary stone platform, instantly burned to gas and magma, but Ascalon, which was embedded in the altar, remained completely unharmed, still suspended in mid-air despite losing its support.


    Seeing this, the political officer, who had replaced Zhang Ge at the control panel, reached out and pressed the elevator button without even suggesting that Sister Amelia pick up her two-handed sword that had fallen to the ground.


    Zhang Ge did not feel the urge to investigate what was happening¡ªthere was no doubt that if he did, it would be seen as a deliberate act of seeking death.


    "It seems you''ll have to use the laser gun for a while," Zhang Ge said to Sister Amelia.


    But at the moment, no one was in the mood for jokes.


    They were not afraid of death, but who among the three could guarantee that they would not fall after facing a great demon? This was not a matter of willpower; it was purely a question of the vast difference in strength.


    It was like when the Imperial Guard was directly controlled to attack the Emperor; the gap was so great that even if the mind remained uncorrupted, it would not matter.


    Such concerns reached a peak in the following moments.


    After running for a while, the elevator slowly came to a stop, but as the doors opened, what lay before them was still that cave.


    "Impossible, the depth measurement data was consistently decreasing just now..."


    By the end of his statement, Pastor Ryder could hardly convince himself.


    The political officer was silent for a moment before speaking:


    "If we can return to the position, I will request an examination of myself. Although the influence of subspace demons is strong, it is not beyond the Empire''s capability to handle.


    Until then, I will be responsible for containing this sword."


    This statement was essentially a self-imposed death sentence.


    For an ordinary political officer, direct contact with a product of a great demon, even after examination showed no signs of corruption or if the readings were within reasonable limits, would likely still result in being eliminated for precautionary reasons once Ascalon was confirmed as a product of the great demon.


    It goes without saying that if he were truly tainted, but in another scenario, if it was confirmed that there was no corruption, as long as the political officer remained tight-lipped about the other members of the execution squad¡ªSister Amelia was a combat nun, Pastor Ryder was a national church pastor, and Zhang Ge was merely an inconsequential soldier in the countless ranks of the astral army.


    The court would likely not bother to conduct a thorough investigation¡ªit wasn''t that they didn''t want to, but the Empire was constantly facing far more serious issues, and they needed to make the most of every single moment.


    Even if there were indeed a few landmines buried that would explode years or even decades later... in a situation where there was a time bomb in your house that would blow up the entire building ten minutes later, would you choose to spend nine minutes defusing those landmines first?


    Moreover, they had only brushed against the shadow of a great demon''s avatar; it was not serious enough to evade the scrutiny of the court.


    However, just as the political officer made up his mind to approach the sword and placed his hand on it, he found himself unable to move further.


    Because... he couldn''t pull it out.


    An indescribably awkward tension quietly spread in the charged atmosphere. After he visibly exerted himself several more times to no avail and glanced over, Pastor Ryder and Sister Amelia exchanged glances, each trying in turn, but to no avail; they too could not budge the sword an inch.


    Until Zhang Ge placed his palm on the hilt of the sword.


    <div>

 Chapter 17: The Sword of Dragon Slaying

    <div>


    At the moment Zhang Ge exerted upward force on the sword hilt, a crack resembling the opening of a sword sheath appeared out of thin air at the tip of the sword blade, which had been suspended in midair.


    From that crack, an endless stream of blood flowed forth, yet it did not convey a sense of filth; instead, it seemed as if some invisible force was guiding the blood, gathering it on the ground to form a cross.


    Legend has it that after Saint George used this sword to slay the dragon, the dragon''s blood formed a cross on the ground, and now, over forty thousand years later, this scene was replaying in the cave.


    As the sword was drawn further, the flowing blood gradually diminished, until the last inch was drawn away, at which point the cross on the ground was fully formed, the blood swirling and intertwining before finally merging and transforming into an equally ancient sword sheath.


    However, when Zhang Ge attempted to wield this ancient relic from the 1k era, he did not feel anything extraordinary about it, as if the strange phenomena that had occurred earlier were merely illusions.


    Yet, this spectacle did not quell the doubts in everyone''s minds; rather, it only deepened them.


    Who exactly did the other party refer to as "he"? Why would a great demon of lust come to present a long sword? And why could only Zhang Ge draw this long sword?


    But now was not the time to resolve these questions; the pursuing cultists above would not halt their steps because of their inquiries, and time was running out.


    Meeting the gazes of the three around him, Zhang Ge spoke:


    ¡°Like the ancient hero Endymion, I shall contain this sword before the tribunal arrives.¡±


    The name of Endymion, who contained the demon sword Drakniyen with his body, was not unfamiliar to the other three, but he had gone deep into the endless universe after receiving orders and had not been heard from since.


    Now, Zhang Ge might face a similar fate.


    Silence lingered for a moment, and finally, the political commissar nodded in understanding.


    Zhang Ge sheathed the long sword and secured it to his belt.


    Immediately, the four scattered in different directions, and under the illumination provided by the flares, they quickly found a tunnel that seemed to be used for escape, extending diagonally upward, with no visible end in sight.


    This tunnel, like the elevator, was wide enough to accommodate the mutated form of the town mayor, suggesting it had been constructed after his descent into chaos.


    However, this precautionary measure ultimately did not aid him; instead, it became the hope for the decapitation squad to escape.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Following the flickering pink flames of the torches on both sides, the four gradually ventured deeper into the tunnel. The echoing footsteps and the gradually decreasing numbers on the depth gauge did nothing to suppress the illusion that they were trapped in an endless loop.


    Fortunately, this situation did not last long. After advancing a distance where both ends remained unseen, a metal sliding door finally came into view above.


    The priest opened the door, and Zhang Ge was the first to exit the tunnel, taking on the role of scout and guard. After signaling safety to the others, the squad returned to the surface.


    The familiar desolate landscape was now covered by dense clouds, obscuring the large fissure in the sky that had previously resembled a scar, due to the disappearance of the subspace anomaly.


    The political commissar took out the map again, using the relative position of the water supply town as a reference to confirm the direction and distance needed to return to their starting point:


    ¡°Proceed in this direction; it will take about four to five kilometers. We need to hurry.¡±


    The time left for the squad was limited; the swarming cultists would soon reach the theater, and once they discovered the purified mayor and the shattered altar, they would undoubtedly pursue the fleeing group with madness.


    However, this was also their final frenzy; a disorganized attack posed no threat to the mixed forces of the PDF and the Astral Army. After suffering further casualties, the remaining cult leaders would soon realize that instead of exterminating the current army, why not try to become the new leaders of the cult?


    Wouldn''t that also grant them more blessings, and it would be simpler?


    Although this did not resolve the fundamental issue, it would at least buy some time for the positions to request external support and reinforcements, which was the original goal of the decapitation squad.


    After covering four to five kilometers at full speed, they even took less time than the initial two to three kilometers.


    The crimson Chimera quickly reappeared before the four.


    At the same time, the ¡°driver¡± also spotted them. The Chimera swiftly turned its head, approaching at a speed clearly exceeding that of a normal transport vehicle.


    To be honest, this overly agile scene made it seem as if the Chimera were a living creature, joyfully rushing towards them.


    However, the other three were already physically and mentally exhausted and failed to notice this detail.


    After the Chimera stopped in front of the squad, the political commissar approached the side of the cockpit and tapped on the hatch to express gratitude to the crew members.


    Not everyone would dare to wait in such a dangerous environment until they returned, especially with the threat of subspace corrosion.


    ¡°At least we¡¯ve survived ninety percent of it.¡±


    Seeing the visibly fatigued group, Zhang Ge walked to the rear hatch and opened it as he spoke.


    ¡°Before we undergo the inspection, I¡¯d like you to come with me to the repair meeting.¡±


    As everyone entered the cabin and took their seats, Sister Amelia spoke up, holding her laser gun.


    Although her words seemed to seek consent, her tone was calm, as if stating an already established fact, leaving no room for rebuttal.


    Zhang Ge had no objections to this.


    Although he could tell that Sister Amelia wanted to protect him, it didn¡¯t matter; how could one emerge from contact with the great demon¡¯s shadow without any corruption left behind?


    With so many battle nuns around, he wasn¡¯t worried about finding someone willing to take him down.


    They might even be more dangerous than the tribunal; at least the latter had a reason to kill you just in case, while the battle nuns might simply believe that ¡°doing so is a loyalty to the Emperor.¡±


    After their brief exchange, the commissar¡¯s voice rose above the roar of the engines, just as it had at the beginning.


    He spread the map on the ground, but this time, without the two people in the cabin, it felt less crowded and somewhat empty:


    ¡°This is the position we need to break through on our return, right here.¡±


    <div>

 Chapter 18: Music and Dance Followed One After Another

    <div>


    Following the direction pointed out by the political commissar, Zhang Ge directed his gaze to the corresponding location on the map, which was precisely the weak point they had initially broken through in the defense line.


    Amid the bumps of the Chimera speeding along, the commissar''s pronunciation was somewhat unclear at first, but he quickly adapted again:


    "According to the planned strategy, the Star Realm Army, originally intended to assist in the attack, will not withdraw from their positions but will regroup slightly further back.


    They should have received reinforcements for some of their positions by now."


    At this point, the commissar raised his right hand and glanced at his watch.


    "We haven''t exceeded our time limit, so once we launch another attack on the cultists from the rear, those Star Realm troops will initiate another round of assault to support us."


    Listening to this, Zhang Ge pondered for a moment and realized that the chances of success for this plan were surprisingly high.


    Even though the cultists had strengthened their defenses after suffering an attack, the diverted forces should not be able to return so quickly. Given the organizational capability and equipment level of the cultists, it would be difficult for them to withstand a coordinated assault from the fully-formed Star Realm Army in conjunction with a surprise attack from the Chimera.


    Not to mention, the Star Realm Army could use laser guns to target the cultists from a thousand meters away; how could the cultists retaliate with automatic rifles?


    Those heavy weapons like timber guns would likely be ineffective, and if they weren¡¯t used, it would be hard for them to survive the initial onslaught.


    As these thoughts swirled, the rapidly moving Chimera soon returned to the positions they had previously ravaged. However, surprisingly, the cultists still showed no signs of alertness.


    Although they had indeed reinforced their external forces somewhat, the main troops still appeared rather lax, as if the breach that had occurred not long ago was not their concern.


    The primary reason for this was, of course, their own issues, but secondly, it was also due to some minor changes in the plan.


    Initially, the Chimera had shaken off the Star Realm Army that was supposed to assist in the attack.


    Although they later reached the designated position, according to the reconnaissance reports, the commander of this unit judged that the Chimera had already crossed the defensive line, and thus, prudently chose not to initiate an attack.


    This led the cultists to misestimate the strength of the Star Realm Army stationed here, naturally assuming it was just a transport vehicle passing by, and thought that it was nothing to worry about¡ªafter all, would it dare to come back?


    Moreover, using a transport vehicle to make their subordinates heighten their guard was not something they were keen on;


    they preferred to continue playing music and dancing!


    Then, the Chimera demonstrated to them with actions that it indeed dared to return.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Furthermore, since the first batch of the Star Realm Army did not launch an attack, their forces were even more abundant than originally planned after receiving reinforcements. Two full infantry companies of the Star Realm Army were ready to go, along with two intact Sentinel mechs.


    Not far away, after the Chimera temporarily halted and the political commissar exited the cabin to fire a signal flare, the attack began.


    In front of the cultists'' positions, smoke grenades fired from rapid-fire grenade launchers arced through the air, emerging from the various concealed launchers and landing on the cultists'' positions.


    As each smoke grenade exploded, releasing a thick white fog, the enemy''s positions were completely shrouded in smoke.


    Although the cultists realized that an enemy attack was underway, the sudden blow and loss of visibility came too quickly, preventing them from organizing an effective counterattack in time.


    They could only blindly splash water in the direction from which the smoke grenades had come, shrouded in thick fog.


    This counterattack was, of course, meaningless.


    On the side of the Star Realm Army, the commander had already deployed scouts to pre-mark the coordinates of the enemy''s heavy firepower. In this situation, the heavy weapons teams didn''t even need their own line of sight; they could strike directly based on this information.


    In the cross-deployment of heavy weapon strikes, shells and projectiles precisely pierced through the smoke, systematically eliminating the cultists'' firing points amid the explosions and flickering flames.


    This was merely the prelude to the attack.


    After completing a simple fire preparation, the sentry mechs, loaded with multiple rocket launchers, began their operations, moving to the designated position with the sound of their bipedal mechanics.


    As they settled into place, a sharp whistling sound rose, and countless rockets spewed forth with fiery trails from the launch nests toward the cultists'' positions.


    Airburst submunitions rained down like a curtain, releasing numerous smaller bombs that rained shrapnel over the entire battlefield, tearing apart the cultists'' fragile bodies and creating a hellish scene as if the Grim Reaper had descended.


    At this moment, the rapidly speeding red Chimera appeared at the other end of the cultists'' position.


    To prevent friendly fire, the Star Realm Army halted the continuous heavy fire coverage, but countless laser beams continued to suppress the enemy positions obscured by fog.


    Caught off guard, the cultists suffered significant losses, making it extremely difficult to maintain their positions, let alone intercept the frighteningly fast Chimera.


    In fact, within the smoke, they couldn''t even see where the target was; they could only hear the sounds of tracks and engines rushing by, occasionally mixed with the screams of those being crushed.


    With the assistance of the Star Realm Army, this breakthrough was even easier than the first time.


    The Chimera sped through without needing to maneuver for cover in the smoke, quickly reaching the other side.


    Of course, even though the cultists'' positions appeared on the verge of collapse, requiring just one more charge to easily seize control, it was clear that the Star Realm Army could not hold off counterattacks from cultists coming from other directions.


    Therefore, after completing the designated cover mission, the Star Realm Army quickly retreated, leaving only a small rear guard behind, showing no inclination to linger in battle.


    On their own positions, to ensure the rapid execution of the entire operation, the Chimera and the Star Realm Army had no handover procedures.


    Its vehicle, mixed with severed limbs and broken arms, passed through the cleared area of their side, while two unyielding vehicles accelerated but were once again left far behind by the sentry mech drivers watching them depart.


    As the external unusual bumps suddenly calmed down, Zhang Ge roughly judged that the Chimera had passed through the enemy''s positions, feeling regret for the incompetence of the cultists.


    Yet, he still asked, ¡°It''s over, do I have to go back to my original unit for defense now?¡±


    The political commissar turned to stare at Zhang Ge for a moment and replied, ¡°No, you and Sister Amelia will go to the convent.


    Your situation is special and cannot be delayed. I will also contact the Tribunal.¡±


    On one hand, this statement indicated that the purification of corruption could not be delayed; on the other hand, there was an underlying implication that once he called the Tribunal, there would not be much time before they arrived.


    If the call was made too late, the gap between the end of the operation and the call would become a point of suspicion, which would be unfavorable for subsequent investigations.


    Hearing this, Zhang Ge could only focus his gaze on Sister Amelia and asked, ¡°I heard that battle nuns really like to burn people.


    Is that true?¡±


    <div>

 Chapter 19: The Local Nobility is Too Polite

    <div>


    Sister Amelia naturally did not answer the question, and Zhang Ge did not seem inclined to press further.


    Wouldn''t it be clear once we go see for ourselves?


    After a period of travel, the vehicle quickly came to a stop in a temporary garage within the base. The four of them exited the vehicle, while the political commissar made the final arrangements:


    "Pastor Ryder will accompany me. We will continue to the nearest Blessing Communication Node to call for a review from the Tribunal. Soldier Zhang Ge, you and Sister Amelia should not stay at the base for more than three hours."


    Listening to the political commissar''s words, Zhang Ge suddenly realized an issue:


    "Wait a minute, what transportation are we taking to the convent?"


    "Ernesto''s personal vehicle... oh, you might not know him, but since you''re back alive, you''ll get to know him soon.


    Also, take this."


    The political commissar spoke as he took out a map and tore off a corner. After signing some words on the blank side and stamping it, he handed it to Zhang Ge.


    "You can go to the armory to select some equipment. Although there isn''t much left there,"


    The political commissar glanced at the one-armed nun beside him holding a laser gun. "It¡¯s best to choose a sword for Sister Amelia, and also a temporary prosthetic."


    After Zhang Ge reached out to take it, the political commissar waved his hand as a farewell and quickly left the garage with Pastor Ryder.


    As for this Chimera? They certainly couldn''t drive it away.


    While using alien equipment on the battlefield isn''t a big deal, the main issue is that without prior registration and communication, it''s easy to be mistakenly shot by friendly units from other factions. Moreover, at this critical moment, it¡¯s better not to draw attention in front of the tribunal.


    Once the political commissar left, Zhang Ge turned his gaze toward Sister Amelia.


    The other party seemed a bit confused, and she took the initiative to speak:


    "I will follow you for the next three hours without interfering with your actions."


    Of course, the implication was that if it exceeded three hours, she couldn''t guarantee that.


    However, Zhang Ge''s intention was not that; he said:


    "No, what I mean is... where is the armory? Can you lead the way?"


    "¡­"


    Sister Amelia wanted to say something but swallowed it back, stepping forward while Zhang Ge naturally followed behind her.


    Upon entering the trench, PDF or Star Realm soldiers occasionally whispered prayers for the passing nun, but no one seemed to find it strange. It appeared that Sister Amelia had been doing this for quite some time.


    Alternatively, there was another possibility: the ongoing war was so intense that the mixing of combat nuns and frontline soldiers had become the norm.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Given the current situation, Zhang Ge believed the latter possibility was more likely. Of course, this wasn''t a bad thing for him; he would rather be thrown into an apocalyptic battlefield right now.


    After crossing another trench, ahead, an exaggeratedly dressed figure came into view. The PDF soldiers beside him stood at attention on either side of the trench, while the Star Realm soldiers seemed indifferent to him.


    He was wearing a full-body force-feedback power armor, adorned with various extravagant decorations, with gold and gemstone embellishments either inlaid or serving as a base. A family crest was prominently displayed on the right chest of his power armor, which was the same emblem worn by the PDF soldiers.


    If nothing unexpected happened, he should be a local noble, and these PDF soldiers were likely drawn from his family.


    "Sister Amelia, Soldier Zhang Ge."


    He first called out their names in a calm voice, not at all high-handed like his ostentatious power armor.


    Then, he introduced himself:


    "Let¡¯s skip the unnecessary formalities; my full name is too long. You can call me Ernesto. I come here on behalf of my family to express gratitude for the heroic deeds of both of you."


    As Ernesto spoke, several of his humble servants stepped forward, bowing slightly and holding a tray above their heads.


    On the tray were a finely crafted explosive gun for mortals, a similarly well-made power sword, and a pile of throne coins.


    Sister Amelia had no intention of speaking to him, while Zhang Ge watched him with interest, curious about what he wanted to do.


    Seeing that neither of them responded, Ernesto did not show any signs of displeasure but continued speaking:


    ¡°Additionally, Sergeant Zhang Ge, I have a vacancy for a captain of the guard beside me. I wonder if you...¡±


    So quick with the dagger.


    But it¡¯s understandable; veterans of the Star Realm Army are quite common, but veterans who can infiltrate an enemy stronghold of this scale, carry out a decapitation mission, and return unscathed are not so common.


    For a noble, in such an environment, a capable enforcer is far more valuable than money.


    Zhang Ge understood what the political commissar meant.


    Following the other¡¯s words, Zhang Ge responded:


    ¡°I agree, but before that, I need to go to the convent with Sister Amelia. I can only take up the position after I return... As for these items, there¡¯s no need, right?¡±


    The hesitation in Zhang Ge¡¯s final words wasn¡¯t due to the other person, but rather his uncertainty about refusing these items. What if he encountered an enemy ambush on the way and ended up dead? Would that be considered a deliberate refusal of equipment leading to his own demise?


    However, Ernesto seemed to misunderstand Zhang Ge¡¯s meaning. Upon hearing Zhang Ge¡¯s agreement, he revealed a satisfied smile, stepped forward to pat him on the shoulder, and said:


    ¡°Just so happens, I have an extra carriage. You and Sister Amelia can take it to the convent; it¡¯ll be faster that way.¡±


    Pausing for a moment, he continued in a friendly tone:


    ¡°These items are a token of gratitude from my family; there¡¯s no need to refuse. I¡¯ll have my servants help you load them onto the carriage, and besides, I¡¯ll have other gifts for you at your inauguration ceremony.¡±


    For someone as perceptive as Zhang Ge, Ernesto was always generous with rewards¡ªafter all, for a noble like him, this money was hardly a drop in the bucket.


    Having said that, Ernesto stepped aside to let Amelia and Zhang Ge pass, displaying a demeanor of humility.


    The two walked past him and left that section of the trench.


    At this point, they were already not far from the armory. Sister Amelia quickly brought Zhang Ge to the entrance of the armory, but before entering, she asked:


    ¡°Why did you agree to him?¡±


    There was no emotional undertone to her question; it was simply a matter of curiosity.


    ¡°Why do you ask? Can¡¯t I agree?¡±


    ¡°No, I just feel like you wouldn¡¯t agree.¡±


    Zhang Ge replied helplessly:


    ¡°Will we come back after going to the convent?¡±


    ¡°...Perhaps not.¡±


    ¡°Since we might not, why refuse his free money? Does he dare to cause trouble for you at the convent, or can he come to the tribunal to rescue me?¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡±


    And this was also why Zhang Ge couldn¡¯t refuse better equipment out of a need for death.


    Under normal circumstances, a ¡°normal death¡± refers to dying while following the logic of normal actions. Deliberately refusing better items and then dying due to inferior equipment would likely be considered a deliberate act of seeking death, and Zhang Ge couldn¡¯t take that risk.


    But it didn¡¯t matter; at most, he would just go from being cannon fodder to slightly better-equipped cannon fodder. At worst, the tribunal would intervene.


    Zhang Ge consoled himself with that thought.


    <div>

 Chapter 20: The Local Chaos is So Rude

    <div>


    The conversation quickly came to an end, and ahead was the main armory of the position. This important building was guarded by an entire squad of the Star Realm Army, which was stationed deep underground, equipped with reinforced ceramic steel and filled sandbags for added strength.


    If the construction followed the standard procedures issued by the Ministry of Military Affairs, a military armory at the corps level of the Star Realm Army would be impervious to effective damage from direct hits by even super-heavy tank main guns in a short time¡ªthough in reality, most corps do not have the resources or time to complete standardized construction.


    Zhang Ge approached Sister Amelia and stepped forward.


    Upon reaching the entrance, Zhang Ge presented his credentials to the officer standing at the door. The officer quickly took out a device to carefully scan the credentials and had someone check Zhang Ge¡¯s entire body before stepping aside to clear the way.


    Since flammable and explosive materials were not allowed in the armory, all of Zhang Ge''s weapons, except for the Ascalon which was used as a decorative piece, were stored outside. Additionally, since the credentials only listed Zhang Ge, Sister Amelia had to wait outside as well.


    "I need a shield and a one-handed sword."


    After being stopped, Sister Amelia had no objections; she simply took a step back and said to Zhang Ge.


    Zhang Ge nodded to indicate he understood, and then followed the two guards into the armory.


    The three of them quickly reached the entrance, and as they descended deeper underground, the light from the entrance diminished until they arrived at the end, where a few dim yellow bulbs provided a new source of light inside the armory.


    Inside, a large number of weapons were stacked and arranged either neatly or haphazardly. However, this did not contradict what the political commissar had said about there being "nothing left," because while these weapons appeared to be many, a closer look revealed that the vast majority were laser guns and automatic rifles.


    If nothing unexpected occurred, this was likely due to heavy casualties in the troop, where the equipment of the deceased had been collected, and no new personnel had been assigned, rendering these weapons meaningless to Zhang Ge. Even if he held a laser gun with one finger, he could at most shoot ten rounds simultaneously.


    Without saying much, Zhang Ge wandered around the armory, picking and choosing, and quickly selected the few items that would be of use to him.


    Several thermite bombs, fragmentation grenades, a entrenching tool, a few clips of explosive rounds for a commoner¡¯s explosive gun, and enough explosives.


    Additionally, there was a temporary prosthetic limb and sword and shield for Sister Amelia.


    Although the size of the former seemed somewhat mismatched, there was really no need to expect much from medical equipment meant for rapidly restoring combat capability to severely injured elite soldiers.


    "That''s it."


    Zhang Ge casually grabbed a backpack to pack the items and said to the two guards.


    They merely nodded silently and soon led Zhang Ge back to the entrance. After checking, filling out the receipt form, and completing the signature, the ownership of these supplies officially transferred to Zhang Ge.


    Seeing Zhang Ge come out so quickly, Sister Amelia slightly turned her body, revealing the stump of her arm that had been simply treated in the car:If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Attach it."


    "?"


    Upon hearing this, Zhang Ge leaned in to press his face against hers, feeling the warmth as well as the roughness of the white cloth she used to cover her eyes.


    "I meant to say, attach the prosthetic."


    "Oh oh."


    Taking out the prosthetic limb wrapped in a vacuum bag from the backpack, Zhang Ge unwrapped it and pressed the corresponding side against Sister Amelia''s stump.


    After a series of noticeable and painfully jarring sounds, it seemed that the connection between the prosthetic and Amelia had been established.


    Zhang Ge watched her move the new arm and casually asked:


    "How does it compare to the original?"


    "Not flexible enough."


    Sister Amelia replied succinctly, then moved behind Zhang Ge, shoved the laser gun into his hands, pulled out the sword and shield from his new backpack, and held the ceramic steel shield in the prosthetic hand while wielding the sword with her preserved right hand.


    "But it''s enough to use the shield."


    "Alright, there''s nothing else to do, let''s go find the vehicle."


    Zhang Ge responded, and just as they hadn''t walked far, a servant approached and said:


    "My lord, let me take you to the vehicle."


    So considerate?


    Just now, Zhang Ge hadn¡¯t asked where Ernesto''s vehicle was simply because he forgot. He thought that a noble¡¯s civilian vehicle couldn¡¯t possibly be parked up front; such a large thing could be easily found by asking around.


    But unexpectedly, Ernesto noticed this detail and specifically sent a servant to guide him.


    "Okay... wait, what is that thing?"


    Just as Zhang Ge nodded in agreement, a fast-moving meteor streaked down from the sky, descending so quickly that it was almost about to crash onto the battlefield at the moment it broke through the clouds.


    In comparison to that speed, everything around seemed to be in slow motion... until the last moment, the meteor finally reached the battlefield, and as its retro-thrust nozzle operated and abruptly slowed down, Zhang Ge could see what it was.


    An interstellar warrior landing pod, but from the side of the Color Sin.


    At that moment, a piercing alarm finally rang out, echoing across the battlefield.


    But it was too late.


    The landing pod door suddenly dropped to the ground, and three giants, each over two meters tall, clad in powered armor and wielding explosive guns, appeared. They wore helmets and scanned the battlefield before them.


    This was a standard tactical squad composed of chaotic interstellar warriors.


    Unlike the deliberately diminished and slowed-down postures often seen in films and artistic works, Zhang Ge witnessed firsthand the combat methods of the Space Marines.


    Three Chaos Space Marines each faced a different direction, their explosive bolt guns accurately spewing ammunition, but their initial targets were not the infantry.


    Those explosive bolts struck with incredible precision, hitting every heavy weapon within their range. Their century''s worth of combat experience, along with superhuman senses and physical abilities, allowed them to execute tactics that would seem unfathomable to ordinary people with mechanical detachment and efficiency.


    The flying explosive bolts smashed down one after another, not hitting the heavy weapon operators but directly destroying the gun barrels, rendering these pieces of equipment, which could threaten their armor, incapable of combat.


    It is important to note that the speed of the Space Marines was so fast that to the naked eye, they left only afterimages. Thus, the actions described above were completed in a time frame that an ordinary person couldn''t even react to, let alone shift weapons or counterattack. Not a single round from their tightly clustered, rapidly firing bolt guns missed its mark.


    One hand gripped the gun''s handle and pulled the trigger, while the other pressed down on the upper part of the bolt gun, controlling the recoil to nearly zero. They targeted the heavy weapons first, followed by high-threat units armed with meltaguns and plasma guns, and by the time they emptied a magazine, the nearest PDF forces had only just begun to mount a counterattack.


    However, ambushes, defensive responses, and mass charges were utterly meaningless.


    In the cramped trench, a Chaos Space Marine drew his chainsword. At such close range, his movements appeared almost like flashes to the PDF soldiers; they couldn''t even keep up with him using meltabombs or laser guns. He could discern the positions of surrounding enemies merely through his extraordinary hearing.


    In fact, there was a moment when the entire trench of PDF soldiers was cleared out, and the upper half of the first man to be bisected only hit the ground afterward.


    In the swirling chaos, Huron''s subordinates received training from the Space Marines, learning specifically how to counter them. Equipped with well-trained personnel, ample light and heavy weapons, and vehicles, the Astral Army fought against the non-starter group Space Marines with the assistance of their own Space Marines, resulting in a casualty ratio of:


    Close to 300:1.


    This was a cold number, and it was now unfolding before Zhang Ge''s eyes in the form of slaughter.


    <div>

 Chapter 21: Blood and Fire

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    Blood flowed down the ornate power armor of those Chaos Space Marines, staining their magnificent exteriors.


    They did not exhibit any mutations from their armor; under the sunlight piercing through the clouds, their massive forms reflected a golden glow, resembling demigods descending to the mortal realm. If they weren''t currently slaughtering their own forces in a frenzy, it would be hard to distinguish them from loyalist Space Marines.


    Without employing any skills or strategies, they brutally tore apart PDF soldiers or Astra Militarum troops with chainsword, fists, and shoulder charges, reducing them to mere corpses.


    It wasn''t until two squads of Astra Militarum managed to gather themselves and attempted to use a volley to block one of the Chaos Space Marines that they noticed a friendly plasma gun had been thrown over a hundred meters away, landing right above them.


    In those desperate eyes, a precise explosive round struck the plasma gun, and the violent explosion instantly engulfed nearly twenty men.


    They couldn''t even slow down for a moment; the explosive was fired from a one-handed launcher while the other hand was busy slaughtering nearby PDF soldiers.


    Despair spread through the trenches, yet waves of PDF and Astra Militarum continued to gather in batches, charging through the communication trenches toward the area under siege.


    Yes, these Chaos Space Marines were still powerful, but they had a fatal weakness: they were not as rational as normal Space Marines.


    Amidst the slaughter, pain, wails, and the ecstasy granted by the dark gods, three Chaos Space Marines gradually spread out to increase their killing efficiency. As a large number of troops began to react and filled the line with flesh and blood, their speed was gradually hindered.


    When one Chaos Space Marine burst into a key trench with communication trenches, a violent explosion suddenly erupted from beneath the ground.


    Like the first trench, the commander had also buried a large amount of explosives in the other trenches. If these Chaos Space Marines had remained clear-headed, their extensive combat experience would have easily recognized this common tactic.


    However, driven by their rising desires, they had become powerful "demons" acting almost entirely on instinct, which was precisely the meaning behind such sacrifices.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Flames, shockwaves, and the clouds of dust and debris kicked up by the explosion, along with the blood mist formed by countless friendly troops still being torn apart in the trenches, erupted alongside the rapidly expanding sound of the explosion.


    At the same time, the entire trench began to explode.


    Although they had not been led into the concentrated explosive zone, it was evident that the conditions could no longer be as favorable.


    ...However, things often do not go as planned.


    As the Astra Militarum soldiers crouched in the communication trench, raising their monomolecular bayonets and charging toward the front lines shrouded in smoke just as the explosion erupted, they saw the Chaos Space Marine still standing.


    His once magnificent power armor was smeared with flesh and blood, the explosion had torn it apart in several places, and the intense heat was melting his muscles.


    Yet he was still alive.


    From the gaping hole in his power armor, a pink appendage and tendrils slowly emerged, and the skin rapidly regenerating under the influence of subspace warp energy revealed the blasphemous sight hidden beneath his ornate exterior¡ªthis was the true face of a Chaos Space Marine.


    Lost, lost, lost.


    None of the squads that charged into the smoke had any survivors to report back, until that mangled Chaos Space Marine emerged, holding the severed head of the forward officer.


    The second, the third.


    The injured Chaos Space Marines seemed to mock the futile resistance of these mortals.


    Finally, the commander of the position realized why their previous calls for help had fallen on deaf ears; they were the only bulwark still holding out along the entire front line, and now it was their turn.


    At this moment, the best tactic was not to continue fighting, but to retreat immediately. The front line had already collapsed, and losing the position was inevitable. He had to preserve as much combat strength as possible and leave survivors to convey the existence of the Chaos Space Marines back to the rear lines.


    Thus, after the commander personally appeared to attract the attention of the Chaos Space Marines and led his personal guard into the ammunition depot, the commander''s adjutant issued orders for a scattered retreat to all units.


    This naturally included Zhang Ge, who had not yet crossed the crowded trenches to reach the front line because he had gone to the rear armory to collect equipment, and had not made it back before the retreat order was given.


    ¡°Damn bugs!¡±


    Zhang Ge cursed, even though he didn¡¯t know that the commander himself hadn¡¯t fled but had entered the ammunition depot to buy time and trade one for one.


    Even if he had known, he wouldn¡¯t have changed his words; his personal emotions had somewhat taken hold.


    After all, this was the closest Zhang Ge had come to a normal death. Encountering Chaos Space Marines? Most of the Star Realm Army would never have that opportunity in their lifetime.


    ¡°Letting these people stay here is just a waste.¡±


    Sister Amelia said, glancing at Zhang Ge, who immediately understood her look.


    ¡°...Fine, you go ahead.¡±


    As soon as Zhang Ge finished speaking, Sister Amelia sheathed her sword with her right hand.


    She extended her palm, just like when they were in the underground cave, grabbing the collar of Zhang Ge''s armored shell and yanking him along, swiftly darting towards the location of the vehicle they had reached earlier, allowing Zhang Ge to experience a simplified version of being a flying man once again.


    <div>

 Chapter 22: The Impostor Lieutenant

    <div>


    Sister Amelia was much faster than Zhang Ge, even while carrying him, and after finding the previous servant, the two asked for directions to the vehicle and quickly arrived at the car that Ernesto had promised to lend them.


    It was a four-wheeled sedan, and besides the still ostentatious family crest, the car was equipped with armor plating and grille armor all around, not to mention the purity insignias and mechanical prayers that were hanging off it like they were free.


    However, the most crucial feature was that the car had a heavy explosive gun turret mounted on the roof, which could be operated from the passenger seat, greatly increasing its safety.


    This, however, was very much against Zhang Ge''s preferences.


    Seriously, dude, as a noble, shouldn¡¯t your car be one of those flashy sports cars? Why does it look like a little armored vehicle?


    Despite his internal complaints, Zhang Ge still approached the driver''s side of the vehicle.


    ¡°Wait, this kind of car should be locked, and we don¡¯t have the keys.¡±


    The keys were probably with that servant.


    As Zhang Ge spoke, he casually placed his hand on the door handle and pulled it.


    As his fingers wrapped around the handle, the car suddenly shook violently, the door swung open effortlessly, and the engine roared to life without needing to be started.


    It was as if the vehicle was deliberately showcasing its powerful capabilities, causing the entire body to tremble slightly.


    Is the anti-theft awareness really this poor?


    Zhang Ge could only helplessly continue to grumble in his mind as he bent down and climbed into the driver''s seat.


    As he closed the door, Sister Amelia had already taken her seat in the passenger side.


    In the back, the sounds of the vehicle did not drown out the ongoing chaos of slaughter, and in the distance, the cultists had launched a new wave of attacks. With the entire position in disarray, there was no way to counter their momentum anymore.


    The collapse of the defense line was just a matter of time.


    But inside the vehicle, Zhang Ge faced a new problem: how was he supposed to drive this thing?


    Although he knew how to operate a sedan, the issue was that he had no idea what most of the controls were for... Aside from the steering wheel, he was completely lost... What was with that button labeled "Scripture"?


    However, the nun seemed oblivious to this issue; she assumed Zhang Ge didn¡¯t know the way to the church and said, ¡°I will guide you later, but for now, just drive forward and get us out of here.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡±


    Zhang Ge was about to confess his ignorance but suddenly found the vehicle speeding off on its own without any input from him. The tires spun wildly, propelling the entire car forward with a jolt. ¡°Cough, got it.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    He occasionally adjusted the steering wheel and found he could control the direction just fine, but he was puzzled about why it had started moving on its own¡ªwas it voice-activated?


    High-end noble technology was really something; he couldn''t figure it out.


    As he marveled at this, Zhang Ge, who had never seen other civilian vehicles, accepted the idea of a high-end civilian car having a voice control module without question.


    Meanwhile, outside the vehicle, the family crest that belonged to Onesto had been wiped away at some point, and the pure marks were shaken off the car as if they were unwanted.


    In the background, the battlefield was gradually receding. The chaotic star warriors who were engaged in combat noticed the fleeing vehicle, but they showed no intention of abandoning their current enemies to pursue it. In their eyes, a fleeing "noble" was not worth the effort to capture.


    After all, many nobles were potential sources of debauchery; letting them return could yield even greater contributions to that cause.


    Soon, the vehicle drove out of the danger zone, and if one looked back, the battlefield was no longer visible.


    ¡°Slow down.¡±


    After a short while, noticing the scenery rushing by faster and faster on both sides, the nun sensed something was off and spoke up.


    While it was understandable that a civilian vehicle would be faster after being equipped with weaponry and armor compared to specialized armored vehicles, wasn¡¯t this speed a bit excessive?


    Driving at such speeds over rough terrain could easily send the entire car flying if it hit a large rock or similar obstacle. Although there was no noticeable bumpiness, Sister Amelia still felt compelled to caution him just in case.


    ¡°Ah haha, okay, cough, reduce speed... maintain speed.¡±


    After Zhang Ge requested to slow down, the vehicle began to decelerate at a steady rate until he called for it to stop.


    ¡°?¡±


    Although Sister Amelia had seen instances where communication with the machine spirit could occur solely through speech, that was usually after a complicated process and prayers, conducted by the most knowledgeable in mechanical principles. The casual manner in which Zhang Ge made requests, and that they were actually fulfilled, was somewhat beyond her comprehension.


    But recalling that Zhang Ge could pull out a dazzling holy relic cross from his pouch, this level of the extraordinary didn¡¯t seem entirely unacceptably strange.


    Thus, Sister Amelia swallowed her questions. Upon seeing a large rock that had served as a reference on their way here, she pointed in a direction and said, ¡°Drive that way.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    As the wheels turned, time passed second by second, and the sunlight in the sky gradually faded, giving way to the night that enveloped the land.


    Due to the unrestrained development by the Mechanical God Sect, the environment was in dire straits, to say the least; even the atmosphere had suffered significant damage.


    This led to a poor heat retention capability for the entire planet. Moreover, a significant portion of sunlight was blocked by the thick cloud layers during the day, resulting in very little heat reaching the surface. Coupled with other additional factors, this ultimately caused extreme cold at night.


    Sister Amelia was indifferent, but Zhang Ge''s armor was not high-end like that of the Stormtroopers. Even if he put on his helmet, it couldn''t withstand the onslaught of the extreme environment. He couldn''t endure such freezing conditions for long, especially since there was no air conditioning in the vehicle.


    Thus, the two had no choice but to find a place to park and rest, making a fire to warm up.


    Of course, although there seemed to be no enemies around, they were still within a combat zone, so using an open flame was out of the question. Zhang Ge painstakingly dug a smokeless stove, and fortunately, the engineer shovel was as easy to use as cutting tofu, so it didn''t take much time.


    Through the layers of earth, Zhang Ge crouched over the fire he had lit with portable fuel from his waist pouch, eating from the combat rations while feeling the temperature gradually rise.


    The nun knelt nearby in silent prayer.


    After Zhang Ge had nearly finished eating, Sister Amelia spoke up, "I¡¯ll be away for a bit."


    Zhang Ge had no objections; besides, she probably wasn¡¯t asking for his opinion but merely notifying him, so he nodded to show he had heard.


    After a while, she returned, holding an officer''s greatcoat.


    "Put this on; we need to keep moving."


    When Zhang Ge took it and looked, he found the rank was quite high, a captain, likely stripped from a corpse. However, he felt no psychological burden. With Sister Amelia''s assistance, he quickly removed his armor and put on the greatcoat underneath.


    <div>

 Chapter23: The Martyr Saint’s Order

    After putting on that coat, the temperature quickly became much more bearable.


    Before leaving, the two took some time to cover up their traces here, and once they returned to the car, Zhang Ge started the engine and asked,


    ¡°How many people will the order have at the place we¡¯re going? I mean the battle nuns.¡±


    ¡°Originally over a thousand.¡±


    ¡°Will there be any deployments after the fighting starts?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Over a thousand battle-hardened women in powered armor, it sounded like a lot, but relative to the numbers of the Starbound Army and its enemies, it would soon dissipate like stones thrown into a pool.


    But that wasn¡¯t the most deadly part; the key issue was that the enemy could deduce the general location of the order through the interrogation of soldiers and officers who had served alongside the battle nuns.


    Even if only corpses remained, the Space Marines could directly access parts of the deceased''s memories by consuming their brains.


    The dark gods were like goblins selecting female knights; the prouder and purer the knight, the more they tended to favor her.


    And the battle nuns were undoubtedly a perfect target. They were neither as powerful as the Space Marines nor could they be easily corrupted, but taking their lives and defiling their sanctuaries would still please the dark gods.


    Especially in wartime, when temporary monasteries were established at the front lines and a large number of combat personnel were deployed, making them particularly vulnerable, this target became even more enticing.


    ¡°Can you guarantee that the order wasn¡¯t destroyed by the desecrators from the subspace before being crushed at the front?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sister Amelia was silent for a long time, and after a while, she continued,


    ¡°There is a great matron; she is very strong.¡±


    A great matron, a high-ranking nun commander, typically commands thousands of battle nuns. Just in terms of numbers, she could already be compared to a holy chapter of Space Marines.


    However, that being said, the combat capability of the Sisters is far weaker than that of the Space Marines. It is already quite difficult for a Sister Superior to contend with a regular Chaos Space Marine veteran, let alone a fully organized cadre of Chaos Space Marines.


    Nonetheless, since Sister Amelia has made such assurances, Zhang Ge merely wants to ensure that he is "not intentionally seeking death" with this upper-level insurance and naturally will not raise any objections.


    In the silence between the two, the scenery outside the window shifted again. After traveling for more than an hour in Tera time, a building finally emerged from the distant horizon, coming into view for Zhang Ge.


    First, there was a massive sign, prominently displayed at the front of the church, indicating who this place belonged to¡ªSaints'' Monastery, Martyr Saint Sisterhood.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    The former is one of the two combat nun monasteries currently in the Empire, while the latter is one of the six major sisterhoods under the two great monasteries. All combat nun sisterhoods outside the six major ones are essentially branches of these six.


    This should be one of the planetary direct branches of the Martyr Saint Sisterhood.


    Such a heavyweight status made Zhang Ge''s heart, which he had finally managed to set at ease, rise again in suspense.


    As they continued to approach, more details of the church gradually came into view. Although it was merely a temporary location for mobilizing troops and serving as frontline command, the place was still constructed with materials as if cost were no object.


    In addition to the two-layer all-metal walls of the parapet and main outer wall, the church''s main structure had numerous heavy weapon firing points, including heavy explosive shells and laser cannons, with even heavier fixed artillery and anti-aircraft guns visible everywhere.


    Even disregarding these fixed defensive facilities, the numerous vehicles neatly parked within the main outer wall were enough to showcase its power.


    Although most of the aforementioned details were obscured by the night, just from the thick contours of the two-ring walls and the main structure, one could fully realize the severity of its defenses.


    It resembled more of a military fortress than a church.


    Because of this, as Zhang Ge drove the vehicle closer to the church, Sister Amelia''s expression began to look somewhat grim.


    "Stop the car."


    When they reached a low area that could serve as cover, she spoke up. Zhang Ge nodded and brought the vehicle to a halt.


    There were no patrols or sentries, which was strange. Logically, they should have been intercepted long before the church came into view.


    But now there was nothing, to the point that at this distance, Sister Amelia could no longer deceive herself, casting aside any luck-based thinking and preparing for the worst.


    However, she did not intend to let Zhang Ge accompany her any further. He had come with her for purification, investigation, and protection, and had no obligation to engage in such dangerous activities:


    "After I go over, you drive in the opposite direction, and then..."


    Zhang Ge felt something was off as soon as he heard the beginning of her sentence. Before she could finish, he organized his words to interrupt her:


    "First and foremost, I am a soldier."


    After interrupting, he continued:


    "You place far too much importance on the life of the so-called blessed, to the point of neglecting that if you merely evade, you will never gain the Emperor''s attention. Now, tell me your plan."


    "No, I just¡ª"


    Sister Amelia, who was about to argue, realized quickly that this was not the time to waste on such matters. She shifted her response to, "The sisterhood''s defenses have no gaps. If we want to approach, we can only take the risk of crossing the fire blockade."


    Zhang Ge shrugged at her words:


    "That''s some good news."


    Sister Amelia only thought he was displaying his "sense of humor," so she didn¡¯t respond and continued, "If there are enemies inside, then doing this is no different from seeking death. But I cannot sit idly by while the sanctuary is desecrated; that is a grave sin... but you need not bear such a responsibility."


    "We are comrades, and we are also the people of humanity basking in the Emperor''s glory. Your duty is my duty."


    Zhang Ge, who had PTSD from the term "seeking death," spoke sternly.


    Danger? Now that you mention it, I¡¯m not feeling sleepy anymore.


    However, to be on the safe side, Zhang Ge decided to make some harmless little modifications to the plan to ensure he could die without regrets: "Moreover, it doesn¡¯t necessarily mean we¡¯re seeking death. Where is the main entrance on the outer wall of the church?"


    The nun didn¡¯t know what Zhang Ge was planning, but after silently accepting his words, she pointed in a direction with her finger.


    Zhang Ge walked to the low edge, leaned out, and squinted in that direction, barely making out the outline of the city gate in the night.


    He quickly returned to the driver''s seat of the vehicle and said to Sister Amelia, "Get in."


    Bang.


    The sound of the car door closing echoed after Amelia got in.


    Zhang Ge spoke to the vehicle''s "voice control module," saying, "Now, increase the speed to maximum."


    Seeing that he could unleash himself, the vehicle''s engine roared with delight.


    Noticing this, Zhang Ge jokingly continued, "Do a good job. If I¡¯m still alive after we get into that church, I¡¯ll personally give you a full vehicle maintenance."


    Before his words faded, a strong push against his back hit him.

 Chapter 24: Blasphemy

    <div>


    As they sped towards the church, Zhang Ge had already input the predetermined commands into the "voice module" and communicated his plan with Sister Amelia.


    In front of them, the land surrounding the church had been leveled, with all rocks, debris, and uneven terrain smoothed out. This was to create a clear isolation zone without any cover; any enemies attempting to cross this zone would face the dilemma of being exposed without any concealment.


    This circular isolation zone, centered around the church, had an estimated radius of about two thousand meters and was completely under the threat of three lines of fire from the church''s parapet, main wall, and the main structure, all positioned from low to high. It¡¯s easy to imagine the cost enemies lacking heavy weapons and siege equipment would pay when trying to cross this isolation zone.


    However, there were no bodies left on this isolation zone, nor were there any signs of a firefight.


    If the church were currently in a state of collapse, it likely meant that the enemy had employed some sort of direct and aggressive tactic to forcibly breach or bypass the church''s external defenses, leaving the sisters no time to react¡ªenemies capable of such tactics were typically very powerful.


    But Zhang Ge didn¡¯t care. In this world, as part of the Astral Army, alongside comrades and under the watchful eye of the Emperor, with the sanctity of the sanctuary potentially at stake, it would be completely normal for him to rush in to face death, even if Abaddon were seated inside the church.


    Just like that mortal soldier who charged directly at Horus during the climactic battle between the Emperor and Horus, voluntarily rushing to his death was not necessarily illogical.


    And now, this reasonable logic had come into Zhang Ge''s hands.


    The last time they dealt with the Chaos Interstellar Warriors, it was because the retreat order was issued before it was his turn. This time, no one was there to relay the command to him again.


    Lost in thought, as they entered the isolation zone, Zhang Ge... or rather, the vehicle itself had already reached the maximum speed of ground-hugging flight. At this speed, the vehicle''s body experienced no bumps at all, and it only accelerated further upon hitting flat ground.


    Watching the rapidly approaching main gate, Zhang Ge spoke at a breakneck pace:


    "Now!"


    The doors on both sides of the vehicle were simultaneously flung open by Zhang Ge and Sister Amelia. In the fierce wind, the nun pushed the door open with sheer force, while Zhang Ge, prepared to exert all his strength to push out, found that the door opened unusually smoothly. It almost automatically settled into the angle where he stopped pushing, locking into place against the wind.


    There was no time to investigate the details; Zhang Ge focused on the quickly enlarging city gate.


    As expected, the gate was closed. Of course, he did not intend to crash the vehicle into it; that would only turn them into a meat patty at the steel gate.


    When they got close to the gate, the vehicle made a sharp right turn, and as its speed dropped suddenly, inertia flung Zhang Ge back toward the original forward direction.


    However, he had already firmly gripped one side of the vehicle''s armored roof, using it as a lever to secure himself while leveraging the inertia to fling his body into a position nearly parallel to the roof. He then yanked himself up, pulling his upper body past his hand position to the roof.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    In this way, Sister Amelia, who had already reached the roof, could wrap her arms around Zhang Ge''s chest and, while pulling him up, pivoted her foot to aim at the parapet. With one push, she stepped out, and with her next foot, she applied force to the elevated barrel of the heavy explosive gun, leaping towards the top of the parapet.


    As the vehicle began to circle the city wall below, Sister Amelia had already brought Zhang Ge, who was hanging on, up to the wall of the parapet.


    However... there were still no signs of enemy counterattack, making this entire series of plans to minimize the time spent climbing the wall feel like a circus performance in the dark, unnoticed by anyone.


    In fact, to travel light, Zhang Ge only had the plasma pistol at his side and Ascalon. He could have brought an additional power sword, but his own sheath was unusable, as he needed it to help the nun who was pulling him up, leaving him to rely solely on the legendary Ascalon if they got too close.


    He pushed aside his chaotic thoughts and didn''t dwell too much.


    Right now, since they had not been attacked yet, he needed to gather as much information as possible.


    As Zhang Ge thought this while entering the gate tower, he drew his sword and handed it to Sister Amelia, who was following behind him.


    But speaking of information, he lacked night vision, so after trying for a moment and finding he couldn''t see any details, he turned his gaze back to her.


    The nun nodded and after scanning for a moment, shook her head.


    No enemies spotted? Were they hiding or had they retreated?


    In Zhang Ge''s mind, the answer leaned more towards the latter. After all, if the enemy had the capability to take down the church with a small number of troops, they were likely elite Chaos warriors. If they hadn''t happened to arrive just in time, they would hardly have the leisure to linger inside the church while the numerous cultists had not yet reached this place.


    After a moment''s thought, Zhang Ge pointed to the city wall outside the gate tower, signaling that they could proceed with the plan.


    Sister Amelia nodded and turned to move.


    There was a certain height difference and distance between the parapet and the main wall, but the distance was only about fifteen meters.


    At this distance, even a mortal could throw a thermite bomb down onto the heads of the demons climbing up the parapet.


    However, for someone like Sister Amelia, this distance posed no obstacle.


    So, without the burden of Zhang Ge, she moved back to one side of the wall, took a running start, and leaped across the gap between the two, landing on top of the main wall and moving onto the gate of the main wall.


    With her familiarity with the church''s defensive architecture, Sister Amelia quickly located the manual switch for the gate and opened the gates of both walls.


    Still no enemy attack.


    Zhang Ge descended from the parapet via the stairs and regrouped with Sister Amelia inside the main gate.


    A series of auxiliary buildings and mechanical vehicles outside lay silent in complete darkness, even the upper part of the church was the same.


    Only the first floor, seemingly the main hall, emitted bright light from within.


    The situation was extremely strange, but with no way to turn back, the two quickly and cautiously crossed the open area in front of the church and arrived at the door.


    Upon pushing the door open, the scene inside was unexpected.


    There was no chaos, nor any signs of corruption; over a hundred nuns were lined up, their backs to the two, kneeling towards the front where a curtain concealed the holy image, their heads bowed to their chests, hands holding something.


    Seeing this, Sister Amelia tightened her grip on her sword with her right hand and stepped into the church, while Zhang Ge was about to stop her but, seeing the expression on her face, he ultimately just raised his gun, ready to provide cover.


    Inside the church, she passed row after row of nuns until she reached the curtain, grabbing one corner and pulling it sharply.


    The giant curtain fell, revealing what had been concealed.


    The original head of the holy image had already rolled to the side, replaced by a disproportionately large head impaled by a long sword driven into the statue''s neck... it was the head of the Grand Nun Mentor Teresa, her eyes streaming with blood tears that had long since solidified, extending down to the foot of the holy image, beside her headless body, which was also kneeling.


    Above, the blood-stained long sword was her own.


    Amelia looked back.


    Each of the hundreds of nuns had at least one fatal wound in front of them, with rusty nails clearly visible on their necks, used to secure their heads and severed necks, while the hands they held were filled with chaotic scriptures soaked in the blood flowing from the wounds.


    <div>

 Chapter 25: Amelia

    Seeing the appearance of the holy statue, Zhang Ge frowned slightly. Although he did not feel physically nauseous or uncomfortable, this act of desecrating humanity... at least for a normal human being, was still repulsive.


    After surveying the internal environment, Zhang Ge also entered the church and approached the nearest nun''s corpse. Witnessing this other act of desecration, he pulled the chaotic scripture from her already cold and stiff hands.


    Of course, he did not intend to open it and take a look; instead, he took a cross out of his bag and pressed it against the cover of the book.


    Although it did not emit the exaggerated light of several meters as before, once it was placed on the cover, the cross caused the surface to ignite violently. This burning did not harm Zhang Ge''s palm, nor did it produce any heat; it simply spread gradually across the entire book.


    Soon, the chaotic scripture was purified back to its original form¡ªa regular imperial scripture.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look deeper inside.¡±


    Noticing that Sister Amelia was clearly in a distressed state, Zhang Ge forcibly stuffed the cross into her clenched palm, not intending to further disturb her. After signaling her, he turned and entered a side corridor.


    At this point, saying anything comforting was meaningless; perhaps at least allowing her to purify her former sisters with her own hands would make her feel a bit better.


    Upon reaching the door, he fumbled to turn on the light.


    Sure enough, the enemies that had fought against the nuns had not repaired any locations other than the main hall, which served as an "art canvas." He could see numerous blood-stained craters and bloodstains, as well as scattered pieces of armor and chunks of flesh, along with many corpses of ordinary people or star realm soldiers.


    Approaching one of the craters, he could see that this explosive weapon had an extremely high rate of fire and precision. Without any deliberate control from the user, several explosive projectiles had embedded themselves in the same impact point.


    After further searching, Zhang Ge also discovered three charred marks on the ground in this corridor, as if something had fallen straight down from above. However, looking up, there were no openings in the ceiling.


    Chaos elites, distorted scriptures, deliberately repaired environments, charred marks, high-velocity explosive weapons.


    Suddenly, Zhang Ge recalled something that could leave such a scene in his mind.


    A tactical squad of chaos terminators, along with at least one accompanying chaos sorcerer. After obtaining the coordinates of the church and conducting preliminary reconnaissance, the terminators directly teleported into the main body of the church, and after the battle ended, the sorcerer immediately entered.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The fatal wounds on the nun''s corpse seen earlier in the main hall were all in front, corresponding to the breaches in the armor, while the back was basically unharmed; even those nuns who were not primarily combatants were the same.


    In other words, the nuns at that time were aware of the enemy forces and were in a state of high alert, to the extent that they were ready to don their armor at any moment, able to launch a counterattack the instant these enemy troops breached their defenses, without turning their backs to the foe.


    However, after intense gunfire, even in the case of fighting in a confined area, the nuns'' resistance was still shattered.


    It is said that powerful demons cannot directly appear within a sanctum thick with faith; if they were to lie in wait, the nuns of the order are not as cumbersome and slow as state church institutions, especially not in a frontline chapel that is undergoing further streamlining and personnel selection.


    But if a Chaos Terminator were to teleport directly into the chapel, that would make sense.


    Moreover, for the forces of Chaos, the Terminator power armor is nearly impossible to reproduce, so those who possess such powerful equipment are either veterans of millennia-long battles or the strong who have taken the place of the former after their deaths, making them highly valuable.


    A tactical squad, consisting of three Chaos Terminators, could easily teleport into various parts of the interior and have the capability to wipe out the hundred or so nuns and a small number of astral troops.


    However, such powerful warriors would only serve the most formidable legions or warbands within Chaos, which implies that the situation is worse than imagined; at least a Chaos Lord-level enemy has arrived in this combat zone.


    As Zhang Ge continued to delve deeper, aside from discovering more corpses and blood in other areas, he found no new suspicious spots and did not encounter any enemy attacks. If nothing unexpected occurred, it should be about what he had guessed, and the enemy had indeed left.


    Zhang Ge felt regretful for not encountering those enemies directly, but since they had already left, there was nothing he could do. He needed to return to the main hall and discuss with Sister Amelia what to do next.


    Upon reaching the door, he opened it a crack¡­ wait a minute, why is it so bright?


    Zhang Ge pushed the door fully open, but his steps forward halted.


    Inside the main hall, the bodies of the nuns had been gathered into a pile, and fierce flames were burning. He could see Sister Amelia kneeling before the pile of corpses completely engulfed in flames.


    But what caused Zhang Ge to stop was not this.


    It was the cross that was transforming the scorching pillars of fire into a brilliant golden hue. The bodies of the nuns were being burned away, yet their bones were turning silvery in the radiant golden flames.


    This inferno was not gentle as Zhang Ge had felt before; instead, it was extremely violent. Even from the side door, he could feel the unbearable heat. Although the flames seemed not to have consumed anything beyond the physical bodies, they were gradually roasting Sister Amelia, who knelt before it.


    Yet she remained motionless, maintaining her posture of kneeling and praying until the last nun''s body turned to dust.


    As two lines of tears streamed down from the eyes of the "scorched corpse" in front of the fire, the more than one hundred silvery bones gradually turned to dust, flying toward the nun, slowly coalescing into a giant sword entirely made of silver.


    It was at this moment that the "scorched corpse" suddenly began to grow silvery hair at an alarming rate, reaching chin length in the blink of an eye.


    The charred shell on her body began to fall away piece by piece, revealing a pure, unblemished body with no scars.


    As the last piece of char fell, Amelia slowly opened her eyes, which had lost their white cloth covering, and her golden pupils overflowed with brilliant light.

 Chapter 26: Martyr Mecha

    After opening her eyes, Amelia took a step forward, grasping the hilt of the silver-white longsword.


    The moment her palm made contact with the hilt, the longsword, which had been entirely featureless and monochromatic, underwent a transformation.


    From bottom to top, there was a hilt head composed of small golden crosses, a hilt made of black crystalline material, a guard shaped like golden eagle wings, and a pure white blade.


    Though there was no sheath, as soon as Amelia released her grip on the longsword, it floated behind her, following her movements and gently swaying.


    Witnessing this scene, Zhang Ge felt a sense of dread in his heart.


    This is bad; it¡¯s causing a ruckus with the Emperor.


    And perhaps sensing Zhang Ge''s presence, Sister Amelia walked toward him, the light in her eyes dimming slightly, though her golden irises remained bright.


    "The collapse of the defense line is inevitable. I plan to destroy this place to prevent it from being tainted by the cultists.


    Setting the explosives will take a few hours, so you can go do something else in the meantime."


    When she reached Zhang Ge, he noticed that her height had increased by nearly twenty centimeters, now standing over one meter ninety, taller than him.


    However, what was most striking was not this change. Zhang Ge opened his mouth, paused for a moment in silence:


    ¡°...¡±


    Then he continued:


    ¡°... It¡¯s possible, but shouldn¡¯t you find some clothes to wear first?¡±


    ¡°No need. I¡¯ll go find a usable power feedback exosuit later.¡±


    That¡¯s not the point!


    After saying this, the nun turned sideways and passed through a narrow side door, returning Zhang Ge¡¯s crucifix to him as she did so.


    They moved through the corridor, crossing over blood and corpses, heading deeper into the church, presumably toward a warehouse or something similar.


    As he watched her walk further into the church, Zhang Ge didn¡¯t continue to stare.


    Shaking his head, he thought that since there were still a few hours left, he might as well fulfill his promise and go fix that vehicle outside.


    Without hesitation, after quickly crossing two city walls, Zhang Ge intercepted the vehicle still circling the walls and drove it toward the church''s open area.


    Inside an annex filled with various vehicles parked on one side, Zhang Ge easily found the complete set of tools he needed.


    Though he didn¡¯t understand the internal structure of that vehicle, washing it with holy water, sticking some scriptures on it, and saying a few kind words to the machine spirit was still maintenance, right? This church had plenty of those supplies.


    However, when he returned for the second trip to grab enough holy water, Zhang Ge noticed a muffled banging sound coming from a certain place.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Following the sound, he discovered that it was coming from a martyr mech deep inside.


    This seemingly golden, ornate bipedal mech was actually one of the Empire''s most severe punishment machines, considered a plus version of the penance mech.


    Martyr mechs were generally used to punish nuns who committed the most serious crimes.


    Those sinners would be wrapped inside a protective shell resembling an iron maiden at the center of the mech, serving as both the mech''s ornament and its pilot, enduring extreme suffering within.


    Due to the shell''s excessive sturdiness, compared to the ordinary penance mech pilots who could wash away their sins through death, the sinners piloting martyr mechs often had to endure such agony for decades.


    Even the beasts of hell would have to admit that this was a bit too extreme.


    Now, the issue was that, as everyone knew, sound is transmitted through the vibration of a medium¡ªyet the precious metal was too hard. It was difficult for most Imperial tools to process it, let alone strike it with a fist; even a mortal with a hammer couldn¡¯t make it vibrate.


    Yet, the dull thuds still echoed clearly.


    Just as Zhang Ge was about to mind his own business and leave, the martyr mech suddenly moved, stepping forward as he took a step back.


    Oh, so this is how we¡¯re playing?


    Zhang Ge didn¡¯t mind taking control, but if he were to do so out of mere curiosity and ended up getting killed by whatever was inside, it wouldn¡¯t count as a normal death.


    But now there was sufficient reason; that made it a different matter.


    After drawing his plasma pistol from his waist, Zhang Ge approached the martyr mech, feeling around until he found a way to open its protective shell: a sizable valve.


    He tried it out; it wasn¡¯t as difficult to turn as it looked.


    With just a slight effort, he made it rotate. After turning it about a hundred times, the protective shell slowly opened, popping to the side.


    A figure resembling a novice nun tumbled out of the pilot¡¯s seat, which should have restrained a sinner.


    Since Zhang Ge had no intention of catching her and instead cautiously stepped back while holding his plasma pistol, she fell face-first to the ground.


    Blood streamed from her nose upon impact, mixing with the dust on the ground and the tears flowing down her face as she cried, painting her features with a blend of all three.


    But she herself seemed indifferent to it, curled up in extreme sorrow, as if wanting to howl but only opening her mouth with barely a sound escaping, her intermittent tones filled with tears.


    Zhang Ge pondered for a moment and asked:


    "Deserter?"


    The mention of this word finally elicited a reaction from her, her head drooping lower as she buried it between her knees in her tears.


    A novice nun, facing a Terminator that had dispatched over a hundred nuns, asking her to win was akin to sending someone to eliminate the Tang Monk and his disciples.


    And hiding inside the precious metal shell of a martyr''s mech, considering the tight schedule and heavy tasks of the Terminators, even if they detected a novice nun, they would likely be too lazy to pry open such a hard shell.


    Additionally, not wanting to risk being targeted in an open area by vehicles contributed to her survival, which was understandable.


    But at least in this world, that couldn''t serve as an excuse for her.


    Of course, on the other hand, since the martyr''s machine spirit had taken her in and now allowed Zhang Ge to rescue her, he had no intention of acting as a judge; he simply wanted to extract some information from her.


    Moreover, he had just arrived and, while not opposed to it, was not particularly interested in the Empire''s extreme measures.


    Reaching for his waist, he pulled out a crucifix and tossed it at her face, then casually opened a few bottles of holy water and poured them over her head and body to prevent any demonic disguise. Once her body convulsed slightly less, Zhang Ge asked:


    "Tell me, how many attackers were there?"


    She did not respond and continued to cry.


    Helpless, Zhang Ge could only use a method more suitable for a nun to calm her down.


    He half-squatted, grasped her slender neck, applying pressure and lifting her up, her voice gradually drowned out as she instinctively struggled in the suffocation.


    After a while, just as she was about to lose consciousness, Zhang Ge finally released his grip, letting her collapse weakly in front of him, gasping for air.


    Immediately, Zhang Ge removed the sword sheath from his waist, approached the novice nun from behind, and mercilessly struck her back, causing her suppressed cries to replace her previous sobbing. However, she never resisted or dodged;


    instead, she cried, her hands clasped tightly as she closed her eyes in prayer.


    After a short while, it seemed that the relentless pain had somewhat alleviated the novice nun''s overwhelming guilt, and she began to speak in broken phrases, having to bite her lip and pause every half-word to prevent herself from crying out in pain during the next lash:


    "Three..."

 Chapter 27: Punishment

    After the other party gradually regained the most basic ability to communicate, Zhang Ge roughly confirmed the events that had occurred in the church from her account. Overall, it was not much different from what Zhang Ge had guessed, with only some trivial differences that were harmless.


    After all, those Chaos Terminators did not intend to deliberately conceal their movements. This blatant action was less about arrogance and more about a reckless declaration of their existence¡ªafter all, it meant they had already grasped the coordinates of this church.


    Any attempt by troops to re-establish a presence in this church would have to be carefully considered beforehand. Once attacked, they would need to assess whether they could withstand the combined assault of the Chaos Terminators and the cultists.


    "Alright, get lost."


    After asking her questions, Zhang Ge did not intend to meddle further. After all, the two were not even part of the same armed system, and that martyr had indeed sheltered her. The fact that she was favored by the machine spirit of the nun''s vehicle at least indicated that this person was weak, but she probably hadn¡¯t done anything particularly wicked.


    His earlier torment of the nun was merely to help her regain some sanity for questioning; he had no intention of punishing her on anyone''s behalf.


    ¡°No...¡±


    The novice nun sobbed softly, swallowing hard before continuing:


    ¡°...I want to atone.¡±


    My goodness, an atoning nun? Don¡¯t you see what you¡¯re made of? Once you become an atoning nun and try to run away in front of the other nuns, don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to escape from the martyr next time.


    ¡°You do as you wish.¡±


    But as previously stated, Zhang Ge was too lazy to interfere. If she wanted to go, then let her go.


    However, just as Zhang Ge was about to pick up his cross, she continued:


    ¡°Please, let me follow you. You have a holy aura about you.¡±


    Huh? Am I some kind of mobile nun magnet? I still don¡¯t know how to deal with Amelia suddenly turning into a big guy, and now you come along? How am I supposed to survive this?


    Zhang Ge replied:


    ¡°No need for a deserter.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t run away again!¡±


    ¡°Then how can I be sure?¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°¡­If I show cowardice again, please feel free to execute me.¡±


    Zhang Ge looked at the other person with the same gaze he used for the small trumpet Oglin:


    ¡°What you mean is, if you try to run while there are others around, I should execute a deserter in the name of the Starfield Army?


    ¡°Or do you plan to have me explain to every allied unit I encounter that you are actually a deserter, thus giving me the authority to execute you?¡±


    The other person, who had seemed to calm down a bit, was once again overcome with emotion, sobbing as she said:


    ¡°Wuwu, I¡¯m sorry... I didn¡¯t mean to cause you trouble, I just... wuwuwu... I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll think of another way...¡±


    Seeing her like this, Zhang Ge lost the desire to say anything further. After stuffing the cross back into his bag, he bent down to pick up the other bottles and jars, intending to continue with the car maintenance.


    At that moment, Sister Amelia, already dressed in a set of thick power feedback armor, entered the room. Upon seeing the scene inside, she asked:


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Zhang Ge, somewhat puzzled, replied:


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I sensed you were in a room and hadn¡¯t moved, so I came to see if you were in trouble... Dominika? How did you end up here?¡±


    Before the preparatory nun named ¡°Dominika¡± could answer, Zhang Ge briefly explained:


    ¡°Deserter, hiding among the martyrs, so she survived.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Amelia nodded, and Dominika did not deny it, merely bowing her head in silence.


    ¡°Running away is an unacceptable crime, but we can¡¯t use the penance mech now; it¡¯s too slow... Dominika, once we reach the settlement, I will apply to have you transformed into a slave worker to atone for the order.¡±


    ¡°But before that, I will allow you to use the nun¡¯s armament to prove your determination and ability to cast off the shame of your past, to demonstrate that your stained body can still serve a greater purpose. If you commit another crime, I will personally execute and purify you.¡±


    Slave workers, even in the vibrant and flourishing Empire, can undoubtedly be considered among the lowest tier, as they are merely mechanized objects, or tools, having truly departed from humanity.


    However, upon hearing this fate, Dominika seemed to relax instead. She cast a reverent glance at the now towering Amelia, who had lost her past scars, and knelt on one knee, responding:


    ¡°Yes, Sister Amelia, I will follow your arrangements.¡±


    ¡°Come with me; I¡¯ll help you choose your weapons.¡±


    As Amelia turned to leave, Dominika hurriedly followed, her legs still feeling weak.


    Meanwhile, Zhang Ge felt his vision darken.


    Well, this is how it¡¯s going to be arranged.


    In fact, aside from lacking combat experience, the preparatory nuns are not far behind actual battle nuns in terms of training and physical fitness; they only need a swearing-in ceremony to become battle nuns.


    Once they are fully equipped, even if they merely act as a trigger pull for a grenade launcher, their combat effectiveness would be much higher than that of ordinary Starfield soldiers. Although this preparatory nun had escaped once, that was only when facing the Chaos Terminator.


    When it comes to fighting cultists, once they don the force feedback armor, ordinary automatic guns and laser guns would barely scratch the surface; even if you stuffed a pig into the barrel, it could still output damage.


    Wait... maybe not necessarily.


    Not all effects are positive; someone like her, a liability, could easily create a mess on the battlefield, which would be a job well done, wouldn¡¯t it?


    Anyway, I¡¯m not counting on ordinary cultists to do anything to me. If she makes a mistake at a critical moment, wouldn¡¯t that be a huge profit?


    The plan is set.


    Zhang Ge made an effort to convince himself.


    Sigh... a car is still better; it can go wherever without backstabbing you.


    He moved the jars in his arms to the side of the car and began to carelessly squander these precious supplies.

 Chapter 28：Objective, Hive City

    After washing the car with holy water, the residual slippery liquid flowed down through the crevices. Due to the lack of light and heat for evaporation, Zhang Ge had to carefully dry these narrow gaps himself to prevent the water from seeping deeper.


    He hadn''t been wiping for long before he felt something was off¡ªwhy was it getting increasingly fragrant?


    However, after pulling out his plasma pistol and scanning the surroundings, he found nothing unusual.


    Suspicious, Zhang Ge still drove the car into the building filled with numerous vehicles. He locked all the doors to guard against potential enemy attacks. In the dark and slightly cramped environment among the rows of vehicles, he used the glow of the plasma to affix segments of sacred prayers to various parts of the car with wax seals.


    When he finished attaching the last one and took out the ink, said to be mixed with the blood and ashes of a pure person, along with a quill, a scraping sound suddenly rang out.


    Zhang Ge followed the source of the sound and noticed that the car''s four tires had rotated slightly, producing the noise as they rubbed against the ground.


    Is it asking me to write on the wheels?


    But he didn''t mind where he wrote¡ªas long as the Machine Spirit was happy.


    As he muttered, "Is this deep enough here?" and "Do you want to be written here?"


    While comforting the machine spirit, he inscribed various scriptures on all four wheels of the vehicle.


    It seemed that the machine spirit, having been overly protected in a noble household before and recently driven through harsh terrains, was now exceptionally delighted to receive maintenance. With every stroke Zhang Ge made, the vehicle''s body would tremble slightly.


    After finishing, Zhang Ge stood up contentedly, surveying the vehicle. He observed the holy water that had not yet completely dried, trickling down from the black characters, and the neatly arranged seals.


    Huh, I''ve got quite an artistic touch.


    After admiring his masterpiece, he once again took his seat in the driver''s seat.


    Indeed, the driving experience was vastly different now. If the previous handling felt like an eager student trying to prove themselves but still somewhat inexperienced, now it was like a class monitor who knew exactly which part of the blackboard to clean with just a glance.


    After driving back into the church courtyard, the fatigue from continuous high-intensity operations and vigilance finally caught up with him in this rare moment of leisure.


    Zhang Ge fought off his drowsiness to close the city gates on both walls, then returned to the vehicle. He took out the packaging from a previous ration pack, tore it open, and wrote a message on the silver inner lining, which roughly conveyed the following:


    You two can go wherever you want after finishing your tasks; no need to ask me. I''m going to sleep first.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    After writing, he placed it on the driver''s seat and lay down on the back seat, allowing sleep to blur his consciousness.


    In his dream, he saw the Emperor, saw himself making a psychic call to harshly reprimand two nuns, demanding why they were wasting time on a mere grunt, and then being mercilessly abandoned in the wilderness, swallowed by the pursuing Chaos army.


    ...What''s wrong?


    In his dazed state, Zhang Ge wasn''t sure if he had actually spoken those words aloud. He only felt the sunlight flooding his eyelids, trying to pierce through his pupils, and something persistently shaking him.


    After some time, as his scattered thoughts began to coalesce, Zhang Ge finally realized he had woken up. He reached out, swatting away the thing that had been shaking him, and mumbled groggily:


    "Huh? What''s going on?"


    He was annoyed, having been interrupted at the climax of a good dream, but Zhang Ge still forced his heavy eyelids open.


    Most of his view was occupied by Amilia, who had leaned over to shake him awake with her hand. Beyond her, outside the car window, were... scraps? Surrounding their vehicle.


    Zhang Ge rubbed his eyes and leaned closer to the window.


    The figures seated on them were still human, though at first glance he had mistaken them for Orks.


    Amilia''s explanatory voice followed:


    "We''re heading toward the nearest hive city, where there''s the highest chance of finding organized forces. But now... a group of bandits has surrounded us."


    Zhang Ge was baffled. Was this really a problem?


    "Just kill them all, no?"


    "We could, but the vehicle might get damaged. They have anti-tank weapons, and we''re still some distance from our destination."


    After pushing Amilia''s shoulders to make her sit back, Zhang Ge squeezed through the middle gap and glanced toward the dashboard. Seeing the numbers displayed there, he chuckled and said:


    "If you''re bad, just practice more."


    With that, Zhang Ge reached out and patted Dominica''s head¡ªshe was wearing force-feedback armor now, so patting anywhere else probably wouldn''t register¡ªand then moved aside, gesturing for her to take the back seat.


    Soon, the two had switched places.


    In the driver''s seat, Zhang Ge succinctly commanded:


    "Full speed."


    As soon as the words left his mouth, the needle on the dashboard shot to its maximum value like a mercury thermometer plunged into boiling water.


    However, the vehicle''s speed was far from being limited by the dashboard''s upper limit. Amid the suddenly intensified roar of the engine, the four wheels spun, propelling the vehicle forward like an arrow while multiplying the dust kicked up by the friction.


    The sudden surge in speed caught the bandits off guard. In that brief moment of confusion, Zhang Ge had already driven the vehicle straight into the side of a heavily modified truck that was blocking the road ahead.


    At such high speed, the lightweight armored vehicle, with its considerable weight, struck the truck''s side and rear, causing the entire truck to lose balance. After wobbling along a twisted path, the truck flipped over, scattering countless parts from its body before finally landing on its side.


    It was precisely when the truck flipped onto its side and Zhang Ge steered to one side to avoid it that the anti-tank rocket launched from the bandits'' launcher behind them. Originally intended to hit Zhang Ge''s vehicle, the rocket''s trajectory naturally extended after his evasive maneuver and slammed directly into the overturned truck.


    The explosion erupted, sparks flying everywhere, and the rocket added fuel to the fire of the already damaged vehicle.


    As he angrily loaded a second rocket, he realized that the incredibly fast car had already moved out of effective range. Without any tracking capability, firing again would only waste another rocket.


    Glancing at the shrinking bandit garbage truck in the rearview mirror, Zhang Ge casually asked, "Which hive city are we heading to?"


    "Yakaolan Hive City, with a population of around 600 million."


    Six hundred million people crammed into a single city¡ªjust hearing those words was enough to imagine the hellish scene it must be.


    Even in peacetime, let alone during the chaos of an invasion, it was sure to bring Zhang Ge endless surprises.


    Indeed, achieving one''s dreams couldn''t rely on others; it had to be earned through one''s own efforts.


    Zhang Ge felt his future was as bright as the sunlight at that moment, and the car seemed to speed up even more.


    "We''ll be entering the hive city''s industrial exhaust pollution zone in a while. Low visibility¡ªremember to slow down."


    "Got it."

 Chapter 29: The Clarity of the Suburbs

    Shortly after that statement, the vehicle entered a polluted zone that seemed to demarcate the boundary between light and darkness.


    This was the industrial exhaust pollution area, a toxic region formed by the emission of industrial waste from the hive city. The lighter components of the exhaust rose upward, gathering to such an extent that they obscured most of the sunlight, while the heavier components settled toward the ground, infiltrating the lungs of anyone attempting to breathe unprotected in such an environment.


    After traveling through this environment for some time, something immense appeared in the distance¡ªsomething so grand that it seemed less like a human creation and more like a marvel wrought by some natural force.


    It resembled a mountain range, towering so high that its peak was invisible, connecting the heavens and the earth.


    Due to its sheer enormity, it even blurred the boundaries of distance, making it difficult to gauge how far away it was based on its size. The moment it appeared as a massive, barely discernible silhouette in the low light, it already felt like a towering black wall standing right before one''s eyes.


    This was the "Hive City."


    Hive cities are the collective term for megacities. Some of them may be located in remote colonies, with smaller ones housing only a million people. However, on typical Imperial planets, a hive city can have a population ranging from hundreds of millions to tens of billions. The largest parts of these cities, their spires, can even reach into the atmosphere.


    As for planets that can be called hive worlds, the smaller ones host thousands of such hive cities, while the larger ones are entirely covered by a jungle of adamantium and plasteel.


    From population to industrial output, these marvels continuously supply the Empire with an unending stream of resources. Their massive forms, visible even from low orbit, are the pillars that keep the decaying giant of the Empire from collapsing.


    "It seems the war hasn''t reached Hive Acoran yet," said Amilia, gazing at the distant megastructure. After glancing at Zhang Ge, who was trying but failing to discern anything, she activated the targeting scope originally used for heavy bolter fire.


    Through the optical imaging of the scope, tiny black dots could finally be seen rushing into the hive city from all directions at high speed.


    These were usually the intra-atmospheric ships of nobles, transport convoys, or merchant fleets, along with some massive transport aircraft.


    Upon closer observation, one could also spot smaller, faster points of light¡ªthe exhaust glows of fighter jets or personal aircraft.


    The fact that they could enter the hive city at such high speeds indicated one thing: the hive city''s void shields were not yet activated. Otherwise, the void shields, designed to intercept high-energy, high-velocity objects, would not distinguish between them and artillery shells.


    This, of course, meant that the war had not yet reached Hive Acoran, at least for now. It remained a safe gathering point.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    However, judging by the unusually high frequency of fighter jets entering the hive, it was clear that Zhang Ge and his companions were not the only ones who had realized this.


    Of course, these were not immediate concerns for Zhang Ge. In fact, the more dangerous the situation, the better.


    After finally entering the outskirts of the hive city, the vehicle had to slow down significantly due to the abundance of garbage from the hive''s interior and the remnants of ruins from who-knows-what era. A single misstep could easily result in a collision.


    Suddenly, after rounding a corner formed by abandoned ferrocrete structures, a makeshift barricade assembled from various pieces of junk came into Zhang Ge''s view.


    The barricade was flanked by two watchtowers that looked as though they might collapse at any moment, despite their somewhat formal appearance.


    In front of the barricade stood two guards.


    Clad in dirty, grayish-white robes and wearing filters over their faces, each guard held an autogun in one hand and made a halting gesture with the other.


    It wasn''t unusual to find people in the outskirts, but the fact that these individuals had access to standardized clothing and filters was somewhat surprising. After all, most people in the outskirts didn''t live long enough for the toxic air to kill them, so they had little awareness of the need for protection.


    "Do you know who they are?"


    This time, it was Zhang Ge who was unsure of the identity of the people before him, so he turned to Amelia for answers.


    After carefully examining the patterns on their clothing, Amelia could only hesitantly conclude:


    "Hmm... they seem to be some kind of offshoot of the Ecclesiarchy?"


    The term "offshoot of the Ecclesiarchy" didn''t narrow things down much more than simply calling them an organization. Those who dared to openly declare themselves heretics had long been eradicated, and many Chaos cults initially disguised themselves as branches of the Ecclesiarchy.


    At that moment, Dominica, sitting in the back seat, leaned forward and timidly said:


    "I think they''re called... the Dawnbreak Cult?"


    Out of caution, Zhang Ge followed their signal and stopped the car. Without sufficient intelligence and unsure whether the other side had laid traps like landmines or might pull out some dark-age-tech cannon from the rubble, charging through recklessly was certainly not the highest priority in terms of operational logic.


    Watching the two guards approaching after the car stopped, Zhang Ge asked Dominica:


    "How did you know about this?"


    "Some of the other novice sisters mentioned it before bed. They encountered it while on a mission with Sister Gota. I overheard it, so I remembered."


    Bedtime stories, huh.


    Zhang Ge thought about it. Having some rumors was better than being completely in the dark, so he continued asking:


    "Tell me what you know."


    "Hmm..."


    Dominica frowned slightly, thinking for a moment before speaking:


    "They seem to believe the universe is a small black sphere surrounded by a large sphere of light. They think that one day, a deity will emerge from the large sphere of light, break through the barrier between the two, and allow everyone to enjoy endless light and heat. I''m not sure about their numbers, but they''re widely spread."


    "So that''s basically saying nothing at all."


    "Sorry!"


    As they spoke, one guard had already reached the window, while the other stood at the front side of the car. Though he didn''t appear to be holding a gun, a closer look revealed his finger resting on the trigger, ready to fire at the window at any moment.


    The guard by the window knocked on the one-way bulletproof glass, which was opaque from the inside, and spoke in a muffled voice through the filter and the window:


    "Pass."


    Zhang Ge rolled the window down slightly.


    A Star Guard captain wearing carapace armor, with what looked like a plasma pistol at his waist.


    A Battle Sister clad in power armor, towering like a small giant, holding a massive sword glowing with a milky white light.


    And a bolter protruding from the slightly lowered rear window, its dark muzzle pointed directly at him.


    "What pass?"


    "Uh, never mind, you can go. The Order welcomes you."


    Hearing the guard''s voice, now clear and unobstructed since the window was rolled down, Zhang Ge couldn''t help but feel a bit of relief.


    It seems not everyone in the outskirts is bad. They''re quite friendly, aren''t they?

 Chapter 30: The Dawn Sect

    In places like the outskirts and the underhive, might makes right, and it was quite obvious that the people in this vehicle had a bit too much might.


    Setting aside the Sisters of Battle, even the Astra Militarum dealing with gangs and armed cults at that level was essentially like fishing in a barrel.


    Even the most heavily armed "civilian groups" would have to think twice before provoking an Astra Militarum officer, considering whether they could withstand the retaliation of a fully organized Astra Militarum force.


    Not to mention the Sisters of Battle. Attacking the Astra Militarum might at most label you as rebels if you weren''t asking for trouble, but attacking the Sisters of Battle would instantly elevate you to the status of heretics, and that''s a whole different level of treatment.


    Those with poor judgment don''t last long in the outskirts. How many Throne Gelt are you earning a month to risk your life like this?


    So, the guard who had initially planned to stop the vehicle and extort a hefty sum immediately cleared his mind upon seeing the composition of the passengers inside.


    Of course, the blame still had to be shifted.


    "...By the way, our bishop has always admired the Ecclesiarchy. Could we wait for him to arrive and discuss doctrine with him?"


    Zhang Ge looked at the man, not so much considering the question but rather curious that in a place like the outskirts, there could still be people with normal thought processes? And it seemed there were quite a few.


    This was unusual, and in the Imperium, unusual often meant dangerous. Zhang Ge liked danger.


    After Amilia glanced at Zhang Ge, he pretended to think for a moment and said, "Make it quick."


    Closing the car window and watching the man walk away, Zhang Ge explained, "The outskirts are either filled with mutants or lunatics. It''s unlikely for such an organization to emerge."


    In such a sensitive period, danger meant a factor of instability. As part of the Astra Militarum, investigating this to prevent any unexpected incidents during the hive''s defense was only reasonable.


    Dominica holstered her grenade launcher and, while attaching a flamethrower underneath, asked curiously:


    "Are they also cultists?"


    "Hmm... hard to say. It''s not uncommon for the lower ranks to use local people who are completely unaware of the situation, while the middle and upper ranks employ specially inserted personnel. So, we can''t draw a conclusion until we investigate more thoroughly."


    "I... see."


    Her tone of response somehow betrayed a hint of guilt.


    Soon, the bishop contacted by the Dawn Cult guards arrived. In the distance, Zhang Ge faintly saw a beam of light pointing straight toward the sky approaching, gradually becoming clearer against the dim background.


    "Amilia, will you come with me?"


    Originally planning to get out of the car and face the situation alone, Zhang Ge suddenly remembered that the guard''s initial reason was to discuss doctrine. It might not be appropriate to go without Amilia, so he casually asked.


    The latter nodded and decisively got out of the car with Zhang Ge.


    Seeing this, Dominica slid into the passenger seat and placed her hand on the vehicle-mounted heavy bolter''s weapon control system.


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    The two quickly approached the barricade, and then, the seemingly pile of garbage that served as the "gate" slowly creaked open to both sides, revealing the scene inside.


    Two rows of about thirty to forty people, all dressed in gray-white robes, but different in that they also wore headdresses adorned with small torches on both sides. Their weapons had been upgraded to laser guns, likely the bishop''s personal guards.


    They were neatly lined up on both sides of the road, and in the center of the road was a hunched old man walking leisurely. He was also in a gray-white robe, but on his back was a backpack with a powerful flashlight pointing toward the sky.


    It seems the brighter the light source, the higher the status?


    Zhang Ge speculated in his mind and took the initiative to lead Amilia forward, asking:


    "What''s the matter?"


    "Please follow me, don''t worry, it''s just outside the door."


    The bishop''s tone was slow, as if deliberately imitating the recitative in a drama, sounding somewhat comical. Combined with the swaying flashlight behind him, the effect was even more striking. However, the setting was indeed serious, making Zhang Ge feel like he was watching an absurd comedy film.


    After the three of them passed the bishop''s guards and arrived outside the door, the bishop dismissed the guards who wanted to approach before speaking. This time, his voice was normal:


    "A few months ago, I gathered a group of PDF deserters, about twenty or thirty people, to train the believers. But now they refuse to leave, and there are too many of them..."


    He dragged out the last syllable, as if deliberately emphasizing his predicament, before continuing:


    "So, I set up a checkpoint to see if I could encounter someone capable enough. If you can take them away, I don''t mind offering some reward."


    After finishing, his cloudy eyes beneath the hood seemed to scan the scratches on Zhang Ge''s carapace armor... Zhang Ge guessed that the un-repaired bullet marks and the like had led the bishop to misunderstand, probably thinking he was short on money.


    Twenty or thirty people is quite a number, roughly the size of an infantry platoon. If a conflict were to arise, the danger at close range would be quite high.


    Immediately, Zhang Ge replied:


    "Bring them over."


    In such an unfamiliar terrain, it''s only natural that a normal person wouldn''t casually follow someone else.


    But the bishop shook his head:


    "I can''t get them to move now."


    ?


    Damn old man, are you fucking messing with me?


    "..."


    Zhang Ge remained silent for a moment, then walked back to the car and circled around to the trunk. After opening it, he rummaged through and found the finely crafted bolt pistol that the noble had given him earlier.


    He glanced over the bolt pistol and, as expected, found a family crest on the body of the gun. After easily prying it off, Zhang Ge returned to the bishop.


    "Have your people take this and call them over."


    He handed the crest to the bishop, who, with his usual slow movements, took it and summoned a guard to relay the instructions.


    "Before they arrive, tell me about your cult."


    "We''re just barely managing to keep everyone fed. There''s not much to say."


    "Recite your doctrine for me."


    The bishop seemed slightly surprised but cleared his throat and began, "It starts with our Lord creating the universe..."


    "Alright, that''s enough."


    Zhang Ge interrupted him.


    Ever since Dominica had told him about this cult, he had always felt a sense of dissonance. Now, he had finally pinpointed the source of that dissonance.


    A group of people who may have never left the ruins in their entire lives, or even seen the sky, probably wouldn''t know whether the planet is flat or round¡ªhow could they possibly have a concept of the "universe"?


    To claim that it originated from within the nest or was passed down from ancient times is even more far-fetched. In the former case, a person with at least a mid-to-upper nest education level, upon arriving in the outskirts, managed to establish a cult that could be described as "widely distributed" in such a short time.


    In the latter case, an outskirts cult that has been passed down since before the pollution began¡ªpossibly thousands of years ago¡ªseems to have continued without interruption. Yet, despite having such capability, it has remained confined to the outskirts, with little to no reputation.


    Even if someone learned from leaked books and had the ability to create their own doctrines and cults, they certainly wouldn''t choose a concept that the outskirts people fundamentally cannot understand as the core doctrine.


    Just like the major religions of ancient Terra, which explained the world using elements that were intuitively visible on Terra at the time, an abstract concept that is completely incomprehensible would, under normal circumstances, never be accepted by a majority of a low-cultured population.


    At first, Zhang Ge thought that Dominica used this term to refer to "the world" or something similar. However, from the words spoken by the other party in the common language, the term "universe" still appeared, which made the situation seem off.


    Nevertheless, although Zhang Ge had his suspicions, he wasn''t in a hurry. He decided to play along for now.

 Chapter 31: Advancing Alone into Enemy Territory

    Soon, the sound of truck engines grew louder as two military transport vehicles appeared in the distance.


    When they were about a hundred meters away, soldiers clad in bulletproof armor, members of the Planetary Defense Force (PDF), leaped out from the rear of the vehicles. After assembling, they marched in unison toward Zhang Ge under the command of an officer.


    Upon reaching Zhang Ge, the officer blew a sharp whistle, and the three squads, totaling twenty-six PDF soldiers, came to a halt.


    Under normal circumstances, it wouldn''t matter much since they weren''t part of the same command structure, and ignoring this Astra Militarum captain wouldn''t be a big deal.


    But in wartime, it was a completely different story. It was common for Astra Militarum officers to outrank PDF officers, especially since the platoon leader was only a second lieutenant. Moreover, he had indeed made a mistake. At best, it could be considered getting lost; at worst, being absent for several months could easily be classified as desertion.


    "Planetary Defense Force of Yakolan, 17th Infantry Regiment, 73rd Company, 21st Platoon, reporting for duty!"


    The organizational structure of the Astra Militarum and PDF was rigid: regiment-company-platoon-squad, with squads typically consisting of around ten soldiers.


    So, with fewer personnel, a regiment of a few hundred soldiers fit neatly into the prescribed structure.


    But with larger numbers, to accommodate enough personnel, an infantry regiment could comprise dozens or even hundreds of companies, each with dozens or hundreds of platoons, allowing a single regiment to house tens or hundreds of thousands of soldiers. This was a common occurrence across various units.


    Zhang Ge didn''t falter despite wearing a uniform he had taken from someone else. He confidently scanned the group and addressed the officer:


    "What''s your name?"


    "Burton."


    "Burton, you''re now incorporated into my unit as the 35th Platoon, or face execution."


    Without hesitation, the officer saluted and replied:


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    "35th Platoon, Second Lieutenant Burton, reporting for duty!"


    Being conscripted meant death might come later, but execution meant death now. Killing him would likely result in more than just his own death. Faced with such a choice, it was better to opt for the relatively less dire outcome.


    Moreover, this captain bore the crest of a noble from the hive city¡ªperhaps he was an ally.


    Satisfied, Zhang Ge nodded, stepped forward, removed the officer''s helmet, glanced at the top of his head, and then carefully placed the helmet back on, adjusting it neatly.


    "Work hard."


    Soon after Burton was left to enter the back seat, everyone else was instructed to return to the truck.


    After accepting a bag of Throne Coins handed over by the bishop, Zhang Ge set off again, though this time not alone, as two noisy trucks followed behind.


    Of course, the destination for this journey was not the hive city for the time being, but rather the headquarters of the Dawn Cult, as pointed out by Burton.


    They had been there when they were invited to serve as instructors. The cult members clearly had no sense of secrecy at the time, as the route was laid out plainly for them to see.


    "Burton, are you sure this is the right path?"


    But after driving for quite some time, when the scenery ahead repeated for the third time, Zhang Ge couldn''t help but ask.


    However, Burton also seemed unsure of what was happening. He replied with some doubt:


    "This... we came this way before. It shouldn''t be like this."


    After returning to the same spot for the fourth time, Zhang Ge stopped the car and asked Burton:


    "Do you remember the direction of every turn from here to the headquarters?"


    "I do, but..."


    "Recite them."


    Burton was interrupted. After recalling for a while, he followed the request and listed the direction of each turn, even including the approximate distance to drive.


    After listening, Zhang Ge took his hands off the steering wheel and said:


    "Input the direction of each turn just mentioned, stay within the road limits, and activate autopilot."


    Burton was puzzled:


    "Sir, who are you talking to?"


    However, he received no answer, only the sensation of being pressed firmly into his seat by the inertia caused by the vehicle''s acceleration.


    Low light, no headlights, poor visibility, and numerous obstacles.


    Yet none of this hindered a civilian-modified light armored vehicle as it sped through the streets, the sharp screech of tires drifting echoing at every corner. The two trucks behind soon lost sight of the taillights of the vehicle ahead.


    In the eyes of Zhang Ge and his companions, as the vehicle sped along, the surrounding scenery gradually became blurred and distorted, soon piercing through like a bubble film.


    A large-scale holographic projection.


    Such a thing was uncommon in the outskirts where even electricity was in short supply, let alone on a scale large enough to guide a vehicle''s path.


    After the vehicle came to a stop, a distant area illuminated by what seemed to be numerous searchlights appeared, creating a stark contrast with the surrounding darkness.


    It was obvious that this was the so-called headquarters of the cult.


    After parking the vehicle in a concealed spot, Zhang Ge took up his boltgun and power sword, saying to the other three:


    "There''s no time to wait for the others. Let''s move out first."

 Chapter 32: Light

    The light sources came from towering structures built from scrap metal, each equipped with rows of massive searchlights. The light was so intense that it was almost difficult to look directly at the towers themselves.


    All of this intense light was focused on a massive pit surrounded by these towers. The scale of the pit was so enormous that the nearby ruins of a multi-story building looked like toys in comparison.


    However, such a vast scale also meant that the Dawn Cult was completely unable to mount an effective defense. That said, it was likely that very few forces in the outskirts could even breach the outer holographic projections, let alone cross the defenses without triggering any alarms.


    Patrol teams of three to four people were stationed along the edge of the pit, each separated by at least a hundred meters. Their setup wasn''t designed for interception but merely to serve as an early warning system.


    From the looks of it, they hadn''t encountered any attacks capable of reaching this location for a long time.


    Of course, Zhang Ge had no intention of breaking their record. Based on the guards outside the pit and the patrol teams encountered earlier, a rough estimate suggested that the cult''s armed personnel outside the pit alone numbered around two thousand.


    While this number wasn''t significant compared to a regular military force, it still gave them a slight advantage over the current group of four. Engaging them directly would hardly be considered normal.


    So, if they bypassed the patrols and entered without conflict, wouldn''t that mean it wasn''t an attack?


    As a precaution, Zhang Ge decided to leave the inexperienced Dominica and Burton behind.


    "Dominica, Burton, if you notice any other patrols detecting something unusual or if a conflict breaks out inside, go back and bring the car over."


    He hoped they wouldn''t mess this up.


    After watching the two nod solemnly, Zhang Ge thought to himself, then turned to Amilia:


    "Amilia, get ready to take me over from above."


    Amilia nodded, and the two found the highest nearby ruin. After climbing to the top, they reached a position even higher than the towers.


    From this vantage point, the visible range of the deep pit became much clearer.


    The pit extended downward in a funnel shape with tiered steps, each level about twenty to thirty meters high. On the inner side of each step, scattered buildings could be seen, likely the residences of the core members of the Dawnbreak Sect.


    One notable detail was that a large number of light sources were directed toward the very center of the pit. Although the deepest part was still unclear, based on the intensity of the reflected light, Zhang Ge estimated that the object being illuminated might be a mirror or some kind of metal object.


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    However, Zhang Ge and Amilia had not climbed up here for sightseeing.


    The open area between the edge of the massive hole and the ruins was roughly fifty meters wide. Amilia could easily leap to the top of those towers in an instant, even while carrying Zhang Ge.


    As previously mentioned, the brightness of the searchlights on those towers was akin to small suns. Even if the patrols happened to look up at the lights, the brief visual adjustment required under such intense light would be more than enough time for the two of them to reach the pit.


    After roughly surveying the scene inside, Zhang Ge mentally prepared himself to be carried or dragged over once again and said, "Alright, let''s go."


    But Amilia didn''t do that. Instead, she sheathed her sword, moved behind Zhang Ge, wrapped one arm around his chest and the other around his waist, and lifted him a few centimeters off the ground.


    Zhang Ge: ???


    Seriously, is being taller that impressive?


    While he was grumbling internally, Amilia had already carried him in this manner to the edge. She leaned forward at an angle and, when the angle was right, pushed off the edge and leaped.


    The force wasn''t too strong, as they couldn''t make much noise. After flying nearly fifty meters, their momentum was nearly spent by the time they landed on the tower, and the landing was almost silent.


    Here, Zhang Ge could finally see what was at the center.


    A severely damaged Warlord-class Titan, its lower half still buried in the ground.


    Its chest bore several severe injuries, the deepest of which seemed to have pierced through from front to back. It was hard to imagine what kind of weapon could leave such wounds on the body of such a divine machine.


    Now, in addition to being heavily damaged, its surface was covered in blasphemous symbols and worshipful inscriptions. The entity being worshipped aligned with Zhang Ge''s earlier suspicions¡ªthe Great Demon of Tzeentch, the Weaver of Fates, the Lord of Change.


    Kairos Fateweaver.


    The final piece of the puzzle fell into place at this moment, and it was not difficult to imagine what had transpired here.


    Long ago, a massive war caused this divine machine to fall, permanently altering the entire landscape of this place and burying it deep underground.


    When the Mechanicus arrived on this planet, extensive research quickly pinpointed the location of the damaged Titan. However, just as the excavation was nearing completion, a sudden invasion by the Orks disrupted the entire process.


    With nowhere outside the hive city''s void shields being safe, the time required to repair the Titan after its excavation was uncertain. Moreover, the risk of it being intercepted by the Orks during transport would have left hundreds of Tech-Priests in despair.


    Thus, in an effort to avoid drawing the Orks'' attention to anything mobile, the Mechanicus reluctantly left behind a multitude of automated holographic projections as a protective measure and withdrew from the area.


    But the war with the Orks lasted far longer than the Mechanicus had anticipated. Over such an extended period, a fortunate individual who had breached the barrier arrived at this site.


    One can imagine the awe felt by this suburban dweller, with their limited knowledge, as they descended into the god-carved pit and beheld such a colossal giant.


    Overwhelmed by this emotion, they knelt before the giant, worshiping it as a deity and praying for enlightenment.


    Undoubtedly, the ability to use a Warlord-class Titan as a medium and offering was a feat that few native Chaos cults across the galaxy could achieve. The Changer of Ways answered this mortal''s plea.


    With the sudden influx of knowledge into their mind and through repeated prayers and responses from the deity, an unwitting Chaos cult was born.


    They worshiped a dead Titan with the utmost devotion, using their deepest desires as their intent, yet what they received were the gifts of Tzeentch. Much like the bishop''s lament, the entire cult resembled a group of ridiculous clowns performing in a stage play.


    Perhaps this was precisely the kind of "offering" the Changer of Ways truly desired.


    Fortunately, their misfortune may come to an end today.

 Chapter 33: The Deep Pit Sacrifice

    <div>


    Zhang Ge noticed that around the War-Grade Titan, a group of gray dots was conducting a ritual. It seemed that the lights on these towers were not turned on every day, otherwise, the power consumption alone would be enough to give the Dawn Cult a headache.


    After briefly memorizing the path to the bottom, Zhang Ge said to Amilia:


    "Let''s go."


    Immediately, the two took to the air again. To avoid being spotted by the people on the other side of the pit, Amilia first threw her greatsword at a relatively slow speed. The smaller size of the sword compared to a human figure, combined with the distance from the other side, made it difficult to detect unless one was paying close attention, so the slower speed didn''t matter.


    However, the two of them were different. If their speed slowed down, anyone who wasn''t blind would likely see them.


    As the greatsword flew halfway through the air, Amilia hurled a piece of scrap she had broken off at another tower at an extremely fast speed. Then, with a sudden burst of force from her feet, two metallic sounds of impact rang out one after the other.


    By the time the tip of the greatsword had barely pierced the ground, Amilia had already arrived, precisely placing her foot on the back end of the sword''s hilt. At that moment, the force of the sword being retracted into her back and the kinetic energy of it hitting the ground canceled each other out. The originally heavy landing was dissipated, and the two landed with an almost imperceptible sound behind a house.


    By the time the cult members near the tower that had made the noise turned their heads to look at the source of the sound, the two had already landed and hidden inside the house.


    The crude metal padlock on the house, originally meant for theft prevention, didn''t even last half a second. In front of Amilia, it was as fragile as a biscuit.


    If nothing unexpected happened, by the time the two cleared the interior of the house and confirmed there were no other threats, the patrol team above, having noticed the unusual sounds, would have already begun searching the surrounding area for anomalies.


    Although the two sounds could somewhat reduce the level of suspicion¡ªafter all, those towers didn''t look particularly sturdy, and it was normal for them to make noises due to aging¡ªthe cult members weren''t NPCs. Once they became suspicious, they wouldn''t give up just because they didn''t find anything after a while.


    But this was exactly what Amilia wanted¡ªtwo possibilities: First, someone had breached the outer perimeter and was trying to distract them by targeting the towers within the ruins, or attempting to attack the towers.


    Second, someone had directly jumped over fifty meters from above, bypassing them to reach the top of the tower, and had already flown into the pit faster than they could turn around. The two sounds were the result of their footsteps and the collision with the tower.


    For these suburbanites, the first possibility was obviously far more likely than the second. With insufficient manpower to handle both scenarios simultaneously, it was only natural that part of the patrol team would be dispatched to search and guard the exterior, while the rest would focus more on the outside.


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    The next part of the journey offered almost no cover. Although this method increased the risk of exposure for Dominica and the others, it also significantly reduced the chances of Zhang Ge and Amilia being discovered.


    Dominica and the others had plenty of room to maneuver around the patrol team, but at the moment, they were inside the deep pit, with almost no way to hide. Being discovered would be equivalent to being attacked.


    Of course, Zhang Ge was also aware of this, and there was no need for excessive explanation between the two of them.


    While waiting for the patrol teams to move outward, Zhang Ge asked:


    "Are you... a Living Saint now?"


    "Of course not. A Living Saint is the pinnacle of human virtue and the manifestation of the Emperor''s will."


    Zhang Ge pondered for a moment before continuing:


    "Could you explain it more clearly? If you find it offensive, never mind."


    "In simple terms, without the corresponding will and capacity to bear it, even if one receives the Emperor''s blessing akin to that of a Living Saint, the recipient would quickly become... well, a purified, holy, yet unconscious psychic construct."


    When discussing such topics, despite being a blessed individual and a Battle Sister, Amilia did not exhibit the usual fervor or avoidance one might expect, at least not at this moment. Instead, she organized her thoughts and explained it to Zhang Ge.


    It seems that not all stereotypes about Sisters are entirely true.


    Zhang Ge thought to himself.


    Shortly after, Amilia added:


    I have now reached the stage where I am at the limit of my short-term carrying capacity.


    This answer was not entirely unexpected. After all, if it were a living saint, Zhang Ge wouldn''t even think about dying¡ªhe''d just give up and treat her like a Pok¨¦mon, tossing her out. Even if the number of cult members outside increased by two orders of magnitude, they would still be no match for a living saint.


    After some time, Amilia, who seemed to have noticed that a portion of the cult members had left, said:


    "About two-thirds have gone."


    "Understood."


    The two left the room and quickly passed through the Dawn Cult''s residential and industrial zones by heading directly to the edge and then leaping down to the next level.


    When they finally reached the deepest area without incident, the buildings here became more densely packed, allowing the two to use the structures to conceal themselves and avoid the attention of the patrols above.


    They were now not far from the cult''s ritual site. The beams of light shining down from above grew increasingly blinding, and they could hear the local dialect being chanted below.


    After ascending several more layers of stairs, they arrived near the deepest part. Here, they could see the crowned pope standing beside the altar. On the altar, nine pairs of nine-year-old boys and girls were arranged in rows.


    The naked bodies of these boys and girls were covered with various phrases: "The Wisest One," "The Purest Jade," "We Seek Your Gaze," "God, oh God..."


    ...


    Ahead of them was a blood pool encircling the Titan, filled with blood and floating corpses. These were clearly bodies accumulated over multiple sacrificial rituals, yet they showed no signs of decay, and no scent of blood emanated from the pool.


    After finishing his incantation, the pontiff approached the first pair of a young boy and girl. From beneath his robe, he drew a ceremonial dagger and slit open their abdomens.


    The two sacrificial victims, disemboweled, still stood motionless. Their intestines and other internal organs spilled out along with the blood, which flowed in large quantities through a blood channel into the pool.


    When the last drop of blood had drained, their bodies had turned pale, no longer resembling humans, and they too tumbled into the blood pool, becoming one of the many corpses.


    Next came the second pair, then the third...


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ?? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


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    <div>

 Chapter 34: Please... Kill Me

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    While the pope was conducting the ceremony, Zhang Ge and Amilia were certainly not idle. After calculating the number of thermal bombs they had on hand, Zhang Ge formulated a demolition plan, adding a few plasma canisters to the mix.


    There were too many people participating in the ritual below¡ªat least three to four hundred, with dozens of elite guards stationed on the outer perimeter. Even if they could manage to eliminate them all in a surprise attack, it would be difficult to finish before enemy reinforcements arrived from above.


    However, for the sake of the ritual, they were standing too close together, shoulder to shoulder. If the buildings surrounding the lower altar were to collapse, it would likely cause massive casualties.


    As long as these upper management figures were wiped out, the outskirts of the hive city were no safe haven either. Without organization, the Dawn Cult would quickly be torn apart and devoured.


    If the goal was simply to annihilate the Dawn Cult, this would already be sufficient. All Amilia needed to do was take the footage recorded by her force-feedback armor to the local Mechanicus personnel, and within minutes, they could mobilize an entire regiment to sweep the area clean.


    Not a single living soul¡ªor even bacteria¡ªwould likely remain.


    The desecration of the Machine God was no trivial matter, especially when it was due to the negligence of the Mechanicus'' own personnel. Even if the local members were unaware, such an incident... would certainly not end with just holding the first person who came here to dig accountable.


    A great number of people will end their political lives, and some will even exit the biosphere.


    Even without considering the value of a damaged Warlord Titan, for the sake of their own lives, they would undoubtedly act with unprecedented efficiency.


    But for Zhang Ge, whether the Dawn Cult lives or dies is irrelevant; what matters is whether he himself survives.


    Thus, to "promptly halt the heretical rituals of the cultists," let the explosions begin.


    Amidst the hymns, the sounds of melta and plasma explosions replaced the chants, the searing heat and deafening blasts tearing apart the ritual atmosphere. In that moment, the flames shone brighter than the light from the searchlights above.


    Under the extreme temperatures, a significant portion of the scrap metal was directly vaporized, while the rest turned into dazzling white-hot liquid metal, splattering in all directions. Much of it landed on the cult members below, who were still unaware of what was happening.


    Fortunately, their suffering would not last long. As the structure lost its support and the high temperatures caused expansion, deformation, and a reduction in strength, the once-sturdy scrap metal building let out a painful creak and slowly began to collapse downward.


    At this moment, whether bishop, archbishop, or ordinary guard, there was no distinction. Under the crumbling structure, now rolling with thick clouds of dust and mud, they were all reduced to indistinguishable piles of flesh.


    The slaughter had only just begun.


    In the hands of Amilia, who no longer needed to conceal herself, the longsword suddenly erupted with a dazzling brilliance. Within that radiant light, Zhang Ge even faintly glimpsed a pure white halo manifesting behind her.


    She leapt down, her form like a streak of light, crashing to the ground in an instant. The dense crowd around her posed no obstacle as she plowed straight through, mowing down both the masses and several fully armored Pontifical Guards. Her sharp blade then struck toward the Pontiff.


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    A surge of psychic energy swept through, and a faint bluish-purple shield intercepted the sword in front of the Pontiff, momentarily halting its advance.


    The Pope wore a strange smile on his face:


    "Travelers, you are truly fortunate to witness the dawn."


    He seemed to want to say more, but upon realizing that the sword could not break through the shield in a short time, Amilia immediately released the hilt and delivered a kick to his chest with a speed far exceeding his neural reaction time.


    The chest, caved in by the immense force, was pierced by the now unobstructed sword in the next moment.


    "Playing tricks."


    However, when it came to killing efficiency, Amilia still paled in comparison to Zhang Ge.


    Perhaps due to its exquisite craftsmanship, the recoil of the finely crafted boltgun in Zhang Ge''s hands was exceptionally low. Even during prolonged bursts, the trajectory could be controlled within a narrow range, as the muzzle spat fire with near-fanatic intensity.


    One after another, the bolts pierced through the dust raised by the collapsing buildings, raining down densely on the crowd below. "Raining" might not be the most accurate term, as no individual would be hit by more than three bolts. It was more like a continuous, high-speed, and precise barrage.


    After the explosions, there were already few survivors below. After Amilia turned around and killed a few more, there were no others left standing.


    The ground was littered with human remains torn apart by the bolts¡ªblood, fragments, bone shards, and flesh crushed by the buildings.


    Only then did Zhang Ge, somewhat doubtfully, remove the magazine he hadn''t changed and shook it... If his estimation was correct, after this round of firing, there was still a small amount of ammunition left in the magazine?


    Although the dust had obscured his vision and he hadn''t seen clearly, were there really so few people alive below that such a small amount of ammunition was enough to kill them all?


    No, that couldn''t be. It must have been Amilia''s doing.


    With this thought, after sliding down the inclined edge, Zhang Ge and Amilia, who had witnessed the precise shooting, simultaneously raised their hands and gave each other a thumbs-up.


    Zhang Ge''s inner thoughts: It seems the battle nuns are quite gentle? After finishing the fight, seeing that I didn''t contribute much, they still encouraged me.


    Amilia''s inner thoughts: He can be so humble despite such a masterful display of skill? Indeed, I still have much to learn.


    Their mutual respect inexplicably increased.


    Although noise was already beginning to come from above, Zhang Ge and Amilia still took some time to clear the area, killing all those who were still moving.


    However, as the dust settled a bit, another issue presented itself: It wasn''t entirely accurate to say no one was left standing. The young men and women intended as sacrifices, being close to the blood pool near the edge of the altar, had not been affected by the collapsing buildings or the crossfire.


    Now, only four pairs remained, a total of eight people. They watched the unfolding events with confusion, numbness, or fear.


    Amilia had noticed them earlier but hadn''t found the time to deal with them. She shook the blood off her sword and walked toward the sacrificial offerings.


    "Wait."


    A hand reached out from behind and tapped Amilia. Zhang Ge spoke briefly, then stepped past her and approached the group.


    "Stand still, don''t move."


    Zhang Ge took out a cross from his bag and pressed it against each of their faces one by one, pulling aside those who showed signs of burns.


    By the end of the screening, only one young girl remained untainted, while the others were grouped together.


    Perhaps it was true that only a rare few could emerge untainted from corruption. Some might have been passively tainted, but there was no time for further scrutiny.


    With the pull of the trigger, bullets swiftly and mercifully ended their lives, sparing them the gruesome fate of being tortured and sacrificed to evil deities.


    "Let''s go."


    Without saying much, Zhang Ge took the hand of the last remaining girl.


    But as he took a step forward, he felt a slight resistance.


    He turned to see the girl, one hand in his, the other tugging at the hem of his clothes. Her frail body stumbled but she refused to move forward.


    Seeing Zhang Ge look back, she gestured frantically and stammered in the common tongue, her clear eyes reflecting his image:


    "I... if I go out... I''ll... kill more people... Please... kill me."


    After speaking, when he didn''t respond immediately, she seemed to grow anxious. She stepped forward and pried the cross from his seemingly unshakable grip.


    She reached into her long hair and pulled out a strand, wincing slightly but continuing without pause.


    She looped the strand of hair through the empty space where a necklace would go on the cross, tied a knot, and then draped it around Zhang Ge''s neck as he silently crouched down to her level.


    The pendant swayed lightly as she repeated:


    "Please... kill me."


    The cold barrel of the gun pressed against her forehead in silence, and a single bullet, seemingly conjured from an empty magazine, was fired.


    Blood splattered, mingling with the ground.


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 Chapter 35: "Humanity Eradicates Bestiality

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    Thank you, fellow cultivators¡«


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    At the moment the explosive projectile pierced her skull, the Ascalon at Zhang Ge''s waist trembled violently.


    As if summoned by some force, he grasped the hilt of the longsword without hesitation and drew it from its scabbard.


    On the originally plain blade, a milky-white inscription flickered:


    "Humanity eradicates savagery, the world protects the weak, the heart is inherently pure."


    Ascalon guided Zhang Ge''s arm, directing the sword''s tip upward. The long-decayed Titan warlord loomed before him, and in comparison, Zhang Ge appeared like Don Quixote charging at windmills.


    Then, from the girl''s corpse, a translucent, shadowy ribbon slowly detached from the still-bleeding flesh, winding its way toward Ascalon and coiling around the blade.


    In an instant, the sword, which had been firmly gripped by Zhang Ge, flew out on its own. Its speed was so great that even Amilia couldn''t catch a glimpse of its afterimage. Almost simultaneously with its release, it pierced the Titan''s neck.


    Something was awakened.


    At first, it was the sound of an engine, short and thunderous, like a heartbeat.


    Then, on the titan''s head, a brilliant blue light lit up from left to right, accompanied by a pleasant, faint buzzing, filling the electronic eyes that had been dim for countless years.


    But everything suddenly fell silent again, as if what had just happened was merely an illusion.


    Until a deep, distant toll of a bell resounded.


    The first toll of the bell: push the pistons and pumps.


    From the scabbard of Ascalon, blood suddenly gushed out wildly, surging toward the broken body of the Warlord Titan, filling its numerous damages and wounds. The titan''s massive head lowered with the sound of mechanical movement, looking at Zhang Ge.


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    The second toll of the bell: the followers of the Dawn Cult, who were rushing toward the bottom, all dropped their weapons and began to kneel before their awakening "deity."


    The second toll of the bell: press the button, ignite the engine, light the turbine, and infuse life.


    The blasphemous symbols were cleansed, the damaged wounds were repaired, and the once battered torso showed no trace of injury.


    The ground trembled as the divine machine''s body began to rise. The thick layer of soil offered no resistance, and large sections of the ground caved inward, filling the voids left by the titan''s legs as they gradually withdrew.


    Amid the tremors that made it hard to stand, the titan''s first leg stepped onto the ground, followed by the second. Countless clumps of soil were shaken loose by its movements.


    Its massive body, blocking the beams of searchlights, cast a colossal shadow on the ground.


    The third toll of the bell: the volcano cannon mounted on the Warlord Titan''s right arm swung to point diagonally downward. Ascalon, now returned to its simple form, fell at that moment, re-sheathed in midair, and landed precisely in Zhang Ge''s hand.


    The third toll of the bell: sing in unison, praise the Machine God.


    Intense heat radiated from above. Though Zhang Ge seemed unaffected, the gray robes on the surrounding corpses began to spontaneously ignite at this temperature. Amilia frowned slightly, as if realizing something, closed her eyes, and covered her ears.


    The next moment, a bright, sun-like light erupted from the mouth of the volcano cannon, bright enough to blind any ordinary person who dared to look directly at it.


    A beam of light surged from the cannon''s mouth, tracing an upward arc from its point of impact. Anything that came into contact with this beam¡ªbuildings, soil, metal, or anything else¡ªwas instantly vaporized into free microscopic particles. Yet, even after passing through the deep pit, the light showed no signs of stopping.


    It tore through the thick clouds in the sky, and through the straight, ripped opening, the golden sunlight that had been cut off from this place for countless years poured down.


    Above the pit, a massive slope formed along the path of the volcano cannon''s beam. Countless streams of molten, scorching lava flowed downward, while some areas crystallized under the intense heat, forming reflective surfaces that shimmered with the sun''s brilliance.


    In a sense, the pontiff had not lied¡ªthe travelers had indeed witnessed the dawn.


    After completing this, the titan slowly knelt on one knee and extended the un-fired Fury Plasma Annihilator, resting it diagonally on the ground.


    For some reason, Zhang Ge even sensed a hint of gentleness in this motion.


    He stepped forward, climbed onto the side of the weapon, and seated himself atop the plasma cannon. Amilia followed closely behind, leaping gracefully onto it.


    As Zhang Ge settled in, a familiar voice entered his mind¡ªit was the voice of the girl from before:


    "I think... I''m still alive? Though this body feels strange, thank you!"


    As the voice spoke, the titan rose again and began to ascend the slope toward the top of the pit.


    As for Zhang Ge, though he had anticipated it, he was momentarily struck silent by the contrast between the girl''s sweet voice and the titan''s majestic form.


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