167: Chapter 166 The Mechanicus Reinforcements Have Arrived

Xia Xingchen gazed into the distance at the scene of the explosion.

Billowing black smoke was slowly settling, charred fragments of wood and stone and mutilated corpses lay scattered among the ruins, and a few bodies that had not yet completely expired twitched slightly in the rubble.

A faint smile played on the corner of Xia Xingchen's mouth; there was not a hint of emotion in his expression, only a sense of indifference now that the dust had settled.

Anyone who dared to gouge prices and feign compliance during wartime had to be prepared to find their grave here.

"It seems their luck really wasn't very good."

Everyone present looked at this scene in silence.

They all knew that this was the Archon's deliberate doing.

From the very beginning, Xia Xingchen had never intended to let these merchants return alive.

In Xia Xingchen's eyes, these speculative merchants profiting from national disaster had long been sentenced to death.

Xia Xingchen had arranged a "reasonable" cause of death for them: accidental death.

Xia Xingchen had already written out the complete script:

The merchants' guards staged a rebellion, took their masters hostage, and seized all the supplies, attempting to force them to sell the goods at exorbitant prices to make a fortune.

Upon hearing the news, his own forces took the initiative to launch a rescue operation, but the rebels made a final desperate gamble, detonating explosives in an attempt to drag everyone down with them. Despite the soldiers' desperate efforts to stop them, they ultimately failed, and all the merchants unfortunately perished in this accident.

Xia Xingchen relayed this story word-for-word to Cassandra and Hecuba.

They would pass this narrative to the newspapers to be printed on the front page tomorrow.

Everyone would believe this explanation, and everyone would receive an "accountability."

As for what the truth was, no one would look into it deeply, and no one would dare to investigate.

Xia Xingchen's forces confiscated all the supplies hidden by the merchants. After a careful inventory, the total amount of these supplies was actually twice the existing stockpile.

Xia Xingchen looked at the numbers on the list, barely able to believe his eyes.

These merchants were truly mad. To make a fortune from his planet, they had actually wagered their entire fortunes.

But now, all of this had fallen into his lap.

As a large amount of supplies was re-introduced to the market, the previously skyrocketing prices rapidly fell back down, and order throughout the Hive City was quickly re-established.

Having dealt with all of this, Xia Xingchen leaned back in his chair, exhausted.

He also realized that there were still loopholes in his government system.

The entire structure was still just a rough framework and had not been detailed in every aspect, which was why this group of merchants had been able to exploit the loopholes.

In the future, a purge and reorganization of the government structure would be necessary, but now was clearly not the right time.

In any case, the internal hidden dangers had been resolved, leaving only the external threat.

The Lux Aliens fleet was now less than three months' voyage away from Lanshan Planet.

Based on the alien fleet's heading and speed, the Department of Military Affairs judged that they would skip other planets along the way and head straight for Lanshan Planet.

The news that the aliens were about to attack Lanshan Planet had already spread throughout the Hive City. To say no one was panicking would be an absolute lie; many dignitaries and wealthy elites were already trying to find ways to escape.

At this moment, Xia Xingchen demonstrated the most extreme ruling power of an authoritarian government.

Anyone who fled without authorization would be sentenced to treason against humanity without hesitation, the cost being that their entire clan would be incorporated into penal battalions and sent to the front lines as cannon fodder.

Under such high-pressure conditions, no one dared to waver again.

Enforcement Squads patrolled day and night; commoners and nobles alike could only remain on this planet to face this war together.

At this time, Xia Xingchen was standing in the Spaceport, preparing to welcome his first batch of reinforcements.

Several large transport ships slowly entered Lanshan Planet's orbit and docked at the port.

The Forge World of Sanzhufaer Forge World had sent him an entire army of Skitarii.

The figure walking off the ship first made Xia Xingchen freeze slightly.

It was actually his old acquaintance, Talia.

Xia Xingchen was somewhat surprised the moment he saw Talia. Wasn't she a Dominus?

Could it be that the forging affairs of Sanzhufaer Forge World no longer required her management?

Upon seeing Xia Xingchen, Talia first bowed and chanted a prayer in praise of the Omnissiah.

"It is truly a pleasure to meet you, Lord Governor."

Talia crossed her hands over her chest, making the gesture of the Aquila Salute.

Xia Xingchen immediately returned the Aquila Salute and said solemnly:

"Thank you for being willing to come to our aid."

Just then, orderly footsteps echoed behind Talia. The two turned their heads at the same time and saw the Skitarii marching out of the armed transport ships in formation.

The first to land were the Skitarii Rangers.

Their crimson mechanical exoskeletons were as striking as fire in the morning light, each of their faces covered by a metal visor, leaving only the crosshairs of their optical lenses flashing with a cold light.

Following closely behind were the Skitarii Vanguards.

They were quieter and heavier than the Rangers. Radiation cooling pipes on their heavy exoskeletons extended from their shoulder guards, hissing as they spewed pale green steam. The air around them crackled with a slight stinging sensation—low-intensity radiation leaking slightly from their weapon cores.

Then came the vehicle units.

Six "Cyclops" self-propelled artillery vehicles drove down the transport ships in a wedge formation, their multi-legged walking mechanisms tapping out a rhythmic metallic clatter on the rocky ground.

Following closely behind were twelve "Ironstrider" high-speed reconnaissance vehicles.

Further back was a squadron of black "Serberys" cavalry, where riders and mounts had long since fused into cybernetic unity, making it impossible to tell where the rider ended and the mount began.

The most eye-catching was the final arrival: a Warhound-class Scout Titan.

It landed on the north side of the landing field, painted entirely in crimson, with the off-white gear emblem of the Sanzhufaer Forge World Forge World stamped on its left shoulder.

"This... you brought this too?" Xia Xingchen looked at Talia in surprise.

Talia turned her head and asked with a slight smile:

"Well, respected young Governor? Are you satisfied with these forces?"

Xia Xingchen was far more than just satisfied; he had never expected Talia to actually bring an entire standard-organization Skitarii battle group.

What surprised him even more was that there was also a Titan, something he had never dared to hope for. Although it was only the smallest Warhound-class Scout Titan, the role it could play on a ground battlefield was still terrifying, and it could even sway the outcome of the battle at a critical moment.

Dominus Talia added from the side:

"We have not only brought an army, but also a large amount of ammunition and war supplies for you."

As Talia spoke, she ordered the Servitors to continuously unload supplies from the armed transport ships.

Xia Xingchen arranged for his subordinates to settle the Skitarii into their quarters.

Immediately after, he had Relvitos, Sierra, the Blacksmith, and Hua Ke meet with Talia.

Although the two sides had different philosophies, they at least shared a common language in the field of mechanical engineering.

With the mindset of seeking common ground while reserving differences, Xia Xingchen wanted to build as good a relationship as possible with the Adeptus Mechanicus, hoping to see if he could obtain some useful technologies from Dominus Talia.