6: Chapter 6 First Blood

Upon hearing this, Colonel Garrus expressed his gratitude to Xia Xingchen.

"No need to thank me, Colonel Garrus. While I can postpone collecting taxes, it doesn't mean I came here for nothing this time."

Colonel Garrus instantly understood Xia Xingchen's meaning. It was clear that the Allocation Officer in front of him would not leave without taking something.

"What do you need? Just tell me, and I will prepare it for you."

Xia Xingchen didn't hide anything and directly explained the reason for his visit.

"The three cobra-class destroyers I just destroyed in orbit belonged to the rebels. In that engagement, my warship suffered heavy losses in supplies and Servitors, and is in urgent need of replenishment.

I came here to support you, so these lost supplies must be accounted for by you.

Of course, I allow you to make up for it with the rebels' supplies."

Colonel Garrus listened without the slightest hesitation, simply nodding.

This continued the consistent style of Krieg: absolute loyalty, no matter the content of the command.

Xia Xingchen's tone shifted:

"I know your primary goal as Kriegers is to atone for the Emperor. I am willing to provide Orbital Strikes to help you break through the rebel defenses, and then let you charge and fight.

This way, at least you can die with more value."

Colonel Garrus pondered for a moment, weighing the pros and cons.

Orbital Strikes could better serve the Emperor.

Garrus only remembered this one sentence in his heart: as long as this goal could be achieved, everything else could be ignored.

"I accept your proposal."

Garrus stood up and continued speaking to Xia Xingchen:

"I can provide you with rebel captives to convert them into Servitors to make up for your losses, and I can also provide you with the technology you need."

"In that case, a pleasure working with you."

Half an hour later, the Krieg soldiers were ready to launch a new round of attack, but before that, their officers ordered them to wait in place.

Xia Xingchen sent the attack coordinates to the dream star, and the ship's turrets immediately rotated, aiming at the designated coordinates on the Krieg Death World.

The Commander on the warship quickly began to perform counter-thrusts in orbit upon Yu Xingchen's command, moving the warship to the predetermined firing orbit coordinates.

A Torpedo Cannon on the underside of the dream star began to rotate.

From space, it looked like a small mountain slowly turning its head.

The dream star's advantage over Imperial warships lay in its equipped automatic shell delivery platform, which eliminated the need for a large number of personnel and Servitors for transport.

The torpedo was aligned with the barrel, everything was ready, and the silent behemoth awaited the final command.

Fire.

The next second, a tremendous roar erupted from within the giant cannon, and the entire ship trembled slightly.

Krieg soldiers, peering through their Gas Masks, gazed at the dusty sky, wondering why their officers had ordered a delay in the attack.

A whistling sound tore through the air, and Krieg soldiers and officers looked up to see torpedoes, carrying the Emperor's wrath, screaming through the Nuclear Winter's dust.

It was as if someone had shot a large firework from the sky towards the ground, whistling down.

Through the visors of their Gas Masks, the soldiers saw this scene and finally recalled the sight described in their scriptures—it was an Orbital Strike from a Starship.

A colossal roar unleashed a cloud of snow thousands of feet high, and everything was engulfed by this terrifying impact.

This was far more powerful than ground artillery, a thought that arose in the minds of all Krieg soldiers.

The fierce explosion completely blew away the rebels' last remaining ground fortresses.

The powerful shockwave almost knocked people off their feet.

The aftermath of the explosion had not yet ended.

With a whistle, Krieg soldiers launched their final fierce assault simultaneously from above ground and underground.

Xia Xingchen also followed in the attacking ranks, with guards standing behind him.

Xia Xingchen and his group quickly reached the combat boundary area through an underground tunnel.

They saw large numbers of Krieg soldiers, armed with lucius lasguns, launching a tidal wave of charges towards the rebels' last stronghold.

The rebel defenses, under the almost limitless human wave charge of Krieg, had their firing points removed one by one.

With a disregard for death and an iron will, the Kriegers relentlessly pushed the front line forward.

Every rebel strongpoint was swarmed by the Kriegers like wolves, torn to shreds.

Xia Xingchen watched as the charging Krieg soldiers fell in swathes like mown wheat, yet the soldiers behind them continued to advance, one after another, as if those who fell were inconsequential.

Witnessing this scene, Xia Xingchen's heart was filled with incomprehensible shock.

Even companions they had been with day and night were merely stepping stones in their eyes, paving the way to victory—no, to atonement.

Perhaps the Kriegers were not the most elite troops of the Imperium, but they were definitely the best consumables for depleting enemy ammunition.

Watching a Krieg soldier get shot in the head, blood red mixed with white brain matter splattered at Xia Xingchen's feet,

Xia Xingchen suppressed the churning discomfort in his stomach.

I must quickly adapt to the warhammer 40k world. No matter how disgusting, twisted, or nauseating the sights before me, I must accept them.

Only then can I survive here, and only then can I lead others to survive.

"guards, charge with me!"

Xia Xingchen led his guard team in a charge, and after a short while, found himself at the very front.

The Kriegers' equipment was too crude compared to Xia Xingchen's guard team, and those who charged at the front barely survived a few seconds.

Therefore, Xia Xingchen's team unknowingly became the vanguard in the first row.

With the sacrifice of the Kriegers, the rebels were left with only one last firing point.

A heavy Twin-Barreled Autocannon mounted at the gate.

Fierce artillery fire, like a deadly fire snake, spewed flames, suppressing the Krieg soldiers in front of it, preventing them from raising their heads.

Xia Xingchen hid behind a ruined stone wall, looking at the Twin-Barreled Autocannon not far away, contemplating a way to break the stalemate. But the Krieg officer beside him was already preparing to order the soldiers to charge again.

"Wait, such a sacrifice is meaningless. Let me try."

Xia Xingchen stopped the Krieg officer and told him that he had a way to destroy this firing point.

"But this is our atonement, a sacrifice for the Emperor."

The Krieg officer wanted to refuse, believing that this battle belonged to them, and every sacrifice was an atonement for the Emperor.

"Are you out of your mind?

I'll give you two choices:

One, die meaninglessly on the charge.

Two, charge in and slay the rebels.

You choose one. If you choose one, I will say no more."

These words caused the Krieg officer to fall into a rare moment of hesitation, as he pondered which act of atonement held more value.

Ultimately, he agreed to Xia Xingchen's plan. Clearly, slaying rebels was the true atonement.

"I beg of you, my lord."

Upon hearing this, Xia Xingchen immediately ordered his guards to aim at the Twin-Barreled Autocannon turret.

The Kriegers' lucius lasguns couldn't penetrate the turret, but that didn't mean Xia Xingchen's guard team's weapons couldn't.

Under Xia Xingchen's command, two guards simultaneously rose and opened fire, and the rebel autocannon quickly aimed at one of the guards.

Both sides pulled their triggers at the same time.

The guard's Laser Beam accurately shot into the observation slit of the turret. The defensive iron plate, which could withstand ordinary lasers, was vulnerable to the High-Energy Laser Weapon, being directly pierced with a large hole, and the operator behind it was also struck down.

However, one of Xia Xingchen's guards was also struck by the autocannon, his armor pierced.

As the Twin-Barreled Autocannon fell silent, the Kriegers once again blew their charge whistle.

Xia Xingchen looked at the guard who had fallen beside him,

He paused for a moment, then immediately led the remaining guards to charge.

First blood always had to be shed.

The world of warhammer 40k allowed no hesitation or slack, otherwise, the sacrifices of others would be meaningless.

This time, Xia Xingchen charged ahead of the Kriegers. He wanted to check the rebel camp for any salvageable supplies.

Upon entering the camp, the rebels and Kriegers engaged in close-quarters combat.

Xia Xingchen didn't understand why, when both sides could shoot from a distance, they chose to pick up shovels and bash each other's heads in close proximity.

Xia Xingchen's guards quickly dealt with several rebels who rushed forward, then followed Xia Xingchen deeper into the camp.

The group moved through complex corridors, avoiding the intense battlefield, and proceeded directly to the rebel heartland.

Xia Xingchen quickly found the place he was looking for—the Armory.

"Blow it open for me."

The Armory door was made of fine iron. To open it without damaging the internal supplies, only melta bombs could be used.

The guard team attached three melta bombs to the door. With a violent explosion, the lava-like high temperature instantly melted the entire door.