64: Chapter 64 War and Sacrifice (Part 2)

A sharpshooter among the rebels immediately raised his laser gun and fired repeatedly at Xia Xingchen. Unfortunately, the lasers hitting the dragon shield power armor were like a mere itch; they couldn't even scuff the paint on Xia Xingchen's power armor.

Xia Xingchen grabbed a soldier by the throat, lifting him high with absolute strength, and then spoke loudly through his loudspeaker:

"Traitors to the Emperor, you have two choices: one is to lay down your weapons and surrender; the other is to follow your rebellious Governor down a dark path until you are completely annihilated. Choose one."

Xia Xingchen's words caused the rebels to look at each other in confusion. An officer, clearly the backbone of the rebels, immediately opened his mouth to say something, but in the next second, Xia Xingchen's Plasma Pistol blew his head apart.

With the death of the Commander, the rebels' morale finally collapsed completely. All the rebels raised their hands and chose to surrender.

The reason Xia Xingchen was willing to accept these rebels was entirely because they hadn't worshipped Chaos; they had simply betrayed the Imperium's rule due to the Governor's swelling ambition. They could be absorbed and reformed.

In fact, a significant portion of the rebellious armies or Governors within the Imperium were not seduced by Chaos at all, but rather rebelled because they could not withstand oppression or were driven by their own growing ambitions.

This was also the least dangerous type of rebellion. Sometimes the Imperium didn't even have time to investigate, as rebellions caused by Chaos were the most serious.

When the last rebel stopped attacking and laid down their weapons, the entire Spaceport and its orbital defense platform were completely taken by Xia Xingchen in just three hours.

The Governors Palace of Vanad Planet.

Governor Waka Thomas sat at his desk. He was currently preparing to change his identity, renaming himself from Governor Vanad to Emperor Vanad.

In his view, he had already broken away from the Imperium of Man. That empire his father spoke of, which had been passed down for ten thousand years, should have disappeared long ago.

Governor Waka Thomas had never seen the so-called Imperium of Man his grandfather spoke of.

Just as Governor Waka Thomas finished designing the style of his crown, an officer knocked on his door.

"Lord Governor! Something is wrong!"

Seeing this, Governor Waka Thomas immediately asked with dissatisfaction:

"What happened, Frankie?"

Still shaken, Frankie began to tell Governor Waka Thomas about everything that had happened in space:

"The forces of the Imperium of Man have captured the Spaceport and seized control of the entire orbital platform! All our warships have been captured by them!"

Governor Waka Thomas was stunned upon hearing this, then roared sharply:

"How is that possible?!"

Before Governor Waka Thomas's angry voice had even faded, a massive explosion sounded from not far away.

"What's happening?!"

Governor Waka Thomas and Frankie looked out the window. The Void Shields on the planet had all lit up.

In space, beams of light like falling meteors bombarded the searchlights continuously, like the punishment of the God-Emperor.

Governor Waka Thomas couldn't believe it. Was the Emperor's punitive fleet not just a legend?

Watching the continuous Orbital Strike from space, Governor Waka Thomas truly realized at this moment how close death was to him.

Governor Waka Thomas immediately issued an order:

"Frankie, I order you to retake the Spaceport and the orbital platform at all costs!"

Frankie felt that the Governor had gone mad; this plan was complete wishful thinking.

Frankie knew very well that in a situation where the enemy held absolute space superiority, retaking the orbital platform was almost nonsensical.

The only thing they could do now was rely on the Void Shields to defend against the enemy's Orbital Strike while preventing the enemy from deploying ground troops through the freight elevators. They had to maintain the status quo and look for a turning point later.

But Frankie didn't dare say his thoughts out loud; the Governor had become completely paranoid.

The fear brought by the Orbital Strike had completely swallowed his sanity.

Can you imagine? Every day you open your eyes, you see lasers and shells hundreds of meters wide slamming into the sky above your city. You can't be sure if you'll become a corpse in the ruins in the next second.

The pressure you would endure at that time is imaginable.

Xia Xingchen launched continuous Orbital Strikes precisely to cover the subsequent operations.

At the Space Elevator, two double-headed dragon heavy tanks had already driven into the elevator.

Behind them was a line of Land Tortoise troop carriers.

Further back were two companies lined up in neat formation.

Their goal was to occupy all the Space Elevator entrances on the ground.

The sound of sizzling electricity and mechanical clunks echoed throughout the interior of the Space Elevator.

Fear flickered in the eyes of many soldiers; they were startled.

However, this was followed by a smooth grinding sound and a sudden sensation of falling that instantly spread through the entire elevator.

Everyone realized the elevator was descending, and a fierce battle was inevitable.

At the same time, the Tech-Priests on the ground reported the news of the impending elevator descent to the ground defense forces.

Two heavy machine cannons were set up at the entrance of the Space Elevator.

Additionally, the rebels had set up a heavy anti-aircraft gun.

The moment the freight elevator doors slowly opened, the rebels opened fire simultaneously. Countless bolter rounds and bullets flew into the space freight elevator like scattering flower petals.

The only sound that returned was that of metal clashing.

The rebels didn't notice the sound of steel grinding against the floor coming from inside the freight elevator; something was pushing outward.

Amidst the continuous firing, the smoke gradually cleared, and they finally saw what was pushing forward against their fire.

When those two cannon barrels aimed at them, the rebels watched the scene with eyes full of terror.

But the great mechanical creations wouldn't waste words on them.

125mm shells roared out of the barrels.

The anti-aircraft gun and heavy machine guns were blown away on the spot.

Then, the two Double-Headed Dragon tanks continued to push forward against the rebels' fire.

Next, just as the Double-Headed Dragon tanks were seemingly invincible, pushing back the enemy within the rebel ranks.

Unexpectedly, a shell from a distance slammed directly into the flank of the Double-Headed Dragon tank on the left, followed by a second and a third.

Before the Double-Headed Dragon tank on the left could react, it took five solid hits.

Amidst a mechanical wail, the Double-Headed Dragon tank on the left suffered an ammo cook-off and stopped dead in its tracks.

Charging from the left were five Leman Russ Tanks.

Guided by communications from the soldiers behind, the remaining Double-Headed Dragon tank immediately made an emergency turn. Relying on its superior mobility, it circled around the right to the flank of the Leman Russ Tanks.

The Double-Headed Dragon tank fired a shell directly into the side of a Leman Russ Tank.

The 125mm armor-piercing shell blew the Leman Russ Tank's barrel and hull into two pieces, like peeling open a tin can.

It had to be said that the mobility of the Leman Russ Tank was indeed poor. Compared to the Double-Headed Dragon tank, the remaining four Leman Russ Tanks could only perform wide-angle turns while rotating their barrels to the left, preparing to return fire.

They tried to buy time this way, attempting to face the Double-Headed Dragon tank with their frontal armor.

However, the crew of the Double-Headed Dragon tank wouldn't give them that chance.

The tank Commander roared continuously:

"Gunner, load and fire quickly! Once these Leman Russes turn around, we're finished!"

The battlefield was filled with the fires of war; laser beams and shells flew everywhere, wildly crossing from one side to the other.

The chaotic situation made it difficult for the Commander and gunner to lock onto a target.

A Leman Russ Tank suddenly exploded violently.

The cause of the explosion wasn't the Double-Headed Dragon tank's fire.

A squad leader had led his entire squad of soldiers and successfully approached the Leman Russ Tank.

They then attached high-explosive grenades to its tracks. The massive explosion instantly crippled its power. Then, the squad leader threw a high-explosive grenade down its barrel, and the violent internal explosion blew the entire tank apart from the inside.

With that, only three Leman Russ Tanks remained on the battlefield.

With two bangs, the Double-Headed Dragon tank roared again. Two missiles carrying the God-Emperor's wrath struck the flank of another Leman Russ Tank like lightning.

And so, that Leman Russ Tank also reached its end; an internal explosion concluded its journey.

By now, only the last two Leman Russ Tanks remained on the battlefield. They had completed their turns and faced the Double-Headed Dragon tank with their frontal armor. It had now become a head-on duel of firepower.

The two Leman Russ Tanks fired simultaneously, but they didn't expect that their combined firepower could not suppress a single Double-Headed Dragon tank.

The Leman Russ Tank's cannon caliber was 120mm, while the Double-Headed Dragon tank's cannon caliber reached 125mm.

In other words, the Double-Headed Dragon tank had superior firepower.

As a shell slammed into one of the Leman Russ Tanks, the massive explosion created a shockwave that made even the frontal armor of the Leman Russ Tank shudder.

The two sides drew closer and closer, their fire never ceasing. Shell after shell exploded on the opponent's frontal armor.

The armor of one of the Leman Russ Tanks finally gave way, a gap blown open to reveal the precision mechanical structures inside.

Neither side stopped firing. As long as the machines could still run, as long as the barrels could still fire, and as long as the enemy hadn't fallen, the battle would never stop.

In this brutal tank duel, every minute and every second was filled with deafening explosions that covered everything beneath the fire.

The crews on both sides had forgotten what fear was. They had only one goal in sight: blow the enemy tank to pieces!

Finally, after taking nearly a dozen shells, the first of the rebels' Leman Russ Tanks couldn't hold out any longer and suffered a violent ammunition explosion.

Meanwhile, the remaining Leman Russ Tank successfully destroyed the right barrel of the Double-Headed Dragon tank.

The moment the right barrel was destroyed, the Double-Headed Dragon tank seized the opportunity. The crew quickly switched and adjusted the tank to left-wing single-fire mode.

The firing pin fell, and the shell roared toward the junction of the enemy's turret and hull, sliding in with pinpoint accuracy. After an explosion, the top hatch of another Leman Russ was blown off by the Double-Headed Dragon tank.

However, the chassis of this Leman Russ didn't stop moving. Relying on powerful inertia, it successfully rammed into the Double-Headed Dragon tank, knocking it out of position.

But regardless, they had survived.

Just as the crew members were celebrating, even the company Commander offered his praise:

"Good job, boys. You're truly impressive. I didn't misjudge you."

Hearing this, the tank Commander laughed over the comms channel and said:

"Of course! Just look at who we—"

Before the Commander could finish his sentence, the company Commander roared in terror:

"Look out! Look out! Look out!"

Before the tank Commander could react, two anti-tank shells slammed into the right flank of the Double-Headed Dragon tank.

With a massive explosion, the Double-Headed Dragon tank, like the Leman Russ Tanks before it, vanished from the battlefield.

"Motherfucker!"

The company Commander let out an unwilling roar, having watched his elite tanks and crews get destroyed one by one before his eyes.

"Charge! Our tank brothers gave their lives to take out all the enemy's heavy weapons. Now, it's our turn to perform!"

The company Commander immediately drove a passing troop carrier and charged forward. Rebels in the path were sent flying or crushed into pulp.

Inspired by the heroic sacrifice of the tanks and the company Commander's morale-boosting words, the soldiers charged forward like they were on adrenaline, howling as they went.

The rebels had never seen such a display.

With all their heavy weapons lost, their morale was already half-gone.

Then, seeing the enemy's disregard for death, fear instantly seized their hearts.

At that moment, the Space Elevator doors let out another dull opening sound; a new wave of paratroopers had arrived.

Leading the charge were again two double-headed dragon heavy tanks, followed by nearly three companies of soldiers.

By now, Xia Xingchen's forces completely overwhelmed the Vanad Planet rebel forces in both quantity and quality.

Even though the rebel officers on Vanad Planet continuously executed those who tried to flee in an attempt to maintain morale and reinforce the lines, it was to no avail. The rebels were already on the brink of total collapse.

As their brother units retreated like a ebbing tide, the soldiers of Vanad Planet knew they had failed. They stopped holding their ground and chose to retreat immediately.

A soldier quickly rushed to a Land Tortoise armored vehicle, pried open the hatch with all his might, leaned inside, and desperately dragged his company Commander out.

"Commander, you— I'll go find a medic for you right now!"

The soldier looked at his company Commander, who lay in his arms covered in blood. The entire left side of his face was completely burned, and blood was seeping from the skin on the right.

"Don't worry about me, keep charging! The battle isn't over yet. Don't let the brothers' deaths be in vain."

"Yes, Commander!"

The soldiers still wanted to pull the Commander back from the brink of death.

"Don't waste your energy. I know my injuries; I'm beyond saving. At least let me see our victory before I die."

As the Commander's voice faded, the only words the soldiers heard were the last few:

"Charge... Charge..."

Seeing this, the soldiers immediately picked up their Mad Dragon laser guns again.

Filled with rage, they charged forward again amidst flying bullets and lasers.

In the sky, attack aircraft also arrived at the combat zone.

With the roar and strafing of machine cannons, the rebels' rearguard was completely wiped out.

After nearly five hours, the rebels finally lost all control over the ground entrance of the Space Elevator.

The ground battle for the Space Elevator ended in a total victory for Xia Xingchen.

The soldiers returned to the armored vehicle and carried the Commander's body down. As he died, a smile had touched the corners of his mouth; he had seen the moment of victory.

The soldiers quickly began clearing the battlefield, dragging the bodies to one side, clearing the debris, and setting up guards to prevent any counterattacks from the Vanad rebels.

With another descent of the Space Elevator, a large amount of medical supplies and Servitors arrived.

They quickly began rebuilding defensive fortifications in the open space.