The Creators: From Night City

Page 471

However, this set meal left these soldiers stunned, as if they had just seen an adult film.

One by one, the Palicoes in charge of logistics served the special plates, each larger than a washbasin and featuring a rough wood grain, to the dining table.

The food on the plate emitted wisps of steam, as if it had just been taken off the stove.

A thick-cut steak, as big as a volleyball, is the main course.

The steak has an enticing caramel color on the outside, with perfect grid-like scorching, while the inside is a delicate pink.

The sauce drizzled on was a deep amber color, and before even touching the chopsticks, a rich, sweet aftertaste filled the nostrils of all the defenders.

A thin batter made of egg liquid mixed with wheat flour is used to coat a rather large fried fish, which is then deep-fried in boiling oil until it is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, emitting an enticing golden-yellow glow.

The sliced ​​mushrooms gleamed with beautiful, jewel-like patterns; the crisp, sweet onions were as clear as crystal; and the blueberries, slightly crushed, burst open their deep blue flesh, releasing an enticing sweet and sour aroma in all directions.

The concentrated fruit vinegar fermented from wild berries, drizzled over salads, looks sweet and refreshing, perfect for cutting through the heaviness and greasiness of meat dishes.

The drink was served in a wooden glass about the size of a human head, filled with a deep amber-colored ale with fine foam.

The rich aroma of wheat and the subtle mineral notes made these soldiers drunk even before they drank any.

Logically speaking, drinking alcohol should not be allowed during wartime, but these ale are not very strong, and their presence in this set meal is necessary to relieve stress.

A chorus of exclamations of "The Emperor is above!" echoed from the makeshift canteen.

"Commissar, have we already perished on the throne?" a defender asked the political commissar, Fakra, beside him in disbelief.

It's no wonder he had such a question.

What did these defenders eat on a daily basis?

Even in Chaodu, they rarely get a decent meal.

For these ordinary soldiers, taste was a luxury.

Their main function is to provide calories, protein, and various nutrients to sustain human life. Therefore, their diet usually consists of nutritional pastes, compressed biscuits, and processed meat.

Compressed biscuits, also known as 'hard biscuits', are extremely hard and dry biscuits that need to be soaked in water or soup to soften before eating. They are rich in carbohydrates and salt and can be stored for a long time, even up to a century.

Synthetic canned meat is made from legumes, fungal proteins, or laboratory-cultured cells, and its appearance and texture are similar to leather or rubber, and of course, its taste is also similar.

They can't even afford to eat this kind of garbage on a daily basis.

A soldier secretly pulled out the 'Imperial Standard Nutritional Paste' hidden in his waist pack, and sighed as he held the metal tube packaging.

He squeezed out some thick, grayish-brown paste, then smelled the delicious-looking, fragrant, and flavorful Grade 3 set meal in front of him, and almost threw the tube of stinky dog ​​poop into the trash can.

However, his long-standing habit of scarcity and the current wartime environment made him put the tube of nutritional paste back into his pocket.

'Maybe I'll need it someday,' he thought.

He swallowed hard, inhaling the pure and rich aroma of meat.

He was a veteran who had participated in numerous campaigns to suppress the Xiachao bandit gang.

During these wars, or in the first half of his life, the best food he could eat was nothing more than a thick, warm stew made by boiling nutritional paste, synthetic meat chunks, hard biscuits, and a small amount of dehydrated vegetables (such as potatoes and carrot bits) in a large pot with water for a long time.

He was no stranger to the practice of having a good meal before a battle to boost morale.

But compared to that, the food placed in front of him felt somewhat unreal; for the first time, he felt unworthy of the meals enjoyed by these nobles of the Upper Nest.

But soon, intense hunger drove him to put all these problems aside; his rumbling stomach was giving him a perfectly clear instruction.

Eat, hurry up and eat the shit.

And this delicious meal was indeed as good as it looked and smelled, so much so that these soldiers, led by the political commissar, couldn't help but burp all the way to the quartermaster to collect their next combat supplies.

"By the Emperor, thank you for your blessing. I am ready to give myself to you at any time." Many soldiers prayed in hushed tones.

The morale that had been low due to the defeat was lifted back to its peak by this meal.

"Political Commissar," a thin soldier quietly spoke up.

"Rania, is there a problem?"

"These Astartes, that meal we just had, and everything we've seen along the way—forgive my suspicion, but this is the lower level of the hive city," the only remaining platoon leader in the entire company whispered.

His doubts were perfectly understandable. After all, the sudden emergence of such a well-supplied and powerful Astartes Chapter in the resource-poor Lower Nest, especially against the backdrop of the Chaos invasion, would indeed raise suspicions.

“I understand your concerns, but the wartime regulations clearly stipulate that when the two sides meet, the Astartes Chapter will automatically gain supreme tactical command over the area, and the PDF (Plane Defense Force) must obey unconditionally.”

"However, your vigilance is also necessary, Corporal. Maintain your loyalty to the Emperor." How could the political commissar not know that everything before him was strangely abnormal? But at this moment, he had no choice but to obey orders, even if their fate might be to die without a burial place.

However, the two high-ranking officers' doubts were quickly dispelled by the weapons and supplies provided to them by this secret combat group.

These items were far too exquisite, so exquisite that their value far exceeded the dozens of coins held by the emperor.

Chapter 956 Death Watch's Strike Ship

This company had already exhausted its ammunition in the previous fierce battles, and its firearms and equipment were either lost or damaged. Even if the soldiers still had some weapons, they were all old and outdated items that should have been phased out long ago.

The Third Company was not some wealthy company with connections; otherwise, their garrison wouldn't be situated in the awkward and desolate area between Zhongxiachao.

The gears kept turning, and the heavy double explosion-proof door was pulled open first up and down, and then opened left and right, with the help of mechanical cooperation.

The vast and dry interior lacked the familiar scents of incense and sacred engine oil that the political commissar knew, as well as the strange-looking mechanical priest and the listless machine servants.

The quartermaster was not Astartes, nor was he a bloated, bloated quartermaster; rather, he was a woman whose appearance was more perfect than any of the upper-class nobles the political commissar had ever seen.

Faced with probing gazes, the Edos-like woman made no response. She simply raised her hand, and a whole list automatically appeared neatly on the data board before being handed to the political commissar.

"The warband leader has issued an order to grant you Level II equipment resupply access. The above is the equipment list. Please select from the fifteen standard points available."

When acting, one must go all the way. This Edos-like man's acting skills were extremely professional. He played the role of a businesslike supply officer to the core, and thanks to the advantage of flying, he spoke fluent Low Gothic, which he had only recently acquired.

Equipment is the lifeblood of the soldiers, and the political commissar dared not neglect it in the slightest.

The equipment information on the data panel made him gasp in shock.

He had never seen such a complete armory.

The classic Rath model laser guns, while less powerful than the 'Hive Howler III' laser guns they carried, were lighter, more stable, and performed better on the battlefield.

The molten metal gun is a very rare firearm, mostly used for anti-armor and assault purposes, or for dismantling large machinery and bunkers.

Although plasma guns are extremely prone to exploding due to external forces or overheating, they are incredibly powerful.

The fact that they had a portion of these high-end firearms in their allocations delighted the political commissar.

In addition, the list of conventional live-fire weapons, such as automatic guns, shotguns, heavy explosive guns, and bolt guns, is complete.

The list also includes a wide variety of throwable weapons such as fragmentation grenades, Clark grenades, plasma grenades, molten metal bombs, ionization bombs, and pulse bombs.

"Are all of these included in this supply?" the political commissar asked incredulously.

Of course, the Edosian type, who plays the role of a baggage handler, is sparing with words.

The affirmative answer made the political commissar so excited that he almost jumped up. The Third Company, which usually had its food rations cut off by the logistics department, had never fought such a well-fed battle.

So when Eagle led 150 Reforging Apostles to see these defeated soldiers again, they had changed completely.

The "Reverse Entropy" standard bulletproof armor, composed of fiber polymer plates mixed with ceramic steel composite plates, has been equipped on every individual. This armor is very lightweight, and the equally defensive ceramic steel plates cover key areas such as the heart, chest, abdomen, back, and groin, giving it excellent protection.

Jiang Bing did not modify the appearance of the local PDF standard helmet, which resembled a helmet, but when he went through the design drawings, he optimized the helmet layout, added a standard interface for gas masks, optimized the goggles, added low-light night vision function, and also added a short-range radio.

The increased cost was negligible to him, but the new helmet's functionality was equivalent to that of the elite Astragalus Army.

Each person had a gas mask, and their tactical pockets, made up of belts, shoulder straps, and various pouches, were stuffed full. They also carried enough ammunition, rations, and water bottles.

An entrenching tool, a flashlight, and a personal first-aid kit—these seemingly insignificant pieces of equipment, which can be of great use in critical moments, are also provided to every individual.

If this mission hadn't involved mobile warfare, the political commissar would have even wanted to bring several squad-level heavy weapons such as heavy flamethrowers, automatic cannons, and heavy explosive shotguns.

Fortunately, the apostles' equipment made up for the lack of heavy firepower.

When it comes to the fear of insufficient firepower, [Reverse Entropy] is the most severely affected.

The "adult" political commissar led the newly-renewed soldiers to stand before Commander Flying Eagle, where they respectfully saluted and reported for duty.

"You should have seen the detailed briefing on this mission. Do you have any suggestions?"

The political commissar recalled the relevant information in his mind and replied, "Reporting to the lord, we are now in area 21. Industrial zone 137 is only a hundred zones away from us. We can launch a counterattack back to Zhongchao through the passage we came from, and then cross over along the material transport pipeline 21. The exit is in area 135, which is very close to our target point."

"You'll lead the way," Flying Eagle said without objection, showing considerable respect for the locals' opinions.

"I swear to serve the Emperor to the death."

With the plan finalized, Flying Eagle wasted no more time.

"set off!"

In the darkness, a pair of golden goggles suddenly lit up, causing the guards to instinctively hold their breath.

Accompanied by the sound of synchronized footsteps, a torrent of steel surged forth like galloping horses.

………………

Outside the gravitational field of the unnamed planet, a somewhat dilapidated Imperial strike cruiser was parked.

Inside the cruiser, the lights flickered intermittently, and sparks occasionally burst from the cracks, highlighting the warship's appalling condition.

The metal floor clanged as the heavy boots of the Make VIII power armor struck the metal floor.

"Brother Galian, how is our ship?" An Astartes, dressed in full black power armor, walked up to a bustling repair shop and, recognizing the people working there, asked.

How long will it take for it to re-enter subspace?

“Brother Titus, I suggest you wait patiently. The Incinerator just pulled us out of a warp storm.” The mechanical arm on Tech Sergeant Galian’s power armor was busy at work.

"But we still have missions to complete, and countless aliens await our elimination."

“But we have to get the ship repaired first.” Galian shrugged, the oath-keeping chains on his shoulder armor jingling.

"When will the spaceship be repaired?"

"You'll have to ask Sage Natalia about that, but I don't think it will be quick. After all, the warp storm just now killed nearly half of the ship's servants and crew, and we're severely short-handed. Otherwise, you wouldn't see me welding these boring metal plates here."

Titus frowned in annoyance.

"Ah, so you're here. I've been looking for you for ages." Speak of the devil, and he appears! A gentle female voice came from the floating servo skull in the distance.

"Sage Natalia" Titus greeted him politely.

"Come with me, the commander has orders for you."

The servo skull nimbly spun around, guiding Titan forward.

“This isn’t the way to the bridge, is it, Sage Natalia?” After turning a few corners, Titus realized something was wrong.

"Of course not. We need to go to the armory first so you can pick out a couple of weapons that suit your needs," the Mechanical Sage said unhurriedly.

"Hmm?" Titus stopped in his tracks upon hearing this, knowing that generally, it was not allowed to openly carry weapons on board the ship during non-alert periods.

Missions that require the use of weapons are often very challenging.

"Has a demon broken through Geller's barrier and slipped in?" Titus asked in a low voice.

"Don't overthink it. She's our navigator. She hasn't woken up yet, and the pharmacist thinks something's wrong with her, so you need to 'protect' her closely for a while."

There's no reason to use weapons to protect a patient at close range; this clearly means that Titus needs to be wary of the Navigator's potential corruption and demonization.

Chapter 957 The Addicted Navigator

The massive mechanical arm supporting the body descended from the sky. The mechanical priest in charge of the armory had already been authorized to lower a seemingly very old transistor display in front of Titus.

“Brother Titus, as per the commander’s orders, you may use any equipment currently in the armory.”

That being said, the nature of this mission inherently limited Titus's weapon options.

The heavy bomb gun specifically designed for the aliens in Deathwatch is definitely not an option, since firing just a couple of shots, regardless of whether they hit the target or not, would add several days to the ship's repair schedule.

Secondly, plasma weapons, thermal weapons, and flamethrower weapons are definitely not suitable.

A morphous shotgun called the Crusher was chosen by Titus.

This weapon, designed for close-range clearing, is powerful but has a short bullet disabling range, making it unlikely to blast through the bulkhead.

The standard explosive pistol is also quite good, with a suitable size and power.

Titus first checked both options in the list.

Secondly, there are melee weapons. In the confined environment of the cabin, given Astartes' physical capabilities, these are probably the primary weapons.

However, long-handled weapons such as the Thunder Hammer or Power Halberd are obviously not suitable, as they are too conspicuous and bulky. Of course, the main reason is that both of these weapons are very precious and are not even equipped in the cruiser's armory.