The Creators: From Night City

Page 474

The squad members all came from other Space Marine chapters; they were the sharpest and most agile tactical blades in the Alien Inquisition.

They are not simply collections of Astartes, but highly specialized hunting units built to target specific alien threats.

They are an elite special forces team.

The members, equipment, and tactics of the squad can be infinitely combined according to the mission objectives to ensure that the work is completed with the most appropriate tools and lineup configuration.

A soldier might be responsible for infiltration and reconnaissance in one mission, but in the next mission he would be tasked with the main assault.

As expected, they will be regrouped and reassembled into new teams for each mission, and this mission involving Titus is no exception.

Their original mission was to go to a dead world called "Velma-III" in the distant starry sky.

There was a small Tyranid spore fleet that had established a gene-collecting outpost there. Their regular reconnaissance force was wiped out, but they managed to send back some anomalous data.

According to the think tank's analysis, the swarm behavior pattern here is significantly different from the known archives, and the connection frequency of its hive will is extremely unique, which has considerable research value.

The kill squad and equipment aboard the 'Incinerate' were all designed to travel to that planet, locate and capture a Hive Tyrant or a Hive Warrior directly connected to its neural tether, and use a specially designed psionic suppressor and sampling equipment to extract its complete ganglion and genetic samples.

However, the warp storm veered them off course and brought them head-on into contact with the demons.

"Thinking about it carefully, our luck isn't too bad after all," said Tech Sergeant Galian, tidying up the rather large fragment cannon in his hands and chatting with Titus, whom he was closest to.

At this moment, they were in the airspace above the planet Vessos. Outside the ship, endless cannon fire and beams of light struck the void shield of the PDF warship, which was docked in space, splashing up white ripples.

Chaos has taken control of almost all of the planet's air defenses, and its fierce firepower has prevented almost all flying units, including the Thunderhawk gunships, from landing.

Being pulverized into a ball of flame in the thin atmosphere is their most common fate.

"We are already blessed by the Emperor to have survived the warp storm; we cannot ask for more."

"Is the Emperor protecting me?" Titus quietly held his helmet, his mind churning as he recalled what he had witnessed that day.

“Shut your mouth, monk, let me have some peace and quiet,” another member, whose shoulder armor bore the logo of the Space Wolves, complained as he inspected his power axe and wolf-tooth chainsaw gauntlets.

Capturing a Zerg Hive Tyrant on a planet overrun by the Zerg is an extremely dangerous and difficult task, so the Inquisition's team for this mission is truly exceptional.

Unlike a typical killing squad consisting of 4-5 Astartes monks, their group had a full complement of 10 members, along with a 'Black Shield' accompanying them.

Galian, however, was a rare chatterbox among the Astartes. He continued his rambling as he adjusted the mechanical arm on his body.

"I need to have something to do. In the current situation, I don't need to be in charge of the psionic suppression collar or the gene sampler."

"Besides, it's also my responsibility to ensure and maintain the squad's communication equipment, so this is a good opportunity to test the communication." Galian shut his mouth, but then continued chattering on the squad's communication channel.

[Are all the talents trained by the Steel Priests Chapter as eloquent as you, monk?] Thor Gillian, the number one heavy weapons operator, came from the resolute Imperial Fist Successor Group. He was always calm and composed. Seeing that his companion was a bit frivolous, he couldn't help but interject with a sarcastic remark, subtly conveying his warning.

Of course not. Diplomatic talents like me are rare. When I went to Mars for further studies, the commander...

"Quiet, Garian," Cassius Valkan, the Killing Captain, Deathwatch veteran, and mission commander, finally spoke up.

Let's talk privately, please keep the communication channel quiet!

Galian shrugged at Titus and finally quieted down.

Calmness returned to the cabin.

“In any case, we are walking on the path guided by the Emperor. May he watch over us and do his righteousness…” The voice of prayer from the corner caught Titus’s attention.

Brother Urzan, are you alright?

The supplicant turned his head, revealing a pair of eyes that shimmered with a red light like lava, which looked extremely intimidating against his obsidian-black skin.

This is an Astartes from the Salamanders Chapter.

“I sensed despair and wailing below, as heretics committed even more unforgivable crimes.”

Unlike many chapters that view mortals as "expendable resources," the Salamanders firmly believe that protecting their fellow humans is the highest duty of the Astartes Order.

Almost all of the 'Salamander' Astartes inherited 'benevolence' and a certain extraordinary quality of biased goodness from their Primarch, 'Lord of the Dragons' Vulcan.

"The virtues you possess are as rare as your very being, Brother Urzan," Titus praised.

Unlike other chapters, the Salamander Chapter's gene seeds are unparalleled in stability and purity, but their numbers are also extremely limited.

From the very beginning of their legion, they were among the smallest in number within the Empire's Astartes Legion, and this remains true even today.

"Vulcan will live on with us forever," the other party responded to the praise with a Legion proverb.

The sudden flashing of the battle indicator light interrupted their conversation.

The commander took the lead, carrying his alien phase sword and battle shield as he entered the teleportation chamber.

Unlike conventional boarding torpedoes or airdrop pods that infiltrate enemy lines, Deathwatchers employ special boarding methods under special circumstances.

Teleportation assaults and stealthy infiltration using confinement field generators are some of the methods they would employ.

Compared to the noisy and lengthy airdrop descent, their original mission plan was to use a teleportation assault. Therefore, the 'Incinerate' strike ship was equipped with a dedicated teleportation room.

With the planet's airspace now firmly blocked by chaos, using teleportation technology to bypass anti-aircraft fire and reach the ground is undoubtedly the wisest method.

The ten Astartes entered one by one into the sacred room filled with ancient runes, energy conduits, and flashing devices, arranged themselves in formation, and stood on the teleportation platform.

The ship's technical priest chanted binary prayers, and incense filled the room, constantly soothing the excited machine spirits as the machinery started up.

Chapter 962 Bloody Battle

Despite being still weak from her serious injuries, navigator Mila stood resolutely beside the skull-shaped control panel, taking on the responsibilities of both operator and locator.

The original operator was turned into a twisted mass of flesh and blood in the subspace storm, and the other party was the most suitable for the entire ship.

Titus, holding his "Calibrator" Deathwatch bomb gun, pulled down his tactical multi-function goggles, ready for battle, but couldn't help glancing at his opponent before leaving.

The navigator is using her psychic powers to anchor the teleportation device to its starting coordinates.

Whether it was his imagination or not, he vaguely sensed a familiar golden halo emanating from beneath the other person's thick metal goggles.

Suddenly, as if sensing his gaze, the other person turned around, looked at him, and nodded in acknowledgment.

The voice of Sage Natalia came from the servo skull floating in the air.

"Rest assured, fellow cultivators, I have repeatedly verified the corresponding spatial coordinates with the Great Sage Erdron-44 Stroika, the one who sought help from the Mechanical Temple in the Nest City, and I guarantee that you will be delivered to your destination accurately."

Spatial teleportation is a very serious matter.

To put it simply, the teleportation device temporarily creates a very short "tunnel" through subspace between two points, allowing travelers to bypass physical distances in the real universe.

This makes the accuracy of the coordinates crucial; any deviation could be fatal.

Even a slight deviation could result in the tragic outcome of 'improper teleportation, Anderson's death'.

The commander's 'iron halo' behind his head was glowing faintly, clearly indicating that he was ready to strike.

"Let's go," he said calmly and serenely, without giving any further instructions.

A flash of bright light.

The members of the killing squad were enveloped in a blinding teleportation aura and transported into subspace.

The world before Titus's eyes became distorted and fragmented, all colors lost their meaning, and his sense of time was completely disordered, giving him a dizziness that was even stronger than the combination of seasickness, airsickness, and carsickness.

Fortunately, the modifications to the neural pathways in his brain gave him a powerful regulatory ability, allowing his consciousness to remain clear amidst the ebb and flow of the boundless ocean.

Countless whispers, screams, and temptations from non-human consciousness burrowed into his mind; it was the touch of the subspace.

But the Astartes' unwavering will and ample teleportation experience allowed them to skillfully ignore and disregard it.

In the blink of an eye, or perhaps a few minutes, when Titus’s vision suddenly lit up, what stood in front of him was a dense horde of demons.

"Fire!"

In fact, without the commander's command, the Astartes, arranged in a circular defensive formation, began to unleash terrifying firepower forward and smoothly change formations while moving.

The "Barrier" fragmentation cannon spewed death relentlessly, while the "Shadow Spear" long-range laser gun precisely targeted the spellcasters hidden among the demons.

Several of the Astartes' most frequently used explosive guns roared wildly, working together to carve out space for the team's advance.

Their mission objective was very clear: to find the psionic amplification totems made of bones and flesh piled up in the plaza in front of the Mechanical Temple.

Their strategic objective for this mission is to destroy them and break the demons' overload attack on the Void Shield.

As a strategic stronghold, the equipment, personnel, knowledge, and symbolic significance within the Mechanical Temple must not be allowed to fall into any form.

The killing squad unleashed tremendous destructive power, catching hordes of demons off guard and forcing them into a rout.

The circular defensive formation had transformed into an attack-oriented arrowhead formation as it advanced. The commander stood at the forefront as the vanguard, and the defensive field formed by the Iron Aura temporarily blocked the ranged attacks of the demons. The alien phase sword in his hand was driven by his exquisite swordsmanship to 'cut through thorns' and 'ride the waves'.

The Astartes' moves are not flashy; speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness are their motto, and all their actions serve only to kill the enemy more effectively.

As a space wolf, Egil Irontooth's dual-wielding combination of the Wolf Fang Chainsaw Gauntlets and Power Axe makes him resemble a meat grinder, fiercely protecting the team's left vanguard and constantly scattering bits of flesh and debris in all directions.

But the most eye-catching is the silent and tenacious 'Salamander' Urzan, who holds a 'Heart of the Furnace' multi-barreled molten gun in his hand, and each shot can melt a large number of enemies in front of him.

Soon, they advanced their battle line to the first twisted totem, and several high-powered molten bombs were accurately launched, burning nearby chaos wizards to ashes.

The stream of psionic flames erupting from Tzeentch's hand instantly fluctuated violently. Although it was barely stabilized under the opponent's skillful control, its power was greatly reduced.

However, the initial advantage of the killing squad was completely exhausted at this point, and the demons, having recovered, quickly launched a counterattack.

Treachery, the Flying Disc, the Fearful Demon, the Laughing Demon, the Fire Demon... a large number of demons surrounded them.

The pressure on the killing squad suddenly increased.

But all of this was in the planning stages.

Suddenly, the fortified walls of the Mechanical Temple burst open, and several elite Castellan robots, leading a series of combat-use flying skulls, charged out of the temple under the cover of hundreds of Guardians of the Faith, launching a counterattack in coordination with the reinforcements.

Soon the second and third totems were also destroyed.

But from this point on, the battle began to show its ruthless side.

Death finally arrived.

The moment the Iron Halo failed due to overload from too many attacks in a short period of time, Tzeentch seized the opportunity to protect Astartes on the flank. Dense psionic flames focused on him, completely blocking most of his escape routes.

Taking advantage of the situation, the fearsome demons swarmed forward, using their lives to entangle his arms, creating an opportunity for a treacherous flying disc to make a fatal cut.

As expected, this Astartes from the Black Sanctuary had his left arm severed diagonally, and half of his body was instantly ripped open.

There was no time to rescue them, and no one went to rescue them; all the Astartes understood their mission.

In the instant he was injured and attacked, the Astartes did not hesitate to give up his position, voluntarily leaving the group and rushing to the side.

That is the location of another totem.

They were like ancient cavalry charging into enemy infantry formations; speed was their weapon, and also their lifeblood.

Losing speed and being swarmed and killed by the demons is an inevitable outcome.

Soon, after a bloody battle, the Astartes reached his destination and, without hesitation, detonated the explosives he was carrying, perishing together with the enemy.

There was no time for grief; everyone continued to charge forward.

But how could the cunning and scheming Tzeentch be so utterly despicable?

Amidst the surging blue energy, several massive figures suddenly emerged from the demon horde. Several enormous Soul Grinders, concealed by psionic energy, silently approached the killing squad, pouncing on them the moment the opportunity arose.

In just a moment, both Astartes were wounded.

Chapter 963 The Doctrine of Firepower Superiority

The Mechanicus also suffered an ambush and heavy losses.

Until the last elite Castellan robot activated its self-destruct program and exploded into a fireball, the entire counter-offensive force of the Mechanicus was annihilated.

No sacrifice was so great as to be unacceptable. It was the loss of life that laid the foundation for the empire's standing. Their sacrifice was not in vain, but rather brought about the destruction of the fifth totem.

More than half of the nine blasphemous totems were lost, and the evil psychic rituals amplified by this loss were also interrupted.

The mission objective has been achieved.

"Go!" Black Shield, positioned in the center of the battle formation, suddenly shouted into the communication channel, slamming his scepter into the ground and quickly erecting an invisible psionic shield.

This is actually a rare Astartes psychic.

The next instant, the fierce and violent psionic flames were manipulated by the Tzeentch Greater Demon and slammed into the psionic shield.

An uncontrollable groan of pain emanated from behind Black Shield's visor.

The moment the ritual was disrupted, the great demon did not hesitate to turn his gun around and try to keep these troublemakers in check.

The pressure posed by a great demon is clearly incomparable to that of numerous demon minions.

The psionic flames exploded like cannon fire, pinning the killing squad to the spot. Terrified by the dazzling flames that could incinerate almost everything, the members could only cower within the psionic shield, unable to move.