The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

2758. Dantoin Meat Grinder (Part 5)
Just as General Maximilian Wells was directing his army in a counterattack on the Southern Heights, about 50 kilometers behind the Southern Heights...

Night has fallen on this hemisphere, and due to blackout regulations, there are no lights to be seen at all. On this cloudy night, it's practically pitch black.

However, in this darkness, some faint sounds could be heard from mid-air, but they were almost inaudible unless one listened carefully.

Striking shadows flew past less than ten meters above the ground. These shadows were extremely fast, and even though they were flying almost close to the ground, they did not collide with any obstacles.

Justin Reeves was one of these shadowy figures—yes, these shadowy figures flying close to the ground were all members of the Fourth Army's special operations unit, the Vulture Company.

Every member of the Vulture Company is one of the most elite members of the Fourth Legion, and must also possess strong spatial awareness and dynamic vision in order to be selected.

After being selected, they all underwent targeted modifications, including the implantation of chips in the outer cortex of their brains and the modification of their retinas to give them more powerful dynamic vision and stereoscopic spatial perception.

This made their already superhuman bodies even more inhuman, but only in this way could they adapt to this new equipment.

Vulture Flying Mech!

This is the latest single-soldier mech developed by Dr. Otto-Gunther-Ostavis, a genius scientist from the Kingdom of Dawn. This mech uses a combination of a silent engine and bionic mechanical wings to achieve near-silent aerial maneuverability.

This mech comes in two versions: a standard version, which can be understood as a more agile and faster flight system (similar to the Mandalorian jetpack, which is also found elsewhere). This version is easier to control, but its speed, maneuverability, and stealth capabilities are no match for the elite version.

The elite Vulture flight mech is an incredibly formidable piece of equipment! This machine represents the culmination of Dr. Ostavis's hard work, boasting handling, speed, and agility several times greater than the standard model! Its maximum speed can even reach Mach 0.95!

Maintaining quietness and maneuverability at such speeds is nothing short of miraculous.

However, at the same time, only those who have undergone enhancements and modifications and possess exceptional talent can operate such equipment.

Even in the Fourth Legion, a place teeming with monsters, only a little over 500 people were ultimately selected, and after multiple rounds of elimination, 200 of them were retained.

Justin Reeves is one of them...

He was already the supreme commander of the Fourth Army Corps, but after discovering his talent through testing, he resolutely joined the Vulture Company as an ordinary member. He longed to feel the pulse of war on the front lines; only in this way could he rekindle the fire in his already cold blood.

Compared to the fighting and killing on the front lines, sitting in an office strategizing? It's better to kill him.

The Vulture Company's mission is to utilize the terrifying mobility of its Vulture flying mechs to carry out infiltration and sabotage missions behind enemy lines. For example, right now—Justin Reeves and his team's target is an energy supply center established by the Galactic Empire.

Currently, the ground battlefield on Dantuin is primarily centered around mobile deflector shields, making energy supply a top priority.

Both sides in the conflict devised various methods to meet the enormous energy consumption of the deflector shields. These included long-range power transmission systems, replaceable shield capacitors, and ultra-large-capacity, ultra-high-voltage energy storage devices. However, the most stable energy supply remained the continuous output from fixed bases.

Beneath the Galactic Empire's fortifications, deep energy pipelines are generally buried, allowing the mobile deflector shields to be recharged at any time. They are only temporarily disconnected when relocation is required, and the connection to the recharger is quickly switched to energy storage devices for operation after the connection is shut down.

Therefore, destroying these energy centers would paralyze the energy supply to the Galactic Empire's shielded positions, thus creating more opportunities for our side to fight.

The Vulture Company's previous mission was to coordinate with the attack on the Southern Highlands, but Huang Yehao and his team made very smooth progress. Apart from helping him at the last moment, the Vulture Company didn't need to be involved at all. Therefore, after the Southern Highlands were captured, according to the command's orders, the Vulture Company continued to launch surprise attacks on the rear of the Galactic Empire's front under the cover of night.

Beneath his full-face helmet, Justin Reeves' gaze was cold and indifferent. The soldiers of the Fourth Army were basically used to killing. For them, no matter how large the number of people or how horrific the carnage, they would not feel any psychological fluctuation.

Complete darkness surrounded them; at such high speeds, they could see absolutely nothing. Under these circumstances, they had to rely entirely on terrain guidance provided by their instruments to navigate.

Ten meters off the ground, Mach 0.95, complex terrain... each one is hellishly difficult.

A faint alarm sounded in their ears; they were approaching their target.

Without a word, the Vulture Company's soldiers abruptly slowed their pace, and their flight altitude decreased further. The Vulture mechs were not equipped with stealth systems; they relied on ultra-low-altitude, high-speed flight to evade radar detection. Their flight paths closely followed the terrain's contours, using valleys and rock formations to conceal their signals.

In other words, as long as they are close enough and the Imperial guards are careful enough, they will still be discovered.

Justin Reeves let out a long breath, calculating the distance and direction. Just then, sirens blared in the darkness ahead, countless lights instantly illuminated the sky, and simultaneously, some automatic air defense systems opened fire!
The Vulture Company scattered instantly. They remained calm in the face of danger, and even after being discovered, they did not blindly increase their speed, but continued to maintain this speed, only flying out extremely complex trajectories in the air.

In the darkness, a pale blue light curtain appeared and disappeared, but this deflecting shield was only a hundred meters away from them!
In an instant, the Vulture Company soldiers rushed into the shield's range, immediately drawing their weapons and opening fire. The firepower from their elevated position was incredibly accurate even at high speed, and Imperial soldiers scattering haphazardly on the ground were killed one by one, plunging the entire energy center into chaos!
The soldiers of the Vulture Company were not equipped with heavy weapons; they all carried two M-6 Executioner Pistols, which were fast-firing, accurate, powerful, and lightweight.

They bypassed the ground turrets and offensives, circling rapidly in the air like more than 200 hunting vultures, constantly reaping the lives of Imperial soldiers.

In just over ten minutes, they killed hundreds of Imperial Stormtroopers, plunging the energy center into further chaos.

Justin Reeves led a dozen soldiers to quickly approach the central reactor. He retracted his mechanical wings and landed on the ground, while the other soldiers each took a part out of their small backpacks and tossed it to him.

Justin Reeves is incredibly dexterous with both hands. He catches the bomb with one hand and loads it with the other. Soon, a large proton bomb with a diameter of nearly one meter begins to take shape!
That's right, it's the same proton bomb Huang Yehao used to destroy the AT-AT walker! However, the proton bomb used by the Vulture Company is much larger and more powerful! To maintain the flight mechs' mobility, they disassembled the bomb into more than ten parts, each carried by a dozen or so people. Only an elite force like the Fourth Legion's Vulture Company could devise such a plan, one that allows for almost no room for error!
While Justin Reeves planted the bomb, the other Vulture Company soldiers continued their killing spree at the energy center, preventing Imperial soldiers from reaching the reactor to provide reinforcements.

The reactor was built underground, but Justin Reeves directly installed the proton bomb in one of the cooling ducts. The bomb was powerful enough to penetrate tens of meters of ground and completely destroy the reactor!

With the bombs planted, Justin Reeves nodded slightly, his mechanical wings instantly unfolded, and he took to the air, scattering in all directions with the other soldiers of the Vulture Company, quickly disappearing into the night.

The proton bomb detonated, and a pale blue cloud of protons instantly appeared, then began to collapse inwards. During this process, destructive energy seeped deep into the ground through cooling ducts, and when the collapse reached its limit, it suddenly exploded! A huge hemispherical arch instantly rose from the hardened ground, followed by a deluge of flames and debris!
A towering pillar of fire illuminated the night sky, and the Dawn Kingdom's air force, which had been circling and waiting in the distance, immediately rushed over and carried out further bombing of the base!

……

What General Maximilian Wells was now faced with this extremely bad battle report.

The fall of the southern highlands, the failed counterattack, and the destruction of the energy center... gave General Wells a bad feeling.

The Galactic Empire once planned to use a steady, mobile deflector shield tactic to drag the Kingdom of Dawn into an "energy showdown" and a "production capacity showdown," and they did succeed.

For a long time, the Kingdom of Dawn has struggled to make breakthroughs on the front lines, and has been forced into positional and trench warfare.

But now, it seems that the Kingdom of Dawn is adapting to the Galactic Empire's tactics and is beginning to achieve more victories in their own way.

Being breached in two positions in a single day is a very bad omen.

The Kingdom of Dawn used elite warriors to open up the situation, then quickly stabilized the front line with air-dropped modular buildings, and now with the addition of those ghostly flying units, General Maximilian Wells has had to abandon all thoughts of counterattack.

He sent the battle report back to headquarters, stating that a more solid and comprehensive front needed to be established before launching a full-scale attack to offset the Dawn Kingdom's mobility advantage.

His request was granted.

From the direction of Palin-Minor, a steady stream of transport fleets set sail, heading towards Dantuin, and establishing forward bases in three nearby star systems.

These bases were equipped with strong fleet defenses. As long as the fleet wasn't sent to the front lines for a decisive battle, Dunn-Wessex was willing to accept the task of defending the rear.

The forward bases were equipped with highly sophisticated logistical support facilities, including massive barracks, medical facilities, and recreational facilities. Millions of troops began to assemble at these forward bases and were continuously transported to the battlefield on Dantuin.

Dunn-Wessex's goal is to continuously escalate the war on Dantoin, dragging the Kingdom of Dawn into this meat grinder as well!
The Dawn Kingdom initiated this battle, but the situation has been constantly changing, and now the Galactic Empire is using this battlefield to wear down the Dawn Kingdom!

But it's also tragic to think about, because for Dunn Wessex, these enormous resources and the lives of millions of soldiers were nothing more than bargaining chips to ensure the absolute safety of his home planet, Palin-Minor.

……

In the distance, tiny sparks of light continued to fall from the sky. Those were the Galactic Empire's endless supply ships, transporting troops and supplies to their rear.

Furthermore, according to intelligence reconnaissance, among the ships sent as reinforcements by the Galactic Empire were more than ten industrial ships. Once landed, these industrial ships would transform into modern arms factories!
Huang Yehao looked into the distance through binoculars, but his gaze remained indifferent.

For him, no matter how many people from the Galactic Empire came, he had only one word—kill. He would keep killing until he was killed himself.

After joining the Fourth Army, the passionate warrior he once was had long since disappeared.

However, the Galactic Empire's large-scale troop reinforcements are indeed a cause for concern regarding future tactical considerations. Huang Yehao turned to his comrades and said, "Send scouts to investigate and pinpoint the location of the Imperial army's landing zone. Then have the General Staff devise a strategy to see if we can launch a surprise attack and destroy their landing zone."

“There is a plan, but we’re not the ones carrying it out,” the communications officer said, turning around. “It’s Justin Reeves and his team who are preparing to launch a surprise attack on a spaceport tomorrow. Our current task is to hold our ground.”

"How so?" Huang Yehao asked.

"General Dai Hongkui means that if the Galactic Empire increases its troops, then we will respond accordingly," the communications officer said.

"If that's the case, I hope these people from the Galactic Empire won't disappoint me," Huang Yehao said calmly, turning back to gaze at the distant sky.

……

"There's still one month left." In the holographic projection, Qi Jian, the Chief of Staff of the Dawn Kingdom, said very seriously.

"One month? What's the plan?" General Dai Hongkui asked.

"The Army's mission is to coordinate with the Galactic Empire's operations and continuously expand the scale of the campaign. A month from now will mark the end of this campaign!" Qi Jian said. "The outcome depends on the Army's performance over the next month." (End of Chapter)