From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man

Chapter 653 "Alert: Level 12 Psionic Fluctuation Detected"

The scorching volcanic ash poured down like molten gold, enveloping the entire battlefield in a sulfurous chaos.

The earth trembled—

It is not due to geological activity, but rather that hundreds of millions of alien insect units are rushing forward simultaneously.

From near-Earth orbit, outside the 200-square-kilometer drop zone, a swirling, purplish-black vortex of insect swarms is contracting towards the center from all directions, with each "crest" composed of tens of millions of alien creatures.

"All units, open fire at will!"

Following the instructions on the tactical channel, the reactors of the thirty-six Titan mechs emitted a deafening roar.

These war machines, hundreds of meters tall, stand at the outermost edge of the defense line. The barrels of the 4000mm plasma cannon and the 2000mm hard light secondary cannon glow with a dangerous red light due to overload.

Ri~Whoosh—whoosh—！！
When the first salvo from the Titan mechs struck the swarm, the entire battlefield was instantly illuminated as if by a nuclear or hydrogen explosion.

Dozens of blue-white and bright red beams of light swept across the earth. The thunder beasts that were directly hit were vaporized before they could even let out a cry of pain. The shockwaves lifted up the fungal carpet within a radius of several kilometers, revealing the cracked surface beneath.

“Vulture formation, covering sectors G7 to K12.”

Meanwhile, nearly a thousand Vulture gunships swooped down from the low-altitude clouds, their 30mm rotating hard laser cannons on their bellies weaving a dense crossfire network.

Once inside the atmosphere, these killing machines, powered by anti-gravity engines, maintained precise tactical formations, their barrage seemingly carving out perfect geometric patterns within the swarm of insects.

Meanwhile, at an altitude of 10,000 meters, a fleet of carrier-based aircraft from the human empire is engaged in a bloody "aerial ballet" with the Zerg swarm.

The improved high-powered light spear cannon can pierce through more than ten alien dragons with each burst of fire. The fallen corpses fall like burning meteorites, creating burning craters in the swarm of insects.

"For the Emperor! For humanity!"

"Die! Die!! You filthy alien!!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

A deafening, metallic battle cry suddenly erupted from the forefront of the defense line, and more than four thousand Astartes, forming an "Iron Wall," opened fire simultaneously.

The roar of various types of explosive projectiles created a chilling harmony, with each rocket-boosted warhead bursting into a small fireball within the swarm of insects.

A veteran of the Black Sanctuary wielded a powered greatsword with one hand. The Chinese characters on the blade flashed with golden light as they sliced ​​through the carapace, severing the forelegs of the attacking alien insects at the root.

"Beware of changes in underground vibration frequency!" The Flame Lizard's helmet screen suddenly flashed a warning: "A swarm of Lurkers is approaching!"

The earth suddenly cracked open, and a large number of bone spears with barbs burst out of the ground.

These hard, sharp biological weapons easily pierced the hydraulic pipes released by the siege tanks, but many more bone spears were blasted apart by the plasma cannons and various types of explosive projectiles before they could even reach Astartes.

"Hahaha!!"

The shark-like raiders, having locked onto the enemy's location, let out terrifying laughter, activated their jump packs, and plunged their power claws directly into the cracks in the ground, uprooting the lurking intruders.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Warfield, also on the front lines, had his CMC power armor stained with Zerg blood. He stood on a makeshift command platform, monitoring the entire battle through a holographic sand table.

"Third Armored Company, advance to coordinates E8! We can't let those damned cockroaches break through the flank!"

The Terran Empire's marines were finally witnessing the true art of war.

Those Thunder Beasts that used to require several minutes of focused fire to kill were now like livestock to be slaughtered under Astartes' tactical coordination.

Two grieving men smashed his knees with a hot-melt gun, and a third warrior leaped up, wielding a chainsaw sword to slit his throat, causing blood to gush out like a waterfall.

On the CMC armor's visor display, real-time kill data is refreshing at an astonishing rate.

"Maintain formation!" Warfield's voice remained clear through the sandstorm. "Let these alien bastards see the might of the Marines!"

Boom—Boom—!!

The roar of the 180mm siege guns was the best answer. High-explosive shells blasted a death zone with a diameter of 100 meters deep into the swarm's territory. One shell happened to hit the acid sac of the Hydralisk swarm, triggering a chain explosion that ignited the entire creep within half a kilometer, forming a spectacular wall of fire.

The sky suddenly darkened.

A swarm of flying insects, darkening the sky, broke through the air defenses, and acid bombs rained down like a storm.

At this critical moment, dozens of blinding light spears descended from the orbit—

The orbital strikes from the Black Sanctuary were as precise as a scalpel, each beam piercing through hundreds of alien dragons without harming any of the friendly forces below. The evaporated acid formed eerie "green aurora" in the stratosphere, adding a surreal touch to this bloody battle.

On the eastern side of the battlefield, several Titan mechs formed a mobile fortress.

Their shipborne plasma cannons and hard laser cannons can clear an entire fan-shaped area with each salvo, and their foot hydraulic systems crush any jumping insects that try to climb into a pulp.

One of the Titans suddenly deformed and unfolded its right arm, revealing a built-in missile launcher. Dozens of tactical missiles roared out and accurately killed the Brood Lord and Zerg Queen who were hiding deep in the Zerg swarm.

"Report on ammunition consumption."

A high-pitched voice rang out in the tactical network, his Terminator covered in Zerg limbs and bits of flesh.

"Plasma gun group has 67% remaining energy, and explosive charge ammunition reserves are at 41%," the technical sergeant quickly responded.

Behind the defensive line, Lyon was closely monitoring the artifact's energy readings.

The surface textures of this Xel'Naga creation are gradually glowing with a deep blue light, as if they are pulsating with life.

“Energy accumulation has reached 37%, and we expect to reach the critical point in two hours and seventeen minutes.” He turned to Mike beside him and said, “Have the engineering team check the force field stabilizer again.”

Above the battlefield, the human empire's fleet was conducting its first round of supply airdrops. Hundreds of thousands of airdropped supply bins landed precisely in designated areas, filled with ammunition, medical supplies, and replacement armor plates.

A pharmacist from a company of weeping soldiers saw a Marine struggling nearby, his abdomen pierced by a bone spur. He quickly approached and used nanospray to stop the bleeding. The medical technology from the human empire could close even the most severe wounds in just over ten seconds.

The entire battlefield operated like a sophisticated killing machine, with each unit maximizing its effectiveness in its own position.

The corpses of the swarm had piled up into mountains, but their numbers seemed endless. Every second, tens of thousands of alien insects fell, while more surged in from the horizon.

This war of attrition is testing the limits of every soldier's will.

To be precise, it was testing the limits of the Tyrannosaurus Rex's willpower.

After all, the four companies of Astartes, Hellscreamers, and Auxiliary Corps had participated in battles of all sizes.

Some of the veterans even participated in the battle against the chaos of the warp, so the current battle, in which tens of thousands of Zerg are killed and destroyed every second, is within the normal range for the four companies.

If it weren't for the need to capture the Queen of Blades alive, the company commanders of each unit would have already issued an extermination order on a planet completely overrun by aliens.

The Rangers who followed Jim Raynor had long been fighting alongside the Astartes and had gradually become accustomed to it.

At this moment, the sulfur-colored sky was stained a sickly orange-red by the artillery fire, and volcanic ash poured down like an endless avalanche.

The soldiers of the Terran Marine Corps are undergoing the most brutal baptism of their military careers—every minute tens of thousands of Zerg are turned into mincemeat in a meat grinder of steel and fire, and they must remain rational and precise in this seemingly endless massacre.

At first, the soldiers from various colonies were still in awe of what they saw.

Those towering Astartes were like mythical war gods; every roar of their bolters tore swarms of Zerg to shreds. The Hellfire Troopers and their support units' hard beams and Gauss weapons ploughed scorched furrows through the Zerg swarm.

As for the Titan mech's plasma and hard beam cannons, each salvo could send mushroom clouds rising on the horizon.

But now, after several tens of minutes of bloody fighting, they have gone from being panicked at the beginning to adapting to the rhythm of the four companies, and have even begun to coordinate with Astartes, Hell Paratroopers and Auxiliary Forces.

"The gap on the left! The Hydralisks have broken through!"

A Tyrannosaurus squad immediately turned their guns around, and the servo systems of the CMC power armor emitted a sharp hum under high pressure.

The continuous bursts of fire from the 8mm railgun pinned the charging Hydralisks to a distance of thirty meters.

One soldier's shooting was particularly accurate; with three bursts, the heads of three Hydralisks exploded, their fluorescent green blood splashing in a fan-shaped pattern in the dust.

"Not bad shooting, kid."

A metallic voice suddenly rang out in the communication channel, praising someone.

? !
The soldier turned around in surprise and found a Flame Lizard apothecary standing behind him. His titanium armor was painted mainly white with dark green accents, and the armor was covered with the remains of Zerg.

The Astartes casually tossed over a shell casing engraved with scale patterns, a symbol of the Flame Lizard Company's recognition of "mortals."

The soldier instinctively caught it and found that the cartridge case was still warm.

"Keep it up, your name?" The pharmacist's glasses flickered slightly.

"Corporal Marco Layton, sir! 4th Marine Division!"

"Your kill count has reached the standard for a new Hell Paratrooper." The pharmacist's words carried a hint of approval. "If you are interested after the war, you can apply to join our company as a Hell Paratrooper."

These words made the breaths of several Marines around him catch in their throats.
That was recognition from Astartes, and might even mean an opportunity for promotion?
Meanwhile, on the other side of the defensive line, the Weeping Ones' tactical squads were cooperating with the Terran Empire's siege tanks.

A Thunder Beast broke through the barrage of fire, its massive, segmented limbs crushing the positions of three Marines. Just as it was about to crush a fourth—

boom!
A 180mm high-explosive shell accurately hit the Thunder Beast's knee joint, and its thick armor shattered in the explosion.

The giant beast staggered, and before it could regain its footing, three wailing figures leaped onto its back.

Buzz~————Sizzle——Pfft——!

The chainsaw sword with a disintegrating force pierced through the gaps in the carapace, and blood gushed out like a waterfall.

The Thunder Beast fell with a mournful howl, and the Terran gunner operating the tank cannon immediately finished it off, completely eliminating the ferocious behemoth.

Soon, the gunner received a private message from Malakin Forros, the company commander of the Weeping Men.

“This shot deserves a song of praise, soldier.” Forros’s voice was as elegant as a harp. “Tell me your names and your crew’s names, and you will appear in the Lamenters’ company records.”

The gunner's throat tightened, and he could barely speak.

His bombardment was recorded in the Astartes war history.

Although he didn't understand what this meant yet, it seemed more impressive than any medal.

As the battle continued, the Tyrannosaurus Rex performed better and better.

They began to imitate Astartes' tactics, concentrating firepower on joint weaknesses, using the terrain to create crossfire networks, and even learning to throw fragmentation mines to create kill radius at the moment of Zerg charge.

A squad successfully counterattacked and killed a group of infiltrators. They used the overclocked mode of their railguns to penetrate the ground and prematurely detonate the deadly bone spikes hidden underground.

"These kids learn pretty fast."

Tychus stood beside Jim Raynor, the barrel of his rotary machine gun glowing slightly red from overheating. "Much better than those old-timers from Bickhart."

Renault did not answer; his gaze was fixed on the gradually slowing insect swarm in the distance.

The artifact's reading had climbed to 67%, and the pale blue energy ripples formed visible waves in the air.

But at this moment, the Zerg's offensive strangely weakened.

The Thunder Beasts that had been charging wildly began to retreat, and the Hydralisks stopped mindlessly spewing bone spikes and acid, instead retreating in an organized manner into the depths of the creep.

“Something’s not right.” Leon suddenly looked up. The data stream on the helmet screen of his nanosuit was refreshing rapidly. “The swarm’s behavior pattern has changed. They’re not collapsing; they’re reorganizing.”

Mike immediately pulled up the holographic scan image, his expression changing drastically: "The creep energy reading has surged! A massive biosignal has been detected underground!"

The battlefield suddenly fell into an eerie silence, as if even the howling wind had stopped.

The Astartes tacitly tightened their formation, while the Hellfire Troopers and the heavy weapons teams of the auxiliary forces quickly set up artillery emplacements. The Terran Marines, meanwhile, instinctively glanced at the giants clad in power armor, as if their reactions were the weathervane of the battlefield.

"All personnel on high alert," Sigismund's voice echoed in the tactical channel. "The real test is about to begin."

The artifact's light continued to intensify, but at this moment, everyone's attention was focused beyond the horizon—

There, the fungal carpet undulated and rose up like a living thing, as if some enormous creature was moving underground.

The swarm's behavior was no longer frantic, but rather like an army being uniformly controlled by some higher will, beginning to regroup in a tactical manner.

It seems the Queen of Blades' patience has finally run out.

At this moment, the fungal carpet suddenly surged violently like boiling asphalt, and the sulfurous smell in the air was replaced by a more eerie aura, which felt like the scorching sensation of pure psionic energy burning reality.

Immediately, the light across the entire battlefield was distorted, and all communication channels simultaneously emitted piercing screams.

"Renault."

The sound exploded directly in everyone's mind, like the overlapping hisses of millions of insects, or the whisper of some ancient behemoth.

The syllables, amplified by psionic energy, caused spiderweb-like cracks to appear on the CMC helmet visors of most Tyrannical soldiers.

"Do you really think you have a chance of winning? Huh?"

The earth began to crack, and a ghostly blue psionic glow seeped from the cracks.

Suddenly, the Rangers' AI lieutenant projected a blood-red warning box onto everyone's helmet screens, and issued a reminder:
"Alert: Level 12 psionic fluctuation detected, equivalent to planetary level. It is recommended to activate the anti-psionic protocol immediately."

"Hahaha!"

The Queen of Blades' laughter echoed through the psionic storm.
(End of this chapter)