Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 801 08.800: "Cooperative Exercise"

The interior of the special car is spacious and comfortable. The thick bulletproof windows isolate the noise from the outside world, leaving only the steady and low vibration of the engine.

Horatio leaned back slightly, leaning against the tough synthetic leather seat, and turned his eyes to Archie who was sitting opposite him, with a barely perceptible smile of understanding on his lips: "So, what do you think of the young lady from the Huntman family?"

Archie was looking down and quickly flipping through the exercise plan scrolling on a data board. Upon hearing this, his fingers paused on the screen. He looked up with a hint of pure confusion in his eyes, as if he had not yet extricated himself from the complicated tactical parameters: "Uh... Captain, what exactly do you mean?"

"Of course the emotional aspect, Archie."

Horatio’s tone was a little more relaxed, but also carried the seriousness of an elder, “There’s no need to be so formal between you and me.

You have indeed reached the age where you should seriously consider your personal affairs.

Your mother has never been in good health, your father has served the empire loyally, and your grandfather has also been summoned by the emperor.

Now the inheritance of the Collingwood family rests on your shoulders.

If... I mean if, you encounter any accident on the battlefield, then the glory and bloodline of the Collingwood family will be cut off, right?"

He changed the subject and mentioned himself, with a hint of warmth and satisfaction in his eyes that was difficult to conceal, "I am different. My eldest son is already born, and my second child is about to be born.

As the captain of a ship, it is my duty to care about the lifelong happiness of my capable officers. Moreover, you and I were classmates and close friends at Zhongsi College. "

Archie's cheeks flushed slightly and he smiled a little awkwardly, but the smile was fleeting.

He quickly adjusted his sitting posture, straightened his back, refocused his eyes, and restored his usual respectful and capable tone as an efficient adjutant: "No... no hurry, let's talk about it later, my friend, about the training ground... the equipment actual combat comprehensive test project is ready.

I have followed your instructions, completed all coordination work with other relevant departments, and have deployed the designated participating troops to the designated exercise area."

"very good."

Horatio nodded with satisfaction, and stopped talking about the slightly personal topic. He looked at the scenery passing by quickly outside the car window and said in a deep voice, "We will go there immediately."

The special car then smoothly adjusted its direction and sped towards the vast training ground of Abridar Zhongsi College. In the air, one seemed to be able to faintly smell the sharp smell of gunpowder and metal friction.
-
At the training ground of Abridar Zhongsi Academy, the cold wind blew up the dust on the surface, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of fuel and the unique smell of burnt metal after overheating.

Several huge concrete structures simulating urban ruins are intertwined, casting mottled shadows on the site, creating a complex and depressing street fighting environment.

A Valkyrie assault transport aircraft hovered precisely several meters above the ground amid the roar of its powerful engine. The fierce airflow stirred up by the propulsion engine constantly blew on the rough ground, stirring up clouds of dust.

At a very close distance, a larger Avis landing craft landed heavily on the reinforced landing pad in the designated area in a hasty and unusually stable manner, raising a cloud of dust.

Such close-range, high-difficulty coordinated maneuvers are undoubtedly a severe test of the pilots' skills, courage, and the tacit cooperation between both parties.

The tactical intention of this deployment was to quickly deploy the Imperial Navy landing forces under the preset and extremely cramped conditions of street fighting so that they could quickly seize and control key tactical commanding heights.

In order to ensure the validity and comparability of the experimental data, multiple groups of such aircraft combinations were deployed on the field. Each group of trainees was equipped with combat equipment of different models and focuses to test their combat effectiveness.

laugh! ——

The sound of the hydraulic rod releasing pressure could be clearly heard, and the doors of the two aircraft slid open heavily to the sides with the sound of metal friction.

The noise, wind, sand and thick smoke from the training ground instantly poured into the relatively closed cabin.

"For the Emperor! Mission accomplished!"

A sergeant's hoarse roar rang out in the communication channel, with unquestionable determination.

The navy boarding team members, wearing heavy Breaker boarding armor, began to rappel in a slightly clumsy but determined posture. Their heavy armor made a teeth-grinding friction sound on the rappelling rope. Every swing seemed extremely strenuous, requiring extremely high arm and core strength.

On the other side, the pedals of the Avis landing craft were quickly lowered, and armed sailors wearing dark blue heavy bulletproof armor and holding laser guns rushed out more agilely, quickly spread out on the sand, and relied on the remaining cover of the landing craft to build a preliminary circular cordon.

They are simulating a high-intensity ground assault operation equipped with existing naval equipment.

On the other side of the training ground, several reference troops have also assembled and are ready for battle.

A team of law enforcement officers from the Ministry of Justice, dressed in full-coverage black heavy armor with ominous red light flashing through their helmet goggles, stood solemnly. Their equipment appeared to be extremely sophisticated and highly organized, exuding a cold and authoritative aura that was intimidating.

Not far away, there were marine infantrymen temporarily transferred from the Starport Guard. They wore bright red and white armored combat uniforms, and relatively light ceramic fiber bulletproof vests. They held standard laser carbines, looked alert and resolute, and scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes, and then quickly took action. Horatio stood on a makeshift metal observation tower, and the cold morning breeze blew the corners of his dark coat.

He raised the military binoculars with ranging and thermal imaging functions, and the lenses clearly reflected every move of the teams below, from their formation to the subtle movements of each member, without missing a single thing.

Below the observation tower, several lieutenants wearing precision timers and data recording boards were meticulously recording the exact time required for each team to complete each stage of action. The sounds of them whispering numbers and giving orders through throat communicators were intertwined in the encrypted channel, appearing professional and efficient.

The first unmanned deployment phase was completed, and preliminary data was quickly summarized on the tactical display screen in the observation tower.

The results clearly showed that the navy boarding team members wearing void breaching armor took the longest time.

Their heavy armor, designed for forcible entry into vacuum environments and ship interiors, became a huge burden under the planet's standard gravity, severely restricting their efficiency of action.

Whether it was the deliberate increase in the front-to-back distance that had to be deliberately increased during rope descent due to the heavy equipment, or the obvious lag when trying to jump off the pedal, they were more than a beat slower than the other three teams.

The rope descent process is particularly dangerous: every team member must be careful and focused, for fear that the hundreds of kilograms of heavy equipment of the teammates above will fall off due to a slight mistake or accidental breakage of the fixed rope, and directly hit the comrades below, causing serious injuries or even killing them on the spot.

The armed sailors were in a slightly better situation than the boarding team members, but while the thickened alloy greaves on their legs provided additional protection, they also significantly limited the range of leg lift when running and the flexibility of cushioning when landing, making them seem a little strenuous when sprinting at high speeds and turning quickly. Their overall maneuverability was lower than expected, and this disadvantage was even more obvious when they needed to quickly pass through complex terrain.

In contrast, the movements of the naval infantry were much smoother.

The medium bulletproof armor they wear is quite similar to the standard armor of the Astra Militarum in design concept, but its upper body protection is more comprehensive, covering more vital parts of the torso, and the helmet also integrates respiratory filtration and primary battlefield information display functions, while the leg protection is relatively simple, with only reinforced knee pads and a pair of high-waisted combat boots to ensure sufficient flexibility.

This set of equipment was originally selected for conventional combat on the planet's surface. It achieves a good balance between mobility and protection, allowing it to demonstrate valuable flexibility when moving on the ground, with brisk steps and quick reactions, and is clearly more suitable for the current exercise environment.

A captain in charge of recording reported to Archie in a low voice: "Preliminary assessments show that if the leg and shoulder armor of the armed sailors are removed, their mobility can be close to the standard of naval infantry, but the protection capabilities of the front and flanks will be significantly reduced by at least 30%."

"Got it." Archie nodded and recorded the suggestion on the data pad in his hand.

However, to the surprise of some observers, the team that acted most swiftly and smoothly was the law enforcement team from the Ministry of Justice.

They were clad in the iconic Ministry of Justice black full-coverage heavy armor. Each thick armor plate was fitted together with intricate craftsmanship, and the surface gleamed with a deep matte metallic luster. The heaviness of its appearance and the actual level of protection it provided were in no way inferior to the bulky void combat uniforms of the Navy boarding team members.

Although this specially made armor is incredibly heavy, the law enforcement officers move without any sense of sluggishness thanks to their extremely rigorous daily training, highly coordinated teamwork, and a deep understanding of the limits of their own equipment.

Each of their steps was steady yet explosive, each turn was precise and swift, and the heavy armor on them did not seem to be a pure burden, but more like an external extension of their iron will and strong physique.

They efficiently completed a series of actions including leaving the cabin, being on alert, and making short-distance advances, and their performance was exemplary.

High up on the permanent concrete observation deck, the atmosphere was more solemn.

Several senior officials from the Ministry of the Interior, the Imperial Navy Fleet, and the Ministry of Justice, dressed in their respective departments' neat dark uniforms or dresses with intricate patterns, held high-magnification military binoculars or looked through the lenses of helmets with built-in augmented reality displays, concentrating on examining every detail on the training ground below.

There was an invisible pressure in the air, mixed with the low, mostly technical conversations between them and the faint operating sounds coming from the data board terminal.

"Grand Inquisitor Javert." Horatio put down the telescope in his hand, nodded slightly, and said with sincere praise, "The law enforcement officers under your department are well-trained and strictly disciplined. I am really impressed."

Wearing a gorgeous power armor of crimson and black that symbolizes his status as a Grand Arbitrator, and a bright red semi-enclosed helmet with an eagle emblem, Javert did not rely on traditional optical equipment.

(Arbiter Armor)
He simply raised his hand calmly and gently touched the eyepiece module on the right side of the helmet. The exercise scene in his field of vision was instantly magnified many times and superimposed with complex tactical data streams. All the dynamics were captured by his advanced sensor array.

"Lord Cochrane, you are too kind." Javert's voice came through the speaker of the helmet. The synthesized voice did not contain much emotion. "Your subordinates are also extraordinary. As soldiers, they are experienced and determined."

"They still have room for improvement, Your Excellency the Grand Arbitrator." Horatio's eyes were still fixed on the battlefield in the distance. His tone was calm but full of unquestionable determination. "Moreover, in order to cope with the upcoming severe challenges, they must do much better, much more than this."

Javert's gaze, covered by red eyepieces, lingered for a moment on Horatio's resolute profile, but no one knew what he was thinking beneath the helmet.

Four years, only four years have passed.

This man, who had nearly become a prisoner in his hands and was even once sentenced to death, is now a renowned Imperial lord in the Imperial Navy, an Imperial hero with outstanding military exploits and praised by countless people. His position is stable, his power is growing, and he is awe-inspiring.

Nothing could be more dramatic than the changes in the world and more bizarre than this.

Even a man like Javert, who was accustomed to the changing situation of the empire, could not help but feel an indescribable complex feeling in his heart at this moment - perhaps it was amazement, perhaps it was prudence, or perhaps it was a vague sense of some irresistible tide of the times.

(End of this chapter)