Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 842, page 08.841: "Based on the aforementioned crimes, you are hereby sentenced to immediate execution!"

The first shark-shaped assault boat suddenly burst through the third towering stained-glass window on the side of the command bridge.

In an instant, countless fragments of armor crystals and hardened glass exploded inward, transforming into an incomparably sharp rainstorm that poured down.

Amidst the flashing red lights of the alarms and the flickering light of the dying control panel, these fragments refracted a deadly kaleidoscope of light, accompanied by the suffocating feeling of air being suddenly sucked out of the lungs and the tearing screams caused by the violent depressurization, echoing in every corner of the warship.

"Warning: Damage to the structural integrity of the bridge has been detected. Atmospheric pressure has dropped sharply, and the gas leak rate is 3.6 tons per minute."

In accordance with the emergency damage control protocol, an emergency life support field has been activated, and localized gravitational confinement is being applied to the breach to slow oxygen leakage.

A servo servant fixed to the life support module's control panel, its pale, withered skin stretched taut over its skull, its single remaining biological eyeball empty and lifeless.

In the other eye socket, a mechanical lens, flashing a cold red light, was buzzing.

It coldly and rigidly reported this string of data—enough to spell the death of the bridge—in an emotionless electronic voice.

"By the Divine Emperor, what on earth is going on?! First the side armor was blown open, and now even the bridge has been pierced!"

A reserve officer assigned here was ashen-faced, his forehead covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, and his knuckles were white from gripping his fists so tightly.

Behind him, the piercing roar of the air compressor, powered by the emergency repairs, almost drowned out his complaints, making the already tense atmosphere on the bridge even more suffocating.

"Sir, I think we should send a sailor over to inspect it."

An elderly warrant officer, his temples graying and weathered by life, offered a heavy reminder, his voice unusually calm amidst the chaos.

His gaze was not fixed on the panicked young officer, but on the lifeless tactical markings in the command throne area of ​​the tactical holographic platform.

"We haven't received any instructions from command for over ten minutes. According to procedure, even if the ship is on fire and damaged, the command bridge shouldn't be this...dead silent. This silence is very abnormal."

"What could possibly happen to the command bridge? That's where..."

The young officer's words carried a hint of bluffing that even he himself didn't believe, but he quickly succumbed to the old warrant officer's all-knowing, icy gaze. "Tsk... alright, you're right. The firefighting is basically over, and we can free up some manpower. I'll take the sailors to check it out right away."

Meanwhile, inside the bridge, the momentum of the first shark assault boat came to a perfect halt, its bow slamming precisely into the wide metal corridor leading to Gate One.

The magnetic grappling hooks were firmly locked onto the deck with a heavy clang. Apart from sparks from the intense friction and a few minor scratches on the armor, the hull was not substantially damaged.

The commando commander had clearly given orders before the operation to preserve the strategically invaluable bridge as much as possible, even if it meant his troops had to trek a distance to reach their destination, the command throne.

Immediately afterwards, two more assault boats of the same type roared in from the cargo corridor of the combat platform and landed steadily with the same precision.

This cold precision is itself a declaration: they are not here to destroy, but to take command of the warship.

With a loud "hiss," the hatch ramp of the first assault boat slammed down, and a thick plume of white condensed smoke billowed out, quickly enveloping the landing area.

This serves both as an emergency cooling measure for the overheated hull after the impact and as a tactical smokescreen to conceal the movements of landing personnel.

The Ducari aliens, who had already occupied the area and were besieging the command throne platform, turned around abruptly like a group of startled venomous snakes the moment they heard the commotion.

With inhuman speed and grace, they turned, their poison crystal rifles aimed at the newly opened ramp, unleashing a torrential downpour of fire. Countless emerald green poison crystal bullets traced eerie trajectories in the air, like swarms of deadly fireflies, refracting a dazzling yet deadly light.

They struck the smoke densely, and the high-energy crystals hissed as they came into contact with the condensed gas, instantly dispersing the previously pervasive smoke and revealing the blurry outline behind the ramp.

The continuous barrage of firepower lasted for quite some time.

A tall, slender leader of the Ducalli conspiracy, wearing an ornate, brutal mask, slowly raised a hand covered in sharp claws and clenched it into a fist.

With his contemptuous gesture, the intense gunfire ceased abruptly, and a brief, oppressive silence returned to the bridge.

However, there was still nothing behind the springboard, and no movement, as if it really was just an empty shell that had been sent to play a trick on them.

Meanwhile, on the upper level of the bridge, the Hell Vanguard survivors, who had been besieged for a long time and whose energy backpacks were almost empty, were finally able to catch their breath for a moment.

They seized this precious opportunity to regroup and, under the command of the experienced Sergeant Major Valina, unleashed a renewed barrage of vengeful fire from their elevated position onto the Ducari aliens below who were attempting to climb the supports.

"Those lowly savage monkeys sent over an empty shell to distract us, how ridiculous! Never mind them, I want the heads of these savage monkeys! I can't wait to taste their suffering."

The Dukali leader sneered in sharp, contemptuous Ida, his tone full of smugness at his quick shrewdness in recognizing the tricks of such lowly creatures.

Just then, a piercing roar interrupted the alien's next words.

Woof!! Woof—

It was the bark of a robotic police dog that shook the deck and echoed throughout the bridge before falling silent again.

"It seems we're adding another charge to your list of crimes."

A deep and authoritative voice, carrying an unquestionable coldness and an iron will, came from the loudspeaker inside the assault boat.

Immediately following was a crisp and loud "click"—the sound of shotguns being chambered in unison.

Immediately, the sharp "beep" sound of the body camera activating, like the bell ringing before a court hearing, coldly and ruthlessly announced the arrival of some powerful and unstoppable force.

A row of shield-wielding warriors, clad in heavy black power armor and carrying massive riot shields, formed a tight tortoise-shell formation and steadily advanced down the ramp of the assault boat.

Each of their steps carried a heavy, rhythmic force, their shields tightly fastened together by pneumatic mechanisms, like an insurmountable, mobile steel wall.

Behind that impenetrable shield wall, a tall and imposing figure in black armor stood proudly.

Although most of his body was obscured by layers of shields, the huge Imperial Eagle emblem atop his helmet, its feathers dyed black and red, stared coldly at these aliens who dared to act recklessly within the Empire's territory, just like his own icy and sharp gaze.

"I, Shawell, the Imperial High Justice and Chief Enforcement Officer of the Gothic Ministry of Justice, in the name of the God-Emperor and the Supreme Lord of Terra, hereby condemn you for the heinous crimes of plundering tithes, resisting the Imperial Code with armed force, attacking and murdering Imperial civil servants, and attacking Imperial warships!"

Javert's cold and authoritative voice, amplified by his helmet's loudspeaker, echoed like a booming bell throughout the bridge, each word deliberate and clear: "Based on the aforementioned crimes, you are hereby sentenced to—immediate execution!"

(End of this chapter)