Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 996, page 08.995: The Great Heist at the Air Base

They deliberately slowed their pace, controlled their breathing, and tiptoed up the dusty stairs.

The puncture-resistant metal soles made a slight, muffled scraping sound as they stepped on the concrete steps.

"Hmm?" Walking in the middle of the group, the experienced Centurion Severus suddenly stopped. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a very faint glint of light on the ground.

It was a silver thread that was almost blending into the dust, lying across the corner of the stairs.

However, the assault soldier at the front, holding a huge, bright red Severus bulletproof shield, had his already severely limited vision fixed on his destination above the stairs and didn't notice the inconspicuous tripwire under his feet at all.

"Wait……"

The centurion's warning was only uttered in one word.

boom!
A deafening explosion suddenly rang out in the narrow stairwell.

The tripwire mine was detonated, and the powerful shockwave and unprepared shrapnel blasted the vanguard soldiers at the front into unrecognizable state, with mangled limbs and shattered armor fragments flying everywhere.

The soldiers queuing upstairs were completely stunned by this sudden turn of events, and they all looked at the location of the explosion instead of guarding their surroundings.

"Now! For the God Emperor, kill them!!"

A roar came from the corridor rooms on both sides of the staircase.

Clad in white combat uniforms and covered in blue armor plates, the orbital paratroopers emerged from the shadows like ghosts, unleashing a barrage of fire on the Severus infantry huddled together at the stairwell below, while simultaneously hurling defensive grenades down one after another.

These soldiers from the Polaria system displayed their genetic advantages to the fullest at this moment.

Their long, horse-ear-like ears endowed them with far more acute hearing than ordinary people, comparable to the most advanced noise-canceling tactical headphones.

When the enemy thought they were sneaking into the building undetected, the footsteps that were barely audible in the noise of the battlefield were clearly audible to the Polaberians.

The Severus infantry's supposedly covert operations had actually been detected by these humans who had evolved genetically in extremely dangerous environments for a long time.

They meticulously set up tripwire mines at the stairwell and deployed ambushes in the surrounding rooms, aiming to launch a deadly attack the moment the enemy was stunned by the explosions and their formation was thrown into chaos.

Their naval carbine rifles are shorter than the standard laser rifles, giving the dragoons an unparalleled advantage when navigating the narrow spaces inside buildings—they don't have to worry about their gun muzzles getting stuck in door frames during emergency turns.

Furthermore, unlike ordinary armed sailors, dragoons retained the tradition of carrying cavalry swords. Therefore, their rifles no longer used the standard naval sword-shaped bayonet, but instead employed a tactical dagger-type multi-purpose bayonet. This gave them the upper hand in any potential close-quarters combat without hindering their rapid movement through buildings.

Deep within building complexes, inaccessible to Chimera armored vehicles and far from main roads, ODT infantry initiated fierce close-quarters combat.

Using their advantageous terrain and superior equipment, they systematically cleared out the Severus infantrymen who had stormed into the buildings, turning these concrete structures into graveyards for the invaders.

On the control tower, Valina received the connection from the ship's onboard equipment.

"This is the 'Longfin Whale' landing craft. We have arrived over the airport and are preparing to land. Please confirm that the landing area is cleared?"

Just as the battle on the ground reached its climax, a clear and calm shipborne communication suddenly broke through the airport tower's communication equipment.

Valina gazed at the dark, cloud-covered night sky.

As the landing ship descended, the signal lights around the aircraft outlined its massive shape.

A massive orbital landing craft was slowly descending, appearing like an eerie deity descending to earth in the rain. Its enormous shadow, like a moving floating island, shrouded the airport in deep darkness.

This giant ship is almost half the length of an airport runway.

Its arrival brings a unique sound—a deep and powerful hum, not heard by the ears, but first perceived through the bones and internal organs.

That was the roar of the giant vector thrusters supporting the massive ship. This infrasound wave penetrated all the gunfire and explosions on the battlefield, churning endlessly in everyone's minds.

The soldiers on both sides, still exchanging fire in the stairwell, involuntarily paused for a moment, nervously sensing the unfamiliar sounds coming from the outside world and being intimidated by the oppressive force emanating from the sky.

"Landing area cleared, landing permitted."

"receive."

After receiving permission, the Fin Whale activated all of its vectoring boosters to assist in the landing.

The scorching plasma jet shot downwards violently, creating a small hurricane on the ground.

Dust, gravel, and debris were swirled high into the air, violently pounding against the surrounding buildings with a crackling, mournful sound.

Airborne armored vehicle units had already been positioned around the airport to protect the landing ships carrying nearly 10,000 combat personnel and hundreds of armored vehicles as they landed.

The dragoons quickly set up temporary defensive positions around their squads' transport vehicles to prepare for the arrival of the raging waves.

Boom!
A deafeningly loud crash echoed throughout the airport—the sound of the landing craft's massive hydraulic pedals slamming into the runway.

The clash between metal and concrete heralds the start of a new offensive.

"Opening the hatch, please prepare to board the vehicle." A cold, synthesized voice echoed in the giant ship's hangar.

The soldiers, who had been waiting on the second-floor platform, quickly descended to the first floor via the gangways on both sides and assembled in perfect unison.

They boarded their respective vehicles silently and efficiently, the steel hatches slamming shut behind them.

The pedals are laid completely flat, forming a wide ramp leading to the ground.

The first vehicle to rush out of the hangar was a mobile combat vehicle equipped with additional armor from the Type B Assault Suit.

It has a larger turret than the standard model, which is equipped with either a 105mm long-barreled laser cannon or a 50mm rapid-fire combat cannon.

(For visual reference only)
Its engine let out a sharp roar, its anti-skid tires kicked up dust, and it charged down the slope at an astonishing speed. The turret began to rotate as it charged, actively searching for any potential threats. Its role was to speed ahead of the convoy, clearing obstacles or conducting armed reconnaissance.

Following closely behind were several more robust and sturdy tanks.

They are equipped with a remote weapon station that integrates vehicle-mounted missile launchers, grenade launchers, and Gatling-style Vulcan cannons, and the vehicle body is covered with thicker 'G'-type defensive armor.

This armor plating significantly enhances the vehicle's top and sides with enhanced armor plating, and adds slat armor to the side skirts to prevent the crew compartment from being easily penetrated by enemy anti-vehicle weapons from higher positions during urban warfare.

As a sacrifice, its heavier weight will slightly reduce its top speed.

These vehicles are mobile fortresses specifically designed to transport and coordinate with infantry operations. Once they arrive beneath the target building, they will deliver troops to launch a decisive attack.

The difference between the 'G' and 'B' suits reflects Horatio's philosophy in building this unit: they do not pursue a single, all-purpose piece of equipment, but rather strive for victory through high adaptability and coordinated operations.

These modular kits, produced based on Standard Template Components (STC), can be quickly switched over by field engineers in just 15 minutes.

On battlefields where mobility is more important than defense, troops can quickly dismantle and discard excess armor components in exchange for valuable speed.

Or, two hours before launching an attack, they could equip themselves with heavier additional armor.

"The scanned map of the area surrounding the airport has been sent to the Thinker terminals of each crew. Your mission is to launch mobile operations to completely crush and annihilate the attacking enemy forces." The instructions from the control tower were clearly transmitted to the communication systems of each vehicle.

"Second revenue secured. Who else but us! Everyone needs it! Action!"

(End of this chapter)