Warhammer: Don't Call Me the God of All Machines

Chapter 15 The Sky is Falling

The sky over Numinas exploded.

There at the edge of the atmosphere flashes of light burst forth one after another, fire engulfing fire, tearing apart the long-storing clouds, as if new stars were rising in the sky over Calth.

"Did you see that? Our battleship exploded!" The mortals in the Global Museum were screaming.

The light came the fastest, followed by the shock wave and heat radiation of the explosion. The windows and iron doors of the World Expo suddenly lowered their explosion-proof curtains, and everyone inside immediately felt the intense pain brought by the violent vibration of the air, as if it was going to tear apart the eardrums and chest cavity.

"We lost more than one ship!" said Ventanus.

"Why? We have clearly delivered the message. Didn't the Primarch and the Legion leaders receive it?"

In the face of this doomsday scenario, no one can go back to this question.

The shock wave destroyed the weak houses and streets, and the mortal army that was still gathering on the ground. The chariots and tanks were blown away like garbage. Then the hot wind carried the high temperature of the explosion and engulfed the people who were in shock and panic.

It was as if a furnace of the gods had fallen to earth.

After these, the shattered warships and orbital docks in space followed closely. Some smaller debris fell the fastest, and the dense material and structure made it impossible for the atmosphere to burn them up. Fragments comparable to a tall building fell at a 45-degree angle.

It struck the land of Cowes, unleashing a new wave of impact far more powerful than a nuclear explosion. Buildings were ripped apart, and farmland and forests were burned to ashes.

The water vapor evaporated from the high temperature turned into heavy rain, and the boiling rain fell back to the earth, even making the flames burn more vigorously.

More debris came. Small debris hit the ground like missiles, creating holes, while large debris directly smashed through the surface, creating an earthquake that was enough to shake the entire city. The thunderous roar intimidated every surviving human being.

The river in Numinas was hit by a half-wreckage of a cruiser. The steel hull blocked the flow of the river. The instantaneous high temperature and shock wave evaporated nearly half of the water in the entire river, and pushed the remaining water into huge waves that rushed towards the city.

Only when humans are truly in such a situation can they realize how insignificant they are. When those starships fall, everyone will find that it is not the ship that is falling, but the entire sky is falling.

"Bunker, everyone must get into the underground bunker!" Ventanus roared, urging everyone to go underground through the sealed passage of the World Museum. If a large piece of debris fell here, everything would be over.

The mortal soldiers of the 61st Company woke up from their coma. They could not withstand the horrific impact. If it were not for the Global Museum that blocked most of the damage for them, most of them would have died from massive bleeding caused by ruptured internal organs.

Luo Xi, Tassa and others immediately took action. They supported the still confused mortal auxiliary soldiers, as well as the staff and servants who were already at a loss, into the underground passage.

The air underground was cold and damp, but it gave everyone, who had just experienced the brutally high temperatures on the surface, a chance of survival.

"Fortunately, we notified all the Ultramarines on Calth before everything happened, and they did not sit and wait for death." Lamiad said, "But so many troops on the surface did not receive early warning, and their chances of survival are very low."

"Sorry, we are still too late." Luo Xi was a little dazed. The doomsday scene was deeply engraved in his soul. This beautiful and prosperous planet might have turned into a purgatory on earth.

"No, you have done a good job!" Yingjie shook his head and half-knelt down so that his head could look at the mortal who came to report the news.

"Listen to me, your efforts are not in vain. The betrayal of the Word Bearers is a carefully crafted trap. You can't avoid it just by knowing about it."

"I firmly believe that the Thirteenth Legion has already responded. Although the orbit has been severely damaged and our fleet has suffered heavy losses, everything has just begun."

Luo Xi nodded. Even though he was deep underground, he could still feel the ground shaking beneath his feet and fine dust and debris falling from the shelter above his head.

Once the shaking subsided, Lamiad and Ventanus immediately decided to take action. There were only five Ultramarines remaining in the underground bunker at the World Museum, and they needed to gather all the scattered Ultramarines to launch a counterattack against the enemy.

"All our communications are ruined, and we can't contact other companies." In the chaos, the most important thing is information and the ability to communicate with each other, but the chaotic garbage code that broke out earlier and the electromagnetic interference caused by the current explosion have made everything on the surface non-functional.

Abt, the mortal steward of the airport, finally woke up. She covered her chest and abdomen, where her ribs were broken, but she remained emotionally stable:

"There is a listening station in the square at the port. It was part of the old traffic control system before the port was upgraded. There are some ancient but very powerful transmitters available." Her lungs hurt as she spoke. "I believe that if it had not been directly hit by the wreckage, the transmitter in its sealed state would have survived the previous disaster."

Ventanus nodded to the mortal steward. The lord hero had already left here, leading a team to gather the nearest Ultramarines in memory.

Just as the Ultramarines Captain was about to lead his battle-brothers to the port to activate the sealed transmitter, Roche, who had remained silent, finally stood up.

"Leave the communications system to me. Don't waste any more time and life. The enemy is already here."

With his weapon clenched, Ventanus waited in silence for Roche's next words. Perhaps this mortal could continue to work miracles, just as he had sent the news of betrayal from Isstvan to Calth.

The cloaked Red Alert remained in orbit, the aftermath of the destruction of the Clocktower having had no effect on this creation of the bygone era.

After receiving Luo Xi's order, the intelligent computer immediately printed a machine with the ability to send messages within the star system, and teleported the remaining Iron Hands to the underground bunker of the Global Museum.

Even with the vision of the Space Marines, they only detected a flash of white light before their eyes, and a machine more than three meters high had appeared in the underground space of the bunker.

"Incredible technology." A strange look flashed in Ventanus' eyes. He didn't understand where this thing came from.

But it doesn't matter whether you understand it or not. What matters is that it exists. Ventanus is able to transmit orders to the Ultramarines and mortal auxiliary forces on the surface.

"Can it send messages to warships in space?"

Luo Xi also smiled, and he pointed casually, and Ventanus understood and walked forward.

The intelligent computer has cleared the interference of chaotic waste codes. Although these waste codes are still wreaking havoc in Cowes, Roche is no longer trapped here.

Invisible streams of information traveled across the burning sky and fell into the bridge hall of Macragge's Glory.

The Mechanical Priest who tried his best to get in touch with Calth would naturally not miss this communication. The communication was soon stabilized, and Ventanus's face appeared on the holographic projection device on the bridge.

"How is it going down there, Ventanus? I am glad to see you alive," said Guilliman.

"It's bad, but not terrible. We got advance information that most of the Ultramarines have taken shelter in underground bunkers. We are gathering under the command of the heroes."

Ventanus' words were filled with deep hatred. "Father, the Word Bearers betrayed us! They were the ones who caused this disaster."

"Are you sure?" Guilliman was still asking. He knew in his heart that this was the most reasonable explanation. The arrival of Lorgar, the spread of the Chaos Code, and the sudden loss of control of the Belfry were all connected as clues.

But he was his brother after all, the seventeenth son of the emperor.

Why did he do this? Was it because of the hatred of the Perfect City?
(End of this chapter)