Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 354 The Mechanized War
"Sir, there is a communication request." Before Wang Liang could finish speaking, the option to accept the communication appeared in front of Li Tang.

Almost without hesitation, Li Tang clicked "agree" on the virtual button, wanting to hear the powerless words of someone on their deathbed.

The holographic projection lit up, but unexpectedly, Lady Clara did not appear.

The image shows a human nobleman with a blank stare. He looks somewhat similar to Gra, but is a bit older.

Upon seeing the nobleman who resembled a corpse, Gra's pupils constricted sharply, and he instinctively cried out, "Father!"

The human projection shown in the image is the head of the Grall family, the planetary governor.

"Humans..." The planetary governor spoke sluggishly, devoid of any vitality, like a puppet on strings, tightly controlled by its manipulator.

Li Tang remained expressionless, but a hint of regret flashed in his eyes.

With his keen eyesight, it wasn't hard to see that the planetary governor was extremely mentally exhausted, like a soulless corpse, only able to obey simple commands.

The regret expressed by Li Tang was not directed at the planetary governor alone, but at all the souls manipulated by Lady Kra, whose path to redemption had been severed.

Even those who survived the chaos of battle ultimately faced the fate of having their prefrontal cortex removed and being forced into slave labor for the rest of their lives.

"Speak quickly if you have something to say." Li Tang showed no anger or grief; his face was expressionless, and his gaze was calm as still water.

"Shall we... talk?" The planetary governor's face was blank, and his words were somewhat incoherent, clearly because the alien behind him was not used to human language: "Like your ancestors, sign a non-aggression pact."

"This battle will ultimately result in mutual destruction for both sides."

"Rather than paying a heavy price to achieve victory, it is better to shake hands and make peace, and go our separate ways in the vast universe."

Clearly, the power displayed by the Nur fleet has made Lady Kra wary.

The negotiators fell silent, waiting for humanity's response through the eyes of their servants.

For its race, the impending battle is too hasty and disadvantageous.

Soulless intelligent machines are naturally a natural enemy of their race; the two are incompatible to the extreme, so retreating is a wise move.

As Mrs. Clara said, the universe is vast, and as food, the human race has an inexhaustible supply, resulting in an extremely large gap between the strong and the weak.

The weak are like fish on a chopping block, while the strong will make them retreat. Why fight to the death?

Taking a step back opens up a whole new world; let go of humanity and let go of yourself.

"Hmph!" Li Tang scoffed after hearing the alien's suggestion, raised his hand to cut off the communication, and uttered his deathbed words: "You filthy creatures! You have harmed human souls, and you will pay with your blood!"

"A race of aliens devoid of dignity and honor, bullying the weak and fearing the strong, yet they dare to negotiate with me?"

"What you can do now is use the rest of your time to think about how to tremble and shiver under the power of humanity and wait for death to come."

After saying that, Li Tang pressed the interrupt button. Before the holographic image completely went out, Lady Kra's angry will blasted the planetary governor into pieces.

"Notify the mothership's AI core: annihilate anyone who dares to resist. Humanity in this world is dead!"

Ignoring the paralyzed Gela, Li Tang ordered the aircraft carrier to increase its killing authority, allowing it to unleash its full power to eliminate all rebellious creatures.

The Heavenly Khan may have some reservations about the Lord of Mankind, but the Li Tang Dynasty agrees with the principle of human supremacy, and all aliens should die!

It's not hard to tell from the Ultramarines' warnings that Lady Krall is all over the galaxy, poisoning countless billions of people.

If they are allowed to leave safely, Lady Kra will take back what she has gained from other humans in an even more ruthless manner, in response to Nur's humiliation and concessions.

A dead alien is a good alien!
Lady Kra's intentions were impure; she attacked in a fit of rage before attempting to probe through dialogue, indicating that they too had planned to destroy the Nur fleet.

It was only because they found it difficult to infiltrate the fleet, coupled with the coercion of the intelligent machines, that they considered negotiating a peace and leaving.

If they had the ability, they would never let anyone go, just like the Ultramarines Expeditionary Fleet, devouring souls with gusto.

From the moment Gela provided Nur with intelligence, the two sides became locked in a life-or-death struggle.

With the high-level command issued, the aircraft carrier's intelligent machinery began to move. In an instant, trillions of instructions were issued from the quantum core and transmitted through the zero-delay quantum network.

hum~~~
Ten million anti-gravity spherical drones flew out from around their respective sub-control hives, streaking through the mist and skimming over the tops of towering trees.

The drone is spherical, with a lens about the size of a bowl on top of the sphere, used to release a lethal laser.

Viewed from the front, they resembled steel eyeballs, flying at subsonic speeds as they swooped low towards the hive city. Anti-aircraft fire erupted from the hive towers, and the pilots climbed onto the gun emplacements.

The air defense identification system identifies all friendly forces, and Mrs. Clara manipulates ordinary people to manually aim and fight against the swarms of drones.

Deng!Deng!Deng!
Various types of anti-aircraft weapons were fired simultaneously, launching fragmentation shells or dense lasers to cause widespread damage in response to the incoming swarm of drones.

The air defense effect is indeed good. The drone armor can only resist individual soldier weapons. Large numbers of them are shot down and disintegrate in the air and fall to the ground.

However, the intelligent control core reacted quickly, and the swarm dispersed with a buzzing sound to avoid the shrapnel kill zone.

Within seconds, the drones scattered like a flock of birds, dispersing the air defense firepower and reducing the interception effect by 90%.

Dull-witted mortals cannot understand this; they simply follow orders to fire, lacking the limited wisdom to coordinate and organize an effective fire network.

Drones, on the other hand, are precisely controlled by an intelligent core. Their flight trajectories, powered by powerful computing capabilities, can even predict the future. Their formations and movements are incredibly precise, far exceeding the limits of human comprehension.

Finally, amidst the anti-gravity hum, the drone reached engagement range and began to demonstrate the precision and ruthlessness of intelligent machines.

The sphere rotated rapidly, and the laser lens swirled to aim at the mortal, firing orange-red light projectiles.

In all directions around the hive, it seemed as if a rain of lasers was falling, like an orange-red curtain slowly being drawn towards the center of the hive.

Drones are so efficient and precise that they are born to kill. They fly at low altitudes at subsonic speeds, leaving no survivors in their wake. Ordinary people are left with only charred and hollowed-out foreheads or chests.

Within just ten seconds of entering engagement range, millions of ordinary people were annihilated.

As drones gradually entered the field, this number rose rapidly, and ordinary people collapsed in droves, their faces filled with relief.

On the streets, in rooms, in sewers—wherever it can pass through, the intelligent core leaves no stone unturned.

They swept through the nest like a precise storm, leaving no survivors.

This is mechanical thinking!

With cold numbers and calculations, we weigh every gain and loss; with the steel body of machinery, we crush the fragile flesh and blood.

The core of intelligence is not bound by morality. In the eyes of the intelligent machines, there are only cleaned areas and uncleaned areas. What is cleaned is irrelevant to them.

On the old Glory landing ship, Harlan leaned against the deck of the aircraft carrier, watching the numbers representing living people in the holographic image rapidly decrease, shaking his head and clicking his tongue in amazement.

"I quite like Brother Li as a person, but I have reservations about his war mentality."

The champion swordsman let out a sigh, a deep sense of powerlessness in his voice: "Every time I see his fighting style, I feel like I'm about to be eliminated."

"All that remains is helplessness and sighs, not a trace of honor; the hot blood of war is crushed by cold machinery."

"Of course, I don't despise or distance myself from him; I'm just whining for no reason and feeling a bit superfluous."

Li Tang's views on the Night Guard, who revered the way of warriors and took pride in killing their enemies, were too unorthodox and contrary to the spirit of warriors.

"That's just how it is now." Doom had a different opinion, and the slight curve of his lips revealed that he was satisfied with the state of the war.

"In the golden age, our ancestors did the same; with just one command or the push of a button, the enemy would be defeated by the Iron Man army."

Doom's eyes flickered, and he smiled with satisfaction, saying with emotion, "Li Tang doesn't value honor because he sees through the nature of war."

"Trading lives for lives is a last resort, a desperate measure. He values ​​all human life, which leads to a suitable style of warfare."

"With countless resources in the vast galaxy, replacing the precious lives of soldiers with mass-produced war machines is an incredibly worthwhile trade."

Harlan didn't respond. He knew that Li Tang's war strategy was more sophisticated and far-sighted than many others.

"That's why I have reservations." He shrugged, supporting himself with the dark light, and continued to stare at the holographic projection.

As the two were talking, hundreds of millions of people were wiped out, and any living creature that picked up a weapon was eliminated by the swarm of bee machines.

The intelligent core prioritizes efficiency, using precise calculations to complete predetermined mission objectives and establish a safe zone for subsequent troops.

Unable to observe, Lady Kra finally couldn't sit still any longer, and the eerie spires towering in the hive city began to shimmer with psionic light.

Upon seeing the main character enter the stage, Harlan excitedly exclaimed, "It's our turn to go on stage soon!"

(Diarrhea turns me into a jetpack warrior.)
(End of this chapter)