I summoned the Fourth Scourge in Warhammer

Chapter 239 Nuclear Bomb: Don't I have any dignity?
On the perpetually restless front of Plantim, Bug lay listlessly on the muddy slope outside the trenches. His arms were behind his head, seemingly gazing up at the "sky" shrouded in a thick green fog, never seeing the light of day. In reality, only he knew that a pale blue system interface, visible only to him, was floating before him—he was leisurely browsing the player forums.

After all, the Tyranid attacks are not continuous. They often lie dormant for several hours before launching a massive offensive, and the timing of these attacks is completely unpredictable. No one can remain 100% vigilant during this long and oppressive wait, so during non-combat periods, the fallen can do whatever they want, as long as they don't stray too far from their positions.

Once Tyrion begins his attack, his unique early warning system, built upon the lives of those who have died for their cause, will activate—scouts deployed at the front lines will perish, only to be resurrected in the rear, bringing back firsthand intelligence. This short timeframe is sufficient for all those on the front lines to mobilize and take their positions.

Suddenly, a deep and powerful engine roar pierced through the background noise of the battlefield and entered BUG's ears.

BUG's body reacted instantly, even faster than his brain. With a swipe of his finger, the system interface in front of him vanished, and he sat bolt upright, his eyes filled with vigilance and confusion.

"Why is there the sound of a Leman Rustank engine here?" he muttered to himself. "And this noise... there's definitely more than one. What's going on? Has an armored regiment arrived at our dilapidated position?"

He looked toward the source of the sound, which sounded like the roar of a steel behemoth, and was surprised to find that his guess was actually correct—or even underestimated it.

Within his field of vision, rows of Leman Rustanks painted in standard camouflage were slowly driving by, their turrets raised high, their tracks grinding against the ground mixed with blood, flesh, and shell casings, producing a teeth-grinding creak. He could see at least dozens of them, and beyond his sight, deep in the churning poisonous fog, who knew how many more of these steel monsters lay.

“Wow, that’s a big spender…” BUG muttered. Just then, he saw Reinhard, the Astartes commander in his squad, having a brief conversation with a Space Marine wearing power armor with a different paint scheme.

After a moment's thought, Bug guessed that the new Astartes had come with this massive armored unit. As for why he recognized him as "new"—after all, there were only a dozen or so Astartes in the original company, and after fighting side-by-side for so long, their respective regimental paint schemes were already deeply ingrained in everyone's minds. Even without consciously remembering, the sudden appearance of an Astartes with a completely different paint scheme would certainly feel unfamiliar.

Reinhard finished negotiating with the Astartes, who then bowed to him with a fist-thumping salute before turning and leaving. Reinhard turned and saw the bug not far away, so he walked straight towards him.

“It’s good that you’re here, which saves me the trouble of looking for you,” Reinhard’s voice came through the helmet’s speaker, carrying a hint of barely perceptible excitement.

"Is this armored regiment coming here to try and break through?" BUG asked first, his gaze still lingering on the endless line of tanks.

“Yes, indeed. Have your soldiers prepare later; we need to coordinate with them as they advance.” After Reinhard finished speaking, he added, correcting the bug’s wording, “Also, not an armored regiment, but an armored division.”

He paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts, "Furthermore, following this armored division, a large number of troops are being moved here. The exact number, the combat comrade I just spoke with didn't tell me."

Reinhard said, "He just vaguely said something like, 'Enough to handle anything.'"

"Holy crap!" Of course, BUG understood the terrifying weight behind those words. He became excited and almost jumped up from the ground. "Is this the end of the road? Is it finally time for a full-scale offensive?"

Reinhard agreed with BUG's idea, nodding: "Throughout this war, the highest command's decisions have been primarily cautious, constantly testing and refining their approach. This time... they probably feel the refining is sufficient, so they've decided to use a large-scale military operation to test the results. If the operation goes very smoothly, then we'll ride the wave, with the main force immediately following to expand the gains."

"If there really is an opportunity... I think it's not impossible to take advantage of the situation and mobilize most of our forces for a general offensive against the Terran Zerg."

Clearly, fighting alongside the dead for so long has had a significant impact on Reinhard, the meticulous Astartes, even prompting him to utter the player-favorited slang "climbing the pole." Bug excitedly slammed his right fist into his left palm: "Nice! I've been feeling so frustrated by being constantly on the defensive. Now I'm going to ride on these damned bugs and show them who's boss!"

After the initial excitement, BUG seemed to suddenly remember something. He scratched his helmet and said, "Wait a minute... Didn't a nuclear bomb just explode in our defense zone? Why is the main attack's breakthrough direction choosing our side?"

“It’s precisely because a nuclear bomb was detonated that the attack was chosen here,” Reinhard said in a matter-of-fact tone. “This area has just experienced a nuclear explosion, and the high intensity of nuclear radiation has not yet dissipated. Under such circumstances, the biological forces that the Tyranids gather here will always be weaker than those in other places.”

He turned his head to the side, his helmet visor looking at BUG: "If it were any other Astral Army, they might have to consider the radiation tolerance of mortals. But... in any case, neither we Astartes nor you Deathbringers ever take mere nuclear radiation seriously."

“Give nuclear bombs and nuclear radiation some face,” BUG said, looking at the area that was constantly issuing high-energy alarms on the radiation detectors, in a tone that Reinhard couldn’t understand at all. “After all, as a classic post-apocalyptic wasteland theme, it has been popular in ancient human literature for decades or even centuries.”

Reinhard's helmet tilted slightly; clearly, his cognitive filter prevented him from fully understanding the words. But he did understand the word "wasteland."

He let out a muffled chuckle that came through the loudspeaker: "You're at least half to blame for Plandium becoming this wasteland. I see you're not too bothered by it at all, you're even enjoying it."

"Damn it, how can this be blamed on us? We wouldn't have resorted to such extreme measures if Tyrion hadn't come," BUG had become so familiar with Reinhard that he even unconsciously slipped into dialect. "This is called defeating magic with magic!"

Reinhard shook his head, seemingly used to the bizarre logic often uttered by these people going to their deaths. He stopped the conversation, his tone becoming serious again: "Enough of this small talk. Now that you understand the mission, get ready."

He raised his massive, terracotta-covered hand and pointed to the torrent of tanks: “The first wave of armored assault will begin in thirty minutes. Our mission is to follow closely behind the Leman Rustank group as mopping-up infantry, to reinforce the gaps in the defensive lines they have breached, and to protect their flanks, preventing the smaller Tyranid creatures, such as the Blade Bugs and Gun Bugs, from getting close to the tank tracks.”

“Understood,” BUG’s expression also became serious.

“This is a crucial battle,” Reinhard’s goggles gleamed in the toxic fog. “Command wants to see the results of our joint operations over this period. Don’t let them down, and even more so, don’t let me down.”

"Don't worry," BUG grinned, his eyes filled with the pure excitement and fervor of a player, "We, the suicide squad, specialize in fighting tough battles."

After saying that, he didn't linger, turned around and jogged back to the battlefield where the dead were going. As he ran, he skillfully turned on the megaphone.

"Attention everyone! Attention everyone! The main storyline has been updated!"

The bug's message was clearly transmitted through the communication channel to every player who was slacking off.

"Stop crouching! Big operation! All-out attack! Our company will lead the charge with the armored division! We're leaving in thirty minutes! Pack up magazines, medicine, grenades, whatever you can! Even if you die and revive, keep charging! Anyone who dares to stay put and AFK, I'll turn around and shove them into a cannon barrel and shoot them out!"

(End of this chapter)