Warhammer 40k: Melee Warriors

The 55th Special Operations Regiment seized the moment when the enemy was disoriented after the air raid and launched an attack. They didn't even need Colonel Oro's orders to spontaneously launch the assault.

This is another difference between them and the traditional imperial army. Imperial soldiers take pride in absolute obedience to their superiors, which to some extent enhances their combat effectiveness. As long as the officers are alive, the entire unit will not be completely defeated.

However, this also left the Imperial Army lacking the ability to fight proactively. Once separated from the command of officers, the entire force would become like headless flies, with only a very small number of elite legions able to organize an effective counterattack even if the command structure was destroyed.

This is why decapitation tactics are so effective in the Warhammer world: when the Ork leader is killed, his minions scatter like birds; when the Necromancer overlord dies, the entire dynasty is paralyzed; when the Tyranid nodes are destroyed, the swarms become as chaotic as wild beasts; when the Chaos army's champion dies, the corrupting influence that swept across the battlefield vanishes without a trace; and when the Imperial army's command structure is destroyed, the clenched iron fist turns into a pile of sand.

Komi wanted to avoid this problem, so he took a completely different approach to building his army than the Imperial Army.

With the faith in the Savior and the blood connection guaranteeing the most basic loyalty and purity of the troops, Komi promoted the dangerous system of military democracy, which was incomprehensible to the Imperial Army. This made his soldiers more like living people in battle, rather than human firing racks for guns to find.

Just as Colonel Oro had predicted, he sprang up from the ground and into the air, his toes always landing in the gaps between the barbed wire fences before he pushed off again.

This leaping advance wasn't even the fastest. Just as he climbed over the second barbed wire fence, other soldiers rushed into the enemy trenches, using Howler shotguns to mop up the enemies who had survived the air raid.

This undoubtedly stunned Colonel Hayes. He opened his mouth, unable to close it for a moment, then his body trembled, and he said somewhat sickly to his adjutant Locke, "It's nothing serious, just the first trench. Our regiment can easily take that line. What will they do when the enemy launches a counterattack? I want to see if those shooting stars in the sky can save them a second time!"

Lieutenant Locke had a complicated expression. He felt that it was really wrong for Lieutenant Hayes to say those words when allies were attacking the enemy, but he couldn't say anything to dissuade Colonel Hayes. He could also understand the colonel's distress mixed with surprise.

It's true that the 27th Assault Regiment could capture this trench, but it was absolutely impossible to do so without losing a single man. Even if the artillery support company hit the mark with every shell, he estimated that their regiment would have to lose hundreds of men in this first trench.

Colonel Oro was unaware of Colonel Hayes's ulterior motives. He was focused on the battle at hand, using his ears to pinpoint the details of those corners that were invisible to the naked eye.

He sensed that a few surviving traitor soldiers were hiding in the trench, so before entering, he threw a grenade in, and after the explosion, he slid in and used his Howler shotgun to mop up the remaining enemies.

The smoke from the fragmentation grenade explosion wasn't much, and Colonel Oro could clearly see the destructive effects of the explosion. Three traitor soldiers, their bodies riddled with shrapnel, lay on the ground groaning in agony. Their decaying bodies allowed them to breathe on the heavily polluted Ironbreaker Star without wearing masks, but they couldn't spare them from physical pain.

"Ugh... Help me... Help me..." A traitorous soldier, delirious, waved to Colonel Oro. His blood was as thick as glue, clinging to his body and refusing to fall to the ground.

Colonel Oro showed no mercy or hesitation as he pulled the trigger, shattering his skull and the rest of the survivors with a bullet.

"Ow!"

A roar came from beside him. A mutant was hiding in the earthen wall of the trench, waiting for Colonel Oro to appear. His arm was thicker than Ender's and covered with tubes for injecting combat hormones. Once he caught Colonel Oro, he would crush all the bones in his body.

Fortunately, Colonel Oro had a keen sense of perception. He sensed the mutant hiding in the ground about to attack and immediately crouched down to avoid the mutant's powerful embrace. He then pulled out his fighting knife and slashed upwards at the mutant's throat.

He also sensed his comrades coming to his aid from behind. After completing the shot, he immediately fell to one side, giving his comrades ample space to fire.

"Watch out, Colonel!"

It wasn't a gunshot, but an iron fist that came from behind Colonel Oro. Ender mustered all his strength and punched the mutant in the face, turning his ugly face with three mouths and four eyes into a bloody mess.

The mutant staggered backward after taking those two hits. Ender immediately pulled out his Howler shotgun and aimed it at the mutant's abdomen. After a shot rang out, the mutant's ridiculously large amount of internal organs spilled all over the trench.

"My God, how come he has so many intestines and liver?" Ender frowned and complained about the mutant's corpse.

Colonel Oro got up from the ground, shook his head and said with some emotion, "If we hadn't received the Savior's mercy, we would have become like him."

"The Savior is merciful," Ander murmured devoutly, and then more beacon beams rose from the second trench not far away.

The rift opened once more, and fighter jets streaked across the sky, splashing the flames of death upon them. Their ability to provide support so quickly was largely thanks to Koken's new invention—the Soul Brick Helipad—created using the souls of the fallen. This invention greatly alleviated the fuel problem for the fighter jets and provided them with a second chance to enter the battlefield.

Chapter 523: The Machine Soul is Calling, I Must Respond

By collecting the souls of the dead on the battlefield, Komi was able to establish a stable connection between Iron Star and the Eye of the Distant Lands Fortress. However, this did not mean that a large number of souls were consumed; these souls were simply moved around like bricks.

As Komi became more and more adept at opening rifts, the number of souls required for each rift to open was far less than in the first attempt. Now, Komi was able to collect those extra souls and create a temporary landing pad that floated in the Soul Path.

When some fighter jets do not run out of ammunition during an air raid, they will choose to remain on these cloud-like airstrips and wait for the next beacon to light up.

This choice seems no different from suicide, since the nature of the Soul Path is silent, and it will instinctively assimilate the living people who enter it. However, this problem is solved after the spiritual bones covering the fighter jet's shell have grown and matured.

The Soul Path was deceived by the Spirit Bone, and regarded these back-and-forth fighter jets as part of its own structure.

The only problem is that the fighter jets covered in spirit bones look more like equipment of the Spirit Race. If they were not shielded by the ghostly light brought from the Soul Path, Gu Jian thought that these fighter jets would definitely be marked by the Empire's anti-aircraft artillery.

Soon the enemy's second line of defense was also breached. The lighting of each beacon meant that hundreds of people would die in the attack by the fighter jets. Even if some of them survived, they would hardly survive for long in the hunt of the 55th Special Operations Regiment.

"In the name of the Savior! Keep going! Break through the enemy's lines completely!" Colonel Oro shouted the order, and then he saw many tanks slowly driving towards the enemy's last line of defense.

Judging from their appearance alone, Colonel Oro could no longer determine the model of these tanks, because these abominable things were covered with naked people, their heads embedded in the gaps between the turret and the hull, their bodies stretching downwards along the contours of the tank shell, their bloody thighs branded with chaotic symbols, twitching from time to time under the control of their hazy consciousness.

As the bullets flew, those draped over the tank were inevitably injured, and Colonel Oro watched helplessly as their pain transformed into a blasphemous energy that enveloped the tank.

What a terrible creation! Such a thing should never have existed in the world!

The robust Ender took out his heavy weapon, an Aktalan missile launcher that even ordinary Imperial soldiers could carry on their shoulders and fire.

The robust Ender carried four such missile launchers, along with his own ammunition and supplies, making his load incredibly heavy. Even if Imperial soldiers could replicate Ender's actions, they would find it difficult to conserve their strength for combat during the march.

Having run so far with Colonel Oro, and even smashed the heads of many traitorous soldiers with his fists, Andre's face, hidden behind his mask, showed no signs of exhaustion.

This amazing stamina led Colonel Oro to believe that Ander shouldn't be in the 55th Special Operations Regiment, but rather should be in the artillery position carrying shells for those big guys, dragging the artillery pieces to different positions with his bare hands when there were no armored vehicles to tow them.

The missiles were already loaded. All Ander had to do was shoulder the launcher and lock onto the enemy tanks with the makeshift scope.

Every machine possesses a soul, though some are lively, some are silent, some are large, some are small, some prefer gentle caresses, and some prefer vigorous friction.

This is common knowledge among the Exterminators. They even believe that their bayonets and daggers are inhabited by a soul, and that they can only have a brief mental exchange with the machine spirit when the blade cuts through the enemy's flesh.

And Andrew was no exception. He spent a long time communicating with the soul of the missile launcher, wiping the outer shell and inner chamber of the launcher with a clean cloth again and again to ensure that there was no dust. Before going to sleep, he would even neatly stack his equipment together and then lead them to pray to the merciful savior.

Ander believed these measures were necessary. He found solace in these weapons with their cold exteriors. The Savior was merciful but also aloof and unapproachable. These weapons were always there for him, listening to his voice.

"Little Bertha, let me see your performance." Ander gently called out to the machine spirit in the missile launcher. He felt the simple sight with only a crosshair come to life, and a point of impact that required calculation appeared, allowing Ander to predict where his shot would land.

With a whoosh, the missile was launched and flew toward a swaggering tank.

Watching the missile's exhaust plume, Ander couldn't help but wonder if the missile had a soul. If it did, wasn't its fate already sealed? It was destined to explode at some point, rising and dissipating in flames—wasn't that a bit cruel?

Ander couldn't understand the problem, but he was willing to ask the technicians who had appeased many machine spirits. According to them, machine spirits all had their own preferences and pursuits, which were determined by their designs.

Just as humans are born to be the masters of the galaxy, orcs are born to be a group of savage destroyers.

Laser guns enjoy the red-hot barrel after emptying their energy magazines, heavy artillery enjoys the scraping sensation of shells whizzing past their barrels, fighter jets soar through the sky, tanks sweep across the land, and the needs of a machine spirit are based on its inherent performance. I've never heard of a laser gun wanting to be used like an artillery piece.

The ultimate goal of a missile is to explode; keeping it stored in an armory is a cruel form of torture.

As the old technician cleaned the chamber of the automatic gun in his hand, he explained these principles to Ander. He gently and quickly removed some of the sand that had gotten into the gun during the battle, which made the automatic gun tremble slightly in comfort.

When Ander asked where the Machine Soul would go after it died, the old technician paused for a moment, then pointed to the sky and said...

"Of course they should return to the Savior's side. These machine spirits are the elves he sent down. When their mission is over, they should naturally return to the Savior's side."

The conversation echoed in his mind, and Ander wished that the missile about to explode would return to the Savior and receive His approval.

What?! What's going on?!

Ander watched helplessly as the tank emitted a painful beam of light and struck the flying missile. It immediately shut down and fell to the ground, motionless. The tank's painful force field had actually protected it from the missile attack!

A machine spirit cannot return to its savior's side? I will absolutely not allow such a thing to happen!

Chapter 524: Aren't you getting too close to the Machine Soul?

Ander felt a surge of adrenaline rush to his head. Staring at the missile that had fallen to the ground, he actually gave up on taking out and using the remaining three launchers and rushed out of the crater towards the missile.

He was going to grab the missile and smash it hard into the tank!

Ander ran off quickly, his movements startling Colonel Oro, who was observing the situation. He shouted at Ander's retreating figure, "Ander! What are you doing?"

Ander didn't stop; his eyes were fixed on the missile lying motionless on the ground. His movement was noticed by the tank driver, who, being one with the tank, immediately turned the tank's turret to aim at the running Ander.

boom!

A shell was fired and landed right next to Ander. He was thrown into the air by the explosion, and many fragments were stuck in his body. His internal organs were throbbing from the shockwave, and his ears were ringing with a terrifying, piercing scream.

No... I can't just give up like this.

Ander lay on the ground and roared in frustration, enduring the pain as he got up and continued running forward.

Tank was surprised by Ander's vitality. He continued to aim but suddenly saw smoke explode in front of him. It was a smoke grenade thrown by Colonel Oro to cover Ander's movements.

With a gliding step, Ander lunged at the missile, embracing it tightly in his arms. He could hear the missile groaning as it was harmed by the desecrated power.

"Are you alright?" Ander asked, taking a breath. The missile's soul couldn't speak, but its gradually heating body showed its determination.

Let me explode!

it is good!

Ander nodded, grabbed the missile, and ran toward the tank. His figure broke through the smoke, allowing the tank driver to spot him once again. When they saw Ander clearly, they couldn't help but gasp.

"That imperial lackey wants to take us all down with him! Stop him!"

The drivers got busy. He started the engine and reversed, the turret spinning rapidly as it aimed at Ander's figure.

Click!

After biting down and swallowing a piece of blood sugar, Ander moved even faster than before. He suddenly broke free of the turret's aim and jumped high into the air, holding the missile in his hands as he smashed it down on the top of the tank.

"How brave!"

Even Colonel Hayes was moved by Ander's heroic act. He understood somewhat the meaning behind Saint Otto's decision to give the demi-humans a chance to atone for their sins. Such a good young man should indeed shine on the battlefield, rather than die without dignity in prison.

"Quick! Quick!"

The tank driver broke out in a cold sweat as the missile drew closer and closer. Just as the cannon barrel was aimed at Ander's chest, the driver roared and urged the evil weapon to fire.

boom!

Another shell was fired, striking Ander squarely in the chest, the explosion engulfing him completely in flames...

......

"Damn it! How can you be so stingy? Give me some more Beast Beer! Don't you have plenty in your backpack?"

“This is the last of the Beast Brew! Even if you are my superior, I will not give this soldier any more. His life is precious, but aren't the lives of other soldiers precious too? I have done my best. Whether he lives or dies depends on the Savior's will. There are other soldiers who need my help.”

Ander vaguely heard the arguing. He barely opened his eyes and saw Colonel Oro arguing fiercely with the regiment's medic. The medic completely disregarded Colonel Oro's authority and, with a businesslike expression, put the empty Beast Brew bottle back into his backpack, preparing to leave.

"Colonel?"

As soon as Ander spoke, Colonel Oro and the medic turned around at the same time, both with obvious surprise on their faces.

"That was amazing, he recovered so quickly. What a lucky kid." The medic shook his head and sighed, then packed his bag and headed off to where he was needed.

Colonel Oro crouched down beside Ander, questioning him with a complex tone, "Do you know what you just did? You were carrying the most heavy weapons among us, and you abandoned those launchers and charged in empty-handed. If it weren't for the bright look in your eyes, I would have really thought you'd been corrupted by the ravings of those traitors."

Ander realized how impulsive his actions had been. If he wanted to destroy the tank, he could have simply thrown a beacon instead of picking up the missile and smashing it headfirst into it.

Oh right...that missile.

The shame and restraint on Ander's face were replaced by anxiety, and he immediately asked, "Colonel Oro, what about the tank? Was the tank destroyed?"