Warhammer 40k: Melee Warriors

Major Faraday ordered any willing soldiers to come forward, but some overconfident men stopped in their tracks after glancing at the burly man in front of them and silently retreated to their positions.

Komi, Miyo, and Ishi also went up.

Commissar Tran was drawn to the three men's steps, his gaze following them intently. After observing them for a while, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Where there are cowards, there are also warriors.

The selection of officers began by tightly wrapping fists in rags and instructing both sides not to kill each other during the fight.

No one could last three rounds against Komi, nor could anyone easily defeat Miyan and Shitou.

The three of them stood out among the many veterans who exuded a fierce aura, and even Major Faraday, who remained expressionless, had a glint of admiration in his eyes.

Soon, only the position of captain remained unfilled, leaving only Komi, Miyan, and Ishida on the field.

Just as Commissar Tran was wondering which of the three was stronger, Gu Jian rushed forward, instantly triggering Mi Yang's subconscious fighting back.

The fist was supposed to miss, but Komi deliberately faced it head-on, took a hard hit, screamed, and lay motionless to the side.

Shi Tou was a little confused. He blinked and looked at Mi Yang, who was equally confused. Then he rushed towards Mi Yang and tripped over himself halfway there, falling and getting a big bump on his forehead while groaning.

Commissar Tran's admiring face suddenly fell. He strode in, coldly grabbed Komi and Ishikawa and pulled them up, his iron fingers pressing so hard that Komi's arm ached.

"I hate guys who are just trying to be clever! Are you two trying to disregard the Empire's military regulations just because you think you're so great? Who gave you permission to approach battle with such a lax attitude?!"

Commissar Tran's roar was like a bomb exploding in his ears, making Koji's ears ache. He put on a simple and honest face like a miner and explained to the commissar, "I am her adjutant. I would never lay a hand on my superior."

Stone nodded. "Yes, yes, we are all her subordinates. Military regulations stipulate that subordinates cannot offend their superiors."

This explanation calmed Commissar Tran's anger considerably. His gaze swept back and forth between Koji and Ishi, feeling a sense of familiarity, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen them before.

He gritted his teeth and snorted, pulling the two men to their feet and kicking each of them in the buttocks. Then he looked at Mi Yang, who was saluting him.

Purple eyes? A Cardian?

Commissar Tran was well aware of the contributions the Cardians had made to the Empire, and knew that their combat skills were quite reliable; the sudden fire was on the verge of being extinguished.

"88th Mobilization Regiment, Sergeant Mia reporting for duty!"

"Hello, loyal soldier of the Empire." Commissar Tran accepted Myan's greeting in a formal manner. "It's a pleasure to see a living Kadian here. I'm not implying that you're a coward, but your fellow countrymen fought very bravely and left a deep impression on me."

“There are no cowards among the Cardians, Commissar.” Miyan understood the implication in Commissar Tran’s words: all the Cardians who came here to serve with her were probably dead.

Mi Yang felt a pang of sadness, but even more so, he felt deep respect for his fallen comrades.

"Those two are your subordinates."

“Yes, Political Commissar…” Mi Yang paused for a moment, after all, after infiltrating the orc ranks, the command was basically handed over to Koji. “They are my subordinates, and this is my adjutant whom I urgently promoted. He is a veteran who has been through many battles.”

“Ah, the cream of the crop in the army.” Commissar Tran’s expression softened considerably, and he also showed friendliness to Komi and Ishida, who were standing at attention to the side.

He performed a salute in remembrance of the fallen loyal soldiers and then said, "As long as one veteran remains alive, the glorious army will not be forgotten."

This comfort reminded Miyan of the difficult days when she escaped with the severely injured Komi. Her eyes were a little red, but her tone was not weak. She answered with increasing determination, "Everything was sacrificed for the Empire and for the human lord who is in the Holy Terra."

Chapter 51: The situation at the new base is not good.

With the ranks finalized, Mi Yang became a captain in the reorganized battalion, while Gu Jian and Shi Tou became Mi Yang's personal guards and deputies. Although nominally they were just soldiers, their actual status was much higher than their rank.

If Koken requests it, Miyan will hand over all command to him.

Some of the brave veterans dared not object to Komi, after all, they had all experienced his swift attacks in the previous fight, and the feeling of being knocked to the ground with just a few punches was not pleasant.

Miyan also asked Komi why he didn't want to become a captain, but instead gave himself to her.

In response, Komi said, "I'm too lazy to deal with the paperwork that officers have to do."

Commissar Tran and Major Faraday gave some mobilization speeches, and the entire Second Reorganized Battalion was finally on the right track.

As a newly established combat unit, the first few days were inevitably filled with work assignments. Miyan often went out to meet with senior officers and then returned with the latest war situation and combat objectives.

As a captain, she shouldn't be discussing the current situation with her subordinates; after all, there's no such thing as information sharing or taking initiative in the Imperial Army.

Instead, the soldiers are kept foolish and ignorant, so that they can unleash amazing fighting power when facing a truly terrifying enemy, emptying their guns perfectly.

Koken could understand this tactical thinking.

After all, when he was lying in bed daydreaming, he could recall many of the settings of the Warhammer world.

The warp demons, whose ebb and flow are inextricably linked to the souls of all life in the galaxy; the space undead, slowly resurrected after the War of Heaven; and the Tyranid swarms, which nearly engulf the entire galaxy and whose mere presence of a few vanguard tentacles is enough to cause the Imperium immense headaches...

There are far too many formidable enemies. If we were to actually open up information, I'm afraid the very next day a world in despair would be on the verge of self-destruction, choosing to end its hopeless life in a final frenzy.

Mi Yang trusted Gu Jian and Shi Tou very much, so she would choose an appropriate time to have a private conversation with the two of them.

There were 84 such reorganized battalions, distributed around the upper nest-shaped fortifications, absorbing defeated and scattered soldiers from various places and rebuilding them into large armies with full combat capabilities.

Such a legion, built by gathering defeated soldiers, naturally did not receive recognition from higher command, and nominally they would not receive any possible supplies.

However, the military filled the reorganized battalions' appetites by transferring equipment and supplies from other remnant mobilization corps.

It was immediately clear that the command intended for these 84 reorganized battalions to serve as the main force in the next offensive, to completely defeat the Empire's enemies.

As for who the enemy is.

Miyan frowned and fell into deep thought. She said that Commissar Tran and Major Faraday looked quite unhappy when they talked about who the enemy was, and just told her to be loyal to the throne and her duties.

Upon hearing this, Koji's heart skipped a beat.

Oh no... Could it really be a cult? Should we fight the Orcs first, then the Chaos? Or fight them both at the same time?

This is just too much war...

Could it be that the altar I hastily built by tricking that minor nobleman last time is starting to exert its power?

Amidst their anxieties, the Second Reorganized Battalion left their post and, following orders from headquarters, headed towards a place called Grace City.

This area is considered a good place in Shangchaoli. Metal eagle head statues adorn tall buildings, and wide bridges are distributed throughout, connecting one small residential area after another.

The streetlights on both sides of the street are not ordinary either; their stylish lampshades would definitely be considered collectibles if placed in Xiachao.

Compared to the dilapidated and uninhabited outskirts of the fortress, the Graceful City, located deeper within Upper Nest, is home to a considerable number of people.

The refugees who fled here built their own shacks outside the buildings and barely managed to survive in the misery of being displaced.

“After the mobilization law was abolished, many people could no longer afford the bland and tasteless military rations.” Mi Yang’s voice reached Komi’s ears.

Komi also asked, "So these people are just going to sit here starving? No department is going to come and provide relief? That's not a good decision. People will do anything when they're hungry."

Miyan shrugged and said, "Who knows? Maybe those people up there think their devotion to the emperor can make them ignore the effects of hunger."

"Then what are we doing here? I thought we were going to the front lines to fight the orcs."

"Well... to get the troops in sync, and also to prevent any potential riots in Grace City. At least that's what Commissar Tran told me."

"So the higher-ups are unwilling to distribute food, but are happy to feed them bullets?"

"After all, this is a mining world, and food is more valuable than minerals."

Never did I expect to be lectured by Miyan one day. Komi joked, "Captain Miyan now looks more like someone from Red Mining World than a Cardiac."

Mi Yang shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the hungry people on the roadside.

Stone, on the other hand, seemed indifferent. Since most of the people gathered here were white-skinned Shangchao people, he would have preferred them all to die.

The order in Grace City was clearly crumbling, and the arrival of the second battalion undoubtedly deterred those traitors who were operating in the shadows.

Commissar Tran and Major Faraday knew that such days would not last long. Once the other reorganized battalions had completed their preparations, they would set off to the outskirts of the hive to completely eradicate the orc threat.

So the two of them discussed it and decided to establish several small combat squads to operate throughout the Grace City and eliminate potential threats, since no one wanted their rear to be on fire.

Without Miyan even having to volunteer, Commissar Tran listed the names of Miyan, Gujian, and Shitou, and told them to form their own team.

The three, disguised, walked along the wide streets of the Grace City. Komi's eyes, hidden under his hood, observed every passerby, trying to find signs of betrayal or even depravity in them.

For several days in a row, nothing was gained.

Even the theft of food went unnoticed by the group. In the end, Komi decided to try a different approach to understand the situation in the Grace City: cultivating a good relationship with the local bailiffs.

These bailiffs are not affiliated with the Empire's Ministry of Justice, but are employees of a security company established by several small families.

They prioritized the safety and interests of the nobility before devoting their remaining energy and sense of justice to the common people.

Apart from a few conscientious individuals, most corporate bailiffs are greedy and will make judgments based on the money handed over, even turning black into white with the clinking of the Throne Coins.

Getting on good terms with such a corrupt team is incredibly easy. First, reveal your military affiliation so they won't dare to mess with you. Then, hand them military supplies to let them know you're birds of a feather.

Amidst the laughter and chatter as she accepted several boxes of military rations, Komi gradually became acquainted with these company bailiffs.

Chapter 52: Using dirty tricks to associate with dirty people

The bailiffs' rooms are all company property. The only reason the bailiffs have the right to rest in these rooms is that their wages are also deducted for usage fees.

After years of fighting in the capital, where everyone is on edge, security companies can only barely operate near the manors of nobles. The bailiffs in this blessed city are now just empty positions without any benefits. However, the company's finance department will not forget them, carefully calculating the bailiffs' expenses and income so that they can clearly repay their debts when peace comes.

They now rely on the weapons and equipment of the bailiffs used to suppress rioters to make a living, and from time to time they will bully a few easy targets and squeeze some money out of them to fill their own stomachs.

Komi and several bailiffs sat around a table, making connections over half a bottle of cheap liquor and a deck of cards. Beside him were piles of military rations that had been opened and broken into smaller packages; in the city of Grace, this food was much more valuable than money.

"Tsk... I have to say your card skills are really good. How many games have you played in private?" Komi spread his hands and threw the cards on the table, then tossed three nutrition bars and a synthetic meat stick that tasted like a starch sausage over to him.

A bailiff reached out and gathered up what he had earned, giving Komi a fawning smile and saying, "Just lucky, pure luck."

His smile was perfectly normal; the simple food that was relatively plentiful in the reorganized camp was extremely precious in this blessed city.

He didn't even need to resort to violence; he could simply unpack the synthetic penis and use its slightly greasy, salty taste to lure one girl after another into his arms.

“Again.” Koji nodded. After shuffling the deck, several more rounds were played. He felt that now was not the time to raise his questions.

After half a bottle of wine is drunk, the opened military rations will be all lost.

These inferior liquors were quite potent, making Koji feel as if the poison was taking effect rather than that he was getting drunk.

Fortunately, his body could still handle it; he only felt that the touch during the handshake was a little unclear. He looked at the bailiffs, who were flushed with the spoils of their winnings, and asked, "You've taken so much from me; you should give me something in return."

The bailiff's face turned red, and his tongue lolled out, but he knew exactly what was going on. He immediately replied, "Ask away. As long as we don't leave this Graceful City, we can answer most of the questions."

“This city is facing a severe food shortage, but I suspect there’s some kind of black market out there, right? I’m new here and can’t find a place to go in a short time, and I think you bailiffs should know that very well.”

Komi's problem was somewhat tricky for the bailiffs, as there was indeed a black market selling food in the Grace City, where people were starving at any moment.

The black market wasn't run by some scumbag gang, but by a few well-off families who wanted to take advantage of natural disasters and man-made calamities to fleece the relatively wealthy residents of Grace City.

"What are you trying to do? Eradicate the black market?" the bailiff asked warily. They knew that Gu Jian held a high position in the reorganized battalion, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to smuggle out a large quantity of military rations and ammunition so easily.