The Bizarre Adventures of the Oil Man, but Starting with Warhammer 32K

Vashtor performed several unholy feats, the most common of which was his ability to fly at high speeds without aerodynamic wings—instead, his wings were composed of four sickle-shaped metal blades.

I think the Imperial Navy's flying bricks with all their power have no aerodynamics at all, and they fly faster than Vashtol.

Maybe there are miracles everywhere in the empire. After all, it is a miracle that the empire itself can still exist.

Chapter 177: Hands of Steel: Vote Up!

As the figures got closer, the Iron Hands finally saw their true faces.

They were indeed long-abandoned servitors, but unlike their counterparts lying in abandoned garbage dumps, these abandoned servitors with strange movements had scarlet light flashing in their mechanical eyes, as if they were craving blood and slaughter.

Cooper, sensing the threat from these servitors, raised his hand and fired a bomb, and the servitors fell down.

No one rejoiced at the weakness of the servitor.

Cooper looked up and saw countless similarly disabled Servitors appearing in the direction of the Rust Wasteland. They surged in like a tide, advancing at a speed far exceeding his expectations.

"Fire! Fire!"

Boltgun fire poured out at Cooper's command, shattering the front row of servitors into pieces. However, these mechanical monsters showed no fear. Even as the wreckage in front of them rolled on the sand, the servitors behind them stepped on it and continued to advance.

The Iron Hands emptied several magazines, but the out-of-control servitors continued to pour forth. They were forced to draw their chainswords to fight the enemy, but these production, non-combat servitors had unexpectedly welded themselves with hydraulic shears and chainsaws, elevating the otherwise melee combat to a higher level.

"Where do these things come from?"

An Iron Hands member yelled over the comms, "It's like they're evolving!"

With their numerical advantage, these servitors, who would proactively arm themselves, surrounded the Iron Hands. The soldiers looked to Cooper, hoping their captain could offer some advice.

Should we break out or hold our ground and wait for help?

Cooper realized from the anomaly that these servitors were not simply out of control. He tried to contact Mars again, but the communication channel was already occupied by the orders from the Skitarii.

The Martian priests were equally unable to control this sudden chaos, and in their hasty response, they no longer cared about the lives of the Iron Hands. Even if they could kill these servitors and return to the Skitarii's position, they would only be used as more advanced cannon fodder by the Martians.

Cooper looked behind him and could vaguely see the Soul Drinker's defense line in the dust.

He realized he had to make a third choice.

"We retreat."

"Retreat? But behind us is..."

"This is no longer a confrontation between Mars and the Final Wall. We must find our place in this new war."

Led by Cooper, the Iron Hands slowly approached the Soul Drinker's defense line.

Cooper felt a little uneasy, unsure how the Soul Drinkers would react. Fortunately, they also understood that these Iron Hands were seeking refuge, so they did not open fire.

They just watched indifferently as the Iron Hands entered their defenses. When the two sides were close enough to see each other's faces, Cooper raised his hand, signaling his warriors to stop.

He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and walked towards Leon.

"I am Captain Jack Cooper of the Iron Company. Sage Leon, I apologize to you and the Final Wall for our previous hostile actions. We...we were forced."

Leon didn't respond immediately. His gaze lingered on Cooper's face for a moment, as if examining his sincerity.

Cooper's heart tensed. He anticipated countless possible responses: anger, ridicule, even direct fire. But he didn't expect Leon to just nod slightly after examining him.

"I understand your situation, but whether I forgive you or not depends on your next behavior."

Cooper was stunned.

He had originally thought that Leon would demand immediate proof of their loyalty or impose harsh conditions—he had anticipated these situations. As long as they weren't immediately pushed to the front lines as cannon fodder like Mars had done, he was mentally prepared to accept it.

"We...will prove ourselves."

Cooper's voice was firm, even choked with emotion. The Iron Hands behind him remained silent, but their expressions were equally complex.

"Your relationship is exactly what I like."

Li Ang waved his hand, signaling the Soul Drinkers to make way. The Iron Hands slowly entered the Soul Drinkers' position, and the atmosphere between the two sides eased considerably at this moment.

Cooper didn't immediately appease his brother. He realized from Leon's various behaviors that he had anticipated the situation. He walked over to Leon and whispered, "Sage Leon, did you anticipate this turmoil?"

Li Ang glanced at him and said, "Since you insisted on killing me, I knew that someone was plotting something behind Mars."

Cooper was a little embarrassed: "I just want to know what is behind those out-of-control servitors."

"That's what I don't know. I just know something will happen on Mars, but I don't know how."

Leon also saw these manipulated malfunctioning mechanical servants, but the corruption of evil gods always has its obvious characteristics, and those characteristics cannot match the status of these mechanical servants.

Is it the chaos without distinction other than the Four Gods?

Leon sent out his own servo skull and ordered it to go to the front line of the Crusader Army to scout the situation on the battlefield.

As the wave of uncontrolled servitors gradually approached, the Skitarii's defenses fell into chaos. The priests' orders echoed across the communication channels, and the Skitarii were torn between conflicting orders and could not find an effective defensive position.

Fortunately, despite their large number, the out-of-control servitors posed little threat to a large-scale army. Lacking long-range weapons, they could only assault the Skitarii's defenses on foot, and the time they spent on foot was enough for the priests to adjust the Skitarii's defenses.

The priests calmed down and began to make effective arrangements.

Dune Walkers were pushed to the front lines, these combat platforms, equipped with a variety of advanced weapons, crushing the fragile, out-of-control servitors. Their annihilation rays and phosphorus blaster cannons fired simultaneously, creating a clear gap in the wave of hundreds of thousands of servitors.

The heavy servitors took advantage of these gaps to gain a foothold at the front of the position. They used their heavy armor and power clamps to hinder the enemy's advance, while the rangers and vanguards seized the opportunity to re-enter the firing positions.

The restored command system displayed the Skitarii's terrifying firepower, far exceeding normal standards. With support from Mars, they unleashed reckless ammunition. Under their systematic support fire, the Skitarii's defense gradually stabilized.

The offensive of the out-of-control servitors was contained—the resurrected electronic zombies began to shrink back.

Leon didn't think these mechanical servants had the ability to think. This cowardice only showed that the controllers behind them could not afford such losses.

Cooper, who was watching the battle, also saw this: "Mars is going to win."

In just half a day, this inexplicable turmoil seemed to be coming to an abrupt end. Cooper couldn't help but worry that Mars would come back to settle accounts with him after resolving this crisis, but Leon told him not to worry.

"Just wait and see, there are more than just out-of-control Servitors in the Rust Wastes."

When the priests shouted "For Om Messiah!" and prepared to fight their way to the Rust Wasteland to completely annihilate these out-of-control servitors, a transfer order with the authorization of the Casting General himself was sent to the position of the Crusader Army.

"The main force is rushing to reinforce Lava City?"

Calcs, who was in charge of the command, and the other priests looked at each other in bewilderment.

They were the closest unit to Lava City and knew that Kubik himself had visited it. They had also noticed the sounds of gunfire from Lava City, but without receiving orders from the Casting General, they had not investigated the direction of Lava City.

After all, Lava City is carrying out a top-secret project, and any unrelated personnel have been warned not to approach without reason.

Besides, Kubik brought an entire cybernetic corps with him. Besides the Titan Corps, what other enemies could be on Mars that could be enemies of these cybernetic corps?

But this news made them realize that something unexpected might have happened in Lava City.

It was no longer realistic to penetrate the Rust Wasteland and completely annihilate these Servitors. However, the Sages disagreed on how to support Lava City.

"Since this is General Zhu's order, we should advance with all our forces and quickly rescue General Zhu!"

Karkes, who supported Kubik, was eager to save his master, but was rebuked by others: "And then abandon the fortified city and leave our army without support?"

"Then we must go too, unless you want to be turned into wetware by the Casting General afterwards."

Everyone knew that dividing the troops was not a wise choice, but Kubik's tyranny forced them to make an irrational decision.

About 300,000 Skitarii were left behind to guard against the malfunctioning servitors, while the remaining 600,000 Skitarii, led by Karkes, rushed to Lava City for support.

Li Ang knew they were doomed to fail.

After making sure the Crusaders were far away, a mass of dark figures appeared again on the Martian horizon.

The priests who stayed behind, anticipating this, prepared for battle. However, they were surprised to find an even more terrifying presence on the battlefield this time.

"what is that?"

Before them appeared a monstrous creation of flesh and steel, forcibly blended by the profane power of the Warp. Their torsos resembled flayed corpses, with gears and bearings weaving through the festering muscle and flesh.

The left half of its face retained a human jaw, while the other half was covered in a rusted metal visor. Its anti-jointed bionic hooves gave it the ability to crawl swiftly on the ground, while the saw blades that replaced its palms made all the priests understand that these ghoul-like creations posed a threat far greater than that of servitors.

Unlike those malfunctioning servitors used in production, this is Victor's masterpiece made by modifying discarded Skitarii and mechas.

Behind these ghouls were hundreds of war engines, abandoned to the wasteland, long since rusted and decayed, but Vashtor's might drove them across the land once again.

"Ready to fight!"

The sage in charge shouted orders, but his voice no longer had the confidence it had before.

The Skitarii quickly adjusted their formation and fired at this new undead army, but their firepower was far less than before and they were unable to clear out these enemies on the upper level.

The war engines, unable to fire, were at the forefront, taking up most of the firepower. Occasionally, stray bullets would penetrate these vehicles and kill a few ghouls.

But the chilling chants rose, the Om Messianic invocations that should have infused strength into the steel, now corrupted by some nameless echo of the Warp.

The destroyed ghoul actually began to couple with the help of the hymn. It quickly pieced together a new body from the wreckage on the ground and continued to attack the Crusaders.

If the place where Om Messiah is is the paradise that everyone desires, then these enemies are from the hell that is opposite to Om Messiah!

The Crusader Army's defenses began to collapse, and the Rangers and Vanguards were defeated by the approaching ghouls.

"We can't hold on any longer!"

There was despair in the voice of a priest.

"The main force must be notified!"

Another sage gritted his teeth and said, "We can't go on like this!"

He quickly connected to the communication channel, trying to convey the situation here to the main force rushing to Lava City for support. However, the communication channel was filled with distorted noise, as if some force was interfering with the transmission of information.

"what happened?"

The sage frowned and fiddled with the control panel, trying to eliminate the interference. However, no matter how he adjusted it, the noise on the communication channel grew stronger and stronger, even beginning to distort his thinking.

"Give it up, sage."

An unfamiliar voice sounded in the communication channel.

The sage's body suddenly stiffened, and he quickly scanned his surroundings, trying to find the source of the sound. However, all he could see was a chaotic battlefield, and those ghouls and war engines that kept approaching.

"who are you?"

The sage asked in a low voice.

"I am Victor, servant of the God of All Machines."

Victor replied coldly, "Your resistance is futile, Sage. Your Om Messiah has long since forsaken you."

"You're talking nonsense! Isn't the God of All Things the Om Messiah?"

Victor didn't answer. Hundreds of ghouls, under his command, advanced to strangle the sage. Despite the sage's incredible individual combat prowess, he was outnumbered and ultimately torn to pieces by the cyberzombies.

The Sage's internal resurrection subroutine was activated. If all went well, he would be "resurrected" in the spare body by inheriting his memories. However, Victor's blasphemous hymn with psychic energy prevented the execution of the program.

Just like Leon had hindered his resurrection process.

He still had doubts about Vashtor, but the power to manipulate machinery was real. Although distorted, it left him no room for doubt.

Victor looked coldly at the dead sage. He tapped his staff, and Vashtor's power eroded the sage's corpse. Soon, a ghoul resembling the sage, but devoid of wisdom, emerged from the sage's remains.

This horrifying scene completely shattered the remaining people's resolve to hold on to the line, and they screamed and retreated from Victor and his army of the dead.

The defense line formed by 300,000 crusader troops was officially broken.

Victor glanced to one side. He could sense Leon and over six hundred Astartes there.

When he learned that Leon did not die as a result of Augustus' plan, he was more surprised than surprised.

The opportunity to repay the enemy's hatred for killing him was right in front of him, and Victor could hardly restrain his impulse. However, Augustus's previous warning finally made him give up this opportunity.

"Wait for me, Leon. I am the only one who can take your head!"

He led his army forward, heading towards Lava City.

-

The 600,000 crusaders, completely unaware of the strange phenomenon behind them, continued to advance towards the Lava City.

They heard the sounds of battle behind them, though interference prevented them from understanding the situation. However, most of them did not expect that 300,000 Skitarii would be defeated by the attack of those mechanical servants, or even be defeated so quickly.

However, Senior Sage Karkes, who was in charge of commanding the Skitarii, was very uneasy. He tried several times to contact the Casting General who had sent out the call for help, but no one responded.

The lava city that appeared in their sight seemed to be shrouded in a layer of dark clouds, and his intuition told him that something terrible was brewing inside.

But he had no choice but to move forward.

At this moment, an emergency signal suddenly came from the reconnaissance team ahead.

"Unidentified target detected! Repeat, unidentified target detected!"