Complete Change of Clothes

Pavian had now completely regarded Gao Yi as an incarnation of the Omnissiah, and he was throwing himself wholeheartedly into carrying out Gao Yi's orders.

Twenty-four hours had passed.

A full one hundred sets of Marine-standard CMC Combat Suits and weapons had rolled off the production line and were stacked to one side.

Unfortunately, the usable metal on the upper decks was still limited. If they wanted to expand production further, they'd have to start ripping up railings and peeling off wall panels.

But Gao Yi didn't even have to mention it—Pavian was already on it.

What was the point of keeping all that excess metal lying around? Entering the sacred STC was their best destination!

Beyond the basic CMC suits, Gao Yi had also produced thirty sets of Firebat gear and two sets of Medic equipment.

Compared to the lightweight CMC-400 combat suits used by Marines, the Firebats wore CMC-660 heavy combat suits. Sacrificing mobility, they boasted thicker armor and better heat resistance, while the plasma fuel tanks on their backs powered their weapons—the Dual Flame of Destruction Flamethrowers.

It looked like fire spewing out, but these flamethrowers were actually energy weapons. The high-energy plasma flames they produced were even more terrifying than the promethium-fueled flamethrowers of the Warhammer universe.

Time was too tight, so Gao Yi hadn't produced any Marauders. He didn't think he'd need that single-target armor-piercing gear right now—it was too much of a time sink. The C-14 was already powerful enough against the current enemies.

Gao Yi used the Sound Array to contact Veil and the others still fighting on the lower decks.

After twenty-four straight hours of combat, the Machine Gunners had long since run out of ammo and were fighting with alloy bayonets on their rifles and whatever other weapons the crew had on hand.

"Veil, the Servitors are bringing equipment down. Pick your best soldiers to re-equip. Damon and his men will be your instructors! It's time for the counterattack!"

Hearing Gao Yi's words, Veil's spirits lifted. He didn't know what gear Gao Yi was talking about yet, but he was starting to get used to Gao Yi constantly pulling off miracles.

But when the suits were delivered to the Lower Deck, Veil still couldn't help rubbing his eyes to make sure he was seeing things.

"Does this ship really have a production workshop like this? I've only been down here twenty-four hours, and the ship can already churn out stuff like this?"

Veil stood frozen in place, while Damon and his men began restocking their ammunition.

Without ammo, the combat suits alone wouldn't let them crush the enemy.

If it weren't for the Medics, they'd have already taken casualties.

"Veil, get your people over here. I'll show them how to put these on and use them. Damn it, the ones charging up seem to be getting stronger—their physical mutations are visibly accelerating. Commander, we need to put down this riot fast!"

Soon, the selected soldiers stood before the suits.

These crew members had been eyeing them with envy. Under normal circumstances, gear like this—similar to Power Armor—wasn't something ordinary crew like them would ever be qualified to wear.

Under Damon's guidance, one by one, the crew put on the CMC suits and picked up the C-14s.

"The combat suit has various assist functions. Try them out following the prompts first. Most importantly, get familiar with your weapons! Spike Round, Implosion Round, Depleted Uranium Round, Flechette Round, Incendiary Round—each ammo type has its own use. Just follow orders when the time comes!

The helmet's information system and visual-audio compensation will let you hear my commands clearly and know your buddies' status. You Firebats, watch the fuel tanks on your backs—if those get blown up, no one's saving you. Most importantly, make damn sure you don't spray your own teammates. Listen up, everyone—if some idiot in a Firebat suit turns his flames on you, take him out! I don't need trash like that in my squad!

You two in the Medic suits! Keep an eye on your buddies, and stop touching the chest armor—that was designed for women!"

Under Damon's roaring curses, the group quickly finished suiting up. They weren't fully familiar with it yet, but they had a basic grasp. One or two real fights should get them up to speed—the controls were almost idiot-proof. Even the early models of the combat suit could be used by someone whose brain was fried on stims.

"Damon! The enforcers here know the Lower Deck inside out—they manage the people down here every day! With them leading the way, you'll definitely put down this riot and find the source!"

Veil didn't suit up himself. He needed to stay and handle coordination. Gao Yi had told him more gear was coming, and he had to personally handle the selection and deployment of personnel.

And with the warp corruption emerging, Eunice, being a Psyker, had also come down to the Lower Deck.

"Damon, I can see the power of the Chaos God growing stronger in the depths. You have to destroy the source. It's at the very bottom of this ship. A terrifying entity is being born—you must hurry... or a powerful daemon will tear through the Gellar Field and enter the ship. When that happens, it will be a disaster... I can hear it more clearly now—the daemon's mad laughter. The warp is eroding this ship. The Emperor's faithful are being corrupted. Green threads fill the Lower Deck, but I also see golden and blood-red light. There are still warriors loyal to the God-Emperor below."

Damon didn't fully understand what Eunice meant, but he knew a powerful enemy was waiting for them below. Only the humans from the Warhammer universe looked visibly tense after hearing her words.

"I'm counting on you, Damon! Once you break through, the priests will purify the paths you clear, and the logistics teams will follow up fast!"

Damon nodded to Veil, then addressed everyone who had suited up.

"Firebats up front! Everyone else, protect the Medics! Move out!"

The re-equipped soldiers launched their counterattack.

The CMC combat suits' sealed systems effectively blocked the plague-laden air. But as they pushed deeper, the ship's walls and structures were covered in fungi that constantly spewed spores.

The Imperial soldiers in Firebat suits knew how dangerous these things were. Without hesitation, they used their flamethrowers to burn every visible patch of fungus.

As Damon talked with these Imperial soldiers, he began to learn more about the warp.

The burning fungi lit up the dim Lower Deck. The flames purified the virus while also pushing back the warp's influence—fire was often remarkably effective against warp-born creations. The viral concentration in the air was visibly dropping.

The areas that should have been packed with laborers were now completely empty. Instead, everywhere they looked, massive rats scurried around.

But as the squad advanced, the tactical flashlights on their CMC suits seemed to activate the entire area. One by one, figures covered in pustules and rotting sores emerged from the surrounding structures. Their eyes had lost all human light, and the worst cases even had horn-like spikes growing from their bodies.

"Living Dead. They're Living Dead. I've seen these things before."

A soldier's voice crackled over the comms.

"Whatever they are, kill them! Open fire!"