As the infantry advanced, the battle below entered the brutal stage of street fighting. The Leman Russ Punisher shifted to providing precise fire support, using Heavy Bolters to clear fortified firing positions.
"Comrade Company Commander, can you tell us where that pure-blood Genestealer is?" The driver inside the tank asked Assassin over the radio, his voice somewhat distorted by the engine's growl.
"Can't find it. That depends on you frontline fighters," Assassin replied as he used his Bolt Pistol to blast a Genestealer lunging from a side pipe into two halves. "Ever since the nuclear blast, these high-ranking Genestealers have all developed PTSD. They hide deeper than the last. We can only roughly judge whether high-ranking individuals are present in an area by the number of Xenos gathered there."
Just then, a third voice abruptly appeared on the comms channel, carrying a hint of easy amusement. "Sounds like you need my help?"
Almost at the same time, the familiar roar of turbine engines came from overhead. Assassin instinctively looked up and saw a Valkyrie assault transport breaking through the industrial smog above the Mid-hive, hovering directly over their position.
"You came at just the right time!" Assassin cried excitedly into the vox. "Keep an eye on things from above and make sure that pure-blood Genestealer doesn't sneak away!"
"Mm, I can only do my best," the Valkyrie pilot replied. "The terrain in the Mid-hive is too complicated, with tunnels running everywhere. It could slip away through any underground passage."
"It's fine. Just do your best."
"Hahaha, as long as you don't mind me taking a share of your merits."
With such basic air-ground coordination, the already leaderless Genestealers were soon beaten into a disorganized rout. The Valkyrie provided a broad field of view from the air, constantly marking hidden enemy