Artillery fire erupted in one place after another. Orange-yellow mushroom clouds blossomed across the position, only to vanish in the blink of an eye.
Yet the moment they bloomed, the spores they sprayed out instantly killed the exposed mortals nearby.
Even Quan Tiehua, an Astartes, could do nothing but crouch inside the bunker and hide from this terrifying barrage.
The Space Marines were indeed powerful, but that was only in terms of individual combat and certain light weapons. Against heavy weapons, even they could probably be killed by a single rocket.
Faced with the overwhelming artillery fire, Quan Tiehua naturally had no intention of standing up and playing the hero.
Hiding beside him were several mortal Auxilia soldiers and members of the local PDF. The mortal Auxilia following the Chapter were one thing.
But the calm expressions of these PDF soldiers as they smoked already rivaled those of the vast majority of the Astra Militarum.
Having endured several brutal battles in succession, they had long since grown numb to death. After directly facing Chaos Daemons, they already understood what awaited them once the fighting was over.
So none of this mattered to them anymore.
If not for their wives, children, and families, and the fact that the hive city behind them was being evacuated, they probably would have suffered a complete mental collapse long ago.
Their Planetary Governor had personally told them everything that would happen. Rather than being executed by the Inquisition in the end without even knowing why, it was better to face death openly from the very beginning.
Besides, even the Planetary Governor, already old and frail, had come to the front lines to fight alongside them. What more could they say?
In the hive city behind the lines, the Planetary Governor's family was also arranging evacuations for women and children in various locations.
Moreover, the Planetary Governor had always provided adequate protection for ordinary soldiers and civilians. There was truly nothing to complain about. Making any unreasonable demands or taking unrealistic actions after that would simply be unjustifiable.
"The enemy is attacking."
The artillery fire abruptly ceased, and the next second, an angry shout rang throughout the entire trench. More voices immediately rose and fell in response.
The older-looking PDF soldier beside Quan Tiehua put down his cigarette, stamped it out, then slowly stood up. He raised the lasgun in his hands, lay against the cover, and aimed at the enemy about to enter firing range.
Quan Tiehua also stood up and watched the attacking Chaos traitors. He did not rely on his height to expose his entire upper body.
After Tylert had rearranged the trench, it could now easily accommodate Astartes. Even a Primaris Space Marine like him could fit inside.
"Tylert really is worthy of being one of the Iron Warriors. He built these fortifications perfectly." After sighing in admiration, Quan Tiehua cautiously exposed half his head.
Even his nose remained below the fortification's cover.
If he had not needed to observe the enemy, he would not have stuck his head out at all.
The smoke from the explosions shrouded everything, making it impossible to see any enemy movements with the naked eye. However, the auxiliary systems in the Astartes' helmets could pierce the haze, allowing them to clearly see the traitors silently gathering and secretly preparing to charge.
But... what left him somewhat speechless was that every member of those charging units was completely naked—or, more accurately, wore only a few scraps of cloth.
Some of them were even thrusting their hips forward as they advanced.
...Like whips, they slapped up and down, making cracking sounds.
They carried weapons that made the sight feel deeply blasphemous. As for those people wearing only a few scraps of cloth, their bodies half-hidden and half-revealed, they remained calm and composed, as though they were the leaders of the group.
It was truly an eyesore. Even Quan Tiehua could not help retreating into the trench at that moment. He lowered his head, removed his helmet, pinched the area between his brows, and tightly shut his eyes to relieve the discomfort.
"Fucking hell. That's really an eyesore."
After resting for a while, the intermittent sounds of lasguns began ringing out around him. Some soldiers with better marksmanship started taking range measurements in advance.
Listening to the lasguns firing, he could not help sighing. The Astra Militarum of the Imperium carried nothing but what people called flashlights, so what could anyone expect from these PDF soldiers?
I stood up and raised the M2 Karl-type Bolter. After selecting a target, I pulled the trigger.
At that moment, the Astartes' reaction speed and aiming speed were fully displayed.
The bolter's extreme effective range allowed it to precisely pick off the charging Chaos traitors. The rapid pulling of the trigger and movement of the muzzle made it look to the surrounding mortals as though a heavy machine gun were firing continuously.
In the distance, brilliant scarlet flowers of blood erupted among the dense, blasphemous ranks of pale-skinned Chaos traitors.
The battle began just like that.
Tens of thousands of mortal Chaos traitors charged toward the front line. Some even advanced toward them in ways so blasphemous they were almost impossible to describe.
Four or five men and women danced and writhed together, twisting forward like monsters as they launched their attack.
Quan Tiehua drew the plasma pistol from his waist. A single loyal blast of plasma sent them straight back to Slaanesh's palace.
The intensity of the war continued to increase. The Chaos traitors seized the heavy industrial production area, and as time passed, all kinds of heavy firepower began rolling off the production lines.
The Imperial forces had begun to fall into a disadvantageous position.
Meanwhile, in the Warp, upon the crimson earth, the towering figure of the Brass Throne seemed to have sensed some supreme delicacy.
It suddenly drew in a deep breath.
"A special soul. A slaughter worthy of admiration."
Below, tens of thousands of red-skinned, horned Daemons raised their weapons and shouted, "Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!"
The fighting had already reached the interior of the hive city. After holding the outer defenses for several days, they had finally managed to evacuate nearly everyone inside.
Aside from a few essential personnel remaining behind for war preparations and weapons production, the entire hive city had become a dead city.
Everyone believed that once the people inside the hive city had been evacuated safely, their mission would be over. What they had not anticipated was that all the attention of the Warp was now focused on this planet.
Even if the evacuated civilians were taken away safely, where could they go? Support from the surrounding areas simply could not arrive.
They could only evacuate the civilians to the agricultural regions in the southern hemisphere. But... the power of the Warp had also begun slowly infiltrating that area.
When a sick person's sneeze sprayed saliva and pathogens onto the mature grain being harvested,
an unexpected plague erupted within just a few days.
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