With Duanmu Huai's assistance, Kado swiftly laid out a plan.
Their first objective was to retake City Hall. According to Kado's informants, while most of the army had already been defeated, quite a few civilians and Pawns were still imprisoned inside City Hall, where the Ratmen and Evil God Believers were using them for their blasphemous rituals. Therefore, Kado's first priority was to Rescue those people. On one hand, they could replenish their Troop Source; on the other, they could destroy the Ratmen's sinister scheme.
After Kado finished explaining his plan, Duanmu Huai received a rescue quest prompt. Naturally, the requirement was to save as many people as possible... Well, it was neither particularly difficult nor particularly easy.
Because the Ratmen's earlier assault had caused severe casualties, Kado could only barely scrape together a small squad. Duanmu Huai did not mind; he had his own plan anyway.
When night fell, Duanmu Huai led that squad to a street near City Hall. There, he saw a masked long-eared Elf wrapped from head to toe in a cloak and holding a longbow.
Yes, she looked exactly like an Elf from a fantasy game.
"So you're the big guy? You really are big."
The Elf was startled when she saw Duanmu Huai, but she quickly withdrew her gaze and began explaining.
"I've figured out the Ratmen's situation. After you defeated them, they holed up inside City Hall and haven't dared come out. The Evil God Believers are in there too. As for the prisoners, the Ratmen have locked them in the basement. My plan is to infiltrate through the Underground Sewers nearby..."
"That side is yours."
Duanmu Huai waved a hand, directly cutting the Elf off.
"Whatever plan you have, carry it out yourself."
"What do you mean by that?"
Upon hearing Duanmu Huai's answer, the Elf's voice immediately turned cold.
"Listen, I know you're strong, but..."
"Then take a look, Miss Elf."
Duanmu Huai turned around and looked at her.
"Do you think I can sneak around?"
"Uh..."
Looking at Duanmu Huai's massive body and the heavy-looking black armor he wore, the elf scout was speechless for a moment.
Indeed, with that size, only a blind person would fail to notice him sneaking around.
"I'll launch a frontal assault and draw the attention of the Ratmen and Evil God Believers. Then you'll take the Pawns along the route you planned, find the prisoners, and get them out."
Duanmu Huai gave his answer bluntly, then looked at the elf scout.
"No problem?"
"I'd like to say there is..."
The elf scout hesitated, then nodded helplessly. Next, she looked at Okegis beside Duanmu Huai and frowned.
"What about her?"
"She's coming with me."
After learning that those Evil God Believers were up to something in City Hall, Duanmu Huai had immediately brought Okegis along, lest they summon another Chaos Demon or something...
"All right."
The elf scout did not say anything else. Although Okegis looked like a young lady traveling around with a Traveling Case, seeing her in these ruins... well, it was far too strange.
"Then I'll go first. You act according to the situation. And if you run into trouble you can't handle, find a way to signal me."
After saying that, Duanmu Huai straightened up and looked ahead. Then, his helmet emitted a dazzling crimson glow. Immediately afterward, brilliant light shot from the lamps beside his head, illuminating the dim, pitch-black street before him. Duanmu Huai gripped his Warhammer and strode toward City Hall in the distance. Okegis silently followed behind him like a soundless ghost.
"What a strange bunch."
Watching Duanmu Huai's retreating figure, the elf scout snorted softly. Honestly, if she had not sensed no Chaos aura from him, she would have thought that this black armored Knight had been summoned from some abyss of Hell.
With that thought, the elf scout withdrew her gaze and looked at the Pawns behind her.
"Follow me."
Duanmu Huai had no idea what plan the elf scout had. As a Space Marine, he had only one plan: kick down the door, charge in, and kill his way out.
What else was he supposed to do?
In the armor he wore, he could not even cross a wooden bridge. One step would collapse it.
Besides, Inquisitors did not bother with all that flashy nonsense. Loyalty was all that mattered.
"Boom!!"
Duanmu Huai gripped his Warhammer and charged up the steps of City Hall. Like a battering ram, he smashed through the tightly shut, heavy wooden doors, reducing them to splinters.
"Screeeech!!!"
The next moment, several Ratmen rushed toward him with shrieks, their spears stabbing straight at Duanmu Huai's body.
But it was completely useless. Such Middle Ages attacks were utterly ineffective against Power Armor from the space age. Duanmu Huai did not even bother blocking as the spears struck his armor and snapped apart.
At the same time, Duanmu Huai raised his Warhammer high and swung it down with all his strength.
"Boom!!!"
The Warhammer howled down and struck the ground. Thunder instantly burst outward, engulfing all the nearby Ratmen. Most screamed and turned to ash beneath the lightning's radiance, but several Ratmen suddenly began to swell before exploding like grenades, scattering crimson flames and searing heat in every direction.
At that very moment, several dark green bottles were thrown from behind toward Duanmu Huai. They smashed against the ground and became a cloud of green poisonous mist that engulfed him entirely.
This was the poison gas bomb the Ratmen were best known for.
The Ratmen had survived without being completely exterminated for three reasons. First, they possessed breeding abilities as powerful as those of ordinary rats. Second, they had clever minds capable of copying, reverse-engineering, and developing technology. Lastly, they used poison—well, rats using poison was hardly anything new.
Duanmu Huai had no fear of Ratmen poison gas bombs. Power Armor came with its own internal circulation system, so ordinary poison gas was completely worthless. He paid it no mind, charging straight out of the toxic fog and pouncing on the Ratmen grenadiers behind it, smashing them into pulp in just a few strikes.
Duanmu Huai's intrusion naturally drew the attention of the other enemies. Soon, hundreds of Ratmen raised their weapons and surged toward him from every direction like a tide.
Duanmu Huai did not need any special technique to deal with these Ratmen.
Who couldn't play whack-a-rat?
Duanmu Huai raised his Warhammer high and swung it down. He raised it again, then swung it down again. Every time the Warhammer fell, lightning flashed, and the Ratmen horde exploded in all directions as though grenades had been thrown among them.
Thunder Warhammer (Melee, Two-Handed, Heavy Strike) +15% chance for enemies to explode upon death, dealing area damage equal to 50% of their health (stackable)
The chance was not high, but there were simply too many Ratmen. Moreover, the Thunder Warhammer already possessed a Psychic Power attack that unleashed lightning. Combined with this special effect, Duanmu Huai was having a thoroughly exhilarating time smashing rats. Each strike sent flesh and blood flying in every direction. Within only a few breaths, the hundreds of Ratmen swarming in from all sides had been wiped out by him.
However, the enemy consisted of more than just Ratmen.
"Hehehe...!!"
Just as Duanmu Huai was smashing rats, a fat Wizard wrapped entirely in a cloak silently appeared out of thin air behind him. Holding a staff in one hand, he chanted blasphemous words and reached out, grabbing at Duanmu Huai through empty air!
With the Wizard's movement, Duanmu Huai's enormous body suddenly shuddered. He was immediately unable to move, then flew through the air toward the Wizard.
However, just as Duanmu Huai was about to reach the Wizard, he let out a roar. The next moment, an aura Halo burst from his body.
Psychic Shock!
The Wizard clearly had not expected the warrior before him to be a Psyker as well. Caught off guard, he suffered badly and was blasted away by Duanmu Huai's Psychic Shock. The invisible energy Binding Duanmu Huai instantly collapsed, while Duanmu Huai leaped forward and brought down his Warhammer with full force, smashing the fat man in black into pulp.
"Damn wizards..."
Duanmu Huai spat. Space Marines had rather poor magic resistance, which was why he had chosen to increase his resistances. With Power Armor, Duanmu Huai could fight Ratmen and even the God of Tyranny's subordinates, but Power Armor was essentially useless against magic and Psychic Power.
That was also why Duanmu Huai had kept Okegis on standby. If he encountered a mage or Psyker he could not handle at present, it would be Okegis's time to step in.
Fortunately, that did not seem to be a problem now.
After killing that fat Wizard in black, City Hall was already in complete disarray, littered with Ratmen and Evil God Believer corpses. Duanmu Huai paid them no attention and simply strode onward. Then, following the elf scout's earlier report, he found the basement.
Duanmu Huai then threw a punch and smashed open the basement door.
When he poked his head inside, he saw the elf scout standing ready with an arrow nocked, staring straight at him.
"Yo, you got here pretty fast."
Before you continue