The Sudden First Kill

The narrow drop pod shuddered and jolted violently, a red indicator light identical to those found on boarding torpedoes flickering overhead as Fu Qinghai was strapped firmly into his seat.

Gult, wearing his helmet, turned his head; his crimson lenses and faceplate obscured his expression.

"Qingshan, is this your first time riding an orbital drop pod?" his muffled voice came through the vox-grille.

"Yes," Fu Qinghai replied.

"No one likes these things. Everyone would rather take a Stormbird than entrust their fate to this disposable iron shell," Gult said.

"I think it's alright. At least it's fast, isn't it?" Fu Qinghai replied with a smile.

A light chuckle echoed through the bumpy, trembling, cramped space, Fu Qinghai's words easing the stifling atmosphere.

Although the Astartes disliked them, it had to be said that orbital insertion was a powerful form of tactical strike.

Air-to-ground combat had been an asymmetric war since ancient times, and this was even more true once orbital air superiority was lost. No matter how sturdy or complex the defensive systems and fortifications the enemy had built on the surface, they would instantly collapse in the face of the three-dimensional strike and direct insertion of an orbital drop. Beyond the Astartes carried within, the drop pod itself was a weapon.

The warriors sitting in the pod suddenly felt a violent shake; the sudden increase in G-force was enough to force the bile out of an ordinary human's throat, but the Astartes quickly stabilized their bodies.

Everyone knew this was the retro-thrusters at the base of the pod firing to decelerate; they were not far from landing.

Everyone gripped their weapons tightly.

Soon, with a violent impact and tremor, the pod came to a halt. The warning light overhead turned from red to green, yet after the shaking stopped, the surrounding hatch did not open immediately. Everyone remained stifled inside the pod.

Drop troops were meant to complete rapid deployment the moment they landed; if the hatch wouldn't open, they lost that element of surprise.

Gult slammed a fist against the hatch and cursed, "Damn it, our hatch is jammed!"

After cursing, he turned to look at Fu Qinghai, "The good news is, we have a Techmarine here."

Fu Qinghai rose from his seat, the mechanical arms folded on the sides of his power pack extending at his mental command, like a clawing, grasping mechanical appendage.

Fu Qinghai approached the hatch, the iron pincers of the mechanical arm opening to reveal a welding torch nozzle in the center. A searing white light illuminated the dim drop pod, and with the assistance of the mechanical arm, Fu Qinghai pried open the jammed hatch in just a few movements.

The Ultramarines filed out, weapons raised.

The drop pod Fu Qinghai was in had landed right between the fissures of a deep canyon. The Astartes had to climb the adjacent cliff face using both hands and feet, only to discover that the cliff led into a dark, sprawling network of karst caves; they had actually fallen into a smaller rift within the Great Rift.

Gult had just pulled out his tactical tablet to check their coordinates when he couldn't help but complain:

"Is this the result of the Tech-priests' calculations after all that time? The deviation is ridiculous."

After a brief search, the squad found another drop pod with a jammed hatch. Fu Qinghai walked up, preparing to use his welding torch to open it.

"Boom!" A ball of plasma fire ablated through the hatch and erupted outward.

A squad of Ultramarines rushed out of the pod, their muzzles aimed directly at Fu Qinghai.

"Hey, Polasko, using plasma weapons inside a drop pod—aren't you afraid of burning yourself to death?" Gult shouted.

"Better that than being trapped inside," the lead warrior replied to Gult after confirming their identities, quickly lowering his weapon.

Gult nodded and said, "We are three kilometers off our intended position. We need to pick up the pace. Move out!"

With that, he led his squad into a cave that headed in the same direction as their target.

The other squad of Ultramarines also found a cave and headed inside.

The dark caves were a labyrinth of complex paths, and the signal was poor; communication with the orbital fleet and other squads was intermittent. Fortunately, they encountered no enemies, and the Stinger tactical squad soon arrived at their designated position. Here, the vanguard Ultramarines were already locked in fierce combat with the traitors.

Just as Fu Qinghai crawled out of the cave, a Heavy Bolter round grazed his scalp, shattering a cluster of stalactites behind him.

Fu Qinghai quickly ducked and dove for cover.

Gult crawled forward. The vanguard Ultramarines hiding in the trench depression turned to look, realized they were allies, and shouted:

"Gult, their ship-borne weapon fire is too heavy! Where is your heavy weapon support?"

Gult was just about to reply that he only had standard Astartes with him when he saw the enemy's defensive line descend into chaos. Explosions and gunfire erupted on the opposite side, and the enemy's counterattack began to falter.

"Heavy weapons have arrived," a deep, resonant voice sounded over the long-silent comms channel.

Gult looked pleasantly surprised; he recognized the owner of the voice and said, "It's the Ancient Hiller! They dropped behind the enemy lines."

As soon as Fu Qinghai heard "Ancient," he knew exactly what kind of being was speaking on the comms channel.

A Dreadnought!

The standard heavy fire support platform for an Astartes Legion.

Fu Qinghai and the Ultramarines seized this hard-won opportunity, leaping up and sprinting toward the enemy's constructed fortifications.

Just as Fu Qinghai slid into a trench, a buzzing, massive chainaxe swung down from the side. Fu Qinghai shifted his shoulder to dodge the blow and delivered a precise strike with his right hand; the tip of his power sword, flickering with ghostly blue arcs of electricity, slid smoothly into the intruder's visor.

With a scream, the Word Bearers warrior released his grip on the axe handle and collapsed to his knees.

Kill confirmed!

This was the first Astartes Fu Qinghai had killed since becoming an Astartes himself—his first kill.

It had come so suddenly. No grim standoff, no patient maneuvering, no back-and-forth exchange of blows. In that split second of surprise, Fu Qinghai didn't even have time to think; relying solely on the muscle memory and instincts honed by long-term training, the enemy was already dead.

Fu Qinghai took a deep breath, telling himself: This isn't a web novel; this is war!

An Ultramarine beside him also jumped into the trench. He looked at the corpse at Fu Qinghai's feet and said:

"That move just now wasn't bad. Teach me when we get back."

Fu Qinghai did not recognize this warrior; he nodded, stepped over the corpse, and continued forward.

Soon, they saw a Dreadnought rampaging in the distance.

It was a behemoth 4.5 meters tall and 3 meters wide; the only land-based bipedal unit in the Imperium of Man larger than it was the smallest class of Titan—the Knight Titan.

Fu Qinghai identified its model: the Contemptor Dreadnought, the most widely deployed variant during the 30k era.

A thick, massive chassis was mounted atop sturdy bipedal legs. Buried in the center of the torso was its pilot—a Space Marine who had suffered mortal wounds, his limbs removed, leaving only his head and a portion of his torso, primarily the spine, to be stuffed into this sarcophagus... or more accurately, a life-support system, integrated with Adeptus Mechanicus cybernetic technology to pilot this giant.

As a Techmarine, Fu Qinghai analyzed at a glance that this deep-blue painted Contemptor Dreadnought was equipped with a twin-linked Melta Cannon on its left arm and a Power Claw with an integrated Plasma Cannon on its right.

The Dreadnought was currently wreaking havoc among the enemy ranks. With a blast of melta gas, it incinerated several Word Bearers Space Marines who were charging forward with howls. The massive, 360-degree rotating torso twisted backward, and its Power Claw snatched up a Word Bearers warrior attempting a sneak attack from behind. The sharp Power Claw pierced the attacker's Plasteel armor, hanging him in the air, before the torso swung around again, flinging the dying Word Bearer away.

Damn, that's fierce... Fu Qinghai's eyes lit up as he watched, the Iron Man electronic soul backup in his mind surging—if this Dreadnought were handed over to him, he could modify it to be even stronger!

"Ancient warrior Hiller, well done!" Gult shouted excitedly over the comms channel.

Although Stinger Squad's drop had been off-target, other squads had successfully landed inside the enemy's defensive line. Caught in a pincer attack, the line was quickly breached.

The long-awaited voice of Vlahos also sounded on the comms: "All squads, proceed to the transport ship's key locations to sabotage the vessel as planned. Do not get bogged down in combat. I repeat, do not get bogged down."

Fu Qinghai knew Vlahos had also led a drop team from the front, though he didn't know where he had landed.

With communications restored, their distance was closing.

Stinger Squad's tactical execution was sharp; with the Dreadnought leading the way, they pushed straight into the heart of the front line without getting entangled in minor skirmishes.

After a few small-scale battles, Stinger Squad located a target transport ship in the pitch-black canyon.

The searchlight mounted atop the Contemptor Dreadnought flickered to life, casting a white beam against the side of the towering, gray-white ship that stood like a wall.

The high hull wall blocked their path like a fortress, requiring them to crane their necks just to see the top.

The transport ship, sensing the arrival of the Ultramarines, reacted. A quad-linked Heavy Bolter turret mounted on the hull turned toward them and opened fire. The Dreadnought raised its Atomantic Shield, blocking the majority of the incoming bolter rounds, and pushed forward step by difficult step against the storm of fire.

Stinger Squad used the Atomantic Shield raised by the Dreadnought as cover, struggling in a stalemate against the ship's turret.

Gult shouted into the comms: "Stinger Squad has reached the designated location, 11 minutes behind schedule. We have identified the transport ship Abominable Worm, coordinates 341-023-123. We are currently under fire from ship-borne weaponry and require heavy fire support!"

"Acknowledged, Stinger Squad. Enter the Abominable Worm at the designated point and extract once your objective is complete," Vlahos's voice replied over the comms.

"Atomantic Shield energy is low. Estimated to hold for three more minutes," the muffled voice of Ancient warrior Hiller, transmitted through a vocal synthesizer, remained as calm as ever.

He stated the critical fact with total composure.

Meanwhile, the turret continued its frenzied output without any sign of stopping.

"Stinger Squad, spread out to the flanks and provide suppressive fire," Gult ordered.

The Ultramarines quickly fanned out from behind the Dreadnought, raising their weapons to fire at the turret.

However, the rotating quad-linked Heavy Bolter turret on the transport ship completely ignored the bullets fired by the Space Marines on the flanks. The thick hull wall blocked their sparse shots, and it remained locked onto the Dreadnought, firing wildly.

"Two minutes," Ancient warrior Hiller's muffled voice sounded on the comms again.

The only heavy firepower Stinger Squad possessed was the twin-linked Melta Cannon and Plasma Cannon mounted on the Contemptor Dreadnought, but unfortunately, neither weapon could reach the high-mounted turret in the distance.

"We will withdraw steadily, fall back into the cave, and wait for the long-range heavy weapons squad to get into position before entering."

Gult felt that being a passive target was not an option and opted for a safer plan.

Fu Qinghai zoomed in his visor's perspective, carefully scanning the hull of the transport ship as the Tony Stark electronic soul analyzed the structure at high speed.

Found it!

Based on the structure, design, and patterns, Fu Qinghai discovered a half-hidden hatch embedded in the rock.

"I can get inside the transport ship; provide me cover!" Fu Qinghai shouted over the comms.

Without waiting for his teammates to respond, Fu Qinghai looked left and right, taking advantage of the darkness and the Dreadnought drawing the fire, and moved quickly and cautiously toward the other side.

Gult turned his head to see Fu Qinghai sneaking toward a hatch at the base of the ship. The mechanical arm on his back flexibly deployed a welding torch and a cutting blade, and he began to breach the door.

Stinger Squad, who had been preparing to retreat, halted.

Gult recalled Fu Qinghai's performance throughout the journey and thought to himself that this kid was far too bellicose—his desire for battle was even more intense than the Ultramarines who held a grudge against the Word Bearers. As a Techmarine who should have been positioned in the middle or rear of the formation, he constantly charged to the very front, slaying countless enemies, all while wielding a blade with a level of skill that rivaled the Company Champion.

In truth, what Gult didn't know was that Fu Qinghai had gradually discovered that while acting with squadmates increased his Assimilation Points, the points gained from enemies he killed personally were the highest—which was why he charged to the front in every battle.

However, Fu Qinghai was also terrified of death; while striving to earn Assimilation Points, he remained highly tense and cautious.

Due to the angle of elevation, the quad-linked Heavy Bolter could not see Fu Qinghai's small movements beneath the ship.

The turret continued to fire, and the Dreadnought's Atomantic Shield grew dim under the continuous barrage of saturated fire.

Fu Qinghai cut through the hatch and scrambled inside.

Behind the hatch lay a pitch-black circular conduit, with countless black cables, chains, and pipes running along the length of the tunnel.

Fu Qinghai climbed up along the conduits to the position where the quad-linked Heavy Bolter was mounted and discovered a gaunt Servitor connected to and controlling the weapon, with countless wires plugged into its head, linking it to the turret's controller.

Fu Qinghai shot the connection cables, causing white smoke and sparks to erupt. The Servitor collapsed to the ground, twitching all over, its mouth emitting incoherent babbling.

The quad-linked Heavy Bolter finally fell silent, allowing Stinger Squad, who had been hiding behind the Dreadnought, to advance rapidly.

"Well done, Qingshan. Wait for us to rendezvous with you," Gult praised over the comms.

The warriors of Stinger Squad climbed into the transport ship through the hatch Fu Qinghai had cut, and Gult spoke to the Dreadnought following behind:

"Ancient warrior Hiller, wait here for the other squads to arrive and cover our rear."

"Acknowledged," the Dreadnought replied with a blunt, muffled voice.

The hatch Fu Qinghai had cut open was too small, and what lay beyond was not a transport ship corridor, but a passage for workers and Servitors; the massive size of the Dreadnought simply could not pass through.

Outside another transport ship, Vlahos, clad in Terminator Armor and wielding a Power Hammer while locked in a bloody battle with the Word Bearers, received word that the Stinger Squad led by Fu Qinghai had already breached the interior of the Abominable Worm transport ship.

As the commander, he knew that Gult's Stinger Squad was the first team to successfully penetrate the interior of a transport ship.

Vlahos was very familiar with his subordinates, and he knew that Gult was not the type to rashly advance without caution.

The variable, then, must be that Astartes Techmarine from the White Scars.

Vlahos smashed a Word Bearers warrior away with his hammer and paused to catch his breath.

He thought to himself, as expected of someone from the White Scars; just as the rumors say, they carry speed deep within their bones.

PS: The battle scenes in the first volume are limited to relatively small, localized conflicts. I will not spend space describing the original plot of the Horus Heresy because, on one hand, the official novels have already covered these events, and repeating them would feel like padding the word count. On the other hand, the protagonist is still a small character who has only just begun to grow and does not yet possess the ability to sway the outcome of a major battle, so I will not depict large-scale warfare for now; that will come later.