The allied forces' positions stretched for five kilometers.
Up front were the gang cannon fodder, huddled behind makeshift barricades and gathering in small groups around bonfires to keep warm.
The middle and rear were occupied by the Noble Private Army. Their standard-issue armor was neatly arranged, Leman Russ Tanks stood on either side of hastily built fortifications, and heavy Boltguns were mounted at the front.
Count Victor sat in his command vehicle with a glass of sweet Amasec in hand, a gentle tune playing in his ear. His army had already reached the outskirts of the Promethium Factory, and he was feeling rather pleased with himself:
"Those lowly Lower Hive gangs gave in as soon as I offered them a little incentive. What a bunch of useless fools."
"I don't think it'll take more than three days for the Promethium Factory to be ours."
"That kid Fu Haoran is no match for me."
His adjutant chimed in, "The enemy doesn't have enough troops to hold the line."
"Of course. He wouldn't dare send too many Planetary Defense Force troops." Victor sneered.
Victor had never imagined he could lose. The Planetary Defense Navy was watching from the sidelines nearby, and Fu Haoran wouldn't dare deploy the full Planetary Defense Force. Otherwise, the Navy would have an excuse to intervene.
As for the nobles, they weren't making a large-scale move openly; they were secretly sending their private armies into battle. As long as they didn't admit to it, no one could do anything to them.
The adjutant handed him a tablet. "Recon reports that three Valkyries took off from the factory and are circling around to the southeast."
Victor glanced at it.
"Taking the long way around?" He scoffed. "Afraid of our anti-aircraft fire? They're just three junk transport planes, without even an escort."
He set down his glass.
"Forget them. They're too far away to hit us with bombs. If they get closer, our anti-aircraft guns will teach them a lesson."
The adjutant nodded and continued watching the reconnaissance feed.
Count Victor poured himself another half glass of wine. Just as he raised it, he caught sight of a dozen little black dots in the sky, slowly heading toward the camp.
Then came a flash of white.
It wasn't the fiery light of an explosion. It was a purer, more blinding white than the sun.
The first bomb hit the ground. A flash of white light erupted without warning, and then the earth shook violently. The force of 1,400 kilograms of TNT swept across the entire battlefield.
Nearby Leman Russ Tanks were tossed more than ten meters by the shock wave. Their ammunition detonated, sending flames soaring into the sky.
The Noble Private Army within 70 meters was instantly vaporized by the blast, without even a chance to scream.
Soldiers within 260 meters were pierced through their armor by flying shrapnel and fell to the ground, howling in agony.
And explosions like that rang out eighteen times in a row.
The explosions landed evenly across the garrison's position.
Smoke and dust blotted out the sky. The noble army's camp, stretching for several kilometers, was swallowed in an instant by flames and smoke.
The wineglass slipped from Victor's hand, spilling wine all over him. The smug look on his face was replaced by terror. Before he could react, the powerful shock wave hurled him away, and he slammed into the wreckage of the command vehicle.
After who knew how long, Victor finally struggled out from beneath the rubble.
He was covered in soot, his expensive noble's clothes burned beyond recognition, and his face was smeared with dust and blood. One arm hung limply at his side.
Victor raised his head, and the sight before him left him dumbfounded!
The densely packed ranks of private soldiers were gone.
The mighty columns of Leman Russ Tanks were gone.
The mountains of ammunition and supplies were gone.
All that remained were craters.
One after another, like the craters on Luna's surface, they belched black smoke.
Scattered along their edges were charred, twisted, mangled... things he couldn't even begin to identify!
The Lower Hive gang cannon fodder in the distance had been far enough away to escape disaster.
But the hellish scene had scared the piss out of them.
What was the point of fighting? Who could guarantee the enemy wouldn't launch a second wave?
In an instant, the crowd scattered like frightened birds and beasts. No one even thought of looting the battlefield.
Farther away, the fleeing masses rushed in every direction like a swarm of panicked ants, trampling their own men, throwing away their weapons, shoving one another, falling down, then scrambling back to their feet and running on.
Victor slumped to the ground, muttering to himself with a vacant stare. "Impossible... We had the advantage. How could this happen...?"
"How could Fu Haoran... possibly have a weapon this powerful...?"
There were no hysterical screams, only despair that had sunk deep into his bones. He didn't even have the strength to stand, let alone seek revenge.
He had nothing left.
Go back?
No. Martha and the others would never let me off the hook if I went back.
This expedition hadn't just cost him his entire fortune. It had destroyed his reputation as well!
"I'm finished..." Victor murmured.
He stared at the wreckage, and something flickered in his eyes.
Fear, hatred, and finally, the madness of someone with nothing left to lose.
"If I'm going to die anyway... I might as well seek refuge with the governor."
Elsewhere, Fu Haoran watched the explosion footage on the communicator, but didn't feel much of anything.
Priest Kallen stood to one side, his mechanical eye flickering as he watched the bombs make precise turns. His doubts only deepened.
"Are these actually creations from the Dark Age of Technology?"
Yuri didn't have any of those concerns. He swore outright. "Holy crap! That was so satisfying!"
"The Noble Private Army's equipment and supplies are all worth Throne Coins!"
"Quick! Quick! Quick! Send people to salvage it. If we're late, the fleeing cannon fodder will loot everything!"
Fu Haoran agreed with Yuri's suggestion.
The explosions had been powerful, but most of the dead were soldiers.
The weapons and equipment could still be used after a little repair.
But compared with those "scraps," the system's reward was what he truly cared about.
[Main quest completed: Noble Counterattack] [Rating: S (You turned a noble coalition's siege into a one-sided demolition job)] [Reward: Universal Points +6666, Free Attribute Points +6] [Reward 2: Special Adjutant Summoning Permission (Unlocks a hidden adjutant)] [How to claim: Go to the designated coordinates and retrieve it yourself]
Fu Haoran's face darkened. He almost swore aloud. "Holy crap! What kind of lousy system is this? Who makes you run errands to claim your reward? Why not just make me build the adjutant myself?"
The system remained silent.
Fu Haoran took a deep breath. "So I risked my neck blowing up the allied forces, and all you give me is a promise of a reward that I have to go retrieve myself?"
Fu Haoran wanted to uninstall the lousy system.
He could complain all he wanted, but he still had to go to the coordinates. After all, this was a hidden reward!
Fu Haoran picked out dozens of people and called on Ronan, the local guide, then set off with a large group.
With Ronan's help, they quickly found the hidden freight elevator.
The elevator was old, its cables creaking and its walls covered in rust.
The light overhead grew more and more distant, until it was swallowed completely.
Yuri hunched his shoulders and started complaining. "This place is creepy as hell. How'd you even find it?"
Fu Haoran didn't answer.
At last, the elevator reached the lowest level.
But according to the system's instructions, they still had a long way to go.
At first, everything seemed normal.
But as they walked on, the walls on either side of the passage grew covered in moss and ancient carvings. Green light seeped from the carvings, illuminating the winding path ahead.
Fu Haoran stopped short.
"Wait, that light..."
Fu Haoran stared at the carvings on the wall, his pupils narrowing.
A thought flashed through his mind.
"Necrons!"
One of the oldest species in the Warhammer Universe. They had once been beings of flesh and blood, but now they were immortal machines.
Their signature features were green energy, pyramid-shaped tombs, and geometric designs utterly devoid of emotion.
A chill ran down Fu Haoran's back.
"What's wrong?" Yuri came over.
"...Nothing." Fu Haoran suppressed his shock and continued forward.
The farther they went, the brighter the green light grew.
At last, a massive stone door appeared before them. Strange patterns were carved into it, and a glowing green Crystal was set into its center.
There was only one design on the door.
The outline of a profile. Its lines were simple, yet it radiated an imposing, disdainful majesty.
It looked like a crown, or perhaps the emblem of some long-extinct Dynasty.
Fu Haoran signaled the guards to push the stone door open. It began to move slowly.
The moment the door opened, a flood of rich green light poured out, illuminating the entire chamber.
No, it was a tomb.
The ceiling was too high to see, and luminous runes were embedded all along the walls.
At the center stood a black Crystal sarcophagus?
[Please specify the desired form of your adjutant. Requirements can be customized, and the system will do its utmost to accommodate them within the existing reward framework.]
Fu Haoran looked at the tomb.
Then he looked at the prompt.
"An adjutant? System, you call this an adjutant? This is obviously a Necron tomb!"
Suddenly, he couldn't shake an idea of how to get back at it.
This lousy system has screwed me over plenty of times. At last, I've got the chance to turn the tables.
I'll make sure I screw this lousy system over this time!
Fu Haoran gave his answer without hesitation. "I want a beauty. A gorgeous beauty with a body of flesh and blood."
The system fell silent.
"I want her to have a big rack."
The system remained silent.
"I want a really beautiful woman with a big rack."
A full three seconds passed. To the Reincarnation System, it was as if three hundred years had gone by.
The system had expected Reincarnators to ask for loyalty, combat strength, administrative skill, or even technical expertise.
It had never expected anyone to request a pretty face!
[System frantically loading solution... Loading failed... Loading failed...] [Ding~ System crashed for 3 seconds. Emergency repairs complete!]
Fu Haoran grinned and teased it in his mind. What's wrong? Can't do it? System, didn't you say you could satisfy any reasonable request? How is asking for a beautiful adjutant unreasonable?
The system had given up arguing with him and started doing the bare minimum:
[Emergency solution: Use special energy to grant the target flesh and soul]
Fu Haoran raised an eyebrow and was about to make another joke, but then he noticed the green light inside the tomb suddenly grow brighter.
A chill seemed to seep from the sarcophagus, and the imposing, disdainful majesty felt even heavier than before.
"Wait, System, I was joking. Can't we talk this over?"
"I was wrong."
Before you continue