The Great War Erupts

Fanatical shouts erupted from the ranks of the rebels.

As for the Khorne cultists, the Bloodletters raised their massive flesh-axes and let out a deafening roar toward the heavens.

The blood-red hue in the eyes of every Khorne Berserker deepened, and they began to strike their breastplates with their weapons, creating a rhythmic thumping sound like war drums.

Ren's voice drifted over from the direction of the warehouse, his tone now transformed into a bizarre, multi-layered harmony:

"The Lord of Change bestows his blessing... let the winds of change... sweep across this desolate land..."

The Tzeentch Horrors began weaving complex flight paths in the air, faint blue electrical sparks coalescing upon their claws.

"Good grief."

Wang Zhong grumbled in the regional channel, "A regular Chaos family reunion, it seems."

"Facing Imperial forces, even if they're just local warlords, putting aside internal conflicts to wipe out the Order side first—that's very Warhammer."

The Mechanicus Oil-Lover on the Run added.

"What about us?"

Soul of Cadia asked, "Keep saving people?"

"Of course we keep going!"

Wang Zhong looked behind him. At the entrance of the Raw Material Transport Tunnel in the northwest corner, over three thousand workers had already gathered, and players were still emerging from various ruins, bringing new groups of workers with them.

Most of these native workers were terrified, and many were wounded.

Yet, under the organization of players who were shouting and gesturing wildly, they had managed to form a somewhat orderly queue, one by one crawling into the three-meter-diameter, rust-covered metal pipe.

According to intelligence provided by Jeremy before his death, the other end of the pipe should lead to an Abandoned Mining Site two kilometers outside the factory area.

"Group One! Report your status!"

Wang Zhong shouted into the channel.

"Group One receiving!"

Soul of Cadia's voice was heavy with exertion, "The interior of the tunnel is cleared. We took out seven straggling overseers hiding inside; no traps found!"

"The pipe structure is mostly intact, but there's a risk of collapse in some sections, so we've left people behind to reinforce it along the way!"

"Estimated time for all workers to pass through is... at least forty minutes!"

"Too slow!"

Wang Zhong frowned, "Alru's troops will attack in three minutes; these Chaos scum and rebels in the factory won't hold out for long!"

He glanced at the holographic clock: 02:12, 02:11...

"All groups, attention! Adjust the plan!"

"Group One, speed up the worker throughput. If you have to, kick them in the rear to get them moving!"

"Groups Two and Three, peel off one-third of your personnel to establish a defensive perimeter at the tunnel entrance. Prepare to deal with attacks coming from inside the factory, whether it's rebels, Chaos, or straggling overseers!"

"Group Four, technical team, follow me!"

Wang Zhong led his direct squad and the dozens of members from the technical team, crouching low as they crossed a patch of burning ruins and climbed onto the base of a cooling tower that had not yet fully collapsed.

From here, he could overlook most of the factory area.

Alru's troops had completed their final deployment. Tank turrets began fine-tuning their angles, and the soldiers in the front ranks of the infantry phalanx knelt, mounting their Heavy Bolters and Missile Launchers.

Inside the factory, the rebels had constructed makeshift fortifications using building debris, while the Khorne cultists gathered around the Bloodletters, forming a surging storm of crimson.

The Tzeentch daemons hovered above the warehouse; the Horrors began to assemble into some sort of eerie formation, and the Lord of Change and Mystery began casting spells with all nine arms simultaneously, causing countless flickering runes to manifest in the air.

"Oil-Lover," Wang Zhong stared at them, "Analyze this—what kind of big move are those blue smurfs from Tzeentch cooking up?"

The Mechanicus Oil-Lover on the Run's eyes scanned the distant psychic fluctuations rapidly:

"Cross-referencing with the Warhammer lore database... they appear to be preparing a large-scale area-of-effect spell."

"It's not offensive; it leans more toward... battlefield control."

"It could be spatial distortion, time dilation, probability interference, or other classic Tzeentch tricks."

"The goal is to stall Alru's troops and create an opportunity for the Khorne cultists and rebels to engage in melee combat."

"What about the Khorne side?" Tax Brother asked.

"Khorne is simple."

Xue Brother replied, "Once Alru's troops attack and the defensive line is disrupted by the Tzeentch spell, the Bloodletters will lead the Berserkers in a charge, going straight for a face-to-face slaughter."

"The rebels will take the opportunity to provide long-range fire support, targeting the vulnerable infantry and light armored units."

"Standard Chaos joint operations, though this kind of cooperation usually falls apart into backstabbing before the battle even ends."

Wang Zhong nodded, his mind made up.

At that moment, the holographic clock ticked to 00:30.

The mechanical voice of Caspar Alru rang out once more:

"Thirty seconds remaining."

"This is your final mercy."

"All who step outside the factory grounds shall be considered to have surrendered."

"All who remain within the factory shall be considered heretics."

"Countdown: 00:29, 00:28..."

Inside the factory, not a single rebel or chaos cultist moved toward the exit.

Instead, several faded flags were raised within the rebel ranks; they bore the emblem of the Black Royal Family from eighty years ago—an eagle clutching a bolt of lightning.

The rhythmic pounding of the Khorne cultists grew more intense, and the Bloodletters began slamming their massive axes into the ground, each strike causing the earth to tremble.

The chanting of the Tzeentch demons reached a crescendo, the three heads of the Lord of Change and Mystery opened their eyes simultaneously, and nine arms unfurled violently toward the sky!

"00:03, 00:02, 00:01!"

"Time is up."

The mechanical ocular implant of Caspar Alru flared with a surge of red light:

"Extermination mode, initiated."

"For the Chamber of Commerce, for order, for The Emperor."

"Fire!!!"

"BOOM!!!!!!!"

The main cannons of fifteen Leman Russ Tanks roared in unison!

Fifteen high-explosive shells dragged tails of fire across the morning sky, slamming into the factory grounds!

Almost simultaneously, the twin-linked main cannons of three Baneblade Siege Tanks fired, with even larger shells following close behind!

Then came the lascannons and Heavy Bolters of the Sentinel Mechs, followed by the missile and laser volleys from the infantry phalanxes...

The entire perimeter wall of the refinery was instantly engulfed in explosions and fire!

"Holy shit!"

Did White Scars speed today nearly jumped out from behind his cover, "These special effects! This explosion! This sound design! It's even more badass than the cutscenes in Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War!"

"No shit! You're actually on the front lines, you idiot!"

Tax Brother shoved him back down, "Stray rounds! Watch out for stray rounds!"

The first wave of shelling targeted primarily the factory walls and peripheral buildings, intended to blast open an assault corridor.

However, over a dozen shells had already landed inside the facility, one of which scored a direct hit on an Ore Crusher that had yet to collapse.

That piece of equipment, which the players hadn't had the chance to dismantle yet and was worth fifty thousand credits, was instantly reduced to a sky full of flying metal shards.

"My fifty thousand credits!!!"

Soul of Cadia screamed in the channel.

"Stop howling!"

Wang Zhong roared back, "Look over there!"

Following the bombardment, the Alru forces began their advance.

Tanks in the lead, Sentinel Mechs guarding the flanks, and infantry phalanxes following closely behind, they surged toward the breached walls like a tide of steel.

Meanwhile, inside the factory, the ultimate ability of the Tzeentch demons was ready.

The Lord of Change and Mystery pressed all nine arms downward simultaneously!

The flickering runes in the air exploded violently, transforming into a blue force field that covered half the factory!

Space within the field began to warp, light refracted at grotesque angles, and sounds became muffled and distorted.

Most terrifying of all, the three Leman Russ Tanks at the forefront suddenly seemed to seize up; their tracks spun wildly in the air, but their forward momentum plummeted by seventy percent!

The trajectories of the tank shells also became erratic; despite being aimed at the rebel fortifications, they veered wildly and struck the nearby Wastewater Pool instead.

"Spatial distortion field!"

Mechanicus Oil-Lover on the Run recorded the data excitedly, "Reduced movement speed, disrupted ballistic trajectories—a classic Tzeentch crowd-control skill!"

"Khorne is moving!"

Sure enough, under the cover of the Tzeentch field, that Bloodletter let out a heaven-shaking roar, raised its massive flesh-axe, and charged first toward the nearest Leman Russ Tank!

Behind it, over two hundred Khorne Berserkers, already half-demonized, roared as they followed like a blood-colored mudslide!

"For the Blood God!!!"

"Skulls! For the Skull Throne!!"

"Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!!!"

The rebels were not idle either; they hauled various defensive armaments off the hundreds of vehicles they had driven into the industrial zone.

They set up dozens of their own Heavy Bolters and lascannons behind the fortifications, opening fire violently upon the Alru infantry phalanxes!

The battle had erupted in full.