The Empire's Frontier: Courier Cargo Ship

Inside the flickering multi-function reconnaissance scope, countless data charts and distance display units worked in efficient harmony, presenting the observed direction with pinpoint accuracy to the user.

This type of scope is widely used by the Imperium; the Astra Militarum, law enforcement, and the Planetary Defense Force—especially artillery units—are particularly fond of this individual-carried optic.

This is because it can automatically calculate distances and firing coordinates via an infrared capture unit, saving them a great deal of trouble.

Unfortunately, Vito has no use for those functions. Firstly, he doesn't have any artillery, and secondly, he is currently in the Underhive, with God-knows-how-many meters of crustal structure looming directly above his head.

A ghostly green light reflected in Vito's pupils.

An underground canal—there is a river beneath the hive city, a complex system of subterranean waterways. These natural rivers run through the continent, and under the modifications and processing of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the banks have been widened and the underground space further excavated.

Considering that the surface of the hive world is not exactly habitable, most transport work is completed underground. The Grand Canal system, combined with a network of heavy-load trains traversing the continent, moves raw materials, processed goods, and everything else you could imagine from one end of the planet to the other, eventually reaching their intended destinations.

Every hive world, after hundreds or thousands of years, possesses such forgotten existences—canals, railways, factories, and even more—that even the Adeptus Mechanicus itself has forgotten to maintain.

It must be said that the Imperium is sometimes quite wasteful.

Consequently, these forgotten places, deep in the dark underground, have become the assets of the Underhive gangs.

Vito lowered his scope and sat cross-legged against a dock cargo container. Beside him, Marshall was already lying prone on the ground, aiming at the target with his Master-crafted Lasgun.

Vito smiled, looking with satisfaction at the large barge moored at the edge of the dock on the pitch-black underground canal. Many members of the Hammer Gang were busy, moving cargo or chatting idly.

Several large objects were covered with canvas on the ship, but even from their silhouettes, Vito could tell at a glance that they were Sentinel walkers.

"Looks like the delivery is right on time, as always," Vito said with a smile, setting the scope aside.

Marshall glanced at him from the corner of his eye before refocusing on his scope. "Silver Snake's intel is as accurate as ever. By the way, what about you and her?"

"Marshall, tell me, what man wouldn't be interested in that girl?"

Vito said with a mocking smile. Marshall laughed silently and rested his finger lightly on the trigger. "I'll take the first shot?" "Please."

Before Vito's words had even faded—in the very instant the first syllable left his lips—a laser beam tore through the air, instantly blowing the man's head apart.

Everyone on the dock was jolted into action. Those holding guns turned around, but almost instantly, two more men were struck down by laser beams. A young Hammer Gang member standing near the fallen men held his autogun in shock; as he turned his head blankly, a Bolter round shattered his skull.

Vito leaped down from the high container platform. As he crouched, he drew his Bolter and fired, taking out a guard who was still in a daze. The thunderous roar of the gun echoed across the dock. The boss of the Hammer Gang at the dock turned in surprise, dropping his data-slate, and looked toward the containers along with his subordinates.

At the entrance to the dock, the guards were also drawn by the sound of gunfire.

Suddenly, three trucks roared along the road beside the massive artificial chasm, smashing through the drop-barriers and charging directly into the dock.

The Hammer Gang members stared blankly at the three trucks. From the dump beds at the rear, followers of the God of Redemption vaulted out. The muzzle flashes of solid-shot firearms and the searing red light of lasguns illuminated the dim underground dock.

Vito ran out from the narrow container yard. He tilted his head, watching the chaos before him with amusement. Countless light-bolts and gunfire intertwined as members of both sides scrambled for cover, trading fire across the dim dock.

Vito turned sideways, and a light-bolt struck the container beside him. The searing laser beam burned through the thin metal. Vito touched the back of his head as he looked at the hole, which was already fading in heat. "Wow, seems like we were ten seconds early? Looks like my cool speech is off the table."

"For the God of Redemption!" A hysterical roar erupted nearby. Vito turned his head to look at the chaotic battlefield and saw a Hammer Gang member, following his boss's near-screaming order, rushing into the staff office outside the dock with a shotgun in hand.

Vito raised an eyebrow, grabbed his Bolter, and dashed away. He sprinted across the open dock, constantly changing his posture and trajectory as countless bullets and laser beams flashed and roared around him.

But Vito's agility far exceeded that of an average human. Clearly, the Inquisition-grade modifications on his body were exceptional—no, I suspect there are also implants from Mars, hmm. Well, it's pointless to dwell on exactly how many augmented parts Vito has for now.

Vito came to a sudden halt because a bullet had just whistled past his eyes. He turned his head and saw a Hammer Gang brute, strong to an excessive degree, roaring as he fired wildly with a Heavy Stubber.

Bolter rounds punched through a concrete pier, turning one of Vito's subordinates behind it into a bloody mist. Clearly, he had begun to unleash his firepower toward Vito.

Vito dove to the ground, rolling repeatedly to dodge the Bolter fire. The concrete floor was shredded, debris flying as if the crust of the earth had been ripped open.

Vito hid behind a wall, but the structure began to collapse rapidly under the impact of the Bolter rounds.

"Marshall, make him shut up!" Vito said into his comms. Before he finished, a red light flashed past Vito's eyes, and the roar of the Bolter fire ceased. Vito immediately jumped out and grabbed his Bolter, firing continuously.

An entire magazine of ammunition whistled out, splattering blood and gore over the guys who had tried to lift the heavy machine gun after the brute's head was blown open.

Several men collapsed instantly, and those still alive scrambled to find cover. Vito smiled and ejected the Bolter's magazine. "Ogryn, don't hold back. Feel free to shoot today, just don't hit our own people."

"Understood, Boss!" a rough, somewhat dim-witted voice replied. From the shadows of the dock, a massive silhouette appeared behind Vito. It was an Ogryn clad in armor, and in his large hands, he carried an even larger, thicker Heavy Stubber.

The Ogryn's wide teeth bared in a roar, saliva spraying from his mouth, and along with it, the thick ammunition belt of the Bolter surged and leaped. Fierce muzzle flashes erupted beside Vito like a sun suddenly appearing.

Almost immediately, a storm of firepower shattered countless obstacles and the people behind them.

A second Ogryn emerged from the corner, wielding an oversized shotgun.

Vito reloaded with a new magazine, smiled, and immediately moved out. He advanced rapidly along the outer wall of the dock office. Vito leaped over the position of a God of Redemption shooter and charged straight toward the office door.

The Hammer Gang leader seemed to realize his intent and began roaring orders for his men to fire at Vito.

But the first person to turn his gun and aim was immediately struck in the head by a laser beam, followed by the second. Everyone was terrified and ducked back behind cover.

The boss leaned behind sandbags, poked his head out to look, and saw the red light flashing above the container yard in the distance. "Where is the sniper! Take him out!"

Following the boss's angry curse, a Hammer Gang shooter wielding a plasma weapon emerged from behind a wall and pulled the trigger toward Marshall's position.

Blue plasma lightning whistled out. The plasma shot struck the container, and the explosion of concentrated energy bloomed instantly. Vito stopped and looked toward the container where the lightning was dancing.

"Marshall, are you still alive?" Vito asked. After a moment of static on the comms, a clear voice emerged. "Alive, though not exactly doing great."

A low curse came from the other side of the comms. Vito smiled. "Can you still fight?"

His response was a laser beam that punched through the head of a Hammer Gang member near Vito. Vito smiled silently and took a step back. "Pike! Blast through the wall! Get me a shortcut!"

Amidst a savage roar, the Ogryn shooter turned his gun, and the impact of the massive-caliber shotgun instantly blew a large hole in the outer wall of the office.

Vito leaped inside, immediately seeing the young Hammer Gang member holding a phone and frantically toggling the communication console, the latter looking at Vito in terror.

The latter smiled slightly, raised his gun, and pulled the trigger. Brain matter and skull fragments sprayed against the wall. Vito walked over to the telephone, picked up the receiver, and listened. Amidst a blur of static, it was clear he hadn't gotten through yet.

Vito smiled with satisfaction and dropped the receiver. "Well, I thought I might have cut the wrong line earlier. It seems The Emperor has favored me once again."

Truth be told, when Vito had cut the dock's telephone line, he had simply grabbed a random wire in the communication conduit and snipped it. He hadn't expected to actually get the right one.

Vito gave a playful smirk, kicked open the inner office door, and stepped out into the deserted alleyway at the edge of the docks. He glanced left and right, saw no enemies, smiled in satisfaction, and then sprinted quickly along the empty street toward the bow of the barge.

Amidst the intense and chaotic battle at the docks, no one noticed a figure leaping across the wide Grand Canal with a force that defied human physiology, landing directly onto the barge.

Vito rolled to his feet, dashed down the spiral staircase, and shattered the head of a crewman who hadn't yet realized what was happening. He rushed across the deck, firing continuously to take down the unlucky, unarmed crew members remaining on the ship.

Vito reached the machinery covered by a canvas tarp, drew his combat knife to slice the ropes, and ripped the cover away, revealing a large mechanical object in a crouching position.

The Inquisitor whistled and clapped his hands in satisfaction. "Oh, you really are a beauty. I'll have to get Omega to tinker with a couple of these for me when I get back."

Vito holstered his Bolter, grabbed the handrails, and vaulted into the cockpit of the Sentinel. He started the machine with practiced ease. The display screens on the dashboard lit up one by one, and after the Imperial Aquila flashed across the main monitor, the bipedal Adeptus Mechanicus construct stood up.

Its massive, long legs thudded onto the barge deck. Vito piloted the Sentinel to the gunwale with heavy, rhythmic steps. He looked down at the Hammer Gang boss, who was staring in stunned silence, waved goodbye with his left hand, and pressed the red trigger with his right.

The Sentinel's twin-linked autocannons erupted in a dense barrage of fire, a dazzling storm of red beams sweeping across the edge of the docks.

Wherever the lasers passed, all flesh was instantly vaporized, and steel was reduced to shredded scrap under the assault.

The Hammer Gang boss and his surrounding subordinates were reduced to ash.

A Hammer Gang member holding the only plasma weapon left prepared for a final stand, leveled his weapon at Vito—who had yet to notice him—and pulled the trigger.

But his luck had run out. The barrel of the plasma weapon suddenly expanded and exploded, the plasma discharge instantly consuming him and turning him into a pile of debris amidst his own screams.

Vito raised a finger, watching the surreal scene. He stood up playfully, one hand resting on the Sentinel's command frame, looking down at the survivors of the Devout Society as they rose one by one after the battle on the docks.

The two Ogryn also ceased their fire and walked onto the dock. Marshall jumped down from a shipping container, joining the others as they gathered on the pier, staring in utter astonishment at Vito, who had appeared on the barge and commandeered a Sentinel out of nowhere.

"Boss! How'd you get up there? You were just next to me!" The Ogryn scratched his head with a massive hand, his companion looking just as bewildered as he scratched his own head.

Vito smiled, leaning against the Sentinel's command cockpit. "I'll leave you all with a piece of wisdom today."

"Only the plasma of the loyal never overheats."