Marshal Liek looked over the battle reports sent back from the front. The Hive World could no longer halt the Ork horde's invasion, and Liek's once-upright posture gradually slumped.
Marshal Liek looked at the intelligence officer beside him and asked bitterly, "Have we already lost? Is there no way to turn this around?"
The intelligence officer lowered his head as well and said sorrowfully, "Marshal, we have lost. We no longer have the strength to stop the Orks' invasion."
The entire command centre hall sank into despair. No one had any confidence left that they could still stop the Orks' invasion.
Marshal Liek quietly asked the intelligence officer beside him, "Still no contact with the Governor?"
The intelligence officer shook his head and quietly replied, "No contact with the Governor. Ever since the Governor sent you those military orders, we have been unable to reach him again."
Hearing the intelligence officer's answer, Marshal Liek had expected it, but he had not expected the Governor to flee so quickly. Three Ork warships were still hanging in space.
There was simply no way to leave the planet, which meant the Governor was still hiding somewhere on the Hive World. Yet the Governor refused to come out and take command, leaving Marshal Liek helpless.
Seeing Marshal Liek fall silent, the intelligence officer cautiously asked, "Sir, has the Governor been killed?"
Marshal Liek merely shook his head and gave no answer. Seeing this, the intelligence officer understood that the Governor had gone into hiding.
Marshal Liek looked at the surviving staff officers and technical officers in the hall and shouted, "Go command the soldiers still alive in the hive. Continue fighting the Orks. Hold out until Imperial reinforcements arrive."
Upon hearing the Marshal's orders, the command centre officers stood and shouted, "Understood!"
With that, the officers strode out of the command centre and headed for various parts of the hive.
The intelligence officer watched the officers leave, then looked at Marshal Liek in confusion and asked, "They have all left. What about you, Marshal?"
"Me?"
Marshal Liek looked at the intelligence officer dejectedly. He wanted to say something, but did not know what to say. He merely waved a hand at the officer and fell silent.
With no other choice, the intelligence officer turned and walked toward the door.
Marshal Liek thought of how his own mistaken decisions had cost the Hive World tens of millions of troops and countless war supplies, exhausting the entire Hive World's accumulated reserves of several decades.
Once the Imperium reclaimed the Hive World, the Governor and the other nobles would undoubtedly lay those losses at his feet. His family simply could not bear such an enormous debt. Of course, that was only if Imperial reinforcements arrived and defeated the Orks.
Thinking of his dreadful situation, Marshal Liek could no longer bear to think further. His right hand trembled as he drew the laser pistol at his waist, aimed it at his head, and pulled the trigger.
"Thud."
The sound of a heavy body striking the floor echoed through the hall. The intelligence officer, still walking toward the door, heard the noise and turned around to see Marshal Liek lying dead on the ground.
Looking at Marshal Liek, who had taken his own life, the intelligence officer felt nothing. He mechanically drew his sidearm and muttered, "Marshal, I'll join you."
"Bang."
The entire command hall fell quiet.
The Hive World's soldiers fled in collapse at the front while the Ork horde pursued relentlessly behind them. The human soldiers streamed into the hive's Lower Hive, escaping the Orks' pursuit amid its chaotic structures.
After entering the Lower Hive, the Ork horde gradually dispersed. The Lower Hive was the largest region on the entire Hive World, filled with factories and slum districts. Its most numerous inhabitants were gang members.
The gangs managed the Lower Hive's poor and its weapons production. The considerable taxes collected from the Lower Hive had to be handed over to the upper-class nobles for the gangs to survive.
The consequence of failing to pay taxes was extermination by the private armies sent by the upper nobles. The nobles' private forces were better equipped and more thoroughly trained than the Hive World's Defense Force soldiers. Gang members had virtually no ability to resist them.
Conditions in the Lower Hive were only slightly better than in the Underhive. At least after finishing a day's work, people could receive a little food to fill their stomachs.
When the Ork horde burst into the Lower Hive, the already chaotic district became even more chaotic. Fierce gunfire rang out everywhere.
When gang territory came under Ork attack, the gang members fought back against the Greenskins without fear of death. It was not because they possessed greater resolve than the Hive World's Planetary Defence Force.
It was simply because the territory held by each gang was the hope they depended on to survive. Without territory, there would be no food or drinking water, leaving gang members no choice but to fight the Ork invasion to the death.
The streets occupied by the gang members had been packed with firepower. Heavy weapons such as Logging Guns occupied the high ground, inflicting heavy casualties on any Orks that entered their sights.
"Waaagh!"
"Boyz, there's an even bigger scrap ahead! Charge with me!"
Seeing large numbers of Ork Boyz fall ahead, an Ork boss could not help roaring excitedly at his followers.
"Waaagh!"
An even louder roar answered the Ork boss.
Leading a large number of Ork Boyz, the Ork boss launched an assault on the street occupied by the gang members.
"Rat-a-tat-tat!"
Even fiercer gunfire answered the Orks. Their numerical advantage could not be brought to bear in the narrow streets. Whenever the Orks charged in large numbers, the heavy weapons placed on the high ground by the gang members drove them back.
"These humies are proper tough. They can actually hold off our attack."
An Ork boss over three metres tall rubbed his chin. Watching the Ork Boyz' third attack get repelled by the humans, he muttered to himself.
"Boss, these humies really are pretty strong."
A Gretchin standing on the Ork boss's shoulder heard the praise and hurriedly chimed in.
The Orks did not consider it shameful that humans holding advantageous ground had repelled their underlings' attacks. To Orks, as long as there was a fight to be had, that was all that mattered.
The Ork boss turned his head, glanced at the Gretchin Boy on his shoulder, and asked, "You've got more sneaky ideas than most. Got any good ones?"
The Gretchin stroked his pointed chin, thought for a few seconds, and said, "Boss, we've still got loads of Hoppers. Let the Hoppers join the fight too. They'll definitely bring you a surprise, Boss."
The Ork boss considered it and agreed with the Gretchin's suggestion.
After receiving the boss's approval, the Gretchin jumped down from his shoulder and ran toward the Orks' rear.
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