Preparing for Battle in the Underhive

After the Orks broke through the positions held by the Planetary Defence Force, Art Student shut off the footage he had been watching with his management staff. He had originally intended to let his subordinates observe the Imperium's methods of warfare and its officers' command abilities.

Instead, Art Student was deeply disappointed. The Planetary Defence Force soldiers were reasonably capable fighters, but their senior officers' command abilities were atrocious. They were like beginners playing a strategy game, capable only of ordering a full-frontal attack with a single click, without a shred of skill.

All that could be said was that the Planetary Defence Force had trained well. Otherwise, they could never have deployed an army of nearly ten million around the hive city in three hours to defend against the Ork invasion.

After shutting off the virtual screen projection, Art Student looked at the projections of several senior administrators and asked,

"Anrida, how is the evacuation going?"

Anrida replied, "My lord, the final batch of civilians is already on its way back under the Defence Force's protection. They should return to the base in about an hour. Once they do, the entire Defence Force can join the battle."

Satisfied with the answer, Art Student turned his gaze toward the others.

Seeing Art Student look at him, Hogood hurriedly said, "My lord, our administrative personnel are already arranging accommodations for the incoming people. If the situation turns bad, we can board the ships and carry out a strategic withdrawal at any time."

Art Student nodded at Hogood's words. He did not care about the euphemistic phrasing. Running away was running away; there was nothing shameful about it.

Art Student looked at Anglie, standing at the rear, and asked, "How is the construction of the defensive positions around the base progressing?"

"My lord, with the help of engineering robots, our logistics construction department has built a large number of sturdy bunkers and defensive positions around the base. They can withstand prolonged attacks from the Ork army. We will also be ready at all times to deliver supplies to the frontline troops, and we will not hold the base back."

Anglie answered confidently.

"Very good. You have all done excellent work. As for the battle, I will leave it to Gray, Mendeleev, and Anrida. I will not interfere excessively with your command. Go and do what you must. This is the first true test of war you will face."

Art Student looked at the three men and spoke calmly.

Gray and the other two, having been named, answered with solemn expressions, "My lord, we will not disappoint you."

Art Student nodded. "Go make your preparations."

Art Student shut off the screen projection and slumped alone upon his throne, staring speechlessly at the ceiling of the bridge. All he wanted was to conquer Teda Hive World.

Yet the Orks had chosen this moment to invade Teda World. Art Student could not help wondering whether this was a conspiracy. This had to be Tzeentch's doing. Whether or not it actually had anything to do with Tzeentch, whenever something bad happened, it was always right to pin the blame on Tzeentch.

Tzeentch, who was watching the antics of Art Student's subordinates in the Crystal Maze, suddenly felt a chill, as though someone were once again dumping every bit of blame onto him.

That was something Tzeentch, who delighted in mischief, simply could not tolerate. He might enjoy stirring up trouble to gain the greatest possible benefit, but he did not enjoy taking the blame for others.

Tzeentch used his magical abilities in an attempt to discover who was speaking of him, only to find that, despite his mastery of magic, he could not locate the other party at all.

"So it is that little vermin who smuggled himself in. What a pity he is hidden too deeply to find."

Tzeentch stroked his chin and muttered to himself.

Within the Milky Way, the only one who could currently evade his detection was the person who had smuggled himself in from another world not long ago.

Since he could not find who was talking about him, it had to be that smuggler.

Seeing that Art Student was in low spirits, the maid standing nearby carefully brought him a cup of wine and placed it on the armrest of his throne.

Art Student picked up the cup, took a sip, and softly said to the maid, "Thank you."

The maid immediately replied respectfully, "My lord, it is my duty."

After speaking, the maid returned to her position and stood quietly.

Outside the base.

Gray, Mendeleev, and Anrida stood side by side, looking at the defensive positions the logistics personnel had constructed in only a few hours. The positions formed a semicircle, shielding the base behind them.

Behind the three stood a dense crowd of officers: company commanders from the Defence Force, naval executive officers and company commanders, as well as more than a hundred Space Marines. Everyone waited silently for the three men's orders.

The positions could defend against Ork attacks from every direction. A massive bunker stood every hundred meters along the trenches. Each bunker could mount a heavy Ripper machine gun to suppress the Orks' advance, while also providing shelter for soldiers in the trenches during Ork bombardments.

Trenches and bunkers had been densely constructed around the base. Every bunker was staggered from the next, ensuring they would not obstruct the machine gunners' fields of view.

Mendeleev looked at the two men beside him and asked, "How should we cooperate this time?"

Gray looked over the defensive positions, then at the more than one hundred Space Marines behind him. "This is a defensive battle, and we Space Marines are few in number. So in this battle, the Space Marines will support the Defence Force. Whenever an Ork boss charges into the trenches, we will deal with him first."

Seeing Gray state his position, Mendeleev considered for a moment before saying, "Since Captain Gray and your men are willing to support the Defence Force, then our naval combat personnel will support them as well."

Mendeleev smiled at Anrida and continued, "Commander Anrida, you will be responsible for commanding this battle. We will all follow your arrangements."

Anrida laughed upon hearing the positions of Gray and Mendeleev. Defensive warfare was a compulsory lesson for every qualified Defence Force soldier. Smiling, Anrida said to the two men,

"Since I am commanding this battle, then I will not stand on ceremony."

Anrida turned toward the large group of officers behind him and called out, "Company commanders of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Companies, you will defend the central front.

The 4th, 5th, and 6th Companies will defend the left flank.

The 7th, 8th, and 9th Companies will defend the right flank.

The 10th, 11th, and 12th Companies will serve as the reserve force. If any frontline company requires support, you will reinforce them. Any objections?"

The Defence Force company commanders looked at their stern commander and answered with equally solemn expressions, "None. We guarantee completion of the mission."

Anrida nodded in satisfaction, then looked at the company commanders again and said,

"Leave all the tanks from your companies behind. When they are needed, I will naturally deploy the tank forces. For now, they will serve as heavy artillery and support you together with the artillery units.

Go make your preparations."

"Yes." After receiving their orders, the company commanders promptly turned and headed into the defensive positions to deploy their companies, not lingering any longer.