I'll Be Right There

The size of those motherships is ridiculously huge, each one is like an asteroid.

Their surface is covered with thick chitinous carapace, and countless small, wriggling tentacles grow in the gaps of the carapace.

They are the mobile fortresses of the insect swarm, the incarnation of Hive Mind in Material Universe.

As long as they can be destroyed, the swarm's offensive will be temporarily frustrated.

"Fire."

His voice was calm.

The order was spread throughout the fleet via communication channels.

Thirty destroyers' Macro-cannon opened fire simultaneously.

The sound was deafening, echoing in the bridge.

The cannonball dragged a long tail flame through the void and hit the outside of the insect swarm.

The light of the explosion bloomed on the dark green curtain, like orange-red flowers.

Those flowers blasted holes at the edge of the insect swarm. Countless Tyranids were shattered into pieces in the explosion, and dark green body fluids scattered in the void.

The light spears of twelve cruisers followed closely behind.

The beam was slender and bright, cutting through the bodies of the insect swarm.

Every time a spear of light passed by, several Tyranids creatures were cut in half.

The brilliance of the light spear left burning marks on the dark green curtain, like the brush strokes painted by the gods on the canvas.

The old battleship finally opened fire.

Its main gun is a Nova Cannon, which is the only weapon in the entire fleet that can pose a threat to Hive Ship.

The cannonball drew a white trajectory in the void and hit the hull of a Hive Ship ship.

The light of the explosion was brighter than the sun.

Valko squinted his eyes and watched the light spread on Hive Ship's hull.

The mothership's carapace began to crack in the light, and dark green bodily fluids gushed out from the cracks.

Its pulses became disordered, and its tentacles hung limply.

But after the light dissipated, Valko's eyes widened.

Around Hive Ship, there are pieces of transparent, glass-like blue shields floating.

Those shields are not entities, but energy barriers condensed by Psionic Energy.

They flickered slightly in the light of the explosion, and then returned to their original state.

Although the carapace of the Hive Ship was cracked, the main body was intact.

Psionic Energy shield.

The Swarm has mastered the Psionic Energy shield.

Valko Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

After those swarms devoured a civilization with Psionic Energy talent, they extracted their Psionic Energy technology from the remains of that civilization, fused it with the power of Hive Mind, and created this Psionic Energy barrier specifically designed to withstand artillery bombardment.

This means that they are no longer beasts that only charge with their bodies. They have learned defense, tactics, and use the enemy's weapons to deal with the enemy.

His fist hit the podium.

"Keep firing!"

His voice was hoarse, "Don't stop! Shoot out all the ammunition! Burn as much biomass as you can! We can't let these bugs use our people as food!"

The fleet continued to fire.

Macro-cannon roared, light spears cut, Nova Cannon bombarded those Psionic Energy shields again and again.

But those shields are so strong that every attack only leaves fine cracks on them, and Hive Ship's biomass regeneration ability allows those cracks to heal quickly.

The swarm began to fight back.

Hive Ship's mouthparts ejected countless tiny, needle-like biomass missiles. Those missiles trailed dark green tail flames, covering the light of Psionic Energy's shield.

They are overwhelming and dense, like a torrential downpour.

The destroyer's Void Shield flashed violently in the rain of needles. The shield of a destroyer was overloaded. Those needles penetrated the hull and turned the entire battleship into a sieve.

Its engine stalled, the hull began to tilt, and the soldiers inside were reduced to ashes in the explosion.

Valko's eyes turned red.

Those were the warriors he had trained with his own hands, and those were the brothers he had been with day and night for thirty years.

They died, died under the banner of Emperor, and died under the claws of the insect swarm.

But his mission was not completed yet, and he could not accompany them yet.

The battleships sank one after another.

Of the thirty destroyers, less than ten were left.

Of the twelve cruisers, only four are left.

The old battleship is still holding on. Its Nova Cannon has run out of ammunition and can only use its own armor to ram those Tyranids landing ships.

Its hull was covered with the wreckage of Tyranids, and dark green bodily fluids were everywhere on the deck.

In the command hall, the faces of officers are getting fewer and fewer.

Some were killed in battle, some were seriously injured and were carried away, and some shouted "For Emperor" in the communication channel and then disconnected.

Valko stood in front of the command podium, watching the extinguishing light spots, watching the marks that once belonged to his battleships turn into dark red Xs.

There was a feeling of emptiness in his heart.

It was not fear or sadness, but a feeling that he was no longer a chess player.

There were fewer and fewer chess pieces on the chessboard, and his hands could no longer hold the chess pieces.

The remaining chess pieces do not need his command.

They just need to fight, they just need to die, they just need to explode the last spark in that dark green tide.

His mission has been completed.

Delay time.

Buy time for civilians who are still evacuating.

He didn't know whether those transport ships had successfully escaped from the system, or whether those civilians had successfully reached a safe place.

All he knew was that he had tried his best.

He put down the baton in his hand.

The silver-white metal rod, which had been in his hand for thirty years, was gently placed on the podium, making a small sound like a sigh.

"Adjutant."

His voice was calm.

"Here."

The adjutant's voice came from the communication channel. There was some noise, but it was very clear.

"Next, I don't need to command anymore."

Valko untied the collar of the military uniform, and the golden Imperium badge fell off from the collar, rolled several times in the air, and fell to the ground.

"I will not accept the death of a commander. I want to die with honor as a soldier."

The adjutant's voice paused.

Then, he laughed.

There was no sadness in that laughter, just a sense of relief that said, "I knew you would say that."

"Governor, as I just said, I will be there soon. You go first."

Valko smiled.

There was no bitterness in that smile, only a helplessness of "what are you urging me to do?"

"Then you still need to tell me?"

He bent down and picked up the Power Sword from the ground.

The blade of the sword glowed with a cold luster under the light, and the Psionic Energy crystal shone slightly on the hilt.

He pulled out the Bolter from his waist again and checked the magazine.

Twenty-three rounds left.

Enough.

He turned around and walked towards the hangar.

The last few "Thunderbolt" attack aircraft are parked in the hangar.

It was Imperium's oldest fighter jet. It was slow, had thin armor, and had weak firepower. It was already an antique that was about to be eliminated.

But they are the only things left in Selax System that can still fly.