Chapter 10: The Reaping! Begins Now!
Lucan, while understanding the battle situation through Damon's perspective, also listened to the reports from the ship's officers.
"Captain! Cargo Bays A through D have been cleared. According to data from the servo-skulls, crew losses in the cargo sector are as high as seventy percent. Those rescued will also need to undergo further purity checks before returning to their posts."
"Are the remaining numbers still sufficient for the voidship's normal operation?"
"It's a stretch, but manageable. We hope your warriors can save more people!"
"Navigator Eunice, when can we jump out of the Warp?"
"A Warp turbulence is preventing me from finding a safe passage. This is clearly caused by the recent uprising. The Chaos corruption is like an invisible hand, gripping us tightly. I see countless eyes staring at us from the void!
Some unknown entity does not want us to leave here easily. However, thanks to your warriors, I can sense this force weakening!
I believe it won't be long before the God-Emperor's light guides us once more. As long as we can leave the Warp, we can proceed to the nearest planet to replenish resources. Rogue Traders hold unparalleled status in the Sector; we can also request sufficient personnel from the planetary governor to supplement our losses."
After hearing Eunice's words, Lucan nodded in agreement. Since awakening his psychic powers, he too could sense the changes in the Warp within this voidship. As more and more areas were cleared, the Warp's influence inside the ship was gradually diminishing.
Everything was moving in a positive direction.
"It feels really good to have status right from the start," Lucan mused. "At least I don't have to do everything myself; I just need to give orders, and people will do things for me, even make sacrifices."
And Lucan, who had only been in this world for two days, found his mentality slowly beginning to shift.
Being in this position, Lucan also began to adopt the captain's identity when considering problems. Life, at this moment, had also become a number to him.
"Commander! We've encountered some special enemies!"
Damon's voice came through the comms. For the first time, Damon's squad was suppressed. When they fought their way to the chapel, they discovered the enemy besieging it; the chapel had been almost completely breached.
They had indeed caught the enemy off guard, and dozens of Nurgle cultists were blown to pieces on the spot. However, the remaining Nurgle cultists quickly reacted.
They used Poxwalkers as cover and hid within the nearby complex structures.
Hearing Damon's reply, Lucan closed his eyes again.
He was shocked to find that the soldiers in CMC armor had actually suffered their first casualty.
The dead soldier's CMC combat suit had a large, corroded hole in the chest, and the suit's faceplate was open.
The soldier inside stared wide-eyed in disbelief; he died without knowing how.
The deceased's face had a strange greenish hue, and a mixture of blood and pus oozed from his orifices.
Connie knelt beside the soldier, frowning.
Death had come too quickly… The nanites hadn't even had time to save his life.
"The nano-medical bots have relayed information," Connie reported. "Seven types of lethal viruses were detected in his system. Their genetic sequences are not in the medical database, but their fatality and transmission rates are extremely high. How can this be? How can both these traits be present in all the viruses!"
And through the perspectives of others, Lucan also discovered those special enemies Damon mentioned.
It was those Nurgle cultists. Currently, seven heretics held seven bells. They poured the thick soup from their bowls over themselves. With each ring of their bells, a large number of carrion flies burst forth from their bodies.
These seven heretics were seven living hives, and in front of them, a large number of Poxwalkers shielded them from incoming bullets.
A veritable plague of carrion flies swarmed towards the soldiers' lines. These flies were too small; the C-14s couldn't effectively stop them. Only the sea of fire projected by the Firebats had some effect.
Lucan personally saw a Marine, unable to retreat in time, get enveloped by a huge swarm of carrion flies.
Each fly was like a tiny plague bomb. As they burst, they sprayed highly corrosive blood that ate through the combat suit's armor.
They didn't need to completely corrode the suit; any breach, such as the vulnerable faceplate, would allow the deadly plague to instantly claim the soldier's life inside.
"Aaargh! Kill me! Light me up! For the God-Emperor! My soul to the Golden Throne!"
Hearing his comrade's dying screams, the soldier operating the Firebat, steeling himself against the pain, aimed his weapon at his brother-in-arms.
The flames consumed the carrion flies and the unfortunate soldier along with them.
"Psykers? These guys must be using Nurgle sorcery! Damon, you have to find a way to take them out first, or these carrion flies will never stop!"
These flies weren't living creatures at all but were coalesced by Chaos sorcery.
Damon struggled to find a clear line of sight, but the sorcerers were hiding behind the Poxwalkers. If his squad charged forward, they would inevitably suffer heavy losses from the flies.
The Firebats were too slow; by the time they could reach the heretics, they would have long fled. Besides, the plasma fuel in their tanks wasn't enough!
"Damn it! Commander, I can't get a bead on them!"
Damon was starting to get anxious.
The battle had reached a stalemate.
"We still lack soldiers with assassination capabilities… Psykers play too significant a role in conventional battles. Wait… this terrain nearby, can I just directly summon Reapers?"
The Barracks could also produce Reaper equipment, but Reapers, unlike Marines, required at least several months of extensive training for proficient operation. Moreover, Reapers weren't suited for frontal combat, so Lucan hadn't produced any.
But in the current situation, perhaps such highly mobile units could achieve a miraculous effect?
In the game, Lucan hadn't been fond of using Reapers. His micro was terrible; one Reaper sortie often meant eight hundred minerals down the drain. Economy? What economy? He was too busy losing units!
So Lucan had previously ignored this unit type.
Deciding to act, Lucan's Psy-crystal count was now approaching ten thousand. He directly consumed one thousand Psy-crystals to summon five Reapers.
Beams of light once again appeared directly on the battlefield. Damon and his men served as the warp-in anchors, allowing Lucan to project units directly to their side.
In a short while, Reapers clad in light armor, with twin-turbine hover jetpacks on their backs, appeared on the battlefield.
Both sides noticed these distinctive warriors. Only Damon and the other Marines directly summoned to this world knew their capabilities.
"It's Reapers!"
Looking at the complex architecture around them, Damon immediately understood Lucan's intention.
Thanks to the fact that Warhammer voidships weren't like those in traditional science fiction – the interior of a Warhammer voidship was practically a city, with countless interconnected structures and extremely high deck ceilings.
Terrain impassable for ordinary humans posed no problem for Reapers.
The jetpacks on these Reapers' backs allowed them to easily jump onto surrounding buildings and bypass the Poxwalkers. Their mobility was more than enough to evade the carrion flies' attacks.
"The reaping! Begins now!"
(End of Chapter)