Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 328 Battle Moon
Although the Titans successfully defeated the Ancient Giants, the battle situation on the Herson III was still unfavorable to the Empire.

On the frozen battlefield, more and more green-skinned units are swarming out from the cracks in the ice. Their crude war machines are crushing the millennia-old ice, turning the entire frozen land into a boiling green ocean.

In particular, as the ice continued to break apart, more of the dormant Greenskin army was awakened.

Standing on the orbital bridge, Chen Xi stared at the constantly updated enemy markers in the holographic projection and felt a chill run down his spine—this planet was like a deliberately sealed-off green armory, with the number of orcs buried beneath the permafrost far exceeding expectations.

"Could this be a green-skinned combat moon? How come there are so many green-skinned creatures?" He muttered to himself, staring at the green markings on the tactical map that had spread to the continental shelf.

The Killer Tanks and Tech-Master Tanks that crawled out of the ice caves were assembling themselves at an astonishing rate, and the number of newly emerging Golems even exceeded the total number of the Empire's existing armored forces.

"Wait... could it really be the Battle Moon?" Chen Xi's pupils suddenly contracted.

As the ice sheet continues to collapse, the images transmitted back by the orbital observatory are alarming: the once blue-white glacial continent is being eroded by green at a visible rate, spreading rapidly like ink dripping into clear water.

Millions of green-skinned lads converged on the ice plains like a surging tide, their crude war engines spewing black smoke that stained the entire sky a murky gray-green.

These frenzied war machines roared deafeningly, crashing against the Imperial army's defenses like a tidal wave.

Their rough skin was covered in frost, white breath spewed from between their fangs, and their eyes burned with bloodthirsty fighting spirit.

This is a truly terrifying scene.

The entire ice field seemed to come alive; every inch of frozen soil was trembling, and every iceberg was collapsing.

The sheer number of green bodies is so great that even the orbiting observatories cannot accurately count them—they are like a green plague gushing from the depths of the earth, devouring the planet at a visible rate.

This further fueled Chen Xi's suspicion that this planet was the Green-skinned War Moon.

He stood on the command bridge, staring intently at the ever-expanding green marker in the holographic projection, his hand unconsciously gripping the control panel.

Battle Moons—those space fortresses built by orcs—could theoretically indeed accommodate such a massive army.

But the question is, why is this "battle moon" frozen in the Helson system?
After all, if there was anything that could hide so many greens, Chen Xi's first thought was Battle Moon.

These space fortresses, cobbled together by orcish techmasters from scrap metal and wildly imaginative ideas, are often larger than a planet, or rather, they are modified from planets.

Beneath their rough exteriors lie countless war machines and green-skinned creatures, capable of unleashing astonishing combat power in a short period of time.

It's only been a few months since the discovery of the greens on Kherson III, yet now not only are ordinary greens appearing, but even ancient junk is starting to emerge. If you say there's nothing wrong with this planet, even Oglin wouldn't believe it.

Chen Xi's temples throbbed as he recalled the Mechanicus's initial exploration report—those claims that the "planet's surface was safe" now seemed utterly absurd.

The number of greenskins buried beneath the ice layer far exceeds expectations, and their awakening rate is increasing exponentially. However, this doesn't explain why Kroc is on this planet. After all, if Kroc were here, these greenskins would have evolved into ancient orcs long ago and swept across the entire galaxy.

Chen Xi frowned, the presence of Kroc and the abnormal behavior of Greenskin creating an inexplicable contradiction.

Logically, Krok's psionic radiation should accelerate the evolution of the Greenskins, allowing them to transform from ordinary orcs into ancient orcs in a short period of time.

During the Great Crusade, neither the Emperor nor Horus faced an Orcish emperor of the Orcish Empire who was at the level of Krok. If there had been a Krok, not only Rostov, but the entire Mariupol Sector would have been conquered by the Orks long ago.

Were they sealed away by space undead?
Chen Xi wasn't sure, but one thing he was certain of was that there was definitely something wrong with this planet.

He noticed the regular metallic structures beneath the ice and the unusual energy readings released when the Greenskin awoke.

All these signs indicate that Herson III is far more than just an ordinary icy planet—it is more like an elaborately designed prison, and the prisoners inside are breaking free of their restraints.

But now, Chen Xi had no time to think about that. He contacted the priests of the Mechanicus, ignoring their various inquiries and protests about the sudden teleportation of the Warmaster-level psionic Titan, and made a direct request to them: to send the Kherson III to the Throne of the Necromancers in space.

Chen Xi knew the consequences of doing this, but he had to do it now.

Otherwise, once the green-skinned creatures on this planet thaw from under the ice, this planet, if not a battle moon, will be transformed into one.

Those crazed green-skinned tech tyrants will use the metal remnants beneath the ice and ancient technology to arm the entire planet into a mobile war fortress in a very short time.

Chen Xi could even imagine the terrifying scene of those orc warlords standing on the modified battle moon, roaring deafeningly at the Milky Way with "WAAAGH!"

If they get Krok then, these greens will truly be able to fly in a physical sense!
The awakening of this ancient orc will endow the greenskins with unprecedented combat wisdom and organizational abilities, rapidly transforming the originally scattered orc tribes into a war torrent capable of sweeping across the entire galaxy.

They will devour galaxies one after another like a tide, and the Rostov sub-sector will be the first victim of this catastrophe.

With little time left before the Great Rift opens, Chen Xi didn't want to have to fight the Greenskins before it did.

He needs to conserve every ounce of strength to deal with the impending Chaos invasion, rather than wasting precious troops on these damned fungal creatures.

Moreover, he wasn't Commissar Arek, and he didn't have the ability to withstand the offensive of the greenskin orc army.

That legendary political commissar could fight the Greens in the steel jungle of Armageddon, but Chen Xi knew very well that he had neither such command ability nor the military resources to match it.

What a joke! As an important industrial world of the Empire, Armageddon has tanks, cannons, and even a Titan legion equipped with Emperor-class Titans. What does Rostov have to compare with Armageddon?

(End of this chapter)