Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 446 The Purified Airport

"Your Excellency, welcome!" A senior nun, dressed in combat nun power armor with a striking holy emblem branded on her shoulder armor, led a small squad of fully armed combat nuns to greet Chen Xi on the spacious yet somewhat oppressive tarmac of the airport.

Their solemn figures were reflected on the cold metal floor.

The nuns standing behind her still bore faint scorch marks and soot from the cleansing operation on their power armor, silently testifying to the intensity of the purification fire that had recently taken place.

“I’m so sorry, Your Excellency!” The elder nun’s voice came through the full-coverage helmet, sounding muffled and slightly distorted—the power armor’s built-in air circulation system was humming and working at full capacity to block out the nauseating burnt smell from the outside: “You have come here in person, but you have to face this environment… The airport has just undergone a thorough purification, and the embers have not yet dissipated.”

Her gaze seemed to pierce through the helmet visor, sweeping apologetically over Chen Xi and the Silent Sister Sidjia behind him.

She then explained, her worry clearly evident in her tone: "What's more troublesome is that before those aliens were wiped out, they specifically destroyed the key core of the airport's air circulation system."

Our technical priests are working day and night, but the shortage of key components is severely hindering the repair progress.

Chen Xi's sharp gaze swept across the distance of the helipad. Several ruins, sealed off by thick cordon tape and warning posts with flashing red lights, were still emitting wisps of ominous blue smoke, and the air was filled with a suffocating stillness.

This deathly silence wasn't complete stillness; rather, the volume had been deliberately lowered.

In a corner, a few survivors wrapped in rough blankets or work clothes huddled around the temporarily distributed relief supplies, their eyes vacant or filled with fear as they secretly glanced at the governor and his party. Their presence was as thin and silent as a shadow.

Further away, several airport technicians, dressed in oil-stained overalls and wearing makeshift breathing masks, were pushing a cart piled high with charred metal debris, trying to clear a path. The sound of the metal wheels rolling on the cold deck was particularly jarring and futile.

Besides the persistent, acrid stench of burning, the air was also faintly filled with the pungent smell of disinfectant and lingering smoke.

The streets of the entire airport were shrouded in a sense of exhaustion and lingering tension, as if they had survived a disaster.

He nodded slightly, turned to the High Nun, and said in a steady voice with approval, "Your Excellency, High Nun, thank you for your hard work. The Empire will remember everything you have done! You have protected this place."

"For the Emperor!" The High Nun immediately straightened her body and forcefully struck her breastplate with her right hand, producing a crisp metallic clang in response to the Governor's affirmation.

Chen Xi's gaze then turned to the mechanical sage Olivia beside him, who was intently staring at the data stream projected from the servo skull floating in front of her.

“Sage Olivia,” Chen Xi ordered Olivia beside him, “I need you to immediately inspect the damage to the airport’s air circulation system and submit a practical solution to me as soon as possible. This is the top priority right now.”

“Understood, Your Excellency.” Olivia’s voice came through her self-made, intricately designed respirator, calm and efficient.

She gently waved her mechanical finger, which was embedded with a data interface, and several servo skull scanners immediately changed their scanning direction.

"Preliminary scans show structural damage at multiple critical nodes. I'll head to the master node for a detailed diagnosis." Before she finished speaking, she had already manipulated the servo skull, taking steps straight toward the target area without the slightest hesitation.

"May the Emperor protect us!" The High Nun's tone revealed genuine, relieved anticipation, even mixed with a hint of barely concealed exhaustion.

“Your Excellency’s assistance is truly a timely help! Your Excellency, this smell…” She paused, seemingly struggling to control her breathing under her helmet, “It’s not just uncomfortable… it permeates everything, seriously hindering the airport’s restoration of order, and silently eroding the health and morale of the personnel stationed there.” Her voice carried a deep concern.

Xi Dejia, standing behind Chen Xi, also showed a worried expression. Although the heavy visor completely covered her face, the knuckles of her fingers gripping the electromagnetic crossbow were slightly white, and her body maintained a tense posture, ready to deal with any threat at any time.

It was as if the air was filled not only with a foul stench, but also with a potential source of pollution that required high vigilance.

"The warriors of the Empire will not be defeated by smells!" Chen Xi turned his gaze from the ruins and the figures of patrolling soldiers in the distance to the High Nun, and replied in a deep voice.

His tone conveyed both affirmation of the soldiers' resilience and a clear understanding of the real threats they faced.

But then he changed the subject, his tone becoming serious, and said, "But you're right, High Nun! This is not just a matter of the senses; its erosion of order and the state of people is a real and imminent threat."

“That is indeed the case, Your Excellency!” The elder sister’s voice sounded more powerful with the clear support she had received, but her concern was also evident.

She added urgently, "With the circulatory system paralyzed, the filth simply cannot be effectively removed! Germs are breeding and accumulating! In a confined space of this size..."

We cannot afford the cost of a pandemic, or worse, a biological disaster. Every moment of delay multiplies the risk!

Meanwhile, Olivia had completed the initial scan and calmly responded in a mechanically cold tone: "Preliminary analysis confirms that physical isolation and existing temporary purification measures cannot replace the core function of the circulatory system."

In a closed environment, pollution sources persist, and the risk index of biological hazards is rising sharply.

The threat that Her Excellency the High Priestess was concerned about was assessed as having an extremely high probability of existence and a very high level of harm.

Chen Xi nodded slightly, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone present—the Great Nun, Sidgar, and Olivia's back.

He immediately stood up straight and loudly issued the order: "Olivia, find out the core of the problem and confirm the resources and specific solutions needed for repair."

High Nun, please mobilize all resources to fully cooperate with Sage Olivia's work, remove any obstacles, and ensure the repairs proceed smoothly!

Finally, his gaze fell on the silent guard beside him: "Sister Sidgar, I need you to conduct a full inspection of the airport to ensure that there is no fertile ground for the growth of chaotic pollution. Remain vigilant."

“Yes, Your Excellency!” The elder nun immediately bowed and accepted the order.

“Command confirmed.” Olivia’s voice came from not far away.

Sidja, the Silent Sister, responded to Chen Xi's command with an extremely standard Imperial sign language that carried a silent power, and then turned around and began her patrol as if blending into the shadows.

As for Chen Xi himself, accompanied by the High Priestess, he walked towards the airport's port affairs center, which is now the administrative center of Novaya Zemlya Airport, responsible for controlling all affairs of the entire airport.

(End of this chapter)