Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 660 Reinforcements Arrive
The sky above the azure Dawn Star has been utterly desecrated; a shroud of smoke and ash covers the heavens.

The light of the star Shisu struggled to penetrate this veil of death, casting only a sickly, dim halo, as if the entire planet were slowly dying from some incurable disease.

The island where Chen Xi is located, "Peak of Tranquility," has been transformed from a luxurious resort into a fortified island forged in blood and fire.

The once elegant recreational facilities have either been bulldozed to build fortifications or collapsed into ruins under continuous attacks.

Oregana rebuilt the defense system with inhuman efficiency: the engines of the anti-gravity hovercraft were dismantled and converted into temporary area force field generators; the reinforced building materials from the holiday homes were used to strengthen the bunkers; even the service servitude were reprogrammed to form sniper squads carrying light weapons.

They marched towards the beach with mechanical, precise steps, their cold, metallic bodies slowing the advance of the alien tide.

The loyalists were a complex group, but they were not disunited.

Apart from Chen Xi's inner circle and the Death Watch squad led by Titus, the main group consisted of over a hundred imperial nobles and their private guards who were vacationing there.

These nobles mostly came from prominent families in the Mariupol sector and even the core world. At first, their luxurious clothes were stained with filth, and their faces were filled with fear and confusion they had never experienced before, like trapped beasts lost in a nightmare.

But all of this changed after it converged behind the judge.

They may be obese, greedy, cruel, extravagant, and licentious, embodying all the decay of the imperial ruling class—but when faced with the enemy of humanity, not one of them showed any cowardice.

Because the judges stood behind them, because the emperor's angels were fighting beside them, a near-mad sense of honor dispelled all hesitation.

They gripped their overly ornate yet powerful sidearms, firing with clumsy but determined flair, as if participating in a bloody noble hunt.

Their private guards are even more so, well-equipped and highly trained. They may lack experience in fighting aliens, but they are by no means lacking in the will to die—to be able to fight alongside the Astartes is an unparalleled honor that many people cannot imagine in their entire lives.

In addition, there were about two companies of remnants of the Planetary Defense Force who, though bewildered, chose to obey the authority of the judge.

They were dressed in the local light blue military uniforms, indistinguishable from their traitorous "compatriots"—which led to several heartbreaking friendly fire incidents.

They were deployed on the outermost defensive line, bearing the greatest pressure and the suspicious gaze of those within the ranks.

A young defense soldier, his face still bearing the traces of childhood innocence, was shot through the throat by a sniper laser fired from a traitor while carrying ammunition.

He fell to the ground, his hands futilely covering the gushing blood from his wounds, his eyes wide open at the gray sky, as if questioning the God-Emperor for allowing his own people to kill each other.

The nobles' private ships provided crucial mobility and firepower support.

A medium-sized luxury yacht was converted into a makeshift gunboat, with laser weapons installed to show off by the nobles, becoming an important source of heavy firepower, and was operated by Guterres himself.

With each shot, the overloaded laser focuser emitted a piercing wail, but the scorching beam always managed to vaporize the entire group of mutants that had washed ashore into charcoal.

Another small speedboat was on a more dangerous mission: guided remotely by Oregana, it risked breaking through the defenses to bombard the Tyranid creatures that were trying to approach from underwater with depth charges.

Each time it returned to port, the hull was covered with pits from corrosion by biological acids and cracks from being torn apart by sharp claws.

Titus and his Deathwatch squad are the unyielding cornerstone of the defense.

They stood firm at the crucial juncture, like rocks, using unparalleled firepower and willpower to stop the relentless onslaught.

In orbit, the Gabbro's light spear strikes are the ultimate guarantee for maintaining the defensive line from collapse.

Each flash of the light spear bloomed a flower of destruction on the ground, melting large areas of aliens along with sand and gravel into glassy scorch marks. But the strikes had to be extremely precise, and Allegana pushed her calculations to the limit, weighing the damage, avoiding friendly fire, and conserving the ship's ammunition—no one knew when reinforcements would arrive.

Holding out and waiting for reinforcements is the only option.

After the Titans squad miraculously destroyed all the space-flying ships in the planetary port, the pressure on the island increased dramatically.

With no hope of leaving the planet, the Genestealers cult poured all their madness into this isolated island that represented the last stand of the Empire.

The waves of attacks grew stronger and stronger, without pause, seemingly without end.

Just as the defensive line was crumbling and casualties among the loyalists continued to rise, even Chen Xi had to personally take up arms to fight the enemy—

—The reinforcements have finally arrived.

The first thing to tear through the sky was an extremely sharp whistling sound, drowning out all the roars and explosions on the battlefield.

Dozens of burning meteors pierced the murky sky; these were the drop pods launched by the Ash Knights' strike cruisers, their target the heart of the island.

"The Emperor's will has descended!" Titus roared into the communication channel, his voice trembling with almost excited excitement.

The drop pods crashed violently into the ground, some even plunging directly into the surging tide of aliens.

The moment the hatch exploded, the built-in explosives and flamethrower system instantly wiped out all life in the surrounding area.

Then, a tall, dark gray figure stepped out.

The original Space Marines of the Ash Knights Chapter joined the battle.

Their firepower far surpassed Deathwatch's scattered attacks: heavy bombs, plasma cannons, and molten guns formed a dense fire network, reaping the aliens in droves like the Grim Reaper's scythe.

Battle Group Commander Shi Dong parachuted directly to Chen Xi's position. The two did not exchange pleasantries, but simply completed the handover and assessment of the battle situation.

“Inquisitor,” Stone’s voice came through the external speaker, cold and efficient, with a hoarse voice from years of battle, “The Ash Knights are responding to your request for assistance. Please provide the current situation and the highest priority targets.”

Chen stared at the live feed on the screen: the Ash Knights' new forces were tearing through the alien offensive like a hot knife through butter, and the defenses that were on the verge of collapse were being rapidly reinforced, and even launching a counter-offensive.

"Commander Shi Dongzhan, thank you for your support." Chen Xi responded, his tone now completely calm. "Highest priority: consolidate the existing defenses and establish a forward command post and landing zone."

A strong biological signal source was detected in the southeast direction of the island, near the original coordinates of the Deep Blue Sea Cave, suspected to be the core nest or summoning node of the Gene Stealer Cult.

Once the defenses are stable, I need your unit to launch a targeted clearing assault in conjunction with Deathwatch.

"Understood. Eradicate the lair. Just what I wanted." Shi Dong's reply was concise, and he immediately turned to deploy his company.

Chen Xi temporarily handed over tactical command to Shi Dong. The warband leader immediately demonstrated outstanding command skills, and the Ash Knights quickly recaptured key high ground and beachhead positions in squads, using devastating firepower to push the aliens back into the sea.

Taking advantage of this brief respite, Chen Xi was able to extricate himself from micro-tactics and turn his attention back to the global war situation.

Allegana projected the latest orbital scan onto the main screen—the crimson region representing the Tyranid creatures continued to expand slowly but steadily, especially in the vast depths of the planet's oceans.

(End of this chapter)