Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 46 In My Way

A company of one hundred Night Guards appeared at the valley entrance, their weapons glowing, indicating they were ready for battle; their objective was to clear out the orcs in the area.

"You are too slow!"

Harlan shouted to the night guards at the valley entrance, waving to signal that the danger was over and to let them come quickly.

Bloodstains at the bottom of the valley converged into a stream, and the piles of corpses astonished the entire company of guards.

"Champion Swordsman! Harlan Oglieve!"

Before the identifier could confirm his identity, someone recognized Harlan and shouted excitedly.

Harlan O'Grive. A renowned figure in the Night Watch, a duelist on the battlefield, representing the pinnacle of individual combat prowess.

His personal identification number, which does not require an encoder to decipher, is etched in the hearts of many soldiers.

The company commander, whose left shoulder was embroidered with a tattoo, stepped forward, patted Harlan on the shoulder, and said, "Did you do this?"

The corpses scattered here represent a wealth of glory and achievement.

The company commander instinctively assumed that it was the work of two men, and such a feat was simply astonishing.

Even for the mighty Night Guardians, such a feat is an incredible achievement.

“It wasn’t me.” Harlan quickly shook his head, not daring to take credit: “He did it all by himself.”

His words left the hundreds of Night Guards speechless, and they all looked at the tall figure washing away the bloodstains in the camp's pool with curious eyes.

Doom wiped the sticky blood from his face and gave a polite smile.

"Doom! The Third Prince!"

Upon seeing the runes mixed with blood on his chest, the company commander cried out in alarm and was about to kneel down on one knee.

"No need for formalities." Doom flashed and appeared in front of the company commander in the stunned gaze of the Night Guard, reaching out to help him up.

"After you finish your follow-up work, we'll head out first."

Doom rushed to the battlefield command center, unable to wait for the lengthy follow-up processing.

The most troublesome thing on the orc battlefield is not the orcs rushing at you with howling cries, but the destruction of their genetic material through combat, which must be burned with plasma flames.

After saying that, he took Harlan and they rode the motorcycle away from the valley quickly.

The orcs weren't far from the route, so clearing them out was a simple task. Doom had calculated carefully to ensure it wouldn't delay their journey.

Watching the two figures leave, the company commander glanced at the temperature sensor on his helmet. The blood covering the mountainside had not yet cooled to the ambient temperature, and he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

"It seems that the legendary prince is indeed quite capable!"

The war against the orcs was characterized by constantly shifting battle lines and no fixed command post.

The trapezoidal war fortress guarded by the night uses levitation technology to float in the air, constantly moving as a mobile command post.

The command center was large, with holographic images on the central platform simulating all the scenes within the reconnaissance range. Several temporary commanders were each responsible for a section of the area, constantly sending out Night Guards to attack.

"Have the Night Guard finish their work, then stand by."

In the bustling command center, a powerful voice suddenly rang out, so powerful that it left no room for doubt, echoing in everyone's ears.

The noisy command room suddenly fell silent as the commanders looked toward the doorway—to see a young man with a helmet tucked under his arm, covered in blood but with a heroic face.

The mark on his chest was very clear, and everyone knew who he was.

Doom's deeds had already spread across the front lines, becoming a topic of conversation among the guards during their rest periods.

"Your Highness, you should understand..."

Before the guard in temporary command could finish speaking, Doom raised his hand to interrupt him, gesturing for Harlan beside him to provide an explanation.

Harlan pulled out a sword and seal from his robes and held it high, using facts to refute all doubts.

"We obey the war lord!"

Everyone knelt down! Doom was no longer the third prince, but a war lord who commanded an army of thousands.

The authority granted by the King of Norwick was so great that no one dared to question its power.

"Do as I just said!" Doom stood in front of the central screen, staring blankly at the footage on the screen.

“I don’t care how much territory we lose, how many orcs we escape, or how many guards we finish our work and then rest and wait for orders.”

"I just want them to get some rest, and then I'll move forward my way!" The voice left no room for negotiation, and the heavy pressure made it hard to breathe.

Soon after the commanders completed their final orders, they were all relieved of their duties and placed on standby for future use.

All Night Guards at the front line ceased operations and either remained in place or returned to their camps to replenish supplies and rest, awaiting the next order.

Normally, Doom would explain things to them and gradually win them over. But after figuring out the key to the City of Truth, he was in a hurry—an urgent need to kill all the orcs and then go to reinforce his elder brother.

Doom could imagine the immense responsibility and pressure that Ennio had to bear alone under the weight of the "gods'" influence.

Where is the blacksmith?

Doom summoned the people in his plans to carry out all the actions he had laid out in his mind.

"War Lord, what do you need me to do?"

A young man carrying several auxiliary robotic arms and wearing special lenses for his eyes emerged from the corner, his anxiety clearly visible on his face.

"Don't be nervous, just adjust the battlefield projection to the simplest mode."

From the depths beneath the city guarding the main domain, the skilled forging technician at the core furnace was puzzled. Following his thoughts, the mechanical arm subconsciously scratched his face.

“I…I don’t understand what you mean.” The blacksmith’s voice stammered, not understanding Doom’s meaning.

"What I mean is, virtual projection doesn't need to display detailed battlefield information; I need the largest possible range, discarding everything unnecessary to maximize the scope!"

Doom took a deep breath, setting aside his tense and authoritative demeanor, and explained in a gentle tone: "The current battlefield projection is a refined film. I want simple lines and extreme scope, understand?"

"Understood!" The terrifying aura vanished, and the technician quickly understood what the War Lord needed, giving a precise time: "Ten minutes, and you will see what you require!"

The reconnaissance equipment in the war fortress has a wide range of scanning range, with high quality and detail, and can cover an area of ​​100 x 100 kilometers.

This is the limit of a war fortress probe after the loss of artificial satellites.

However, by sacrificing details, the detection range can be increased by at least five times, greatly enhancing the scanning range until the influence of the planet's curvature becomes too great.

The command room was eerily quiet as they waited, with only Doom holding a pen, scribbling on a piece of paper.

"Who gave the order to stop everyone?"

Before the people arrive, the sound comes first.

Without a doubt, if this were a banquet, the moment this lady’s elegant yet magnetic and sexy voice rang out, she would become the focus of the entire room.

But her tone was unfriendly, her icy voice suppressing her anger: "Have you become tainted by their stupidity after fighting the greens for so long?"

Doom knew who the visitor was; there was only one woman among the Night Guard: Erica von Stern.

Her genetic origins can be traced back to the "Aryans" of the Terra origin era, giving her an innate, serious and meticulous temperament.

Wearing a specially designed stealth suit that blocks light, although its defense is not as good as other standard power armor, its stealth function is very powerful. It distorts light to achieve invisibility and is specially designed for stealthy assassination.

“Erica von Stern!” Harlan stepped forward, brandishing his sword and pressing it against her. His rough voice and stern tone rebuked, “Watch your words! I don’t mind teaching you manners with my sword!”

Erica's imposing aura softened upon seeing the champion swordsman, and upon seeing the same emblem, she immediately understood the relationship between the two.

Such a warning is too lenient to offend the oath-bearer who is a member of the royal family in front of an sworn guardian.

She saw the sword seal, her expression changed, and she knelt down on one knee again: "War Lord! Please forgive my offense. I acted impulsively and thought it was a disagreement between the temporary commanders that led to the halt at the front."

Doom remained calm and offered no further explanation. He glanced at her and waved for her to wait aside.

"All messengers, pass these instructions down. I want all guards to be proficient in using them in two hours."

The messenger respectfully accepted the handwritten note, which was filled with numerical symbols and the meanings of different combinations of numbers.

It is a new type of coded instruction used for rapid command of troops, and it even specifies the detailed code names of each unit.

This set of numerical instructions is of moderate difficulty; for Night Watchers, two hours is enough to master it.

Ten minutes later, the central command center was successfully restarted, and the results were remarkable thanks to the adjustments made by the forging technicians.

The range has increased several times, but the terrain displayed on it has all become simple lines.

As the numerical commands were input, the simplified map was filled with numbers representing various combat units, as well as numbers representing the enemy.

“Let them see what you’ve got!” Harlan O’Grivi murmured, eager to let his colleagues know about Doom’s extraordinary abilities and talents.

Two hours flew by.

Once it was confirmed that the Night Guard was familiar with numerical commands, the first order was relayed.

"Attention all units, command transfer successful. You are to receive orders from the War Lord immediately!"

(Hehehe! Three chapters released! Where are your votes? Time to start micro-management, the advantage is in my hands!)
I read everyone's comments during my breaks, and there were indeed many constructive and helpful suggestions. I will take them into consideration and make improvements! I really want to improve! I really want to write great stories!
　Warhammer jokes:
　　The Lion King awoke from his slumber and asked Zabril, "Who is the Empire's greatest enemy now?"

　　Zabril answered truthfully, "It is Abaddon, my lord."

　　The Lion King listened in silence for a long time.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)