I summoned the Fourth Scourge in Warhammer

Chapter 230 The Crouching Dragon Meets the Young Phoenix
The two teams of soldiers didn't have to wait long on the poison-smoked position. Soon, a new order was transmitted to every squad through the company's communication network: All personnel, move to the new position.

Reinhard and Walker, leading their respective suicide squads, immediately began packing their equipment and preparing to move. Behind this sudden order was a silent "storm" brewing in the company command post.

Just hours earlier, a tactical sergeant from the Ultramarines Chapter had arrived at the command post of this Death Company. Following Kalgar's orders, Space Marines were being deployed en masse to mortal armies, serving as military advisors or direct commanders according to their own wishes. This sergeant was the Astartes assigned to lead this company.

As soon as he entered the command tent, he immediately asked to see the current defense deployment map. When the company commander, who was on the verge of death—a young man who seemed enthusiastic but had no military bearing—handed him the data panel, the sergeant was stunned after just one glance.

His optical system scanned the deployment map repeatedly, trying to find some profound tactical meaning in those simple, even foolish, lines, but he failed.

This couldn't even be called "deployment." The company commander casually drew a perfect arc on the map, and then, as if playing some ancient board game of strategy, distributed all his squads along the entire arc, like chess pieces, without any focus.

It must be noted that the tactical skills of the "Death Squad" vary drastically. Many units are commanded by professional officers from various countries, and some are even entirely composed of real soldiers. However, many others are not. After all, for many, this is just an immersive game; their entire squad might consist of real-life family and friends, and you can't simply force a stranger in and disrupt their team atmosphere.

This company clearly belongs to the latter category. Their company commander's greatest understanding of military affairs is probably limited to playing real-time strategy or grand strategy games, where he piles all his troops onto the border with the enemy and then launches a full-scale attack. Seeing this, you probably understand why he drew up such a defensive map.

As for why this suicidal defense has been able to hold off the Terran Zerg for so long... the reason is simple: the suicide bombers really are just like the war games they play, they will not retreat until all of them are dead, and they have built an ironclad defense line with their own lives.

But now, the Ultramarines have arrived. This absurd deployment cannot continue. Putting aside everything else, the sheer psychological impact of waking up every day to see a deployment map that challenges every principle of the Astartes Codex would likely be greater than an atomic bomb.

Fortunately, although the company commander who went to his death deployed the defenses arbitrarily, he still carefully surveyed the surrounding terrain according to the "Newbie Battlefield Guide" on the official forum and drew a military map with almost no errors. After all, without conducting terrain reconnaissance, he probably wouldn't have even been able to draw that arc.

The Ultramarine Sergeant took the detailed military map and personally went to the key locations for on-site reconnaissance. After confirming that the map was correct, he immediately selected a new position for the entire company.

It was a crescent-shaped hill, with an average height of about 30 to 60 meters above the existing positions. Although it wasn't exactly a high mountain, on the battlefield, this height was enough to create an absolute advantage of "higher ground against lower ground, and against idiots."

Furthermore, this hill is strategically crucial. Its southern side, directly facing the Tyranids, lies a former wetland. Before the Suicide Squad destroyed Plantim's ecosystem, this area was crisscrossed with streams and muddy swamps. Even now, with the ecosystem collapsed and the surface parched, that region remains pitted and riddled with natural trenches that could slow down enemy advances. Beyond this hill, extending northwards, lies Plantim's once vast, flat farmland—a plain devoid of any suitable natural terrain for defense.

The thought that these men, who went to their deaths, managed to hold back the endless Tyranid hordes for so long in that flat, open space with their own flesh and blood, was a miracle that even seasoned Ultramarines and officers, accustomed to courage and glory, had to admit was incomprehensible.

The command post was set up in a temporary prefabricated bunker on the reverse slope of the hill. When Reinhard and Walker stepped inside, they were immediately captivated by the sight before them.

The small command post was packed with people. A dozen or so ordinary officers and soldiers dressed in uniforms for those going to their deaths were mixed together with a dozen or so Astartes in different battle group paint schemes, all sitting around a table that shone with the light of a tactical map.

Looking at this scene, Reinhard felt a strange sensation welling up inside him.

This was unimaginable in the past. Perhaps they were indeed making history. Since the beginning of the Chapters, things that Space Marines couldn't understand each other were commonplace, let alone mortals, who had never been so closely connected with them.

Aside from a few special chapters or individuals, the divide between the two sides can be considered an invisible yet unbreakable wall. The Emperor's angels are myths, legends, and guardians who look down upon all living beings, while mortals are the masses who need protection and guidance but can never reach the realm of the angels.

But this high wall was breached by these fearless warriors, who used their flesh and blood to smash a hole in it. They bore the brunt of the insect swarm's attacks, using their mortal bodies to build the first and most robust dam against the alien onslaught. No matter how proud a Space Marine may be, it would be difficult to show indifference to a group of mortals who relentlessly sacrificed their lives to buy you even a second of opportunity.

Reinhard and Walker went inside, and the others in the circle simply nodded to them, to which they returned the nod. On the battlefield, efficiency trumps all formalities.

The Ultramarines sergeant presiding over the meeting had his helmet set aside, revealing a stern and resolute face. Seeing the two enter, he cut straight to the point: "We're discussing how to deal with Tyrannosaurus's spore fog. Using poison gas to counter it is ultimately only a temporary measure, and there will be a time lag in artillery support from the rear. Although this delay is short, we can't guarantee that this brief time lag won't make the battle in a certain direction irreversible."

Clearly, this sergeant is a typical extreme soldier—meticulous, pragmatic, and striving to bring every variable of the battle under control. He hopes to make detailed plans for all possible developments on the battlefield, fill in all theoretical gaps, and prepare corresponding contingency plans for every contingency.

(End of this chapter)