Shipping goods from the game to the World of Warhammer

Chapter 88 Entrapment Encirclement

As the landing ships of the Imperial Navy's 72nd Provisional Squadron passed through the atmosphere, a rift running east to west was torn open in the clouds.

A dense formation of Valkyrie assault transport planes led the charge, their engine exhausts casting white-hot trails of flame in the thin atmosphere.

Following closely behind the transport aircraft formation was the Skyhawk shuttle, its raven-gray armor plating glowing with a dark red sheen under the intense heat of atmospheric friction. It approached at a very low angle, almost skimming the bottom of the clouds.

Further on, the gap widened to nearly two kilometers, and the Predator bomber formation swooped down from the gap in the clouds.

Compared to the transport planes mentioned earlier, this thing is like stuffing a fully grown grizzly bear into a pack of hunting dogs.

Each Marauder bomber was longer than the Valkyrie Transport Bureau, and its wingspan was even more exaggerated. On the four external hardpoints under the wings, twelve 500-pound high-explosive bombs were neatly stacked on the hardpoints, and the Imperial Eagle imprint on the bombs was faintly visible in the airflow.

The entire landing force took less than five minutes from entering the atmosphere from orbit to completing its deceleration approach. The Imperial Navy has never compromised on efficiency in this standardized planetary landing procedure.

Judge Sion stood in the observation cabin of the Skyhawk shuttle in the center of the formation, his hands behind his back, looking down at the rapidly enlarging surface of the planet below through the reinforced glass observation window.

The real-time scan report on the data panel refreshes every thirty seconds.

The surface temperature, wind speed, magnetic field interference index, and heat source distribution of known orc settlements were all within the expected range, with no anomalies. However, Sion's gaze, fixed on the report, remained fixed on the bottom column.

"Unidentified energy source: suspected to be psionic or advanced technology. Signal strength: low. Location: unknown, precise coordinates to be determined."

That signal had appeared before during the orbital scan; it was not strong, but its waveform characteristics were extremely unique and did not match any of the Empire's known technology databases.

Sion's technical sergeant spent two full days cross-referencing the data, and the final conclusion was "cannot be classified".

Unable to be categorized, it must be a product of those new aliens.

The shuttle landed on a plateau eroded into pieces by the wind. The landing gear crushed several brittle sandstone slabs, raising a cloud of reddish-brown dust.

The moment the hatch opened, the planet's unique air rushed in, dry and astringent, with a lingering smell of fungal spores.

Sainn's expression remained unchanged as he stepped down the gangway.

Two Deathwatch warriors followed closely behind. One was the veteran wielding the chainsword, named Tiburn, formerly of the Imperial Fist Chapter. The bright yellow underpainting on his shoulder armor stood out starkly against his black armor. The other, a Space Marine named Veredian, carried a modified Stormburst Gun on his left arm. His shoulder armor was painted dark green, and he belonged to a sub-chamber of the Dark Angels.

The Valkyrie transport planes landed one after another at a greater distance, their doors swung open, and soldiers of the Astragalus Infantry Company filed out. They wore standard Cardian grey-green uniforms, marching in three columns, their movements not fast but orderly. Leading them was a middle-aged political commissar with an old scar across his face, named Aldan.

"First rank, deploy on the left flank! Second rank, follow up! Heavy weapons teams, set up positions quickly!"

The Empire’s temporary command post was set up in less than four thousand minutes after landing.

Judge Saen sat at the folding table, his trench coat draped over the back of his chair, issuing orders unhurriedly.

"First search area: the hilly area on the north side of the basin, twelve kilometers from the landing site. Orbital scans show regular energy fluctuations in this area, and the waveforms do not match the characteristics of orc technology. This area has the highest priority."

He tapped twice at the second location.

"Second search area: eastern wing of the basin. Our reconnaissance team previously captured images of those mutant orcs here. The orc population density is also the highest here, so it's the second highest priority."

"Third search area: the wasteland outside the basin." Sion put down his pen, glanced up at the officers in the tent, and said, "These officers will be in charge of the outer blockade. They don't need to go deep. Just block the outside and don't let any lone orcs escape."

Tayburn stood at the tent entrance, chainsword held upright in front of him, his deep voice coming from inside his helmet: "The mission to search District One is ours."

Sion nodded.

"Divide into three groups. Tayburn will lead the Death Watch along the northern route, cutting in from the hill ridge. Aldan will lead the assault team along the western route, flanking from the side along the dried-up riverbed. I, the technical sergeant, and the last group will advance from the front. All three groups will arrive at the outer perimeter of the target area simultaneously, converge, and then enter."

He picked up his data panel from the table, pulled up the waveform of the unidentified energy source, and stared at it for a few seconds.

"There's one more thing."

Sai's voice wasn't loud, but it made everyone in the tent stop what they were doing.

"The Vandrick dynasty's shuttles will deliver the first batch of supplies this afternoon. I've already reviewed the supply list, and there are no problems. However, all shuttle take-off and landing routes and cargo will need to be checked a second time by our own people."

There was a brief moment of silence inside the tent.

The company commander's lips moved, but he said nothing. The judge's orders didn't need a reason; just obey.

On the flagship's bridge, Rhodes leaned back in his command chair, his left hand supporting his chin, his eyes fixed on the void before him.

But he wasn't looking at the bridge ceiling; he was looking at three Protoss probes transmitting live footage from different locations.

The first probe hovered over the hilly area on the north side of the basin, at a height just below the planet's troposphere. From that position, the Empire's temporary command post looked like a gray thumbtack stuck in a reddish-brown wasteland.

The second probe cruised low over the eastern edge of the basin. Its optical camouflage was completely invisible to the naked eye at this distance, but each time it passed over the orc settlement, the orc lads below would suddenly stop what they were doing, look up at the sky for a few seconds, scratch their heads, and continue with their work. They probably sensed something flying by, but since they couldn't see it, they didn't bother with it.

The location of the third probe is crucial; it hovers directly above the Protoss base, transmitting real-time images of the base's entirety and the surrounding terrain back to Rhodes's consciousness.

The brightness of the crystal tower's light pillar had been reduced to its lowest level, appearing from a distance as a blurry blue line, which, without close inspection, might even be mistaken for the reflection of some kind of mineral. The psionic radiation from the mechanical station and stargate had also been reduced to standby level, but a complete shutdown was impossible; as long as it was powered on, there would inevitably be signal leakage.

The first search zone circled by Judge Sion was less than tens of kilometers away from the actual location of the Protoss base.

Rhodes mentally overlaid the Imperial forces' advance route and the Protoss base's coordinates on the same map for three seconds.

Then he reached out and pressed the call button on the communication station.

"Aliya."

"exist."

"Has the flight path for the first batch of supply shuttles been arranged?"

"It's all arranged, three flights in total, with a 40-minute interval between takeoffs and landings. The flight path passes through the low-altitude corridor on the west side of the basin, avoiding—" Aliya paused, then changed to a more vague statement, "—avoiding several clearly marked high-risk locations."

"Let's change it. Transport from the safer east side."

"Understood, adjustments will be completed within ten minutes."

Rhodes closed the communication, a barely perceptible smile curving his lips.

The Empire's shuttles flew over the hidden settlements of Orc special forces lads and Orcish fanatics, making as much noise as possible.

This will create a lot of trouble on the eastern wing of the basin, keeping Inquisitor Sion busy for quite some time.

As for the reason? Rhodes didn't have specific information about the orcs' hidden settlements, so how would he know where he should fly and where he shouldn't?

Surface. Hilly area on the northern side of the basin.

Tayburn led the Deathwatch warriors along the hill ridge. On the built-in imaging goggles of his helmet, the scan data transmitted remotely from the command post by the technical sergeant was being updated in real time. The signal of the unidentified energy source became clearer at this distance, and the curve on the waveform graph fluctuated regularly with a stable frequency and small amplitude.

"Signal source location, seven degrees, distance 4.3 kilometers." Tayburn's voice came through the helmet speaker, deep but clear.

The soldier behind him raised the Storm Bolt Gun on his left arm, and the auxiliary scanner mounted below the muzzle lit up with a fan-shaped green light, scanning the terrain in front of him.

"No abnormalities on the surface. No signs of ambush, no traces of mines."

Tayburn remained vigilant. The closer the signal source got, the more cautious he became. The most important lesson Tayburn had learned in his decades of service with Deathwatch was that truly dangerous Xenomorphs never let you detect anything unusual before you get close.

As the Deathwatch warriors crested the last ridge of the hill, Tyburn stopped in his tracks.

Tayburn crouched down and brushed the surface of the rock at his feet with his fingertips. A layer of extremely fine powder, a deep gold color, adhered to his fingertip.

"What is this?" Veredian leaned closer to take a look.

"It's not a natural mineral." Tayburn placed the powder in front of the helmet's eyes and waited for the built-in analyzer to analyze it for two seconds.

"The composition is unknown, and there is no match in the database. However, the structure is arranged very regularly, unlike natural crystals, and more like some kind of artificial material debris."

He stood up and looked ahead.

The terrain ahead suddenly opened up, with a gentle slope on the other side of the hills, and at the bottom of the slope in the distance, a huge basin depression.

The deep golden marks stretched forward. They were intermittently distributed across the ground, extending from the gentle slope all the way to the center of the distant basin, where some strangely shaped buildings were floating in the air.

Tayburn stared at the basin for more than ten seconds, then pressed the communication channel.

"Judge, Tyburn reports. Unknown material residue and suspected alien structure found in the first search zone; no visible targets on the surface."

There was a three-second silence on the communication channel.

Judge Sai's voice came back.

"Mark the coordinates, leave monitoring equipment, and continue advancing into the basin."

"receive."

Tayburn gestured to the warriors behind him, bypassed the clearing, and continued advancing along the inner slope of the hills into the depths of the basin.

Rhodes himself probably didn't expect that these Astartes would discover his Protoss base so quickly.

Although the Protoss signals had been reduced to a minimum, directly beneath that open area near the Protoss base lay the completely collapsed ruins of the Ancient Sanctuary. The remaining signals were faint traces of energy left behind after the sanctuary's collapse.

Eastern wing of the basin.

The Vandreck dynasty's shuttle flew over strictly according to the adjusted route.

Flying at low altitude with the engine running at full power, the roar of the engine crashing down from the sky was heard by every green-skinned aircraft within a radius of several kilometers.

The results were even better than Rhodes had predicted.

Outside a hidden Bloodaxe outpost, the patrolling orc squads all stopped and looked up at the sky. The leader of one squad pulled out a makeshift rifle and fired at the shuttle for a long time, but ultimately, because the distance was too far, even my mental power couldn't help him hit the target, leaving only his cursing voice echoing far across the wilderness.

The outpost was even more lively. Dozens of orc lads swarmed onto the main road, pointing at the sky and chattering away. Some were arguing about what kind of aircraft it was, while others were already discussing whether they could take a few parts off to add a turbocharger to their combat pickup trucks.

The technical sergeant of the Inquisitor, Saien, stared at the scanning screen in the command tent, the veins on his forehead throbbing twice.

"Judge, there are large-scale abnormal fluctuations in the heat source signals from the eastern wing. Dozens of mobile heat sources are concentrated in—"

He checked the coordinates: "Inside an unmarked orc settlement, but there's no sign of them moving towards our positions."

Sion looked up from the holographic map. "The reason?"

"Uncertain. About two minutes ago, a Vandrek Dynasty supply shuttle flew over the area, possibly alerting the orcs at the outpost."

Sion's gaze fell on the shuttle route marker on the map, and he remained silent for a few seconds.

The flight path was approved, and the altitude and orientation were within a reasonable range. If we were to nitpick, Rhodes actually helped them discover an unmarked orc outpost. This kind of problem wouldn't even qualify as a note in the report.

"Continue monitoring the east wing, don't divert the main force." Sion turned his attention back to the first search zone. "How's the situation on Tiberium?"

"The Space Marine team has crossed the first search zone and is advancing into the basin. No resistance has been encountered so far."

"What about the Aldan team?"

"We are advancing along the flank and have not yet encountered any enemy activity."

Sion nodded, simultaneously compressing the search area from three directions, and then having the remaining Astragalus Army seal off all outer exits, like pulling in a net to encircle the Bloodaxe Clan and the unknown alien's gathering area.

As long as the net is tightened enough, whatever is hidden inside will not escape.

But before the net could be pulled in, their fish eagerly leaped out of the water.