Warhammer 40k: Melee Warriors

Frankly speaking, calling this a command post is a gross exaggeration; it's more like a small communications station that can send messages to higher authorities.

Even so, the surrounding defenses were not weak, with two Chimera armored vehicles, much taller than Komi, patrolling full of soldiers.

Four Tarantula turrets were positioned at the four corners of the communications station's high wall. These deadly weapons required no human operation; their logic engines and machine spirit controllers would assist the soldiers in combat.

Look at these weapons; you can hit someone with one shot and they won't make a sound.

Koken clicked his tongue in amazement, feeling that the actual object was even more imposing and ferocious than the chess pieces he had held in his hands in the past.

After completing the procedures, the two unloaded their weapons and entered the communications station.

Inside, the atmosphere was bustling with activity, a stark contrast to the cold and desolate air outside. Every communications soldier wearing a headset was using sturdy and durable wireless equipment to receive and transmit all sorts of information.

This is a tough job, no easier than a direct confrontation.

"Your battle report." The soldier who received Komi spoke coldly, but this was not out of contempt or disdain, but rather to ensure he could complete his work more efficiently.

These soldiers were not locals; like Miyan, they came from other planets and were deployed here on orders from the Ministry of Military Affairs.

Komi finished speaking quickly, and the soldier recorded it in less than 5 seconds. The soldier then waved him away, telling him to get out and stop causing trouble.

The two walked out, and Shi Tou was amazed by the liveliness in the communications station. His eyes sparkled as he asked Gu Jian if he had a chance to become a communications soldier.

Komi didn't like to destroy other people's dreams, so she simply replied gently, "Maybe. As long as you study hard, nothing is impossible."

Stone listened intently and drifted into a beautiful fantasy.

As he returned the way he came, Koji felt a chill run down his spine. Looking back, he couldn't see any enemy. In the end, he could only think that he had been too nervous.

In the shadow of the towering building, a man with a hooked nose and a stern, unfriendly expression withdrew his head and spoke into his communicator, "Yes, sir, they have left the communications station and are heading east along Chanseok Street..."

......

At the top of the tower in Red Mining World, the most heavily guarded place in the entire world is also the location of the highest command headquarters.

General Derek, who is in charge of the entire legion, is meeting with the rulers of the planet, the nobles who are like gods to the Upper Nesters and are mysterious and inviolable.

The meeting place did not appear luxurious at first glance. There were no gold-plated marble pillars or ornate chandeliers with jeweled lamps. Instead, there was only lush green grass and fragrant flowers.

Spectacular white clouds rolled across the pristine, icy blue sky, captivating even the well-traveled General Derek for a fleeting second.

“The sky is indeed beautiful, isn’t it, General Derek?” said Earl Ryan, who was the ruler of the Red Mining World and the current patriarch of the wealthiest gold thread family, dressed in clothing made from gold thread that could only be produced in two kilograms a year on the entire planet.

Their family's rule began when the human empire discovered the world, and it shows no signs of weakening to this day.

General Derek seemed to snap out of a daze and replied, "The scenery is indeed beautiful. I never imagined that a mining world with a completely destroyed and irreparable environment could have blue skies and white clouds."

“Hehehe…” Earl Ryan was quite pleased with the flattery in General Derek’s tone. “This is all thanks to an ancient and magical treasure called the Myriad Machines. It only requires a little electricity to create this almost real holographic sky.”

Some electricity...

General Derek couldn't help but ponder the short sentence. In his understanding, some of the things the nobles of Red Mining World mentioned were not as simple as they seemed. The energy consumed to create such a large-scale holographic sky must have been considerable. Even if the people of Lower Nest and Upper Nest were to waste electricity like crazy for the next hundred years, it would not be as much as the energy consumed by this holographic sky running for one hour.

Of course, General Derek was a soldier, and he hadn't come to complain about the extravagance of the nobles, but rather to inquire about a law that was about to be enacted.

The decree to disband the mobilization corps.

Chapter 8: Let them fend for themselves

"Oh? Is that all you wanted to ask?" Upon hearing General Derek's question, Earl Ryan's face showed obvious disappointment and impatience. He had thought that the reason General Derek was in such a hurry to convene a meeting was because he had a good way to repel the orcs.

Seeing that Earl Ryan's face showed no seriousness, General Derek's tone became a bit harsher, "Your Excellency Earl Ryan, please forgive my bluntness, but the newly established mobilization corps has weathered the most difficult period. We suffered 24 million casualties to withstand the orcs' offensive and firmly hold them back."

The mobilized troops are now adapted to fighting the orcs, and some fronts are even showing signs of a counter-offensive. Calculations indicate our victory is inevitable—within ten years...or even five! The lands of Red will be free of orcs!

Earl Ryan was not impressed by General Derek's well-reasoned report. He yawned wearily and reached into the fruit basket on the grass, taking out a fresh piece of fruit.

Indeed, the nobles and General Derek who came to the meeting sat on the ground, completely unconcerned that their gorgeous and luxurious clothes were stained with mud and grass clippings.

On the contrary, nobles considered it fashionable to smell of grass and earth on their bodies, while those who went up to the nest took pride in having spotless clothes.

General Derek, observing the situation, obediently shut his mouth. After thirty seconds of chewing sounds, Earl Ryan finally spoke: "In five or ten years, the orcs will be driven out. So, what's the new problem?"

“A new problem? Your Excellency, I don’t understand.” General Derek blinked, wondering if he had missed some battle report, thus overlooking the existence of certain enemies.

Earl Ryan was very dissatisfied with General Derek's slowness, and only then did he end his riddle, pointing out directly, "Those conscripts, they are the biggest problem."

Seeing General Derek's admonishing expression, Earl Ryan continued.

"The Conscription Law did indeed save the Red Mining World in its most difficult time, protecting the Emperor's loyal nobles from the threat of the Orcs. But what happened next? Your soldiers taught those conscripts some dangerous ideas."

“Dangerous ideas?” General Derek stood up, objecting to Earl Ryan’s statement. “That knowledge is necessary! Without veterans to teach and guide them, the casualties would be even greater, and the death toll on the front lines could soar to fifty million, or even more!”

"It's only fifty million. He'll just die."

"What did you say?" General Derek was shocked. "Only fifty million? That's fifty million!"

"I don't need you to doubt my mathematical abilities, General Derek!" Earl Ryan was enraged, his eyes turning icy cold. "When I earned fifty million Throne Dollars for the family, you weren't even in military academy yet!"

General Derek realized his lapse in composure and obediently sat back down.

Earl Ryan composed himself and regained his elegant demeanor, saying, "Do you know about the Deccaco factory explosion? It doesn't matter if you don't, you just need to know that a factory that processes toxic minerals caused an explosion in its storage area due to operational errors."

The deadly gas spread throughout the lower nest via a complex network of pipes. We sealed the gate between the upper and lower nests, thus controlling the spread of the gas.

Guess how many people died in that incident?

General Derek felt his throat was a little dry, and before he could speak, Earl Ryan interrupted, "We had people do a quick calculation and the casualties, including those who died on the spot and those who died later, are estimated to be over six billion."

The deaths of so many people in the lower nest did have some impact on production. But we only made some minor changes: we upgraded the environment of the upper and lower nests and generally increased the costs of living in the upper nest. Guess what? Naturally, some people moved to the lower nest; they even thought they weren't good enough for such a good life because they hadn't worked hard enough.

Earl Ryan chuckled, while General Derek listened numbly, having neither the inclination to understand nor the ability to practice the art of shepherding.

"Since the nest can recover even after losing six billion, losing fifty million is not a big loss, is it?"

"It seems so... Your Excellency the Earl."

"Trade fleets won't visit again for another two hundred years, but the fleet collecting elevenths of the tribute will arrive in twenty-five years. The miners who become conscripts will become even more greedy; they'll fantasize about using their war merits to gain the right to live in the nest, and they'll think about improving their living conditions. That's all money, all unnecessary waste. To ensure the prosperity of Red Mining World in the days to come, stop forming the conscript corps, and try to kill as many people as possible, the more war merits they have, the faster they'll die. Also, I don't have any extra medicine for the wounded; you don't need me to teach you how to treat them, do you?"

Earl Ryan's voice was soft and gentle, but to General Derek it was as deafening as a machine gun firing. His lips trembled as he said, "I...I don't know, Your Excellency."

“You don’t know, but I do, so do as I say. Remember, you are just a general, while I am the sole ruler appointed by the Emperor.”

General Derek's upright body slumped, his face paler than if he had been commanding the battle for several days straight. He nodded almost imperceptibly, and amidst his despair and pain, the laughter of Earl Ryan and the other family patriarchs enjoying the sunset could be heard.

Back at the top command, it was obvious to everyone that General Derek was unwell. They came over to inquire about his well-being, but the general just waved his hand and said that he was just overworked.

"General, here is today's battle report."

General Derek quickly scanned the text, catching the most important pieces of information between the lines.

The orcs found a gap in the intricate mines of Lower Nest that allowed them to bypass the main defenses. If the defenses were not properly maintained, the city's defenders could be attacked from both sides.

As General Derek's adjutant, this man was also quite capable in command. When Derek's gaze lingered on the report for a long time, he immediately suggested, "Remove the old conscription units that have retired from the front lines and organize new conscription units to fill the gaps on the front lines, so that the veterans can lead the new recruits to grow quickly."

General Derek nodded subconsciously at first, then sighed heavily. "There are no new mobilization corps. Order the front-line troops to consolidate their defenses and retreat in an orderly manner. I will detach a portion of the troops to guard the gates of Upper Nest and Lower Nest, ensuring that Upper Nest and Lower Nest are absolutely secure."

"General, what about lowering the nest?"

"Xia Chao?" General Derek repeated as if in a dream, then left his adjutant with a faint voice, "Let Xia Chao fend for itself; we are powerless to help."

Chapter 9: Trouble Comes Knocking

"Lieutenant, what's that?"

"Tarantula turret".

"Lieutenant, what is that?"

"Hellhound armored vehicle".

"adjutant...."

Seemingly having successfully completed the task, Ishi finally relaxed, his tense mood finally eased. He also sensed that Komi wasn't the kind of person whose personality would change drastically after getting a position, so he looked around and asked questions like a curious child.

Komi would occasionally glance up and quickly scan the area, explaining the novel things to Ishii while checking the map in his hand to find a way back to the 88th Mobilization Corps' base.

Originally, they intended to return the way they came, but after the stone reminded them, Komi realized that the old path had collapsed beyond recognition when they defeated the rock beast. Helpless, they had no choice but to find another way.

“It seems like we can walk through here.” Komi said, pointing to a point on the map. Ishii leaned over and said directly, “Lieutenant, no one can walk through here. It collapsed twenty years ago, and this map hasn’t been updated yet.”

"And what about here?"

"That won't work either. There's no oxygen in there. A kind of greedy moss has taken over the tunnel. We'll die on the way before we even get halfway there."

Komi suggested a location, but Ishi pointed out the discrepancy between the map and the actual location. In the end, Komi had no choice but to hand the map over to Ishi and let him find a fast and safe route.

It can only be said that Shi Tou's twenty-eight years have not been wasted. He used his finger to walk on the map, muttering to himself, combining his memories with what his father had taught him, and soon he was about to weave a safe road in the eyes of the miners.

Unfortunately, even though Komi and Ishiki hid in the dark alleys to avoid unnecessary trouble, the trouble still relentlessly came knocking on their door.

The first thing Gu Jian sensed upon entering was a hostile atmosphere, followed by scattered, continuous footsteps; a rough estimate suggested there were probably thirty to fifty people.

Gu Jian patted Shi Tou on the shoulder, telling him to get ready for battle. He looked towards the other end of the alley and saw a group of thugs wielding various melee weapons approaching them.

A local gang? How did they get involved?

All the problems were solved when Komi saw Fagas's ugly face.

Fargas gave a forced smile, and when he raised his hand, all the thugs stopped in their tracks, weighing their weapons in their hands with menacing expressions.

"Ah, two loyal and dutiful soldiers. Your mission is accomplished."

"It's done, sir."

Koji's calm and composed voice, neither humble nor arrogant, made Fagas's face twitch twice.

These lowly people! These lowly people!

Fagaz roared inwardly, how dare this lowly commoner put on such an arrogant attitude? Who did he think he was? One of those noble gentlemen living on the top floor!

Fagas clenched his fists, his neck stiffened, and his pale face flushed slightly. "It's done, very good. Now that it's done, I have a small test for you, and you will receive my reward if you pass it."

Even a stone could tell that what he said was a lie. He tried to pick up the automatic gun, but Koji shook his head and stopped him.

Fagas and his entourage bringing melee weapons to cause trouble certainly wasn't without thought. Besides the pleasure that killing someone with melee weapons would bring to the furious Fagas, they also considered the need to keep a low profile.

The gunfire was deafening, especially in the unusually quiet Upper Nest compared to the Lower Nest. The gunfire would travel extremely far before reaching the ears of the veterans and political commissars who were like war machines.

Fargas deeply resented the existence of Komi and the stone, but as a member of the Rose Stone family, he wouldn't let his anger lead him to act too foolishly.

His followers were all temporarily recruited, selected from one of the most resource-scarce districts in Shangchao. A few hundred pieces of bread, which were even considered worthless as bricks, were enough to make these hungry people do anything for him.

Because of material scarcity, the town had become dilapidated and impoverished, and even seemed to be moving closer to the lower nests, but their skin was still light-colored, which made Fagas feel less disgusted.