The Astartes Family's Notebook

Dual-mode cross-medium shooting—this isn't a matter of comprehension; it's a subject where missing five shots results in immediate exemption from training. It's primarily used to select Astartes warriors with exceptional shooting talent. For example, it involves using a clairvoyant system to fire through walls at the weak points of armored vehicles, relying on the explosive damage of high-explosive rounds to inflict damage.

Unconventional posture probability-based shooting, a typical monkey-like shooting training exercise. Trainees are required to shoot while in a flying dive, side roll, free fall, magnetic attraction, vacuum walking, behind-the-shoulder shooting, and under-the-arm shooting positions. The only anthropomorphic aspect of this training is that it only requires a probability of hitting the target, such as one in three or five in ten. Mistakes by Astartes warriors are allowed, as long as the hit probability meets the target.

Unassisted precision aiming shooting training in complex environments can be understood literally: removing the tactical helmet and aiming at 800 meters with both eyes intact; aiming with one prosthetic eye using one's own original eye; and exempting those with both prosthetic eyes from training.

Suppressive fire during continuous fire is easy to understand—it's about recoil control. Explosive rifles have significant recoil; an ordinary soldier misusing an Astartes' explosive rifle would likely have their arm torn off by the recoil. However, this recoil is not a problem for the superhuman Astartes. The only issue is the radius of the bullet impact points. Using a carbine is an unforgivable mistake for the Astartes; a bullet impact radius of half the Astartes' height within 100 meters is the final compromise.

If these are considered standard training subjects, then "intuitive shooting" has already entered the realm of metaphysics. This type of training uses recoil-simulating guns and electronic training chambers. Before training begins, the trainees are not even told what the shooting targets are in the Astartes simulation scenario; it's entirely based on intuition.

For example, Katz once encountered a balloon that was always floating behind him. He used his ability to multitask to spot the balloon amidst many distractions, thus earning himself a company commendation.

Although it's ridiculous, it's also very interesting. Katz treats many of Astartes' training programs as challenging games.

It wasn't until after this intense battle that Katz finally understood that behind every targeted training exercise in Astartes lay even more outrageous and bloody lessons.

At least when the panicked rebel artillerymen didn't even know where to aim, Kaz, in a flash of inspiration, hit the near-detonation fuse of a stray bullet with his slingshot, saving himself and his comrades' lives.

Power armor protects against bullets, but not artillery shells. Kaz didn't even know what he was thinking at the time; he just felt something was wrong, raised his hand, and fired a shot, and got hit.

There was no aiming, it was all inspiration.

In high-intensity, long-duration combat, even the smallest probability will be amplified.

Two of our combat comrades have already needed to return to the Victory Balance for treatment.

However, so far, the tactical objectives set by the company are being achieved one by one.

Eighty-seven percent of the top nest area has been cleared. Except for a few military leaders who are still stubbornly resisting by relying on automated fire base stations, most of the nest capital's elites have accepted the fact that the judge has turned his back on them.

However, all the powerful figures in the Nest City who were under personal control still denied any connection with the Chaos forces after interrogation.

The battle was going very well, but Odach and Motor Sich looked increasingly worse.

Even the military leaders who had already sided with the judges realized the gravity of the situation.

If the powerful figures at the top of the nest did not side with Chaos, then who did?

It couldn't possibly be the Astral Legion of Zhongchao, could it?

After living comfortably for too long, the military leaders who rarely left their posts were no longer sure whether the loyal troops they imagined were truly loyal, or even who they were truly loyal to.

"Mutox, be patient. What you need is patience. The Corpse King's lackeys have already started the war. The Blood God doesn't care whose blood is shed; it's all your achievement. It's not enough. The blood that has been shed is not enough. Please be patient, great Mutox."

Perhaps the Dark Prince truly blessed Vebis. The World Eater Warband, known for its ferocity and bloodlust, actually heeded the advice of the Prince Wizard, suppressing their raging battle lust and awaiting the final completion of the sacrificial ritual.

"Blood sacrifice to the Blood God, skull offering to the skull seat!"

"Slay the false emperor, and burn the Milky Way!"

Mutox felt that he had probably received a blessing from some destructive power, the evidence being that Butcher's Nail had not activated for three days, and he once again felt that his brain was not just an ornament.

Patience is for the sake of a more exhilarating experience.

The dozen or so brothers of the War Gang alone could not possibly defeat a company of lackeys of the False Emperor. They had to wait for the Blood God's gaze to fall upon this planet before they could truly unleash their carnage.

It's laughable that mortals are completely unaware of the immense power of the destroyers of the warp.

Unlike me, who would only offer more heads to Khorne.

Chapter 36 Fearless

We have no fear, for I am the embodiment of fear. —Excerpt from *The Astartes' Collection of Harsh Sayings*

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When Makarius launched his expedition, only eight warbands initially responded to the call.

They are Death Ghost, Malice Warrior, Space Wolf, White Scar, Blood Sword, Star Ghost, Interceptor, and a certain Dark Angel subgroup that is hard to understand.

As angel investors in the Makarian Expedition, these eight warbands invested heavily from the very beginning. The Space Wolves came to Dalian, and several warbands assembled in full force, with the smallest number sending at least three full-strength companies to assist.

However, for the Empire, no amount of Astartes warriors was enough; the entire Empire was riddled with holes.

After all, the Battle of Armageddon, which had just ended not long ago, already had a number of Space Marines involved that were almost comparable to the early stages of the Macarian Expedition.

This is the size difference between a world and a thousand planets.

Although later chapters like the Wastewing joined midway, the total number of Astartes in the entire expeditionary force was only around ten thousand.

So don't think that the Space Marine Chapters were the absolute main force during the Makarian Expedition; the three to five hundred million mortal Ascendant soldiers were the main driving force of the campaign.

Don't get hung up on whether it's 300 million or 500 million; often, even the legendary strategist Markarius doesn't know the answer.

Don't worry too much about the supply list from the Ministry of Military Affairs; whether they gave more or less, the Ministry of Military Affairs doesn't know either.

In any case, although many Astral Army soldiers knew that the Astartes were the Emperor's death angels, demigods who transcended mortals, very few actually had the chance to see them.

Perhaps for ordinary Star Guardians, never having the chance to see the face of the gods in this lifetime is a kind of happiness.

The older a person gets, the more timid they become.

Those rebels who knew anything about the Astartes warriors surrendered.

It is precisely those hotheads who think we brothers outnumber them and want to challenge Astartes that are still putting up a stubborn resistance.

In response, Nafar's 1st to 130th Regiments demonstrated to their colleagues in Omidas's Nest what cruelty truly meant.

These Nafar people are essentially rebels as well, but the problem is that Inquisitor Odachi has already conducted a surrender ceremony in Nafar.

So even though they were all rebels, the Nafar people felt a sense of superiority when facing the Omidas.

I have returned to the Empire, traitor, die!

Although they lacked logistics, supplies, and even weapons, the Nafar people were organized.

After the Victory Balance's bombardment sent the planet's rulers to their deaths, the humans of Nafar should have descended into chaos and anarchy.

However, the judges and Astartes were indifferent to the social structure of this barbaric world with a total population of less than three million.

This indifference brought tremendous excitement and surprise to the Omidas Nest City.

According to the ancient Terran humans, Nafal, with its mountains, water, air, and flora and fauna, was an ideal place for farming and hunting, and should have been more popular than the crowded hive world.

Right.

right?

Of course not, that's a cognitive bias.

For the millions of citizens of the empire, going to Nafal was exile; Omidas's hive was life.

Humans who can survive in a wild and untamed place like Nafal may be weak, but they are definitely not cowards.

When the celestial lords have no plans, the people of Nafar live in constant anxiety, unsure of what tomorrow will bring. Mutual aid societies, bound by blood and geographical ties, fill the power vacuum.

The Empire's punitive fleet decided to relocate the entire population of Nafal to Omidas to serve as gray livestock for the line-filling missions. The great benefactors of Ancient Terra may have found this cruel and inhumane, but the Nafal people felt they had made the right choice in surrendering.

From now on, we'll be registered residents of Chaohu City.

Those former Star Realm veterans who had fled to the countryside for refuge immediately became highly sought after.

The Nafar people are simple and honest, and they are very good at judging others by their own standards. They don't believe that the Omidas Nest City would warmly welcome them.

To make a living in Chaodu, you have to fight and seize for status and benefits.

Without the eruption of chaotic energy, most of the Nafal immigrants, after losing their usefulness, would likely have struggled to survive in the bottom hive and died tragically, becoming yet another irrefutable proof of the Empire's inhumanity.

But isn't this the Desolation Wings Chapter turning its back on its previous political agreement with the Nest Rebels?

The Nafar 1st to 130th Regiments, now with renewed value, showed the Omidas what the cruelty of their own people truly meant.

It doesn't matter if you're unfamiliar with the place; a steel jungle is still a jungle. Whatever costs lives to pave a path in Nafal will do the same in Omidas.

It doesn't matter if there isn't enough weaponry; it can be concentrated in the hands of young and able-bodied men with military skills.

The heavenly officials tell us where to guard, and we'll guard that place; not a single person will survive.

The Empire's rise to become the dominant power in the galaxy is largely due to the contributions of its people; without ruthlessness, one cannot stand firm.

Give the Nafar a chance, and these men and women will prove their worth to the Empire.

An 80% casualty rate is something that is completely unimaginable for a regular Astronautical Army.

It wasn't a desperate gamble when they were cornered; it was purely a savage instinct to seize territory.

Since the gods in heaven have appointed me to guard this place, then this territory is ours.

This is what it means to have a sense of ownership.

The local rebels who were trying to break through the blockade and escape to their lair couldn't understand what these lunatics from Nafal were after. They just wanted to survive. Was it so hard to make way for them?

Is it difficult? Yes, it is.

It's hard.

The Nafar people also want to live.

Are the rebels' laser guns, live ammunition, and even artillery really that scary?

The large number of casualties was due to the overwhelming gap in combat capability caused by the disparity in weaponry and military skills.

However, the Nafar people's ruthlessness and resilience made up for this gap, and the local rebels were unable to pass through quickly.

When Katz and his forces intervened in the battle, the local rebels also experienced firsthand the gap in weaponry and military skills.

The streets were littered with corpses and blood. The local rebels, who had given up resistance, and the Nafar people, who could hardly be called an army, knelt together, awaiting the Emperor's angels to make the final judgment on their respective fates.

"Kaz, if you were in charge of this, what would you do?"

The sergeant leading the team asked a question on the communications channel.

"Relocate the local Star Forces to other areas for temporary integration, and leave the weapons and supplies to these Nafar people."

Katz's answer wasn't exactly a brilliant solution, but it wasn't wrong either.

The sergeant in charge refined the details according to Kaz's ideas and verbally praised the surviving Nafar people.

Amidst deafening cheers, both sides, who had just been at war, calmly accepted their fate.

"Not enough, not enough. Not enough blood has been shed. The killings at the top and middle nests are too inefficient. We must make the lower nests lively as well."

Mutox struggled to suppress the murderous urge brought on by the Butcher's Nail, urging Vebis to speed up.

This world-devourer, embracing chaos, didn't know how much longer he could hold on. His ambition to ascend to the rank of demon prince and his intense craving for slaughter tore at his soul.

Faster, faster! I want to burn the world, I want to see rivers of blood.

Chapter 37 Ten Thousand Taels of Gold

People will do anything that could lead to execution, but nobody does anything that doesn't make money. —Ancient Terran proverb

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The first phase of the campaign is largely coming to an end.

Because the Empire has never officially recognized the rebellion of the Macarian Expeditionary Force, the actual criteria for judging whether someone is a rebel are very flexible.

Before the interrogation, the military leaders and nobles cursed the judge, Odachi, for being shameless and dishonest, accusing him of deceiving and ambushing them, the old comrades who had served the empire and shed blood for General Makarius.

However, the tone changed when it was learned during the interrogation that the Desolation Wings Chapter's raids on the hives were all dealing with Chaos cultists.

Brother Odachi, your teacher and I have been friends for decades. Give me a hand, buddy.

Murder and arson await amnesty, seizing territory to become king is a small matter, but colluding with chaotic forces is deadly.

Despite feeling aggrieved, the military leaders and nobles of Omidas dared not guarantee that their Astral Legion had not been corrupted by Chaos, nor could they guarantee that there were no cultists within the hive.

It's important to understand that an entire company of Space Marines going to such lengths is definitely not as simple as Inquisitor Odach wanting to double-cross someone.

It's a classic case of double-crossing. All they need to do is launch a surprise attack on the upper nest, then select an agent to control the middle nest. The Wings of Desolation and the Inquisitor can simply sit back and wait for the agent to pack up the benefits and deliver them to them. There's no need for the Empire's demigods to personally go to the middle nest to suppress the Astral Legion.

Since the end of the Imperial Expedition, humanity has traversed ten thousand years in the turbulent, infernal galaxy, and a set of fixed unspoken rules has long been established throughout the empire.

Even in cases of double-crossing, there are established rules and taboos.

The Inquisitors may be inhuman, but the Chapter of Astartes will not risk their honor and reputation to become stepping stones for a young Inquisitor.

Therefore, after initial identification, Odachi immediately carried out a sting operation. Although he did not remove the personal control over the regulated elites, he allowed them to communicate through limited channels.

It was precisely because of the collective surrender of the top nest that the millions of IGs and an unspecified number of PDFs, mainly gathered in the middle nest, did not engage in any desperate, last-ditch resistance.

But this doesn't make sense. If controlling the top nest would solve the problem, why would the Astartes personally go to the middle nest to fight this battle?

This doesn't make sense.