Warhammer, I really didn't intend to form a second empire!

"Who knows how those toads can fly so high!"

Chi You touched the fading bruises on his face and felt a slight toothache.

This country of Qatar is really cursed; they can't believe they even have something like this.

But seeing Xiang Ji's equally disheveled appearance, Chi You's lips inexplicably curled upwards.

It's okay, my brother had it worse than me. When he was blown away, he was almost hit in the bullseye by a bone from behind. Luckily, the Xuanwu-type power armor was made of refined gold and living metal, otherwise he would have been in big trouble.

Unfortunately, we're missing a piece of dirt that could have been used against this kid for the rest of his life.

Chi You couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

Two days later, Zhao Zheng received a formal report from Xiang Ji on the Lishan.

The report provides a rather concise description of the entire encounter, only mentioning "Fatal contact, threat level confirmed" in the "Encounter with the Cataclysmic Barking Toad" section.

After reading the report, Zhao Zheng didn't say much, but wrote a sentence in the comments section at the end of the report.

"Don't mess with unfamiliar creatures next time."

He could tell what those two rebellious sons had done with just one glance at the report. They must have messed with these toads and gotten blown up.

Otherwise, given their personalities, they would have already started exaggerating the terrible conditions in Katachon and getting Zhao Zheng to send more new recruits there for training.

The expansion project at the Katachon training camp continued to move forward over the next few months.

The fourth batch of engineering iron spies was transported from Qiankun Star to the Katachang orbit, carrying a large number of prefabricated modular building materials and automatic turret systems.

They simultaneously expanded five new training zones in Qatar, each equipped with an independent supply depot, first aid station, and communications relay station.

The composite armored walls of the camp were further heightened and thickened, and a multi-layered defense system was added. Several wide trenches were dug around the perimeter of the walls, with lava and spike traps introduced. The trenches were filled with a high concentration of promethium.

The vines and creatures that were trying to penetrate the cleared area and infiltrate the camp would trigger automatic turrets when they approached the wall, and were then suppressed back to the edge of the jungle by continuous high-temperature flames and heavy firepower.

The existence of the Katachan people was also systematically discovered during the expansion of the training camp.

The scattered settlements deep in the jungle were located one by one as the Ironborn patrols advanced.

They were small in scale, with each settlement typically having a population of between one hundred and five hundred, who made a living by hunting and gathering and maintained a fairly primitive tribal social structure.

No one here should be underestimated, not even a child a few years old or a frail old woman; they could unexpectedly throw a grenade at you.

How did the Katachan people survive in this environment?

When Xiang Ji saw the holographic images of the settlement residents, his gaze lingered for a long time on the group of people covered in camouflage mud and holding homemade grenades and explosive guns.

Those people were much more robust than ordinary humans, with broad shoulders, strong bones, and eyes that held a kind of alertness and composure that only comes from long-term survival in extremely dangerous environments.

Their skin was a dark brown, repeatedly exposed to the jungle sun, and covered with fine scars and some fresh wounds.

They were very tall, but compared to the Astartes and their genetically modified "good brothers" auxiliary troops, they were no match. However, just by looking into their eyes, Xiang Ji had a feeling that these people's fighting power in the jungle was probably not much worse than that of the Empire's elite mortals.

They lived in this hellish environment for countless years, using the most primitive weapons to fight against terrifying creatures that could easily destroy a small fleet. Instead of becoming extinct, they developed a set of experiences and skills sufficient to survive and reproduce in the jungle.

It can only be said that human potential is truly limitless; such an amazing will to survive and strength can be unleashed from such a frail body.

Xiang Ji and Chi You really liked this kind of person; wasn't he the chosen commando reserve?

They believed that the Qatari people would bring surprises to the Qin Dynasty in future boarding and decapitation strikes.

Xiang Ji stood in front of the holographic screen on the bridge, watching the fixed images flash by frame by frame, and turned to the communications officer next to him.

"Prepare to send people to make contact with these Katachan people and persuade them to relocate to our training camp."

"Tell them that from now on they are subjects of the Great Qin, and that they must obey the orders of the Great Qin and undergo military training. If any of them want to live a peaceful life, we can transfer them to other planets to participate in logistics construction and production activities."

Xiang Ji had no intention of playing any games of mutual consent with the people of Qatar; he was going to take matters into his own hands.

When has the Qin Dynasty ever reasoned with anyone? Zhao Zheng has never been one to listen to reason, nor have his subordinates. Only civil officials like Kongming sometimes exhibit such barbaric and rude behavior.

Zhao Zheng's message was simple: if he could beat me, he'd take it! If he couldn't, he'd feign compliance and then find an opportunity to stab me in the back!

Only what you can eat is truly beneficial; what you can't eat is just an invisible pie. Zhao Zheng doesn't buy into that. He dislikes empty promises and is quite pragmatic and greedy.

In this respect, the officers of the Great Qin Dynasty were more or less tainted with this "rogue" characteristic. However, most of the time they preferred to beat them with force first, and then exploit them severely after they were scared!

Finally, send some Slavic officials from the Dragon Kingdoms or Terra, along with a group of immigrants, so that we won't have to worry about the reclaimed planets causing any trouble.

In short, to be on the safe side, Xiang Ji and Chi You sent a group of heavily armored Ironborn people over there. This way, they could at least forcibly relocate the Katachan people without worrying about any unexpected incidents.

Since the people on this planet can survive in this environment, their sense of danger must be extremely strong.

The communications officer relayed Xiang Ji's instructions to the ground command post, which then forwarded them via an encrypted channel to the Ironborn patrol formation waiting on the edge of the jungle.

Those formations each consisted of twenty heavy armored vehicles, equipped with heavy weapon systems and translation systems.

After receiving their missions, they began to walk towards their destinations, their massive bodies moving through the jungle, where the jungle and other creatures readily made way for them.

These heavily armored Ironborn have brought out the creatures' fear instincts.

Therefore, the Ironborn's advance went smoothly, encountering no real threats along the way except for a few vines trying to entwine them from the side and a jungle predator that seemed oblivious to their fate.

Upon reaching the outskirts of a settlement, the third squadron saw a simple fence woven from sharpened wooden stakes and thick vines. Behind the fence was a row of low wooden houses and tents, roughly estimated to be able to accommodate two to three hundred people.

The figures dressed in the "devil" animal skins of the Catachan moved quickly behind the fence, each taking up a firing position, holding homemade bomb guns and grenades, their eyes fixed on the tall mechanical silhouettes.

The Ironborn stopped about fifty meters from the fence, and a broadcast recorded in the common language of Qatar played from the loudspeaker.

The Qin Empire had previously intercepted numerous communication signals from the Qatchan people in space, and the translation system adapted them to the local language by analyzing those signals.

"We are the vanguard of the Imperial Dragon Legion of the Great Qin Empire, and we hope to come here to establish contact with you."

“We have established permanent camps in the jungle. You can choose to move into the camps to obtain a safe living environment and medical support, and receive systematic combat training.”

The Ironborn did not immediately become aggressive, but instead gave the people of Qatar a chance to make their own choices.

In reality, they didn't have a choice at all.

After the broadcast ended, there was silence behind the fence for about ten seconds, then a hoarse voice came from behind the fence.

"Are you the kind of people who fly iron birds in the sky?"

"Yes."

There was a moment of silence, then the voice rang out again.

“We don’t need anyone to teach us how to fight, and we don’t believe any promises from outsiders. Get out of here.”

That's certainly fierce; it seems we need to be a bit tougher.

The Ironborn's loudspeaker played another broadcast.

“This is not a request, it is an order. You can choose to relocate voluntarily, or make a choice before being forced to relocate.”

A low murmur arose from behind the fence, and the Qatachan people exchanged glances for a moment.

The hoarse voice rang out again, this time with a hint of anger and defiance.

"Then let's give it a try."

Without further ado, the Ironborn stepped forward, and the leading heavily armored Ironborn activated the miniature missile system on his back, releasing it towards the jungle surrounding the settlement.

Boom!

The "demons" in the eyes of the people of Qatar were instantly blasted away. Within a radius of 100 meters, the jungle and ferns retreated rapidly, and the "feet" ran as fast as they could.

"If you are still concerned about whether we have deceived you, we can assure you that there will be no discrimination or oppression of you in the camp."

"But if you still refuse to believe us, then today we will knock you all unconscious and take you back to the camp one by one."

"If you have any complaints, then start making trouble now. After all, once we're inside the camp, if you try to cause trouble, we'll have to kill you."

No sooner had the heavily armored Ironborn finished speaking than a bomb struck its thick armor plating.

The bodies forged from living metal and adamantite were beyond the reach of these people who could only wield the most basic versions of explosive guns. The Ironborn did not retaliate, but simply allowed these Catachans to unleash their ammunition.

Finally, some of the Qatari even charged forward with chainsaws and grenades, but they were knocked unconscious before they even reached the Ironborn.

That body, three times larger than Wuwei's, possessed unparalleled control, shattering the bodies of these Qatari people with a single blow.

After all, the purpose of this trip is to win over these people, and many of them will definitely be "colleagues" in the future, so there's no need to go too far.

The outcome of the "battle" was a foregone conclusion. No matter how brave the Katachans were, they were still just flesh and blood. A strong mortal could not possibly compare to the Ironborn.

The humans from these settlements were all taken back to nearby training camps.

……

The people of Qatar woke up quickly and found themselves lying in beds.

Those iron plates were very hard, much harder than the wooden planks they had slept on, but there was a mat on top of them so that the iron beds wouldn't be so uncomfortable to sleep on.

Where is this place?

This is the first reaction of most waking up Qatari people; their instinctive reaction over the years makes them subconsciously reach for the weapon at their waist.

The emptiness did not frighten them; they had long since learned how to survive without weapons.

But the environment here was so different that they couldn't feel the sense of life-or-death crisis for a while, which made them, who were always on high alert, feel somewhat lost.

They silently sat up from the hard beds, quickly scanning the room to locate the entrances and exits, observe the height of the ceiling and the material of the walls, then turned to each other and exchanged a few extremely brief messages with their eyes.

This is an instinct developed through long-term survival in extremely dangerous environments. In any unfamiliar environment, the priority is to conduct an environmental assessment, identify the source of the threat and escape routes, and then consider the next course of action.

In the third training camp, Yu Jin stood in the observation room next door, watching the group of Qatari people react in the room through a one-way mirror.

He crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze slowly moving over the group of people, observing their every subtle movement.

"These people react quickly and are quite disciplined."

He turned his head and said to Le Jin, who was standing next to him.

"And they are very organized. Although they are indeed not very reasonable, it is really rare for them to survive in this godforsaken place and maintain this level of composure."

What are your plans next?

"Let them experience the camp environment first. Simply suppressing them is not a good thing. They need to realize that staying here is not as bad as they imagine."

After Yu Jin finished speaking, he turned around and walked out of the observation room to the training ground.

Then they sent someone to summon these Qatari people.

"Kids and girls, get up, collect your supplies, and then get out here to train."

"Five minutes to assemble at the training ground immediately. If you fail to do so, dinner is canceled tonight!"

"The Qin training camp doesn't tolerate idlers. If you don't have the ability and fail the quarterly assessment, then you'll be sent to the logistics department or the factory!"

Yu Jin's voice came through the room's loudspeaker, and the calmness in his tone made the people of Qatar uneasy.

Little kids and little girls? While we were out there battling wits with demons in the Katachan jungle, you were probably still drinking milk somewhere!

They stepped out of the room, the unfamiliar environment of the training camp making them feel somewhat novel. The solemn atmosphere of the gray-black steel decks with green glowing stripes made even these naturally unruly Qatari people put away their playful smiles.

Especially the automated turrets and the Astartes of the Imperial Dragon Legion standing around them, as well as the group of heavily armored Ironborn who had brought them here, they made no further moves.

When they arrived at the training ground, ten minutes had passed, and Yu Jin stood there without a helmet, his face expressionless.

That somewhat silent face brought an indescribable pressure to the people of Qatar.

"You are five minutes late, so there will be no dinner tonight."

"Where is this? What do you want us to do?"

A young-looking boy stepped forward, probably only in his early twenties, but judging from his scars and the fang necklace around his neck, he must be considered a tough guy in Qatar.

"Jungle combat, terrain assessment, enemy reconnaissance, raids and decapitations... and combat skills you won't learn."

Yu Jin's tone was very calm.

“We have a system specifically designed to train assault and reconnaissance soldiers. What you know is still too rudimentary. We will teach you more systematic skills, and you will also receive better equipment and fire support.”

"Of course, if you don't want to live this life of danger anymore, you can apply to go to the logistics department. In the rear, you can go to the factory or learn logistics maintenance, get married and have children, and then live a peaceful life."

"That sounds so nice, but who knows if it's true?"

The young man from Katachan interrupted Yu Jin, his tone undisguisedly provocative. He took a few steps toward the center of the training field and stood in front, speaking.

"We don't need anyone to teach us how to fight. Since you're here, let's see if you're qualified."

"Send someone out to spar with me. If I lose, then whatever you say goes, we'll do without hesitation. But if you lose..."

The young man gave a cold laugh.

"Then take your iron shells and get out of Qatar! This is our home!"

Yu Jin's gaze lingered on the young man for a moment, then he turned and glanced at an instructor on the training field, giving him a meaningful look.