To the left flank of the Titus Squad was Gutierrez's squad, with the two Kill Teams forming a pincer movement, guarding the critical positions of the landing zone.
As fellow Deathwatch members, Gutierrez's squad was indeed inferior to Titus Squad in combat, which was not only reflected in the efficiency of tactical coordination but also in the kill-to-death ratio statistics on the battlefield.
After all, Titus and his four teammates could easily be tagged as elites, a stark contrast to the fresh recruits in Power Armor under Gutierrez, who had only recently been promoted from new soldiers.
However, after the brutal landing battle, the situation was subtly changing. Gutierrez, as the first among those who crossed into 40k to reach V-level authority, spent a considerable amount of points immediately after upgrading to comprehensively upgrade his Kill Team.
Old Man Huang seemed to understand that it was unrealistic to expect these recruited otherworldly visitors to spend a long time training their subordinates, as the Great Rift was about to unfold, and Alex and the others had no time to slowly cultivate their forces or allow their Kill Teams to grow.
Considering the unique nature of the Deathwatch, the traditional century-long new recruit training cycle clearly did not meet the needs of the current war situation, nor was it conducive to the rapid formation of combat power.
Therefore, Old Man Huang's military chest provided two enhancement paths: a Commander mode like Alex's could replace the pieces he deployed at any time, directly air-dropping elites like the Holy Blood Guard or hero units like Dante.
And an Adventure mode like Gutierrez's adopted an RPG-style growth system, allowing him to use points for gradual improvements to his Kill Team.
Whether it was upgrading Mark III Power Armor to a master-crafted version, implanting Gene-Seeds of the Grey Knights into ordinary warriors, or unlocking special professions like Apothecary and Techmarine, as long as points were spent, there was no enhancement that couldn't be achieved.
For example, Gutierrez's Kill Team now, after upgrading, consists entirely of elite veterans equipped with master-crafted Power Armor and two service studs on their foreheads.
In other Chapters, warriors of this caliber would be qualified to wear white helmets, add the Imperial Laurel to become Company Champions, or don sacred Terminator Armor to serve as the backbone of the First Company.
In fact, if Gutierrez wished, he could now re-equip his Kill Team with Terminator Armor—those heavy, sacred armors lay quietly in the system's exchange list, from the standard Indomitus pattern to the rare Tartaros pattern, everything was available.
He could even add some unique features, spending extra points to unlock special attributes from different Chapters: for instance, replacing Power Fists with the Raven Guard's Lightning Claws, or implanting the Gene-Seeds of the Space Wolves, allowing every team member to unleash a primal howl in combat.
(Deathwatch Kill Team, ten people, nine Chapters)
If Gutierrez upgraded further, he could even unlock elite special units from other Chapters, such as the Holy Blood Guard, Crimson Paladins, or Deathwing Knights.
But for now, Gutierrez just wanted to find an opportunity to rest.
Various tactical data constantly flickered on his retina display, and the ebb and flow of battlefield reports filled his comms channel, this stream of information crashing like a tide against his weary nerves.
After all, 72 hours of continuous high-intensity combat since the landing had already caused his thoughts to experience brief blank periods—this was his body sending a warning signal.
Ultimately, he was just an ordinary person from the 3k era.
Although he had the special attributes of a piece after crossing over, there was no difference in hard metrics like muscle strength and reaction speed compared to a normal Astartes.
However, he still lacked the battle instincts honed over years and ingrained in the genes, especially the almost inhuman willpower of the Astartes Monks.
For example, an Astartes can precisely control brain activity like operating a machine, autonomously shutting down different sections for rotational rest, allowing a true Space Marine to fight for weeks without showing fatigue.
Although Gutierrez also possessed the same skill, he never mastered it well; he couldn't make his brain function like a precise mechanical device, with some areas dormant while others remained alert, like a true Astartes.
This also caused his fatigue to accumulate like fine sand in an hourglass.
Whenever there was a break in combat, he would, like now, lean against temporary cover, his helmet slightly lowered, seizing every second to doze off.
But often, just as he closed his eyes, new threat markers would light up on the tactical map.
As the Forgemaster of the Deathwatch, and nominally the superior Commander of Titus and others, Gutierrez could only push on.
He could only forcefully boost his condition by using combat stimulants, then resume commanding the battle looking refreshed.
"Commander, left flank suppression complete." Titus's steady voice came through the comms channel.
Gutierrez took a deep breath, making his voice sound as firm as steel: "Maintain fire coverage, don't give the Xenos a chance to breathe."
To others, this Commander remained as reliable as steel, but only he knew that beneath his faceplate were eyes already bloodshot.
His helmet's HUD flashed with various physiological indicators: elevated heart rate, abnormal adrenaline levels, and fatigue value already past the warning line.
But no one would see these data; he had to play this role perfectly, because once he showed a weakness, those true Astartes, especially veterans like Titus, would immediately detect his frailty.
This made him Can't help it send an inquiry to Ventanus: "Captain Ventanus, when will the second wave of landing forces arrive?"
According to the initial combat plan, after the first wave of landing forces secured the landing zone, the second wave should immediately enter the battlefield.
Now the first wave of landing forces had completed their mission very well, it was time for the second wave of landing forces to appear.
"They are already on their way." Ventanus's voice was very steady; Ultramarines were not prone to battle fervor, so even though Ventanus was currently in combat, he gave the impression of answering questions while sitting in an office reviewing documents: "While we were fighting, Captain Sigismund's forces have already arrived at Kharkov, the Black Templars' assault forces… Oh, they're here!"
Gutierrez suddenly looked up, and at that very moment—
Several drop pods, like meteors, were rapidly descending from the sky.
Their burning metal shells tore through the clouds, and their fiery trails cut dazzling paths across the dim sky, like divine punishment descending.
The Black Templars' assault forces had finally arrived.
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