"For the Emperor! For honor!"
Qin Yun roared as he swung his sword.
The blade, wreathed in arcs of electricity, swept horizontally, cleaving three Plague Zombies in two.
Bang! Bang!
The muzzle of his bolt pistol flashed repeatedly.
Enemies exploded on impact, turning into piles of minced meat scattering across the ground.
Three Heavy Cavalry-class Servitors, originally stationed near Tena, followed behind Qin Yun, pouring firepower into the zombie horde.
They possessed heavy tracked chassis and oversized weaponry.
Their muscular, brawny arms were equipped with large-caliber, multi-barreled bolt guns.
As the gun barrels rotated, the roar of gunfire was incessant.
The onrushing zombie horde was instantly turned into a carpet of minced flesh and severed limbs.
They were also equipped with high-speed chainswords.
Any Plague Zombies that got close were effortlessly torn to shreds.
These Heavy Cavalry-class Servitors, remade from heinous criminals, were veritable engines of war.
The lasguns and autoguns of the cultists could only leave a dent on their heavy armor.
Relying on their massive size and ferocious firepower, they easily carved a bloody path through the zombie tide.
Their tracks crushed over corpses, mixing rotten flesh and shattered bones into a crimson mire.
"Charge! If you run slow, you'll miss out on Contribution Points."
"Don't let a single one get away."
"Heavy weapons squad, follow up."
"Fire in the hole!"
The players followed behind Qin Yun and the Heavy Cavalry Servitors, finishing off any stragglers.
They howled with excitement, fearing they might be too slow.
After all, participation alone guaranteed 5000 Contribution Points plus a rescue bonus, on top of the extra rewards for killing enemies.
After a big battle like this, they could easily make eight thousand.
Maybe even twenty to thirty thousand wasn't impossible.
Wasn't this much more thrilling than Cyber City or Sneaky Battlefield?
A low, deep growl sounded.
A Nurgle-Blessed appeared before Qin Yun.
Its body was bloated and enormous, covered in festering sores.
Flies crawled in and out of its rotting wounds.
Its swollen hand gripped a slime-covered bone staff.
"Claw of the Corpse-Emperor."
Its voice had a nauseating, viscous quality.
"Get back to your master."
After saying this, Qin Yun activated his skill, [Emperor's Light]
Golden light erupted violently, causing the Nurgle Blessed One to scream and stagger back.
Then, Qin Yun holstered his bolt pistol and power sword, drawing the Sword of Sanction instead.
Dazzling arcs of electricity spread across the blade as its power field activated.
The long sword swung with immense force.
The Nurgle Blessed One tried to block, but the bone staff in its hand was instantly severed.
The powered greatsword struck the Nurgle Blessed One's shoulder, cutting through the rotten flesh and causing it to burn, emitting a foul, charred stench.
The Nurgle Blessed One screamed in agony.
Qin Yun unleashed [Emperor's Light] once more.
Under the intense golden radiance, the enemy's flesh melted, its eyes turning into pus that streamed from their sockets.
Finally, Qin Yun pierced the Nurgle Blessed One's body with the Sword of Sanction, turning it into a blazing torch until it was reduced to ashes.
[Congratulations, you have gained experience.
Level LV8 -> LV9
Comprehended Skill: Aether Shards (Can condense Warp energy into ice-crystal-like shards and launch them)
Comprehended Skill: Psyker Fireblast (Can condense Warp power into explosive flames)
Comprehended Skill: Shield of Faith (When attacked by demons or suffering Warp corrosion, manifests a shield to block damage)
Skill: Single-handed Sword (Proficient) upgraded to Single-handed Sword (Mastery)
Skill: Two-handed Sword (Novice) upgraded to Two-handed Sword (Proficient)]
A light screen appeared. Before Qin Yun could check it in detail, he saw two Chimera APCs and a group of Imperial soldiers charging out from sector B-14Y.
Gunfire erupted immediately, and enemies along the path fell one after another.
Without the Nurgle-Blessed, the Plague Zombies became a disorganized mob.
They were no match for the Imperial soldiers and players.
Seeing the tide had turned, the cultists scattered and fled in disarray.
Aging, looking excited, led several soldiers across the battlefield littered with severed limbs.
He came before Qin Yun and saluted respectfully with the Aquila salute.
"Thank you for your assistance, Lord Guide. I am Airen, commander of the Astroma 101st Regiment, rank Colonel, now under your command."
"Thank the God-Emperor. It is He who guides us," Qin Yun said, sheathing his weapons and returning the salute.
"Shall we continue pursuing those traitors? Please give the order, we will firmly execute your command," Airen inquired.
Qin Yun glanced at the soldiers behind Airen and shook his head.
"Your soldiers are exhausted, Captain Airen. Let them first withdraw to the secure Y-107H sector to rest."
"Understood." Airen saluted, then turned to organize the civilians' withdrawal to sector Y-107H.
Qin Yun, meanwhile, led the players and the tireless war servitors to pursue the fleeing cultists.
They took the opportunity to sweep through the Plague Zombies along the way, recapturing the docks and the port.
Laicade Space Station, Port Area.
"Please, we know we were wrong."
"Forgive our sins."
Eight cultists trembled, kneeling on the ground, begging for forgiveness and mercy.
Qin Yun and the others had slaughtered the cultists and Plague Zombies in the port area.
Faced with their assault, the surviving cultists were terrified into kneeling and pleading.
"You don't know you were wrong; you know you're about to die."
Qin Yun shook his head, raised his bolt pistol, and aimed it at one cultist's head.
"The Empire never offers forgiveness to traitors."
"If there is a next life, remember this: it's better to die twice than to betray the Emperor once."
Bang.
A gunshot rang out, and the cultist's head exploded.
The players behind him also raised their guns and shot the other pleading cultists.
"Search the port area. See if there are any enemies hiding."
"I don't want the Imperial Glory to get blasted to pieces by some turret the moment it enters the port."
After giving the players the task of clearing the battlefield, Qin Yun headed towards the port control area.
He prepared to call the Imperial Glory to enter the port.
Just then, a servo-skull flew up to him, emitting the voice of Tech-Priest Tena.
"Lord Guide, communication with the surface has been established. Planetary Governor Von Valancius wishes to speak with you."
"The Planetary Governor wants to talk to me?"
Qin Yun thought for a moment, then nodded. "Tech-Priest Tena, patch the communication through."
The servo-skull hummed as it flew in front of Qin Yun.
Its eyes projected pulsed beams of light, sketching out a holographic communication projection in mid-air.
A man in ornate clothing appeared in the projection.
He respectfully saluted Qin Yun with the Aquila salute.
"Greetings, esteemed Lord Guide, Voice of the God-Emperor."
"I have heard of your deeds. Praise the God-Emperor for sending you to save us, His lost lambs, in this critical hour."
"We are in desperate need of aid. The outer sectors of Tyren Hive have fallen. My soldiers have been forced to retreat from the lower hive districts and factories."
"More and more people in the city are succumbing to the plague. The Medicae are powerless against it. Only the prayers of the Ecclesiarchy priests can offer them momentary relief from the pain."
"Without support, Tyren Hive cannot hold for long. The Emperor's Light will be extinguished completely on Astroma. The survivors can only await death in despair."
Qin Yun stared intently at the Planetary Governor in the projection and shook his head. "I'm sorry, the Imperial Glory has suffered some... incidents. We are currently short-handed. It's difficult for me to provide you with substantial assistance."
Hearing this, Von Valancius urgently pleaded.
"Tech-Priest Tena has informed me of your circumstances. As the Emperor's Chosen, you should not so cruelly refuse His people."
"Moreover, if you can assist us in resolving this crisis, House Valancius will swear eternal fealty to you."