On the wide main road leading to the Upper Hive, a storm of steel was gathering and advancing.
The Helldivers Regiment's heavy armored units, like prehistoric steel beasts, rumbled over the crystal pavement once reserved for luxurious hovercars.
The leman russ tanks' engines let out a dull roar, their heavy treads leaving clear imprints on the ground; Chimera Armored Personnel Carriers followed closely, the muzzles of their heavy bolters and heavy stubbers gleaming with cold metallic luster; at the rear of the convoy, self-propelled artillery pieces slowly adjusted their massive barrels.
The crisp, rhythmic loading sounds of the autocannons interwove with the clatter of soldiers checking their weapons, forming a symphony of war. This steel torrent had only one destination—the Governor's Mansion, the center of power in the Upper Hive.
"What an exciting scene," Mua'dib stood by the roadside, watching these machines of ultimate violence pass by one after another. He could feel the temperature of his blood rising, a natural surge of excitement welling up inside him.
"Hmm." However, Robert, the supreme commander of this force, merely responded calmly, without any hint of excitement on his face.
"Battalion Commander, aren't you excited? Such a magnificent scene, and it's all under your command!" Mua'dib leaned in, his voice full of exhilaration.
"Right now, I'm mainly thinking about whether the forces we have can block all the entrances and exits of the Governor's Mansion," Robert sighed softly, watching the convoy roll forward. "Ah, I just hope that damned place has fewer entrances and exits."
Robert didn't even dare to hope that the Governor's Mansion would be smaller, because he knew very well that such a thing was impossible.
Hoping for a planetary Governor's Mansion to be built small and exquisite was less likely than hoping for a fully-staffed space marines Chapter to suddenly descend from the sky, performing a deus ex machina to wipe out all enemies. At least probabilistically speaking, the latter was more probable.
"Are we… really not going to do that?" Looking at the black muzzles of the cannons, Mua'dib couldn't help but bring up the old topic again.
"Hmm?" Robert, his thoughts interrupted, didn't immediately grasp what Mua'dib was referring to. "Do what?"
"It's… it's that…" Mua'dib lowered his voice, leaning slightly forward, and spoke in a mysterious tone, as if conducting an underground arms deal: "It's that… special shell…"
"Oh~" Robert suddenly understood, his prolonged tone carrying a hint of realization, then he flatly refused in a voice devoid of any emotion: "No."
"Ah? Why not!" Mua'dib's tone instantly turned tragic, as if a brilliant artistic concept had been cruelly stifled.
He still wanted to make one last effort: "Battalion Commander, everything for victory! We can't refuse a potential highway to victory because of some vague self-esteem or face issues…"
"Firstly, the rejection of your plan was a unanimous decision by the Military Committee, and even I cannot defy it." Robert said something illogical with a poker face.
Because as the Battalion Commander, he actually had absolute wartime command authority; during combat, if he gave an order, everyone had to execute it unconditionally. The Committee could at most raise questions during post-war review meetings.
"Secondly," Robert continued, not giving Mua'dib a chance to retort, "when enemies covered in shit charge at us, whether our players will choose to hold their ground and fight bravely, or decisively turn and flee, I personally remain uncertain. After all, dying gloriously is one thing; getting your face smeared with shit before you die is quite another."
"Finally," Robert said in one breath, his gaze sharply fixed on Mua'dib, "I highly suspect whether your proposal is truly for the sake of victory, or simply to satisfy your own twisted tastes."
Faced with Robert's rapid-fire, logically clear, and soul-piercing questions, Mua'dib opened his mouth, finding himself speechless.
"Ah haha… Well, Battalion Commander, you're right! I'll go check if that tank's weapons maintenance is up to par!"
Mua'dib chuckled dryly, made a clumsy excuse, and decisively turned to jog and join the moving convoy.
Robert watched his figure blend into the steel torrent, shaking his head helplessly, and muttered to himself, "This guy."
...Inside the Governor's mansion, an aura of luxury and decadence intertwined and permeated.
The thick crimson carpet absorbed all footsteps; walking on it was like treading on congealed blood. The walls no longer displayed heroic portraits of past governors but were replaced with twisted tapestries depicting unspeakable things. A sweet, cloying scent, a mixture of incense and blood, hung in the air, keeping one's nerves constantly on edge.
Three figures were moving cautiously like phantoms within this lavishly decorated, massive building. It was the trio of Garry, Name, and AlphaBravo.
That's right, they were back on reconnaissance.
This time, their mission was more arduous than any before—to scout the general terrain of the entire Governor's mansion, ascertain the enemy's troop deployment, and provide crucial intelligence for the impending general assault.
But problems arose. This Governor's Mansion was as vast as a small city, with an intricate internal structure, and based on previous experience, it was highly probable that demons or fallen space marines were entrenched within.
With just the three of them, how long would it take to scout? Not to mention, what if they ran into enemies during the process and alerted them?
This was where AlphaBravo's luck in the previous lottery came into play, to see what good stuff he had drawn.
Name: Byakugan
Type: Other
Quality: Epic
Attribute: Yang
Effect: All-Seeing Eye (When activated, gain 360° spherical vision, ignore obstacles, see through targets within a one-kilometer radius, analyze muscles, meridians, and energy flow, and can resist most visual genjutsu)
Equipment Condition: Strict Organ Transplant Surgery
Note: A unique Kekkei Genkai of the Hyuga clan, requiring high-intensity training and bloodline inheritance to activate. It is very practical in ninja combat; possessing it allows one to fully unleash the power of the Hyuga family's inherited Gentle Fist.
At this moment, beneath AlphaBravo's tightly sealed helmet, his right eye was completely dominated by a pure milky white, with veins bulging around the corner of his eye, making him look somewhat ferocious.
In his vision, the entire world transformed into a black-and-white ink wash painting; walls, floors, and ceilings lost their meaning, becoming translucent lines.
The magnificent structure of the entire Governor's Mansion was laid bare before him.
And those special units with vast energy within them appeared like bright light bulbs, clearly marked on this three-dimensional map. Avoiding them was incredibly easy.
"The all-seeing eye," Garry muttered behind him, "I say, with this thing, why didn't you use it sooner? If we had it from the start, we wouldn't have been ambushed last time, would we?"
"You're thinking too wishfully." AlphaBravo responded, "The Byakugan isn't without cost. I have no chakra, no psychic power; using it is completely overdrawing my ocular power, treating it as a one-time consumable… In fact, in just this short amount of time, I already feel some soreness and stinging in my right eye."
He paused, his tone becoming serious: "In about ten more minutes, my right eye will be completely useless, directly going blind."
"If only there was a chakra training method… But so far, this game doesn't have a stable way to acquire skills and items, which means after I bought a power sword, I can't find anywhere to use my merit points."
The other two players deeply agreed, with Garry echoing: "Me too, even if it's just a permanent random draw."