Dong!
The bell rang.
Tech-priests scattered throughout the moon-class battleship simultaneously chanted "The Great omnissiah."
"Coordinate parameters have been input, confirming movement plan."
A metal-faced tech-officer reported.
"Trajectory has been calculated, parameters sent to the engine room."
The man in the naval uniform also responded.
All units reported in one after another.
Once all departments confirmed everything was in order, the power supervisor pushed the lever.
The engines at the stern of the Imperial Glory erupted with light.
A tremor swept through the hull, growing stronger and stronger.
Numerous machines roared in unison, their sounds mixing with the system's hum and the crew's shouts.
Conventional engines propelled the Imperial Glory through the void.
Half an hour later, the battleship arrived at the designated position.
No sooner had it adjusted its position than the massive hull began to vibrate violently.
The void shield projector emitted a dull cracking sound.
Sharp alarms blared throughout the ship.
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"We are under attack," a supervisor shouted.
Alex switched to the external video feed.
A scene of the void appeared before him.
Electromagnetic cannon shells and lasers from the ground continuously bombarded the Imperial Glory in orbit.
The thick void shield flickered ceaselessly under the continuous bombardment.
"Divert energy to the void shield, awaiting information from ground forces," Alex issued a new order.
The priests adjusted the energy distribution as he instructed.
Meanwhile, ground forces were advancing towards the designated area.
Massive war vehicles were moving across the barren plains.
Engines roared with a deafening sound.
Heat waves surged from the exhaust ports.
The dry ground was pulverized beneath the treads, sending dust flying.
Thunderhawk gunships swept through the air, like swift birds, incredibly fast.
Aying, dressed in a major general's uniform, sat in the strategic command vehicle, observing the entire battlefield situation.
For this war, they had pulled out all their resources.
Only to swiftly defeat those rebels and uphold the glory of the God-Emperor.
"General, the God Chosen's Warband is ready, they await your specific mission orders."
A staff officer reported to Aying.
Alex had given him secondary authority to distribute tasks a long time ago.
He had included him as part of the Players' game.
Aying reached out and rotated the holographic map.
It displayed Anas Hive and its satellite cities.
"Assign a infiltration mission to the Emperor Niuma Battle Group, instructing them to enter Anas 011 Satellite City at all costs and destroy all long-range artillery and shield generators in that area."
"Send a message to Guide, we are only 130 kilometers from the destination, requesting orbital bombardment to prepare for our entry into the battlefield."
"Assign an airborne mission to the Hammer and Sickle Battle Group, instructing them to immediately parachute into the enemy-occupied zone of Anas Hive after the first round of orbital bombardment, to disrupt the enemy's logistics and supply lines as much as possible."
"....."
The God Chosen were a sharp dagger; placing them in a meat grinder-like frontal battlefield was a foolish waste.
If their fearlessness and powerful strength could be well utilized, it would effectively reduce casualties for other troops.
Aying assigned suitable missions to the God Chosen based on the strength of the Warbands they had formed.
The staff officer quickly edited the missions and sent them to the Imperial Glory.
After review by Cortana or Alex, they would then be relayed to the respective Warbands.
........
Warmaster and other Players, who were waiting in the Valkyrie gunship to head to the battlefield, heard a prompt sound from their armor systems.
They instinctively opened it and saw a mission update notification in the taskbar.
[Mission: Raid Anas 011 Satellite City
Successfully arrived (in progress), mark high-threat targets (in progress), destroy enemy defensive turrets (in progress)
Completing each stage of the mission grants a portion of war points. Upon completing all missions, the final score will be calculated based on battlefield impact.
The more missions completed, the higher the war points, and the higher the reward at settlement.
On the battlefield, obedience to orders is the primary rule.
Refusing a mission once deducts 10% of current points, refusing twice deducts 20% of current points, the third time........
Maliciously sabotaging a mission, leading to campaign failure, will deduct all war points and, depending on the severity, result in a temporary ban of 15, 30, 90, or 365 days. In extremely severe cases, a permanent blacklist will be issued.
]
"The campaign system has been upgraded, using war points to calculate rewards, and penalties have been strengthened."
Warmaster keenly noticed the changes in the campaign missions.
"It looks like they want to prevent Players from maliciously causing trouble."
Bald Donkey expressed his opinion,
"After all, this game claims to be 100% realistic, and NPCs and materials won't respawn."
"Once a campaign fails, it could completely change the entire game's direction, so severe penalties are normal."
"I agree with Bald Donkey's statement," Twisted person said.
"Aren't we discussing the wrong thing? Shouldn't we be discussing the mission content?" Tenjiro said.
Although Tenjiro was a consultant, he would also participate in combat when Guide did not require his services.
Otherwise, staying on the ship all day would be too boring.
"You're right. We'll study the campaign system upgrade later when we have time. For now, let's look at the mission requirements."
"The mission comes with coordinates and a holographic map of the satellite city. Take a look."
Warmaster opened the data packet attached to the mission, and the machine spirit of his power armor emitted a low hum.
The armor on his wrist emitted a bright projection light.
They danced in the air, outlining a projection, displaying a complex city map.
"Confirm target location, we're going to execute the mission." Tenjiro reached out and clicked the holographic map, sending the coordinates to the pilot.
The Valkyrie gunship responded quickly.
It turned around, broke away from the main fleet, and flew towards the mission location.
The Valkyrie was fast, and after about ten minutes, Warmaster and his group saw the magnificent giant city quietly standing at the edge of the sky.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions continuously rang out.
Raging infernos swallowed the magnificent Hive City.
The Imperial Glory, in low orbit, was continuously bombarding the Hive City.
Artillery and laser matrices on the Hive City' high walls and towers also continuously fired into the void.
In addition, a large number of Imperial fighters circled above the Hive City, engaging in combat with enemy fighters.
Occasionally, a fighter would explode like a fireball, unleashing a brilliant light.
The Valkyrie gunship carrying numerous Players quietly lowered its altitude, with all its stealth systems fully engaged, gliding like a ghost towards the target city.
Their movements were very secretive; it wasn't until they were close to the satellite city's buildings that the enemy noticed the approaching Valkyrie.
Ground anti-aircraft towers and laser arrays turned their directions, sweeping the approaching Valkyrie, intending to shoot it down.
Fire-snake-like barrages and rain-dense lasers struck the Valkyrie's shields, creating ripples.
Sharp alarms echoed within the cabin, and crimson lights rotated incessantly.
The Valkyrie immediately retaliated against the enemy.
The multi-barreled laser cannon mounted on its nose rotated and fired.
The high-speed rotation of the laser cannon reduced the scattering effect of the beam in the atmosphere, preventing energy attenuation from being too exaggerated.
A few seconds later, the Hellstrike missiles mounted on the wings also locked onto their targets and flew out, causing deafening explosions.
The heavy bolters on both sides of the fuselage roared continuously, unleashing firepower on the enemy.
"We are being targeted by heavy enemy fire, unable to proceed to the designated mission coordinates," the pilot shouted.
"Land in the nearest possible area," Warmaster said.
"There's a church nearby," the pilot sent coordinates to Warmaster and the others.
The Players' armor systems automatically received it, matched it with map data, and showed the Players the landing zone.
"Take me there," Warmaster said.
The gunship immediately responded, banking to avoid a concentrated attack, and flew towards the high-tower area where the anti-aircraft fire was less intense.
The dome of the high tower was destroyed, and the Valkyrie flew through the opening.
When it was about five or six meters from the ground.
The hatch opened, and howling winds rushed into the cabin.
"Now, brothers, for humanity, for the Emperor."
"We are the Emperor's Cannon Fodder, we are loyal and fearless."
Warmaster shouted the Warband's battle cry.
Then he leaped out through the open hatch.
The power armor automatically adjusted to impact-ready posture.
With a dull thud, Warmaster landed safely.
Other Players also jumped down one after another.
"For the Alliance, for the Canyon."
"For Jiu De Ma Yi, for Morgana."
After landing, the Players clumsily formed tactical squads.
Their tactical movements and fire distribution strategies were learned by the Players from local guard forces and the internet.
They modified them based on actual circumstances, so they looked a bit clumsy.
Mist enveloped the ruined church, and corrupted plants grew everywhere.
The plant leaves were covered in viscous liquid, and oily, shiny swarms of flies circled over rotting corpses.
Eerie roars echoed.
Plague Walkers covered in green fungal spots sensed the arrival of living beings and emerged from the mist.
Their bodies oozed foul liquids, their eyes were crazed, and they staggered towards the Players.
"Open fire," Warmaster shouted.
Numerous Players raised their boltguns and fired at the Plague Walkers.
Players carrying flamers also pulled their triggers, and searing flames swept out like fire dragons, igniting the Walkers and the buzzing swarms of flies.
Meanwhile, on the Imperial Glory's transport deck, it was equally busy.
Technicians and priests were repairing the transport ships and mechs about to go into battle.
Little Fatty looked at the datapad in his hand, which displayed newly refreshed missions.
The missions required them to enter the battlefield within 30 minutes after the orbital bombardment ended, to assist the armored forces in breaching the enemy's defenses.
When the orbital bombardment concluded, Little Fatty immediately shouted.
"Praise omnissiah, to battle!"
No sooner had he spoken than the Zagu 01 Type mechs on the deck let out a deafening, unified horn blast.