Next up: tower-pushing time.
The Ultralisks plowed into the factories, smashing the ramshackle structures made of scrap metal one by one. The massive, jerry-rigged plants toppled over.
On the battlefield, various turrets were also knocked down by the Ultralisks. Deprived of this fire support, the greenskins were powerless to stop the Zerg behemoths.
"I DON'T BELIEVE WE CAN'T KILL DESE BIG UNS!!!"
One Ork Boss tossed aside his big choppa, found dozens of grenades, and bundled them together into a massive "super-bomb."
"WAAAAGH!!!"
He hopped onto a rickety warbike, letting out a ferocious roar as he charged toward an Ultralisk. This two-and-a-half-meter-tall Boss stood head and shoulders above other greenskins, but he was still far too small compared to the Ultralisk.
The Ultralisk could have crushed him simply by lifting a foot.
But this Boss didn't let off the throttle for a second. Using the corpse of a recently deceased Roach as a ramp, his bike soared high into the air, momentarily achieving flight as he headed straight for the beast's maw.
The Ultralisk let out a roar, and its wide-open mouth swallowed the entire bike whole.
The grenades detonated inside the Ultralisk. The internal explosion shredded the creature's organs into pulp. After wobbling for a dozen seconds, the Ultralisk finally collapsed.
†Impressive. Reminds me of that image of an Ork Boss on a bike cleaving through a Warlord Titan.†
There was really no defense against a bomb detonating from within. This wasn't a game; it was reality.
But the loss of a single Ultralisk was insignificant. Such valiant Ork Bosses weren't everywhere; most lacked the brainpower for such stunts, and the greenskin numbers were no longer organized on a massive scale.
†Zasz, how many enemies have we killed?†
"Approximately several billion, Overmind. The enemy numbers were... excessive."
†They don't have enough left.†
Meanwhile, the Warboss was fuming.
"ME BIG UN SHIP! DESE BUG FINGS IS ASKIN' FOR A KRUMPIN'!!!"
Since Gaurik WAAAGH-ed out from his own planet, he had wiped out human armies on several worlds. This was the first time he had encountered such powerful resistance.
It made the habitually arrogant Warboss angry enough to explode.
"LAND US! LAND NOW! WE AIN'T LEAVIN'! TODAY, I'M GONNA GIVE DESE BUGS A PROPPA FIGHT UNTIL WE'Z ALL DEAD!!!"
If he were an experienced Ork commander, he would likely have found several neighboring planets to "pop" out a fresh horde of Orks before returning to besiege this Zerg-occupied world. Unfortunately, there are few "smart" Ork commanders; even Warbosses can be blinded by rage.
Upon receiving the Boss's order, the Orks stopped retreating.
Their ships plunged directly through the atmosphere one by one. Some landed safely, while others slammed into the ground like meteors, exploding into piles of scrap. You could never expect greenskin ships to take off a second time; the fact that these junk-buckets could fly once was already a blessing from Gork and Mork.
But these ships brought more equipment, more vehicles, more greenskins, and that towering Warboss himself.
During the descent, they finally spotted the Hive's location. A fully developed Hive is massive and difficult to hide from a high altitude.
Now, some might ask: "Hey, if your Hive can't be hidden, why not develop some stealth tech? The Zerg planets have been discovered so many times, why not make the Creep camouflage the whole world?"
This needs some explanation.
As Abathur said before, any additional function requires energy. The energy gathered by the Creep is used to maintain the Swarm's daily consumption and mass-production. Whether it's stealth or mimicry, it costs energy. Abathur clearly wouldn't make such a "loss-making" modification.
To put it bluntly, everyone wants something that can turn invisible, fight, hit ground and air, and be mass-produced—even the Emperor would want that.
So why doesn't the Imperium have it? Is it because the Emperor doesn't like it? No, it's because this physical universe still obeys the law of conservation of energy. You can have such things, but they are almost never compatible with mass production.
Back to the topic. Once the Warboss got the Hive's location, his inner fire finally had a target.
"FINALLY FOUND WHERE DESE BUGS HIDE!"
He gathered his Ork Bosses. Even these Bosses, each capable of leading a small settlement, looked short standing before Gaurik—testimony to how tall he truly was.
"LISSEN UP, YOU BAD BOYZ! WE'Z FOUND DA BUGS' NEST. NUFFIN' MORE TO SAY—GRAB YER GEAR AND FOLLOW ME! CHOP 'EM ALL UP! WAAAGH!!!"
The "Nobz Mob" made of greenskin Bosses raised their weapons, roaring "WAAAGH" in response to the Warboss's command.
The task force, composed of Bosses and elite greenskins, set off. They rode in trucks and tanks, rumbling toward the Hive in a grand procession.
Zasz was the first to notice their intent.
"Overmind, the enemy is heading toward our Hive."
†Oh. Then let them come.†
The Overmind was completely unconcerned about the Hive's safety. It was a joke—he wasn't the Tyranids. For him, as long as there were resources, he could build as many Hives as he wanted. While Tyranids built spawning pools, their main force always came from the Hive Ships; for the Zerg, a single Drone and enough resources could build a Hive. So what if the Orks burned one?
"Overmind, I can establish defenses around the Hive and ensure they never return."
†No need to ask permission for such small matters. Build away, Zasz.†
"As you command, Overmind."
The force led by the Warboss was exceptionally high-tier. These Bosses were clad in heavy iron armor resembling Terminator plate and equipped with small shield generators.
Gaurik's massive power klaw could even be launched like a rocket into Zerg positions, allowing him to jump into the fray behind it. He crashed into the Swarm like a meteorite, sent Zerglings flying, and even Roaches were left crippled by a single stomp. Anything caught in Gaurik's klaw was snipped into pieces. That power klaw was sharp enough to pierce the Auramite armor of the Adeptus Custodes.
"WAAAGH!!!"
Gaurik fought with increasing fervor. The Hive appeared in his sight; he could almost taste victory. Even when an Ultralisk blocked his path, he showed no fear. He hooked the Ultralisk's body with his klaw and leaped onto its back.
He was like a primitive man trying to tame a mammoth, jumping about on the thrashing Ultralisk. Gaurik took out his grenades, fired a few shots to open a bloody hole in the Ultralisk's back, and stuffed the explosives inside.
BOOM!
Another explosion. A massive chunk of flesh was blown off the Ultralisk's back. Gaurik used the blast's impact to leap back into the greenskin ranks. Under concentrated fire, the wounded Ultralisk was hit in a leg, lost its balance, and crashed heavily to the ground.
Even then, the Ultralisk twisted its head, swiping two trucks full of Orks into the air.