The Emperor’s Angel of Death

#2034 - A successful

"Hmm, I understand."

Accompanying the man's slightly regretful voice, the cigarette butt flickered faintly in the darkness, then began to move.

"Uh, I don't smoke, Captain."

"If you can't calm down, try it."

The red dot of the cigarette lowered, and soon a childish cough sounded.

"Hayes, although it sounds a bit hypocritical, you are a soldier. On the battlefield, besides friendly forces, there are no innocent people. The only thing that can limit your gun is your own conscience. Now you know the price of indulgence and have accepted the punishment. So, like I said, it doesn't matter whether you admit your mistake or not, as long as you can change."

Hayes held the cigarette, wanting to answer but only able to cover his mouth and cough.

After a long while, he barely managed to speak.

"What is the punishment?"

"You will remember this forever, like that puff of smoke just now. The bitterness it brings will gently whip your heart, reminding you of the mistakes you once made. Alright, it's time to go. You don't want to stay here all day, do you?"

"Cough, cough, Captain, the cigarette."

"Keep it and smoke it."

Hayes thought for a moment, then put out the cigarette butt on the ground, stuffed it in his pocket, and followed Oranios out of the warehouse.

At this time, the battle was basically over. Soldiers could be seen everywhere, busily moving corpses. When he walked out of the factory to the outside space, Hayes saw Hashet coming over and lowered his head embarrassedly.

"Uncle, I'm sorry."

Hashet raised his hand, originally intending to give the back of his head a slap, but in the end it turned into a gesture of stroking Hayes' head. He looked at the boy and sighed softly.

"It's good that you're okay."

"The Space Marines are here!"

Suddenly, someone shouted, and everyone began to run. Hayes glanced at Hashet, who nodded.

"Go and see."

When they arrived at the armory's landing pad, it was already surrounded by a crowd. A row of guards blocked the crowd outside. A Thunderhawk was slowly descending. Their Colonel Arnie and other officers were waiting aside, including Oranios.

"Attention!"

When the Thunderhawk ramp lowered, Arnie immediately gave the order. Then, not only the officers, but also the surrounding soldiers immediately stood at attention and saluted.

Warzone Commander Arash, in Terminator armor, walked out of the Thunderhawk. In fact, when he learned that this cannon fodder regiment and this "waste" young master had abandoned their position, his first thought was to order their execution. But soon another message shocked him.

They had actually taken the important armory in one fell swoop!

Arash was indeed using some second- and third-line troops to make feints, attracting the attention of the Red Corsairs garrison, but another reason was that this armory was relatively important. He was worried that a reckless attack would cause irreparable damage.

Unexpectedly, such an important target was captured by a cannon fodder regiment.

After looking at their marching route, Arash couldn't help but applaud. This was undoubtedly a bold and very clever plan. A slight carelessness would result in the annihilation of the entire army. It must be a bold, even crazy, commander who could come up with such a plan. So he decided to come down and meet this young master whom he had previously publicly贬斥.

Arash glanced around the armory, only seeing a few damages, and no signs of fire or explosion. Obviously, this place had been well preserved, which made him quite happy. After all, in the front lines far from the supply line, having a complete factory was too important.

This also made him even more curious as to how the other party had taken this important place without causing large-scale destruction.

"Arnie Morales."

Slightly lowering his head, Arash's shadow completely covered Arnie's body.

"Present!"

Facing the giant Space Marine, Arnie's face was tense, his body as straight as a javelin.

"How did you do it?"

"Reporting, Commander, under the protection of the Emperor, we were not discovered by the enemy along the way. After arriving at the target point, we discovered through reconnaissance that there was a flaw in the factory's drainage system. So, we sent a commando to infiltrate its interior through the drainage pipes and destroy their electrical system, causing the heretics to fall into chaos, thereby taking the place in one fell swoop!"

After listening, Arash blinked, with no expression on his face.

After a moment of silence, he slowly said:

"Such a risky plan, why did you make such a decision?"

Arnie paused, then replied:

"Reporting, sir, because I firmly believe that the heretics will be defeated!"

Arash pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"Arnie Morales, I previously thought you were an unlearned good-for-nothing, but now I must admit that I misjudged you. You are a bold, brave, and quite intelligent commander, taking the initiative to attack, interspersing behind enemy lines, attacking their weak points."

Saying this, he glanced at the circle of soldiers around him.

"And leading such a unit. You've done well."

"Commander! I have something more to say"

Arnie stepped forward, then whispered a few words, then turned around and took an enlarged data slate from an attendant, handing it to Arash with both hands.

The Space Marine took it and swiped it a few times, with no expression on his face, then turned around and handed it to his guard.

"Understood, I will send someone to investigate. Your regiment will temporarily be stationed here. Mechanicus priests will come to take over later. Your mission is to protect this place and assist the Mechanicus in restoring production here. The prisoners do not need to be transferred to the rear, just hand them over to the Mechanicus priests on the spot."

"Yes!"

"In view of your brave assault and brilliant record, I will personally write your commendation notice."

Arnie immediately gave the Aquila salute to the other party.

"Thank you, sir!"

Then Arash turned and walked towards the Thunderhawk, but stopped halfway, turning to look at Arnie.

"Arnie Morales, maintain your courage and fighting spirit. Your future will be very bright. Your family will be proud of you."

"Yes!"

Arnie couldn't help but feel surging, and even a smile appeared on his face. Those honors were like a shot of adrenaline pumping into his body. Perhaps in some future, he would also have the opportunity to become a leader of an expedition, like Macaroth in the past and Sotha now, permanently engraving his name in the history of the Empire.

As the Space Marines left, the crowd dispersed. Arnie was busy deploying defenses and waiting for the arrival of the Mechanicus priests, while the soldiers continued their work.

For some reason, seeing the Space Marines again, Hayes' mood was completely different from the past. He was no longer excited, no longer fantasizing, and didn't even feel anything.

When he saw the smile on his colonel's face, he occasionally wondered if that person knew who had sacrificed themselves? Would he be sad for them?

After the battle, everything seemed to have changed.

He wanted to find Jung's body, but found nothing.

This companion, like thousands upon thousands of others, was just a part of the victory. Some paid the ultimate price, some survived, but perhaps only delayed the time of death.

In any case, with the arrival of the next day, the war would continue, and this crazy machine would continue to devour more flesh and souls.

For some reason, Hayes didn't want to pray to the Emperor at all today, but instead began to write in the expedition manual, and prayed that after his death, at least something could be sent back to Xiao An and others, proving that he had once lived——

That's all.