40k: Midnight Blade

Chapter 550 68. Dark Crusade (2, new recruits joining the army)

Cato Sicarius tried to make a fist, and the artificial muscle bundles tightened directly along with the nerve reactions, bringing a sense of abundant power to his clenched right fist.

He was wearing a helmet, and there was silence in his ears. The operation of the power armor did not interfere with him in the slightest. This is strange because Sicarius tried it before. When he really calmed down, he could even hear his internal organs rubbing against each other.

The human body is a very complex machine, and the Astartes are a specially modified version of this machine, so advanced that it is so advanced that the Emperor's ingenuity resides in every cell.

However, even so, this machine will make a sound when it is running, but the power armor does not.

Really not? Sicarius thought suspiciously.

He tried pumping his fist, and sure enough he heard a low hum as the servo motors increased his strength, a discovery that made him laugh behind his helmet.

A servitor passed by him holding a replacement training weapon, so the eyepiece quickly moved the white crosshair to its head, and even marked the best way to kill.

Sicarius hurriedly canceled it. He was still not very accustomed to how to use neural connections to control the power armor, but this was not a big problem because he had enough time to adapt.

In the next two hours, he was like a child who got his favorite toy, testing various functions of the Skyhawk in this deserted training ground. Every time he punched, ran, and even breathed, he was shocked. I feel very happy.

He had worn training armor and scout armor, neither of which were powered armor. Needless to say, the former was just a polished armor plate. Although the latter is also made of ceramic steel, it sacrifices many things for the sake of portability.

Its protective ability can only be said to be better than nothing when facing enemies like the Zerg - this is exactly in line with the original intention of its design. This is a lightweight armor with the main purpose of concealment and detection, and does not require Very good defense ability

Of course, who needs Scout Armor when you have Power Armor?

Just be heavier, it's enough to turn a warrior into a complete killing machine on the battlefield.

Sicarius took off his helmet and took a few gulps of the excessively purified air.

He didn't feel tired, and he didn't even sweat a drop. He did this just to calm down. Realizing his current excitement, Sicarius couldn't help but laugh again.

He thought he could march for a century in this suit of armor. This thought satisfied him.

But beyond that, he had some important things to deal with.

Sicarius put on his helmet, walked towards the depths of the training ground, and left through the back door. Along the way, he passed several corridors with niches, and cries could not be heard. People were paying homage to their dead relatives or friends.

Most people respected his appearance, but a few looked at him with fear and confusion. The realization made his cheeks tighten a lot, and he was quite glad that he was wearing a helmet now.

It took him twenty minutes to rush to the battle group's weapons depot, let the servitors and those cold mechanical arms take off his armor for him, and then put on a neat officer's uniform before embarking on the road to report.

He was going to report to his company commander—the new company commander, to be precise.

He no longer belonged to the reconnaissance company, and Sicarius was honored by the fact that Captain Idaos of the 4th company had called him up. He had heard tales of Idaos, but none of them could compare to the blast he fired when he faced the monster.

Only the truly brave can seize the opportunity with boundless determination at that time, pull the trigger, and accurately hit the target.

He turned left, left, right, took the elevator up, and squeezed through the crowded assembly hall. It took him a total of thirty-seven minutes to reach the fourth company's station.

Sicarius looked up and saw a company flag.

It was weather-beaten and the edges were frayed. The signs of repair were not obvious, and there were still dark bloody fingerprints on the flagpole.

It was placed on top of two brass doors, with a laurel wreath, a skull, and a metal glove holding the Ultramarines' capital 'U' gleaming on it.

"Defender of Ultramar." Sicarius slowly read out the line of cursive characters embroidered on it, feeling shocked in his heart.

At this moment, a voice close to a roar came from behind him.

"Yes, that's right, Defender of Ultramar!"

Sicarius turned quickly and saw a strong and burly man. He was wearing the robes of a priest, with a string of rosary beads hanging around his neck and holding a black "Prayer" in his left hand.

His face was crisscrossed with scars, and his eyes were a stern grey. A censer was tied to his waist, and the smell of herbs and ointments emanated from it, bringing a calming aroma.

Sicarius hurriedly got out of the way. He didn't know who this was, but he had already guessed that the other person must be a priest - and judging from his appearance, he had probably just returned from a mourning ceremony.

"What are you doing here?" the strong priest asked unceremoniously, his tone almost rough.

Sicarius straightened his chest, struck his heels, and answered his question in the tone of a superior.

"Report! I'm here to report to Captain Ideos! He asked me to come here to see him after the armor conferring ceremony is completed!"

"Oh, so you're the noble boy from Thalasa?"

"My name is Cato Sicarius, sir!"

"I'm not your commander. My name is Judd. Judd Clausel, chaplain of the Fourth Company."

As he spoke, he suddenly snorted coldly, and then asked him a question in a tone that was quite familiar to Sicarius.

"What are your ambitions, recruit?!"

"Candle Emperor's Will!" Sicarius yelled out this sentence like a conditioned reflex.

It took him a few seconds before he felt a sense of embarrassment, but he also noticed a certain mark on the priest - and the latter did not hide it, and soon showed a rough sneer.

"Yes, I once served as an instructor in the recruit camp." He said calmly. "But that's not your concern. Come with me, Sicarius."

He turned around and pushed open the brass door. The two heavy doors should not have been opened so easily by him, but Sicarius heard the sound of some mechanical operation and saw Clausel pressing on the door. The white light radiates faintly from his hands.

Then he understood that this door probably had some kind of hidden censorship mechanism. Only those who passed this censorship could easily open the door with the help of the machine inside the door.

He restrained his divergent thoughts and quickly followed Clausel.

The priest walked vigorously, with fast and long steps. Sicarius had to break his usual gait in order to keep up with him. This was no easy job, as the Fourth Company's location was very complex.

It is a comprehensive creation that combines architectural beauty and complex machinery. Take the hall they are now in as an example. Sicarius took a quick glance and visually determined that it was about twenty meters high.

The sacred stained glass with the emperor's face engraved on it floats together with various honorary flags. The honors achieved by the Fourth Company in the past are all flying together with the simulated sunlight on the top of the hall.

However, a total of thirteen fast-moving devices placed all over the wall obscured this sacredness. People were coming and going everywhere, up and down, and the hall suddenly became something similar to a transit station. same building

And there are not only Astartes here, in addition to the battle brothers of the Fourth Company, there are also maintenance workers, loaders, servitors and even civilians holding flowers in the hall, and there are even many children.

They stalked every Ultramarine they saw along the way, something the Priest himself seemed to notice, and his pace became faster.

However, except for the children who should be noisier, everyone else kept a certain degree of silence. They gave the hall an orderly buzz, a small miracle brewed of respect and shared understanding.

Sicarius must admit that this is the first time he has seen such a fascinating sight, and it is also the first time he has actually entered a company's station.

He was almost a little excited, if Clausel hadn't suddenly turned around, grabbed his shoulders, and pushed him to a certain door.

"Almost went the wrong way," muttered the priest. "Damn, why are there so many people today?"

"Opening day, Priest," said an Ultramarine passing by them. "Don't forget this."

"Who said I forgot?!" Clausel growled at him. "Watch your words, Uriel Ventress! You are no better than this stupid boy!"

"After all, I only joined the Fourth Company three months before him." The battle brother known as Uriel Ventress. "And I came in with you, Instructor Clausel."

He saluted, winked at Sicarius pleasantly but sympathetically, and then disappeared into the sea of ​​people. Sicarius remembered his face, but still wanted to look back to see where he was going, but the priest did not give him this opportunity.

This strong, burly man with a loud voice pushed him into a narrow corridor with many wooden doors. His hands seemed to be made of steel, and Sicarius' shoulders hurt from the pinch.

They walked through this corridor, and then another winding but wider corridor. After that, they arrived in front of a black wooden door. The top of the door was carved with an eagle and a skull, as well as a simple place name - the company commander's office.

office? Sicarius frowned in disbelief.

This was the first time he heard of such a thing, which shocked him greatly. Company commanders actually had to go to work?

"go in."

Clausel let go of his hand roughly and disgustedly, glanced at him, but still patted his shoulder and smoothed out the wrinkles he had made.

Then, he added: "Remember to tidy up your uniform, young man. Also, remember to walk faster when entering the station in the future. Don't stand in the middle of the road like an idiot and look left and right. Be careful of those who get mixed up in the crowd. artists to be models.”

".What?" Sicarius looked at him doubtfully. "what did you say?"

"I told you to get in quickly!" Clauser roared.

He turned around and left without any nostalgia. Sicarius blinked hesitantly, began to arrange his uniform, and calmed down his mind.

After he was sure that he was ready, he took two steps forward and knocked on the black wooden door. Surprisingly, the door soon opened on its own.

Captain Idaios was sitting behind a large solid wood desk looking at him. He was wearing casual clothes and his face was obviously tired. Sicarius felt that this was probably related to the frightening pile of documents he had on hand.

He walked into the room intently, his boots making a dull sound on the wooden floor. He didn't stop until he reached the desk, then saluted and reported.

However, his company commander raised his hand to stop him from continuing once he got to the point of saluting.

"You are on time, Sicarius," Idaos said. "I like people who have a strong sense of time, and there are a lot of guys in my company who don't like that. They'll often extend training hours, which always annoys me."

As he said this, he reached out and picked up a nearby paper document and handed it to Sicarius.

The latter reached out to take it without changing his expression and meticulously, and then lowered his head to read.

He read quickly but didn't miss key information. This document dealt with punishments for fighting and excessive noise, and the persons punished were several officers.

They all led the tactical team. Judging from the description in the document, it was probably because a certain captain forcibly extended the training time, which led to this collective fight.

Sicarius reluctantly kept calm and put down the document in his hand, and a certain inherent impression in his heart suddenly shattered.

"I really don't know how many times I have to explain to them before they understand that those high-level combat servitors are allocated on demand. Made of adamantine, the most advanced combat chips. This should be a good place for every brother to hone his combat skills. ”

"As a result, there are always a few bastards who don't have long memories, and they have to fight the servitors in the cage until they can't stand up before they are willing to leave."

Sicarius glanced at his company commander and found that the latter now looked annoyed and helpless, as if he was very dissatisfied with this matter. He originally planned to observe for a while, but Idaios suddenly looked at him and even stood up from behind the desk.

"Show me your left hand."

Sicarius did as he was told, and the touch sensor installed on the prosthetic limb soon sent a sense of pressure back to him through the nerve unit. Idaos is manually checking the details of the prosthetic hand, and is doing so very carefully. After a while, he nodded.

"Very well, there is nothing wrong with your prosthetic limb, which means you have regained full combat capability. So, Cato Sicarius, are you ready to face your first challenge since joining the Fourth Company? ?”

Sicarius responded by puffing out his chest and hammering it ferociously with his right fist.

Idaos smiled slightly.

Thirty-five minutes later, Cato Sicarius saw a mortal in black robes standing opposite him with a knife. He himself looked stunned, but the veterans of the Fourth Company around him just laughed heartily.

Don't you mean fighting high-level fighter servants?