Chapter 117 Exploiting the Skill Master with Warboss
"This... this is for us?!"
Seeing the weapons Omega had designed specifically for the Space Marines, even the experienced Captain of the 4th Company of the Ultramarines was stammering with excitement. The other Ultramarines were much the same. They said nothing, just stared at the giant before them like country bumpkins who had never seen the city.
"Only you, with your enhanced bodies, can unleash the full performance of the 'Xingtian Mech'," Omega explained with a hint of helplessness. "A normal person can't withstand its instantaneous acceleration. Even if they could, after piloting it for a while, they would suffer from internal organ damage and intracranial bleeding." Could he be blamed if the mech he designed was too good? It was just that being human had its limits.
"Haha, it's all the Emperor's blessing. But Omega, you know us..." Ventris said, not finishing his sentence.
Omega, knowing what he meant, said nonchalantly, "I know the Imperium's regulations forbid you Astartes Chapters from possessing large units like Knights. Don't worry, you've seen the height of the Xingtian. It's taller than a Dreadnought, but not quite at the level of a Knight. It's a new piece of equipment I developed. Who knows how long it will take for the Imperium to rate it. Besides, the Regent is your gene-father. Can't you just go to him and complain, shed a few tears?"
The Astartes, hearing Omega's words, all looked at Ventris. The meaning was clear: Brother, it's up to you!
The Captain of the 4th Company, not wanting to be a "whining baby" in front of his gene-father, glared and said, "What are you all looking at me for? I'm just a Captain of the 4th Company! If anyone's going, it should be the Chapter Master!"
The Chapter Master will just end up giving the task to you anyway. Don't make a pointless struggle, Ventris! The Ultramarines conveyed their thoughts to the Captain, who was trying to resist his fate.
It was Omega's voice that pulled Ventris back from his silent and internal struggle. "The operating system of this Xingtian Mech was developed by me, combining the neural feedback of power armor, the neural connection of a Dreadnought, and brainwave scanning. But don't worry, it doesn't have that terrible feeling of a Dreadnought. The weapon system uses a modular design. Twin rapid-fire cannons, fusion blasters, phased-ion guns, cluster pulse guns, and so on, are all possible. You can also have your Techmarines modify it according to your needs. The melee weapon is an enlarged power weapon. Defense relies on a void shield and a refractor field."
"Gulp!"
The one who had swallowed was the accompanying Techmarine. Hearing Omega say that he was given the authority to modify it himself, he felt immense pressure. He knew his own skills. But to modify this 7-meter-tall black mech, which looked like a headless war god from a myth, he really couldn't do it. "Magos Omega, this..." the Techmarine stammered.
Omega, thinking that the tech-savvy one was worried about the power source, said confidently, "Don't worry about the power source. It uses my improved plasma reactor, the same kind used in Titans."
This, instead of reassuring the Techmarine, made him relax. This mech was a miniature Titan. It was not a problem for a humble little Techmarine to face and solve. The one who should be under pressure was not him, but the Chapter Master!
Ventris, seeing the Techmarine's expression change from tense and determined to "haha, not my problem," knew it was bad. Omega's equipment was too high-end. Even the most tech-savvy person had relegated himself to the role of a spectator, crossing his arms and watching the show.
"Omega, you—" Seeing Ventris not finishing his sentence, Omega asked, "What is it? Just say it."
How can I say it? That it's too high-end, and we country bumpkins can't handle it? Ventris roared in his heart.
"Haha, the surprise you've prepared is surely not just this, right?" the Captain of the 4th Company said guiltily, while not forgetting to give his disappointing battle-brother a sharp glare.
(Techmarine: I'm just a Techmarine. Why are you glaring at me? If you have the guts, go and glare at the Chapter Master.)
"I've noticed you've become greedy since we last met," Omega teased Ventris.
"Hahaha, hahaha," Ventris laughed awkwardly.
The smug little cog-head didn't notice any of this. He beckoned to the Ultramarines, signaling them to follow him. Although they were reluctant, the Astartes quickly followed. They didn't want to miss the premiere.
With Omega in the lead, the group came to another chamber. The moment the door opened, Ventris, as if teleporting, appeared in front of Omega, shielding him. The other Ultramarines also reacted, raising their weapons at the chamber.
"Alright, don't be nervous. They're safe," Omega said.
Although they heard him, a warrior's instinct made them not relax their guard. The "monsters" inside gave them a very dangerous feeling. In front of such monsters, even a moment's carelessness could be fatal.
"Put away your weapons. Don't scare them. They are your future comrades-in-arms."
"Omega, what is this?" Ventris asked.
"'Howling Sky' Battle Automata. Your combat partners, which I've prepared for you."
The Captain of the 4th Company sized up the four-legged steel behemoth that was trying to approach, his heart pounding. It was so agile, as if it were alive.
"The technology they use comes from humanity's Golden Age. It was my harvest on Korsa. Although they are very agile, they don't actually have much intelligence. They are just imitations of the canids of ancient Terra. But they can understand the commands given to them. For example: sit."
As Omega said "sit," the two mechanical giant dogs, with a shoulder height of over 2.5m, immediately sat down. Seeing that the metal beasts were indeed obeying commands, the Astartes finally lowered their weapons.
"Shouldn't you have seen the mechanical hounds already? Why are you all so surprised?"
We were scared by those hounds too, you know! the Astartes complained in their hearts.
"Err, Omega, what's the difference between them and the mechanical hounds?" Ventris asked.
"There's not much difference in the Machine Spirit. They just have the ability to operate the weapons on their bodies. The Howling Sky is a specialized type designed for combat. The materials, power source, and various system components are all much more advanced. In terms of function and performance, the hounds are no comparison. The mechanical hounds are just consumables. The hounds' functions can't keep up with your combat intensity, which is why I've prepared the Howling Sky for you. It can assist you in detection, combat, luring the enemy, providing fire cover, and so on. If necessary, you can also ride it to retreat. It has an anti-gravity engine. Although it can't fly, water will not stop the Howling Sky from running. Its speed on flat ground can reach 200 km/h, and in mountainous terrain, it's about 100 km/h."
Is this a combat partner? This is my beloved friend! Compared to the Howling Sky, a battle-brother was just so-so. Anyone who can't carry me and run at 200 km/h is not my battle-brother. The Ultramarines, their brotherly love shattered, looked at each other with disgust.
"Good, good, this is good!" Ventris, as he spoke, patted the Weapon-Bug at his waist, which was vibrating non-stop, telling Nus that he was not a fickle scoundrel who loved the new and disliked the old. But unfortunately, his true thoughts could not be hidden from the telepathically linked Nus. The longsword was still vibrating, as if in protest.
"The Howling Sky's teeth and claws have the effect of a power weapon. It can also be loaded with long-range weapons like plasma, lascannons, heavy bolters, and so on. What to use, it's up to you."
The pressure was once again on the Techmarine. The Techmarine, who was being looked at with expectation by his brothers, just shrugged, indicating that he was just an ordinary Techmarine who only knew how to repair power armor, maintain bolters and chainswords, and oil up vehicles. What more did they want?
"For now, just these two. The others are not yet mature and need improvement. Are you satisfied?" Omega said, patting the dog head of the Howling Sky, which had lain down and stretched out.
"Enough, enough. Before I met you, I hadn't seen new equipment in centuries. Now, every so often, there are more powerful new weapons to use. What's not to be satisfied about?"
"Good. You guys try out the Xingtian. I also want to see what it's like with its full performance unleashed."
"Let's go!" Ventris agreed immediately.
They returned to the chamber where the Xingtian Mech was placed. But this time, there were two more "Howling Skies" in the team. Ventris, with the help of an auto-platform, took off his power armor and put on the piloting power armor Omega had prepared. The difference between this and a normal MKX was the neural jacks on the helmet and the surface of the armor. The helmet had a brainwave scanning function, and the neural jacks could transmit neural signals from the power armor.
The suited-up Ventris, with his excellent physical functions, climbed into the cockpit of the kneeling Xingtian Mech without any help and lay down. After a series of certifications and scans, the machinery in the cockpit began to operate on its own. Ventris felt his body and limbs being secured, the power armor's life support system was also activated, and one neural bundle after another was inserted into the neural jacks on the surface of his power armor. He felt as if he were wearing another suit of armor, but this one was much larger. At the same time, he also heard the mech's Machine Spirit prompting him that it was performing a neural synchronization.
"Synchronization rate: 10%."
"Synchronization rate: 20%."
"Synchronization rate: 100%. Connect to the Machine Spirit?"
"Yes."
With Ventris's consent, his consciousness instantly plunged into darkness, and then instantly recovered. But his originally dark vision could now see his "short" battle-brothers, and the even shorter Omega.
Was it a success? The Captain of the 4th Company, who had never piloted a mech before, was a little confused. He didn't know what to do next. The black-hearted little cog-head hadn't told him how to operate the mech, only that he would "know when he got in."
"I got in and I don't know anything," Ventris muttered.
"That's because you're stupid." Ventris, with an incredible expression, heard Omega's voice. It was clear that Omega had also heard his muttering.
"Omega, what should I do next?"
"Just like usual. If you want to walk, walk. If you want to jump, jump," Omega replied.
Think?! Ventris tried to raise his arm, and then he saw a metal arm appear before him. He tried to stand up, and the originally short people became even shorter.
The Ultramarines, watching the mech piloted by Ventris perform a few adaptive movements, heard an excited voice from within the mech: "Hahaha, Omega, you're amazing! It's just like you've given me a new mech body!"