Outside the Central Hive City, in the trench positions, a fierce PDF veteran barked, "Kid! If you don't want to die, put on your helmet!" The reprimanded new soldiers instantly donned their full-face helmets, feeling the ground beneath them subtly trembling—the unmistakable consequence of countless orks charging.
In the trenches, priests accompanying the army, undeterred by ork gunfire, shouted the Emperor's name, offering spiritual solace to the soldiers. Yet, beyond the Emperor, most soldiers held another pillar in their hearts: their great Governor, Marcus. The local PDF Soldiers of Avarax were not blind. In the six months since Marcus became Governor and Alexia took office, all aspects of civilian life across the three Hive Cities had greatly improved. At the very least, emaciated corpses, once a common sight in dark corners by the roadside, were now almost never seen within the Hive City.
(T/N : That's probably just usable biomass xdd)
Furthermore, due to the compulsory education policy implemented by Alexia, children who would traditionally have entered giant factories at the tender age of seven or eight, weaving through dangerous machinery to perform simple maintenance tasks, had instead entered the rudimentary schools established by Alexia, receiving education from the Resident Evil world.
For the Hive City residents of Avarax, who had long suffered the exploitation of corrupt nobles, their current lives were infinitely better than before. No one wished for their present stability to be shattered by the flames of war ignited by the orks. The PDF Soldiers fighting felt this even more keenly.
"For the Emperor!" someone shouted, the originator unknown, but the cry nevertheless stirred other soldiers who harbored the same sentiments. "For the Governor! For Avarax!!!" The roar grew louder and louder, eventually covering the entire position.
This fervent chorus only subsided when the ork Lightning Bombers, Burna Bombers, and Dakkajet Fighters appeared above the position. As laser anti-aircraft gun arrays and anti-aircraft autocannons fired in unison, the soldiers regained their composure, refocusing on the unfolding battlefield. Under the protective anti-aircraft fire net, countless ork aircraft were hit, trailing black smoke as they plummeted. Yet, a considerable number of ork bombers still completed their suicidal missions, dumping large quantities of unstable bombs into the positions below.
"Get down! Take cover!!!" Junior officers' shouts continuously echoed through the trenches, snapping some dazed new soldiers back to attention. "Boom boom boom!" The power of the ork bombs, amplified by the Waaagh! field, far exceeded their actual explosive charge. The dust raised by their explosions blanketed every soldier.
"Ork fighter squadrons and bomber squadrons are passing over the position; rear artillery clusters, raise your alert!" The orks' primary targets, beyond the trench-filled positions, were the artillery emplacements further back.
"Waaagh!" Even if their aircraft were hit and ablaze, spewing black smoke, the fearless ork pilots continued to scream as they launched suicidal ramming attacks. Under such desperate assaults, temporary gaps formed in the anti-aircraft firepower, granting the remaining ork bombers more opportunities to drop their ordnance.
"These damn orks are just too many!" Looking up at the chaotic sky, the PDF Soldiers couldn't help but complain. This feeling of being suppressed, unable to lift their heads, was truly frustrating. This frustration was only broken when transport ships loaded with Tyrants, Stalkers, and Hunters appeared behind the position.
"It's reinforcements!" Besides the BOWs, a large number of transport ships also brought a great weapon: the Purifier Colossus, modified and fitted with numerous anti-aircraft weapons. The majestic Colossus, dozens of meters high, greatly boosted the soldiers' morale as soon as it appeared on the battlefield.
"Rumble..." As soon as the Colossus landed, it stabilized its form. Its extensive anti-aircraft weaponry immediately filled the temporary gap in air defense, temporarily suppressing the ork aircraft frantically conducting suicidal attacks.
"Attention all! Ork ground forces incoming!!!" Despite the noisy battlefield environment, this broadcast reached every soldier's ear. Although they hadn't yet seen the tide-like orks, the soldiers could already hear the earth-shattering war cries emanating from the approaching horde.
"Rear artillery clusters, begin fire saturation!" From the top floor of the Central Hive City, Alexia, observing the battlefield situation through a holographic map, immediately gave the order. The ork ground forces had already advanced into artillery range. Upon receiving the order, the artillery, already loaded, began to roar, unleashing terrifying firepower upon the distant orks. The gunners immediately reloaded, maintaining continuous suppressive fire.
"What's going on? Why has the shelling in areas B1 and G5 weakened?" Not long after, Alexia, with her comprehensive view, keenly noticed something amiss. An urgent battle report was then delivered to her: "Some artillery units encountered a surprise attack by ork special forces."
"Blood Axe Clan—" A glint flashed in Alexia's eyes. As early as when the Ishimura first fought the ork vanguard warship near Demerium, Marcus had determined, through the symbols on the ork warship, that these ork belonged to the Blood Axe Clan. Alexia had long known from Marcus about a major characteristic of the Blood Axe Clan: they were prolific in producing special forces such as Kommandos and Grot Scorchers. Unlike other clans who preferred direct confrontation with no tactical discipline, the orks of the Blood Axe Clan often possessed a certain degree of discipline and tactical planning. And stealth strikes were one of the tactics the Blood Axe Clan excelled at.
"Send reinforcements, eliminate the orks in areas B1 and G5, and rebuild the artillery positions. Additionally, continue to strengthen the protective capabilities of the artillery units, deploying an additional twenty percent of Tyrants and Stalkers for defense in each artillery Garrison area," Alexia immediately ordered. The artillery's suppressive fire would be crucial and absolutely could not fail.
"Yes!" The order was immediately relayed, and more Tyrants, Stalkers, and Hunters were dispatched to carry out the mission of protecting the artillery. Those Kommandos who had used ork aircraft, stealthily air-dropped behind the positions, and ambushed the artillery units, immediately encountered a frontal encirclement by Tyrants and Stalkers. Some Kommandos who fortunately escaped began playing a hunting game with the Hunters.
"Ork forces are about to make frontal contact with the front line." According to the map display, the green tide representing the orks had pushed forward to the front line of the positions, enduring fierce artillery fire. The crucial first contact was about to begin.