Chapter 512: Mountainous Region

Three Alicia Sentinels were activated; the three 4.5-meter-tall Alicia Sentinels slowly stood up on their two articulated legs and raised their chassis.

An Alicia soldier saw the surging Zerg swarm on the horizon through a holographic sight, and hoarse curses erupted in the communication channel.

"Give these Alien bastards a taste of the Emperor's wrath!"

An Alicia Sentinel's Multi-melta aimed at the approaching Zerg swarm; the moment the Alicia soldier pulled the trigger, a circular shockwave evaporated the entire area.

A torrent of molten destruction swept across the vanguard of the Zerg swarm in a fan shape, the Zerg's carapaces vaporizing instantly in the high heat, and a scorched stench permeated the air.

"Reloading! Second group, provide cover!"

As the roar exploded in the communication channel, the Heavy Bolter of an Alicia Sentinel on the flank began to growl.

Heavy Bolter shells rained down death, each one detonating the instant it made contact with a Zerg carapace.

The massive body cavities of Acid-spitting Bugs were blasted into honeycomb-like holes, and Sickle Bugs were torn into a rain of purple flesh and blood by the dense web of fire the moment they leaped.

The third Sentinel suddenly lunged forward, its hydraulic feet crushing the scorched arthropods covering the ground.

The Multi-melta locked onto a massive Death-servant Bug charging rapidly from the flank; a crimson beam drilled precisely into the Death-servant Bug's chest cavity, burning through it instantly.

Blue-purple smoke from scorched carapaces floated in the air, and the three Sentinels unleashed astonishing firepower, wiping out the entire swarm that had been pursuing this Alicia squad.

When the last snake-like Burrowing Bug was blasted into meat paste against the rock wall by a Heavy Bolter, only the crackling of cooling hot metal and the heavy breathing of the pilots remained in the communication channel.

The Alicia Sergeant held an Akatelun Laser Gun across his chest and issued an order over the communication channel.

"Confirm all Aliens in the vicinity are wiped out. Signalman, attempt to contact the other three squads."

"Yes!"

The land licked by the Plasma flames took on an eerie, glass-like texture.

Beneath the light-refracting crystallized surface, the black silhouettes of Zerg remains were faintly visible—those Sickle Bugs that had been vaporized instantly remained in their charging postures, like insect specimens in ancient amber.

The metal footprints of the three Alicia Sentinels extended to the edge of a crater and stopped abruptly; the spicy scent unique to scorching silicon dioxide drifted in the air, mixing with the lingering stench of Zerg body fluids to create a suffocating odor.

"Sergeant, the other three squads have been contacted; they have also encountered varying degrees of Alien attacks. However, we might be the unluckiest squad."

The Alicia Sergeant nodded and spoke.

"Very well, our Task is to transmit the distribution and geographical locations of the Aliens here to the nearest Armageddon Steel Legion via long-range ground scanner.

The Valkyrie Transport has already evacuated; from here on, we must rely on ourselves. Move out!"

The 3 Alicia Sentinels and 6 Alicia soldiers formed a formation and began to advance across this hillside.

The three Sentinel mechs left deep purple footprints on the crystallized mountain range, kicking up large clumps of crystals.

After crossing several mountains, the signalman said to the Alicia Sergeant.

"Sergeant, we are 36km away from another squad."

"Hmm, establish contact with them. Our ammunition is running low; if we encounter another large-scale Alien attack... damn it..."

The Alicia Sergeant saw a spore cloud rising on the distant horizon, expanding at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Watch for anomalies, all units on alert!"

The Alicia Sergeant's roar and the hissing of the Sentinels' pressure relief valves sounded simultaneously.

In the cockpit of the third Sentinel, the Alicia soldier quickly tightened his respirator, catching a glimpse of bone-white sickle limbs lurking in the spore cloud—they were definitely not the size of ordinary Aliens.

A 10-meter-tall War Beetle broke through the spore fog, its six pairs of compound eyes glowing with an eerie blood-red light, as it surged out with a group of Sickle Bugs.

The dense Plasma vesicles on the War Beetle's dorsal carapace began to contract, firing Plasma Bombs toward the position of the Alicia squad.

The Multi-meltas of two Sentinels fired simultaneously, the crimson beams instantly turning swaths of Sickle Bugs into Ashes.

"Damn Aliens..."

An Alicia soldier's curse was drowned out by the sound of alarms; the hydraulic line of his Sentinel's right leg was melted through by the rain of Plasma.

The War Beetle's chest cavity split into four petals, revealing a Bio-Cannon barrel filled with sharp teeth, and some kind of blue-black organic matter contracted violently within the chamber.

"Evasive maneuvers!!"

The Alicia Sergeant immediately activated his Gravity Umbrella and leaped up; the next second, the position where he had been standing was melted into a deep pit by a viscous Plasma Bomb.

"Heavy Bolters, fire!"

The Alicia Sergeant's Akatelun Laser Gun began to fire single shots at the War Beetle's compound eyes, and beams of Laser light precisely blew out the War Beetle's six pairs of compound eyes.

"Second group, flank and attack the joints!"

Countless crystal Sickle Bug larvae erupted from the Beetle's wounds; these half-meter-long creatures hardened the moment they hit the ground.

A Sentinel's Heavy Bolter tore apart the Sickle Bug larvae that were pouncing from the air toward an Alicia flamer soldier.

The Alicia soldier piloting the Sentinel heard his own heavy panting and the metallic friction of the ammunition feed belt weave into a rhythm of death, until the Sentinel's armor was burned through by a Plasma Bomb and a biological sickle suddenly pierced his neck.

The excruciating pain caused his vision to turn white, but he gritted his teeth and did not release the trigger.

As the biological sickle piercing the mech was shattered by a Heavy Bolter, he saw in a daze the Alicia Sergeant land on the back of the War Beetle using a Gravity Umbrella, the muzzle of the Akatelun Laser Gun pressed directly against the beast's head.

When the muzzle of the Akatelun Laser Gun lit up, the Alicia soldier finally allowed himself to sink into darkness.

Before he completely lost consciousness, the Sergeant's hoarse roar of victory came over the tactical channel.

"For the Emperor!"

Another Alicia squad, at a distance from this Alicia squad, arrived in time to provide support, helping this Alicia squad eliminate the remaining Sickle Bugs.

"My god, Sergeant Feijinqi, I didn't expect you to encounter so many Aliens and even lose a Sentinel!"

"The Emperor protects us, Sergeant Kafuhe."

The two shook hands briefly and began to exchange the intelligence they had each gathered.

21st Legion fortress construction area.

Li Xianghu and Commissar Yake were looking at the map information sent back by the Alicia Airborne with grave expressions.

"I didn't expect that behind the thick fog, it's no longer a plain, but mountain after mountain. However, the situation is not yet certain; this is only a partial map. Perhaps the mountain area is just this one region?"

Li Xianghu took a deep breath and said to Commissar Yake beside him.

Commissar Yake adjusted his high-peaked cap and said in a serious tone.

"First, report the situation here to the Military District and request the Emperor's decree."