Chapter 777: Occupying Cyberk Park (11)

The resistance they encountered was relatively scattered, consisting mainly of technical guards and automated defense systems, but in the narrow spaces, the precise sniping and ambushes of the Cyberk soldiers still posed a threat.

A beam of white energy grazed past Aoruisitesi's jump pack, leaving a scorch mark on his master-crafted armor, but his form did not falter in the slightest; he backhanded his Power Sword, pinning a Cyberk soldier that had leaped from a ventilation shaft onto a data terminal.

The Blood Angels were rapidly closing in on the Heixin Ziliku, which stored all of the Cyberk's refining technologies and elemental maps.

"Company Commander Aoruisitesi! The Salamanders have encountered resistance from Alien units in the Hexin Tongdao!"

A report from an observer came through the communication channel of the Blood Angels First Company.

They had just cleared the Cyberk guards from a Ciji Nengliang Shuniu.

Aoruisitesi nodded slightly within his helmet and spoke.

"Understood, prioritize capturing the Main Database!"

Cyberk Park Zhongyang Kongzhishi.

Vulkan's reddened pupils gazed at this space of flickering holographic projections, complex consoles, and massive central processors.

Several tech-sergeants were at the consoles, reviewing the work logs for the various sectors of the park.

"Control all operation nodes! Halt the current facility production within the Alien park."

"Yes! Father."

Upon hearing Vulkan's order, the several tech-sergeants answered in unison.

As command after command was issued, the orderly operation of the Cyberk Park ground to a halt, and some members of the Elemental Race who were facing imminent death were startled by this sudden turn of events.

One had to know that the Cyberk never stopped production; could it be that these people were going to save them?

Many members of the Elemental Race felt this thought rise within them; they had already lost many of their kin under the torture of the Cyberk, but within the Cyberk park, there was an Energy Force Field that catalyzed the birth of the Elemental Race, which led to the new generation of Elemental Race members being subjected to screening by the Cyberk the moment they were born.

Those who did not qualify were directly converted into energy blocks, while those who did were imprisoned by the Cyberk for the purpose of cyclic energy extraction, undergoing intermittent extraction until the Elemental Race member was no longer qualified.

Cyberk Park Main Database.

Almost at the same time, Aoruisitesi landed in the core area of the Zhu Ziliku Zhenlie.

Scattered on the ground were the remains of precisely severed Cyberk technical guards and fragments of Automatic Turrets.

Aoruisitesi's gaze swept over the massive data pillars before him.

"Blood Angels First Company, Aoruisitesi reporting. The Main Database array has been captured, physical structure intact."

His voice transmitted through the communication channel.

"Commencing data Harvest protocol. Any attempt at remote erasure will be tracked and countered."

Behind him, a Servo-skull controlled by a Tech-priest immediately buzzed into the air, beginning to interface with the data ports as countless slender data cables spread out.

Just as Vulkan and Aoruisitesi were clearing their respective targets, the steady voice of Salamanders 1st Company Commander Huokan sounded over the internal comms.

"Father, Company Commander Aoruisitesi, this is Huokan.

The main passage of the Hexin tilian qu and the Nengliang Kuai Chucunku have been completely cleared. All Cyberk garrison forces and heavy units confirmed destroyed.

Energy block storage is stable; no large-scale leaks or secondary explosions have occurred.

Our forces... have suffered losses, but they are not significant, within expected parameters.

The refining area now belongs to the Human race."

"Received, Huokan. Well done."

Vulkan's voice responded on the channel, continuing.

"Consolidate your positions, ensure the stability of the energy blocks, and ensure that those raw energy source materials do not take the opportunity to riot. The Zhongyang Kongzhishi is currently conducting a sweep to ensure the Cyberk Alien did not leave any backdoors in the consoles."

"Understood, Father."

After Huokan's brief reply, he cut the communication.

Cyberk Park peripheral zone.

As the explosions and roars in the core area gradually subsided, leaving only the lingering echoes of overloaded equipment and the heavy footsteps of the Space Marines, the peripheral zone of the Cyberk Park fell into a suffocating silence.

A brown-yellow Tallarn Desert Raiders battle flag was planted on the highest pile of twisted metal debris; the flag itself had been torn in several places, stained with dark red blood and black oil, fluttering weakly in the wind that carried the dust characteristic of a scrapyard.

Beneath the flag.

Twisted remains of Cyberk soldiers were scattered everywhere, but there were even more remains of Tallarn soldiers wearing brown-yellow uniforms.

They lay on the cold metal ground in various agonizing postures: some had their chests melted through by energy beams, leaving shocking charred holes; others had their limbs severed by High-Frequency Oscillation Blades, with broken arms and legs scattered aside, blood soaking their sand-colored uniforms and congealing into dark brown lumps; others were rendered unrecognizable in the explosions, identifiable only by fragments of their tattered uniforms.

Medics moved between the piles of corpses and the wounded; suppressed groans and painful gasps were the only sounds in this dead silence.

A Tallarn captain leaned against a section of a broken, massive pipe, a fresh scratch extending from his temple to his cheekbone.

His uniform was tattered, his shoulder charred where an energy beam had grazed him, and the bandage on his left arm was seeping dark red.

He looked silently at this defensive line built from the flesh and blood of his soldiers, looking at that blood-stained battle flag, his eyes filled with bottomless exhaustion and deep-seated pain.

A Firepower Platoon Platoon Leader with a scar on his face and half his body stained with dark red blood dragged a wounded leg, limping toward the captain.

"Captain..."

The Platoon Leader's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, "The squad leader of that squad... didn't make it. The medic said his internal organs were all shattered..."

The Tallarn captain did not turn his head, his throat merely bobbing as his jawline tightened further.

He was silent for a few seconds before asking in an equally hoarse voice.

"I understand. Have the soldiers who were dispersed gather together; I will report the battle situation to the Lieutenant Colonel."

"There aren't... many left who can stand. Counting the lightly wounded."

The Platoon Leader's voice lowered as he continued.

"Heavy firepower... is basically all gone."

The Tallarn captain finally turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the surviving soldiers leaning behind cover, their eyes hollow or suppressing their grief.

Their uniforms were tattered, their faces and bodies covered in wounds, and the fire of vengeance that had burned in their eyes was now reduced to heavy Ashes and a kind of near-numb resilience after experiencing such brutal attrition.

They used the corpses of their brothers and broken equipment to reinforce their crude cover, their muzzles still vigilantly pointed toward the direction in the depths of the scrapyard where the enemy might surge out again.

In the distance, all facilities in the core area issued prompts that they had ceased operation.

Afterwards, everything returned to silence.

The Tallarn Captain took a deep breath of air heavy with the smell of blood and char, and straightened his scarred back.

He looked at his soldiers, those warriors who struggled at the limits of mortals and fulfilled their Loyalty with their lives.

"Did you all hear that?"

His voice was not loud, yet it reached the ears of every survivor clearly.

"The Angels... have won."

He paused, his gaze sweeping once more across this blood-soaked land, across those faces forever in Silence.

"The Angels have taken this place; this place belongs to the Emperor! It belongs to the Human race!"

The Tallarn Captain's voice rose slightly.

"This road... was paved with the blood of our brothers! Every inch of iron slag is stained with the souls of the Tallarn people!"

The surviving soldiers raised their heads, a faint light reigniting in their numb eyes.