Chapter 106: Behind us is our home; we have nowhere left to retreat!

Time rewinds to half an hour ago.

Arriving at the forward position, Alvin looked at his "comrades-in-arms" who were almost uniformly under twenty years old, and his mood instantly sank to the bottom.

Each youthful face was filled with the fear of war; even their hands, gripping their rifles, trembled uncontrollably amidst the rumbling of artillery fire.

This won't do...

Looking at the low morale, Alvin knew very well that if it wasn't corrected in time, they would completely collapse before the cultists even attacked.

The commissar sent by the Legal Department clearly wasn't responsible for boosting morale; that was a job for a political officer, not him.

His duty was only one.

That was to ensure that before everyone on the front line was dead, not a single person was allowed to retreat even half a step.

The completely inactive commissar made Alvin realize that he had to do this job himself, but the problem was... he didn't know how to boost morale at all!

Looking at the young boys, who were shrinking their heads and shivering like quails amidst the artillery and gunfire interwoven with the sounds of slaughter, Alvin stood up, his tone deepening as he shouted at the top of his lungs: "I know you are afraid of death, but it doesn't matter; I am also afraid of death. But being afraid of death... do you think those damned heretics will let us go because of it?!"

They were a bit dazed by the sudden shout.

But thanks to that shout, the shivering boys were finally no longer dazed; one by one, they raised their heads and looked at Alvin.

People are just like that.

In the midst of chaos, as long as one person can take the lead and stand up, the panicked crowd will soon regain order. What was that... psychological effect called again?

Alvin couldn't care about that. Under the gaze of the group of youths, he said in a deep voice: "No, those damned heretics will never let us go. They will cut off our heads and pile them into a mountain!"

The boys, who were already a bit afraid, seemed to have the terrifying scene depicted in their minds, which immediately intensified their inner fear.

But this was exactly the result Alvin wanted.

When people face a desperate situation, they must be given time to think and realize there is no way back; only then will their final courage be ignited!

This tactic... is called fighting with one's back to the river!

Looking at the morale that had hit rock bottom, Alvin took a deep breath and roared: "Cowards, lift your heads! Look at what is behind you?"

"It's... it's the Hive City..."

"No, it's... the officers!"

"Wuu wuu wuu... I'm dead, I'm dead. Dad, Mom... I miss you!"

For a moment, the boys who looked back at the Hive City and the defense line thought of different outcomes, and sorrow welled up, followed by waves of crying.

"No! That is where our families are!"

Alvin let out a violent shout, like thunder: "Open your eyes and look! That is our home! That is our Hive City! Our loved ones are there!"

It turned out that although the Defense Force had conscripted a large number of civilians, they had still arranged for some elderly, women, and children to be on the very last line of defense.

The reason for doing this was not out of any "humanitarianism," but simply because... they were not as capable of increasing combat power as the young and strong!

"Do you want to watch the damned heretics slaughter our loved ones?!"

Looking at the stunned group of youths, Alvin's veins bulged on his forehead as he shouted at the top of his lungs: "Answer me! Do you want to see your own family's heads cut off by the heretics and piled up like trash?!"

"No... we don't..."

"The voice is too small! I can't hear you!"

"WE DON'T!!!"

The roar was as loud as thunder. On everyone's face, there was no longer fear; in its place was... anger!

"Then for the God-Emperor, for our families, for the Hive City... behind us, kill those heretics!"

Alvin drew his gun, his momentum like a high mountain, surging and erupting as he shouted with high emotion: "Behind us is our home; we have nowhere to retreat! Since we are going to die anyway, why not fight with all our might?!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"For the God-Emperor! For our home!"

At this moment, the anthem of courage unique to humanity, which had been suppressed deep within their hearts... was sung.

The commissar in the rear immediately cast a surprised look.

After seeing the low morale of this group, he had been prepared to shoot a few people at any time, but he didn't expect that this person had boosted their morale with just a few words!

"Very good! Very spirited!"

Looking at the finally boosted morale, Alvin breathed a slight sigh of relief; otherwise, with the low morale just now, a single charge by the cultist lunatics could have directly crushed them!

"But courage alone is not enough. This is war!"

Alvin's stern gaze swept across everyone's faces one by one, and he said in a low voice: "You need to follow orders and obey my commands!"

Youths always have a heart full of blood and courage.

After being inspired, they all looked at the "backbone" of the team at this moment: "We are willing to follow your command!"

Clearly, Alvin's words had planted a seed in the hearts of the youths!

"I cannot guarantee... that you can survive."

Alvin, entrusted with their trust, felt a ripple in his heart. He gritted his teeth and looked at those youths who cast eager, hopeful gazes, and said in a deep voice: "But I can guarantee you... everything we do today is valuable. No one will sacrifice in vain. We will expel the heretics for the God-Emperor, for our home, and for our loved ones. The final victory... must belong to us!"

Soon, under Alvin's command.

The ten-man squad was divided into three groups, each with about three people, hiding in the ruins of the houses on the left and right, forming crossfire cover.

The third group served as a reserve; once they discovered that the situation in any position was wrong, they would immediately provide support.

"I hope this works..."

Alvin rubbed his throbbing temples and looked worriedly at the increasing number of heretic lunatics surging up, gritting his teeth: "In my past life, I played strategy games a few times at most, but real combat... this is the first time!"

The only thing to be thankful for.

The cultist lunatics had no heavy lethal weapons; basically, most of them had an old, dilapidated stubber gun in their hands, or a laser gun with its rifling almost worn smooth.

But more lunatics used weapons like axes.

At least in this regard, they occupied the firepower advantage and had every hope of suppressing the cultists.

Of course, the premise of all this was.

The cultists were not plotting any bigger conspiracy!

Alvin always felt a bit uneasy. Others might not know, but he knew it clearly!

The cultists had a Daemon Engine, a Heldrake!

If the Heldrake were brought out, breaking through the Hive City's defenses would be easy; there was no need to be dragged out until now, let alone lose a large amount of manpower.

It couldn't be... that they wanted to summon a "World Eaters Daemon Army," right?