Chapter 282: The 18th Legion Inheriting Vulkan's Kindness

Legion Commander Cassian Vaughn of the 18th Legion stepped onto the surface of Planet III of Stifuniji, and as he looked around, he discovered it was a green world.

An endless forest, with no end in sight.

The identification runes on the visor of Vaughn's helmet flickered unsteadily, and he said to Lucas beside him:

"The report from the Auger Matrix Master indicates that there are no large settlements on this world."

"Yet this world has many areas of signal anomaly; straight ahead is the area with the highest anomalous readings."

"The anomalous signals interfere with the Auger Matrix and also disrupt the automatic sensor systems; I think you are better at finding the enemy in this environment than we are."

The Order Shadow's senses were sharper than theirs.

"Lord Vaughn," Lucas scanned the surroundings and pointed toward the three o'clock direction: "That direction."

"Advance." At Vaughn's command, the 18th Legion Warriors clad in green armor moved in the direction Lucas had indicated.

Ten squads of Astartes entered the dense forest.

As the unit moved forward, the signal interference grew stronger.

The communication channels of their helmets were filled with static.

After advancing several kilometers, the Order Shadow suddenly spoke, whispering: "Xenos."

Vaughn slowed his pace, leading the unit to continue forward, and a moment later, he saw over a dozen Xenos.

Their upper bodies were humanoid, holding weapons, while their lower bodies were shaped like scorpions, their high-raised stingers shimmering with a piercing light.

Vaughn's pupils constricted, and he whispered: "Andres."

The 2nd Chapter had encountered these Xenos during a previous battle and named them Andres based on the sounds they made.

They had transmitted the physiological characteristics of the Xenos to their allies, so Vaughn recognized them the moment he saw them.

"There are also humans; they are being enslaved and tortured by the Xenos," Lucas said in a low voice, suppressing his anger.

Vaughn signaled his men to halt, and he followed Lucas forward.

A moment later, he saw several humans ahead.

They were laboring under the supervision of an Andres, and one woman among them was using her hands to pick at a massive, colorful mushroom.

What she was picking were umbrella-shaped, fist-sized mushrooms covered in sharp thorns that left her hands dripping with blood.

She carefully placed the mushrooms into a jar and continued picking.

Vaughn's eyes were filled with rage; the woman's face was pale from blood loss.

Drops of blood splattered onto the ground, like water droplets creating ripples on a calm lake.

Vaughn slowly retreated, intending to return to the unit to assign tasks,

when Vaughn saw that as the woman picked again, she accidentally crushed a mushroom.

The supervising Andres let out an angry roar, snatched the jar away, and simultaneously flicked its scorpion tail, piercing the woman's body.

Vaughn raised his Bolter Pistol, fired angry bolts at the Xenos, and issued an order.

"Attack!"

Lucas donned his "War Mask," turning his anger into strength, and swung his Charged Blade in a vicious slash that severed the crab-claw blade of the Andres.

He wove between the Xenos, the Disruption Field of his spinning blade casting a dazzling blue light.

The Astartes in green armor raised their bolters and fired bolts at the Xenos.

With the roar of bolters, several Xenos had no time to react and were blasted into mists of blood.

The Andres reacted, brandishing their strange weapons as they charged at the Astartes.

One Andres swung a weapon shaped like a crab claw that shimmered with strange light, striking the power armor.

With a crackling explosion of an energy field, the crab-claw blade tore through the power armor.

Lucas smelled a burnt odor and stared at the crab-claw blade.

【Energy weapon.】

While he pondered, he parried the Andres's crab-claw blade.

Amidst a metallic clang, Lucas twisted his body and swung his blade, striking the Andres in the head.

Vaughn roared in fury, shaking the forest, and swung his Power Hammer, smashing it into an Andres.

The oscillating energy ripples tore the Andres into shreds, turning it and the surrounding dust into a cloud drifting through the sky.

Vaughn strode forward, the immense strength of his massive frame pouring into the Xenos.

After killing dozens of Xenos in succession, there were no enemies left in his sight, but his eyes remained filled with rage.

He saw the rescued humans scattering in flight and said to the Techmarine: "Tell them we are warriors of the Master of Mankind."

The Techmarine's mechanical tentacles tapped rapidly on the Sound Array Skull, and runes flickered.

The Sound Array Skull hovered and flew, its speakers emitting a loud voice in the Low Gothic of various Terra tribes:

"Fellow humans, we come from the human homeworld..."

The Sound Array Skull was playing a recording set by a Sage of the Adeptus Mechanicus; unlike the communication network affected by signal interference, the electronic mechanical voice played normally.

By the time the Sound Array Skull played it for the fifth time, someone hesitantly stopped and asked in broken, strange Low Gothic.

"Are you... also... human?"

After the Techmarine locked onto the Low Gothic used by the locals, he followed standard procedure and played the standard audio file that had won trust when reclaiming human colonies.

Its content included the Emperor unifying the human homeworld of Terra, the Expeditionary Force being responsible for reclaiming human colonies, and the Astartes being the army of the Master of Mankind.

Nearly a thousand Stifuniji people were blocked by the green-armored warriors and forced to listen to the end of the broadcast.

A pale young man gathered his courage and walked up to the giants.

"You... are Astartes... and also human..."

After hearing the Techmarine's translation, Vaughn walked up to him, and the young man looked at his large face and retreated two steps in fear.

Vaughn said in a deep voice: "That is correct, we are warriors of the Master of Mankind."

"From now on, you are under our protection."

The Techmarine translated the Legion Commander's words for the Stifuniji.

The young man was half-doubting, yet harboring a sliver of hope, he pleaded: "Please... save us..."

Upon hearing the local's request translated by the Techmarine, Vaughn made a decision immediately.

"We will protect you and take you to a safe place."

Vaughn agreed to their request, and the soldiers of the 18th Legion escorted the rescued humans to retreat.

While Vaughn was communicating with the rescued Stifuniji, Lucas picked up a jar.

【The Andresians force humans to gather mushrooms, and this area has abnormal signals, which means they are special.】

Lucas recalled that the Twelfth Legion was ordered to attack Tanis to bring back the Narl tree for their Gene-Father.

【Perhaps the Gene-Father would be interested in this kind of mushroom.】

He hung the jar at his waist and led the team to return along the route they had come.

The Stifuniji discovered that the green-armored warriors had "surrounded" them, and at first, they felt some Fear.

They could not help but think that the Xenos who enslaved them walked around their team to prevent them from escaping.

Some people's bodies trembled, and a thought emerged in their minds.

【These Astartes do not look like humans.

Could they be using the name of saving us to make us give up on escaping, only to take us to another place to be enslaved?】

Just as they were looking for an opportunity to escape, Lucas said to Vaughn.

"The Andresians are here."

Vaughn shouted loudly: "Defend!"

The warriors of the 18th Legion immediately raised their bolters and fired bolts at the Andresians.

Lucas noticed that the warriors of the 18th Legion strictly followed Vaughn's orders to establish a defense.

No one performed tactical maneuvers; they held the line tightly, like a city wall, blocking the surging Xenos.

Lucas saw that at the eight o'clock position, a green-armored warrior was facing the Andresian charge.

He used a Power Hammer to smash down several Xenos in succession.

But there were the most Andresians in that direction, and they brandished strange crab-claw blades to launch an attack on him.

He executed Vaughn's orders, holding the defensive line tightly without moving a single step.

When he used his Thunder Hammer to smash down another Xenos, a crab-claw blade slashed into his body.

He fell, his massive body still blocking the front of the Xenos.

As the Andresians grinned and tore his body apart with their crab-claw blades, the 18th Legion warriors on both sides had already expanded their defense to block the Andresians' attack.

【Vaughn and his Legion provide shelter for the Andresians, which inevitably leads to the sacrifice of their warriors' lives.

They care more about the lives of ordinary people than most Astartes Legions.

Vaughn also showed special interest after hearing on Sepra Mundi that the "Fortress-class Energy Shield" could provide protection for an entire Hive City.】

While Lucas was deep in thought, he saw Vaughn brandishing his Power Hammer and charging into the densest area of the Andresians.

He immediately held his Power Sword and rushed up to fight side by side with Vaughn.

The 18th Legion paid the price of ten warriors' Death to escort the Stifuniji out of the forest.

Vaughn called for a Transport Ship, and only when the Stifuniji saw the Auxilia soldiers did they believe they had been rescued.

As the Stifuniji shed tears, Lucas also reported to the Primarch.

After Ninglu received the briefing forwarded by the Sound Array Master, he was not surprised.

He knew that before Vulkan returned, the 18th Legion already cared more about the lives of ordinary people than most Legions.

Vaughn led his Legion in a defensive battle against the Orcs in a planetary cluster near Talas, facing the overwhelming offensive of the Orcs.

The Legion paid a heavy price, allowing the population on three Planets to be evacuated to a safe area.

Even Vaughn himself died as a result; before his Death, he handed over command to the arriving Vulkan.

Of course, he was subsequently buried in a Dreadnought after his Death.

【Vulkan's kindness was undoubtedly inherited by his progeny.】

Ninglu then saw the colorful mushrooms presented in the holographic image of the briefing.

【The main ingredient for the Potion of the "Apprentice" follow-up Sequence 8 "Trickster", the Colorful Mushroom.】

(End of this chapter)