The diesel engine of the Chimera troop carrier roared in Calvin's ears, the bulletproof deck was hot from the sun, and sweat and engine oil mixed into a sticky mud on the metal seat.

The rookies of the 916th Infantry Regiment were packed into the carriage, shaking like sardines in a can.

The new recruit sitting opposite him kept wiping his laser gun, on the butt of which was engraved the words "For Aradia"; the old soldier on the left used his gas mask as a pillow, his snoring was accompanied by the hissing sound of air leaking from his lungs.

"I heard you've seen the Primarch? And you're the only one in your group to have survived the defense of the hive?"

The recruiting officer in the corner of the carriage was blowing smoke rings from a cheap cigar, and the double-headed eagle emblem on his chest was missing half of its wings.

"Shave your legs before you brag, kid."

Calvin ignored him and was stroking the animal tooth wedding ring in his arms.

Three days ago, he was standing in the regiment tent. The political commissar thought that he was no longer necessary to fight in this condition and wanted to pull him back to the rear for rest. However, Calvin decisively chose to join the vanguard unit. He wanted to find his lover, even if it was just to find a corpse.

Finally, the political commissar couldn't stand the constant nagging and sent him to the 916th Infantry Regiment of the Astra Militarum.

At this moment, there were homemade Molotov cocktails piled at his feet, and the promethium fuel swaying in the glass jars was glowing with Irene's favorite lavender purple.

As the convoy drove into the old industrial area, Calvin smelled the sweet smell of burning titanium alloy.

The collapsed synthesis towers cast fang-like shadows in the setting sun, and there were huge claw marks on the outer wall of a cooling tower, which was the nursery of those shitty Tyranid swarms last week.

"Keep alert!" The roar of the tank commander Warren came from the top cabin, "The idiots of Company B lost six tanks in this area..."

The hum of a pulse weapon interrupted the warning. When the first ion shell hit the lead vehicle, Calvin's cybernetic eye caught the ripples in the air, the moment when the optical camouflage faded.

The XV95 Ghost combat suit emerged from the void, its streamlined armor reflecting the sunset glow, like the god of death emerging from the setting sun.

"Enemy attack! Three o'clock!"

Calvin kicked open the back door of the car, and the fuse of the Molotov cocktail rubbed against each other in his trouser pocket, generating heat.

He saw that the turret of the lead vehicle was melting, and promethium fuel was gushing out of the bullet holes, turning the entire vehicle into a spinning fire top.

The pilot jumped out of the cabin in flames and turned into a charred skeleton after running three steps.

"Shit! Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

“Disperse! Disperse!”

Captain Warren's voice was filled with radio interference. The second Chimera tried to turn, but its tracks were broken by the pulse cannon, and it slid sideways and crashed into the ruins of the synthesis tower.

The troop carrier Calvin was in slammed on the brakes, and the back of his head hit the armored plate hard, and two Molotov cocktails in his arms broke.

Fifteen battlesuits shuttled between the convoys, their phase-shift engines leaving afterimages, like quantum ghosts existing in multiple locations at once.

A combat suit's fusion cannon cut through the top of an armored vehicle, and four soldiers were vaporized without even having time to scream.

"Establish a circular defense line!" The loudspeaker on the regiment's Chimera screamed, "All heavy weapons..."

The explosion of the command vehicle turned the second half of the command into static.

Calvin saw the colonel's half body hanging from the communications antenna, the burning fabric of his uniform fluttering towards the group of Tau Empire battle suits like a white flag of surrender.

A new recruit jumped out of the car, crying and shouting, firing his laser gun randomly into the air.

A certain Ghost battlesuit materialized behind him, and the ion blade sliced ​​through his armor with ease.

Calvin used the promethium flame to drive back another attacker, but found that the flames from the Molotov cocktail were automatically diverted through the phase armor.

“Enter the building!”

Captain Warren leaned half of his body out of the top cabin. Only charred bones were left of his right arm, but he was still using the stump to operate the heavy bolter machine gun, "Fight them in close combat..."

A blue light flashed, and the commander's head slid smoothly along the welding lines of the Chimera armor plate.

Calvin caught the falling grenade launcher, and the warm blood soaked the lining of his shoulder armor. Then he quickly entered the factory nearby.

The interior of the abandoned refinery is like the belly of a steel behemoth, with cracking pipes crisscrossing overhead like blood vessels. Condensation seeps from the rusted metal surface, and the dripping sound echoes in the empty space.

Calvin leaned against a load-bearing column, the bolt pistol in his hand still carrying the temperature of Captain Warren's body. There were only seven people left in his team, recruit Thompson, technical sergeant Gray, medical soldier Lisa, and four rookies whose names he didn't even have time to ask.

“They’re coming in.”

Gray's tactical eyepiece captured the heat signal at the end of the corridor.

"At least twenty fire warriors, divided into four tactical teams."

The holographic projection showed the advance route of the Tau Empire troops, and the blue light spots were eating away at their hiding space.

"Prepare to fight. For the Emperor."

When the first Fire Warrior stepped into the control room, Calvin's bolt pistol was pressed against the back of his head.

The hum of the pulse rifle stopped abruptly, and his helmet shattered like an eggshell, splattering blue blood and brains on the console.

The sound of the body falling to the ground alarmed the enemies in the corridor, but Calvin had already disappeared into the ventilation duct.

"Spread out your actions and do not engage in combat unless absolutely necessary."

New recruit Thomson hid behind a water treatment tank and watched two Fire Warriors pass by.

His finger was on the trigger of the laser gun, but he remembered Calvin's warning: "Don't shoot, wait until they separate."

As the last Fire Warrior turned, Thomson smashed his knee with a wrench, then pounced on him and ripped open his carotid artery with his bayonet.

Calvin crawled through the pipes, his prosthetic eyes glowing red in the darkness. He heard the sound of pulse weapons firing from below, followed by Gray's screams.

Gray died, but he couldn't, Irene was still waiting for him.

Calvin gritted his teeth and leapt down from the vent, his boot on a Fire Warrior's shoulder and his bolter pistol pointed at his chin as he fired.

The fire warrior's armor ripped like paper, and blue blood splattered on the ceiling.

At this moment, Medic Lisa was forced to the edge of the furnace, her scalpel looking like a joke in front of the pulse rifle.

The fire warriors formed a semicircle, as if admiring the final struggle of their prey.

"surrender,"

A Fire Warrior commander raised his hand and said slowly, "The Greater Good will give you the respect you deserve."

"Fuck the Greater Good."

Lisa gave a wry smile and pressed the detonator hidden in her white coat.

The furnace's emergency relief valve burst open, and the high-temperature steam turned the entire area into a death trap. Calvin saw the medic's figure melt in the steam.

Seeing this scene, angry Calvin lost his mind.

He rushed out from his hiding place, the barrel of his bolt pistol already warped from overheating.

The first fire warrior was shot through the chest, and the second one was knocked to the ground by him.

His armor was a liability in close combat, and Calvin pounded on his opponent's visor with the butt of his rifle until the protective glass shattered and blue blood splattered on his mechanical prosthetic eye.

"For the Emperor!"

He roared, using the bolt pistol as a blunt force weapon. His helmet was dented by the blow, and the Fire Warrior's struggles gradually weakened.

Calvin felt a sharp pain in his knuckles, but he did not stop until the enemy's head turned into a pool of blue paste.