Warhammer: In the Name of Ashes.

Chapter 204 Reality and Choice
"as you wish."

Shar said to Calvin that it was a finale for this conversation and temptation.

In the following time, the team walked quietly through the large tunnels that had lost their functions. After leaving the main area of ​​the hive capital, they maintained a barely silent but extremely fast pace.

This is different from Calvin's perception of them. In his impression, the Sons of Ravens who are good at lurking and infiltrating are not legions inclined to long-distance raids.

Compared with those white scars who like to ride vehicles and rush across the wilderness, they should be more inclined to infiltrate short distances, and then launch a fatal blow to the enemy.

The equipment on these warriors also testifies to Calvin's point:
Like the Valk seen before, the gaps in the power armor of these Astartes warriors are full of sound-absorbing and shock-absorbing modifications.

Even the magnetic soles made of ceramic steel are covered with a thick layer of cushioning material.

This kind of equipment, which obviously focuses on lurking, is now used for long-distance marches. In addition to showing that their logistical status is worrying, it also shows the difficulty of their mission.

"What is your combat goal?"

Facing Shaar's eyes hidden behind the helmet, Calvin asked.

After he finished speaking, he thought about it again, and decided not to give the other party a reason to prevaricate:
"Or, who is the enemy that allows you to march so long and enter the latent state so long in advance?"

Shar did not directly answer Calvin's question, but after careful consideration, he took out a box made of pure lead from his waist.

While continuing his progress, he opened the box and took out a black ore to show Calvin:

"Ever seen this thing?"

"No, what is this?" Calvin asked curiously.

This ore seems to be no different from ordinary crystalline iron ore, but the crystals in it make Calvin's spiritual energy ready to move.

If Shar hadn't told him that this was a primitive ore from nature, he could hardly believe that there is a natural substance that is so attractive to the power of the warp.

"The original ore of Tricali crystal, a kind of ore that has never been recorded in the imperial data."

After carefully putting away the ore as it was, Shar said to Calvin.

"What does it do?" Calvin became even more curious.

"Don't know. But the enemy is looking for this, too, and is purifying it on a massive scale in smelters on this planet. We know nothing about it except that it will be the core of some large weapon."

"So your mission?"

Calvin already vaguely understood the reason why they appeared here, but he still didn't know how bad the situation was.

"Find its refinery and destroy it."

Looking at Calvin's face, Shar thought for a while and added again:

"We've tried three times in the past ten years and failed twice."

"Understood." Calvin said.

This time he finally understood the reason why these fighters stayed here for ten years.

It should be noted that with their mobility, as long as they don't want to get entangled, there is definitely a chance to leave here at the beginning of the battle.

And since they didn't leave, the enemy would rather mobilize the Night Lords forces with equal tactical positioning to entangle them here for ten years.

That is enough to show that the importance of this matter far exceeds Calvin's cognition.

But is that all that is beyond his cognition?

When two sons of legion who were also born in the darkness and both specialize in infiltration, surprise attack, and assassination appeared at both ends of the same battlefield.

The taste of this battle has completely broken away from the scope of traditional battles.

Calvin instinctively smelled a strong smell of blood from Shar's words. This kind of game in the dark reminded him of the training experience he had briefly encountered during his military career in his previous life.

In that short period of three weeks, a group of instructors who returned from Africa used several day and night exercises to teach them what is anti-human war thinking when both sides of the war have no scruples.

This is a war completely different from Calvin's traditional impression. This is a war with only night and blood.

"How many of you are left?" Calvin's voice was dry.

He can, but doesn't want to imagine.

Imagine how these lone and deep fighters persisted for a full ten years when they lost their air supremacy and were surrounded by the enemy's superior forces and counterpoint tactics.

"Nine, what you see is all."

There was little emotion in Shal's answer, as if it was not about himself.

But Calvin still felt enough sorrow from his tone.

A whole company, ten years of fierce fighting.

Including the lost Walker, only ten people survived.

"Salute to your loyalty!" Calvin said sincerely.

"God-Emperor bless!" Shar responded.

He looked at Calvin with more warmth.

"Is this ore rare?"

After another long silence, Calvin, who was separated from his previous emotions, sorted out his thoughts and asked Shar beside him.

"No, at least it's not rare on this planet." Shar replied.

Then this idea can be abandoned, Calvin shook his head and turned his attention to the next procedure.

"What about the difficulty of refining?"

"Very difficult." Shar glanced at Calvin approvingly, and then explained their gains along Calvin's train of thought:
"We tried it, and it has an extremely high melting point. And the large reactors here barely survived the invasion, they could only try it with the heat of the Earth's core."

"The power of the center of the earth?"

Calvin remembered his impressions of the planet's surface on Pale Wing.

Most of those dense nests in space have fallen into silence, only a few are still billowing thick smoke.

He had thought it was a sign of a hive city that had survived the war, but now it seemed that it must be the furnace where the ore was extracted!
"Is there a datapad? I think I know where it is."

Calvin said to Shar firmly, and then drew a few positions in his impression on the data board handed over by the latter.

"Number 3, 22, 41."

Shar looked at Calvin's marks, and it was difficult for him to choose between those positions distributed on different continental plates.

"It's unrealistic!" the Astartes behind him, who had never spoken, couldn't help but say.

This is not a denial of the enemy, but a denial of the feasibility of the original raid plan after they have lost the mobility represented by the air vehicles.

Not to mention the distance between these furnaces, but it is known that Alpha is involved, and whether it is true or not is a huge question.

How to do?
The three of them looked at each other, and couldn't think of a good way for a while.

Of course they can sort out one by one.

But not to mention the huge waste of time in the middle, the damage that every raid will inevitably bring is an unbearable price for them.

The danger of war is fully reflected at this moment. What they lack now is not only troops, but also time.

　Second watch, ask for votes, adjourn the meeting, continue.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)