Chapter 154: I Saw It
The Space Marines were not invincible; the universe contained too many strange and terrifying things.
In fact, if those Greenskins had been more strategic, especially if Si Rou, their leader, had refrained from leading the charge, instead sending the Kill Cans accompanied by regular Greenskin Boyz and even Grots, to wear down their ammunition, clearing a path, then Si Rou could lead enough forces to deliver the final blow, Martins and the others might have faced total annihilation.
The root cause was that the Space Marines’ numbers were too few, and their weapons too light infantry-oriented.
If they had melta guns, plasma guns, or even more heavy explosive rounds, mini melta bombs, or if their combat blades and chainswords could be replaced with power weapons...
Perhaps this battle would have been easier, and the cost not as severe.
The two fallen Space Marines lay silently on the ground, while the remaining three stood around them.
The elite members of the Storm Squad dared not approach, instinctively leaving space for these superhuman warriors.
Today's battle had shown these men, who once thought they had become strong after the Governor's special training, the clear gap between themselves and true superhuman warriors.
Without those five Space Marines, they would likely have been crushed like mere chicks by that Ork Warboss.
Yet, even such powerful demigods faced death.
One warrior, shot in the head, was already dead. The first large-caliber autocannon round had deformed his helmet, and even the refined ceramic steel could not withstand such an impact; the second round pierced the weakened helmet, inflicting fatal brain damage.
Schneider was still alive, but...
If they had an Apothecary and a Dreadnought, perhaps he could have survived in a different form and continued fighting for the Emperor.
But they had none of those.
Schneider knew his fate. He understood his physical state better than anyone else.
Half of his waist had been sliced open, several vital organs fatally damaged; the fact that he was still alive, even temporarily conscious, was a testament to the resilience of a Space Marine.
He half-lay on the ground, his helmet long since removed, blood streaming from his mouth, staining his beard and half his face.
Yet his expression was calm.
In contrast, Martins and the other two Phoenix Marines wore much more grief on their faces.
At this moment, it was Schneider who spoke up: “Why such faces?”
His voice was faint, strained. Excessive blood loss and organ damage had filled his lungs with blood, making breathing difficult, let alone speaking.
But from his tone, there was little hint of pain; he sounded calm.
His comrades remained silent, not stopping Schneider from speaking further. Rationally, they knew he was nearly certain to die; they would allow him his last words.
“No need to look so sad. Isn’t this our destiny? Is there any Space Marine who can serve peacefully until a set retirement age? Dying on the battlefield is our inevitable fate; this day would come eventually.”
“My only regret is that I couldn’t see our Chapter reborn.”
“Martins, to be honest, I was never convinced when you became Chapter Master. I’m tougher, colder, more decisive—a tougher warrior than you. Yet the Chapter Master still chose you to succeed him; even now, I hold a grudge about it.”
“Since you became Chapter Master, I’ve disagreed with nearly every decision you made. Sometimes, I genuinely thought those decisions were too slow, too timid. But at other times… fine, I admit that I just couldn’t let it go, that I was deliberately opposing you, like this time coming to Fury Owl Planet to seek that Governor Gu’s help.”
“On our way here, we passed so many worlds, and no one truly wanted to help us. This was one of our few options. Even though that Governor has yet to fully control his own world, and it’s so barren, at least there’s hope now.”
“Now that I’m dying, I must face my inner self and honestly tell you: I acknowledge this Governor. I believe he truly can help our Chapter to be reborn.”
“Martins, I know that since arriving on this planet, we’ve lost three brothers, including myself. This must have shaken you; after all, you were always so indecisive. But I need to tell you—don’t waver, don’t hesitate. Since we’ve made this choice, we must persist to the end.”
“I…”
Martins didn’t know what to say for a moment.
Your closest rival knows you best, and he had to admit Schneider had indeed seen through his inner thoughts.
He had indeed wavered, had doubts.
How long had they been on this planet? Barely two months, and three of their seven brothers were already dead. Among them was Schneider, a warrior even more experienced than himself.
The problems on this planet were far more severe than he had initially expected. A native evil god fallen into damnation, a Greenskin tribe that had produced a Warboss… these were enemies he hadn’t anticipated facing upon arriving here.
At this rate, could the remaining four of them survive to see their Chapter reborn?
Would their Chapter perish here before it had a chance to rise again?
But he never expected that it would be Schneider encouraging him to remain steadfast.
As the saying goes, a person’s words are sincere when they are near death; these must be Schneider’s true thoughts.
But what had changed his mind? Martins wanted to ask, but he hesitated to speak.
Schneider seemed to read his mind:
“I’ve seen the Governor’s forces; he managed to train such a strong army in a short time, and there are even some heroes among them whom I must respect. Why wouldn’t I believe in him?”
Martins still felt uncertain.
What Schneider said was true, but as for those so-called heroic soldiers… in truth, throughout their long combat experience, they had encountered many elite Imperial units with whom they cooperated in battle.
Was it worth it?
With a mouth full of blood, Schneider smiled. He lifted his hand with effort and beckoned with a finger.
Martins leaned down, putting his ear close to Schneider’s mouth.
As his lips moved, Martins heard something that stunned him:
“I’ve been to that secret lab in Revival City; I saw… many black boxes.”