After the Empire sieges the Black Legion lord Erquesus in Fortress No. 7, the ground battlefield of Pai Shangxing quickly fell into a strange silence.
The Black Legion stopped attacking various Explorer Fortresses, and after evacuating residents from the fortress and placing them in camps in the Red Sand Mountains, the Astartes did not hold on to those fortresses, but quickly assembled toward the location of Fortress No. 7.
In the following days, there was no battle between the two sides. Soshyan Alexey, the commander of the Knights of the Star Realm, made it easier for the White Temple, the leaders of the Dark Angels and the Gray Knights to hold a strategic meeting. The judge and the representative of the local garrison were also present.
The three-hour meeting quickly decided on the subsequent deployment of the empire.
Each Astartes will be responsible for the defense of Fortress No. 7, while the Star Army and the local garrison will build a large number of fortifications, bunkers and trenches within 35 kilometers of the fortress, posing as a long-term siege.
It was obvious that this was an open conspiracy, and Soshyan handed over the choice to Abaddon.
Should we send all our efforts to save the surrounded troops, or to survive by cutting off our tails and enduring double losses in terms of military strength and reputation?
But the Black Legion did not respond further, and both sides seemed to sit down so quietly on the battlefield.
However, the calmness on the surface does not mean that the waves under the shadows have decreased at all. Although the Black Legion has not made any major moves for the time being, their reconnaissance and small groups of harassing troops are increasingly frequent, and they continue to attack the mortal defenders' garrisons in the dark, massacre and plunder the defenders inside.
This is a morale strike tactic that Chaos Force is very common. Soshiyang, who became the commander of the coalition forces, also counterattacked and deployed the same anti-harassment force.
On the eve of the war, a war in the shadows has quietly begun-
"Here, the company commander."
Bahram squatted by a puddle and rubbed his fingers against the scorched earth on the jungle ground.
“More traces.”
Talos interrupted his search for nearby bushes, walked to Bahram, and knelt down on one knee, stroking the bulge and grooves found by the other party.
"Sablin, Li Lin, come here. I want to know what you guys think."
The two nearby teams immediately gave up their detailed search and followed the company commander's order.
"It's some kind of track vehicle in the pattern, and it's only partial, but the ground here is slightly sunken, indicating that it will leave a rain pool during the rainy season on the planet, which is why the traces here are so strong that they completely disappear elsewhere."
Sablin's observation is as accurate as ever.
"These traces were left three days ago, you see, so that lichens have time to grow on them."
Sabrin pointed to the dense leaves that Bahram cut with his combat dagger to reveal the mark below.
"If the missing team's vehicle passes through this road, it's not the nearest thing."
From the corner of his vision, Talos noticed that another scout had diverted his attention, as if he was looking for traces further, so he glanced at the four men huddled on the tactical indicator on the fuzzy mark.
"Nias, do you want to give any comments?"
The young man who was walking far away strode to his superiors, and his enthusiasm could be seen from his gait.
Nias's deep eyes and black hair always made Talos think he was the young version of Makuchen.
When he came to Talos, Nias also squatted down.
"I guess it's Chimera. Even though the traces were almost completely worn off, I saw the extended traces there. Can I tell by the width and shape of the tracks? Are you seeing the two raised areas? It's here that the wet mud passes through the gaps of the tracks connected together, and there's another one."
He pointed to the almost invisible mark, then scratched it with his hand, shaking his finger every once in a while.
"There is another, there is another..."
Nias continued to describe that although Talos had reached this conclusion before Nias participated in the discussion, he was still pleased with the untrained and enhanced speed and precision of the recruits, who in a sense really looked like Makuchen.
Talos was equally impressed by the fact that Nias found the initial wear marks on the bark, which brought them back to the course in less than a second of their discovery.
“There’s another.”
Nias suddenly stood up, his big dark eyes staring into the distance.
"Chimera is heading for this."
He added, while raising his arm and pointing at the dense green leaves on the south side, answering the company commander's next question in advance.
"The Eleventh Company, lined behind me, and lined up in a single column."
Talos stood up and ordered that in combat he would use gestures to send commands.
So far this is just a training session.
Nias tried to squeeze from Talos to restore his position in the formation, but the company commander of the 11th Company extended a strong arm to block the recruits' way.
"Where are you going to go, Brother Nias?"
Talos said with a smile, letting go of his obstacles and taking a place behind the confused scouts.
"Lead the way."
When the sun completely broke through the horizon, the eleventh line had already penetrated five kilometers deep into the jungle, reaching the emerald darkness hidden under the towering trees.
Some twisted and mutated animals shouted, and the bushes sprinted in Yuzhou's cycle, starting their ruthless hunt for food.
The communications beads in Talos' ears are still active, filled with tactical reports from nearby areas, while the Storm Crow patrolls above the clouds, maintaining detection of enemy infiltration units as much as possible.
As the jungle gradually became denser, Chimera's footprints became clearer and clearer, so that the recruits were able to move along a pair of complete traces over the past few kilometers.
Nias kept his attention in front of the squad, the scout was sharp, and he sometimes slowed down and paid more attention to some marks or deviations on the road without having to stop completely.
Behind him, his combat brothers pointed their guns at the dense leaves on both sides of the road opened by personnel carriers, keeping alert to local wildlife and any potential ambush.
Talos also pulled out his weapon, although what he was holding in his fist was his unactivated power sword rather than his pistol.
As he walked through the bushes, something was gnawing at his thoughts, and he felt that he had missed something obvious, something that was not right in front of him.
Nias suddenly stopped in front of him and interrupted his meditation.
“They are gone.”
Nias turned to his company commander and said:
"Traces. They just... disappeared."
The recruits' faces were clearly written with confusion.