After advancing for a distance, the three members of Talasa Squad felt a bit strange and couldn't help but look at Marcus, who was walking at the very front. "How is this guy so familiar with this path?" This question arose in the minds of all three of them.
They would never have imagined that Marcus had already walked this path hundreds of times. It could almost be said that he could navigate it with his eyes closed. Under Marcus's lead, the group quickly cleared small groups of Tyranid along the way. It only took them a little over ten minutes to reach the location where the demolition charges were to be installed: the tall tower at the base of the giant statue.
Opening the sealed door, the group entered in single file. Upon entering, they saw a pile of detonators placed in the corner.
"Let's split up; that's the fastest way to install all these explosives."
Saying this, Marcus picked up two detonators and walked towards the nearest tower pillar. Due to insufficient explosive yield, they could only destroy the pillars to make the statue on top of the tower collapse. The few people immediately split up, quickly dispersing to install the detonators.
Just as one detonator was attached to a pillar, a swarm of Tyranids surged upwards from the base of the tower. Marcus manipulated his psychic flying knife while quickly moving towards another pillar. Wherever he passed, all the cannon fodder creatures like Hormagaunt and Gun Worm fell in swathes.
Raising his hellgun and blowing off a Tyranid Warrior's head, Marcus then installed another detonator. The device began to glow with a red flicker and emit a "beep-beep" sound. After completing his task, Marcus looked at other parts of the tower. Talasa Squad had also completed their respective tasks. A total of six detonators had been fully installed.
After opening the door to the next area, Marcus used his psychic flying knife and hellgun to cover Talasa Squad as they entered through the door. Once everyone was inside, Marcus quickly closed the door, temporarily blocking the continuous stream of Tyranid outside. Their primary mission now was to decapitate the Tyranid Hive Tyrant, and it was not advisable to continue fighting, wasting time.
"Let's go, there's an elevator ahead."
Saying this, Marcus walked forward. After ascending dozens of meters by elevator, the group quickly arrived at one end of the bridge. This was originally directly above a railway operation tunnel. The trains that should have been bustling with cargo transport were now overturned on the tracks of the bridge.
Here, hundreds of Astra Militarum soldiers were responsible for defensive duties. Relying on the terrain advantage, these soldiers had just repelled a wave of attacking Tyranid. The Captain leading them immediately brightened when he saw the four.
"It's Astra Militarum Soldiers!"
At this shout, the Astra Militarum soldiers who had been dispersed guarding various defensive lines immediately looked over. Accompanied by gasps and praises, the four came before the Captain.
"Sir, we have contained these probing attacks. Currently, the Starseer Relay Station is under heavy assault; most of the aliens have gone to besiege it." The Captain leaned on his lasgun, knelt on one knee, and quickly said.
"Our target is the Tyranid Hive Tyrant. Once we kill it, the Relay Station will be safe." Varius, in the team, looked at the distant bridge and said.
"This… is certainly new." The Captain stood up, hesitated for a moment, then said. "Without armored support, we'd have to destroy the entire bridge to deal with a target of that size."
"We've already installed explosives on the bridge," Marcus said from the side.
"Uh, is this a retreat order, sir?"
Just then, Captain Acheran's voice came through their communicators. "No, this is not a retreat order. Hold that position until the Tyranid command unit is executed!"
The Captain immediately saluted. "Understood, sir. May the Emperor guide our lasguns and provide you with support."
Under the Captain's command, the Astra Militarum soldiers began to busily establish a makeshift defensive line. The few heavy bolter machine guns and mortars were all ready; at this point, ammunition issues were no longer a concern.
Soon, an Astra Militarum soldier, holding binoculars and observing the bridge's movements, shouted loudly. "They're coming! Those filthy aliens are coming across the bridge!"
"Prepare yourselves! Eighth Regiment! Let the Emperor's angels see what we can do!" The Captain roared, assigning the soldiers their defensive positions.
Soon, on the bridge, an endless tide of Tyranids surged through the smoke, assaulting the position.
"My divining box can't even calculate the number of aliens anymore," Varius said, checking the divining box in his hand and shaking his head. Conservatively estimated, this wave of surging Tyranids numbered in the hundreds of thousands, densely occupying the entire bridge.
The mortar teams among the Astra Militarum soldiers were the first to open fire. Several mortars began firing fragmentation shells, bombing the distant Tyranid in layers and waves. But this was still a drop in the ocean; the gaps created by the bombardment were quickly filled by the endless stream of Tyranid. The broken corpses were rapidly recycled into biomass by the consuming creatures.
The defenders in the position did not rush to open fire. Whether it was a lasgun or a heavy bolter machine gun, they all had a certain lethal range. It wasn't until the Tyranids had approached within 400 meters. Only then did the leading Astra Militarum soldier Captain issue the firing command. Instantly, the huge firing sound of the heavy bolter machine guns resonated throughout the entire position.
Because the number of Tyranids was simply too great, the soldiers operating the heavy bolter machine guns did not need to aim meticulously; they only needed to control the general direction of fire to hit their targets.
"Get ready; try to clear out the Tyranids climbing up. The Astra Militarum soldiers need to focus on providing long-range firepower."
The firepower of the four of them naturally could not compare to that of dozens of Astra Militarum soldiers, who also had heavy bolter machine guns and mortars. So their main task was to provide close-quarters cover for the soldiers, clearing out the Tyranids that climbed onto the platform.
Straban, clad in his Gravis power armor, raised his heavy plasma incinerator and unleashed a fully charged plasma blast towards the approaching Tyranids. The huge, searing plasma orb exploded, taking out dozens of Hormagaunts that were about to climb onto the platform with a single shot.
Marcus was not idle either. His psychic flying knife instantly unsheathed, reaping the lives of the Tyranid at terrifying speed. At the same time, he raised his hellgun, precisely targeting and shooting the Tyranid Warriors.
But even with Marcus slaughtering at such terrifying speed, the Tyranid below remained an endless stream. The bodies of the dead Tyranid even became bloody stepping stones for the remaining Tyranids.