The height of the white tower was astonishing. Coupled with the fact that it sat at the very apex of the hive city, Alexei, standing at the very top of the tower, could faintly see the endless jungle of steel through the layers of clouds. Listening to the howling wind in his ears, he unconsciously toyed with a blue crystal ball in his hand. This was something he had found in a room inside the tower, and warp energy flowed across its surface.
The Watson family guards who used to watch over the tower had already been brought under control. As for the current high-ranking officials of Leopes, only a few families remained uncontrolled; the rest had already been integrated into his own Tyranid psychic network.
Alexei tossed the blue crystal ball in his hand out past the railing of the high tower. As it turned into dancing ashes scattering across the sky amid the howling wind, he watched the gradually dissipating ash and remained silent. A series of footsteps gradually approached from behind him.
Heinrich stood respectfully behind Alexei. "My Lord, those families have not given any response. The Watson family has already begun pulling their forces back."
"I see." As expected, there is a problem, Alexei thought to himself. The Ghosts sent to control the high-ranking members of these families basically couldn't even get close. It was likely due to the influence of warp energy. Besides, the situation in the underhive was currently very grim, and he had no time to play these power-struggle house games with these nobles.
"What is the total number of personnel in the Leopes Planetary Defense Force?" He turned around, looked at Heinrich, and asked.
"The elite garrison of the upper hive is maintained at around 1 million. These are the best-equipped troops, controlled jointly by all the nobles and myself. The garrison forces distributed across various sectors of the lower hive number about 10 million. If you include the logistics and supply personnel, it's estimated to be tens of millions. Those are basic garrison troops, and their equipment and discipline are relatively poor."
"How many can be trusted?" Alexei asked again. Although the numbers of the Leopes Planetary Defense Force sounded immense, most of those in the lower hive and underhive were just a coasting army made up of local thugs lacking training and equipment. Only the million-strong elite army of the upper hive was the true main force. Coupled with the special co-governance situation between the Governor and the nobility, the number of troops that could actually be trusted was probably not very high.
"Only the army commanded by my confidants. Around 200,000," Heinrich answered after thinking for a moment.
"That's enough. Have them cooperate with Ayre's forces to surround the fortresses of those families in the upper hive. Allow entry, but no exit." Alexei looked at the bowing Governor and began issuing orders.
"At the same time, reassign the officers of the other upper hive garrison forces. Ensure total control over all armies in the shortest time possible. I will have Ayre's forces assist you. Anyone who dares to resist will be executed on the spot."
"Shrink the garrison perimeter of the lower hive. Coordinate with Ayre's forces to focus on protecting those important heavy factory industrial zones and the various connecting passages leading to the underhive and upper hive. Also, reclaim all lower hive properties belonging to the families. Tell anyone with an objection to come speak to me face-to-face."
"And from this moment on, take full control of the members of the Emperor's Benevolent Mutual Aid Society. Notify me immediately if a large-scale riot breaks out."
"Be prepared at all times for the enemy to launch a general offensive."
"Understood, My Lord," Heinrich replied respectfully, then turned and left.
Alexei turned his head to look at the multicolored Great Rift in mid-air. It seemed to be growing larger and larger. Now, no matter which planet one was on, this terrifying rift could be seen. If mortals stared at it for too long, they would fall into terrifying nightmares. But for Alexei, that was completely impossible. He looked in the direction of the Watson family fortress and sneered. Did they really think he would just leave the followers of Tzeentch alone while dealing with other enemies first?
When fighting against multiple Chaos enemies, Tzeentch should always be dealt with first, lest that blue birdman suddenly pull off some massive scheme.
Under his will, over a dozen Battlecruisers began sailing toward the fortresses of those families. A large number of transport ships began deploying all of the Ayre Imperial Guards and heavy armored vehicles into the upper hive. If he wasn't afraid of collapsing the upper hive entirely, he would have directly ordered those dozens of Battlecruisers to fire continuously.
For now, he still had to rely on small-scale special operations squads to paralyze the void shield generators and heavy anti-air artillery platforms before letting the Battlecruisers provide fire support. But this time, he wouldn't let the mortal Imperial Guards handle these matters. This was a battle meant for the Astartes; they were the scalpels on the battlefield.
The main roads leading to the fortresses of the various noble families had been blockaded. A large number of elite PDF troops, wearing flak armor and holding master-crafted autoguns, were responsible for this task. Meanwhile, Ayre's Imperial Guards and heavy vehicles continuously rushed toward the vicinity of those fortresses, establishing temporary outposts there.
On the outer high walls of the Watson family fortress, a large number of family guards stood ready in full battle array. At the same time, some PDF forces who followed their orders had been recalled inside this fortress long ago. Working in tandem with the automated turrets and large-caliber heavy artillery on the fortress, they were confident they could hold out against the enemy's attack not far away—until the Thors and Siege Tanks appeared...
A figure completely shrouded in a black robe appeared on top of the high wall. He silently watched the distant Ayre Imperial Guards, rapid low murmurs constantly escaping his mouth. After a long while, he turned and left. They needed to hold out long enough to have any chance of surviving until their master's army arrived.
Within the lines of the Ayre Imperial Guards, several squads of Siege Tanks had already deployed their cannon barrels. An officer silently gazed into the distance. As time passed, the command from the Governor of Ayre traveled through the Tyranid psychic network into the minds of all commanders. In the next instant, the ground composed of ferrocrete and adamantium framing began to tremble violently, and the shrieking of artillery shells slammed continuously against the fortress's void shields.
Thors, cooperating with Goliath mechs, began to launch an assault on the fortress. Simultaneously, the enemy's heavy artillery and automated turrets also opened fire. A fierce battle in front of several noble fortresses was instantly triggered.
In a factory sector of the lower hive, a crowd of angry laborers was constantly shoving back and forth with the PDF. They were highly dissatisfied with the actions taken to control the members of the Emperor's Benevolent Mutual Aid Society. What started as protests had now turned into large-scale riots across multiple factory sectors. Within those rioting crowds, many figures could be faintly seen constantly instigating the people's emotions. It wasn't until the first gunshot echoed through the lower hive's factory sector that the riot spiraled completely out of control, and Ayre's Imperial Guards began to intervene.
At the same time, Kaedel and Ator, who were still in the underhive, had already begun to evacuate. Behind them was a green cloud that blotted out the entire space, emitting a constant humming sound. Within it, an seemingly endless army of Plague Zombies was chasing after the two of them.
Ator's tall frame, combined with the power sword in his hand, cut down every enemy blocking the way. Beside him, Kaedel used psychic powers and the heavy sniper rifle in his hands to pick off high-threat cultists. The coordination between the two was flawless as they rushed toward a large elevator not far away, where fully armed Ayre Imperial Guards were already waiting to receive them.
Alexei stood before the Watson family fortress, listening to the roar of heavy artillery. Countless reports were flooding toward him within the Tyranid network. Every minute, over a dozen orders were issued respectively to the various Imperial Guard commanders. The strategic experience he had gained from learning alongside Guilliman via void projection was constantly being put to use.
"Playing a game of chess against me? Just based on you lot?" The silhouettes of Leviathans began to emerge from the shadows of the various planets.