He decided to head straight for the evacuation point. Getting out of the trench, Li Qingyu ran towards the Hive. Return, hand over the guns – and the job is done.
From the direction of the grain terminal, the roar of battle still echoed – a fierce fight was underway there. The rebels had almost no heavy weapons; they were no match for the "Chimera" IFV. They were having a tough time there.
Li Qingyu dissolved into the darkness, trying to stay in the lowlands, and constantly listened to distant sounds to avoid running into a patrol.
At some point, the shooting at the terminal subsided. Li Qingyu figured the rebels were finished and the Imperial Guard had started the cleanup. In the next raid, he could check out the terminal; there would surely be something to scavenge there.
As he was thinking, a growing noise was heard from behind. At first, Li Qingyu paid no attention – the sound was quiet, but it gradually became louder and clearer.
He picked up his pace, praying it wasn't for him! But luck turned against him – they were coming for him!
It was a "Chimera." Having dealt with the terminal, it had turned around and was now barreling straight at him, blinding him with its two searchlights.
"Damn it!"
Cursing, Li Qingyu sprinted with all his might. His stamina bar rapidly depleted, the seven rifles on his neck hit his sides, hindering his run. But where could he escape from an armored vehicle with an overload? The roar of the engine approached, he could already smell the exhaust and burning.
His stamina was almost at zero. Behind him, a characteristic mechanical whirring sound was heard – the turret was turning, aiming at the target.
In a panic, he noticed a ditch out of the corner of his eye. Gathering his last strength, he jumped into it, disappearing from the surface. But it was only a delay. Around him was a bare plain, fields, nowhere to run. All he could do was sit in the pit.
The clang of tracks approached. Li Qingyu's life entered countdown mode. He looked with longing at the seven trophy autoguns. Dying wasn't scary – he would respawn, but the Imperial Guard would definitely take the guns, and that was a direct loss.
He was tormented by the question: why the hell did the "Chimera," which was already at the terminal, suddenly turn around and drive back, as if it knew exactly where he was?
"Damn! Auspex! How could I forget!"
He slapped his forehead, cursing his own stupidity.
Auspex in the Warhammer 40k universe is a scanner, a radar analog. It can analyze terrain, atmosphere, and detect enemies. Handheld versions scan for several hundred meters, ship-mounted ones – entire planets. And the "Chimera" has a medium auspex, which can easily scan the battlefield for three to ten kilometers.
Apparently, after clearing the terminal, the driver looked at the screen: "Whoa, what's that red dot lurking near the trenches?" – and floored the pedal.
"Alright, screw it. Next match," Li Qingyu sighed, hearing the armored vehicle stop a few dozen meters away.
He climbed out of the ditch. He had never been killed by a forty-millimeter shell before, it was even interesting to try. Li Qingyu stood up straight. The "Chimera's" headlights hit his eyes, blinding him.
If you're going to die, die with music. Li Qingyu put his hands on his hips and yelled:
"Come on! Shoot here! If I even squeak, I'm not a man!!"
After yelling, he tensed his muscles, preparing to accept death from the autocannon. But time passed, and in response – silence. No shots, no explosions. Only the searchlights blinding him.
Li Qingyu waited a little longer. "Why are they dragging their feet? Do they want to take me prisoner?"
His expression changed. He wasn't afraid of dying, but he feared torture. If they took him for a rebel and dragged him to the dungeons – that would be hell! His expression changed from fear to determination. He had already prepared to shoot himself with a trophy autogun to respawn when suddenly the main headlights went out, only the running lights remained.
Li Qingyu rubbed his eyes, his vision began to return. He peered at the silhouette of the machine. A steel monster, gray-green camouflage, an Imperial Guard emblem on the armor.
Armament: a hull-mounted heavy stubber in the front of the hull, a substantial caliber, about twenty millimeters. And a turret with a 40mm autocannon. Other modifications might have multi-lasers or heavy bolters, but this agromir clearly couldn't afford expensive weaponry, so they settled for an autocannon.
Li Qingyu examined the machine with interest, clicking his tongue. Suddenly, there was a metallic clatter, the turret hatch opened, and an Imperial Guard officer appeared. A familiar face...
A few minutes later, the "Chimera" was rolling towards the Imperial Guard's defensive lines near the Hive. In the troop compartment, two soldiers' bodies lay on the floor. Five people were seated on the benches: three wounded moaned quietly, the other two – Li Qingyu and Lieutenant Rudolf.
Li Qingyu glanced at Rudolf's left hand. Last time he saved this guy, but his hand was mangled. Now, there was a mechanical prosthesis in its place.
His rank had also changed – he was now an Imperial Guard lieutenant, company commander. It was he who led this night raid: one hundred and twenty men and one "Chimera" cleared two rebel strongholds.
Li Qingyu looked at Rudolf, and Rudolf looked at Li Qingyu. Both were silent. Finally, Li Qingyu couldn't stand it:
"Wow, promoted? Congratulations. When are you buying us a drink?"
The lieutenant's eyelid twitched. He gave a pointed look at the seven rifles hanging on Li Qingyu's chest.
"Do you know that theft of military property is punishable by death?"
Li Qingyu snorted: "Then you'll have to shoot half the Underhive."
Silence fell again. Li Qingyu was sure they wouldn't touch him. Lieutenant Rudolf, although an Imperial Guard, was indebted to him. He owed him his life. So he would turn a blind eye.
The Imperial Guard are the Governor's attack dogs; they stay on one planet their whole lives. Essentially – local troops. If it were the Imperial Guard, Li Qingyu would have shot himself by now. The Astra Militarum is the Emperor's Hammer, the true elite. Try to break the law before them – a Commissar will put a bolt through your head faster than you can blink.
Since Rudolf didn't even take his weapons, he must remember the favor.
Li Qingyu took out a cigarette, lit it, and, as if in a taxi, said: "Drop me off twenty kilometers west, I'll get out there."
A few minutes later, the "Chimera" braked not far from the ventilation shaft. Li Qingyu jumped off the armor, brushed the soot off his clothes, and turned to the troop compartment hatch:
"Let me introduce myself again. I am Li Qingyu, the scavenger. I like to find valuables on the battlefield, but I can also offer a service. So, do you have any work for me?"
Lieutenant Rudolf looked him intently in the eyes. Li Qingyu shrugged.
"My comrades died in battles with the rebels," the officer said grimly. "Those territories are now under enemy control, and we can't always bring their bodies home. Cursed be the Planetary Governor, that petty tyrant and greedy rat! He pays pennies to the families of the fallen, and even those are hard to get. Without a death confirmation tag, the relatives won't see a dime. If you scavenge on the battlefields and see the bodies of my soldiers – bring me their tags. I won't forget it."