The shattered clock on the mirror next to the passage pointed directly up to twelve, but it was unclear whether it was noon or midnight.
The clamor receded, and in the gloomy, dark Hive City, only the distant depths, accompanied by bursts of fire, faintly echoed with mad laughter and terrified wails.
Deep within the passage, dense rustling sounds, dancing with the firelight, concealed an unknown number of people.
When the rebels realized that relying solely on low-level cannon fodder made it difficult to eliminate Sith, they finally chose to retreat temporarily, and the battlefield fell into a brief, eerie silence.
At this moment, bonfires burned in the supply station. Apart from the soldiers on duty, everyone else gathered around the fires, reaching out to the flames, enjoying the warm waves washing over them.
At the same time, many helmets were placed on the bonfires, with wafts of fragrant steam rising from them.
The soldiers looked at the helmets with anticipation, while Bruno carried a food container and walked towards the semi-underground office of the supply station.
Pushing open the door, the light illuminated rows of dense bookshelves filled with storage records.
In front was a large table, where Sith was currently sitting, constantly scanning the report Ana had organized.
"My lord, your... uh... food."
Bruno hesitated for a long time, truly unsure whether to call it lunch or dinner.
"starch blocks stewed with protein blocks, with added salt and oil."
He placed the food container in front of Sith. The steaming aroma finally drew Sith's attention away from the warehouse inventory.
Looking up at the pale yellow starch blocks and white protein blocks in the thick soup, Sith, who had been eating cold, hard compressed starch for several days, took the food container.
The scorching heat permeated his palms through the food container.
He first took a sip of the steaming hot soup, and a long-lost warmth flowed through his entire body.
Then, with a fork-spoon, he scooped up the starch and protein in one go, putting them into his mouth and chewing heartily.
It was heavily salted and oily, surprisingly delicious, and when he swallowed it forcefully, a sense of fullness spread through his stomach.
The high-calorie food, rich in oil and salt, was urgently absorbed by his famished body, transforming into strength that spread to Sith's limbs.
"Have the soldiers eaten?"
"They've all eaten. Supplies are plentiful; everyone received five times the normal ration."
Sith nodded, quickly finished the can of food in front of him, and then picked up a second can.
Only after Bruno had run back and forth twice more did he contentedly toss six food containers onto the table.
Ana showed no reaction to Sith's appetite, and Bruno's face was normal. Sith briefly enjoyed the moment of peace after eating his fill, then let out a long breath and picked up the inventory list from the table.
"Besides food, the supply station also has a large amount of equipment. Our people will be fully re-equipped from head to toe."
Bruno took the list, glanced at it, and immediately nodded. Then Sith stood up and, feeling warm all over, walked out of the room.
At this moment, the soldiers in the supply station had already begun to feast. A group of people around the bonfires were busy eating with their heads down, while the helmets on the bonfires continued to be refilled with food and stewed.
Was Sith eating six containers a lot? These veterans outside were all eating no less than Sith!
Seeing Sith emerge, the veterans quickly stood at attention, holding their food containers.
"My Lord!"
Their respect was sincere; not only the 101st Regiment, but even the remnants of the army saluted Sith with heartfelt admiration.
Sith nodded casually in response, his gaze falling on another corner.
A group of civilians squatted there, staring eagerly at the veterans feasting.
"They are civilians captured by the rebels and brought into the supply station,"
Bruno explained. Sith looked at the crowd, who were full of panic and hunger, and pointed directly at the civilians:
"Give them ample rations as well."
Bruno: "???"
He looked at Sith with confusion, and even Ana frowned slightly.
Because in their eyes, giving food to civilians at this time was an enormous waste!
But before Bruno could raise an objection, Sith had already walked towards the defensive wall, and his calm voice came from behind him:
"They are my new recruits now."
Bruno: "...!"
On the defensive wall, Sith gazed out at the world beyond.
The vast land was stained red with blood, and the corpses had been dragged away by the rebels, now emanating a meaty aroma from the distance.
The rebels had retreated, but this concession did not make Sith relax. Instead, he scrutinized the distance intently, his brows furrowing even tighter.
"After retreating, they're setting up a defensive line, and they've brought in quite a bit of heavy firepower."
Bruno followed behind, fulfilling his duties as an adjutant.
Sith's gaze swept around, then suddenly fixed on a tightly protected position.
After a few disbelieving glances, Sith suddenly let out a sarcastic laugh:
"Heavy Bolter?"
Bolters are standard issue for elite forces like the Astartes or Battle Sisters, but a single-person weapon for Astartes, in the hands of Mortals, becomes a heavy weapon, capable of being mounted as a significant firepower output point.
Now that there's no chopping people, Khorne's blessings have long faded. A flesh-and-blood body facing Bolter fire, even if you carry a few more corpses, will only be blasted into minced meat.
Bruno silently cursed a few times under his breath before speaking aloud:
"And with this terrain, we have no cover at all. We can only charge along the passage in a tight formation, and combined with their other surrounding firepower, I'm afraid..."
"I'm afraid a direct charge would be suicide."
Sith finished his sentence directly. Bruno didn't refute, clearly meaning the same thing.
Withdrawing his gaze, Sith once again scanned the entire rebel position.
The rebels had clearly been terrified by Sith's close combat. Now, all their positions were armed with various firearms, just waiting for Sith to lead his men out of the defensive wall, then overwhelm them with a barrage of bullets, not daring to give Sith any chance to get close.
After looking around, and confirming it was impossible to cut their way out in the direction they came from, Sith's gaze helplessly turned behind him.
In the camp, the big man and several other rebels were kneeling, tied up, in a corner.
"What did they say?"
Bruno's face grew even uglier:
"The entire Middle Hive and Lower Hive have fallen. Right around us, the number of rebels is probably in the hundreds of millions."
Even though he was prepared, Sith's eyelids couldn't help but twitch when he heard this.
Although in Hive Worlds where populations can reach tens or even hundreds of billions, it's normal for a single Hive City to house billions of people.
These rebels are also spread throughout the entire Hive City, so it's impossible for all of them to be targeting him.
But the thought of there being more rebels outside than bullets in his gun, even with his body amplified a hundredfold, a sense of powerlessness inevitably emerged.
And the bad news didn't stop there.
In the distant depths, the meaty aroma grew stronger, and the frenzied roars became more chaotic and intense.
Sith's gaze was drawn over. Then, in the direction Sith looked, amidst the clamor, a strange sound gradually began to emanate.
Sith frowned slightly. The surrounding veterans also noticed it, putting down their food and looking over in confusion.
A moment later, what appeared in the passage made Sith pause.
"A tank?"
Bruno was dumbfounded, but Sith took a careful look and slowly shook his head:
"It's a Chimera Armored Personnel Carrier fitted with a Bolter."
Bruno pouted, because in his eyes, for their side, which was entirely flesh and blood, there was no real difference between an APC and a tank.
Bruno's face was grim, while Sith, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief.
"The Middle Hive and Lower Hive have fallen, which means the Upper Hive and the Tower Top are still intact?"
Bruno's eyes widened in confusion as he subconsciously nodded, then a greater bewilderment appeared on his face.
Although the number of rebels would be much smaller further up, and they could contact headquarters via the signal tower at the Tower Top, how could they get there right under the rebels' noses?
Moreover, the Upper Hive hadn't fallen precisely because the gates there were locked shut, completely cutting off all passage.
Relying solely on their personal weapons, it would be impossible to blast open the gates.
Bruno hesitated:
"Yes, but... how do we get there?"
Sith's expression was calm, his gaze fixed solely on that Chimera operated by the renegade PDF.
Even the worst Armored Personnel Carrier, when amplified a hundredfold, can be driven like a mech!!!