blogombal Page 119
Page 119
Asford remained expressionless.
"Sir, today is your day off for the new recruits. This recruit searched for me all day in the royal court, and then found his way here and is waiting here."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Lin Qi blinked in surprise.
There is no such thing as a "rest day" for a recruit in Astartes during the training period. The so-called rest day is actually an adjustment period after surgery when the body is not suitable for heavy training.
"Why aren't you staying in your dorm? What are you doing here looking for me?"
"Sir, I have some questions I'd like to ask you."
problem.
Lin Qi raised an eyebrow slightly, roughly understanding what the other party wanted to ask.
"Just ask."
"That zeroth surgery..."
"Recruit."
Lynch's voice turned serious.
"In Star Claw, we don't have any so-called zeroth operation."
"...But sir, it's real, isn't it? Other people around me have started dreaming too. I asked my friend what he saw in his dream, and he said he couldn't say because he swore an oath."
Caesar's tone gradually became agitated. He looked at Lynch, swallowed hard, and suppressed his nervousness.
“I know they went through the same thing as me… no, maybe a little different, but they must have had that zeroth surgery too, right?”
“Julius Caesar.” Lynch stepped forward, extending his hand to the recruit’s thin shoulder, which was still undergoing surgery. “Some things are better left unsaid. You should have learned some things by now. The sanctity of the Astartes procedure is inviolable. Some things are destined to remain buried in the shadows.”
“We all know about the Zeroth Surgery,” Lynch said. “But we don’t mention it, just like the veterans of the current chapter don’t mention the previous chapter leader. Aren’t you curious about this too? I’ve heard you often discuss it in private.”
"Huh?! No, no, we're not curious about such things."
"Hehe, is it because after I asked last time, I got extra training, and then the instructor revealed a little bit of it to me during the training?"
"...Ah, sir, I understand."
"Good to know." Lynch breathed a sigh of relief. What he was more worried about was that Asford was a stubborn guy. That would make things difficult. "This is a secret that needs to be kept together."
“Yes, it’s a secret.” A wry smile appeared on Caesar’s face. “And I don’t know if I can keep this secret forever.”
“Whether it’s conservative or not isn’t important,” Lynch said softly. “The important thing is that we don’t mention him.”
As usual, the Thorn Road was crowded with pedestrians. Lynch and Asford led Caesar back to the recruits' barracks. Many recruits peeked out, but quickly ducked back in when they saw the warband commander had arrived. Then, even more heads popped out.
"You've attracted attention."
"It's okay, I'm already quite noticeable."
"Oh? I didn't realize, recruit Caesar, that you were such a troublemaker."
"...I am not, but my friend is...an adult, you can understand, right?"
"Of course, the camaraderie among new recruits. It's a beautiful thing. Enjoy it, recruits, because when you finally step onto the battlefield, it will all become a part of your resilient spirit."
Caesar nodded, but just as he was about to leave, Lynch suddenly grabbed him, then reached out and tapped his forehead.
"Feels good, let's go."
Caesar rubbed his forehead, giving Lin Qi a slightly resentful look. Then he walked back to his dormitory.
"That's a very promising recruit, sir."
"What? You've taken a liking to him?"
"I just think he has a lot of talent, and if he is properly trained, he can become a powerful warrior."
Lynch chuckled softly, looked at Asford beside him, and shook his head slightly.
“Ah Fu, it’s a bit of a waste of your talents to have you been doing my bodyguard job all this time.”
"No, I didn't mean that, I just..."
"From now on, I'll be working at Star Claw. You don't need to be my bodyguard anymore; go and train these new recruits. Pass on your skills, how about it, Badab Claw?"
When the nickname he had earned in the past for hunting aliens and heretics was mentioned, Asford's body stiffened, and he seemed to turn into a statue.
"How...how did you know that?"
"Don't ask about that, Badab's Claws. Go and finish the work I gave you. It sounds nice, haha, Badab's Claws..."
Lynch walked away with light steps, while Asford stood there for a while before taking a step to catch up.
It was clear to the naked eye that the new recruits would not have an easy time in the coming period.
And from that moment on, time began to fly by.
Until the recruits' surgeries were basically completed, and the Astartes Chapter and forces that had received the interstellar signal appeared in Badab's orbit for the first time, the major event officially began to take shape from this moment.
Chapter 146 The Lamenter and the Mantis Warrior
The sand lashed against his cheeks, and Caesar felt a surge of heat.
He adjusted his breathing, controlling the time between inhalation and exhalation to within one second. He remained absolutely silent, lying prone on the ground, his eyes fixed on the noisy orcs clamoring on the ground not far away.
The beastmen's actions revealed obvious chaos—as evidenced by the fact that they continued to fight each other even in unfamiliar surroundings.
Caesar observed through the scope. Although he had a bomb pistol, fully loaded, and was confident he could take out dozens of orcs one by one within a minute, he didn't fire. Instead, he kept aiming, as if waiting for something.
Time passed slowly, and the beastmen began to gradually stop fighting. Or rather, the ritual etched into their genes was now entering its final stage.
The two tallest, largest, and strongest orcs were surrounded by the rest of the orcs. The rest of the orcs shouted loudly, and when the two orcs roared at each other and crashed together like a cart, they cheered and picked up stones and sand from the ground, throwing them fiercely at their two fighting companions.
The two orcs fought fiercely, their attacks showing no regard for kinship; each attack was aimed at killing the other.
The battle lasted for three minutes. After three minutes, the slightly smaller orc successfully bit its opponent's neck—it exerted its strength wildly, its sharp teeth piercing the tough skin, blood flowing from the wound, and finally it tilted its head back forcefully, tearing off a large chunk of flesh.
The victors devoured the flesh and blood of the defeated, trampling on their corpses and roaring with excitement.
The onlookers, including the beastmen, cheered and surrounded the victor, their joy almost overflowing.
Alright, you can fire now.
Looking at the scene through the scope, Caesar nodded in satisfaction. His right index finger rested on the trigger, and he slowly began to apply force.
Wait, what is that?
Uh-huh?!
Even faster than the gun was fired, before Caesar could release the explosive shell, a gray figure darted out from behind a nearby sand dune and flew towards the orc horde like lightning.
Caesar's expression changed. He quickly pulled the trigger, and the explosive bullet whizzed through the air, but unfortunately, the orc being targeted seemed to have sensed something, grabbed his companion and used him as a human shield to block the attack.
Hey!
Caesar cursed under his breath. Without hesitation, he broke free from the yellow sand, drew his combat dagger from his waist, and transformed into lightning, charging towards the orc horde.
Unfortunately, when the approaching party is moving at a similar or even faster speed, there is no such thing as catching up from behind.
The chainsaw sword roared, tearing through the orcs' bodies at the command of its wielder. Limbs and blood flew through the air. The orcs initially tried to fight back, but their morale quickly collapsed, and they began to flee.
However, they had only just turned around when they encountered an enraged Caesar charging towards them.
Combat daggers slit open the orcs' throats. Unlike the other battlefield, the fighting here wasn't as bloody, but it was precise and efficient, and the speed was no slower than on the other side.
Soon, only one orc remained on the battlefield—the one that had just won the orc infighting. It looked so panicked, unable to advance or retreat, and could only let out desperate roars.
"Come here!"
Caesar shouted in Low Gothic, interspersed with some of the beautiful local dialect of Badab.
The other figure didn't speak, but suddenly drew a dagger from his waist, and then threw it with force.
Whoosh!
The dagger pierced the air, striking the orc's neck squarely. Blood began to flow, and the orc, clutching his neck, collapsed helplessly to his knees.
Caesar stopped in his tracks, knowing that even if he attacked now, he wouldn't get any points from the orc leader.
"Lancelot." Caesar gritted his teeth, watching the figure decapitate the orc with his chainsword. "Did you really have to try and take it from me?"
“Yes,” Lancelot said calmly. “We lost the team competition, so I have no choice but to try and make up for it in the individual competition.”
"Heh." Caesar chuckled coldly. "In the last competition, the target was that power sword. The first, second, and third squads were responsible for guarding it, the fourth and fifth squads were responsible for seizing it, and the sixth squad's goal was to defeat everyone before either side completed their mission..."
"I don't need you to explain how the last mission went."
“I know I’m helping you remember,” Caesar said bluntly. “Your Excellency Lancelot, how much time did you and your squad waste trying to defeat me?”
Lancelot bared his teeth and squinted at Caesar.
"Hehe... Last time, you were lying in the infirmary for half a month."
"Yes, your combat talent is indeed excellent, even ridiculously so. Senior Asford's disciple is truly exceptional."
Caesar nodded.
"Even if you steal my orcs, don't forget that I've already hunted many before. No matter what, your score will still not be as high as mine."
At this point, Caesar sighed slightly and shook his head.
“That’s the difference between us, Lancelot. You only ever think about winning, about winning against someone, maybe me, maybe Asford. But I’m different.”
Caesar drew his fighting dagger and assumed a fighting stance.
"All I think about is victory."
Lancelot activated the chainsaw sword.
"If I beat you and get the points, the individual championship will still be mine."
-------
"It's happening again..."
Looking at the scene on the screen, Asford couldn't help but facepalm.
"Why does he have a grudge against Caesar? I clearly remember that they had a good relationship. How come they always turn into this during the competition, like they're enemies?"
“Because of the desire to win.” Leo looked at everything in front of him, arms crossed. “They were trained by you together, but in terms of overall score, Caesar always had an edge over Lancelot, which constantly fueled the latter’s competitive spirit, making him want to prove himself better.”