Segmentum Obscurus, Cadia Sector... a nearby star system, the frontier world of Argon.
The morning light slanted through the dense tree canopies, creating a peaceful scene, with birdsong faintly echoing across the vast land.
A thin layer of snow still covered the ground after the first snowfall, the meltwater seeping into the soil, making it damp, cold, and muddy.
On the ground, countless bodies of Imperial Soldiers and Chaos Traitor Army lay quietly, with machine gun bullets occasionally flying from a distance, striking the ground and the corpses, kicking up dirt, blood, and body fragments.
However, the silence of this forest was soon shattered by the sudden roar of artillery shells. Dirt exploded, trees collapsed, and peace was instantly torn apart.
One shell directly blew an Imperial Soldier into a trench, where a heavy bolter machine gun in the firing port was continuously firing outwards. The machine gunner and assistant gunner paid no attention to the shells landing nearby.
"Attack!"
"Quick! Hurry! Charge out!"
Inside the trench, countless voices roared, and figures carrying weapons moved ceaselessly. A new recruit at this moment huddled in his dugout, tightly clutching the "Agrippina MK-1 automatic rifle" he had been issued.
Each explosion of a shell made the new recruit's body tremble, and then a large hand reached in, pulling him out of his last "sanctuary."
"Heinz! Charge!"
The Sergeant dragged the Soldier to the edge of the trench, joining the next wave of the charge, while his friend was smoking.
The Sergeant picked up the whistle hanging on his chest and began to blow it: "Attack! Charge out for me!"
His friend threw his half-smoked cigarette to the ground, picked up his rifle, and turned to climb out of the trench. But as soon as he poked his head out, a bolter round hit him squarely in the face, instantly blowing his head open and sending him tumbling down the ladder… "Hans?"
The new recruit immediately knelt on the ground, looking at his friend. At that moment, the Sergeant rushed over, yanked him up from the ground, and pushed him onto the ladder:
"He's dead! Charge! Charge! For His Majesty The Emperor!"
The Soldier climbed the ladder and, along with countless other Soldiers, charged forward. Bullets and shells flew incessantly, and as he pushed further, his comrades grew fewer… He lay behind a fallen tree, clutching his helmet, as countless Soldiers ran past him.
"Heinz!"
He turned his head and saw his comrade entangled by barbed wire around his calf. His comrade reached out to him, seeking his help. He crawled over, extended his hand, wanting to pull the other person out of the barbed wire… "Heinz! Help me! I still have a brother and sister in the enemy's lair. If I die…"
Before he could finish, a Las-fire struck his comrade's cheek, and he watched as a large hole was burned into his comrade's face. He immediately released his hand, crawled back to the tree stump, picked up his automatic rifle, and began firing outwards.
His movements were highly irregular, even his muzzle was raised. The one-week training for a "conscripted Soldier" made him hold down the trigger without letting go… Soon, his ammunition ran out. He pulled out his entrenching tool from his waist and immediately charged out… He even forgot that he still had three full spare magazines on him… At this moment, the Imperial Army and the Chaos Traitor Army engaged in close-quarters combat, bayonet against bayonet, fist against fist, grappling amidst the flying artillery fire and bullets in the center of the battlefield.
He charged forward, raising his entrenching tool high, and swung it at a Chaos traitor who was bayoneting his comrade in the stomach… "Ah ah ah ah ah ah! For His Majesty The Emperor!!!"
...Countless bodies piled up in the muddy earth. Soldiers in the rear, wearing rubber gloves and gas masks, stripped the uniforms, boots, and armor from the corpses and stacked them aside.
In a large pit, countless bodies were thrown. Medical Sisters from the Adepta Sororitas stood by the corpse pit, sprinkling "84 disinfectant" developed by the friend of the emperor and lime powder to prevent plagues.
These uniforms were collectively packed and transported by cargo ships to rear planets, delivered to the textile factories on those planets. Female workers and Servitors poured these uniforms into large washing pools for uniform cleaning, and blood and dirt dyed the white water in the washing pools black and red.
After the clothes were collectively dried, countless female workers at the weaving looms re-sewed each uniform, mending the holes caused by injuries on the clothes… Garden World, Memel.
A truck transporting uniforms slowly drove into town, and today was the first day of school in this small town on this Garden World… The classrooms were empty, with only scattered benches and clean, bright corridors… "You are about to embark on a new stage of your lives. Remember this moment! This is a very important time! Others' evaluation of you in the future will depend on your courage and actions today!"
In the school hall, students stood in the lobby and on the stairs, listening to the principal's speech… "Iron-willed Imperial youths! My students! We are fortunate to be born in this great era. Your actions will become the source of life, nourishing the strong and noble roots of the Imperium!
His Majesty The Emperor needs Soldiers! Not children. I believe I will soon see most of you return. You will return with glory, your swords sheathed, and you will proudly wear the medals bestowed by the Primarchs and Princes… But make no mistake! In the darkest hour, as you await the attack, you may have doubts… But now is not the time for faint hearts and weak actions! Any hesitation or wavering is a betrayal of His Majesty The Emperor!
Just as Prince Li Feng said: 'Modern warfare is a game of chess; the key is never the individual, the most important thing is always the whole.'
You will prove yourselves worthy of this uniform. Wait until Prince Li Feng leads you through the Eye of Terror, and after that… you will be able to break through the Eye of Terror!"
"Yeah!!!!" The students were ecstatic, imagining themselves fighting alongside the angels of His Majesty The Emperor, battling with the heroes of the Astra Militarum, and falling in love with the beautiful Medical Sisters… At this moment, the principal stretched out his hand, pointing to all the students:
"scriptures of the word says: 'Our future! The future of the Imperium! Is in the hands of the greatest generation!'… My friends! That is you! For His Majesty The Emperor! For the Imperium! For humanity!"
The students threw their books into the sky, shouting: "Yeah!!!!"
...School gymnasium,
The students lined up neatly to receive their clothes. At this moment, a student received a uniform from a local military officer… "Sir, this uniform… has someone else's name on it."
"Heinz Fritz"
The military officer took the uniform, looked at the name tag on it, and then reached out and removed it… "It must have been too small for the previous wearer; this kind of thing happens often."
At this moment, the Soldier held the uniform and walked out of the gymnasium, chatting and laughing with his friends… The military officer helplessly watched their retreating figures, then threw the name tag on the ground… And on the ground, at the military officer's feet, more than a dozen name tags, full of names, had already been discarded.
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