As Chris and the PDF Squad engaged in a brief exchange, over a dozen more garbage trucks were obliterated by mortar fire. Simultaneously, more Ork Boyz surged into the trenches.
"Engage the enemy!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Chris joined the PDF Soldiers beside him. They plunged into fierce combat against the Boyz who had charged into their defensive lines.
"Hold on, reinforcements are coming from the rear!"
"Reinforcements?" Chris questioned, his focus rifle blasting most of the flesh from an Ork. Having disembarked from the Ishimura only half a month prior, he wasn't fully briefed on specific combat deployments.
"It's that giant war machine," the Squad Leader replied, glancing towards the rear of their position. The magnificent Purifier Colossus was already lumbering forward on its four colossal legs. The Ork-bombed anti-air defenses had been fully restored, finally freeing the Purifier Colossus from its defensive duties, allowing it to unleash its fury upon the advancing greenskins.
Advancing alongside the Colossus were numerous armored vehicles equipped with flamethrowers and mechanized infantry regiments. On its flanks and at the very front, heavily armored Tyrants and Stalkers followed.
"Spore Eradication Unit"—this was the designation Alexia had given this massive force. Their primary objective wasn't to directly combat the surging orkish tide, but to systematically clear out the persistent Ork spores already drifting towards the rear of their position. This critical mission aimed to prevent the entire area from transforming into a fungal breeding ground for Orks.
"It's simply a machine of the gods," a PDF soldier whispered in awe beside Chris. Only at such close proximity could one truly appreciate the Purifier Colossus's sheer grandeur. In terms of height, it was no less imposing than the famed Warlord-class Titans, though it was slightly less massive overall.
"Fizz—"
One of the Purifier Colossus's enormous thermal ray cannons rotated its barrel, unleashing a terrifying beam of heat directly in front of the trench occupied by Chris and his squad. With a single sweep, the armor of several Killa Kans and a dozen garbage trucks melted, exploding with a roar. The greenskins inside were instantly vaporized, unable to release even a single fungal spore.
At that moment, a command echoed through Chris's tactical headset from a mid-level officer: "Chris Redfield, immediately join the Spore Eradication Operation." Not only him but the PDF Soldiers beside Chris and even defenders in a large nearby sector received the same directive.
"Let's go, our defensive position will be filled by more reinforcements." Chris followed the PDF Soldiers through an adjacent tunnel, quickly reaching the foot of the Purifier Colossus. Gazing at the multitude of Tyrants, Stalkers, and Hunters surrounding him, Chris felt a wave of conflicting emotions. These BOWs (Bio-Organic Weapons) were once entities he was determined to eradicate, yet now they formed the backbone of humanity's defense. A single Tyrant on the battlefield could exert a force equivalent to a dozen fully armed soldiers. A Stalker, whether wielding heavy weapons in its normal state or transforming into its beastial form, inflicted significant damage upon the orks.
However, Chris ultimately shed his past animosity towards BOWs. During his half-year aboard the ship, he had learned about his former captain, Wesker's, mass-produced Tyrant project. He knew that Tyrants no longer required the brutal mass production methods involving the slaughter of adolescents and the extraction of compounds.
"What are you spacing out for? Keep up." The PDF Squad Leader, Finn, seeing Chris in a daze, directly pulled him forward.
"Nothing, just some thoughts." Chris shook his head, quickly clearing his mind, reminding himself that this was a battlefield engulfed in war, where a moment's carelessness could cost him his life.
"Haha, you're stunned too, aren't you? Look at these armored behemoths and Tyrants. I heard the latter can punch a orks to smithereens. This operation will definitely be successful," the Squad Leader laughed heartily, his words carrying an optimistic, if slightly ominous, tone.
After a brief reorganization, the massive Spore Eradication Unit charged out of the position. This operation had two primary objectives. The first was to clear as many Ork spores as possible that had dispersed beyond the defensive line. Even spores that had already fallen into the soil and taken root would be dug up and incinerated.
The second, and most crucial, objective was a cacophonous Ork junk city, constructed from an Ork megalith, located four hundred kilometers from the Central Hive City. This was a bold gamble by Alexia; if the Spore Eradication Unit could destroy the Ork junk city in a single decisive strike, the Orks' rate of deploying troops to the surface of Avarax would be significantly hampered, and the defensive pressure on the Central Hive City would be greatly alleviated.
"The artillery units in the rear will provide us with cover," Finn, the PDF Squad Leader accompanying Chris, stated. Chris was now moving with this squad; after all, it was all about fighting Orks no matter where he was.
"The Emperor protect us, I hope we can eliminate more greenskins this time," the squad's sniper, the PDF soldier who had previously saved Chris's life, mumbled over the squad channel.
Just as the squad members advanced with the main force beyond the position, dozens of kilometers behind them, the artillery units, having successfully dealt with the annoying Kommandos, resumed their devastating barrage.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Instantly, the previously surging Ork tide suffered heavy casualties. Even several towering Killa Kans and Morkanauts were temporarily halted from their rumbling advance by the fierce bombardment. The Purifier AI, integrated into the Purifier Colossus, immediately locked onto these vehicles that had previously been pouring fire onto it. After a brief charge, two thermal ray cannons fired twin thermal beams, destroying two Killa Kans in a single strike.
Witnessing the destruction of the Orks' massive armored units, the morale of the Spore Eradication Unit immediately soared. The Tyrants on the unit's outermost perimeter also initiated brutal close-quarters combat with the charging Ork Boyz and Warbosses.
"Chris, come on, we need to reinforce the left flank." Squad Leader Finn received a new order and led Chris and the other nine members of the team towards the left flank. "Command says there are a large number of Ork Tankbustas and Killa Kans there, and we need to provide support."
The Spore Eradication Unit was immense, comprising nearly four hundred thousand PDF Soldiers alone. The numbers of Tyrants and Stalkers each exceeded a thousand, supplemented by many infantry fighting vehicles, anti-aircraft vehicles, and main battle tanks. It was clear that for this direct assault on the Ork junk city, Alexia and the command staff had deployed as much of their available forces as possible.