The boarding torpedoes were as fast as manned space rockets, and the surging promethium power made Horatio experience what it was like to have his 'body rush forward while his soul lagged behind.'
"Contacting, estimated impact in 30 seconds."
Horatio didn't know if the torpedo operator was a bold Sailor or a Servitor without self-awareness.
He could clearly feel the torpedo turning, his stomach churning, but he didn't want to vomit inside his completely sealed Aom Shield Helmet.
"Penetration Shield deploying."
This was the shield shell at the front of the boarding torpedo, used to block various debris and intercepting ammunition. Behind it was the tandem thermite charge responsible for penetrating the armored hull.
"Prepare for impact!!! Countdown 5 seconds!"
"5"
Horatio gripped the anti-shock handles in front of his shoulders. His Hellgun was locked onto the gun mount on his left arm.
"+Bite down on your mouthguard+" Louise reminded him.
Horatio immediately complied.
"3"
"God Emperor bless us," he closed his eyes and murmured.
"1"
Bang! A terrifying explosion instantly reverberated throughout the troop compartment, as fierce and powerful as its penetration of the ship's hull.
Horatio felt an incredibly powerful force rush from the opposite direction, suddenly pulling his body, which had been drawn to the right by inertia, sharply to the left.
The Aom Shield Helmet activated emergency noise reduction, but that initial blast deafened and dizzied everyone.
The boarding torpedo was like a knife plunging into a cream cake, continuously piercing the ship's hull.
This unpleasant process left an unforgettable impression on Horatio, his teeth chattering incessantly from beginning to end.
He understood why Louise told him to bite down on his mouthguard; otherwise, after a few such impacts, he would need a whole set of steel teeth.
The agonizing and uncomfortable violent tremor ceased. Horatio exhaled a breath, and the restraints on his shoulders suddenly lifted in unison, giving him a sense of relief.
The gun mount unlocked, and Horatio swiftly drew his Hellgun.
Even with the largest capacity battery backpack, Horatio adjusted his Hellgun to its most fuel-efficient mode.
Walkers, whether on the tabletop or in games, were quite low-level meat shields, winning by sheer numbers and brute force.
So he had to ensure his Hellgun could constantly pour out firepower; once he stopped firing, he would be overwhelmed by the tide of corpses.
The torpedo's penetration angle was extremely tricky, almost a 45-degree bevel, but thankfully, his magnetic boots helped him maintain his footing at this angle.
"+Move! Don't scatter!+" Louise shouted over the comms channel.
Inside a fully sealed helmet, shouts wouldn't carry outside, so there was no worry of attracting Walkers.
She took the lead, with Horatio following closely, sliding down quickly using his boots.
The cover at the front of the torpedo opened, its outermost layer already battered beyond recognition. The surging tandem thermite had scorched the deck into a mess, incinerating everything in front of the Hellspawns into black ashes.
Horatio slid onto the deck, a faint, thin layer of green mist drifting around him. Through his bionic limb, he could vaguely sense a subtle psychic environment.
"+This is toxic mist pouring from the vents after the life support was contaminated, reportedly originating from Barbarus+" Rear Admiral Edward's voice connected to the comms channel, making Horatio feel a sense of familiarity.
Now, the entire Gothic Fleet Navy Department's high command could see the situation inside through the recording devices on the Childer of Loyalty's armor.
Lydos unhappily pulled the trigger of his promethium flamer, and the nearby toxic mist was quickly incinerated by the flames.
"+Lydos, conserve fuel+" Louise reminded him, activating her auspex.
After the toxic mist dissipated, some figures swayed into view from the corridor.
The Aum Shield quickly and precisely identified them: a group of crew members infected by the ship plague and turned into Walkers.
They shrieked, holding various 'weapons' in their hands, their skin torn and bloody, with signs of biting and gnawing.
This was Horatio's first time seeing Walkers up close. He frowned, looking at their exposed arms, wondering if they could even lift the weapons in their hands.
Horatio instantly raised his Hellgun, and a series of sharp, short bursts turned the line of Walkers into charred corpses.
He found that killing these Walkers, who had no vital signs and were entirely driven by Nurgle's power, brought him no increase in Soulfire.
"+Begin splitting into groups, proceed to your respective search points+"
They split into two groups of two, heading towards the Battle Sisters's last signal location.
The surroundings were hazy, with cooling mist and plague mist mixed together. The purification respirators automatically ran at full power; filter elements that usually lasted a week could only last 12 hours in this environment.
The damp deck was mixed with a lot of bloodstains, and disgusting fluid-filled blisters had already started to grow on them. There were laser scorch marks on the bulkheads, indicating fierce combat, but the bodies were gone, presumably reanimated.
Horatio knew that Nurgle's plague contaminating the life support was the first step in animating the entire warship, starting with slimy bacterial mats, then disgusting tentacles and sickly yellow eyes.
His route was the main thoroughfare to the life support, where the electrical system was damaged, causing the wall lights to flicker constantly, creating a terrifying atmosphere.
His eyes were constantly on the auspex, and dense red dots began to appear around him.
"+Be careful, they seem to be guarding the life support+" Horatio warned.
Louise suddenly raised her hand and clenched her fist. Everyone stopped, pointing their muzzles at the various branching hatches.
Horatio's gun barrel pointed forward, the display constantly showing red risk warnings, and the red dots on the auspex surged in like a tide.
"+Prepare+"
"Open! Uh ha! Fire!" A loud shout came from around the corner, and the flashlight beam on a gun illuminated a swaying figure.
An infected Navy Lieutenant, half his face gnawed away, yet he was still roaring, clutching a saber, and charging towards the Hellspawns.
"+Free fire+"
Horatio threw a high-explosive grenade forward, landing squarely in the middle of the horde of corpses.
Pfft—
Mucus-like blood splattered everywhere like snot.
The Hellgun roared. Most of the Walkers here were Sailors, and some were still wearing their combat armor, which weakened the Hellgun's penetration, allowing one shot to only pierce through one infected crewman behind.
But the full-auto, penetrating, surging firepower was still like a scythe sweeping through a wheat field, rapidly mowing down rows of Walkers.
Clang—
A crashing sound came from the adjacent compartment. The previously sealed hatch inexplicably lit up green, and a tide of corpses surged out from the very center of the group.
"+Fall back!+" Louise shouted, immediately turning and sweeping fire as the door opened.
"Ugh ah!!" Terrifying roars came from extremely close range. The already narrow corridor and the tide of corpses from all directions did not allow them much room for maneuver.
To prevent the squad from being cut off by the Walkers, Louise resolutely used her body and armor to block their surging path.
[God Emperor, I once again faced these ugly, filthy creations of evil energy.]
Louise looked into the ugly, pustule-covered, horned faces at extremely close range, remembering things she wished not to recall.
The Walkers behind pushed forward, using the bodies of the infected killed by Louise as a shield, like an unstoppable torrent, and she was already backed against the wall.
"Get out!" Louise cursed, using her gun body to push and smash the surging Walkers, splattering their bodily fluids.
The Walkers pushed through the gunfire, grabbed her Hellgun barrel, and pushed the muzzle towards the overhead hatch.
'+Activate: Power Fist+'
'+Energy: 6/7+'
'+Psionic: 7/7+'
'+Corruption: 0/7+'
'+Soulfire: 34/40+'
Boarding the plague ship on June 1st, it must be Father's reward (sarcasm).