Bang!
The Thunderhawk Gunship roared again.
The Blood Angels gunner was surprised, but only for a moment, before continuing to search for replacement parts.
Bang!
In a very short time, another tremor of a cannon firing resounded.
Now the Blood Angels gunner was stunned.
Having operated the Thunderhawk Gunship for so long, how could he not know that it had a burst fire mode?
Normally, it wouldn't fire the next round so quickly.
In fact, Horatio was also bewildered; he just watched the Thunderhawk Gunship fire continuously, as if it were on drugs.
All he could do was try his best to aim the cannon at the disgusting void monster and blast its ugly face with shells.
Under the bombardment of this giant cannon, capable of shattering light Titans, the void leech's flight path began to waver.
The Fury Interceptor squadron fired its missiles and a volley of Laser Cannons, pulling up to prepare for another attack.
The Thunderhawk Gunship continued to fire at an astonishing rate.
Under the excellent maneuvering of the Astartes pilot, the gunship passed the wildly swaying void leech.
At the moment of crossing, Horatio aimed the Thunderhawk Gunship at its lower jaw and gills and fired a shot.
This kilometers-long void monster let out a shriek, then thrashed in the void like a dead fish.
The fury fighters then concentrated their Laser Cannon fire for a while, only stopping after confirming it was completely dead.
The Thunderhawk Gunship's barrel was glowing red, teetering on the brink of exploding.
Horatio breathed a sigh of relief and stepped down from the gun mount.
"How did you do that?" the Blood Angels gunner asked.
"Perhaps the Emperor's blessing," Horatio covered up.
The Blood Angels were half-convinced.
"Brother, today is Father's Day; he is looking after us," Roman Roland said, covering for Horatio.
The Blood Angels gunner had replaced the focusing copper wire and activated the liquid nitrogen cooling for the Thunderhawk Gunship to assist in cooling down.
Horatio sat back down next to Farida.
He leaned back in the red velvet seat, gasping for breath.
Suddenly, he entered the Dark Vision.
Within the intricate talent skill tree, another branch, named 'Legacy of the Void,' branched out.
[What is this again...] He wearily raised his head and looked at the first subtly flickering skill on this branch.
'Void Creature Bestiary Unlocked: Void Leech 'Okt''
'Okt, rumored to be an extremely large segmented or leech-like creature, wandering in the void. However, the existence of such a creature remains questionable.
Legend has it that Okt is so large it can coil around void vessels and crush them with its massive body. On Naboo, people worship these creatures as star gods; locals, dressed in rough linen, drunkenly sing hymns to Okt while floating down rivers on the eve of the winter solstice. However, xenologist Janus Draik claims that this void creature is entirely fictitious.'
[Oh, you even have stamp collecting and popular science functions?]
Horatio snorted, complaining in his heart.
When the Soulfire of this void monster was absorbed by the bionic arm, it condensed into a dark trickle, flowing into the 'Legacy of the Void' branch.
'Unlocked: Void Storage (Basic)'
'Drawing on Okt's stomach ability, it allows the bionic arm holder to store items within the plane force field. The storage limit for Basic Void Storage is 1.'
Horatio looked at this line of text, understanding every word, yet not fully grasping the meaning.
He decided to test it himself.
Horatio looked at the items at hand and decided to place his iron hand on his Navy Blast Pistol, 'Lucullus.'
'Activate: Void Storage'
The moment the skill activated, the pistol seemed to be digested, turning into a puddle of metallic liquid, instantly absorbed by the iron hand.
When he wanted to hold the pistol again, the liquid instantly reshaped the pistol into his hand the moment the thought crossed his mind.
[So, by killing void sea monsters, I can absorb their Soulfire and draw upon their special abilities...]
Horatio realized this, as well as where this ability might come in handy next.
According to Commodore Peru's description, that large leather bag of documents was quite heavy.
He didn't want to repeat the mistake of the storage plate falling to the ground and being half-crushed when he and Farida escaped from the Slaanesh cult hideout.
He frowned slightly, thinking of Captain Peru's hunting adventure on Colonia.
He had a bold idea for his future void life.
That was void hunting.
Just like captains in the age of sail would often lower small boats and hunt sharks, orcas, and sperm whales with harpoons—a risky but highly profitable endeavor.
"Thirty minutes until contact with Sacred Will."
The Blood Angels pilot reported over the gunship's intercom.
He glanced at Farida; the blonde girl was very worried now.
Her brows were tightly furrowed, pressing into her forehead.
"It'll be alright. We've already sent so many people; the mutineers won't succeed," he comforted her.
"The prophecy..."
"What?"
"The prophecy is true, my curse will kill everyone and bring shame to the entire family..." she murmured weakly and distractedly, the fear of that cursed prophecy consuming her heart.
"Things aren't beyond recovery, Farida. Look on the bright side, the enemy won't prevail."
Although he comforted her verbally, the situation was indeed not optimistic.
Just now, he saw from a Precognition Shard that the General's Guard's defenses on the command bridge level had been breached by the rebellious Voidsmen-at-Arms.
Even the officers on the command bridge, with their officer guards, had taken up arms.
The General's Guard urgently tightened their defenses, preventing the mutineers from breaking through to the upper Captain's Bridge.
It was like a tower defense game; once Vice Admiral Hood, the 'crystal,' was killed,
Then everything would be over, everything would be irreversible.
"All boats, full throttle! We must reach the battlecruiser Sacred Will as quickly as possible!"
Horatio, who had been granted the authority of an Acting Lieutenant, decisively issued orders to the surrounding Shark Assault Boats using the Thunderhawk Gunship's communication equipment.
It is worth noting that 'commissioned officer authority' in the Imperial Navy refers to:
Except for lacking the authority to actively command (excluding taking over command) a warship capable of Warp jumps,
When no more senior commissioned officer is present, that officer or an Acting Lieutenant granted such authority has the right to directly command any Imperial Navy unit to unconditionally execute any order he issues that benefits the overall interests of the Imperial Navy.
Regardless of whether there are ten thousand, a hundred thousand, or a million people present,
As long as there is no more senior commissioned Naval Lieutenant present, the orders he issues to the crew are the sacred edicts representing the Imperial Navy.
But great power also means they bear ultimate responsibility for every order they issue.
Common penalties include dismissal, imprisonment, execution by firing squad, and even being sent on a fireship for a penitent charge.
[It's a one-way ticket anyway. As long as we can get through, I don't care if the engine is ruined.] This was his thought when making the decision.
All assault boat pilots followed Horatio's orders and engaged full throttle.
The entire hull vibrated violently, and the Navy Breachers and Voidsmen-at-Arms on board vomited all over their helmets.
The arrival time was further shortened; the Imperial Navy had to race against the conspiracy every second.
The precious battlecruiser, Sacred Will, must not fall into the hands of the mutineers, otherwise, at the end of the 41st millennium, the Gothic fleet, already lacking battlecruisers, would have no foothold.
The Imperial Star Realm Navy Department would not remember a fleet whose battlecruisers were stolen by mutineers.
This mutiny, which seemed inexplicable to everyone, must not succeed!
Due to platform requirements to avoid suspicion, the term 'Commissar' throughout this book has been changed to Military Prison. When 'Military Prison' is written later, it refers to Commissar. The full name is Military Inspector.