He decided to head straight for extraction. Climbing out of the trench, Li Qingyu ran toward the hive. Get back, hand over the guns—and the job was done.
From the direction of the grain terminal, the rumble still carried—there was a fierce battle going on. The rebels had almost no heavy weapons; against a Chimera IFV they didn't stand a chance. They were getting it rough out there.
Li Qingyu melted into the darkness, keeping to low ground and constantly listening to distant sounds so he wouldn't stumble into a patrol.
At some point, the shooting at the terminal died down. Li Qingyu figured the rebels were finished and the PDF had begun clearing the area. On the next raid, he could check the terminal—there would definitely be something to profit from.
As he was thinking, a growing noise sounded behind him. At first Li Qingyu didn't pay attention—the sound was faint—but it gradually became louder and clearer.
He picked up speed, praying it wasn't for him. But luck turned its back—it was coming for him!
It was a Chimera. After dealing with the terminal, it had turned around and was now barreling straight at him, blinding him with two headlamp searchlights.
"Bitch!"
Cursing, Li Qingyu sprinted with everything he had. His stamina bar melted fast, and seven rifles on his chest battered his sides, making it hard to run. But how do you outrun armored vehicles while overloaded? The engine's roar closed in; he could already smell exhaust and burning.
His stamina was almost empty. Behind him came the distinctive mechanical whine—the turret was rotating, acquiring its target.
In panic, he spotted a ditch out of the corner of his eye. Gathering his last strength, he jumped into it, vanishing from the surface. But it was only a delay. All around was bare flatland, fields—nowhere to run. All that remained was to sit in the trench of earth.
The clank of tracks drew closer. Li Qingyu's life slipped into countdown mode. He looked at the seven trophy autoguns with bitter longing. Dying wasn't scary—he'd respawn—but the PDF would definitely take the guns, and that was a direct loss.
One question tormented him: why had the Chimera, already at the terminal, suddenly turned around and come back as if it knew exactly where he was?
"Damn it! Auspex! How could I forget!"
He slapped his forehead, cursing his own stupidity.
An auspex in the Warhammer 40,000 universe is a scanner—an analog of radar. It can analyze terrain and atmosphere and detect enemies. Handheld versions scan a few hundred meters; shipboard versions can scan entire planets. And a Chimera carries a mid-grade auspex—it can easily sweep a battlefield for three to ten kilometers.
Apparently, after clearing the terminal, the driver looked at the display: "Oh? What's that red dot hanging around by the trenches?"—and floored it.
"Fine. Screw it. Next match," Li Qingyu sighed, hearing the armored vehicle stop a few dozen meters away.
He climbed out of the ditch. He'd never been killed by a forty-millimeter shell before; it was almost interesting to try. Li Qingyu stood up straight. The Chimera's lights slammed into his eyes, blinding him.
If you're going to die, die with music. Li Qingyu planted his hands on his hips and roared:
"Come on! Shoot right here! If I so much as squeak, I'm not a man!!"
After yelling, he tensed his muscles, ready to take death from the autocannon. But time passed, and the answer was silence. No shots, no explosions. Only the searchlights glare.
Li Qingyu waited a bit longer. "What are they waiting for? Want to take me alive?"
His expression changed. He wasn't afraid of death—but he feared torture. If they mistook him for a rebel and dragged him into the cells, that would be hell. Fear hardened into resolve. He was already ready to shoot himself with a trophy autogun to force a respawn, when the main headlights went out, leaving only the running lights.
Li Qingyu rubbed his eyes; his vision began to return. He peered at the vehicle's silhouette. A steel monster—gray-green camouflage, the PDF insignia on the armor.
Armament: a hull-mounted heavy stubber in the glacis, a hefty caliber—around twenty millimeters. And a turret with a 40 mm autocannon. Other variants might mount multilasers or heavy bolters, but this agri-world clearly couldn't afford expensive weapons; they'd made do with an autocannon.
Li Qingyu studied the vehicle with interest, clicking his tongue. Then a metallic clang rang out, the turret hatch flipped open, and a PDF officer appeared. A familiar face...
A few minutes later, the Chimera was already rolling toward the PDF defensive lines near the hive. In the troop bay, two soldiers' bodies lay on the floor. Five sat on the benches: three wounded groaned softly, and the other two were Li Qingyu and Lieutenant Rudolf.
Li Qingyu glanced at Rudolf's left hand. Last time he'd saved this man, but the hand had been mangled. Now a mechanical prosthetic stood in its place.
The rank had changed too—now he was a PDF lieutenant, a company commander. He'd led the night raid: one hundred twenty troopers and a single Chimera cleared two rebel strongpoints.
Li Qingyu looked Rudolf over; Rudolf looked Li Qingyu over. Both kept silent. Finally, Li Qingyu couldn't take it anymore.
"Wow, you got promoted? Congratulations. When are you buying drinks?"
The lieutenant's eyelid twitched. He stared pointedly at the seven rifles hanging on Li Qingyu's chest.
"You do realize stealing military property is punishable by death?"
Li Qingyu snorted.
"Then you'll have to shoot half the Underhive."
Silence hung again. Li Qingyu was sure he wouldn't be touched. Lieutenant Rudolf was a PDF man, but he was in debt. He owed him his life. So he'd look the other way.
The PDF were the Governor's chained dogs; they spent their whole lives on one world. Essentially local forces. If this were the Imperial Guard, Li Qingyu would've shot himself already. The Astra Militarum was the Hammer of the Emperor, the real elite. Try breaking the law in front of them—and a Commissar would put a bolt round through your head before you could blink.
Since Rudolf hadn't even taken the weapons, he clearly remembered the favor.
Li Qingyu pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and tossed out, as if speaking to a cab driver:
"Give me a lift twenty klicks west. I'll get out there."
A few minutes later, the Chimera braked near the ventilation shaft. Li Qingyu jumped down from the hull, brushed soot off his clothes, and turned toward the troop hatch:
"I'll introduce myself again. I'm Li Qingyu the scavenger. I like finding valuables on the battlefield—but I can do favors too. So, got any work for me?"
Lieutenant Rudolf stared him in the eyes. Li Qingyu shrugged.
"My comrades died fighting the rebels," the officer said grimly. "Those areas are under enemy control now, and we can't always bring their bodies home. Curse the Planetary Governor—that petty tyrant and greedy rat! He pays pennies to the families of the dead, and even those are hard to obtain. Without a set of identification tags confirming death, the relatives won't see a single coin. If you're scavenging battlefields and you spot my troopers' bodies—bring me their tags. The debt won't go unpaid."