Inside the ships, the four Ultramar Auxilia Regiments consisted of exactly twenty thousand soldiers each, while the Cadian Shock Troops comprised one Cadian Armored Regiment, one Cadian Infantry Regiment, and one Cadian Artillery Regiment, numbering fifteen thousand, ten thousand, and six thousand respectively. Combined with the First Mechanized Infantry Regiment's fifty-thousand-plus personnel, the total force amounted to roughly one hundred and sixty thousand troops.

The operational objective for these one hundred and sixty thousand individuals was straightforward: Rescue.

During the previous assault operation against the Ork Scrap City, spearheaded by a Titan Battlegroup and Knight Houses, the Knight Houses' recklessness, disregarding the Imperial Fists' counsel, forced the other units to advance deeper to provide cover, subsequently becoming encircled.

Amidst this dire situation, a further devastating top-secret message arrived from the front lines: the Dark Angels had abruptly withdrawn from the battle, causing the White Scars on the same battle line to retreat under the sudden increase in pressure, further worsening an already untenable situation.

Since then, the Imperium had lost contact with the force that had ventured deep into the Ork Scrap City. While their final fate remained unknown, the re-emergence of Ork forces on the outer walls indicated it was likely grim.

However, mere loss of contact would have been one thing, but subsequent events forced the Imperium to take action.

After that force went missing, the Iron Warriors descended upon the Deadwood Sector battlefield and breached the Ork forces surrounding the outer walls.

This implied an extremely dire possibility: a Reaver Titan, several Warhound Titans, and a large number of Knight suits were at risk of being corrupted by Chaos

Even if those machines were completely destroyed, the Iron Warriors, with their expertise in mechanical engineering combined with Warp Sorcery, had a high probability of repairing them into Daemon Engines.

Therefore, the mission for this large batch of elite forces was very clear.

If that force was still holding on, the mission was to rescue them and, after breaking through, strike the enemy forces besieging the Deadwood Sector from the rear. However, if they had already been annihilated, then the mission would naturally change to destroying those machines beyond any possibility of repair.

Frankly, for regular troops, this was practically a suicide mission. After all, what could tens of thousands of ordinary soldiers achieve against enemies who could besiege Titans and Space Marines?

However, making the impossible possible was the difference between elite cannon fodder and regular cannon fodder – of course, there was also a more realistic factor.

Although it was unclear where it would come from or when it would arrive, according to secret command messages, a Warlord Titan would be deployed on the battlefield during the operation.

Furthermore, to ascertain the status of that Titan Battlegroup and prevent any unholy outcomes, the Adeptus Mechanicus would not only provide remote missile support but also deploy approximately twenty thousand Skitarii Legions via Orbital Drop.

The assistance provided by these two elements made this rescue plan possible.

After considering various scenarios and spending dozens of minutes planning, discussing, and relaying instructions around the Tactical Hololith, the colonels established a preliminary plan based on their assigned objectives.

To simplify the description:

Due to their long history of drifting through the stars, the three Cadian Shock Troops had accumulated extensive experience in landing operations. They would be responsible for the first wave of deployment to establish a Beachhead.

The 1st Mechanized Infantry Regiment, with its larger numbers and better equipment, would enter in the second wave, acting as the main force to consolidate the Beachhead and conduct follow-up operations.

Lastly, the four Ultramar Auxilia Regiments, whose training primarily focused on defensive operations in coordination with Space Marines, would primarily be responsible for maintaining the battle lines while the other units launched attacks and breakthroughs, preventing any breaches due to a lack of manpower in certain areas.

After discussing these details, Zhang Ge did not intend to remain in the command center and quickly returned to his unit's area, relaying these plans to the deputy commander.

That's right; Zhang Ge himself did not plan to sit in command or even land with the First Mechanized Infantry Regiment in the second wave.

As the regimental commander, leading by example to boost morale was no problem, right? That is to say, he should at least follow closely behind the first wave during their deployment.

Taking this a step further, as the champion of the competition, shouldn't he be even more "leading" by another 40-50% compared to ordinary regimental commanders?

Alright, after rounding, discarding the 40% chance and keeping the 50% chance, Zhang Ge believed he had reason to land with the first wave of the first batch.

Unfortunately, this concept ultimately failed to fully materialize. Under the strong insistence of other officers, Zhang Ge's solo deployment transformed into a preliminary air assault with a small group of elites.

Four Valkyries were prepared; they would carry Zhang Ge, Amilia, and others, along with equal numbers of Scion Bodyguards and Seraphim Sisters Guard.

Amid the spreading silence in the discussions and the written orders being relayed, the clock hands rotated to indicate the scheduled time.

To circumvent the enemy's Low-Orbit AA Defenses, the accompanying warships and transport ships would temporarily fly to extremely high altitudes in near-space, risking detection by enemy warships to move further into the optimal position for the airdrop.

After aligning themselves with the target position, thousands of individuals in hundreds of Drop Pods and a small number of fighters would streak through the atmosphere, suddenly crashing down onto the destination under the cover of the warships' artillery fire to establish the Beachhead.

Subsequently, large numbers of transports carried in the bellies of the transport ships would ferry the remaining tens of thousands of soldiers to the Beachhead in batches.

Since this fragile fleet would face annihilation even if targeted by a single frigate, they had to retreat back into orbit after a short period, resulting in an extremely narrow landing window. The entire process allowed for very little error and could be described as a highly risky military gamble.

But there was no choice; the forces could only hope that everything would proceed according to plan.

Harboring various thoughts, as the scene outside the porthole gradually transformed into a split view of the planet beneath and the boundless, deep space above, the forces responsible for the first wave of landing had taken their positions.

A silent stream of people flowed through the corridors. Taking advantage of the last moments, the Cadian soldiers deemed the most elite bid farewell to their relatives and friends before joining the ranks and entering the cylindrical Drop Pods.

At the same time, Zhang Ge had also led Amilia, Dominica, Isis, and several guards and Seraphim Sisters into a Valkyrie.

The airdrop commenced.

Here, they were already extremely close to space. Amidst the silent quiet of the thin upper atmosphere, one by one, Drop Pods and fighters separated from the main ships and, propelled by their thrusters, transformed into countless falling points of light.

However, just after the first batch of Drop Pods had been deployed, something completely unexpected occurred.

Without being displayed on the Bridge's control panels, a batch of Gravitic Generators activated on their own. Subsequently, a Land Battleship, six hundred meters in length, slowly detached from the belly of the transport ship and, under the pull of the planet's gravity, gradually accelerated as it fell.

If it continued to accelerate like this, its structure, which was not as sturdy as that of military equipment, would likely shatter upon impact.

But those Gravitic Generators were meant to prevent such an outcome.

Once it accelerated to a certain speed, a gravitational force that precisely counteracted the planet's gravity stabilized the falling Land Battleship's velocity.

However, even at its current speed, it was still fast enough; as it traversed the atmosphere, the friction of the air enveloped it in a blazing Crimson Meteor of light and heat.

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