Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 227 Continue to Advance
Donetsk III is a dead, rocky planet.

The surface of the planet is covered with desolate rocks and dust, with almost no atmosphere. The temperature difference between day and night is huge, with the day being as hot as a furnace and the night being as cold as an ice cellar.

The surface of the planet is covered by countless craters and rifts. There is no sign of life here, and even the most tenacious microorganisms cannot survive here.

If it weren't for the Necrons' Tomb World hidden on the planet, the planet would be worthless to the Imperium.

Aside from the Necrons' catacombs, Donetsk III is extremely poor in mineral resources.

There are almost no valuable minerals in the planet's crust, and the occasional metal veins found are of extremely low content, and the cost of mining far exceeds their value.

The planet's environment is so harsh that it is almost unsuitable for any form of survival. There is a lack of water, the atmosphere is thin, and the radiation level is extremely high. Any creature that is not properly protected will die in a short time.

During the Imperium's early exploration of the system, Donetsk III was labeled a worthless dead world.

The survey team's report described the planet briefly and coldly: "No resources, no life, no value."

As a result, the Empire almost completely ignored the planet's existence for the next few centuries, and it became an inconspicuous gray mark on the galaxy map.

If it weren't for Chen Xi's plan to develop the entire sub-star region and send people to investigate the entire sub-star region, I'm afraid Donetsk III would not have been noticed by the Empire for another thousand years.

This was actually the result of careful calculations made by the Necrons back then.

After the War in Heaven, the Silent King made a decisive strategic choice: the entire clan fell into a deep sleep, allowing time to kill their greatest enemy, the Eldar Empire.

Thus, the entire Necron Dynasty responded to the Silent King's call, began to build their own tomb worlds, and fell into a long sleep, waiting to wake up at some point in the future.

However, the Necrons also realized that their slumber would span tens of millions of years, or even longer.

During this long period of time, if they were not kept secret, their tomb world would likely be discovered by other civilizations and exposed in advance.

To avoid this, the Necrons carefully selected the most remote, barren, and hostile planets in the galaxy to build their Tomb Worlds.

The Necrons took advantage of the natural conditions of these planets, burying their tombs deep underground or hiding them in extreme natural environments to ensure that they would not be easily discovered before the Great Awakening.

It turned out that the decision of the Necrons was extremely wise.

During their 60 million years of slumber, although their thinking and memory have gradually degraded with the passage of time, and even the consciousness of some individuals has become blurred, the vast majority of tomb worlds have successfully avoided the attention of the outside world.

Only a very small number of tombs were discovered in advance due to accidents or extreme circumstances, and these discoveries were often short-lived and failed to have a substantial impact on the overall plan of the Necrons.

However, as the galactic situation became increasingly turbulent, the Necrons' slumber was gradually broken.

In recent years, more and more Tomb Worlds have begun to awaken, and the Necrons have returned to the galactic stage.

But that's beside the point. For the expeditionary force at this moment, the planet's barrenness and harsh environment were actually a blessing in disguise. Donetsk III's surface was inhospitable, devoid of precious resources, ecosystems, or infrastructure to protect. This meant the Empire's military could unleash its firepower without restraint, completely destroying any obstacle.

Often, the Empire's firepower wasn't inadequate, but rather because the target planet contained important resources, infrastructure, or strategic locations, forcing commanders to proceed with caution to avoid irreparable damage.

However, these concerns do not exist here.

From the moment the landing operation began, the Imperial fleet in orbit never stopped bombarding the ground.

Macro cannons, light spears, plasma bombs... countless destructive weapons poured down from space, turning the ground into a sea of ​​fire.

The Necrons' ground buildings were originally the only conspicuous signs on this desolate planet. However, under the continuous bombardment of the Imperial fleet, these ancient buildings were completely destroyed and turned into ruins.

The bombardment was so powerful that the area where the Necron buildings were located had been transformed into a huge lava lake, with hot magma flowing on the surface, as if a planet was bleeding.

According to the latest battle report received by Chen Xi, the intensity of the bombing has even affected the geological structure of the planet.

The planet's continental shelf showed noticeable subsidence under the continuous bombardment, and cracks in the crust spread for hundreds of kilometers, as if the entire planet was trembling under the firepower of the Empire.

Destruction on this scale was uncommon in the Empire's military operations, but it was perfect for a dead world like Donetsk III.

But this was not enough for the Imperial Army, because the Necron army continued to emerge from the ground and attack the Imperial Army.

As the fierce fighting continued, the casualties of the Second Strike Group exceeded 30%, and the reserve Jihad Army had been deployed to the battlefield.

The third and fourth strike groups also suffered heavy casualties, but overall the Imperial Army's progress was still encouraging.

At least under the cover of the orbital fleet, the three strike groups have occupied about one-third of the planet's surface and are attacking a plateau occupied by the Necrons.

In fact, it is called a plateau, but in essence it should be a former continent. It’s just that there is no water or ocean on this planet, so the former continental plains have become plateaus.

The Necrons' tomb world is built on a plateau, or perhaps there were oceans and forests here when the Necrons built the tomb world?
Chen Xi is neither a biologist nor an environmental geographer, so he cannot speculate what the surface ecology of this planet was like 60 million years ago.

But he can be sure that if there are no accidents in the future, the surface of this planet will only have one kind of landform, that is, the crystallized ground after the lava solidifies.

Because orbital bombardment in space is being extended, opening the way for the three strike groups to attack.

According to the strategy formulated by the command, the three strike groups will launch an attack on the plateau where the Necrons are located and eventually meet up in front of the Necrons' catacombs and finally destroy this tomb world.

However, from the current perspective, the military strength prepared by the empire seems to be somewhat insufficient.

If there is no follow-up reinforcement, with only three strike groups, at the current rate of casualties, they may not have enough strength to complete the encirclement.

(End of this chapter)