The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Chapter 3011: Good Guy Hayes

With Hayes's kind assistance, the militia on both flanks of the position were quickly able to withdraw from the battle. Not long after their withdrawal, the Tyranid swarm broke through the firing line and crossed the riddled defenses. Immediately, however, intense artillery fire began to blanket the area, mostly with incendiary rounds. Those Tyranid creatures, freshly scorched by flames, immediately experienced a second round of burning. At the same time, Pterosaurs began to spread various types of mines, especially petal mines, in large quantities further back. Although these small mines could not harm creatures larger than Carnifexes, they were sufficient for dealing with smaller Tyranids like Hormagaunts, Termagants, and Ripper Swarms.

In addition, armored units began to assemble in the area between the first and second lines of defense. Soon they would form a wave of counterattacks, prioritizing the elimination of large Tyranid creatures, to provide time for the deployment of the second line.

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The soldiers who withdrew from the defensive line began to gather in the area of the second line of defense. Although there were already defensive facilities, it took time to set up firing points, accommodate the wounded, and replenish ammunition and equipment. Hayes was busy for more than an hour before he finished. Post-battle statistics showed that the company had 11 killed in action, 6 seriously injured, and 23 lightly wounded. Because Tyranid fluids were mostly toxic and strongly acidic, the treatment of the wounded was also quite troublesome and basically required transfer to hospitals in the rear for treatment.

After finishing this pile of things, Hayes had to report to the regimental headquarters to apply for ammunition. After all, at the company level, many things had to be done by the company commander personally. Only at the regimental level would there be staff to assist the chief officer in handling these matters. The fact that he had confronted the Flesh Tearer and rescued the militia regiment had already spread, and some people had begun to jokingly call him 'Good Guy Hayes,' which he didn't think was a bad thing.

After everything was done, Hayes realized that he was hungry and thirsty. He had not eaten for ten hours, and had not even had a few sips of water. Just as he was about to return to the company to rest for a while, he received an invitation from the militia regiment. Although he didn't want to have too deep an involvement with these local forces, it was Palru's eldest son who came to deliver the message, and his words were very sincere. After thinking for a while, Hayes told him that he had to go back to the company to say hello first.

After returning to the company and explaining some things to Little Feidun and others, Hayes came to the militia regiment's camp. As he passed through the militia camp, Hayes saw that they were also eating, but each militiaman was given only a 200-gram baked cake that looked like it was mixed with many impurities and a bowl of clear soup. The soup contained only some green plants of unknown names. In contrast, Hayes's company had 1 kg of pure grain baked cakes per soldier per day, with a stew made of canned meat and various beans, as well as a small amount of fresh fruits and vegetables. These grains, except for the canned part, were all local crops.

After arriving at the largest tent in the militia regiment, Hayes saw that both regimental commanders were here, Palru and Benick. There was a table in the tent, with several covered metal bowls on it.

"Officer Hayes, please sit down. Help the officer hang up his hat and weapon."

Palru's son diligently took Hayes's hat and sword and hung them on a shelf aside. Hayes then smiled at Palru and said:

"You're too kind."

"Oh, don't mention it. If it weren't for you, we thousands of people would probably have become cannon fodder by now. Please sit down, please sit down."

While greeting Hayes to sit down, Palru opened the lids of the metal bowls, and a fragrance immediately filled the air.

Hayes saw that there was a large piece of roasted meat in one bowl, and it was the rib part. Another bowl contained fried wings and legs. Hayes knew this kind of animal. It was a local specialty called the Kent Chicken, which had four legs and six pairs of wings, and its body didn't actually have much meat. The meat was mainly concentrated on the wings and legs. Fried, finger-licking Kent Chicken was considered the most famous local delicacy. Another bowl contained delicate small cakes the size of a palm, with a white and porous appearance, which was obviously a very refined staple food. The other two bowls contained a thick soup made with Kent Chicken breast bones mixed with vegetables, and fresh red and white fruits covered with dewdrops.

This meal, in the current situation, was undeniably rich, and could even be called extravagant.

From the moment the war warning was issued, the entire war zone immediately implemented a rationing system. The Tech-Priests meticulously calculated the "most reasonable" food quota: militiamen, administrative personnel, or other managers, 400 grams per person per day; workers or other production personnel, as well as logistics personnel serving the military, 250 grams per person per day; children or others with low labor capacity, only 125 grams; disabled people, seriously ill patients, and other "worthless" people had none at all. In addition, the quota food also included a considerable amount of "fillers," such as sawdust and weeds. Any act of hoarding food would be considered a crime, either turning into a servitor of the Adeptus Mechanicus to be thrown onto the battlefield, or becoming a member of the "Punishment Camp" to fill the gaps that appeared on the front lines.

Of course, there were always loopholes in the rules. For example, the militia, because it was a military organization, but a considerable part of the logistics needed to be taken care of by themselves, so officers could hoard materials in the name of "military needs." Therefore, anyone with a little strength in the area would try to get a position in the militia regiment or simply pull up a team like Palru, the big landlord.

Sometimes when Hayes went to the division headquarters to handle affairs, he would occasionally pass through the city. The once noisy and bustling city now had corpses and beggars as the most common sights. Some people starved to death or committed suicide out of despair, while others were hanged on street lamps for crimes or spreading seditious ideas. Because the Baojia system had been rolled out in the war zone, even any inappropriate remarks between neighbors could lead to death, so the atmosphere in the city was not only desolate, but also very depressing, but the most terrible thing was hunger.

Even with the most cruel system and laws, the maddening hunger still led to some tragedies. For example, Hayes once heard that a couple ate all four of their children until a neighbor found finger bones in their trash can, revealing the tragedy. In the end, the two also became rotting corpses in the cage.

So looking at this table of rich meat, although Hayes's stomach was growling with hunger, he shook his head and sighed:

"Regimental Commander Palru, this is too much in a time of war."

"These are just some home-cooked dishes, cooked by my wife personally, just to thank you for saving our lives."

Benick, who was on the side, also smiled, picked up a black wine bottle and said:

"You command well and are also kind-hearted. If it weren't for you, we probably wouldn't have had the chance to get away. Many regiments were directly thrown to the front lines, crying for help to no avail. This is our family's treasured wine for more than two hundred years, and we deliberately took it out to thank you."

Hayes sighed, sat down on the chair, and waved his hand.

"I'll eat the meal, but there's no need for the wine. It's best if you don't drink it either. It would be a big trouble if the military police found out."