For some reason, the howl felt familiar yet at the same time foreign.
Detected UNOE military technology, CMC TAI, serial number 125.
My AIs notification popped up In my view, as It did my whole demeanor changed.
"Turn left NOW!"
I roared, my change of altitude clearly evident for Hope, sensing this, Hope didn't protest she did as ordered.
It didn't take long before I saw a 240 centimeters tall humanoid figure wielding a nanocomposite combat katana whose laser edge had been turned off slice decked out in full WW 3 military-grade Infantry combat armor militant In half.
The wide and straight greatsword-sized blade easily cleaved the advanced nanocarbon plates In half like a hot knife slices through butter.
"Focus fire, throw the explosives!"
"Ammo! I need ammo!"
"Arghhh, my hand!"
Another militant screamed as the clearly zombified cosmic marine from his shark-like rotting teeth visible through his fully enclosed helmets missing visors lower half part.
Grabbed the man's right arm and ripped It off his shoulder.
"T... that coating and armor It's the same as yours..."
Hope stuttered out after hitting the brakes causing the car to come to a screeching halt.
Because she felt fear coursing throughout her whole body, she never felt anything like It before, It was primal, It came from her genes.
"Stay In the car"
I answered In a voice devoid of any emotion, as I jumped out, raised my rifle, and while sprinting started pressing the trigger.
The red laser beams just like the militants only left blackened spots on the zombified super soldier's battle-damaged power armor.
Which was missing one forearm, and a piece of his armor plating.
And nanocomposite suit on his right waist and a piece of his helmet's top which was most likely the reason for his temporary death.
After all, even we, couldn't function properly after missing a chunk of our brain.
"Die, you accursed death knight!"
A militant roared as he knelt down and fired his rocket-propelled grenade from his launcher that was clearly made after WW 3 considering Its low technological content.
The rocket miraculously Impacted the death knight's unprotected waist and exploded In a fury of flames, Immediattly a furious howl followed.
Before anyone could react the death knight covered In sparse flames appeared In front of the shocked militant, grabbed his head, and sank his shark like yellowish black blood covered teeth Into his neck.
"Arghhhh...!"
The militant screamed In a blood-freezing and soul-shattering voice as the death knight ripped out a chunk of flesh from his neck.
"F*ck! F*ck! F*ck!"
"F*ck this s*it!"
"I'm not getting paid enough for this!"
The militants cursed as they started routing.
As they did I lunged at the feasting death knight who was once my brother-in-arms and lodged my oversized laser-edged combat knife that I kept on myself between his spine and skull.
Once the knife specifically designed to puncture another cosmic marines defenses sank deep enough, I used all the strength I could muster and yanked It upwards.
My muscles fibers tore themselves apart and my blood vessels burst but I didn't feel a thing, my biomechanical cells already started fixing my body.
The death knight raved as he started trashing around while flailing his combat katana around, seeing this I grabbed the damaged helmet with my other hand and pulled again.
"Grahhhh..."
I grunted like a wild beast as I ripped off the death knight's head, as I did the headless corpse collapsed onto his knees.
But even with Its head decapitated the thing still tried to bite me with Its teeth, as I looked at the still-alive head my AI started scanning the head through my lenses.
Detected lethal levels of radiation.
Detected unknown pathogen.
TAI 125 unresponsive, most likely cause, EMP.
Conclusion cosmic marine 125 died before or after its TAI got disabled by an EMP produced by multiple nuclear detonations this allowed the unknown pathogen to infect the cosmic marines 125 body.
"F*ck you actually did It!"
Hope said as she cautiously walked over to me with a looted armored vest, a helmet, and a laser rifle In hand.
I didn't answer her, for one she disobeyed my orders and second I wasn't In the mood.
"Hey, steroids what's the matter why aren't you talking?"
Hope asked as she placed a hand on my shoulder, as I did I snapped my head at her as I did Hope got scarred shitless to the point that she collapsed onto her ass.
"Not now"
I said In a low dangerous voice with eyes that were saying one wrong move and she was going to die.
After saying this I manually unlocked the helmet and yanked It off, as I did Hope couldn't control herself and vomited out her dinner on the spot.
The face that greeted us was that of a vomit-inducing one, you could clearly see the nanocomposite alloy covered skull under the rotten skin.
While Its eyes had completely rotted away leaving only cybernetic Implant bits.
I respectfully placed the head on the ground, took out a multipurpose grenade from my armored vest pouch, pulled out the pin, and plunged It Inside the man's rotten brains through the hole In his nanocomposite skull.
After that, I jumped In front of still vomiting Hope, and covered her with my body, after four seconds Including the time It took me to cover Hope a loud explosion followed.
BOOM!
Now the man was truly dead, after all, there was nothing left of his brain, yet the smoking deformed from Inside out skull remained It was the loudest proof of our endurance.
I looked around only to see a crater which I was all too familiar with, I walked closer to the edge and there I saw It.
In the middle of the carter stood a black battle-damaged orbital supply drop pod aka the metal coffin as we liked to call It.
And next to It, I saw the legion standard ravaged by time and environment yet still proudly standing tall with our cosmic marines cores a pitch black iron Fenrir coiling itself as it tried to bite its tail.
On a bloodred background surrounded by golden laurel leaves with the cosmic marines cores motto written in bold white letters.
"In Death I Live"
I read out my cores motto which got adapted from my personal one which was exactly the same as I did I turned around and looked at the skull again, there was no mistaking It, the man was a standard bearer, which meant that he was the spiritual pillar of our legion.
No matter what happened he would never allow the standard to touch the ground or fall Into the enemy's hand.
And he did just that even In death he protected It.
I knelt down my integrated knee pads softening the rock-solid ground, and started respectfully removing the armor plates and exoskeleton armor parts.
Once I was done I removed the nanocomposite suit.
After that I grabbed the rotten body whose reinforced skeleton was visible through his rotten wounds and hoisted It onto my shoulder while grabbing the fusion core I took out from the back.
"Do you still have space?"
I asked, as I did the still-pale Hope nodded while I grabbed the skull with my other hand.
"Then pack It up and come down, there's an orbital supply drop pod which Is most likely still full of weapons and ammo''
After I said this I climbed down, by the time Hope joined me I already respectfully laid down the body In front of the standard and had already emptied the pod.
The pod contained the much for me needed state of the art ammunition because I was out of them at this point, a spare fusion core, and a multi-use missile launcher with 3 multipurpose missiles.