Bayonet fighting, a traditional skill of the Astra Militarum, might actually be more effective against the monstrous enemies than the "weak" lasguns themselves. A well-placed monomolecular bayonet thrust, driven by the full weight of the body, could potentially pierce the defenses of those abominations.
However, the cultists were still hundreds of meters away, even after closing some distance. So why fix bayonets now?
Despite this confusion, Zhang Ge had no intention of missing any opportunity to throw himself into the fray. Watching Duller turn to take the first position, Zhang Ge stood up and spoke proactively:
"I'll take the first position. The squad needs leadership, and your life should be saved for more critical moments."
As he spoke, Zhang Ge face showed no trace of fear or tension, as calm as if he weren't deciding to sacrifice his own life—of course, there was no fear on his face. His smirk was harder to suppress than an ancient relic like the AK.
Hearing this, Duller paused for less than half a second before handing over the plasma pistol glowing with blue light in his other hand.
"If you want a quick death, hold down the trigger. The Emperor's light will consume both you and the enemy."
Zhang Ge said nothing more. After taking the plasma pistol, he cradled the lasgun in his other hand, holding it like a short spear.
However, no one noticed the sudden calm yet more intense blue glow on the plasma pistol during the handover.
A sense of tension spread throughout the bunker as each Astra Militarum soldier prepared, reminiscent of the atmosphere in a landing craft before hitting the beach.
Everything continued until two piercing whistle sounds rang out in succession, their penetrating clarity audible even deep within the bunker. Without hesitation, Zhang Ge charged out of the bunker.
The sudden shift from dark to light didn't hinder Zhang Ge vision. His pupils quickly adjusted to the bright environment, allowing him to see the scene in the trench.
Flesh and metal powder were scattered everywhere, like paint spilled from a child's palette, smeared across the trench. Most of the "survivors" were missing large parts of their bodies, yet they still twitched and made meaningless sounds in their final moments.
Before entering the bunker, there had been at least a full PDF infantry platoon here. Now, not only had none survived, but some had been twisted into abominations by warp sorcery. Though they retained their minds, they could only writhe in agony as their bodies bloated into fleshy masses, crushing their comrades.
Without a moment's hesitation, Zhang Ge understood why bayonets were necessary. As he charged toward the nearest fleshy mass, he raised the plasma pistol in his hand.
Pressing the trigger, a wave of heat washed over him. The air distorted from the plasma's heat, and the familiar yet delayed sensation of the trigger not firing immediately made Zhang Ge uneasy.
This can't be... Is this the plasma pistol's power?
But the roaring, eager machine spirit gave him no time to think further. As the monster noticed Zhang Ge and opened its maw to let out a terrifying screech, intending to crush the human, a brilliant blue plasma bolt shot from the barrel.
In an instant, the searing plasma struck the monster's open maw, bypassing its tough exterior and exploding internally.
From the point of impact, the monster's "head" began to swell from the inside out. Light first spilled from the cracks in its flesh, followed by vaporized gas and, further from the blast, pink droplets of liquefied muscle.
Finally, the massive energy release caused an explosion, tearing apart nearly half of the monster's upper body with a loud bang.
Zhang Ge wasn't the only one who witnessed this. The plasma gunner in the second position, clad in heavy carapace armor and wielding a plasma rifle, had also seen it. He had raised his weapon to fire a follow-up shot but now looked down at his plasma rifle in disbelief, then glanced back at Duller with a complex expression.
Old man, I trusted you, and you played me? That little plasma pistol was quite the hidden gem, huh?
Duller, unaware of what had happened, thought there was trouble outside and quickly gestured for the plasma gunner not to block the exit.
Meanwhile, Zhang Ge, though it seemed the monster was incapacitated, decided to approach cautiously for a finishing blow—just in case it had a last breath and could counterattack at close range.
However, just as he moved to do so, a precisely thrown grenade landed in the gaping wound left by the explosion.
As the monster's body swelled again, fragments and chunks of flesh sprayed upward. Another soldier, following Duller, grabbed Zhang by the drag handle on his back armor and patted him reassuringly, signaling it was safe to move forward.
The other plasma gunner and Duller were tasked with clearing the other side of the trench, while Zhang Ge and his teammate were responsible for this side.
The rest of the squad, except for two soldiers assigned to each group for backup and finishing off enemies, removed their bayonets and began suppressing the cultists' renewed charge from the trench.
Busy, busy is good.
For a moment, Zhang Ge cursed his luck for not being reincarnated into one of the PDF units. But he had no choice but to press on.
As Zhang Ge advanced toward the trench corner, a large number of PDF soldiers from the rear trenches were surging into the second line. The second whistle had come from them.
Amid the intensifying sounds of shotguns, grenades, and lasguns, Zhang Ge rounded the trench corner.
Here, three monsters were gathered around several severely wounded soldiers, grinding and gnawing at them like snails feeding. They didn't need to eat, nor did they have the biological mechanisms for it. This was purely for the sake of torment.
Seeing this, Zhang Ge raised his plasma pistol again. A brilliant blue plasma bolt cut through the bloody, viscous air, purging one of the fleshy masses with fire. Just as he was about to fire a second shot, he was suddenly yanked back.
A mass of crimson flesh, of unknown composition, was spat out and slammed into the spot where Zhang Ge had just stood. It missed and hit the trench wall, writhing and sprouting tiny tendrils as if preparing to move.
But the Astra Militarum weren't the incompetent military police from horror movies. They didn't wait for it to finish transforming. A lasbeam from behind blasted it apart, and a friendly soldier activated and tossed a melta mine into the corner.
The mindless monsters, enraged by their missed attack, charged forward and were reduced to ash in an explosion powerful enough to take out a Leman Russ. By then, the four soldiers had already retreated to a safe distance.
Zhang Ge face remained expressionless, but inside he was bleeding: I must have been a saint for eight lifetimes to be matched with you pros today.