Galaxy Domination Guide
Chapter 42 037 Whirlwind (3)

Bai Zhongqi moved from the fore cabin of the landing craft to the aft cabin filled with soldiers.

Every Marine Corps soldier was strapped into their seats, unable to stand and salute. Bai Zhongqi waved his hand to dispense with the military formalities. In front of the aft cabin was the officers' seating, and Bai Zhongqi sat down, automatically secured by the safety belt.

He scanned each Marine Corps soldier. Their battle armor visors were not yet closed, allowing him to see each of their faces.

"As your Chancellor, I am pleased to lead you in this operation, believing it will not only become an important part of your memories but also mine. Earth's developmental level is far behind our Iridium Star, yet Earthlings possess a commendable imagination, a creative race, just like us from Iridium Star. In Earth's science fiction, there once appeared such a force.

They were the most physically robust elites of humanity, having undergone extremely harsh training and possessing unmatched courage. They could directly ride small, even individual, transport vehicles from planetary orbits, penetrate the atmosphere, and land on the planet's surface.

They infiltrated behind enemy lines at speeds approaching Mach 10, and because they couldn't carry heavy weaponry, they might face enemies many times their number with very basic equipment. At the same time, they also faced various risks.

During the descent phase, they could, due to deceleration and trajectory errors, become human satellites orbiting the planet in low orbit, or even after orbiting the planet dozens or hundreds of times, they might land thousands of kilometers away from their mission objective, falling into enemy hands.

To us from Iridium Star, this bizarre mode of combat could almost be termed foolish and suicidal. I dare say, we Iridium Star people are among the smartest warriors in the entire Galaxy. Our philosophy is to shed the least blood, even no blood, to annihilate the enemy completely.

Before we commence a landing assault, we would use massive planetary bombardment weapons to flatten the planetary resistance of the enemies first. In the initial phase of the landing, we also have numerous armed landing crafts and a large number of atmospheric fighters for cover.

Only after the landing crafts have securely touched down, creating a fire-suppressed safe zone, do our infantry come out to fight, dragging various kinds of powerful weapons and ground vehicles.

Even when facing an extremely formidable enemy, like the Spiral Mosquito Star War two hundred years ago, we wouldn't rush into a landing assault but would gradually deplete the Spiral Mosquito people's warships before launching the final offensive."

However, I never believe that we Iridium Star people lack courage. In all the wars that the Empire has participated in, there have been no shortages of brave and heroic warriors.

Facing the heavily guarded planetary defense systems of the enemies, could the brave warriors of Iridium Star destroy the enemies' defenses, causing them tremendous trouble, thereby creating opportunities for victory in our frontline battles? I believe this is definitely possible.

Today, I have selected thirty-one of you from the Marine Corps, warriors of excellent physical condition and strong personal will, hoping that the great United Empire, today, can gain a full-fledged assault infantry.

Daring to leap in orbit, enduring the terrifying atmospheric friction and planetary gravity with their bodies, ready to outsmart and conquer a hundredfold the number of enemies with wisdom and bravery!"

Bai Zhongqi was an excellent speaker, a natural talent enhanced by his attributes as the Imperial Chancellor. Thus, a simple speech had already inspired the warriors he had recruited into the Marine Corps. He got up from his seat, leaning on the walls of the landing craft, and took out a stack of stickers.

These were not much different from the stickers on Earth, except that they could merge directly into the material itself upon contact with any hard surface, and would not be rubbed off.

The closest person to him was a burly Sergeant Major, who held the highest military rank among this group of soldiers. Bai Zhongqi approached the Sergeant Major, tore off a sticker, and slapped it right in the center of the Sergeant Major's battle armor helmet.

The Sergeant Major stared with wide eyes, appearing somewhat nervous as he watched the Imperial Chancellor affix the label to him. He was a quiet and reserved man, and even had a strained relationship with the Marine Corps Commander, Xiao Yu. Regarding Bai Zhongqi, the Imperial Chancellor, he had previously been rather indifferent.

The power wielders of the Empire, after all, had no real interaction with them—they were mere tools to be used.

The sticker on the Sergeant Major's helmet was actually a bit crooked. All the soldiers were wearing the Tiberius Heavy Powered Individual Armor specially issued by Bai Zhongqi, which looked more striking than the Army-Breaker model, with a matte black finish, higher defensive capabilities, and a greater load capacity.

Although it didn't bear more types of weaponry than the Army-Breaker model, its natural power intensified due to the higher energy density. What Bai Zhongqi affixed to the Tiberius Armor was a white skull that looked downright chilling, with the letters 'ODST' printed beneath it.

Next, the Chancellor posted the white skull emblem on the helmets of the thirty-one soldiers in the drop pod, loudly proclaiming, "From today on, you will become the bravest soldiers in the United Empire. In the entire United Empire, only you dare to land on your feet! The missions you undertake will be the most challenging and dangerous.

You may sacrifice your lives in the next moment, but as long as you wear this heavy armor and bear the emblem of "Skull Paratroopers," you symbolize the greatest courage of this Empire!"

Choosing the skull as the emblem signified that these warriors were effectively dead, as the missions they were to undertake could be tantamount to suicide. However, the skull also symbolized the death of their enemies—they were to bring death to their foes.

"Yes!" All the soldiers responded loudly, their emotions clearly stirred by Bai Zhongqi.

Actually, their next mission bore no real risk. The enemy's weapons could not even penetrate their Tiberius Armor. Bai Zhongqi used this method to mobilize the troops, reshaping the power of Iridium Star in his own way. Indeed, the concept of Orbital Paratroopers was somewhat foolish for a militarily advanced star like Iridium Star. But Bai Zhongqi forcefully turned it into a symbol of courage.

The newly formed Skull Paratroopers would grow in size, but an actual orbital drop operation might not occur once in a hundred missions.

Bai Zhongqi also used this opportunity to tighten his control over Iridium Star's power. He could not fully trust Xiao Yu's Marine Corps anymore.

By selecting members for the Skull Paratroopers from soldiers who disagreed with Xiao Yu's faction within the Marine Corps, and placing them directly under his own command, Bai Zhongqi gradually took control of the deployable infantry forces of Iridium Star.