After putting on that coat, the temperature quickly became much more bearable.

  Before leaving, the two took some time to cover up their traces here, and once they returned to the car, Zhang Ge started the engine and asked,

  “How many people will the order have at the place we’re going? I mean the battle nuns.”

  “Originally over a thousand.”

  “Will there be any deployments after the fighting starts?”

  “Of course.”

  Over a thousand battle-hardened women in powered armor, it sounded like a lot, but relative to the numbers of the Starbound Army and its enemies, it would soon dissipate like stones thrown into a pool.

  But that wasn’t the most deadly part; the key issue was that the enemy could deduce the general location of the order through the interrogation of soldiers and officers who had served alongside the battle nuns.

  Even if only corpses remained, the Space Marines could directly access parts of the deceased's memories by consuming their brains.

  The dark gods were like goblins selecting female knights; the prouder and purer the knight, the more they tended to favor her.

  And the battle nuns were undoubtedly a perfect target. They were neither as powerful as the Space Marines nor could they be easily corrupted, but taking their lives and defiling their sanctuaries would still please the dark gods.

  Especially in wartime, when temporary monasteries were established at the front lines and a large number of combat personnel were deployed, making them particularly vulnerable, this target became even more enticing.

  “Can you guarantee that the order wasn’t destroyed by the desecrators from the subspace before being crushed at the front?”

  “...”

  Sister Amelia was silent for a long time, and after a while, she continued,

  “There is a great matron; she is very strong.”

  A great matron, a high-ranking nun commander, typically commands thousands of battle nuns. Just in terms of numbers, she could already be compared to a holy chapter of Space Marines.

  However, that being said, the combat capability of the Sisters is far weaker than that of the Space Marines. It is already quite difficult for a Sister Superior to contend with a regular Chaos Space Marine veteran, let alone a fully organized cadre of Chaos Space Marines.

  Nonetheless, since Sister Amelia has made such assurances, Zhang Ge merely wants to ensure that he is "not intentionally seeking death" with this upper-level insurance and naturally will not raise any objections.

  In the silence between the two, the scenery outside the window shifted again. After traveling for more than an hour in Tera time, a building finally emerged from the distant horizon, coming into view for Zhang Ge.

  First, there was a massive sign, prominently displayed at the front of the church, indicating who this place belonged to—Saints' Monastery, Martyr Saint Sisterhood.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  The former is one of the two combat nun monasteries currently in the Empire, while the latter is one of the six major sisterhoods under the two great monasteries. All combat nun sisterhoods outside the six major ones are essentially branches of these six.

  This should be one of the planetary direct branches of the Martyr Saint Sisterhood.

  Such a heavyweight status made Zhang Ge's heart, which he had finally managed to set at ease, rise again in suspense.

  As they continued to approach, more details of the church gradually came into view. Although it was merely a temporary location for mobilizing troops and serving as frontline command, the place was still constructed with materials as if cost were no object.

  In addition to the two-layer all-metal walls of the parapet and main outer wall, the church's main structure had numerous heavy weapon firing points, including heavy explosive shells and laser cannons, with even heavier fixed artillery and anti-aircraft guns visible everywhere.

  Even disregarding these fixed defensive facilities, the numerous vehicles neatly parked within the main outer wall were enough to showcase its power.

  Although most of the aforementioned details were obscured by the night, just from the thick contours of the two-ring walls and the main structure, one could fully realize the severity of its defenses.

  It resembled more of a military fortress than a church.

  Because of this, as Zhang Ge drove the vehicle closer to the church, Sister Amelia's expression began to look somewhat grim.

  "Stop the car."

  When they reached a low area that could serve as cover, she spoke up. Zhang Ge nodded and brought the vehicle to a halt.

  There were no patrols or sentries, which was strange. Logically, they should have been intercepted long before the church came into view.

  But now there was nothing, to the point that at this distance, Sister Amelia could no longer deceive herself, casting aside any luck-based thinking and preparing for the worst.

  However, she did not intend to let Zhang Ge accompany her any further. He had come with her for purification, investigation, and protection, and had no obligation to engage in such dangerous activities:

  "After I go over, you drive in the opposite direction, and then..."

  Zhang Ge felt something was off as soon as he heard the beginning of her sentence. Before she could finish, he organized his words to interrupt her:

  "First and foremost, I am a soldier."

  After interrupting, he continued:

  "You place far too much importance on the life of the so-called blessed, to the point of neglecting that if you merely evade, you will never gain the Emperor's attention. Now, tell me your plan."

  "No, I just—"

  Sister Amelia, who was about to argue, realized quickly that this was not the time to waste on such matters. She shifted her response to, "The sisterhood's defenses have no gaps. If we want to approach, we can only take the risk of crossing the fire blockade."

  Zhang Ge shrugged at her words:

  "That's some good news."

  Sister Amelia only thought he was displaying his "sense of humor," so she didn’t respond and continued, "If there are enemies inside, then doing this is no different from seeking death. But I cannot sit idly by while the sanctuary is desecrated; that is a grave sin... but you need not bear such a responsibility."

  "We are comrades, and we are also the people of humanity basking in the Emperor's glory. Your duty is my duty."

  Zhang Ge, who had PTSD from the term "seeking death," spoke sternly.

  Danger? Now that you mention it, I’m not feeling sleepy anymore.

  However, to be on the safe side, Zhang Ge decided to make some harmless little modifications to the plan to ensure he could die without regrets: "Moreover, it doesn’t necessarily mean we’re seeking death. Where is the main entrance on the outer wall of the church?"

  The nun didn’t know what Zhang Ge was planning, but after silently accepting his words, she pointed in a direction with her finger.

  Zhang Ge walked to the low edge, leaned out, and squinted in that direction, barely making out the outline of the city gate in the night.

  He quickly returned to the driver's seat of the vehicle and said to Sister Amelia, "Get in."

  Bang.

  The sound of the car door closing echoed after Amelia got in.

  Zhang Ge spoke to the vehicle's "voice control module," saying, "Now, increase the speed to maximum."

  Seeing that he could unleash himself, the vehicle's engine roared with delight.

  Noticing this, Zhang Ge jokingly continued, "Do a good job. If I’m still alive after we get into that church, I’ll personally give you a full vehicle maintenance."

  Before his words faded, a strong push against his back hit him.