Chapter 79 - 79: A Vow of Iron and Blood

The Grade-4 Carapace set was a masterpiece of mid-tier industrial defense. It didn't just protect the vitals; it featured articulated pauldrons for the shoulders, brassarts for the upper arms, and a heavy-duty groin-plate (codpiece) designed to protect a man's "lineage" without restricting his movement.

Visually, it resembled the ancient "Defender-pattern" heavy rigs used by the shock troops of Old Terra, but its composition was pure 41st Millennium. On this backwater Agri-World, where combat intensity was relatively low, this armor made a man a walking tank.

The common PDF regulars used Grade-3 solid-slug ammunition. Against Grade-4 reinforced plate, those rounds were essentially pebbles. Unless a soldier stood perfectly still and allowed an entire magazine to be emptied into his chest, he was functionally invulnerable to small arms at range.

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