Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In an instant, dense crimson laser beams concentrated their fire at the eleven o'clock direction of the temporary camp where the assault craft had landed. Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Gravel exploded outward, wood chips scattered through the air, and a large animal—like something skinned alive—collapsed with a thunderous crash in front of the soldiers. Its shape resembled an antelope from the African savannah, yet it had six hooved limbs twisted at extreme angles for rapid running. Its muscles were abnormally developed, and the keratin layer on its hooves was nearly a foot thick.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Cautiously firing three more shots into the creature's head, watching as it burst open and brain matter spilled out—its cranial cavity blown clean through—the veteran Imperial Auxilia trooper at the front crouched down and judged, "Not Flood. Native wildlife bred by the planet's ecosystem."
"That's not right. The earlier cry sounded more like a predator's roar. And this thing looks more like an omnivore—or a herbivore."
The Imperial Auxilia soldier bent slightly, confusion filling his heart. After sweeping his gaze around vigilantly for a long moment, he raised his heavy laser rifle and advanced slowly toward the deeper rainforest where the sound had come from.
"Something's wrong. After the bombardment, everything's fire and ash. How are these primitive alien animals still daring to approach this place so soon?"
Out of caution, every landing site for the assault craft had already been swept several times by Imperial Navy warships in low orbit.
Although the larger wildfires in the jungle outside had been extinguished, within the charred circular bombardment zone, the carbonized remains of trees still crackled incessantly beneath the heat, and the low roar of small flames flaring up continued without pause.
"Then expand the search perimeter! All units, weapons hot. The moment you detect anything abnormal, no need to report—open fire immediately. Lethal force authorized!"
Wearing a peaked cap and an ornate double-breasted uniform, the Imperial Auxilia captain frowned deeply. He kicked the animal's corpse at his feet before raising his hand in a sharp signal.
Imperial Auxilia soldiers and Servitor Army troops moved in pairs and trios, spreading outward in tactical search formations. They examined every corner carefully. Occasionally, when they found one or two severely wounded animals clinging to life, unable to bear watching them suffer, they stepped forward and—bang! bang!—put a few rounds through their heads.
Sending them peacefully to paradise.
"Smells good, boss." Sniffing the scent of animal carcasses burned and charred by the aftermath of orbital bombardment, someone couldn't help swallowing audibly over the comm channel.
"Shut up! Smells good my ass. You dare eat unidentified wildlife? Poison would be the least of your worries. What if it's a parasitic organism? It'll burst your guts before you're done chewing! Keep babbling and I'll throw you in solitary. You won't see the mess hall for a year!"
Across the vast territories and countless vassal worlds of the Empire, new food sources were discovered almost every moment and added to the diets of Imperial citizens.
Leaving aside other examples, the Empire's native Danger Beasts, the Sea Kings produced on World No. 22—the conquered world of the Ninth Astartes Legion, the Blood Angels—and the various magical beasts from savage worlds had long since become indispensable parts of the Imperial table.
These aggressive, active species were treasures from head to toe. Every part was edible—delicious and highly nutritious. Moreover, they were easy to raise and could survive in extremely harsh environments.
Well... aside from their bad tempers. Though no one knew how many casualties across the colonies had resulted from mishandling fresh ingredients, to Imperial citizens, that was hardly a problem.
This great devouring spirit that originated from Selene herself had fermented over time and become deeply engraved into the very body of the Empire.
Take ant-bull meat, for instance. A famous military canned ration within the Imperial Army, it originated from an animal discovered by an Inquisitor exploring a distant planet. Its unexpectedly delicious meat earned it a place on Imperial restaurant menus. At a palace banquet, Selene tasted it and personally bestowed the name "ant-bull" upon it.
As for why it was named ant-bull, the discovering Inquisitor claimed he had no idea. Mm. Her Majesty's divine will is unfathomable—how could mere mortals speculate? Besides, no one dared ask.
Delicious though it was, ant-bull meat was notoriously packed with lethal parasites that were extremely difficult to kill, requiring meticulous processing before it could be safely consumed.
Once, a fairly high-ranking unlucky fellow mishandled the ingredient due to ignorance of its traits and ended up checking himself straight into the infirmary.
According to him, he could clearly feel the gelatinous chunks of meat come alive in his stomach. Tiny, sharp hairs grew from within, constantly scraping against his stomach lining. He distinctly sensed maggot-like creatures wriggling inside him—itchy, numb, and painfully bloated.
He experienced the "pleasure" of something about to burst out of his abdomen. After being "revived" by the doctors and regaining consciousness, he declared he would rather die than ever experience that sensation again. It was too damn bizarre.
As a result, ant-bull meat gained a layer of hype and mystique in the eyes of every military department within the Holy Selene Empire.
"Uh... maybe not. Another time."
Though the squad's comm channel was lively, their movements remained precise and disciplined.
This landing operation into the mountains had one final objective: to confirm whether the relic detected by the warships—bearing fluctuations similar to Forerunner and Precursor constructs—actually existed.
Alive or dead, they had to see it. Relic or ruins, it had to be confirmed.
"Report: no infrared heat signatures detected..." He operated the scanning device in his hands and spoke into the armor's internal comm system.
Boom! Boom boom!
A large scorpion-like creature was struck repeatedly by the officer's light bolt pistol. Its relatively sturdy natural carapace proved utterly fragile before the explosive bolts, instantly torn apart. Purple-green corrosive fluid burst outward, splattering onto the ground with sizzling pops.
"Something's not right." The deeper they advanced, the stronger the unease in the Imperial Auxilia captain's heart. The attacking animals were changing—far too many species, unnaturally so—as though something hidden was manipulating them.
Suddenly, he barked sharply, "Halt. Defensive formation. Requesting second orbital bomb—"
At the very instant he stopped moving, crack! The ground split open into a massive pit. Countless tentacles burst out, spewing a swarm of maggot-like fleshy tumors directly at the Imperial Auxilia captain.
Szzzzz—!
"What the hell is this?!" Staring at the writhing masses halted just a decimeter before his forehead by the shield field, his pupils constricted and the corners of his eyes twitched violently. He roared, "Watch out! Parasitic spores—it's the Flood!"
These fleshy tumors looked like miniature octopuses. Each had an oversized crown-like head, beneath which several slender tentacles writhed and lashed toward him. Coupled with dense, tiny sharp teeth and thick mucus, the sight made his skin crawl.
At that moment, he felt incomparably grateful. Damn right I was cautious. Besides the energy shield module built into his uniform, he had installed an additional shield field generator. It had originally been meant to guard against sniper fire on the battlefield. He never imagined it would block a Flood parasitic attempt.
Rat-tat-tat! Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The Imperial Auxilia troops and Servitor Army soldiers nearby opened fire fiercely as well.
From beneath the surrounding jungle soil, countless misshapen abominations crawled out in dense swarms.
Then, from deep underground not far away, a shrill screech rang out. Instantly, the twisted creatures went mad, charging toward the Imperial forces like lunatics.
Rat-tat-tat-tat—!
Raising the heavy general-purpose machine gun, the squad's fire support trooper disengaged the semi-automatic limiter on the ammunition pack. In a flash, the thick box-fed ammunition belt began to roar.
A dense curtain of bullets burst forth at supersonic speed!
Flesh and gore exploded everywhere.
There was no longer any need for precise, controlled bursts. The grotesque, nauseating Flood were everywhere. Even blind suppressive fire would hardly miss.
At the same time, various explosives were hurled out in succession.
Boom!
With tremendous arm strength, a grenade whistled through the air and landed directly at the subterranean exit where the Flood were pouring out. A thunderous blast rippled through the jungle.
The timed high-explosive charge detonated at once. Intense heat and pressure tore apart the steel casing. Scorching, razor-sharp fragments burst forth with flames. After striking the ground, the fragments ignited as well. In the blink of an eye, both jungle and Flood flesh were consumed by raging fire.
The tunnel entrance was swallowed by erupting flames. The violent shockwave hurled nearby Flood into the air.
Clang!
The Auxilia captain swung his power blade. The disruption field activated, shredding all the parasitic spores halted by his shield field into fragments.
"Fall back! Return to the assault craft! It's the Flood! These bastards can't be killed off with conventional methods. Conserve ammunition—cover each other and withdraw!"
Fwoooosh—vrrrmm!!
Drawing another pistol from his waist, he pulled the trigger. With a distinctive hissing sound, like something being seared alive, a red melta beam shot from the muzzle and struck directly into the soil fissure torn open by Flood tentacles.
The detonation of melta particles instantly carbonized everything within a dozen meters. The extreme heat ignited the surrounding jungle and the fat of animal carcasses.
The melta beam swept continuously until overload warnings blared. Only then did the Imperial Auxilia captain release the trigger, having unleashed a raging inferno that would have earned him a life sentence under ordinary circumstances.
"Move, move! Retreat! Command, requesting reinforcements!"
Crash—!
Rolling out of the jungle in a tactical tumble, not caring about the charred ground beneath them, the retreating squad shouted, "Fall back! Flood presence confirmed!"
But the moment their words left their mouths, the earth behind them shook violently, as if a colossal dragon were turning beneath the ground.
Vrrrmm—!
A power sword flashed in a dazzling arc. A massive Flood form was instantly shredded into a rain of twisted flesh. Astartes squads from other directions had arrived in support.
Splurt!
Flesh and brain matter burst apart. After smashing a Flood creature aside, disgusting slime coated the Astartes warrior's arm plating. Without pausing his movements, once the Imperial Auxilia reconnaissance squad was secured, he asked:
"Wasn't this supposed to be a Forerunner relic? Did you stir up the Flood from there?"
Firing and retreating at the same time, the Imperial Auxilia captain replied, "I don't know either! But they came up from underground!"
"I suspect the Flood here have been dormant beneath this planet for a very long time. The orbital bombardment woke them!"
Bang—splat!
Leaping into the assault craft and standing guard at the embarkation ramp, the Astartes warrior crushed a Flood creature that tried to jump aboard with a single punch.
"But the reason doesn't matter anymore. If Flood have been found, it means this planet's interior is fully infected. It requires purification."
Vrrrmm—!
Amid roaring engines and beastly howls, the assault craft soared over land engulfed in flames, passing through layers of barren valleys.
Leaning against the viewport, the soldiers stared at the horrifying scenery flashing past outside.
The land had been overturned beyond recognition. Alien native animals fled in panic under the apocalyptic threat of the Flood's awakening.
Within the circular bombardment zone, the surface was now densely packed with Flood pouring out from underground. They gradually stopped their pursuit, raising their grotesque faces—covered in tumors, teeth, mouths, and eyes that shredded sanity—and unleashed furious, piercing howls at the intelligent lifeforms escaping into the sky.
As the assault craft continued to climb, what followed was a spear of orange-red light descending from heaven to earth, igniting the atmosphere.
BOOOOM—!!!
In an instant, the entire planet seemed to tremble. Mountain ranges collapsed and disintegrated like withered trees in a storm. Dangerous magma and radioactive ash erupted from the surface, blasting straight into the stratosphere.
This unreasonable act of destruction set the land ablaze with annihilating fire.
...
After receiving the report from the underground reconnaissance team, the Imperial Navy sub-fleet reached a clear conclusion. If Flood had been discovered, then the planet beneath their feet was already severely corrupted.
You require purification.
The will of Her Majesty the God-Empress was not to be altered.
The moment Flood were found, they had to be reported—and eradicated without exception.
Within a very short time, the fleet's commanding officer, the highest-ranking Astartes present, the head of the Imperial Forge, the director of the Imperial Science Bureau, and a senior Inquisitor unanimously passed the resolution.
Exterminatus.
After all Imperial troops who had landed withdrew, the fleet in orbit immediately launched large-scale orbital bombardment against the planet and deployed thousands of Honkai fission bombs onto its surface.
All Imperial personnel who had participated in the reconnaissance mission were required to undergo Flood spore purification before being permitted to return to their respective mother ships for rest and reorganization.
Thus, when Selene's fleet arrived, what she saw was a planet that had been lush and vibrant not long before—now reduced to a world unfit for life.
Enormous quantities of volcanic ash erupted skyward. The swirling "dark clouds" rising continuously had nearly sealed the entire planet in impenetrable gloom.
"Oh? Still alive."
Selene frowned slightly and stepped before the viewport, gazing at the planet drowned in silence and lava.
Her eyes pierced through the star-strewn void, through the planet's thick layers of volcanic ash clouds, through mountains split by molten torrents, reaching deep into the mantle's innermost depths.
There, utterly different from the molten devastation above, lay a vast, sealed silver-gray structure of grand scale and geometric beauty—completely unaffected by the orbital bombardment.
Within it, "life" still resided.
"Found it."