The Governor's private chamber.
"The Tyranid Swarm will survive, the Hive Lord will summon the Tyranid Swarm... I will emerge as the new patriarch..."
"You won't live to see it," Cain said, twisting the hellgun from under Yugen's heavily armpit-scented armpit and pulling the trigger.
Psionic energy whistled through the air between them, blasting a smoking crater in the left side of the Governor's chest. For a moment, he thought it was all over.
However, the joy was short-lived, as he watched in horror as the Governor did not fall, but instead twisted and flashed away with inhuman speed, then turned his bolter pistol to aim at him.
Now, beneath the Governor's tattered robes, thick chitin could be seen, and a third, hideous hand extended from beneath his clothing.
"What is your basis?"
Amberly cut in, bending to retrieve her dropped weapon. Cain struggled to re-aim the hellgun, but the strap caught on Yugen's armor, and Yugen's heavy weight hindered him.
When Gryce's Bolter Pistol swung around, he knew he was too late. Fortunately, Gryce hesitated for a second, though he still moved with unnatural speed, re-aiming the gun at Amberly.
Cain thought Gryce believed Amberly would get her bolter pistol first and kill him, unless he killed her first. Cain tried to shout a warning, but before he could, Gryce fired.
The bolter round exploded on the floor, shattering the gun she was almost reaching for into fragments, scattering wood splinters through the air. But this time, she suddenly vanished to another location.
"F*ck!"
Some very unladylike language and the sound of shattered porcelain in the corridor a few meters away told Cain she had crashed into a small display table for porcelain.
Gryce was surprised, which gave Cain enough time to pull the unruly hellgun far enough to fire another shot at him.
This shot made quite a mess of the exquisite wooden table, but unfortunately, it caused no further harm to the infected Governor. As Amberly landed, Gryce turned, just in time to see her roll with the agility of a gymnast.
"You're relieved of duty," she said, pointing a condemning finger at him, like an academic tutor chastising a disappointing student.
He began to laugh, racking the slide to fire at her again. At that moment, a bright light shot from the ornate ring on her hand that Cain had noticed at their first meeting.
Gryce swayed, stumbling backward, both hands clutching at his throat. His third hand still held the pistol, which fired randomly as he fell to his knees.
His face contorted as if struggling to breathe, then gradually darkened as his blood congealed. Pale yellow foam bubbled from his wide-open mouth.
"Finger stinger. This poison is said to cause extreme agony," Amberly explained, elegantly walking past the convulsing Governor.
Gryce was writhing helplessly on the ground, but a smile suddenly appeared on his face, and he endured the spasms of his body to say:
"Ha... haha... it's too late... we've stalled long enough... the Tyranid Swarm... the Tyranid Swarm will be here any moment!..."
Suddenly, Gryce seemed to feel something. All connection to the Tyranid Swarm and the Core Area was abruptly lost... "How... how is this possible... how..."
---
Core Area,
Forros and Titus led the Space Marine steadily forward, entering the upper part of the Core Area.
The air here was filled with a pungent odor, and the surrounding walls flickered with faint red warning lights, indicating abnormal system status.
In the center of the Core Area stood a massive energy core, emitting intense pulse waves, as if the entire area was beating for it. Countless Pureblood Gellerpox Infected used conduits to connect themselves to the energy core.
Through the energy core's immense power, it served as a large beacon, transmitting messages to the hive consciousness... "Stay alert, any anomaly could be fatal," Forros ordered in a low voice, his gaze fixed on the front.
Titus nodded, signaling the warriors to spread out and conduct a thorough search. They needed to find a way to shut down the energy core; if they rashly destroyed it, this planet would likely become a world of radiation and destruction.
Forros, along with several Techmarine, approached the reactor's controller. They pushed aside all the Gretchin corpses covering the controller.
The Gretchin's illegally modified Core reactor now displayed an additional value: the Gretchin's intergalactic communication preparation value. If the Core wasn't shut down soon, this message that would "attract the devils" would truly be sent out.
At this moment, the Techmarine noticed the energy core's lights flickering. Forros immediately signaled everyone to stop, as the energy core's index was too high; a rash shutdown could cause the reactor to melt down directly.
Titus picked up his Bolter and looked at the Gretchin below, powering the system with their bodies: "So we need to kill them all?"
Looking at the readings... Forros gritted his teeth, saying with difficulty... "It might already be too late..."
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble again. They listened carefully to the surrounding sounds. Suddenly, they heard the battle cries of the Astra Militarum and the rumble of tank treads.
"The Astra Militarum has also broken through the defenses."
At this moment, they saw the Astra Militarum rush into the lower part of the Core Area, already beginning to clear out the last of the Gretchin. These Gretchin, connected to the energy core, offered no resistance and were riddled with Astra Militarum bullets.
Soon, the Skitarii pushed a large device and quickly began connecting it to the Core reactor.
The Techmarine of the Adeptus Mechanicus operated the equipment with precision and skill, coordinating their movements tacitly, a hint of reverence in their eyes.
This was their sacred moment of dedication to the path of technology. Li Feng had allowed these high-achieving students, who had come with him from Mars, to exercise their initiative and develop their own technology. Their device was called the "interference matrix," a cutting-edge technology capable of isolating and suppressing long-range intergalactic communication.
If successfully connected to the energy core, the matrix would release an anti-frequency signal to disrupt the hive consciousness's communication frequency, thereby blocking information transmission.
Titus gripped his Bolter, his eyes fixed on the Gretchin remains connected to the Core, and said coldly, "Hurry up, we don't have much time left."
Forros also felt the urgency but remained calm as he gave instructions, ensuring every step was cautious and precise. Although the Core's energy index remained at a critical state, the installation of the interference matrix was proceeding step by step.
However, everyone knew they were in a dangerous gamble, and every moment of delay could allow the hive consciousness to perceive their intentions.
Just at the last moment of device connection, the energy core emitted a violent tremor, seemingly resisting the invasion of the interference device. The flickering red lights dimmed and brightened, and the walls began to tremble slightly, conveying an ominous premonition.
"Did we succeed?" a Tech-Priest asked in a low voice, a hint of tension in his tone.
Forros calmly watched the device's readings. After a few seconds, the interference matrix emitted a low hum, gradually stabilizing, indicating successful synchronization with the energy core.
However, the sudden silence was shattered by a chilling scream. It was a low-frequency resonance emanating from the moment the hive consciousness was severed, like thousands of voices tearing apart in despair, echoing throughout the entire Core Area. Every warrior felt that unnatural terror, their hearts sinking as if witnessing the end of the world.
As the final interference signal was released, the energy core's light gradually dimmed, and the system alarm ceased, alleviating some of the tension in the air.
"It seems the interference matrix is effective," Forros nodded slightly, yet he still dared not relax his vigilance.
Just then, the Astra Militarum Commander sent a message via communicator: "The Core Area has been completely cleared, and there are no signs of activity in the outer perimeter. The Tyranid Swarm has lost their signal source."
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"