The black cocoon stood about ten feet tall, its body as dark as ink. Fine purple-black patterns swirled across its surface, writhing slowly like a living creature. The violent energy shockwave from moments ago had been unleashed at the very second this cocoon formed.
Byrne and Marco exchanged a look, both seeing the gravity of the situation in each other's eyes.
"What is this thing?" Byrne asked, looking at the cocoon with a face full of confusion as they drew near.
Marco gripped his light sword tighter, his psychic energy quietly spreading out to probe the cocoon. However, as soon as his psychic threads touched the surface, they were blocked by an invisible force, unable to penetrate even a fraction of an inch.
Retracting his energy, Marco spoke in a heavy tone, "Something's wrong. There is an extremely strong energy barrier on the surface of this cocoon. My psychic power can't pierce it; it even swallowed quite a bit of my energy."
Byrne tried as well. The moment his psychic threads made contact, he felt a bone-chilling cold, followed by a sensation of corrosion at the tips of the threads. This corrosive feeling was more hidden and stubborn than the mycelium he had encountered on the ground earlier.
Beside him, Marco warned, "Be careful. This cocoon is corrosive and can interfere with psychic flow. I perceive that inside, besides the Lord of Change, there's also the influence of the Lord of Corruption—and even a wisp of psychic energy that doesn't belong to any Chaos god. It's truly strange."
Just then, the purple-black patterns on the surface began to writhe faster. The originally ink-black walls of the cocoon took on an eerie luster, occasionally flashing with the purple light characteristic of Tzeentch, then staining with the dark green of Nurgle. The two Chaos energies intertwined within the walls, yet they did not conflict; instead, they fused together in an unnatural harmony.
As soon as he spoke, the black cocoon began to vibrate violently, and the patterns on the walls grew incandescent. A low hum resonated through the entire transfer station, vibrating painfully against their eardrums. The shaking intensified until a tiny crack suddenly appeared on the surface.
An eerie mist, a blend of purple and green, seeped from the crack. Wherever it passed, the ore on the ground was instantly corroded into black sludge. The stench of rot and the unsettling atmosphere in the air grew even thicker.
As the two stood on guard, the cocoon's tremors reached a peak. The crack on the surface expanded, spreading from a single slit into several fissures that covered the entire wall like a spiderweb.
"Not good, it's about to hatch!"
With a sound like porcelain smashing against the floor, the entire black cocoon shattered completely. After a while, the dust cleared. Byrne and Marco rushed toward the center of the impact.
Before long, Byrne saw a man sitting on the ground. It was Governor David Rick. Scattered around him were several corpses lying in various positions. Among them were the fallen close guards and the assassin who had hidden in the waste pile.
To Byrne's surprise, he saw Marcus there as well. At this moment, Marcus's power armor was completely destroyed, its shell cracked open to reveal a blood-mangled body beneath. His helmet lay discarded to the side. Byrne checked and found that Marcus had merely collapsed into unconsciousness.
On the other side, Marco reached David and helped him up. "Governor, how are you? What was the situation with that black cocoon?"
David stood up slowly, coughing a few times before speaking weakly, "That was a Chaos creation released by a follower of the Lord of Change, intended as a final, desperate struggle."
Hearing this, Marco's gaze swept over the scene, finally settling on Marcus. Marco had some recollection of this man. He belonged to the Department of Finance, had served on the battlefield, and had undergone a certain degree of genetic modification. While not at the level of a Space Marine, his physical constitution was far superior to that of an average person.
"Governor, the follower of the Lord of Change you mentioned... you mean Marcus?"
David followed Marco's gaze to the unconscious Marcus and shook his head slowly. "Probably not entirely. He gives me the feeling of someone being used."
Byrne frowned. "Like Gary before? His will was tampered with by Chaos sorcery?"
David shook his head. "I don't know. Seeing Marcus's madness at the end, I thought for a moment I wouldn't survive. Fortunately, the three guards took him down."
Having said this, David turned his gaze to Marco and Byrne in turn. "If I'm not mistaken, the two of you are not members of the guard detail. Who are you?"
Marco replied, "Bureau of Heresy Investigation."
David smiled faintly. "I see. It seems my movements for this inspection were already compromised by the heretics. For the two of you to sneak into the guard detail, I assume it was the Director's arrangement?"
Marco nodded. "It was indeed at the Director's behest. We received an anonymous tip claiming there was an intent to assassinate the Governor. The letter even contained an energy chip belonging to the Lord of Corruption. The Director was worried about your safety, so he had us assist the security in secret."
Marco looked down at Marcus's broken armor, condensing a faint wisp of psychic energy at his fingertip and lightly tapping it against Marcus's neck. As the energy seeped in, he detected an extremely faint trace of Chaos energy. This energy was entrenched in Marcus's body but had not yet completely corrupted his soul.
Withdrawing his energy, Marco spoke heavily, "As expected. His soul is still intact, but his consciousness was suppressed by Chaos energy. To be able to manipulate Marcus into creating a foul thing like that black cocoon, the person behind this is likely no ordinary follower of the Lord of Change."
Marco turned, his eyes scanning the other corpses. "The follower of the Lord of Corruption was the bait; the black-armored puppet was the distraction; and Marcus was the final killing blow. From the anonymous tip to the assassination route, every step was calculated precisely. The person behind the curtain knows your schedule perfectly, Governor, and knew our Bureau would inevitably intervene."
"Governor!"
Just then, several shouts echoed from nearby. Byrne and the others looked over to see a dozen or so guards running toward them. Leading them was the guard captain, covered in dust, with a blood-soaked bandage wrapped around his left arm.
When he reached the vicinity and saw the wreckage inside the transfer station—the scattered ore, the broken conveyor belts, and the bodies on the ground—his face changed drastically. He immediately knelt on one knee before David. "Governor, your subordinate was late in protecting you. I have failed you."
The other guards followed suit, half-kneeling in unison, keeping their heads low, not daring to look David in the eye.
David waved a hand and said plainly, "Rise. I do not blame you for this assassination. The heretics planned this too meticulously. Send men to clear the scene, treat the wounded, and bring Marcus back to the Governor's Mansion for detention."
"Yes, Governor!" The guard captain rose and immediately began assigning tasks.