Chapter 214: Hell's Gate

Howl…

The demon, reduced to half a body, lay on its back on the metal floor, wailing.

It strained to turn its head, its eyes filled with eerie red light, and looked toward the passage, only to see the floor littered with corpses of its kind.

The culprit behind this scene, a sergeant whose helmet emitted a faint green glow from the eye area, stepped toward it.

Unlike demons formed from mutated humans forced into corruption, this half‑body demon is a native of the Hell plane, a true demon in the literal sense.

It, which should have spread terror, watched the halted sergeant lift his left foot, and after seeing the sole of the magnetic boot, its twisted face showed an expression of extreme terror.

"Roar!" Instinct forced it to unleash unprecedented potential to flee.

Unfortunately, the sergeant moved even faster.

With a crisp "Bang~!", the sergeant crushed the demon's skull—protected by the hardest bone—like stepping on a watermelon.

After eliminating this native, the sergeant continued toward the end of the passage; the closer he got, the more he sensed the unrest emanating from the port.

Eventually he exited the tunnel and reached the secondary port, where containers piled with all kinds of goods and minerals stood, equipped with numerous large robotic arms.

But the objects here were twisted and warped, the robotic arms collapsed or tilted, the containers deformed, as if an explosion or impact had turned the place into a wreck.

Magnus had once sensed a large gathering of demons here, but now it was empty, since the demons had all gone to block the sergeant.

The result was that they were physically expelled by the sergeant.

At the center of the port stood a "gate" whose edges emitted a blood‑red glow.

Measuring through his helmet's display, the sergeant learned the gate's diameter was 66 meters, and he also saw that beyond the gate lay a barren plain under a blood‑colored sky.

Having witnessed this, the sergeant inferred that the source of Deimos's current state was this very gate connecting to the so‑called Hell plane.

———————

…

Soon after.

Inside a large conference room of the new recruit training area at Luna Base on the far side of the Moon.

"Sir, based on reverse calculation from the anomaly's central point, I determined that the container at the center originated from UEG engineering ship No. 014, and its cargo consists of ore collected by that ship from the asteroid belt.

I have informed Agents Kennedy and BoKen on Deimos to locate any surviving crew of ship 014 and negotiate, so the company can fully understand the cause of this incident."

Bai Hou, whose eyes glowed teal, stood on the left side of the conference room's center, using a more three‑dimensional hologram to brief her boss on the above.

Following Bai Hou's gaze, one could see Sui Bian seated at the far end of the U‑shaped table.

At that moment he reclined against the chair back, hands on the armrests, perpetually composed.

In terms of attire, although no longer the dark suits he once wore, he still donned a custom black uniform resembling a suit with a slightly militaristic cut.

The uniform's edges were embroidered with lavish gold thread and red lines, and the collar featured two small pin‑buttons shaped like red‑white umbrellas.

Nowadays Sui Bian's outward appearance reveals no specific age, seemingly as if, like Leon, he had also received anti‑aging injections.

In fact, he has not.

Although the ten legions of Astate total only about seven hundred, the legions do not represent all of Umbrella.

Including the Grey Knights formed less than two years ago and the new recruits who have undergone G‑gland implantation, Umbrella's total Astate count has already exceeded a thousand, reaching a staggering 1,400‑plus.

This allows Sui Bian, who possesses the "father‑son link" ability, to continuously strengthen his physique without needing anti‑aging injections to extend his lifespan.

As for how strong his body truly is, Sui Bian has never tested it, but beating his OriginalBody sons—who wear powered armor—with his bare hands would be no problem at all.

Fortunately his sons are low‑maintenance; since the legion's establishment each has become self‑sufficient, only Rus ever makes Sui Bian flash the thought of possibly giving him a beating.

After all, whenever Rus reports or contacts him out of longing, he always can't control his voice.

If given a chance to reunite, Rus always teases Shengjilesi and Magnus, and wants to drag all the brothers into heavy drinking.

Of course, Sui Bian would never actually beat Rus, because he knows Rus's nature.

And now.

After hearing Bai Hou's analysis, Sui Bian looked at the holographic screen's data and became convinced that the "gate" was linked to the Hell plane he knew.

That is, it resembles the Hell from Doom.

He then said, "Name this anomaly the Hell Gate and send the relevant data to the Plague Doctor so he can help analyze it."

"Understood, sir," Bai Hou replied.

"Red Queen," Sui Bian rose from his seat and said to the Red Queen, who also stood at the center of the conference room, "Notify Artemis and Rebecca to temporarily halt new recruit selection."

"Yes, sir," the Red Queen answered.

Sui Bian then walked toward the exit, while Bai Hou voluntarily dispersed all holographic screens and, together with the Red Queen, followed his left and right sides out of the conference room.

Afterwards they walked through the corridor to the central plaza of the new recruit training area.

This plaza is far larger than the other central plazas at Luna Base, also featuring green vegetation and an artificial lake, surrounded by more advanced holographic virtual installations.

Looking out, it feels as if one stands on Earth's surface in a springtime park.

However, the "trainees" here are all robust, averaging over 1.9 meters tall, many exceeding two meters.

These trainees are prospective Astate.

After a decade of expansion, Luna Base's scale far surpasses its former size; while extracting lunar resources and constructing Eagle‑class and next‑generation warships, it also serves as a training base for prospective Astate.

Originally the Mother Hive handled the surgeries, living arrangements, and training of prospective Astate.

But the Mother Hive's expansion has limits; Luna Base on the Moon, however, does not face this concern and can accommodate more people, including prospective Astate.

As the supervisor, Rebecca naturally shifted the work center gradually to the Moon; the Mother Hive now holds only a nominal role, and its highest‑ranking remaining official is Dr. Wang Zhaofeng of the Advanced Research and Development Department.

The "new recruit selection" Sui Bian mentioned to the Red Queen actually refers to Artemis's plan to pick suitable candidates from the mass of prospective Astate to become Grey Knights.

After all, his flagship Gryphon carries not only Leon's Dark Angel, but also Grey Knights and a few Ghost operatives.

(End of Chapter)