Chapter 127: Two Survivors

The roar of storm bolters echoed through the air.

The Governor's palace was shrouded in shadow, with only gunfire granting brief moments of light nearby.

Genestealers, seemingly endless, emerged from the palace shadows and lunged at twenty Blood Angels First Company Astartes clad in Terminator armor.

Captain Calain swung the Mace of Baal in his hand, smashing the Purestrain Genestealer lunging at him.

Amidst the roar of the power field on the heavy mace, that Purestrain Genestealer's head burst into thick pulp.

This masterwork power hammer, named the Mace of Baal, is one of the relics of the Blood Angels Chapter, forged by master craftsmen a thousand years ago with utmost care, and personally bestowed upon him, the First Captain, by Dante.

The power field accumulated within the heavy mace roared forth, transforming into blue arcs that splashed out, hammering another Purestrain Genestealer, who feared no death and tried to approach him, into blackened rotting flesh.

But just then, a sharp claw suddenly thrust at Captain Calain from the diagonal rear—

"Captain!!!"

The roar of a chainsword fist sounded as the Terminator warrior Aefrey, guarding Captain Calain, smashed the chainsword fist into the face of that Purestrain Genestealer attempting a sneak attack.

The chainsword hummed, and that Purestrain Genestealer was torn in half.

Captain Calain nodded toward Aefrey to express his gratitude.

Terminator armor is sturdy and reliable, but according to Captain Calain's experience, the claws of some Purestrain Genestealers can even cut through tank armor; compared to that, Terminators might be as delicate as silk.

"Perhaps their claws carry disintegration fields!"

Aefrey seemed to know what Captain Calain was thinking and said half-jokingly.

"Do you think these mad insects look like they have civilization?" said Bartolo, guarding Captain Calain on the other side and holding a flamethrower.

While speaking, he adjusted the nozzle of the flamethrower, and scorching fire burned the approaching swarm of insects into ash.

The aliens turned into pillars of fire and died amidst screams.

"Aliens! Die in the flames of the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang and Sanguinius!!!" Bartolo roared.

Hearing this, both Captain Calain and Aefrey couldn't help but smile.

"Look, they seem to have been waiting to welcome us all along!"

Aefrey continued joking:

"Truly considerate aliens; who knows, they might have even formed a welcoming committee for us!"

"Only civilized races serve so attentively! Don't you agree? Bartolo?"

In response to Aefrey's question, Bartolo's reply was only more scorching fire: "Sorry, brother, I'm busy carrying out the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's will! No time for your nonsense!"

The sound of storm bolters rang out, covering Captain Calain as he used the Mace of Baal to crush the Genestealers around him into meat paste.

Captain Calain felt some irritation.

Although they had just made quite a few jokes, their actual state was not good.

There were too many Genestealers; Aefrey was right that they were deliberately guarding this place, waiting for them.

Since entering the Governor's palace through teleportation, Captain Calain had always felt uneasy, as if a pair of eyes—perhaps more than one pair—were watching him from the shadows, observing him.

That faint, intermittent gaze was sometimes filled with hostility and sometimes with patience.

This made Captain Calain's hair stand on end.

"Too many!!" Aefrey roared, his roaring power fist tearing open the head of another Purestrain Genestealer: "Have Genestealers from the entire planet come to welcome us?!"

"More alien scum! More to serve the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang and Sanguinius!" Bartolo shouted angrily.

Short bursts of fire forced back the Genestealers trying to approach them.

"Aefrey is right!!!"

Captain Calain roared, thrusting the Mace of Baal in his hand like a spear, smashing a Genestealer hard against the wall and completely flattening its internal organs.

This corridor was too narrow for the Terminator armor to maneuver easily.

Meanwhile, the Genestealers were smaller, more agile, and better suited for fighting in such an environment.

Captain Calain pointed to a corridor ahead leading to the People's Hall and shouted to the First Company warriors beside him: "Go there; that place is more suitable for us to fight!"

"Glad to serve!" Aefrey's chainsword fist quickly tore through the bodies of the Genestealers, and Bartolo's fire also surged forth.

Under the cover of the two, Captain Calain and several other Terminator warriors rushed quickly toward that corridor.

After the Blood Angels' figures disappeared, a giant beast hidden in the darkness slowly revealed its body.

A red-armored giant; it was an enemy it had not seen in many years of its life.

The Astartes, the Underworld Worm, had only heard this name and knew it was a dangerous enemy.

Even from such a distance, the Underworld Worm could feel their terrifying violence.

To deal with them, the Underworld Worm gathered all its offspring in the city of Vardia; the Hive Mind was dissatisfied with this, but the Underworld Worm resisted its orders.

This should not have happened.

The Underworld Worm extended its slender scarlet tongue and quickly retracted it. Under the control of the Hive Mind, it should not have displayed emotions and should have unhesitatingly merged into the Song of Leviathan.

But the Underworld Worm was angry; the Underworld Worm hated.

Bitter memories of the past constantly entangled its mind.

That man, Augustus Flax, its brother, the brother who killed its parents, the brother who made it homeless.

The Underworld Worm hated him and wanted to kill him.

For this, even temporarily defying the Hive Mind's will was worth it.

The Underworld Worm led its offspring and disappeared into the darkness. Moments after the Underworld Worm vanished, Zhou Yun, wearing a Phantom DX suit, slowly walked out from the darkness.

This suit, named after the Phantom, granted Zhou Yun enhancements in all aspects, with concealment being particularly outstanding.

Neither the Underworld Worm, the Genestealer Patriarch, nor the elite Terminator Astartes of the Blood Angels First Company had discovered him.

This was normal; after all, the Phantom DX suit was a tool created for theft.

Since entering the Top Nest, Zhou Yun had constantly used the Seeker Staff to determine the locations of Augustus Flax and the Underworld Worm.

Augustus Flax's location had not changed, while the Underworld Worm had been moving constantly.

This Gene-Stealer Patriarch is truly shamefully cautious, always staying behind a vast host of Pure-Blood Gene-Stealers.

Every attack against the First Company of the Blood Angels is carried out through his Blasphemous Offspring.

He himself remains hidden in the darkness, motionless, staring intently at the movements of the Blood Angels.

As for how Zhou Yun knew: Zhou Yun followed behind it, motionless, staring at it.

"You are even more shamefully cautious," the winged figure within the Bai Guang said, shaking his head.

"There is no other way," Zhou Yun's lips twitched slightly.

In a one-on-one fight, the Hive Tyrant could not possibly defeat the current Zhou Yun.

But the problem is that this Hive Tyrant is not only protected by a large host of Pure-Blood Gene-Stealers beside him,

but also, at the slightest hint of danger, will flee without hesitation.

Zhou Yun had already witnessed this once when he was in the Underhive.

When it runs, it cares not for face at all; six limbs hitting the ground, it scuttles like a giant centipede.

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Moreover, if a single ambush fails, the Hive Mind will discover Zhou Yun through the Hive Tyrant.

By that time, what Zhou Yun will face will not be just one Hive Tyrant.

He must patiently, patiently wait for the moment the Hive Tyrant relaxes, then strike to kill, hunting the Hive Tyrant.

"Truly shamefully cautious," the winged figure within the Bai Guang could not help but sigh.

Zhou Yun is now basically using his offspring to draw the Hive Tyrant's attention.

However, the winged figure within the Bai Guang had no complaints about this.

Fighting the enemies of mankind requires both warriors like Astartes who fight on the front lines, and old schemers like Zhou Yun.

"But my offspring are fighting quite well, aren't they?" the winged figure within the Bai Guang asked.

Zhou Yun nodded in approval.

It must be said, no wonder they are the elite of the First Company of the Blood Angels; working together, the twenty of them are like one body.

It is a pity, their numbers are far too small.

Even the commander Dante probably did not expect that Augustus Flax had such a Gene-Stealer Patriarch as an enemy.

Throwing twenty Terminators into the torrent formed by the Gene-Stealers makes it impossible to withdraw unscathed.

Unless Dante sends reinforcements.

"Not just their reinforcements," the winged figure within the Bai Guang said vaguely, "but also your reinforcements."

When the twenty Terminator warriors of the First Company entered a relatively safe room, standing beneath a relatively open dome,

"A spacious hall, pity there is no banquet," Aferri joked, "Truly a group of people who don't understand——"

Aferri's voice was suddenly cut off; he saw a shadow moving in the corner and quickly swung his chainsword fist.

A Gene-Stealer hiding in the shadows dodged Aferri's attack.

Its sharp claws stabbed directly at Aferri's ankle, forcibly tearing open the Terminator power armor and cutting into Aferri's flesh.

Blood and machine oil sprayed from the shattered ceramite; Aferri let out a low roar and dropped to one knee.

The Gene-Stealers quickly lunged at him.

"Get back! Damn xenos!"

The wind of the Hammer of Baal roared, shattering the Gene-Stealer lunging at Aferri; Kaelen swiftly moved to guard in front of Aferri.

Bartolo rushed forward with silent fury, the heavy flamers in his hand spitting tongues of scorching fire.

Reflected upon his visor were the figures of the Gene-Stealers screaming and dying in the flames.

"Can you still walk?" Company Leader Kaelen tried to pull Aferri to his feet.

The heavy Terminator power armor now seemed to have become a burden.

"No, my legs are done for," Aferri said, leaning against the wall and shaking his head.

Even with Kaelen's help, he could not stand up.

"Damn, they are probably all severed," Kaelen said, glancing at Aferri's wound.

Such a wound could almost kill a mortal, but Aferri is a Blood Angel, hmm?

Kaelen suddenly noticed that Aferri was staring fixedly at the dome, as if he had discovered something.

"Company Leader!" Aferri sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.

Kaelen followed his gaze.

He saw that the dome above their heads was writhing.

(End of this chapter)