Chapter 900: Shadow Star (6)

Shu mine.

Wasi and two Anya Shouwei.

"Primarch's orders: Recon the interior of the mine, confirm the anomalous energy source, prioritize reconnaissance, avoid contact. If encountered, eliminate silently."

"Confirmed, Sergeant. There is an auxiliary entrance on the right cliff with fewer guards."

Hete took out a Combat Knife and responded.

Riwen adjusted his helmet and said over the comms channel.

"Scans show the internal tunnels are complex, with chaotic energy signals. Suggest following the path of the strongest energy source."

"Hector takes point, I'll take the center, Riwen brings up the rear and marks the route. Move out."

"Received!"

The three approached the flank entrance without a sound.

Two Shu guards stood at the entrance, holding polearms filled with electric arcs, talking in a guttural language.

After getting close to the two guards, Hete swung his Combat Knife down quickly; the two guards fell to the ground and went still before they could make a sound.

Wasi gestured, and Hete dragged the guards' bodies to a concealed spot.

Riwen connected a decoder to the entrance control panel, and a few minutes later, the metal door slid open.

"Simple encryption system, alarms disabled. We have twenty minutes until the shift change."

Hearing Riwen's prompt, Wasi replied.

"That is enough time."

The interior of the mine was more complex than expected.

The tunnels not only extended underground but also expanded laterally, forming individual subterranean cavities.

Furnaces, Refineries, and processing workshops were continuous.

Riwen said over the comms channel while recording data.

"The technological level of these Aliens exceeds expectations; energy utilization efficiency is close to Imperium standards, though the design philosophy is primitive."

Wasi observed his surroundings.

"Stay focused. Watch for anomalous energy signals."

They proceeded down the main tunnel, avoiding several squads of Shu workers fleeing outward.

The stealth of the Anya Shouwei allowed them to remain undetected while only meters away from the Shu.

The deeper they went, the more industrial lighting was replaced by a purple glow, which originated from the rock walls themselves.

"Sergeant, look at this."

Hete pointed to a section of the rock wall.

The wall was covered in a layer of black, viscous substance, with a faint purple light flowing beneath it.

Riwen stepped forward to scan it.

"Biomass composition unknown. Energy readings are consistent with the external anomalous signal. It seems to be... growing."

"This may have some connection to why those Aliens fled in such a panic. Continue forward."

As the three went deeper, they found this black substance becoming increasingly dense.

In some places, it had completely covered the tunnel walls, obstructing passage.

Furthermore, a rhythmic pulsing sound was becoming clearer.

Wasi listened to the pulsing sound and speculated.

"The sound comes from below, and the main energy source is also in that direction."

They arrived before a larger cavern, the entrance partially blocked by an organic, membrane-like structure.

The pulsing sound was clearer here, and the surrounding energy index was also significantly higher.

Hete pushed aside the membrane structure, and the three looked inside.

The interior of the cavern had been completely transformed by black biomass.

The entire space was covered in organic material, emitting a ghostly purple light.

In the center of the cavern was a massive, pulsing sac-like structure.

Hundreds of Shu workers were "fused" into the biomass.

Some only had half their bodies exposed, while others were embedded in the walls.

The black substance was slowly covering and Devouring them.

Hete let out a low exclamation.

"Emperor... the Aliens are being digested alive."

Just then, three of the partially fused Shu suddenly began to twitch.

The black substance covered their heads, and then... contracted.

When the substance receded, those Shu had vanished.

The black substance gained energy from the Devouring, and its growth rate accelerated significantly.

"This is a biological Devouring phenomenon with astonishing efficiency. It is learning how to better digest biomass."

Suddenly, a sound came from another entrance deep within the cavern.

A squad of Shu miners entered the cavern, accompanied by several guards.

Seeing this, Wasi said over the comms channel.

"Attention, observe and record."

Seeing the scene in the cavern, the Shu let out a series of screams.

The lead guard ordered a retreat, and just then, the black substance on the ground suddenly surged!

Black tentacles coiled around the legs of the Shu, dragging them to the ground.

More tentacles extended from the walls and ceiling, wrapping around the struggling victims.

"Help—!"

A Shu guard's cry for help was cut off by black matter suddenly stuffing their mouth.

The Shu fired their arc weapons at the tentacles.

Although each hit made the tentacles retreat temporarily, more tentacles surged forth in an endless stream.

More importantly, the black matter was adapting rapidly; the second electric shock was significantly less effective than the first.

"They are adapting, an astonishing speed of evolution."

A strong Shu guard managed to sever the tentacles wrapped around them and charged toward the exit.

Just as they were about to reach the position where the Raven Guard were hiding, a thick tentacle shot down from the ceiling, piercing straight through their chest.

The guard coughed up a large mouthful of blood, and the surface of the tentacle began to secrete a type of digestive fluid; the guard's body was decomposed and absorbed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

At this moment, from the cracks splitting on the surface of the sac-like structure in the center of the cave, the purple light no longer radiated evenly, but swept across the entire cave.

A beam of light happened to sweep across the cave entrance where the Raven Guard were hiding.

Instantly, the pulsing sound throughout the cave stopped. All the purple light spots on the surface of the black matter turned in unison toward the direction of the three Space Marines.

"We've been discovered! Energy readings are rising sharply! They are locking onto us!"

Several patches of black biomass closest to them suddenly burst open, and several blurry humanoid shapes rushed out from within.

These "split-forms" lunged straight at the Raven Guard.

Seeing this, Wasi immediately gave the order.

"Retreat! Cover each other! Move toward the exit!"

Hete fired first, hitting the leading split-form with a three-round burst.

The Bolter blew its upper body to pieces, but the lower body still charged forward a few steps before collapsing and melting back into the biomass.

"They are no longer prioritizing repair! They are pursuing quantity over quality!"

More split-forms surged in from all directions; their forms became more diverse, with some arms deforming into sharp spikes, and others forming hammer-like structures.

Wasi fired the Plasma Pistol continuously, and each blue-white Energy Bomb was able to completely eliminate a target.

"But they are still fragile! Concentrate fire to open a path!"

The three formed a standard retreat formation, with Hete leading the way, Wasi covering the center, and Riwen bringing up the rear and throwing grenades.

The three retreated along the path they had come, only to find that the passage had been partially blocked by newly formed black matter.

These substances actively changed their structure to form obstacles and traps.

"They are guiding us! Trying to force us into a dead end!"

Hete fired a Bolter at a biomass obstacle that looked particularly thick.

"Then force a path through!"

The explosion cleared the obstacle but also shook down a large amount of rubble.

The three rushed through the smoke and dust, continuing to advance toward the exit.

The attacks of the split-forms became increasingly organized.

Some split-forms attracted fire from the front, while others ambushed from the flanks and rear.

Wasi shot and killed a split-form lunging from the shadows on the side.

"They are learning basic tactics! The speed of evolution is abnormally fast!"

Hete noticed that the Bolter required more rounds to completely eliminate a target; they were making adjustments to their internal structure, reducing the concentration of critical parts.

"Sergeant, the effect of my Bolter is decreasing! They are adapting to our weapons!"

Wasi switched his visor mode to carefully observe the remains of the recently eliminated split-forms.

"It's not adaptation... it's analyzing our attack methods and then making targeted evolutions! Absorbing a portion of the energy!"

Riwen added while changing the Bolter magazine.

"And they've started using ranged attacks!"

Several split-forms stopped in the distance, their arms deforming into rough tube-like structures, firing high-speed purple energy clusters.

The purple energy clusters exploded upon hitting the Power Armor.

"They are trying every possible means, but they haven't found the most effective one yet. We must break out before they fully adapt."

Wasi: "Break through at full speed! Do not engage in melee! Riwen, use concussion Hand Grenades to disrupt them!"

Riwen threw several specially made concussion Hand Grenades; the intense vibration and sound waves produced caused the surrounding black matter to temporarily lose its activity. The three took the opportunity to sprint at full speed, passing through the densest area.