vstars Chapter 224 A battle of wits and courage
Chapter 224 A battle of wits and courage
Vigilant Star, Crimson Fist Frontline Command
Russell stood before the battle commander, his armor still stained with the grime and blood of the city's depths. His voice was hoarse: "Company Commander Aksu...they were buried under the rubble."
Chapter Commander Pedro paused for a moment, his bronze power armor gleaming coldly under the lights. He turned to look at the holographic projection of the hive's structure: "This is not the time for grief. The Ancestral Dragon is alive, and his threat is greater than we realize."
The warband commander's finger traced across the hologram: "I want you to continue the search for the Ancestral Dragon. Take your squad, and the newly recruited Kashejin warriors."
Russell noticed the chapter leader's hands trembling slightly: "But Aksu and the others..."
“They know their mission,” Pedro interrupted. “Now, complete your task.”
…………
As Russell led his team deeper into the heart of the city, an eerie silence filled the air. Leos's data panel suddenly flashed: "Abnormal energy fluctuations detected... Wait, this can't be!"
Suddenly, Aksu appeared at the end of the passage. The Second Company Commander's power armor was intact, and he waved to them: "Come quick! I've found the Ancestral Dragon's hiding place!"
Brutal and excited, he was about to rush forward when Russell grabbed him: "Something's not right... Aksu's power gauntlets don't have that crack."
The illusion suddenly distorted, transforming into a holographic image of the Ancestral Dragon: "Clever child... but how much can you see through?"
The journey that followed was filled with illusions and false exits: what appeared to be a passage to the surface were actually abysses.
Resurrected Comrades: Fallen Kashejin warriors are "resurrected" to guide them.
Twisted space: the passageways constantly shift, as if they were alive.
“By the Emperor,” Arek wiped the cold sweat from his brow, “this place is worse than the hell described in the commissar's handbook.”
Finally, they arrived at an abandoned communications station.
"Search this place!" Russell said in a deep voice.
"My lord, look what I've discovered!" Leos exclaimed.
Holographic Log: Records the true plan of the Ancestral Dragon. Energy Traces: Point to a coordinate deeper within the Nest City. Mechanical Cult Code: Related to the Yellow Springs No. 8 Foundry.
“This information is very important!” Russell said.
“But we need to move on, Russell,” Commissar Arreek said.
As the squad prepared to continue, the battle leader's voice suddenly came through the communicator: "Russell, return immediately. Aksu... he's still alive."
…………
Russell stood before the abandoned communications station, the coordinates on his tactical visor flashing an ominous red light. The chapter commander's voice still echoed in his ears: "Russell, return immediately. Aksu... he's still alive."
“Something’s not right,” Leos suddenly said. “The Chapter Master never speaks like that.”
But it was too late.
The entire communications station suddenly deformed, and the metal plates on the walls wriggled like snakes. Dozens of gene stealers emerged from the shadows, their carapaces engraved with the symbol of the Ancestral Dragon.
"The Emperor's hemorrhoids!" Arek shouted, raising his weapon. "We've fallen for their trap!"
Twenty Kashejin warriors immediately formed a defensive formation: Precision firing: sniper rifles fired in quick succession at the gene stealers' joints. Tactical coordination: alternating cover, advancing step by step. Deadly counterattack: melee daggers aimed straight for vital points.
"For the Emperor!" roared the Kashejin warrior, slicing through the onrushing enemies with his power sword. His squad formed a wall of flesh and blood in the narrow passage.
[System Notification: Kashejin Warrior has killed 23 Gene Stealers]
He brutally swung his power hammer, slamming enemies into the ground like whack-a-mole: "I love this game!"
Leos hid behind cover, his data panel flashing frantically: "Boss! They're trying to surround us!"
Arek's chainsword roared, cleaving an elite genestealer in two at the waist: "Shut up, focus on killing the enemy!"
Russell activated "Imperial Protection," and "Blood Drinker" drew a golden arc. When the shovel cleaved through the carapace of an elite, he saw a nauseating truth—beneath those ancestral dragon symbols lay the genetic code of countless commoners.
[System Notification: Killing an Elite Genestealer, Faith Power +10 (Current 1745/4000)]
The entire battlefield was suddenly enveloped by a holographic projection. The four-armed figure of the Ancestral Dragon appeared, its third eye flashing with a mocking light.
"Did you enjoy my welcome?" His voice carried the distinctive buzzing of the insect hive. "This is just the appetizer..."
Suddenly, the ground began to collapse. Russell grabbed the brutal storm shield, and Arek clung to Leos's backpack strap. The Kashezin warriors weren't so lucky; half of them plunged into the abyss.
"Retreat!" Russell shouted. "Follow the light!"
When the squad broke through the encirclement, only half of the Kashejin warriors remained. Each soldier's armor was stained with the slime of the gene-stealers and the blood of their comrades.
“By the Emperor…” Leos looked at the casualty statistics, “we have lost twelve of our best warriors.”
Arek wiped the blood from his chainsaw sword: "This score will be settled with Zu Long sooner or later."
[System Notification: Faith Power +20 (Current 1765/4000)]
…………
Russell stared at the flashing coordinates on his tactical goggles—it was the distress signal from Aksu “transmitted” by the battle group commander.
Russell sneered: Here we go again.
The Brutality was pounding the wall with a power hammer, the sparks illuminating the savage grin on his face: "This time I'm going to smash the Ancestral Dragon's ass!"
As the team stepped into the secret chamber containing the coordinates, Leos's data panel suddenly went black. "Boss, the energy readings are wrong..." Before he could finish speaking, holographic images of twelve ancestral dragons appeared from all directions.
"We meet again, little knight." Each image spoke in sync, "Guess which one is the real one?"
Russell gave Arek a wink. The commissar suddenly yelled, "You coward who doesn't even dare to show his true form!" His brutal roar, accompanied by pounding his chest, shattered the two holographic images into static.
The ground suddenly transformed into a bloody swamp, and hundreds of gene stealers emerged from their cocoons. Their carapaces glowed with an eerie blue light, and their claws were crackling with psionic arcs.
"Proceed according to plan!" Russell shouted. The Kashejin warriors suddenly split into three groups: the decoy group: creating a wall of fire with molten grenades; the sniper group: precisely targeting the psionic cores; and the mobile group: blocking the retreat route with grappling hooks.
When a hologram was grazed by a stray bullet, Russell's "Blood Drinker" suddenly trembled—the resonance of the bone coating revealed its true form.
"Found you!" Russell feigned a stumble, luring his clone closer. Just as the claws were about to touch his throat, "Fire Qilin" suddenly fired from under his armpit, the holy blood bullet piercing through the clone's third eye.
[System Notification: Defeating the Ancestral Dragon's clone, Faith Power +100 (Current 1865/4000)]
The tattered clone suddenly expanded, emitting a piercing shriek: "You'll regret this!" In the shockwave of the explosion, the team took refuge in the blast chamber at the last second.
Through the observation window, they saw a data chip floating out of the clone's remains—engraved with the Armenus family crest.
"He's panicking! He's panicking!" Leos laughed, coughing up blood. "This old bug has finally broken down."
“These chips?” Political Commissar Arek asked.
“We need the information from above!” Russell began reading the chip's information, which contained astonishing details: Cloning factory coordinates: All three nests contain Ancestral Dragon clones. Energy node distribution: The psionic network controlling the entire planet. Mysterious note: “Beware of Aksu's eyes…”