65: Commander, the enemy ADC can read minds!

[Lunar Low Earth Orbit - "Sword of Truth" Hangar]

"Stormbird One, engine ignition." "Stormbird Two, self-check complete." "Stormbird Three, assault squad boarding complete."

Three Stormbird heavy landing craft, resembling black birds of prey, let out a low roar within the massive hangar.

The scorching exhaust seared the deck, and the air distorted from the high temperature.

C-19 sat in the troop compartment of "Stormbird One," swapping a new magazine into the Bolter in his hands.

Beside him were forty silent First Legion warriors.

They were the tip of the spear for this raid.

"Commander." C-19 gave his final report to Li Cang over the internal channel.

"We will enter the atmosphere in three minutes. Estimated arrival at the target area in five minutes."

"Received." Li Cang's voice came from the operations cabin, sounding quite relaxed.

"Remember, prioritize securing high-value genetic templates and avoid getting bogged down in combat with main enemy units."

"You are raiders, not Crusaders."

"Understood." C-19 closed the communication.

"Hatch closing."

"Departing."

...[Lunar Surface - Above Gene-Breeding Laboratory No. 7]

The Stormbird gunships tore through the moon's atmosphere—so thin it was almost non-existent—emitting a piercing sonic boom.

Through the porthole, N-05 saw their target clearly for the first time.

That was not a "laboratory" at all.

It was a mountain.

A living mountain composed of purplish-red, pulsating flesh tissue.

Countless thick blood vessels, like major arteries, were intertwined across the mountain's surface. With every pulse, green nutrient fluid was pumped to the summit.

At the summit, there were no buildings, only a giant translucent biological dome resembling an "egg."

Through that membrane, countless tiny points of light could be seen flickering inside.

A recruit let out a dry heave, which was clearly captured by the communicator.

Although the power armor's air filtration system could block out smells, it couldn't block the instinctive revulsion toward this "erroneous life form" that originated from the depths of human genetics.

"Prepare for air-drop." C-19's voice interrupted everyone's discomfort.

The three Stormbirds hovered a kilometer away from the "Meat Mountain."

The hatches opened.

The cold vacuum rushed in instantly.

"For the Emperor!"

Forty Astartes, like black raindrops, leapt from a height of a thousand meters.

The jump packs on their backs emitted brief bursts of fire to decelerate and adjust their posture.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Heavy power armor slammed onto the surface of the "Meat Mountain."

The sensation underfoot was extremely eerie.

It wasn't rock, but a tough, slippery, and elastic organic ground that sank slightly when stepped on.

"Stay alert." C-19 had barely finished speaking.

The "ground" beneath their feet suddenly began to squirm.

Hiss—!

Dozens of bone blades, sharp as scythes, thrust out from the fleshy ground without warning, aiming straight for the Astartes' vital joints!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks flew.

Relying on their superhuman reaction speeds, the Astartes instantly raised their arms or twisted their bodies, blocking this round of sneak attacks with their thickest ceramite armor.

"Ambush!"

Immediately after, the surrounding "walls."

Those massive tumors snapped open like the traps of carnivorous plants.

From within, hundreds of those Four-armed Monsters seen before in the lower levels of the Hive City—Genestealers—swarmed out.

No, they looked stronger, their carapaces thicker, and their eyes flickered with the light of intelligence and cunning.

"Open fire!" C-19 ordered immediately.

A defensive line of black steel was established in an instant, and the roar of Bolters tore through this deathly silent land of flesh.

A storm of bullets blew the first dozens of monsters into a spray of purple blood.

But more monsters swarmed from all directions.

Utilizing the complex fleshy terrain, they climbed and jumped with startling speed.

"Left flank! They're coming up from the left flank!" an Astartes roared.

The barrel of the Bolter in his hand was already glowing red-hot.

Just then.

A strange, hymn-like chanting echoed from the giant "egg" at the summit.

The singing had no physical form, yet like an invisible probe, it pierced directly into everyone's brain.

Embrace... evolve... abandon... cold steel... return... the warmth of flesh... N-05's brain suddenly throbbed with pain.

He saw his comrade before him; that pitch-black power armor began to melt, turning into twisted flesh.

He saw the Bolter in his own hands turn into a coiled venomous snake.

"No..." He knelt on the ground in agony, trying to resist this mental pollution.

"C-19, have the Stormbirds deploy the rhinos. We need a mobile suppression field," Li Cang's voice rang out in the channel.

"Activate 'Holy Word'!" C-19 bellowed.

The Rhino Transports stationed in the distance were air-dropped by the Stormbirds and immediately activated their Psychic Suppressors.

A field of cold binary noise expanded, instantly suppressing that mental whispering.

The illusions in N-05's mind vanished.

But it was already too late.

Several Genestealers launched a simultaneous suicide attack from three directions. After killing two, an Astartes was ambushed from behind by a third; its scythe-claws pierced a weak point in his power pack, triggering a secondary explosion.

Boom!

Blood sprayed out. That warrior's life signal instantly turned gray on C-19's tactical visor.

[First Legion... first casualty.]

"No!!!" N-05 let out a roar.

He threw aside his Bolter and drew his Chainsword, charging like a wounded beast toward the monster that was gnawing on his comrade's corpse.

"N-05! Get back! Maintain formation!" C-19 barked sternly.

But it was too late.

The moment N-05 charged out.

A psychic blade, a hundred times sharper than the previous chorus, locked onto him as he broke formation like a physical javelin!

"Aaaaaagh—!!!" N-05 suddenly clutched his helmet and collapsed to his knees, his power armor convulsing violently from the immense pain, slamming against the ground.

Black blood sprayed from his seven orifices.

On his tactical visor, the data stream turned completely into garbled code.

[Warning: Target's mind has collapsed]

"Damn it!" Inside the Holographic Operations Cabin, Li Cang slammed a fist onto the control console.

"It's a hero unit! The Gene Priestess has personally intervened!"

The vehicle-mounted Psychic Suppressors could block area-of-effect mental pollution, but they couldn't block this kind of focused, single-target psychic attack that was lethal like a sniper rifle!

"C-19! Execute him!" Li Cang issued the coldest, yet only correct, order.

A mentally broken Astartes was more dangerous than a hundred enemies.

He could turn his weapon and attack his own comrades at any moment.

A flicker of data passed through C-19's eyes—perhaps it was hesitation, perhaps calculation.

But in the end, he raised his Bolter and aimed it at his brother rolling and screaming on the ground.

"For the Empire," he said softly.

Bang!

After the gunshot, the world went quiet.

N-05's body stopped twitching.

On their first day on the moon, the First Legion had paid the price of two warriors.

And their enemy, that Priestess hidden inside the "egg," hadn't even truly shown her face yet.

C-19 looked at the massive biological dome in the distance, feeling the mocking and malicious psychic waves emanating from within.

He knew that this battle would be far harder than they had imagined.

"Commander." For the first time, he took the initiative to request support over the communication channel.

"Requesting... tactical correction."