From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man

Chapter 717 "As Always"

howl----!
Although small in size, they wriggle in a bizarre way, climbing on walls and ceilings like spiders. Their slender hands and feet have been deformed, and their knuckles have turned into sharp bone spurs.

They let out a chilling "wailing," but in the next moment they pounced on the necks and joint gaps of the Imperial Warriors.

Even the most battle-hardened warriors were shaken to their core.

But the brief pause was not due to fear, but rather stemmed from an instinctive sense of astonishment and reluctance.

After all, they were still "human" beneath their armor, and seeing an infant transformed into such a grotesque form inevitably stirred up emotions within them.

And this pause lasted only half a breath.

Clang—Clang—!
The bolter roared again, and the infant zombie's head exploded instantly, spraying blood and bone fragments onto the walls.

The Imperial Soldiers immediately regained their cold and resolute demeanor, suppressing their remaining emotions deep within their hearts.

For them, this was the ironclad rule demanded by the Emperor and the Primarch—

Mercy should be reserved for fellow human beings, not for those who degenerate into monstrous deformities.

The battlefield situation was one-sided from beginning to end. The number of mutated corpses seemed endless, and the Imperial Warriors continued to kill them quickly and efficiently. Flames and blood completely stained the streets of the colony red.

But all of this was just the "prelude".

With a heavy rumble, the earth suddenly trembled.

A suffocating atmosphere gradually spread between the cracked streets and collapsed buildings.

It was a colossal creature pieced together from a large amount of flesh and remains, resembling a writhing mountain of meat.

Arms, spines, skulls, and organs were fused together in an unbelievable way; thousands, even tens of thousands of corpses coalesced into a single entity, writhing and emitting a chilling growl—

The mastermind.

That was the terrifying core of the entire colony, the source of all the grotesque wills and instincts of the undead.

Its countless "eye sockets" flashed with red light, like burning evil fire, staring at the Imperial Warriors.

The atmosphere in the colony was instantly shrouded in deathly silence and oppression.

The Imperial Warriors stood in neat formation, their spears, swords, and gun barrels all pointing at the enormous, fleshy monster.

A silent vow rose in their hearts, indicating that this bloody battle seemed to have only just begun.

The mastermind finally appeared, a massive mountain of flesh rising from the ruins of the colony like a monster from the depths of hell. Dozens of tentacles grew from its body, twisting and writhing, carrying viscous blood and fragments of limbs.

Boom—Boom!
Each strike was accompanied by a deafening roar, like an iron hammer striking steel.

The colony's surface trembled violently under its pressure, and its metal structures collapsed one after another. However, in the eyes of the Imperial Warriors, the ferocious attacks seemed to have lost their speed.

When the enormous tentacles swung, although the power was astonishing, it was as if they were stuck in slow water, the movements were dragging and clumsy.

For ordinary people, it was a calamity that could sweep across the battlefield, but in the eyes of warriors who had undergone gene implantation, various surgeries, and various enhancements, it was just a slightly sluggish "dance".

"Form ranks and advance."

A short command rang out from the communication channel. The Imperial Warriors moved in unison. The Imperial Warriors in the front row, carrying giant shields, directly deployed and connected high-powered protective force fields. The thick, Chinese-style shields gleamed with azure arc light, easily repelling the tentacles that were slapping at them.

Then, the soldiers in the back row raised their powered spears and longswords and precisely slashed at the joints of the tentacles.

Buzz—! Sizzle!

With each thrust of the spear, a tentacle was severed, the intense heat scorching the flesh and blood, causing it to fall as charred fragments in mid-air.

The power sword, like a blue lightning bolt, is swift and sharp, slicing the enormous chunk of flesh piece by piece.

The battlefield, under their control, moved with a distinct rhythm, much like an ancient war dance.

roar----!
The mainframe roared, its sound waves vibrating through the ruins and crumbling walls, causing the mass of flesh to writhe even more violently.

New tentacles grew one after another, but just as they stretched out, they were met with the firepower of the Thunderhawk gunboats.

boom! boom! boom!
The Thunderhawk gunship hovered low in the air, alternately unleashing barrages of twin hard laser cannons, heavy arrowhead cannons, and rockets.

Explosions erupted one after another on the main body, scattering flesh, blood, and limbs in all directions, with a pungent burning smell mixed in with the black smoke.

With the advance of the Imperial Warriors on the ground, a perfect suppression network was formed on the entire battlefield, firmly trapping this enormous monster in the center.

The Imperial Soldiers' breathing remained steady, the armor's servo systems operated quietly, and their movements showed no sign of panic.

Every swing, every pull of the trigger, precisely hits the weak point;

Each step was accompanied by a heavy, resolute clanging of metal.

For them, this was not a life-or-death battle, but more like a training exercise, a practical exercise to hone the legion's skills.

Roar.
The mainframe's body was gradually reduced, its tentacles became fewer and fewer, and its roars became deeper and deeper.

Finally, with a ripping scream, the massive flesh and blood body collapsed with a crash, and the entire colony trembled.

Minced flesh splattered everywhere, and blood gushed out like a waterfall, splashing all over the armor of the Imperial Warriors, only to be quickly "evaporated" by the energy shield.

However, this does not mean the end.

High in the sky, the Valiant-class super-heavy cruiser had already locked onto the target area.

The plasma secondary gun located on the belly of the ship released intense energy directly, and in an instant, the blue-white plasma beam was like a sword of divine punishment.

Ri~Whoosh————Boom————————！！
The earth crumbled instantly under the scorching beam of light, and the remains of the main brain were completely incinerated.

The temperature soared to unimaginable levels, the metal structure melted into a magma-like liquid, and flesh and debris evaporated and turned to ash in an instant.

Within seconds, the location of the main brain remnant was completely "vitrified".

The once fragmented colony is now reduced to scorched earth and eroded glass-like surfaces, resembling a man-made, desolate wasteland.

The Imperial Warriors stood silently outside the scorching embers, their spears and longswords hanging low, the energy shields of their armor gleaming pale blue in the dust.

They did not celebrate their victory, for to them this battle was nothing more than a task assigned by their Primarch Father, an ordinary training exercise.

"The mastermind has been destroyed, and the colony cleanup is complete."

As the chilling report from the communications system returned to the high altitudes, the battlefield fell into utter silence.

Only that scorched, glassy earth bears witness to the empire's resolute resolve and the ruthlessness of the Imperial Guards.
Before the colony's necromancy was completely wiped out and its mastermind was burned into "glass," deep within the cargo hold of the Ishimura—

Swish—! Swish swish—!
Flashes of blue-green light exploded one after another, like bolts of lightning tearing through the darkness.

Boom!Boom!
In the blink of an eye, thirty-one tall figures appeared simultaneously, their magnetic boots landing on the hard deck, creating metallic echoes.

The brilliance of the space warp gradually faded, and the cargo hold fell back into a oppressive darkness, leaving only the crackling sound of static electricity in the air.

The first to appear was the original Sui Meng.

His imposing figure almost filled the height of the cargo hold, and his distinctive armor made him resemble a steel deity capable of tearing apart enemy lines at any moment.

His right hand gripped the massive, crescent-shaped power spear tightly. The blade gleamed with a cold blue electric light in the dim cabin light, seemingly foreshadowing the upcoming "slaughter."

Following closely behind were the thirty most elite members of the Imperial Guard—

These are the elite infantry, or the vanguard. Their armor is thick and imposing, the kind of heavy armor exclusive to the Terminator class. Every inch of the outer shell is covered with ancient Chinese patterns, and the shoulder armor is sculpted with roaring tigers, dancing dragons, or unicorns looking down.

The mask resembled the hideous face of a demon, with its eye monitors glowing with a scarlet light, like hellfire burning in the darkness.

The breastplate and kneeplate were inlaid with the seal script character "武" (wu, meaning martial arts), and the crimson cloak hung down their backs, swaying slightly with their movements.

They are the sharpest blade of the Imperial Guard, the most impregnable bulwark.

Thirty people constitute the full strength of this Glory Guard.

Every soldier is a prodigy, one in a million, a warrior capable of taking on a hundred men single-handedly. When they come together, their fighting power is terrifying, comparable to the elite assault force of an entire legion company.

At this moment, their chilling presence was even more oppressive than the darkness inside the cabin.

The atmosphere in the cargo hold contrasted sharply with theirs.

This place, which should have been a spacious area for storing ores and resources, now resembles a graveyard.

The dilapidated loading and unloading machine lay on its side, its robotic arm twisted off, with scattered steel cables hanging down and dripping an unidentified viscous liquid.

The bloodstains remaining on the walls and floor had long since dried, turning almost blackish-brown, and were solidified in a thick layer between the cracks and bolts.

The stench of decay and rust filled the entire cargo hold, involuntarily stirring feelings of disgust and repression in the hearts of ordinary people.

Among the scattered containers, some were forcibly pried open from the inside, their twisted marks resembling the imprints left by some alien creature violently breaking free.

Some remained tightly closed, but their surfaces were covered with scratches, and deep, bone-like cracks suggested they might burst open again at any moment.

Faint crawling sounds and low hissing could be heard from the ventilation ducts from time to time, like whispers from the depths of hell.

This eeriness would likely cause an ordinary soldier to break down instantly if he were in such a situation.

But with Sui Meng there, and with those who charged into battle, this chilling oppression was mercilessly dispelled.

Those "eyes" burning with red light swept across every corner of the cargo hold, like fire sweeping through shadows, turning the terrifying atmosphere to nothing.

The warriors formed three ranks, and immediately, their melee weapons, such as power swords, power spears, and power claws, lit up with blue and white arcs of electricity, and a deep hum echoed, like a battle song about to be unveiled.

As for Sui Meng, he showed no hesitation whatsoever, nor any fear whatsoever.

On the contrary, beneath the helmet, a pair of eyes, as fiery as flames, gleamed with an almost yearning light.

Fighting is his instinct; killing is his way of being.

All the terror lurking in the Ishimura was nothing more than a trial and a "sacrifice" in his eyes.

"Ha ha!"

At this moment, the warriors roared in unison, and the heavy sound seemed to make the entire cargo hold tremble.

At this moment, terror has no place to stand.

Even if the stench of the necromancy and ominous whispers still lingered in the air, they were nothing more than echoes of shattered shadows.

What truly dominates this place is no longer the shadow of the divine seal, but the sharpness of the Imperial Warriors and the will of Sui Meng.

Boom!Boom!
Sizzle—crack—!
Sui Meng walked slowly forward, the blade of his power spear leaving a scorch mark on the floor as it trailed electric light.

With each step he took, he proclaimed: terror is but a fleeting illusion in the midst of blood and fire, while the will of the empire is the eternal and indestructible truth.

Furthermore, as the thunderous battle roar resounded, the entire cargo hold seemed to be shaken and echoed endlessly.

Immediately afterwards, a series of strange, piercing roars echoed in the darkness, the howls of the awakened ghouls, like countless demons wailing inside the metal intestines.

Heavy, chaotic footsteps echoed across the deck, followed by wave after wave of deformed, ugly figures.

Their twisted limbs climbed the pipes at extremely unnatural angles, pulling at the exposed steel cables, and lunged menacingly towards the location of Sui Meng and the vanguard.

That scene was like a rotting tide, carrying flesh and blood, resentment and venom, threatening to engulf all the living.

However, these undead were no match for the warriors of the Empire.

Bang! Bang! Bang!
Heavy, violent gunshots suddenly rang out, like iron hammers striking war drums.

The 1.0cal parallel bolt carriers mounted on the left arm of the vanguard flashed with blinding flashes of light, each volley accompanied by a deafening roar.

Dense barrages of explosive projectiles tore through the air, their explosive penetrating force blasting the mutated corpse's body directly into a bloody mist and bits of flesh, with twisted bones and organs raining down on the deck like filthy raindrops.

These Honor Guard members never considered the undead as enemies worth fighting.

Their towering armor was like an immovable iron wall; no matter how much the deformed monsters pounced and tore at them, their outer shields remained unshaken.

Even those special individuals whose bodies swelled several times their original size and were covered with tentacles and carapaces only lasted half a breath longer than ordinary necromancy before being torn to shreds by explosive arrows.

The vanguard moved with cold precision, as if carrying out a cleanup operation that had been repeated countless times. They didn't even bother to use melee weapons; the bolt carriers were more than enough to deal with such a group of enemies.

Flesh and blood were reduced to fragments in the explosion, and limb remains struck the bulkheads, leaving horrific marks.

Sui Meng, on the other hand, appeared even more composed.

In his eyes, these mutated corpses didn't even deserve to let him wield his weapon.

The Primarch's majesty acted as an invisible barrier, making the corrupted monsters appear even more vulnerable when they approached him.

If he hadn't chosen to remain silent, he could have easily silenced the entire cargo hold with a single strike.

However, just as the slaughter continued, the atmosphere in the cargo hold suddenly changed.

Hiss—hiss—!
A low, indistinct whisper filled the air like a tide.

It wasn't human language; it was more like an echo overflowing from the abyss, seductive and corrosive, as if endlessly knocking on the depths of the soul.

The lights in the cargo hold began to flicker, the walls seemed to be slightly distorted, and the space itself seemed to be trembling, as if it were being seized by some invisible force.

It seems that the red divine seal has begun to "exert its power".

Realizing that the corpse variant was no match for the enemy before it, it unleashed a higher level of mental interference.

The whisper's "power" was so great that it seemed to distort reality, even giving the air an eerie, viscous feel.

If it were an ordinary human being, such a mental bombardment would directly cause hallucinations, mental breakdown, or an immediate transformation.

But the soldiers remained steadfast as always.

Their movements were swift and decisive; they calmly and mechanically harvested wave after wave of zombie variants.

The flashes of gunfire and the mist of exploding blood completely overshadowed the oppressive atmosphere of the whispers.

They were completely undisturbed war machines, continuing to crush the enemy ranks and demonstrating the terror unique to the Empire that belonged to the Honor Guard.

Sui Meng slowly turned his head.

His gaze, like a blazing fire, pierced through the shadows of the cargo hold, locking onto the source of the whispers—

The location of the red divine seal.

In that instant, physical space seemed to freeze as well, even whispers ceased, and the air solidified into an extremely oppressive silence.
(End of this chapter)