The Bizarre Adventure of the Warhammer Guard

Following the guidance of the base structure blueprints obtained from the terminal computer, the group arrived at the depths of the experimental base, which was the core experimental area.

A sloping alloy corridor appeared ahead, emergency lights casting a pale white glow on the walls, and the air was filled with the smell of burnt corpses.

"Unauthorized unit detected..." A mechanical voice broadcasted from the core area.

As soon as he finished speaking, several automatic machine guns sprang from the wall and aimed at Renault and his men. The infrared sights of the automatic machine guns converged into red dots on Renault's breastplate, while the hum of the rotating metal barrels echoed in the core area.

"Nine automatic machine guns, and five flamethrower traps hidden in the walls." Chris's voice came through the helmet communicator, and the scanning device inside his helmet instantly detected all the dangers in the core area.

"Wait, I can try to crack them," Renault said, pulling a palm-sized data panel from his waist. "As long as—"

"There's no need for that," Leon said, offering a timely reminder.

Before Leon could finish speaking, he pulled the trigger, and the explosive round whistled out. But the target wasn't the barrel of the automatic machine gun or the flamethrower trap; it was the central node of the main control circuitry, deeply embedded in the ceiling.

"Bang!"

The bomb violently tore through the metal shield and accurately struck the main control line node.

With the crackling of a short circuit and the flashing sparks on the trap, the infrared sights of all the automatic machine guns went out simultaneously, the barrels drooped limply, the pressure valves of the flamethrowers hissed as they deflated, and the hidden nozzles slowly retracted into the wall.

"Okay, never mind." Renault tucked the data panel back into his belt and shrugged. "Looks like brute force is always the most direct approach."

"Efficiency is paramount," Lyon replied succinctly, wisps of smoke rising from the muzzle of his gun.

The five continued forward. The structure of the core area was more complex than that of the outside. Heavy blast doors lined both sides of the corridor, with signs on them reading "Cryogenic Sample Library," "Psionic Resonance Laboratory," and "Phantom Gold Laboratory."

Most of the doors were open, and the internal equipment had been removed, leaving only tangled cables and scattered paper documents.

They carefully searched every room, looking for anything of value, before passing through the staff break room.

In the break room, several bodies dressed in white lab coats lay on several beds. The bodies were all intact, with no obvious signs of external injury.

On one of the bedside tables was a framed photo of a middle-aged woman with a gentle smile, standing beside two children who looked to be around ten years old. The glass of the photo frame was covered with a thin layer of dust.

"Died of cardiac arrest or nerve agent poisoning," Chris concluded after scanning the bodies. "At least a week ago. They were 'non-essential personnel' abandoned during the evacuation."

The others remained silent, simply continuing their search.

Finally, they stopped in front of a noticeably thicker alloy door with a separate energy symbol. The terminal screen next to the door was lit up, displaying an icon indicating an encrypted status.

"This is it," Reynolds said, referring to the structural diagram. "An independent storage terminal, physically isolated from the network. The data packets should be inside."

Lyon stepped forward to inspect the access control system and discovered that in addition to the electronic lock, there was also a manual hydraulic lock. "Double security. The electronic part can be directly bypassed, and the hydraulic lock can be forcibly removed."

Renault stepped forward, inserted the hacking device, and soon the access control screen displayed a green unlock status.

Loken nodded and gestured to Leon. The two stood on either side of the door, placing their palms against the gap in the center of the alloy door panel.

Then, the two exerted force simultaneously. A tearing sound of metal twisting and tearing suddenly erupted as the bolts securing the door frame to the wall snapped and popped out under the immense force, tearing the heavy door panel apart.

The room was small, with a single terminal unit, equipped with its own power supply, standing alone in the center. The screen glowed dimly, displaying a constantly rotating encryption icon, with a line of small text below:

"Psionic Emitter Experimental Drawings and Records (Encrypted)".

Renault immediately stepped forward and inserted the data core; the copy progress bar began to slowly climb. Just then, the low growl of a beast echoed from the depths of the corridor, growing louder as it approached.

"What's that?" Rugal suddenly turned around, raised the electromagnetic rifle in his hand, and pointed it into the dimly lit depths of the corridor.

Chris activated the scanner in his helmet, and red enemy silhouettes appeared on his goggles. "They're springtails and cockroaches."

"Zerg?" Reno asked. "Didn't they fail to discover this place?"

"The intelligence is wrong, or..." Christ paused, "They are not the aliens from outside."

"What do you mean?"

“Experiments,” Chris added, “the aliens here are experiments from this experimental facility.”

Indeed, this was the case. These alien insects slowly roamed the core area, their biological instincts driving them to slowly move toward Loken and his companions.

The cockroach's carapace is covered with fixing steel nails, and broken wires are still connected between the exposed muscle tissues.

As a springtail moved, its hind legs suddenly twitched, and it collapsed to the ground like a rusty machine. The blue light from the electromagnetic rifle easily pierced through its shrunken chest cavity.

The group quickly and efficiently eliminated the malnourished insects.

"It seems the Federation knew about these Zerg a long time ago," Rugal said. "They captured the Zerg and experimented on them for this psionic transmitter."

"The situation is chaotic," Renault remarked.

Shortly after, the terminal's indicator light turned from blue to green, signaling the data transmission was complete. Reynolds carefully removed the data core.

Just then, the lights in the entire base flickered a few times and then went out completely, leaving only the faint green glow of the emergency power supply on the terminal base.

"Our independent power source is exhausted," Rugal said, raising the tactical flashlight on his rifle, its beam illuminating the darkness. "We should go."

The group quickly retreated along the same route. Because the elevator platform had stopped operating due to a power outage, they had to climb the maintenance ladder shaft back to the mountain platform.

The transport plane remained parked on the platform outside the mountain. Before boarding, Rugal took one last look back at the hidden entrance.

"The federal government abandoned this place," he said, "and the people who worked for them."

“They’re always like this, you know that,” Reno said, pulling the hatch shut. “Let’s go, guys. Time to get back and report.”

The transport plane took off, the airflow from its engines pressing the trees to either side. Inside the cabin, Renault fiddled with the data core that stored data from the psionic transmitters, its metallic casing reflecting a cold, eerie light.

“What do you think Mengsk wants this thing for?” he suddenly asked. “A psionic emitter… it sounds like a weapon of mass destruction.”

"Let Lord Elpis decide when we get back." Loken checked the bomb pistol in his hand. "The important thing is, we've completed the mission."