As the rapid beeping of the Geiger counter intensified, the "Suicide Squad" advanced cautiously into the depths of the nuclear power plant, which was thick with the smell of decay and cold metal.
Flashlight beams swayed in the darkness, illuminating abandoned machinery and the black algae spreading across the walls, creating an eerie and oppressive atmosphere. Everyone's nerves were stretched to the limit; the sound of breathing under their gas masks felt exceptionally heavy.
Suddenly, a blurry black shadow flickered past a broken pipe ahead, moving with startling speed. The players, pushed to their breaking point, had no time to shout a warning. Almost by reflex, they opened fire with their lasguns without hesitation!
Pew! Pew! Pew!
Several searing red beams tore through the darkness, accurately striking the shadow. It let out a short, raspy shriek before crashing heavily onto the dust-covered floor, kicking up a cloud of acrid grime that obscured its form. Simultaneously, the clear notification of a kill sounded in each player's ear, allowing their bowstring-tight nerves to relax slightly.
The Company Commander did not lower his guard. He made a gesture signaling the squad to maintain formation, then cautiously approached the spot where the shadow fell. The flashlight beams soon pierced through the settling dust, revealing its true appearance:
It was a small, skeletal corpse. Its skin was a filthy, charred black, clinging tightly to protruding bones, making it look like a scrawny monkey with a severely hunched spine. More unsettlingly, in addition to the two arms humans normally possess, it had a third arm—though it was hideously deformed, hanging limp and useless at its side.
The Commander carefully nudged the body with the butt of his lasgun, flipping it onto its front. When the light hit its face, the players gasped—across that ugly countenance were six eyes; four of them were bunched together, their color cloudy and dull.
The other players felt a wave of physiological discomfort looking at the hideous corpse, their stomachs churning.
"What the hell is this thing?" one player couldn't help but complain, his voice tinged with disappointment and disgust. "I thought we were in for a tough fight, but it went down in one hit. According to general game settings, shouldn't creatures that survive in high radiation be really powerful?"
"Clearly, this fellow's cells didn't evolve to the point where they could absorb radiation for their own use," another player remarked gloomily.
"I think..." The Commander mused for a moment. He retracted his gun butt, stood up, and offered a shocking conclusion: "It might be human."
"Huh? Human?" The other players questioned in unison, their faces masks of disbelief. "Commander, stop joking. Even the Aeldari look more human than this. They don't grow four extra eyes and an extra arm."
"I'm serious," the Commander said, his tone grave. "We didn't see a white outline earlier, which proves it recognized us—at least it realized we were a threat and chose to flee rather than counter-attack. That's not how a territorial apex beast behaves."
He paused, his gaze returning to the twisted corpse. "I suspect this might be the descendant of residents who were left here when the industrial zone was abandoned—those who were unwilling or unable to leave. Under the influence of radiation, they gradually became what we see today.Poor bastards..."
A player clicked his tongue. "Then what does he eat? There's no farmland or wild vegetables here. Does he hunt small insects or rats?"
"Maybe that black algae we saw on the way..." The Commander pointed to the writhing black substance on a distant wall, his voice carrying an indescribable complexity of emotion.
The squad fell into silence. Only the faint ticking of the Geiger counter and the muffled breathing of the team members remained in the air. After a while, a player broke the silence: "So... we just accidentally blasted him. Is that... okay? I mean, he didn't even mess with us."
"Forget it. He's dead, nothing we can do," the Commander shook his head. He stood up, brushing the dust off his gear. "Besides, even if we hadn't killed him, we don't have the capacity to protect him while fighting the Necrons."
"This power plant is a conspicuous target; it's bound to get hit by anti-matter bombs. If he left this factory, how would he survive? Perhaps dying like this is a mercy for him."
"I only hope the Emperor is still willing to accept a soul as deformed and twisted as his."
With that, he turned and signaled the squad to keep moving, leaving the pathetic corpse behind to be swallowed by the darkness of the power plant.
Inside Joker's command vehicle, the air hummed with the low drone of data processing units and the faint electrical buzz of information transmission. Inside the heavily modified armored vehicle, the spacious command cabin was surrounded by tactical displays and data pads. Joker sat in the central command seat, staring intently at a personal data pad hovering with holographic images.
On the screen, a 3D topographic map of the vast, abandoned industrial zone was being filled and refined at an astonishing speed. The reconnaissance was proceeding exceptionally smoothly; reports from various companies flowed in constantly without significant obstruction.
The crisscrossing roads, massive factory structures, abandoned tank farms, and even the preliminary layout of the underground pipe systems were becoming clear on his pad. At this rate, they would soon have a complete picture of the area and could begin planning fortifications and underground facilities.
Occasionally, reports mentioned scattered discoveries of scavengers or indigenous inhabitants in the old industrial zone. Joker merely glanced at these before skipping over them, not lingering for a second.
The conclusion that the Company Commander needed time to reach was one that Joker, with his rigorously trained mind, could grasp the moment he saw the data. Thus, all he could do was push these matters to the back of his mind and focus his entire energy on the upcoming battle with the Necrons.
Nearby, EGO leaned against the cabin wall, watching the map update. "At this rate, I think we'll be fully prepared before the Necrons arrive. Just like in the original lore, blowing up the Necron monolith will be no problem at all!" He pumped his fist, seemingly already seeing victory.
"I hope so," Joker replied, not sharing EGO's optimism. He didn't look back, only shaking his head slightly. "To be honest, what I'm most worried about right now is Chaos... they haven't made a move yet. I'm getting nervous."