"Drip... drip..."
In the cold, damp, and pitch-black underground space, the sound of water droplets hitting stone tiles could be clearly heard.
"Tap... tap, tap!"
However, the approaching sound of human footsteps shattered the silence.
Lights illuminated the entire underground area as people arrived.
The space was roughly the size of two standard football fields, with a height of about fifteen meters, making it quite spacious.
The ceiling, walls, and corridors were constructed from granite bricks, covered with moss growing in the crevices. The supporting granite pillars were so massive that three adults would be needed to encircle them with their arms.
On either side of the space, as well as at the end opposite the entrance and exit, there were numerous "door frames" measuring 14 meters in height and width.
In the center stood a small plaza, resembling a sacrificial altar, with four indistinct giant statues seemingly deliberately covered in mud at the corners.
"Tap, tap!"
The U.S. soldiers, led by Lieutenant Krauser, were the first to enter the area.
They quickly spread out, using the pillars for cover and advancing cautiously with the help of their shoulder-mounted lights. The ATLAS mercenaries followed closely behind.
Soon, the soldiers completed their sweep, confirming that everything was normal and there were no immediate dangers.
Subsequently, a large number of personnel flooded into the underground space, setting up high-powered lighting equipment and various specialized measuring and research instruments.
However, Samuel Young walked straight to the center, ascending the seven steps to the altar.
Surveying the area, apart from the four statues, what caught his attention was a platform made up of nine large stone slabs, engraved with a peculiar symbol—a human skull.
"Blood... fresh blood..."
Frowning, Samuel pondered whether to follow the cold voice's instructions.
His extensive viewing of horror and adventure films made him wary that the current scenario was eerily reminiscent of a ritual to unseal and release some evil entity.
But there was something familiar about the skull symbol?
It wasn't just Samuel; the ATLAS personnel were also on high alert, with the mercenaries particularly vigilant, ready to respond to any sudden developments.
The American soldiers, though equally on guard, were mostly confused.
They belonged to the 10th Special Forces Group of the U.S. Army, stationed at a base in South Africa. On June 3, they received orders to provide full protection for a VIP and were dispatched to Ghana in West Africa.
On June 4, an ATLAS cargo ship arrived at the port of Accra. After a brief rest, they ventured into the Komoe rainforest.
At first, the American soldiers thought this mission was just a routine "bodyguard" task.
However, before entering the ruins, Samuel Young had told them, "Children, you are the chosen warriors... especially you, Lieutenant Jack Krauser."
That statement, combined with the current situation, led some soldiers to suspect that Samuel intended to sacrifice them.
After all, they had grown up under the influence of movies, television, and comics, believing that the world's superheroes and supervillains were naturally occurring.
Bound by their orders and the absence of any tangible threat, they maintained a relatively peaceful stance.
In contrast, Samuel, who had been mistakenly identified by Krauser and the American soldiers as a potential supervillain, decided after a moment's thought to take a gamble. He drew a dagger from his belt and sliced open his left palm.
Bright red blood dripped uncontrollably.
As the first drop hit the stone surface, it seemed to explode, splashing in all directions.
More blood dripped and collected, gradually flowing into the engraved grooves.
Samuel then felt a strong suction force, causing his left hand to bleed profusely.
The blood, no longer obeying gravity, flowed straight into the grooves, forming a crimson skull symbol before him in a matter of seconds.
Boom!!
Suddenly, a blinding golden light burst from the grooves.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The moss-covered stone pillars were enveloped in golden flames, illuminating the underground space as if it were broad daylight, eliminating the need for high-powered lighting.
"Crack... crack!!"
Next, the mud covering the statues cracked like glass, revealing their true forms...
Giant figures clad in armor with a futuristic yet rugged and retro design, wielding massive swords with chains or large-bore rifles.
!!!
Samuel barely had time to register his shock before the golden light from the skull engraving focused on him.
"Ah!"
He felt intense pain, as if his skin were being pressed and burned by a red-hot iron. It was as if his blood was boiling.
Fortunately, the pain subsided quickly. As it eased...
Samuel felt incredibly refreshed and at ease, with enhanced senses and a faint ability to perceive surrounding emotions.
As Samuel steadied his mind and observed the giant statues around him, he began to piece together the meaning of the skull symbol and the changes in his body...
'Damn, this isn't psychic energy, is it?'
The reason for his crude thought was that Samuel suspected his crossing over had something to do with the bizarre entities from "Warhammer 40k."
The giant statues on the altar resembled the Astartes, also known as Space Marines, who were dubbed "angels."
And the skull symbol was a common emblem of the human Imperium. Samuel also considered that the cold, emotionless voice in his mind might belong to the "Emperor of Mankind," a figure who only loved humanity as a whole, not individuals!
Could it be that he was chosen by the Emperor to cross into a parallel world that included elements from TV shows and games?
Samuel wasn't sure, but he knew that anything connected to "Warhammer 40k" implied the existence of demons, the Warp, and the Chaos Gods.
"..."
He felt quite speechless.
Honestly, he was tempted to give up, but he thought, having endured over a hundred years, what's a little longer?
Moreover, theoretically, he should have been immediately targeted by the Chaos Gods when he crossed into a world involving Warp knowledge, yet he remained unscathed.
"Mr. Young! The gate has indeed opened!"
The sudden reminder snapped Samuel out of his brief reverie.
Looking up, he saw that a 14x14 meter gateway had transformed from granite into a mercury-like liquid metal.
Seeing this, and recalling the phrases in his mind, "the door to other worlds will open" and "the survival of humanity is up to you," he realized he had a lot of room to maneuver.
The current primary task was to explore the world beyond the first gate and try to have ATLAS "learn from others' strengths," obtaining advanced weapons and equipment.
Once they had an absolute technological advantage, the next step would be to eliminate the threat of "superhumans" in this world, ensuring ATLAS's dominance.
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