The figure across appeared merely deformed, but in reality, both mentally and physically, it could be classified as an alien entity. In fact, these hybrids with human blood were even more detestable than purebred aliens.
At that moment, an exploding shell tore apart the twisted head of the opponent, whose bloodline had been tainted by Genestealer genes. The crimson blood splattering in all directions proved that, at least in death, the fluid these monsters shed was no different from that of a normal human.
The sound also served as a signal, and the exchange of fire between the two sides erupted in the next instant.
The lasgun in Zhang Ge's hands, guided by the Commissar's precision, struck a heavy lumber gunner behind the enemy's cover. However, the somewhat self-aware barrel quickly realized that this method was inefficient at such close range, and there was a more effective way to achieve the goal.
Thus, in the next moment, a swift lasbeam landed on the energy magazine of an enemy also wielding a lasgun. The unbound, frenzied energy, melted by the heat, transformed into a powerful bomb. In a flash of magenta light, it first consumed its user, followed by several nearby enemies.
The explosion sent clouds of dust flying, obscuring vision. Fortunately, the tunnel walls were reinforced with structures they had built, or else such an explosion could have caused a cave-in.
Amid the successive explosions caused by the incredibly precise lasbeams, countless particles of dust obscured the vision of both sides. Yet, the deadly beams seemed unaffected, piercing through the smoke again and again. Each explosion claimed multiple lives, forcing the enemy to quickly distance themselves from those wielding energy weapons.
Naturally, the dust also caused the enemy's return fire to be completely inaccurate. The only visible target was the increasingly approaching massive light source on the other side—yet shooting at it had no effect. The Ogryn's immense strength was more than enough to lift a shield capable of effectively deflecting the projectiles from a mortal's boltgun.
The shots from autoguns and lasguns hitting the shield surface were no more effective than a scratch.
And if you don't move toward the mountain, the mountain will crush you.
The Ogryn, serving as a shield guard, didn't need vision. He simply charged into the smoke, swinging his hammer at anyone he encountered. A single swing was enough to send an enemy flying several meters, as if struck by a truck. In contrast, the feeble return fire posed no threat to his heavy armor.
Sister Amilia, even before the Ogryn arrived, had already sprung into action like an arrow, the force of her leap tearing chunks of soil from her original foothold.
In Zhang Ge's view, her figure moved at a speed impossible for a normal human, kicking off the side wall and leaping to the tunnel ceiling. Through repeated three-dimensional maneuvers, she avoided the enemy's wildly inaccurate bullets and plunged into the dust curtain.
As time ticked by, some stray bullets inevitably struck Zhang Ge, but his carapace armor did its job. The bullets either sparked off or were flattened and embedded shallowly in the armor, causing nothing more than a slight push at the impact site.
Even such resistance was rapidly diminishing. Although the enemies were exceptionally tenacious, suffering heavy losses in a short time without retreating, as their casualties mounted, they eventually withdrew deeper into the tunnel under the leadership of their remaining commander, leaving behind a trail of corpses.
But how could the team let them escape?
"They're trying to flee," Sister Amilia's voice came from behind the dust curtain, her tone as calm as if they were merely chatting rather than in a killing field.
Hearing this, the Priest, who had remained inactive until now, pulled a round grenade from his belt and hurled it diagonally upward. The projectile, guided by his memory of the corner, landed on the enemy's only escape route, exploding and covering the path with high-temperature flames, blocking the Genestealer Cult's attempted retreat.
Trapped and unable to advance or retreat, the enemy's ranks became densely packed, significantly increasing the efficiency of Zhang Ge and his team's killing. What was already a one-sided battle quickly turned into a massacre.
Until the last deformed head fell, dozens of Genestealer Cult combatants were wiped out.
As the squad advanced further, the remaining non-combat cult members, who had lost their main leaders from the start and were already weak in combat, were unable to organize effective resistance and were quickly picked off one by one.
At the deepest point, in front of a certain room, which seemed to be the cult's most crucial location, a dozen enemies resisted to the death. However, they were likely the last remnants, as no first-generation Genestealers had been discovered, suggesting this was only a branch of a larger cult.
The Commissar glanced at the Priest, who shook his head, indicating no life forms were detected inside the room.
Thus, the squad stormed in, but... the situation seemed different from what they had imagined.
The room didn't contain the sacred relics they had expected, nor were there any enemies hiding undetected. Instead, a human infant lay in the center of the room.
He was so pure, so endearing, as if embodying all the beauty of the mortal world, like an angel sent by the Emperor to the mortal realm.
It was also the first time Zhang Ge heard emotion in Sister Amilia's voice:
"Disgusting blasphemers."
The white light on her sword flickered for a moment, and the psychic illusion before them was dispelled. What lay on the platform was not a human infant, but a repulsive four-armed insect larva, with a fully alienated appearance, a bloated forehead, claws curled inward on its four arms, and a purple body covered in carapace.
It was commonly referred to as a "Fifth Generation Genestealer," and due to its bloodline having fully reverted to its origins, it possessed the same functions as a first-generation Genestealer, also known as a "Pureblood Genestealer."
It seemed this was the mission of this branch of the Genestealer Cult.
However, the squad had no intention of delving into what they were planning. Sister Amilia's sword cleaved through the stone platform along with the alien, and she then poured a can of fuel over the corpse, incinerating it completely with flames.
Having dealt with this, the Commissar led the team in searching the tunnel, finding a hidden staircase leading upward to an exit disguised as a sewer manhole cover. If all went well, ascending from here would lead them into the interior of the town they had seen on the surface earlier.