After Zhang Ge leaped into the entrance, although he did not experience any adverse reactions from being corrupted by the warp, he could still sense the unusually intense phenomena of the unreal universe in this place.
After all, he wasn't blind. He could see the grotesque creations that filled the corridor. Most of these objects were not deliberately crafted by the cultists but were simply the result of the original objects being eroded.
Priest Ryder also spoke with a grave expression:
"If those demons were all summoned from a single altar, then it's likely that this underground space is on the verge of becoming a living entity."
The squad hesitated, not out of fear, but because everyone knew that in such an environment, anything could become a weapon. Charging in recklessly would mean certain death within ten seconds, and they wouldn't even make it to finding the mayor.
For a town the size of Gongshui, such a large-scale demon summoning would be considered normal—but only if it were spread across multiple locations in secret. If concentrated in one place, the warp fluctuations from the ritual would be so bright that they couldn't be concealed.
But who would have thought that the local officials were so corrupt that they actually allowed this to happen?
However, if they had investigated further, they would have discovered that this place was already in a dire state even before Chaos arrived.
Long ago, the planet's governor family had promised a continent to the Mechanicus in exchange for sufficient industrial resources. But as the Mechanicus expanded, driven by the desire to spread the glory of the Omnissiah and a rare mineral called "Blackstone," they were no longer satisfied with just one continent.
Thus, a brutal political struggle began, and even before the Chaos invasion, the planet was on the brink of civil war.
What interrupted the civil war was something even worse—the invasion of the Orks. This formidable enemy breached the planet's space defenses and landed in various locations, establishing Ork trash cities and destroying multiple hive cities. Yet, even then, the internal conflicts did not cease, and the planet's defense forces were unable to establish a unified command.
Amidst such internal and external turmoil, the entire planet was already exhausted, and its control over the regions had significantly weakened.
If they had enough time to investigate thoroughly beforehand, the decapitation squad might never have been formed in the first place. After all, to decapitate, one must at least be stronger than the "head," right?
But they didn't have enough time, nor did they conduct sufficient investigations, and thus they had to face the consequences.
Now, there was no more time to hesitate. The Commissar finally gave the order:
"Follow me and keep moving. If I fall, Priest Ryder will take the lead."
At that moment, a second unexpected event occurred.
Just as Zhang Ge was about to step into the corrupted area, his waist suddenly felt warm. A stream of light gradually seeped out from the gaps in his waist pouch, growing more intense. When he reached into the pouch, puzzled, trying to find the source of the heat, the object floated out on its own.
It was the skull cross he had received in the bunker earlier.
Now, it hovered in mid-air, slowly releasing a spreading, radiant golden light. The skull seemed to come alive, exuding a powerful force.
The energy surging from the cross purified the surrounding environment. The grotesque creations and fleshy tendrils began to flee in panic or were outright incinerated when they came within a dozen meters of the cross.
Simultaneously, this power enveloped the five survivors, and their exhausted bodies began to be filled with an inexplicable strength.
From the moment Zhang Ge had bent down to pick up the dog tag in the trench after his arrival, the gears of fate had begun to turn. And now, as the final cog came to a halt, the ultimate result presented itself before him in this manner.
"The Emperor protects..."
Faced with this scene, even the Commissar couldn't help but exclaim in awe, let alone the Priest and the Sister.
"Uh, maybe we should keep moving?"
The only one not immersed in this spectacle was Zhang Ge, who gritted his teeth and reminded them with a hint of frustration.
Damn it, I should have listened to Brain Platinum's advice—no gifts this year.
This remark seemed to remind the cross, which began to float forward on its own. Seeing this, the group snapped out of their daze and quickly followed the cross's guidance under its protection.
Before leaving, Priest Ryder didn't forget to fire a melta shot into the entrance, melting the plasteel and sealing it shut.
They advanced along the corridor, which was once adorned with extravagant golden decorations and precious sculptures but was now filled with blasphemous heretical symbols and unsettling ornaments. The sounds of pursuit had faded, and for some reason, they didn't encounter any other cultists ahead.
Until the cross stopped at a corner. As they turned, a massive underground space appeared before them.
It was a vast circular "theater," with countless people impaled and bound in twisted positions on crimson seats, facing the center. Blood continuously flowed from their bodies into drainage channels, which then led to the walkways, forming a flowing crimson carpet.
Though their bodies had become hairless, emaciated forms, their features blurred together, seemingly convulsing from some constant, intense stimulus, they still reacted violently upon hearing intruders.
They were still alive.
The sounds of their struggles merged into one, amplified and echoing through the underground space and the theater's special circular structure, like some horrifying applause, making the five of them feel nauseous.
At that moment, the curtains at the center of the theater parted, and several actors, their necks connected to the ceiling by pink fleshy tendrils, their spines almost pulled upward, walked out with stiff movements. With perfect smiles, they bowed to the group and began a jerky, bizarre dance.
"Ha... Ha... Ha...
Such crude guests... Don't you have any applause for the performance?"
As the performance began, a sweet voice echoed throughout the theater, as if coming from everyone's mouths. The voice shifted between male and female, but all carried a sickly sweet tone, winding around them.
But amidst this voice, a discordant sound of retching broke through. It was Zhang Ge, who had stopped suppressing his physical disgust. He vomited a mixture of food remnants and stomach acid onto the walkway in front of him, letting it mix with the blood and flow downward.
Zhang Ge wiped his mouth with Priest Ryder's robe, then sneered and responded:
"Heretic, your performance and taste are both nauseating. I shouldn't have eaten before coming here."