It Was a Massacre!
This thing is "conscious"!
Its voice seemed to bewitch them, like an invisible hand dragging their reason slowly toward the abyss!
Fear had seeped into their very bones, and the group seemed to have forgotten how to run. They stood frozen in place, like ants trapped within a grid of lines. They knew danger was approaching, but their bodies wouldn't obey their commands. They could only watch helplessly as their companions, who had just been invaded by the gelatinous seawater and were supposed to be dead but were still "alive," walked towards them with strange, kneeling steps.
Fear, palpitations, coughing.
Countless negative emotions flooded Topa's mind, making him feel as if he had returned to the Alert Star, to the days when he was dominated by Chaos.
Am I going to die here?!
Topa suddenly bit his tongue, the sharp pain and blood pulling him out of his strange emotional turmoil. His eyes, bloodshot and bulging, seemed about to burst. "I'm a man born on Alert Star! You think you can scare me with something like this?!"
"Run! Run!"
Filled with fear, Topa broke free from the invisible constraints, squeezing all the air out of his lungs and letting out a roar with all his might!
The crowd, who had been manipulated by the eerie voice and were paralyzed by fear, were awakened by his voice.
Bang!!!
The scorching hot bomb, dragging with terrifying destructive force, shattered the man's head in a single blow!
Blood and brain matter ripped open!
The group finally broke free of their restraints. Topa shouted in a slurred voice, "Run! Don't stop! Tech-Priest, play the Emperor's Words! This is a mental attack!"
In just a few seconds, Topa made a series of the most correct decisions.
The Tech-Priest, still shaken, immediately used the sound array system to play the Emperor's words in an attempt to resist this strange emotional control.
Everyone fled for their lives, not daring to stop.
The pink, gelatinous seawater surging into the pipe behind us suddenly seemed to erupt in fury, using its immense pressure to crush the hard pipe walls, and surged forward with a roaring sound!
"You son of a bitch (Low Gothic), you really think I'm afraid of you?!" Topa cursed, pulling out a Magi-fuel incendiary and hurling it at him. "Burn you to death, you damned Chaos bastard!"
He didn't know what this thing was, but calling it Chaos was certainly accurate!
Boom!
The Magi-fuel incendiary exploded inside the pipe, bursting into flames and instantly igniting the seawater!
The seawater, of unknown composition, ignited so easily, and flames instantly engulfed the entire pipe. The intense heat, accompanied by waves of heat, made them feel as if their skin was being roasted!
But to be fair, Topa's accidental action inadvertently bought them some time!
"These things are afraid of fire?!" He stared at the ignited seawater, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
Logically speaking, water and fire are incompatible; even Magi-fuel incendiary couldn't ignite "seawater." Yet this pink, gelatinous liquid was easily ignited, like gasoline. In other words—a flash of inspiration struck Topa: "Use fire! This thing is afraid of fire!"
Soon, one Magi-fuel incendiary after another was launched, igniting the gelatinous seawater that flooded into the pipes!
The air was filled with the smell of burning!
They seemed to hear screams of agony, but upon closer listening, they heard nothing at all.
"Run!" Topa knew very well that their small number of Magi-fuel incendiary wouldn't be enough to stop this thing!
With the Promethium, burning flames blocking their way, the group hurriedly retreated along the pipes.
The sound of the seawater violently crashing against the surrounding pipe walls echoed continuously. The steel groaned under immense pressure, as if it were about to collapse at any moment and be completely submerged in the sea!
"Run!"
"No matter what happens, don't stop, keep running!"
Topa kept encouraging everyone.
Most of these people came from Nomad Port and were originally slaves. Although they had been trained for a long time, at the mental level...
Ultimately, they are not as resolute as the elite.
He had to encourage these people and keep them hopeful, otherwise it would be difficult to guarantee they wouldn't break down under immense pressure.
And so, Topa, like a beacon in the darkness, illuminated the path of hope and survival for everyone ahead. They ran tirelessly for a long time until they stumbled upon a strange place.
At this moment, they were both physically and mentally on the verge of their limits.
Fortunately, it seems that the thing didn't chase after us.
Topa collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot, still warily surveying his surroundings.
He wouldn't have cared if he hadn't looked, but once he did, his relaxed nerves tensed up again, and cold sweat seeped from his pores.
Every single hair stood on end!
They found themselves in a vast, empty cavern, at the very bottom of the entire Mechanicus Ark wreckage, on the edge of a man-made ore pit. Deep within the pit was a giant, pink, fleshy growth, suspended in mid-air by a mechanical arm, resembling a cocoon.
It extends a dense, network-like structure, connecting every part of the mine, merging with the steel!
The fused area reveals blood vessel-like veins, resembling the heart of a giant life form, beating rhythmically once per minute!
"Here it is."
Topa's pupils contracted slightly; he had a very bad feeling about this place, a strong sense of unease gripping his heart!
"Stay!"
"Stay!"
"Stay!"
Just then, from the depths of the pipe came a series of calls, like an echo.
Then, Topa and the others' expressions changed drastically.
Deep within this passage, several figures suddenly appeared in their sight, stumbling and swaying like toddlers learning to walk.
"Too, Falk, Keith, Brandon---"
Looking at those swaying, ghostly figures, Topa's heart sank suddenly, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face. He subconsciously uttered their names.
These people were all their companions!
To be precise, it refers to the members of the first two expeditions that set foot on the wreckage of the Mechanicus Ark but mysteriously disappeared!
Their bodies were mangled, and judging from the damage to their armor, they had likely been in fierce combat. They could even still find...
Traces of Imperium -Standard Laser Gun and Bolter.
Some people are missing an arm, some are missing a leg.
Even more bizarrely, there were people missing half a head, with only half a face remaining, yet still barely recognizable, walking in strange postures.
Their only commonality is probably the pinkish, gelatinous liquid flowing from their seven orifices!
"You can't escape."
This was the inevitable ending.
Those "comrades" who were completely controlled shouted in unison, with eerie smiles on their faces.
A bizarre tsunami, an ocean resembling "creatures," blocked signals, seawater that corrodes flesh, and controlled companions—combining all the situations they encountered along the way, the answer is already obvious.
"This is a trap!"
Topa looked at those people and understood.
This planet—no, it should be this ocean, including the Mechanicus Craftworld that sank here—is all a giant "trap"!
The goal is to attract them!
The ocean here is a gigantic, sentient being that lures other creatures into its territory.
Then devour them!
Former comrades roared in triumphant cheers!
Join us
"Abandon inner blood. Embrace fusion."
"Accept the truth."
"Become - the Cocoon of Myriad Machines -"