Actually, playing dead wouldn't work for ordinary people. There was a high chance the Ghost Operatives' special visors would detect them, and they might even get shot again. Then playing dead would become real death—not something to joke about.
But Astartes Space Marines were different!
Every Astartes had undergone special genetic enhancement. A flat, round organ called the "mucranoid" was implanted at the top of the cerebral cortex. It grew in the brain before fully integrating, but without the proper chemical treatment and training, the organ was useless.
However, with the right instruction, Astartes Space Marines could use it to enter a state of suspended animation. This could be done consciously, or it could happen automatically when they suffered extreme physical trauma.
Abaddon had just consciously chosen to do it. He had deliberately made his body's vital signs—his breathing, heartbeat, and the like—drop sharply after he had been "shot," just like those of his unfortunate attendant who had been shot in the head. Even through the Ghost Operative's special visor, he really did look like a "corpse." That was how he had successfully fooled the enemy, allowing him to spring up and turn the tables when they came closer.
And so!
"Ha!"
After playing dead and swiping once with his claw to knock the invisible Ghost Operative from the Canopy Star garrison out of stealth, Abaddon, captain of the XVI Legion's First Company, the "Shadowmoon Wolves," sneered at the scarlet blood smeared across the massive Power Claw on his right hand. Then he looked at the enemy Ghost Operative, who had several bloody gashes on his body and was struggling to get back to his feet. The tight combat suit was still warping the light around him as he tried to turn invisible again. Finally, Abaddon gave a savage grin,