666 Wasn't Even Trying to Hide It

Two hundred mechs stood between Lin En and the Striking Scorpions. Shoulder to shoulder, they formed several layers of steel walls that closed around Lin En like a cylinder, sealing him inside.

Twin-linked Bolter barrels poked through every gap and fired outward. The muzzles bristled like the spines of a hedgehog.

The Striking Scorpion squad raced around the perimeter, dodging the gunfire.

Lin En now had three layers of protection.

The first: the Third Company's close guard.

The second: a wall of Terminator shields.

The third: a swarm of Sentinel Mechs.

That was enough to deal with any assassin.

The Second Company? They were still charging the Aeldari positions. :)

Across from them, the Assault Scorpion Bishop fell silent.

He looked at the silver barricade of Storm Shields, then at the two hundred Sentinel Mechs poised beyond it. Finally, through a gap in the shield wall, he saw the human at its center.

The human stood in the middle of the Terminators' circle, completely unharmed.

The two hundred mechs had sealed off every frontal approach with their firepower, while the Terminators' shield wall guarded the target without leaving a single opening.

He had anticipated the possibility of failure. The target might sense his killing intent in advance, or the guards might react faster than he had calculated. He could accept either outcome.

Assassinations did not always succeed. A good assassin had to accept failure, preserve his strength, and wait for another chance.

But what he had not expected was...

That human stood at the center of three layers of guards without a trace of fear or tension on his face.

His expression was utterly ordinary.

Calm.

He glanced around as casually as he had when he first walked over.

As though their assassination attempt was too trivial to warrant any