Warhammer: Saving Humanity Begins with the Resurrection of Horus

Page 92

They may still be on this seemingly endless road, or they may have already crossed it and arrived at the real ruins.

So no matter what, they had to speed things up; at least they couldn't continue wasting time on this endless road.

"Do you have any idea?"

Yuan Zhu looked at Lin Qi and asked.

Lynch looked at Evelyn. The information and codes about this ruin were obtained from her family's heirlooms, and perhaps there was some unknown, hidden information inside.

Evelyn understood Lynch's thoughts. She shook her head, her voice filled with helplessness.

“Great Sage Caul has already conducted in-depth analysis of all the deciphered information. Believe me, if there are any hidden messages, even if he cannot completely decipher them, he will not be completely unable to find even the slightest trace.”

A silence fell over the room. Three minutes later, Yuan Zhuzhi let out a long breath and looked at Lin Qi.

"I remember you haven't had any systematic training in psionic abilities yet."

Lin Qi frowned, wondering why the Former Forger wanted to bring up this issue now.

“The timing is perfect.” The Primal Forged Leader looked at Lynch. “Next, I will use my psionic energy to explore the true structure of this passage and find an exit for us. In the process, you should also listen carefully to me explain how we, or rather the Astartes, should use this cursed power within us.”

Lynch understood what the Primal Forger meant. He nodded, then took Evelyn a few steps back, giving the Primal Forger the space he needed to cast psionic spells.

Yuan Zhuzhi took a deep breath and took out an inconspicuous little bottle from behind him. Inside the bottle was something that looked like white ash, but upon closer inspection, it gave off a faint, indescribable, and peculiar feeling.

"These are the ashes of a saint of the state religion," Yuan Zhuzhi introduced. "This is the first thing I want to tell you, which you already know, but I still want to emphasize it again."

Although the helmet obscured his face, Lin Qi could still imagine the solemn expression on the face of the Former Forger at this moment.

"That means we absolutely must be prepared before using psionic energy. It's not our privilege to use it recklessly. Its dangers are undeniable. What we need to do is to snatch chestnuts from the fire, not to get burned ourselves."

Yuan Zhuzhi said in a deep voice. He grasped the small bottle, then knelt on one knee and crushed it forcefully.

"Click."

With a crisp sound, the small bottle shattered. Shards of glass, mixed with white ash, fell from between the fingers of the Primal Forged Head, landing on the ground and, amidst the chaos, arranging themselves into a neat skull pattern.

"Even in battle, it is very dangerous to use psionic energy in direct combat. Because in battle, we do not know what situation we will encounter, which makes it difficult for us to prepare the spells we are about to use."

"Use it if you can avoid it." The head of the Original Forging said in a deep voice, a blinding pale light beginning to flash in his eyes. "No matter how powerful the think tank is, we all try our best to abide by this rule."

The white ashes began to burn fiercely. Golden flames engulfed the tiny dust particles in an instant. The pattern on the skull changed, transforming into a small, two-headed eagle.

Yuan Zhuzhi felt a blur before his eyes, and at the same time, a strong sense of dizziness swept through his brain. Thousands of whispered words filled his ears, and his blurred vision was a mixture of illusion and reality. Without hesitation, he drew the combat dagger from his waist, aimed it at a hand, and then plunged it down hard.

The sharp monomolecular blade pierced through the terracotta gauntlet. Skin and flesh were pierced, nerves were severed and stimulated, sending signals of pain rushing to the brain, then reacting to the central nervous system, and circulating throughout the body.

The whispers in his ears lessened, and the scenery before him stabilized. The Primal Forged Leader took a deep breath; the stability brought by pain was temporary and limited. Many illegal psionicists were often covered in wounds when captured by the Empire, not because of any physical suffering, but because they took measures to stabilize their minds.

Yuan Zhuzhi looked at what was presented before him. His expression suddenly turned gloomy. The psionic spell he used was a magical technique not recorded in the holy scriptures, which came from a friend of his from long ago, a friend who no longer existed in this era.

The effect of this spell is that it allows people to glimpse the "essence," not the kind of essence defined in the secular world, but something else, something mysterious and profound.

For example, right now, the leader of the original forging has successfully passed through this spell and seen the "essence" of the place where he is.

Is it fair to say that this technology is from the dark age of science?

The Forged Leader sighed. He understood their situation: they were actually walking on a loop, or rather, a Möbius strip.

The Möbius strip represents infinity. If the secrets it contains cannot be discovered, then everyone who enters this place will be trapped within it for eternity, no matter how far they go, they will be imprisoned in this place, repeating the endless cycle.

Yuan Zhuzhi withdrew from his state, and Lin Qi, who noticed the change in his state, immediately stepped forward, reached out and helped him up.

Yuan Zhuzhi reached out his hand to Lin Qi to show that he was alright.

“And another thing,” he began. “As Astartes, although using psionic energy is dangerous, we naturally possess a more resilient body and mind than mortals, so we should use it when necessary in a real crisis. Do you understand, just because the sharp side of a sword is facing you?”

Yuan Zhuzhi let out a long breath and looked at Lin Qi.

"What do you see?"

"Möbius strip".

The Primal Forger quickly organized his thoughts and described what he had seen. Lynch and Evelyn frowned together, realizing the gravity of the situation. If what the Primal Forger said was true, they were likely trapped in the passage before them, unable to leave even if they looked back.

They weren't going in circles; they were indeed descending, but no matter what, they couldn't reach another "reality."

“This…is beyond comprehension.” Evelyn’s voice was filled with excitement along with worry. “By the God of All Machines, this must be His power at work here.”

If it really is the God of All Machines, then I'm practically one of its chosen ones, yet it hasn't given me any special privileges.

Lynch inwardly scoffed at Evelyn's words, but then his face fell as he worried about the situation. After all, according to the leader of the original forging, they had unknowingly walked into a "trap" from the very beginning.

This is a very troublesome situation.

Because this thing isn't some mystical creation; from an analytical standpoint, it's a genuine technological invention that they simply can't comprehend. If Caul were there, he might have a solution, but he's not, and communications have been cut off, making it impossible to provide off-site assistance.

Lin Qi hesitated for a moment, looked at the two people beside him, and put forward his idea.

"Perhaps we should just destroy the surrounding structure. After all, if it's a Möbius strip, then a gap in the overall structure could render the entire structure inoperable..."

“It could also lead to a collapse,” the Primal Forging Leader said coldly. “If that happens, then we will have suffered a greater loss than we gain.”

“Perhaps I can try to analyze it,” Evelyn said, the only professional present, though her tone clearly revealed a lack of confidence. “I am not the Great Sage Kaul, not even a Great Sage, and I cannot do what they can do. My only chance of success may be to seek the blessing of Omnesia.”

That means they are actually helpless in the face of the current situation.

Lynch recognized the situation, but he wasn't worried. After all, he had Caul on the track as insurance, and besides, it was impossible for the weasel to completely ignore something like this.

Suppressing the urge to seek Horus's help, Lynch remembered the agreement he had made with Horus before setting off that this mission would rely on his own efforts.

The three discussed for a while, during which they did nothing. Ten minutes passed in this way, and they decided to continue moving forward. After all, compared to moving backward, even if it was pointless, moving forward was still moving forward.

But not far after they stepped out, the fighter pilot in front suddenly stopped. Danger lights began flashing on its monitor, and the heavy weapons on its shoulders were no longer simply warming up, but were ready to fire.

The fighter pilot turned around and looked at the straight and empty passage behind the three men, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"Evelyn, go behind the fighter soldiers." Lin Qi made the arrangement, protecting the weakest fighter in the team first.

He then drew the explosive gun from his waist, a master-level precision-crafted explosive gun named "Redemption," ready to go. Although its machine spirit was entering the battlefield for the first time, the fighting spirit it displayed was enough to inspire and uplift any warrior.

The leader of the original forging stood beside Lynch, wielding a bomb pistol that was a rifle of master-level craftsmanship. Furthermore, after being specially modified by Caul, its range had increased dramatically, and its power was also ridiculously high.

The passage in the distance remained silent, but all three trusted the mech's judgment. A detection range of ten kilometers was no joke, and as Astartes, the original leader and Lynch were indeed beginning to feel a sense of oppressive pressure.

Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye. Lynch and the leader of the original forge maintained their gun-raising positions, while Evelyn also took out a pistol from her waist. It looked like a revolver, but the barrel seemed unusually long.

"Boom."

"They're here." The leader of the original forging team spoke first, using his scope to see the scene in the distance. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

A high-explosive bullet shot out of the barrel and flew straight forward.

"boom!"

The sound of hitting the target echoed back, accompanied by an increasingly clear tremor in the ground. Lynch's power armor system began operating at high speed, and the auxiliary targeting device locked onto dozens of targets in an instant. They were densely packed, giving the impression of insects swarming together and struggling forward.

But I am a bug hunter.

Lin Qi thought to himself, suppressed the tension in his heart about his first battle after the modification, and then pulled the trigger.

Chapter 118 The Joyful Bomb Gun Will Inevitably Meet a Subspace Magazine

It has no hands or feet, but relies on an anti-gravity device to levitate in the air.

When it moves, its body constantly wriggles, and there are several tentacles on the bottom of its body. Its head has a pair of huge electronic eyes, which emit a dazzling red light as it moves forward.

Lacking any means of ranged attack, its body was resilient and its vitality tenacious. Even after being torn in two by a bomb, it still struggled on the ground and charged forward.

Mechanical worm.

Lin Qi named his current enemy in his mind and activated the disintegration force field on the power spear in his other hand.

Ten seconds have passed since the first shot was fired. In those ten seconds, Lin Qi emptied half of the magazine of his Judgment weapon. Explosive rounds ripped through the air, each one precisely targeting a different enemy. Engine oil spread across the ground, eventually reaching his feet, resembling the blood left by a dead person on the battlefield.

The corpses of the mechanical worms piled up on the ground, and the long-range firepower of the three men and one machine gunner created a terrifying barrage of bullets in this narrow passage. If these mechanical worms were charging cavalry, then Lynch and his companions were the machine guns set up on the battlefield. Facing machine guns, the cavalry, aside from letting out a glorious roar as they charged, could only fall like swathes of wheat during a bountiful harvest on an agricultural planet.

The mechanical spirit of the Moon Wolf Armor assisted Lin Qi. Inside the helmet, the auxiliary aiming system not only helped him mark targets, but also systematically analyzed and summarized the situation of the targets after they were attacked, and finally formed a targeted intelligence report.

"The spine of these mechanical worms is their core," Lynch's voice echoed in the team channel. "After hitting the spine, their corpses on the ground ceased to move."

No one answered the channel, but Lin Qi knew his information had successfully reached the other two. In the next ten seconds, most of the destroyed mechanical worm corpses stopped twitching and crawling forward, instead becoming obedient, completely transformed into corpses of steel and cables.

The magazine was empty, but Lin Qi still managed to fire two extra bullets after pulling the trigger. This made him pause for a split second, followed by a momentary, wry smile.

The loyal bomb gun will fire its own bombs, as for the source of the bombs...

Mind your own business, just get it out.

The magazine was emptied, and the extra bullets were fired. Lynch put down the Judgment and hung it back on his waist. Then, he gripped the shaft of the power spear with both hands, watching the mechanical worms rushing out from the gaps in the barrage to the front of the formation, assuming a stance like an elite spearman facing a cavalry charge in ancient times.

The mechanical worm opened its "mouth," revealing a dense array of rotating gears, each with exceptionally sharp edges. Just looking at it was enough to imagine the horrific consequences if flesh and blood were to come into contact with it.

However, Lin Qi felt no fear. It wasn't that he didn't have that emotion, but even though this was his first time facing such a formidable enemy head-on, he didn't feel any tension.

As for the reason...

These enemies were somewhat weak to him, nothing more.

Their swift attacks, in Lynch's view, were even less fierce than the fighter jets he faced when he first started training. Their only advantage was probably their sheer numbers, giving them a kind of overwhelming force, like ants killing an elephant.

The powered spear sliced ​​through the air, its sword-like tip crackling with azure arcs of electricity, easily piercing the mechanical worm's hard metal shell. Sparks and cables flew from the puncture, followed by a violent explosion.

The explosion struck two of the worm's companions behind it, causing their charge to become erratic. However, they were destined not to have a chance to correct their posture. Lynch took a step forward, released his left hand, and then, with a sudden burst of power from his right hand and arm, unleashed a simple yet incredibly powerful horizontal slash.

The metal walls on both sides were torn apart along with the mechanical worms. Having emptied his explosive pistol magazine, the Primal Forged Leader donned his power sword and charged forward, activating the disintegration field on the blade in the process. Then, with a burst of power from his arms, several streaks of light flashed in the air, successfully dissecting over a dozen mechanical worms into twitching corpses as they fell.

Two tall figures stood together, forming an impenetrable defensive line. Fighter soldiers and Evelyn continued to unleash fire from the rear, doing their utmost to reduce the number of mechanical worms reaching the defensive line.

Three minutes passed quickly. Under the tireless attacks of the team, the corpses of the mechanical worms had successfully piled up into a small, man-made mountain. The air was filled with the smell of machine oil, and the fighter pilots, after enduring a barrage of intense fire, had emptied their first magazines. Evelyn quickly went to its back, helped it reload, and then continued the attack.

Lynch brandished his Atonement sword, each swing destroying a mechanical worm. The same was true of the Primal Forged Leader beside him. The power sword and power spear, wielded by their master, seemed to become part of two massive storms, relentlessly tearing apart any enemy that dared to challenge them.

However, as time passed, the number of mechanical worm corpses increased, and to avoid making mistakes, Lin Qi and the Primal Forge Leader had to slowly retreat. Even so, in the system display inside the helmet, Lin Qi discovered that the number of mechanical worms hadn't decreased at all; on the contrary, it was increasing.

Lin Qi immediately realized something was wrong. They had destroyed nearly a thousand mechanical worms, but even under such circumstances, the enemy's attack showed no signs of slowing down.

Moreover, if this continues, they will be severely delayed by these mechanical worms, and by then, not only will entering the actual ruins become impossible, but even escaping will become a pipe dream.

We must take the initiative to break the deadlock, especially now, when they are all still at their peak.

"We can't go on like this."

Lynch spoke up in the channel to warn them, and the other two had clearly noticed the situation as well. The leader of the original forge swung his power sword, piercing the jaw of an oncoming mechanical worm, then forcefully flung its corpse as a projectile at another worm of its kind that was charging towards it.

"You have a plan?"