Through the pilot's shared field of vision, a city like a steel behemoth gradually came into focus.
Towering alloy walls loomed around the city's perimeter, resembling a slumbering mechanical dragon.
These composite armored walls, each over ten meters thick, were densely outfitted with automated defense arrays—missile nests, high-caliber rapid-fire cannons, and various automated platforms arranged in a deadly interlocking network.
Every three hundred meters stood a prismatic watchtower embedded with multispectral scanners that rotated constantly. Harsh searchlights cut through the night like swords, illuminating the wilderness beyond the walls down to every blade of grass.
Inside the city, the tightly packed buildings were of a clearly militarized design.
Sharp-edged alloy structures, heavy armor plating over critical facilities, streets laid out in straight, efficient grids, and not a single unnecessary decoration.
At the center stood a command nexus, its top bristling with towering communication antennas that continuously broadcast signals.
Even more striking were the energy nodes scattered throughout the city. These prismatic towers glowed with an eerie bluish light, their interiors visibly pulsing with crystalline structures—clearly powered by those mysterious high-energy minerals.
Energy conduits ran across the ground like veins, channeling surging power to the city's core systems.
All primary entrances were sealed off by retractable composite armor barricades, each two meters thick and embedded with what appeared to be high-voltage discharge nodes.
Soldiers in power armor painted black, gray, and red stood guard in standard tactical formations, armed with what were clearly magnetic rail rifles.
Their armor might not have matched the sheer bulk or mass of an Astartes Titan Suit, but the technology was far from primitive.
What raised more concern were the heavy tanks parked behind the checkpoints—Leon and Mike immediately recognized signs of modular transformation systems.
Then Mike suddenly lowered his posture and muttered, "Something's off."
His voice came through the bone-conduction headset as he manipulated his wrist terminal. A holographic projection immediately expanded into a 3D terrain map.
He zoomed in on a checkpoint at the city's southeast corner, where twelve fully armed soldiers were thoroughly inspecting a transport vehicle.
"Look at this defense density," Mike said, tapping the flashing red dots on the map. "They've deployed a crossfire network, mobile watchtowers, and scanning arrays around a civilian sector. That goes way beyond normal security."
Running the layout through the tactical database, he added, "According to Empire Colonial Defense Protocols, checkpoint spacing in non-combat zones should be no less than 500 meters. But here—"
Dozens of markers popped up on the map. "There's a checkpoint every 200 meters on average."
He looked at Leon and concluded, "Deploying this level of defense around a civilian zone? Either something went seriously wrong on this planet, or the ruling regime is so paranoid they need military dictatorship to keep everything in check."
Leon didn't answer right away. He was closely observing the soldiers' behavior.
Their movements were mechanical and efficient—no slackness at all. Even transport convoys were subject to strict scanning.
Several individuals in military uniforms were being questioned, with rifle barrels never straying from their backs.
"This doesn't look like simple military enforcement," Leon said, narrowing his eyes.
Mike then switched the projection to a thermal imaging overlay, which revealed bizarre blue blotches across the map. "According to the orbital drone scans, these are likely scorch marks from energy weapons. Judging by the pattern—"
He quickly traced a few red lines. "These aren't defensive bursts. This was systematic cleansing. There's definitely been a major uprising here recently."
As Mike spoke, new aerial images from orbital drones came in.
Leon noticed strange patchwork repairs on the central square's pavement, and the buildings near the core zone were pockmarked with honeycomb-like bullet holes.
In the northern industrial zone, the normally bustling transport platforms were empty. Blood trails, clearly dragged, stretched across the ground into a heavily guarded storage area.
"Are they afraid of the swarm?" Mike asked.
Leon shook his head and quickly swiped through his holographic panel. The orbital drones had intercepted encrypted communications and converted them into readable data.
A processed voice recording began playing:
"—Repeat, execution order at Mine Sector 7. All striking miners are to be—"
A humming sound resembling Gauss weaponry filled the audio. "—Stupid miners, just do your jobs. Or your families are next—"
The recording cut off amid blood-curdling screams.
Leon resumed, "From what I'm seeing, this city—no, the entire planet—is under martial law after a crackdown."
He pointed to several data nodes on the projection. "The drones also detected energy allocation curves. Power to civilian districts has been reduced to the minimum, while munitions factories have seen a 300% boost in output."
"Heh. Rebellion? Even better…" Mike chuckled darkly. "Looks like the local government's not worth negotiating with. We can just wipe them out."
"Hopefully. Would save us some trouble," Leon agreed, then zoomed in on a particular zone. The drones had tagged it as a "Suspected Large Military Base."
He said, "Once we've gathered enough intel at our primary objective, we should recon this base as well."
"Agreed," Mike nodded without hesitation.
At that moment, the assault shuttle vibrated slightly as it prepared to land.
The pilot reported over the encrypted channel: "Landing at abandoned mining zone. Safety level: Yellow. Surface temperature 28°C, wind speed 12 knots, visibility good."
With the maglev engines switching to full silent mode, the shuttle descended gently like a falling leaf onto a maintenance platform at the edge of the mine.
The hatch slid open, and Leon leapt out first. His tactical boots made only the faintest thud against the rusted metal platform.
He immediately rolled behind an overturned ore-sorting machine, sidearm drawn and ready. Mike followed right after.
They swiftly scanned the area. With night vision enabled through their holographic visors, they surveyed the surroundings.
Below them, the abandoned mine tunnels gaped like the maw of a beast. Discarded mining machinery and shattered crystal fragments littered the darkness.
Far off, the city's searchlights swept across the terrain. Whenever the beams struck the prisms, they reflected eerie blue light—like countless watching eyes.
With their task done, the pilot lifted off, keeping the shuttle in stealth mode and returning toward the forward base.
Within seconds, it vanished into the night sky—leaving no trace it had ever been there.
Leon and Mike simultaneously activated their optical camouflage cloaks over their civilian uniforms.
A subtle energy ripple shimmered across them as their outlines warped and blurred—eventually blending perfectly into the surrounding terrain.
This advanced stealth system didn't just mimic background colors. It also adjusted surface temperature to match the environment, making them nearly invisible to most scanners—even pulse sensors.
They began moving toward the city.
As they approached, the battlefield remnants became more pronounced.
The ground was riddled with craters, like the surface of the moon. Some edges bore crystallized scorch marks from energy weapons.
Mike crouched and touched a blackened substance at one crater's edge. His tactical glove sensors displayed the analysis on his visor—
"Residual high-temperature plasma."
"Looks like the fighting here was intense," Mike whispered through the comms. "A one-sided massacre."
Leon nodded and pointed toward a ruined structure ahead—their visors clearly outlined body shapes and heat traces.
What had once been a checkpoint was now just a twisted metal frame and charred wreckage.
The ground was stained with dark red blood, long since dried and now a purplish-black under moonlight.
More unsettling were signs of executions: fan-shaped bullet impacts on walls and long drag marks from corpses along the ground.
Suddenly, a searchlight beam swept across their area.
Both men froze, holding their breath.
The beam passed directly over Mike's position, pushing the camouflage system to its limit.
The light lingered a moment but moved on, showing the guards hadn't detected him.
Only after the beam disappeared did they resume their advance.
As they neared the city's main entrance, the full extent of the fortifications became clear.
Five-meter-high alloy barriers bristled with spikes and high-voltage grids. Several automated turrets stood nearby.
Soldiers in black, gray, and red power armor patrolled back and forth, their armor gleaming coldly under the searchlights.
Leon noted the soldiers' helmets had holographic visors—suggesting complex life-support systems in their suits.
Two heavy tanks were also stationed there.
Such a defense could repel any standard auxiliary force. But after ten years of development, the Empire's auxiliaries were now equipped with faster, more agile power armor than these soldiers—let alone the presence of the Astartes.
Leon wasn't worried about a future direct confrontation.
Meanwhile, he and Mike's visors silently recorded everything.
With enhanced image capture, they cataloged every detail of the enemy's power armor and tanks.
As they prepared to collect more data, a patrol squad suddenly approached their position.
They stepped to the sides. The soldiers passed within two meters—completely unaware of them.
Once the patrol moved on, the two agents slipped through the final open area and successfully infiltrated the city.
But what they saw made them frown in unison.
The streets were utterly deserted, except for armored patrols and vehicles.
Windows were all sealed shut—some even welded with steel bars. An oppressive silence filled the air. Even the wind sounded harsh.
"Full lockdown," Mike whispered over comms. "Guess the bar and club plan's shot."
"…"
Leon didn't reply, instead gesturing toward the massive holographic displays on both sides of the street.
At almost every intersection stood a towering hologram of a stern-looking middle-aged man in a crisp military uniform adorned with medals.
The image played an English-language speech on a loop:
"Citizens, watch the people around you!" the hologram declared in a commanding voice. "Any form of dissent only delays our progress! Remember—unity is strength!"
Another screen displayed a wanted poster of an unshaven man labeled: "Jim Raynor—heinous terrorist."
"Looks like we found the root of the problem," Leon said softly. "This so-called terrorist, Jim Raynor, seems to have thrown the planetary regime into a panic."
He also noticed a digital bulletin board at the street corner displaying a scrolling curfew order. One clause read: "Anyone found on the streets during curfew will be treated as an insurgent."
Suddenly, noise erupted from ahead.
A squad of soldiers was bashing in the door of an apartment building. Screams from a woman and a child followed.
Leon and Mike exchanged a glance and moved silently toward the commotion.
They needed more intel—and chaos always made the best cover.
As they neared the apartment, scorch marks and plasma burns marred the concrete walls.
Mike signaled, and the two concealed themselves behind a wrecked vehicle.
Through a shattered window, they saw four power-armored soldiers dragging a mother and child down the stairs.
The frail mother stumbled and fell to the pavement, but still shielded the boy—around five or six years old—in her arms.
Blood streamed from her scraped knee, dark red in the moonlight.
"Please…" she cried hoarsely, clutching the squad leader's armored leg with her left hand. "We were just hungry… My boy hasn't eaten in three days…"
The lead soldier snorted. His voice, electronically processed, sounded chilling.
"Curfew Rule Three: No excuse justifies violating orders."
He shoved her off and gestured to a comrade.
The other soldier stepped forward, grabbing the mother and child like luggage, and threw them into the armored prisoner transport without hesitation.
(End of Chapter)
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