On Plantidium, the shift in the war's dynamics was faster than anyone could have predicted. Just as the Imperial joint forces were relentlessly advancing, pushing the Tyranid swarm into a corner, a sudden, bizarre transformation swept across the entire planet.
The purple spore mist that had blanketed the air began to recede at a visible speed, as if drawn by an invisible hand, quickly dissipating. The grotesque, flesh-tumor-like Tyranid organisms that had thrived in the occupied zones also seemed to have their life force drained away, rapidly withering into piles of foul-smelling ash that scattered on the wind.
The undulating, living surface of the planet stopped its ominous pulsing, turning grey and dead. The entirety of of the planet seemed to have been hit by a "clear" button at that moment; the biological structures that symbolized the Hive were collapsing at an astonishing pace.
The advancing players were momentarily stunned by the uncanny sight, their weapons falling silent. An unprecedented quiet settled over the battlefield.
Immediately after, the players' comms channels erupted with exclamations and guesses: "What the hell is going on? Did the bugs quit fighting?"
"Something's wrong! I know this trope! The final BOSS is about to make an appearance, right?" one voice shouted, mixing excitement with tension.
"Damn, should we keep pushing? When it was just chaos, charging blindly was fine, but if we run into a high-powered unit, we might get wiped out instantly!" another player's voice was filled with worry.
However, a radical voice quickly countered: "Charge! Why wouldn't we charge? This game is all about realism. A big operation like this means the final BOSS, the Hive Mind, must be taking time to materialize. Every hit we land now is a debuff on the BOSS later!"
"Exactly! Standing still just indulges the enemy! Plus, this game doesn't have rules like 'no damage during transition phase.' What if we get there while the BOSS is in the critical stage of being born, land a clean shot, and our company gets all the credit?"
"Hahahaha!"
"Sigh, there he goes fantasizing again."
The Tyranid-occupied Plantidium was currently undergoing an unprecedented "cleansing." As the spore mist quickly vanished, the heavy, leaden cloud cover gradually thinned, and sunlight finally managed to pierce through, casting its glow once more upon the ravaged planet.
If one could ignore the persistent deep-green toxic smoke slowly dissipating in some areas—residue from the Helldiver's ordnance—Plantidium's sky was, for once, clear.
Consequently, the Imperial Navy's air wing, previously severely restricted by the harsh environment and spore mist, was finally unleashed.
Large formations of attack aircraft and bombers of various types, like swarms of bees, took off from the Imperial fleet's orbital base and ground airfields. Engine roar echoed through the skies, carving white contrails across the long-awaited blue backdrop. Their mission was simple: reconnaissance, suppression, and support for ground forces.
And they successfully found the trace of the Tyranids.
In fact, the Tyranids made no effort to hide. The Hive Mind made no attempt to conceal its ultimate objective. On the central plain of Plantidium, a colossal, bottomless pit was revealed to all pilots. It was a horrifying sight, miles in diameter, as if the very earth had been violently torn open by some unseen force.
Everything—the remnants of various Tyranid organisms, the primordial liquid biomass, and even the spore mist that had been too thick to see through—was being sucked into this giant pit with incredible speed, as if swallowed by a whale. The edge of the chasm bore the scars of a collapsing bio-structure, suggesting a final, gargantuan metamorphosis.
"Oh, damn it," a Helldiver pilot with the ID Zobayan reacted quickly, complaining over the comms channel. "Why does this scene feel so familiar? Do you guys feel like we're the fighter jets that rush in first in those monster movies, serving as cannon fodder to show how strong the monster is before the giant robot or Ultraman shows up?"
A brief silence hung over the comms channel, followed by an explosion of laughter.
"Hiss, now that you mention it, you're right," replied another pilot, ID [Viper]. "So, what's next? A ferocious giant monster is going to slowly emerge or burst out of the pit to take out Zobayan's jet, we'll formulaically shout our grief, formulaically spread out to fire a few missiles, formulaically get crushed by the monster, leave a few screams of 'Monster! It's a monster!' in Command, and then the command center falls silent?"
"Crap, why do I have to be the first one taken out?" [Zobayan] immediately protested in discontent.
"You chose that awful name; you were asking to crash," [Viper] shot back without mercy.
"Alright, alright, fly seriously, and watch yourselves," the squadron leader interjected, stopping their banter. "Less talk about bad omens. We aren't the GUTS team; we can't crash whenever we feel like it. Our losses are capped, okay? We can only lose a dozen planes a month, and then we're grounded."
After silencing his team's jokes, the Captain reported to Command: "Command, this is Hawkeye Squadron. Target area reconnaissance complete. We've found a large-scale geological anomaly, suspected to be the core Hive zone. A massive pit is consuming all Tyranid biomass and spores. Preliminary assessment is that the Tyranid Hive Mind is undergoing some kind of ultimate form of aggregation."
Moments later, the command directive came over the communicator: "Hawkeye Squadron, acknowledged. Maintain distance, but approach for closer observation to gather more detailed data. Watch your safety, and be ready to withdraw at any moment."
"Affirmative, Command," the Captain responded, then issued instructions via the internal channel. "All hands, per Command orders, we are moving closer to the target area for observation. Maintain formation, keep a safe distance, but ensure a clear view. Everyone stay sharp!"
The squadron, led by the Captain, slowly decelerated and cautiously approached the all-consuming chasm.
As the distance closed, the residual concentration of Tyranid spores rose again. Although not as thick as before, it was enough to interfere with Imperial technology.
The instruments on the fighter jets began to emit piercing alarm sounds. The radar screens were filled with static and interference, and the altimeter and speedometer showed varying degrees of failure. Even comms became intermittent. Warning lights inside the cockpit flashed relentlessly, indicating the jets were operating in an extremely unstable environment.
The Captain's brow furrowed. He looked at the chaotic instrument panel, calculating whether he should immediately pull out of this heavily jammed zone or risk plunging deeper. Just as he hesitated—
"BOOM!"
A deafening explosion erupted without warning!
Zobayan's jet, on the left flank of the formation, was instantly and precisely hit by a blue energy projectile without emitting any distress signal. The energy blast was unbelievably fast, cutting a bizarre arc through the air, and instantly piercing Zobayan's fuselage. The next second, the fighter exploded into a blinding fireball, scattering debris like a fleeting firework.
"Zobayan!" Viper instinctively cried out.
After a brief silence, another team member yelled: "Damn it, why did you actually shout his name?!"
The Captain's heart sank, but his extensive combat experience kept him from being totally overcome by shock. In the instant Zobayan's fighter exploded, he used a pilot's instinct to snap his gaze toward the source of the energy blast—the bottomless pit.
Through the interference and the violent shaking of his jet, he saw it.
In the deepest part of the giant pit, a colossal, suffocating outline was slowly emerging. It looked like a twisted aggregation of countless flesh, bone, and biomass, not yet fully formed, and covered in a strange blue aura.
"Holy cow, Zobayan the jinx was right, there really is a monster! I'm going to ream him out when I get back!" the Captain cursed. "We can't handle that thing, everyone retreat fast!"