Under any normal circumstances, Commissar Cain, now separated from a group of Genestealers by tons of rock, should have felt quite relieved.
Commissar Cain thought he might have taken a blow to the head or something, because he barely spent a second thinking before he started clawing at the rubble, trying to clear a path back to the corridor they had just come from.
That corridor was now undoubtedly festooned with the entrails of others. He didn't stop until someone put a hand on his shoulder.
"That's enough, Caiaphas."
Amberly shook her head regretfully.
"They're beyond help."
Commissar Cain slowly stood up, dusting himself off, wondering how he would manage without Yugen. After all, Yugen had been with him since the beginning of his military career, and that was no short time; he would definitely miss Yugen.
"What happened?"
Commissar Cain asked, blinking and shaking the dust from his eyes, as if his mind were also full of dirt.
"Where did you go?"
"Here, obviously."
Amberly looked around. There was nothing special in the room, but at least there were no Genestealers.
"The displacement field threw me here when I was shot."
"Displacement what?"
Commissar Cain shook his head blankly. His hair was also full of dust, and he couldn't find his hat.
For some reason, this seemed very important, and he kept looking around, even though the hat must have been buried under the rubble.
She shrugged: "A displacement field. If I take a strong enough hit, it teleports me away… most of the time."
"Useful little gadget," Commissar Cain said.
Amberly looked around: "It is, when it works… Shall we go?"
"Where?" Commissar Cain asked, still trying to process everything.
"Let's get out of here quickly." She shone her flashlight into a dark corner of the room.
"This looks like an exit." Commissar Cain nodded.
"I can feel a draft."
"Alright." Amberly looked at Commissar Cain curiously, and he realized she hadn't noticed. How to put it?
"Then let's go."
Well, Commissar Cain had no better idea than to follow her. If he had known where they were heading, he might have decided it was better to stay put.
The fight in the passage and the aftermath had completely exhausted Commissar Cain, both physically and mentally. He took a few sips of water from his canteen, trying to wash down the dust in his throat, but still couldn't shake the feeling of being covered in sand.
And Yugen was dead… The sense of loss was numbing and unexpected. Commissar Cain didn't understand why he always thought they would die together, when fate swept him in, even his honed survival instincts couldn't save him from the disasters he encountered.
So, Commissar Cain didn't know how long passed, remaining silent and just following Amberly. At least she seemed to have some kind of plan.
Commissar Cain remembered that he had been holding his pistol, which seemed strange since there was no obvious danger around. But ever since the wall collapsed, he had been gripping the gun, finding it difficult to put back in its holster. Later, he found bruises on his hand from holding it so tightly for so long.
They continued in silence for a while until Amberly spoke again. The pressure in Commissar Cain's ears told him that the tunnel they were in was slowly descending, with no obvious way back to the surface.
Commissar Cain thought that this direction was as good as any other. He felt he had mentioned this, but never thought Amberly wouldn't notice. If he found out she hadn't realized this and even thought they were going up, Commissar Cain would definitely remind her, especially if he knew what was waiting for them on the lowest levels.
"Well, anyway, I think the main question has been answered," Amberly said.
"Which question?" Commissar Cain asked. By now, the whole situation had become so bizarre, there was no sign of anything normal.
The only thing he could count on was more betrayal and chaos, and he could hardly be disappointed by that. Amberly looked a little surprised, then pleased by Commissar Cain's reaction.
She repeated: "The main one, who would benefit from instigating a war against the Tau."
"Hive Fleet," Commissar Cain said, shuddering involuntarily even though the passage was uncomfortably humid and hot.
If the Genestealers were indeed the vanguard of a nascent Tyranids, then their strategy was unprecedented in scale, and the implications behind it were far from reassuring.
This was also why Li Feng conducted a rapid "special military operation" against the Tau instead of a "full-scale war," and sought peace talks with the Tau to end the war as quickly as possible.
Between the civilized Tau and the uncivilized Tyranids and Genestealer Cults, Li Feng decisively chose to thoroughly eradicate the uncivilized.
Amberly nodded, evidently satisfied with Commissar Cain's answer, then tried to continue the conversation. Commissar Cain thought she wanted him to focus on the task at hand and not dwell too much on the deaths of his comrades.
"Apparently, the Genestealer Cult has been active here for generations. Luckily, this place is a backwater, otherwise it would have spread across half the sector by now."
"Right," Commissar Cain agreed.
Later, he and Amberly communicated and learned that Amberly had been pursuing every possibility and had successfully eradicated several small cults in neighboring systems before they could grow too large, but it seemed the danger still existed.
Commissar Cain thought for a moment and added:
"Apparently, they've been here for a long time and have thoroughly infiltrated the Planetary Defence Force."
"One of them," the Inquisitor agreed.
Commissar Cain nodded, unconsciously getting drawn into the conversation: "It seems they've also been involved in local political groups."
Amberly sneered: "They initially wanted to create tension between the Imperium and the Tau, split the Planetary Defence Force, and incite loyalists to attack the Tau."
"Hoping to drag us into a war, where we would tear each other to pieces, then allow the Hive Fleet to enter this sector effortlessly."
Amberly said sternly: "Now only the two of us know this. If we fail to tell Li Feng…"
Commissar Cain immediately replied: "However, I still believe Li Feng can resolve all of this."
Commissar Cain's answer surprised Amberly a little; Amberly admitted that Li Feng was a "one in a million" existence.
But… what she didn't know was that Commissar Cain's trust in Li Feng, besides being a brother with whom he had faced life and death… also carried Commissar Cain's own trust in the Emperor!
Soon, besides the scuffing sound of their boot soles in the carpet-thick dust on the ground, Commissar Cain began to hear faint whispers ahead.
Although this gave him some comfort, thinking that the dust would muffle their footsteps, and also indicated that no one had been here for at least decades, meaning an ambush was unlikely.
However, the appearance of other sounds also caused Commissar Cain to worry. He turned off his flashlight and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. That last trace of sluggishness left him like a blanket at reveille, replaced by a gradually surging adrenaline.
"What is that?" Amberly asked as they walked into deeper darkness.
Commissar Cain said. "But I think I can hear something… though I'm not sure."
To his surprise, Amberly didn't press for more details, evidently trusting Commissar Cain to provide information if he knew it.
In any case, staying here would yield no information, so they eventually continued forward, relying on Commissar Cain's adaptation to darkness rather than reactivating the flashlight.
His palms still felt a tingling sensation, and Amberly clearly trusted Commissar Cain's instincts, at least in this environment. The corridor gradually widened ahead of them, so moving even in the dark was not as difficult as imagined. Commissar Cain gradually noticed a faint light emanating from the gloom ahead.
"Is that light ahead?" Amberly whispered, which confirmed Commissar Cain's guess. He quietly nodded.
"It should be…"
Commissar Cain lowered his voice, holding his pistol ready.
"Maybe that's the way to the surface," Amberly said hopefully.
Commissar Cain shook his head, unsure if she could see the shadows constantly moving in the increasingly strong light.
"We're too far from there. We must have descended at least three levels in the past two hours…"
"And you didn't want to say anything?" Amberly's voice was small but angry, and this was the first time Commissar Cain realized she hadn't noticed the change in depth. "We should be looking for a way out, in case you forgot, let me remind you!"
Commissar Cain retorted, strangely starting to talk back: "I thought you knew, you're in charge of this operation, remember?"
"Am I? Oh right, now that you mention it, I suppose I am! Commissar Cain, I am your superior now! You better listen to my orders!"
Her words carried a petulant tone, which Commissar Cain felt was inconsistent with her status and authority. Then, suddenly, he couldn't suppress a laugh.
Perhaps it was just nerves, yet he felt the absurdity of the current situation: they were the only survivors here, the only two who could warn the Imperium of this terrible threat, lost, isolated, outnumbered, surrounded by Legions of monsters.
But now, they were arguing like a couple on a bad date.
Commissar Cain bit his lower lip, but the harder he tried to suppress the laughter, the stronger the laughter surged from his chest, until finally, a sound burst from his nose.
Commissar Cain realized that this sudden laughter had thoroughly angered Amberly.
She angrily whispered: "Do you find yourself amusing?"
She had evidently forgotten that they needed to remain hidden. Commissar Cain should have been terrified, as an Inquisitor's wrath was not to be trifled with, but at this moment, he felt like he was about to break down, the release of tension and pressure making him laugh out loud.
Commissar Cain barely managed to squeeze out a few words, the intensity making it difficult to speak:
"Hahahaha… Of… of course not… But… this whole thing… it's just… too absurd…"
Amberly replied coldly: "I'm glad you think so, but if you think I'll just forget… *hic*…"
Her words were interrupted by a sudden hiccup.
"Forget this… Oh! Hahahaha! By the Emperor, damn it…"
She herself could no longer hold back, a giddy laugh escaping her throat, and that laughter quickly transformed into a more violent eruption, spewing from her chest like lava.
Commissar Cain couldn't maintain it either; both of them laughed uncontrollably, leaning on each other until the laughter turned into gasps and sharp pains in their ribs.
After this bout of laughter, they finally regained some sanity, continuing forward with renewed vigor. Evidently, the laughter had relieved their tension, but now they resumed stealthy movement.
Although there was no sign of Gretchin around, proving they might still be isolated, they had made enough noise that they could attract nearby Gretchin patrols at any moment.
With no other choice, they continued towards the mysterious light, which grew stronger as they approached.
"That must be artificial," Amberly whispered, pointing to the distant yellow electric light.
By this light, Commissar Cain could more clearly discern their surroundings, surprised to find that the stone carvings all around were very meticulously arranged, and the ceiling was supported by well-crafted pillars.
"I think we're in some kind of crypt," Commissar Cain ventured in a whisper.
Amberly nodded: "I think you're right."
She took out her auspex again and began to study its display. "And there are people below. From above, there's not much information, but…"
She didn't need to finish; Commissar Cain already understood. They were likely facing hybrid Heretics now, while pure Genestealers were more likely to be hidden below.
Continuing forward was a dangerous choice, but retreating, through passages full of Gretchin and their infected, to find a way to the surface, was hardly a better option.
"There's only one way for us to know," Commissar Cain agreed, and the two began to advance cautiously again.
The light evidently came from a huge room, with an unusually high ceiling, supported by pillars much taller and heavier than those seen in the corridor.
This space was similar to the hall they had seen during the Heretic attack, with wide corridors circling the edge of the room, leading to different pipe openings. To Commissar Cain's slight relief, there seemed to be no one or any movement here.
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