Governor's Secret Chamber,
"How is Yugen?"
Amberly supported Cain's other shoulder, helping him carefully lay Yugen on the floor. Cain began to meticulously clear the debris from Yugen's helmet.
"Not good."
Cain whispered, the worry in his voice more pronounced than he had anticipated. There was a fair amount of blood on the ground, but most were superficial wounds caused by armor fragments.
However, what worried Cain more was the clear fluid mixed in. At this moment, the sniper Sorel picked up his severed arm. His clothes were already covered in blood, but thanks to Yugen's quick reaction and first aid, he had at least saved his life.
He looked at Yugen and immediately said, "I suspect he has a fractured skull."
"I think you're right." Amberly began first aid with surprising speed and skill. "It would be best to call a medical team."
Cain cursed his own foolishness inwardly. He turned on his communicator, only to realize that since they had returned to the surface, he could directly contact Kastin. However, when he connected to the command channel, he heard it was incredibly busy. He turned to look at Amberly, his throat filled with the bitter taste of failure.
"We're too late," Cain whispered. "It seems the war has already broken out."
"Then we'll have to stop it," Amberly replied calmly, still focused on Yugen's injuries. Cain was not yet aware of Yugen's importance at the time, merely grateful for her concern for him and amazed by her tireless spirit.
Just as he was about to reply, the wall suddenly exploded, and Cain was once again thrown back by the shockwave, with decorative elements and rubble fragments flying all around.
"Damn it..."
He struggled to grab his fallen Laser Gun. As soon as he got it, he saw several figures in bulletproof armor rush in through the breach, carrying Laser Guns.
Cain vaguely saw that behind them, a group of people were burning corpses with flamethrowers. Cain recognized the armor as belonging to the Imperial Guard and hastily suppressed his urge to pull the trigger.
"Stand up! Slowly!" A familiar voice rang out, with a hint of surprise. "Political Commissar! Is that you?"
"Kastin, what do you think? Cough, cough, cough..." Cain replied.
Kastin watched him, scrutinizing him for a moment, then her gaze shifted to the disheveled Amberly, and swept over Yugen and the Governor's corpse on the ground.
Cain pointed at Yugen: "He needs a doctor."
After speaking, for some reason, Cain felt a wave of weakness, his legs slightly trembling, as if his entire being had been drained.
In the vehicle, Kastin quietly listened to their account, or at least the part Amberly disclosed. Cain had been nodding in agreement for the past half hour,
"Yes, that's right."
and interjecting with appropriate comments, all while searching for the Coca-Cola Lord Li Feng had procured; he needed a chilled one, to revive himself with sugar and coolness.
Brocklaw, like a dutiful adjutant, was directing Soldiers to hold the line and clear the tunnels within the Hive City. The escort vehicle gradually left the Hive City, once again bathed in sunlight.
After seeing Yugen safely sent to the field hospital, Cain cherished the moment, feeling the warmth of the sun on his face, and marveling inwardly at his luck in escaping death once again.
"We have enough evidence," Amberly said.
"Everything here now is all we need. Gryce is a Genestealer hybrid who attempted to assassinate the ambassador to provoke war, and the destruction and death in the city were merely part of his plan."
Kastin gasped, shocked by the revealed truth: "His own people, thousands of sacrifices... What a bastard."
Cain said coldly, "His 'people' are the Gretchin. As for us and the Tau, to him, we are nothing more than fodder for the Hive Fleet."
"We also found some survivors!"
Kastin immediately set off, running towards the figures emerging from the hole in the Hive City. Amberly and Cain exchanged a meaningful look, a silent premonition sparking between them.
They followed as quickly as they could, but after a fierce battle, the fatigue hit them like an avalanche, pressing down on their bodies. Cain felt his calf muscles twitching, but he still tried his best to keep up.
Before they even got close, he saw a flash of red hair, so Cain was not surprised when the search party brought out Velarde and Hollanby. The two were supported by Soldiers, holding hands like young lovers, looking utterly terrible.
Ragged uniforms, haphazardly bandaged wounds, and seeping bandages all indicated they had been through a fierce battle. Hollanby stared blankly at Cain, an expression that was not unfamiliar.
"Where did you find them?" Cain asked the Sergeant in charge. The Sergeant gave a standard military salute.
"In the pipes below, sir. Lieutenant Sura had us spread out to clear the underground defenses, and they were found about half a mile away. It seems they had a tough fight, sir."
"Velarde?" Cain asked softly.
Velarde turned his head, his gaze vacant: "What happened? Sir? We were fighting... Hollanby and I."
"They were everywhere," Hollanby interjected, his voice ethereal and distant.
"Then the roof collapsed, and we got separated from the others. So we fought our way out ourselves," Velarde continued.
"I see."
Cain slowly nodded, then looked at Amberly. Cain noticed the same doubt flickering in her eyes.
Cain turned to face Velarde and Hollanby, pulled out his Laser Gun, and before they could react, decisively pulled the trigger, shooting them through the head.
"Damn it! Political Commissar, what are you doing!" Kastin cried out, her hand instinctively reaching for her Bolter Pistol, then she calmed down.
She stared intently at Cain, her eyes filled with anger and confusion. The surrounding Soldiers were also stunned, their faces full of shock and incomprehension. At that moment, Cain felt a strong sense of déjà vu, recalling his memories in the mess hall aboard the *Righteous Fury*, and for a moment he wondered if he had made a terrible mistake.
He looked at Amberly, seeking some kind of confirmation. She nodded slightly, almost imperceptibly, but enough to reassure Cain somewhat. At least, if he was truly wrong, Amberly would bear the responsibility with him.
"I've seen similar things," Cain said loudly to Kastin, his voice clear and strong, ensuring the surrounding Soldiers could hear him. He took a combat knife from the Sergeant's armor, knelt beside Hollanby's corpse, tore open his clothes, revealing a hidden diagonal incision below his chest.
He cut it open, ignoring the horrified gasps of the surrounding Soldiers, blood staining his fingers. Cain carefully probed and finally found what he expected, a small bundle of fibrous organic matter.
"What is this?" Kastin's voice cut through the uneasy murmurs of the Soldiers.
Amberly explained, "A Genestealer implant. Once it takes root in a host, it gradually erodes the host with its own genes, making the offspring hybrids. Purebloods can appear after one or two generations, and then the contamination spreads."
She pointed to a wound on Velarde's body: "They were infected when they were surrounded by Gretchin."
"Their confusion gave them away," Cain added. "The implant affects brain function, so the host is unaware of the infection. All they remember is a chaotic battle, thinking they escaped."
Amberly concluded: "It's often mistaken for combat fatigue or some other PTSD. Fortunately, the Political Commissar saw through it, otherwise, wherever this regiment went, a hidden Genestealer Cult would follow."
Considering the 597th Regiment, a mixed-gender unit, and future situations... The future Cain absolutely loved his current decision, because the 597th Regiment had too many children later on, and if they were mixed with Gretchin, everything would be unimaginable.
"I understand." Kastin nodded decisively, turning to the Sergeant, "Burn the bodies."
"A wise precaution," Amberly said, and as the three turned to leave, the Sergeant went to find a flamethrower.
Brocklaw waved from the hatch of the armored command vehicle: "Colonel! Political Commissar! The Tau are coming to retrieve their remaining personnel. Lord Li Feng has ordered us to facilitate them, and not to fire, no matter what anomaly is discovered!"
Cain and Amberly exchanged a meaningful glance, then went to meet the squad of Tau survivors. As the small squad, now only three, stumbled into the sunlight, an uneasy tremor ran through Cain.
One person in the squad was not wearing a helmet, and squinted slightly at the sudden bright light. Cain stood his ground, feeling an unspeakable numbness and hesitation, while the Tau, with the help of their comrades, boarded the Tau troop transport.
In any case, it was too late now. He turned around with a belly full of doubts, only to find Amberly watching him with a satisfied smile.
For some reason, this smile did not boost his confidence; instead, it made him uneasy. And the Soldiers around Cain also quietly watched the three Tau survivors finally board the spaceship, then depart from the planet's surface.
"Political Commissar... Were those three Tau... also infected?"
It was unclear which Soldier in the crowd asked this question, and Cain at this moment simply answered with silence, the answer self-evident.
Clearly, Li Feng knew what had happened. The Adeptus Mechanicus had already begun genetic testing of the entire army using Li Feng's new equipment. He still allowed the Tau to unknowingly take away the infected individuals... And this point, surprisingly, was a tacit understanding reached by Li Feng and Amberly without informing each other. The Imperial Palace and the Inquisition unanimously agreed that letting the Gretchin take root within the Tau was correct, and currently maximized the interests of the Imperium.
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