"Why aren't those two guys here yet?"
"Maybe they ran off. I thought I'd witness history today, but never mind. I'll go find Jenny for some fun."
"Come on, let's go together."
Two Slaanesh Cultists emerged from behind cover and walked towards a side room, completely unaware that two shadows were carefully moving through the black iron maintenance passage above them.
Horatio Cochrane trod extremely carefully on the thin iron plates, making barely perceptible creaks, with the Female Hunter-Duke following closely behind, equally cautious.
"Phew! Jenny, ah, good Jenny." Nauseating gasps came from directly below.
Horatio Cochrane's expression was difficult to read; the 'Jenny' these Slaanesh Cultists spoke of was actually a single confessional booth marked with an unholy symbol?
As for what was inside, he didn't know, nor did he want to know.
Horatio Cochrane would look back at the Female Hunter-Duke every few steps, truly uneasy about whether she, being injured, could traverse this section of the path silently.
Horatio Cochrane gestured encouragingly: almost there, just a little further.
A drop of sweat slid down the Female Hunter-Duke's cheek, landing on her chest, her entire body already drenched in sweat.
"So fragrant, the smell of a woman."
The Evil Cultists blinked, looking left and right.
"Hey, fatty, did you smell it? This woman's scent, none of us here have this floral fragrance."
A sniffing sound came, "So fragrant, so fragrant."
"Let me see which little hussy is so fragrant today."
The two immediately began searching nearby.
Horatio Cochrane kept his eyes on the movements below, signaling the Female Hunter-Duke to stop and remain calm.
The girl didn't dare breathe, and under extreme tension, a drop of sweat slid down her perfectly curved cheek.
Plop.
"Where did this water come from?" The Evil Cultists wiped it away casually, then suddenly, his nose twitched like a dog scenting prey, and he sniffed his fingertips intently.
"Hmm, this is the smell!" Just as he raised his head, Horatio Cochrane also aimed his gun at his forehead.
If absolutely necessary, he would have to blow his brains out before he could make a sound.
"Hey, handsome men."
Suddenly, everyone's attention was drawn to a tall, red-haired woman who appeared at the archway.
Her long, fiery red hair was exceptionally eye-catching, and every part of her figure was perfectly sculpted to a man's ideal, making her a true stunner.
She wore a luxurious red and blue bustier gown comparable to those of spire nobles, and her strong, shapely long legs were encased in elegant burgundy lace garter stockings, revealing tantalizing curves as she continuously twisted her body.
Her exquisite features were delicate and refined, her cheeks moist and pretty, and her phoenix eyes were long and alluring, with heavy makeup that was just right, exuding a noble quality without being vulgar.
[As expected, Upper Hive and the spires produce more Slaanesh heretics; even a woman like this...] Horatio Cochrane raised his gun higher, because from the woman's angle, it was easy to see the two people stealthily moving above.
"Truly stunning... When did a beauty like you join?"
The two Evil Cultists were practically drooling, driven by the desire amplified by Slaanesh, and slowly walked towards her.
The woman did not answer, only smiled more alluringly, her gaze naturally moving upwards, meeting Horatio Cochrane's eyes for an instant, then she straightened up and danced into a corner.
[She just... looked at me?] Horatio Cochrane blinked, completely bewildered.
Although he didn't understand the situation, he clearly couldn't afford to think too much about it now.
Horatio Cochrane extended his hand to the Female Hunter-Duke, pulling her across the last short distance, leaving only the two idiotic men below chasing after the woman's retreating figure, searching for the 'woman's scent' they craved.
The Gentleman sat on the chair, squinting intently at the stairwell entrance, determined to teach the boy who had deceived him a harsh lesson, at least by tearing two gashes in his mouth.
"Hiss, could it be that they turned back? They should have crawled here by now."
Thump, thump, thump, heavy, intimidating footsteps came from behind.
"Lord Ogryn!" The Gentleman eagerly scurried over like a dog: "Did you capture them? The ritual..."
Slap!
"Ow, ow, ow!" The stout Ogryn's thick palm landed squarely on the Gentleman's face, making him clutch his face and howl, the wound that had just stopped bleeding now oozing crimson again.
"Idiot! They haven't come for so long, don't you know to go to the shuttle?
"But... but what if they slip away from here if I go?"
Slap!
"Ouch!" This slap sent the Gentleman rolling twice on the ground.
"Idiot! Can't you split into two groups? They've been gone for so long; if I were you, I'd leave twenty men here and take thirty to the shuttle to ambush them from both sides!"
"Yes! You are right! I will go now!"
Veins bulged on the stout Ogryn's head, and his staff stomped heavily on the ground, actually smashing a pit into it.
"Horatio Cochrane! You must die here today!" The stout Ogryn gritted his teeth.
With that, he dramatically swept his robe aside and led a surging crowd of followers directly to the rooftop.
Horatio Cochrane held his short automatic rifle in one hand and supported the Female Hunter-Duke with the other, climbing the seemingly endless stairs.
"Almost there, just a little longer."
"There are enemies above... that big brute." The Female Hunter-Duke analyzed the situation near the shuttle in advance.
Although Horatio Cochrane knew the Evil Cultists would never let them go easily, such a powerful enemy still made him feel a little apprehensive.
Based on his understanding of Ogryn from the Underhive, although they were dim-witted, their innate combat ability was far stronger than that of ordinary mortals.
"Watch carefully for me! Not even a fly is allowed to fly in... Hey! A fly got in! Go catch it for me!"
Horatio Cochrane pressed against the archway, observing every movement by the shuttle.
That was a giant, mountain of flesh, definitely not to be underestimated.
There were also seven or eight people near the giant, scattered in different positions.
They weren't focused; each of them was bored and passing the time, likely having relaxed after hearing no movement from below.
Horatio Cochrane continued to observe; the surrounding light was generally dim, with only the landing platform illuminated, making it an excellent situation for a surprise attack.
He signaled the Female Hunter-Duke to cooperate with him in eliminating the enemy, while simultaneously extending his gun barrel.
With a muffled thud, the Evil Cultists standing farthest on the edge of the tower swayed and fell.
"Hmm?" Someone nearby turned their head and noticed someone missing right under their nose, but before he could get a clear look.
Bang!
The Female Hunter-Duke pulled the rifle trigger, and the man was instantly blown away by the powerful bullet, scattering across the ground like a torn rag doll.
Two sentries stood on the tower; Horatio Cochrane counted down three seconds, and both pulled their triggers simultaneously, the sentries instantly collapsing together, falling into a childlike sleep.
Seeing the guards significantly weakened, Horatio Cochrane pulled a flashbang from his waist and tossed it high towards the shuttle.
Bang! Whoosh--
A deafening roar and blinding light instantly illuminated the entire landing platform.
"Go! I'll cover you, rush directly into the shuttle!" Horatio Cochrane leaped out, firing quick bursts, killing two people who were clutching their heads and covering their eyes.
'+ Soulfire: 19/20+'
He was about to shout to leave one more, but the Female Hunter-Duke had already used the auxiliary aiming system to blast half the bodies off the two guys hiding behind the shuttle with her rifle's high-powered bullets.
"You little thing, don't even think about escaping!" Every step the giant Ogryn took, Horatio Cochrane could clearly feel 'the earth trembling.'
[Tsk, let me deal with this fatso!]
To cover the Female Hunter-Duke, Horatio Cochrane had no choice but to aim and fire at the brute's body, knowing that bullets certainly wouldn't penetrate that heavy armor, but at least it could attract attention and buy time.
And because it was too dark, he put on thermal imaging, but the blurry white made him only able to hit weak points by chance.
Though he thought so, those medals formed a significant defense for the weak points.
"Ugh! My shiny things!" The giant Ogryn grunted when he saw sparks flying from his body, and charged over furiously.
He swung his foul-looking Dick's Club, bringing it down directly on Horatio Cochrane's head, the air around them wailing as it was torn apart.
Horatio Cochrane was stunned, seizing the opportunity to quickly step back and dodge.
[If I were to be killed by that thing, I'd be nailed to the pillar of shame for life!]
Thud!
The floor tile where Horatio Cochrane had stood a second ago was instantly shattered.
He dodged behind the giant Ogryn, finding no obvious weak points.
Adhering to the principle of 'once you start an attack, never stop,' he punched the steel armor.
"Ugh!" The giant Ogryn grunted, not seeming to be in much pain.
The force, enough to smash a human head, was immediately diluted by layers of armor plates, and by the time it was transmitted to the fat, it had already greatly diminished.
[Tsk, looks like I'll have to throw a heavy punch!]
Although the giant Ogryn was corpulent, his movements were not at all sluggish.
He made three feints in a row, then unexpectedly backhanded Horatio Cochrane, who was preparing to return.
Horatio Cochrane quickly raised his arm to block, was staggered by the giant Ogryn, retreated several steps, and barely managed to stand firm.
"There's still a little fly, you won't get on the ship!" The giant Ogryn picked up the large club in his hand and threw it towards the Female Hunter-Duke, who was only a dozen meters from the shuttle.
"Watch out!" Horatio Cochrane shouted.
The Female Hunter-Duke turned her head at the sound, her eyes suddenly wide, and she twisted her body to the extreme despite the leg pain, yet was still grazed, feeling a dull pain from behind.
"Ugh!" She fell to the ground, rolling several times, and the storage board tucked into her waist fell out, landing on the ground.
[That's valuable evidence!]
The Female Hunter-Duke's heart leaped into her throat, and she immediately crawled towards the board.
"Ha!" The brute started running, charging directly at the Female Hunter-Duke, with Horatio Cochrane following closely, trying to stop him.
The Female Hunter-Duke reached for the storage board with one hand and raised her gun to fire with the other.
The powerful bullets ricocheted off the ceramite armor, with only one embedding itself in the armor, leaving dense, spiderweb-like cracks, but it failed to stop the giant Ogryn's charge.
"Ugh!" The giant Ogryn roared and pounced on the Female Hunter-Duke with the force of Mount Tai.
The enormous, sky-obscuring shadow blocked the searchlight's beam.
In the nick of time, the Female Hunter-Duke had no choice but to abandon the storage board, retract her arm, and immediately roll to dodge.
Thud!
Half of the storage board was crushed by the giant Ogryn's iron boot landing, with only the other half remaining intact.
Before she could even get up, the Female Hunter-Duke was swung backward like a golf ball by the defiled club.
"Cough!"
The girl crashed heavily against the wall, letting out a hoarse grunt, and slid to the ground.
She was gasping for air, her coiled beautiful hair had come undone and was scattered over her shoulders.
If not for the light Power Armor she wore, this blow would have been fatal or crippling; even so, the severe injury rendered the Female Hunter-Duke's combat ability completely lost.
Horatio Cochrane's face darkened, and he lunged towards the giant Ogryn.
'+Activate: Power Fist+'
'+Energy: 1/6+'
'+Psyker: 2/6+'
'+Corruption: 4/6+'
'+Soulfire: 19/20+'
"Ha! Mere insects! You dare to punch Anton! I will beat you to your knees, and make you kowtow and beg for mercy with your head under my foot!"
The Ogryn roared and swung his heavy gauntleted fist at Horatio Cochrane.
Bang!
In a flash, their iron fists collided, raising a surging wave of air, dust, and sparks.