The Swarm was gradually consuming the corridors; almost every ten minutes, another passage was seized by the Zerg. To preserve their core strength, the Hands of Judgment did not rashly charge into the fray. Every time they retreated, they maintained a rearguard action to ensure the safety of the majority of the Planetary Defense Force.
After over ten hours, the Zerg Swarm finally pushed into the core area of the base. However, the real challenge was only just beginning. All the smaller passages converged into a single main corridor. At the far end of this primary artery, two Baneblade Super-Heavy Tanks sat entrenched at the entrance—a sight that made even the Overmind's heart skip a beat.
†So you're just sitting there waiting for me, huh?†
With those two Baneblades positioned like that, any Zerg unit other than a Roach would be shredded before they could even get close.
†Pull back! Pull back!†
Kans, who had originally intended to command the Swarm to brute-force the position, was halted by the Overmind's direct order. The Swarm suffered only a negligible loss of frontline units before the rest came to a standstill.
"As I thought. There is definitely a unique commander behind these bugs. They actually didn't charge?" Captain Ares noted. He had planned to rely on these two Baneblades to hold the line for days; now, it seemed his plan to bait a mass slaughter had failed.
The Baneblade Super-Heavy Tank is essentially the pinnacle of ground armor for the Imperium's mortal armies. Armored cars are large, and Leman Russ tanks are imposing, but this monster possessed the tonnage and firepower of nearly three Leman Russes combined.
Even a Space Marine standing before it would only reach halfway up its hull—an absurd testament to its scale. It boasted a primary turret with two main cannons, multiple secondary turrets, sponson weapons, and heavy stubbers. Its frontal firepower was so devastating it could liquefy a Roach or blow dozens of Zerglings into red mist in a single second.
A frontal assault? Even an Ultralisk would take a beating trying to push through. Furthermore, the corridors were only about a dozen meters high—far too cramped to accommodate a beast of the Ultralisk's size.
The two Baneblades left only a two-meter gap in the passage, behind which stood the Astartes and PDF, ready for anything. This was an iron wall! That stretch of corridor was a literal death zone; anyone who charged would die, and even if they made it across, there was no way to breach Baneblade armor in a short time.
†Truly disgusting.†
The Overmind cycled through his available units in his mind.
Air units? All rejected. The main corridor was buried under dozens of meters of reinforced structure; even if Guardians bombarded it, it would take days to break through. Ground units? Zerglings, Hydralisks, and Banelings were all out. Roaches were barely usable; Lurkers might manage, but everything else was a pass.
†Tsk, tsk, tsk. So this is the defensive power of a Fists successor? Even a Greater Daemon would have to take a few slaps to get through this. And the place is too small for an Ultralisk.†
Ultralisks were better suited for open plains or wide city streets. The dimensions here were simply insufficient. While adolescent-sized Ultralisks existed, at that scale, they were less effective than Roaches.
†A frontal break is impossible. I have to go around. Kans, how far has the Nydus Worm reached?†
The Overmind checked the Nydus network expanding beneath the surface. The worm had already chewed through multiple layers of the base's plasteel foundations and was not far from the core.
†Hmm. Send a Changeling inside to scout the situation.†
A Changeling morphed into the appearance of a PDF soldier. Simultaneously, the Swarm halted its frontal assault. Seeing this, Ares knew his defensive layout was working.
"Do these bugs actually feel fear?" Brigadier General Hyral mused.
"No, they just know that charging this corridor would result in catastrophic casualties." Ares understood the nature of the Swarm better. If an assault yielded no gain, the Swarm would abandon it. "But they will certainly find another way to break us. Watch every vent, prepare protective gear—they might use toxic gas. We don't need to hold forever; two days at most, and our Chapter Barque will arrive."
Toxic gas was indeed a tool in the Zerg arsenal, but the Overmind knew it was largely ineffective against Space Marines, so he skipped it. Using Nydus Worms to breach from below was far superior.
"Sir, the refugees have been completely evacuated. Our anti-air defenses have been almost entirely destroyed by the bugs outside."
"As long as the civilians are safe." Hyral let out a long breath. "Captain Ares, we shall live or die with you here. We will allow no deserters. For the Emperor!"
"For the Emperor!" Ares nodded, acknowledging the courage of the PDF commander.
The defensive line fell into a heavy silence. Everyone waited, but not a single Zerg appeared, as if they had given up the ghost. Ares maintained contact with the outside through the Astropath, knowing that after the second wave of orbital bombardment, the black patches had begun to spread again. This struck him as odd.
"Why hasn't the Astropath been affected by the Swarm this time?"
In previous encounters, even with just one Hive Ship, the "Shadow in the Warp" cast by the Tyranids would make Astropaths scream in agony. But this time, the Astropath was exceptionally stable, and communications were unhindered.
"How strange..."
"Captain!" A communication came through from the line. "Some of our men are walking toward us from the other end of the corridor."
"What?" Ares couldn't believe it. The Swarm spared no living thing. Occupied zones were assumed to be devoid of life. Yet now, his men were appearing?
Ares instinctively sensed something was wrong, but his mind didn't immediately jump to the truth because Tyranids never used disguises—they only had specialized stealth broods. Ares rushed to the front. He saw several PDF soldiers at the far end of the corridor, wrapped in bandages and leaning on their rifles. They looked exactly like normal humans.
"Do you recognize them?" Ares asked Hyral.
"Yes, they are enlisted soldiers. I thought they were dead." Hyral held a data slate showing the soldiers' profiles. In reality, those soldiers were dead; their corpses had undoubtedly already been converted into biomass.
"Hmm..." Ares' lenses scanned the men, observing their vital signs. Outwardly, they were indistinguishable from humans. But surviving an infested zone and making it here alive? It was impossible. "Tell them to stay where they are. Squad Three, move up and check their condition."
Wary of a trap, Ares only sent one squad. But even after Squad Three reached them, no Zerg rushed out.
"Did you see any enemies?"
"No, there are no bugs there."
"Squad Three, scout further into the corridor. If you see anything, retreat immediately!"
The squad moved deeper into the darkness. Ares watched them, his heart sinking further. Soon, the report came back: "No sign of the bugs. It looks like they've pulled back."
Despite the favorable outlook, Ares' heart grew increasingly heavy. Something was wrong—definitely wrong! His intuition told him that these creatures were too cunning to act this "normally."
Just as the Overmind thought the plan was about to succeed, Ares suddenly drew his bolt pistol and fired at a "wounded soldier" in the corridor with blinding speed. The gunshot echoed through the passage. A hole appeared in the soldier's head, and he crumpled to the ground.
"What are you doing?!" Hyral shouted, drawing his plasma pistol and aiming it at Ares. "That was one of our men!!!"
For a moment, he thought Ares had turned traitor to Chaos. Even the Hands of Judgment Marines tightened their grips on their weapons, ready to take down their own Captain. But Ares stared intently at the fallen man. Seconds later, the "soldier's" body began to dissolve into a puddle of black, amorphous biological mass.
"I knew it," Ares said, his voice steady. "I knew something was wrong. My intuition was right!"
"It's the enemy!" Hyral lowered his weapon and roared, "FIRE!!!"
The Baneblades roared to life, shredding the remaining Changelings.
"The enemy possesses mimicry capabilities! From now on, everyone entering this perimeter must be scrutinized under the strictest inspection!!!"