The battle within the Chemical Refinery had entered its mop-up phase. The players, like a pack of excited hounds, were chasing the scattered cultists, who were running helter-skelter.
Shouts, the sound of lasgun fire, and the desperate wails of the cultists mingled together, forming a chaotic symphony.
Many players, caught up in the thrill of the chase, were almost about to rush out of the Chemical Refinery's designated combat zone. Just then, a player suddenly let out a loud shout, causing everyone nearby to pause: "Hold on! Everyone stop! Someone encountered a genestealer!"
"A genestealer?!" The players who heard him instantly stopped in their tracks, abandoning their pursuit and letting their prey scramble away. "Where? Where did they encounter it?"
"How do you know someone encountered a genestealer?" another player asked, confused. He had just bayoneted a cultist to death and hadn't yet recovered from the thrill of the kill.
The player who first issued the warning immediately explained: "I was slacking off on the forum, and the guy who got wiped out posted about it! It's over at the C-3 Catalyst Synthesis Zone!"
"Give me a keyword, I'll go check!" Someone nearby immediately responded, also opening the in-game forum interface.
A few seconds later, that person's voice also carried a hint of shock: "Holy cow, really! The post title is 'Surprise in C-3 Zone, Guys Come Quick,' and the poster even has the 'First Closed Beta Participant' golden badge!"
This news was like a depth charge, instantly detonating within the player community.
"Quick, quick! Everyone hurry and notify others in different places!"
"Don't chase those cultists, they're useless for merit! The boss has spawned!"
"C-3 Zone assembly! C-3 Zone assembly! There's a genestealer! Repeat, there's a genestealer!"
The news of a Pureblood Genestealer appearing in the Chemical Refinery spread like wildfire through all the players' communication channels. The players, who had been scattered in pursuit, unanimously turned around and swarmed towards the C-3 Zone marked on the map.
The first to arrive at the C-3 Catalyst Synthesis Zone was Seventh Squad, led by ogryn Cain. They happened to be closest to this area, and among all the players, they were also the most eager for a hearty battle against a powerful enemy.
The entrance to the C-3 Zone was a massive alloy gate, currently ajar, revealing a dark interior filled with a pungent chemical odor.
"That genestealers should still be inside. Should we just guard here and set up an ambush?" a Seventh Squad player suggested cautiously, looking at the deep entrance.
"What are you afraid of, just go in!" Cain's booming voice was full of impatience. He hoisted his massive metal club onto his shoulder and jogged straight in with long strides. "Watch me flatten that genestealers with one swing!"
"Hey, big guy, wait!" another player quickly shouted, while rapidly operating his system store interface. "Hold on, I'm buying some high explosives to strap onto myself."
Someone nearby immediately quipped: "You're going to become a firefly too, huh?"
The heroic scene of Mua'dib, covered in explosives, using his 'All Things Equal' move to blow the Chaos Sorcerer into oblivion, left a profound impression on every player. Now that another clearly elite-level unit had appeared, many players naturally intended to learn this simple, brutal, and incredibly powerful tactic. After all, death for them was merely a few seconds until they revived on the spot.
Deep within the intricate pipes of the C-3 Catalyst Synthesis Zone, Rex, a fifth generation Genestealer, had already heard the approach of Seventh Squad.
After all, there was an ogryn in the team. Every step that behemoth took on the metal grate walkway caused a heavy and rhythmic clang that echoed ceaselessly throughout the empty factory. It was almost impossible to conceal such a commotion, so Seventh Squad simply abandoned any attempt at stealth. Rex, meanwhile, was silently curled in the shadow of a thick exhaust pipe overhead, like a part of the darkness itself.
Soon, Rex saw the human soldiers appear within his sight. The giant leading them swaggered, carrying a seemingly very heavy metal club on his shoulder. For Rex, they had entered perfect striking distance.
But he did not attack immediately.
He wanted to see if his previous discovery by that team of mortals was a coincidence, or if these Astra Militarum Soldiers truly possessed some special detection method he was unaware of.
Seventh Squad quickly drew closer. They were still as usual, the team members conversing in low voices, and the ogryn was even humming an off-key tune, seemingly completely unaware of the deadly killer lurking overhead.
Was the previous incident really just a coincidence? Rex pondered in his mind. But out of the caution of a top predator, he did not relax in the slightest. The muscles in his limbs beneath his carapace tensed slightly, adjusting his center of gravity, ready to unleash a deadly blow at any moment.
Closer, even closer—
The moment the vanguard of the 7th Company stepped into optimal striking distance, the players suddenly launched their attack!
The massive ogryn roared, raising his iron club, while the others instantly raised their lasguns. All attacks, at the same moment, converged without warning on Rex, who was hidden on the pipe above!
"Indeed!"
Rex, who was already prepared, easily dodged the attack. His body became a blurry purplish-black afterimage, moving through the laser beams and whistling fragmentation grenades, landing unharmed on the ground some distance away. But this time, there was no longer any hint of luck in his heart; instead, there was complete confusion and a trace of vigilance—these mortals indeed had a way to consistently detect him.
It seems he must leave one alive to interrogate.
"He's down! Get him!" Cain roared, his massive body erupting with astonishing force. He swung his huge club, bringing it down with immense power onto Rex, who had just landed.
However, Rex merely shifted his body slightly, and the ogryn's massive iron club grazed his body as it struck. One of his sharp claws flashed like lightning.
With a harsh sound of tearing metal, Cain, along with the sturdy iron club in his hand, was instantly sliced into several pieces. His heavy metal plate armor, which was enough to withstand several rounds of direct lasgun fire, was cut open smoothly as if it were nothing in front of Rex's claw blades. Blood and fragments splattered everywhere, and the ogryn's massive body crashed to the ground.
The other players' attack attempts were equally futile. The laser beams couldn't keep up with Rex's ghostly figure, only carving a series of charred craters on the walls and pipes behind him.
"Watch my 'All Things Equal'!" the player who had strapped explosives to himself roared, activating the fuse, and charged forward without hesitation, intending to replicate Mua'dib's glorious feat.
But unfortunately, Rex was not that foolish Chaos Sorcerer.
Facing the approaching mobile bomb, he didn't even make any extra movements. With a slight push from his lower limbs, his entire body leaped back over ten meters as if weightless, landing steadily in the distance. Immediately after, the player self-detonated with a bang, and countless steel balls and fragments covered the area in a fan shape.
Rex crossed his four arms in front of him, and with a dense series of "dinging" sounds, all the flying fragments were easily blocked by his hard carapace, failing to cause even the slightest damage.