At Sirocco Starport on Macragge, Robert disembarked from his vessel. He took a deep breath of the air—pure air, a symbol of order and prosperity.
Cato Sicarius, an Ultramarines officer who had been waiting, stepped forward. His power armor gleamed under the bright lights of the starport, each step radiating strength and confidence.
In the bustling, ceaseless flow of Sirocco Starport, being personally greeted by a space marine was undoubtedly a striking event. However, under the excellent guidance of the administrators, the crowd merely cast curious glances, without causing any traffic obstruction.
"Governor Robert," Sicarius' voice boomed directly and loudly through his helmet's vox-caster, "we truly didn't expect you would come to Macragge."
Robert smiled, a hint of travel weariness and just the right amount of relaxation on his face: "How could I possibly pass up such a good opportunity to visit Macragge? This is one of the few places in this universe where one can breathe fresh air."
As the two exchanged pleasantries, a Helldivers warrior, silent as a shadow, suddenly tapped Robert's shoulder from behind him. Robert instinctively turned his head, following the Helldiver's gaze, and the scene he witnessed instantly froze the smile on his face.
Not far away, what appeared to be a noble family, splendidly dressed, was surrounded by numerous servants. Of course, this wasn't the main point; the main point was that, in Robert's vision, these individuals were all shrouded in a white border—visible only to players—indicating they were enemies.
Sicarius naturally noticed the change in Robert's expression. He also turned his head in that direction, his scrutinizing gaze sweeping over the group of nobles, yet he detected nothing unusual: "Governor Robert, what is it?"
Robert retracted his gaze and asked calmly, "Speaking of which, Officer Sicarius, does Sirocco Starport usually have so many nobles coming and going?"
"Nobles visiting from other planets are common," Sicarius said, a hint of Ultramarines pride entering his tone, "after all, Macragge's prosperity is evident to the entire universe."
He continued, "However, there have indeed been many more these past few days. The intelligence about the so-called 'Tyranid Swarm' attack has stirred panic in the surrounding star systems, and many people feel their planets are weakly armed, so they eagerly come to the mighty Macragge to seek protection. Our Chapter Master, Marneus Calgar, personally issued orders to accept these refugees, demonstrating the Ultramarines' benevolence."
It took Robert only 0.01 seconds to guess what kind of entities were mixed among these so-called "refugees."
"Chapter Master Calgar made a mistake," he said coldly.
"Hmm?" A trace of displeasure emanated from Sicarius' voice, clearly unable to tolerate anyone questioning his Chapter Master.
But Robert had already waved his hand. The Helldivers guard behind him immediately advanced like a black lightning bolt, instantly covering dozens of meters, and amidst the exclamations of the surrounding crowd, they immediately apprehended all the nobles and their servants. This sudden action naturally caused a stir of panic and commotion.
"Governor Robert!" Sicarius' tone became stern, "You had better have a sufficient reason for doing this!"
The Helldivers ignored the surrounding chaos. They brought forward the several nobles marked with white borders. The leading captain saluted Robert in a way Sicarius had never seen. After Robert returned the salute, he said in a deep voice, "Begin."
Several Helldivers immediately stepped forward and roughly removed the nobles' hats, hoods, and even their elaborate wigs. Sicarius' expression instantly changed dramatically—these so-called nobles, and many of their accompanying servants, had not a single strand of hair on their heads; their scalps even displayed an eerie, unhealthy pale purple hue!
Seeing that their deception was exposed, these pale-purple-scalped individuals immediately let out desperate roars, their eyes gleaming with madness, and their body muscles abnormally swelled as they attempted to ambush and kill Robert, who was within arm's reach. However, Robert merely watched them with cold eyes, his feet rooted to the deck as if they had grown there, unmoving.
Sure enough, the Helldivers he brought easily shot down these rampaging genestealers on the spot. Precise and deadly laser beams instantly pierced their skulls, giving them no chance.
The sound of laser fire and the sight of humanoid creatures falling to the ground triggered a wider wave of terrified screams, plunging Sirocco Starport into localized chaos. But Sicarius was no longer concerned with such minor matters. A Helldiver warrior plunged the probe of a portable gene detector into the flesh of a corpse. After reading the data, he handed the display to Sicarius.
Sicarius needed only a glance; the data confirmed his suspicions. These individuals were no longer human, containing a large amount of xenos gene sequences.
However, to be safe, he still called his Apothecary brother via his helmet's communicator: "Brother Meric, please report to the main docking area of Sirocco Starport immediately. Emergency situation, as fast as possible!"
Robert looked at the chaotic scene and said to Sicarius, "Sirocco Starport must be immediately placed under full lockdown, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving. All recent departees must also be immediately recalled and re-examined... No, heaven knows how many people they have infiltrated during this time. Every single person on Macragge, unless they are a space marine, needs to undergo genetic screening."
"Understood." Sicarius immediately realized the gravity of the situation. xenos infiltration of the Ultramarines' homeworld was a grave disgrace and a huge disaster. He responded decisively, "I will immediately mobilize the Ultramar Auxilia and report to Chapter Master Calgar. These xenos... they're all bald, right?"
"Yes," Robert nodded, "and their bald heads are purple."
At this very moment, Ultramarines Chapter Master Marneus Calgar was buried under mountains of paperwork. As the Lord of Macragge, combat was far from his only duty.
Suddenly, an encrypted emergency report arrived, its alert tone echoing in the solemn council chamber. Calgar glanced at it and saw something that utterly shocked him: "Sirocco Starport may have been infiltrated by xenos?!"
Calgar suddenly looked up, the datapad in his hand creaking unconsciously as he clenched it, his face instantly turning ashen. Sirocco Starport! That was not merely a port for arrivals and departures; it also stored vast quantities of strategic materials, serving as the logistical hub for all Ultramarines and Ultramar Auxilia on Macragge! This place being infiltrated by xenos... the consequences were unimaginable!
Without the slightest hesitation, he activated his comms, his furious voice echoing through the Fortress of Hera.
"First Company, assemble!"