novellk Chapter 003: Cat and Mouse Game
Chapter 003: Cat and Mouse Game
The pointer stopped spinning three times.
【I. From Mind to Entity: Increases your maximum health by an amount equal to half of your psionic energy】
[II. Protective Veil: Gain a psionic shield equal to 50% of your health. Cooldown: 2 Terra.]
【III. Upgrade - Zhonya's Hourglass: Immune to damage for three seconds, can move freely during the effect, cooldown 24 Terra hours】
Deyan clicked his tongue regretfully. None of the enhancements that perfectly matched Heart Steel were available, but it was still alright. Which one should he choose?
Let's forget about extending our feelings to external things.
His psionic blank slate was useless; his ability to project ideas onto objects was ineffective.
The protective veil and the upgraded Central Asia Hourglass are pretty good.
The protective veil is compatible with Heart of Steel.
The psionic shield is useful, but the 50% health increase seems to have limited effect at the moment, since Heartsteel hasn't been stacked yet.
Deyang decisively chose to upgrade to the Zhānhāra Hourglass.
Invincible for 3 seconds, can move freely.
When used correctly, it can have amazing effects.
It took a while to cool down, but the effect was great, so it's understandable.
"A Cardian?" The man in the political commissar's uniform moved closer, his gaze sweeping over the dog tag around Dejan's neck. "Where are your original unit?"
"Some were sacrificed, and we were scattered." Deyan rubbed his stomach, wincing in pain.
Seeing this, the political commissar took out a cigarette from his pocket and kindly handed it to him.
This was his way of expressing his respect to the young soldier in front of him.
Deyang's heroic figure in slaying the hunting boy was deeply imprinted in the political commissar's mind.
"I am Kairos, the political commissar of the Seventh Planet Defense Regiment of Mudonia. I was originally going to lead this batch of new recruits to Kadia for reinforcement, but I was captured by the pointy-eared bastards as soon as I left the airport."
Thank goodness the green-skinned soldiers switched sides, otherwise they'd be locked up for life.
Dejan shook his head, politely declining the cigarette offered to him.
The thought of the Astral Army smoking addictive raho cigarettes, shouting "For the Emperor!" and fighting the Xenomorphs seemed surreal to him.
Kairos lit a Laho cigarette, took a deep drag and puffed on half of it, his eyes glazed with pleasure. He said to Deyan, "Thank you for saving my life. If I can get back to Mudonia alive, I'll treat you to Grove steak and the finest Tangdis wine."
Dejan's stomach growled involuntarily, which strengthened his will to survive.
"Then I'd better stay alive, sir. Staying on the Dawn means certain death. We need to find a chance to retreat."
During the conversation, the sound of footsteps with a metallic echo came from outside the assembly area door.
All Astral Army units instantly entered combat readiness.
The gun barrel was pointed at the source of the sound.
Three majestic figures emerged from the darkness and stood before the crowd.
The terracotta giant statue, with scarlet eyes.
Each of them was over two meters tall, their power armor gleaming with a cold, sharp light, like a mobile fortress.
"Angels..." a Star Guardian murmured, his voice filled with awe.
The Emperor's Angel of Death.
Astartes!
Space Marine!
A superhuman with two hearts and three lungs who has undergone 19 gene-modification surgeries!
The backbone that allows the Empire to survive in the cold galaxy!
These warriors, starting from Terra, exterminated countless aliens and built a vast human empire.
Without any command, all the Star Guardians looked up at the angels and crossed their arms in the Eagle Salute.
Dejan did as instructed, his heart pounding.
The white shoulder armor is engraved with a cross, which is the black sanctuary.
Founded by the swordsman Sigismund, a legendary warband that has embarked on a millennia-long expedition.
Seeing these living legends up close is far more impactful than any picture or text description.
The sleek yet deadly lines of the power armor, the deep hum of the hydraulic system at the joints, and the cold red light from the helmet visor scanning sent a sharp jolt through his heart.
So cool!
This is true romance for men!
The leader of the Astartes spoke in a deep, authoritative voice: "Mortal, report on the battle situation."
Commissar Kairos immediately stepped forward and gave a brief explanation.
Astartes made a decisive decision: "The ship's engine is damaged, and it's only a matter of time before it collapses. Follow me to the hangar for evacuation and assist in clearing out the aliens along the way."
"It is my honor to fight alongside you!" Kelos was extremely excited.
With the arrival of Astartes, the team's morale soared.
However, Dejan is not good-looking.
Astartes also has its strong and weaker members, and these three...
All of them were wearing MK7 Skyhawk power armor.
It's not like the Terminator series, which is high-end.
It neither wore a crown of honor nor possessed rare equipment like an iron halo.
This indicates that they are all ordinary Astartes.
They couldn't even muster a single combat squad.
And what about the opponents?
Yulia mentioned that she had a specimen of a Hive Tyrant in her collection.
Given the nature of the Dark Eldar, Yulia must have killed the Hive Tyrant in a one-on-one duel in the arena.
Solo kill of the Zerg Hive Tyrant!!!
Even on a galaxy-wide scale, they would be considered top-tier combat power.
We definitely can't win in a head-on confrontation.
Their only hope was that the Greenskins could hold off Yulia so they could escape.
The three Space Marines were like three precise killing machines; any enemy that appeared in their path would be reduced to fragments by a barrage of slashes.
Efficient and ruthless.
There were no unnecessary movements.
His fierce fighting style, which favors close-quarters combat, sent Xu Ze's adrenaline soaring.
The Black Orcs are truly worthy of the name.
[Heart Steel Layers +1]...[Heart Steel Layers +1]
Dejan played support in the team and secretly stacked several layers of Heart Steel passive.
The improvement is slight, but every bit of life points accumulated will become a footnote to writing a legend in the future.
The hangar doors are faintly visible.
Before anyone could get close, a thick, cloyingly sweet, pale purple fog seeped out from the ventilation ducts and floor cracks, quickly spreading and drastically reducing visibility.
"My love, where are you going?"
A familiar voice entered Dejan's ears.
It's Yulia!
His hair stood on end instantly; that lunatic was catching up.
"An alien! She's a bloodthirsty witch who slew the Hive Tyrant!"
Upon hearing this, the three Black Templars were on high alert.
"Be careful!"
Watching the rapidly approaching afterimage of the Heart Steel in the mist, Deyan only had time to shout out half a sentence.
puff!
Kairos's figure suddenly stopped, and a blade tip dripping with purple venom pierced through his chest, blood splattering everywhere.
"I'm sorry, I... cough cough... I have to break my promise." Keros reached out to Deyan and slowly collapsed.
Feeling the warmth on his face and watching Kelos's life rapidly fade, Dejan gritted his teeth and raised his gun to return fire.
But Yulia had long since disappeared into the mist.
The mist, obscuring perception, became Yulia's perfect camouflage.
Each time a cold glint flashed, a member of the Astral Army was reduced to minced meat.
A desperate crimson spread across the deck.
The Astartes raised their guns to suppress the enemy, and explosive arrows burst into bursts of fire in the mist, but often only hit afterimages.
Dejan was able to pinpoint Yulia's location using the Heart Steel Mark, but his reaction time was too slow, making firing a complete waste of bullets.
"At the 6 o'clock position!"
Upon hearing Deyan's suggestion, the Black Templar had no time to think and charged forward, brandishing his chainsaw sword.
Clang!
Sparks flew as the chainsaw sword and dagger clashed.
"Can that guy see me?"
Yulia was astonished. She twisted her waist and exerted force, sending Astartes flying with a knee strike before disappearing into the mist.
An ordinary mortal was able to see through her movements.
That's really strange.
What secrets is that guy hiding?
Three other Black Templars shared similar thoughts with Yulia.
They couldn't understand how Dejan had managed to do it.
The three quickly exchanged glances and formed a triangular formation, protecting Dejan in the middle.
Dejan, who was originally the least noticeable, became the focus of the battlefield.
"At the 1 o'clock position!"
"At the 4 o'clock position!"
"At the 10 o'clock position!"
……
Dejan repeatedly reported the location and directed the Black Templars in battle.
However, the difference in strength is undeniable.
Soon, casualties also appeared in the Black Sanctuary.
A cold glint emerged from the mist, and a poisoned blade pierced deep into the power armor, instantly injecting purplish-black venom.
The Astartes was violently shaken by the attack, and its power armor became stiff and uncoordinated.
A dagger seized the opportunity to sever the power armor's leg joint.
"Snap!"
The neurotoxin took effect, and the giant collapsed to the ground with a thud.
The Star Dart pistol fired, and the red light from the helmet visor went out.
Even Astartes was no match for them.
"Damn aliens, retreat to the hangar!"
One of the two remaining Astartes roared and unleashed a barrage of bolts to cover the retreat.
Deyan was panting heavily, his fingers gripping the gun so tightly they turned white, and he ran headlong toward the hangar.
Behind him, the screams of his dying companions and Yulia's cat-and-mouse laughter grew closer and closer.
Another Astral Army soldier was dragged into the fog.
The sound stopped abruptly.
Finally, he broke through the fog and smashed open the heavy, half-closed gate of the hangar.
The hangar contained many Imperial-style lifeboats, only a few of which remained intact.
Two Astartes followed closely behind.
Everyone else is dead.
"Go start the third boat!" the wounded Astartes shouted to another companion, while he turned to make a final stand.
The cultivator's enormous fingers moved rapidly across the control panel, attempting to bypass the permissions that had been tampered with by the Eldar.
Time passed by, second by second.
Every second felt like an eternity.
Dejan leaned against the cold wall of the lifeboat, his face deathly pale, and he could even faintly hear the sound of his heart pounding in his chest.
Outside the gate, Yulia's playful teasing grew louder as she approached.
"Don't worry, my love. After we finish dealing with these two tin cans, I'll take good care of you."
The Astartes monk in charge of the interception urged, "Hurry..."
The sound stopped abruptly.
The tactical helmet, covering his head, rolled to Dejan's feet.
Deyang sensed something was wrong and glanced back at the cultivator who was unlocking the door.
I'm going to die! Hurry up, faster!
The sound of something cutting through the air rang out again, ignoring Dejan and heading towards the last remaining Astartes.
The cultivator is in the final, crucial stage and cannot dodge!
Beneath his helmet, his lips moved as he silently uttered his final prayer: "Your Majesty, accept me..."
Just as the poisoned blade was about to touch the power armor, a dazzling golden light suddenly burst forth.
A blinding light shone from Deyang, as if a thousand suns were burning.
It was as if the emperor himself had come!
The poisoned blade trembled violently, yet it could not advance an inch!
Like time frozen in amber.
Yulia's smile froze, turning into utter astonishment.
Three seconds after the invincibility period ends.
They finally cracked it in the last second.
"Hurry up!"
The monk grabbed Deyan's shoulder and almost shoved him into the boat.
The heavy hatch slammed shut and locked under the force of his powered punches.
The lifeboat's stern thrusters spewed out scorching blue flames as it detached from its pylons, roared out of the hangar doors, and raced toward freedom.
My vision suddenly opened up.
Through the narrow observation window, Deyan saw the Dawn's hull rapidly shrink as the Eldar raider and the Orcish, crude, wasteland-style warships became entangled, with explosions and flames rising and falling.
"I'm alive! I survived!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Emotions were suppressed to the extreme and then rebounded.
Deyang couldn't stop laughing, tears mingling with the blood on his face, looking like a madman.
He rushed to the observation window and gave the Dawn a middle finger as it sailed away.
"You pointy-eared bitch, your breasts are as hard as rocks, go back to Gamor and play with your vibrator!"
It feels so much better to swear.
However, just as Dejan was venting his anger, everything around him suddenly blurred.
Fog appeared out of nowhere and quickly enveloped the lifeboat.
In the deathly silence of white noise, hollow, mocking laughter came from all directions.
"whee…"
"A wonderful performance."
"What's with that light?"
"I admire your courage to dare to insult Ms. Yulia."
……
As the mist dissipated, an elegant and alluring figure slowly emerged.
Julia beheaded the last monk, then approached step by step, looking down at Deyan. Her voice, like the scales of a venomous snake scraping against one's eardrums, asked, "My dear, what did you just say to me?"
Deyan felt a pang of heart palpitation and staggered backward.
Looking around, in the arena stands temporarily converted from the bridge council chamber of the Dawn, countless pale, elegant black bean sprouts cast cold stares, their whispers and jeers forming a chilling background.
So... he never ran away.
What just happened was nothing more than a cat-and-mouse game orchestrated by the other side using high-tech methods.