Warhammer, Emperor's Chosen

One day.

In just a single day, the Underhive, a place rarely visited since the Hive City's establishment, completely fell under the assault of the towering xenos! Ruthless aliens led their minions, riding industrial elevators to transport tanks and armored vehicles into the Underhive in waves. They occupied streets, destroyed homes, and mowed down their fellow humans with guns and cannons. Everywhere, the air was filled with the anguished cries and wails of the people.

Rebette crouched in the darkness of a ventilation shaft, trembling uncontrollably as she heard the cries and pleas of others outside the vent. She held her child tightly, covering his mouth to prevent any sound from escaping.

Yet her child seemed to resent her action, pushing away her hand with his small fingers and gazing intently at the opening above with his bright, curious eyes.

"My poor child, forgive me," Rebette murmured with a heart heavy with guilt.

Her son had been blessed by the gods at birth. Even the elders had personally performed a baptism for him, heralding a promising future. Yet now, he could only hide in the cold, damp underbelly of the Hive City, enduring the stench and filth to escape the pseudo-angels hunting them.

At times, Rebette couldn't help but wonder: If she were not a commoner from the Underhive but instead a noble from the Upper Spire, how different would things be?

Her child might have enjoyed a happy childhood, never needing to work in factories as a minor, never being forced to replace most of his body with cheap, rusty cybernetic implants by his thirties, and never dying from illness and exhaustion before forty—like her own parents had.

Tears streamed down Rebette's face, the crushing guilt for her child almost unbearable.

"Rebette, over here!"

A low voice called her name. Her husband, Ekos, peeked out from a nearby pipe, waving at her.

Rebette immediately moved toward him, cradling her child. "How is it?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"We're in luck. This passage is still usable," Ekos replied, nodding with a rare expression of relief. "If we follow it, we can reach another sector of the Hive City. The xenos haven't reached that area yet, and our comrades will meet us there, so—"

Before he could finish, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from above, followed by a shout:

"They're over there!"

Rebette instinctively looked up, the glaring lights almost blinding her. Panic-stricken, she screamed, "Ekos! Ekos, get us out of here! I must protect my child!"

Terrified, she clung to her last shred of hope, praying her husband could lead them into the pipe.

But when she turned around, all she saw was her husband standing bravely in front of her, shielding them from the bullets—

A laser shot pierced through his chest, followed by a second and third.

"Run…"

Ekos managed to croak out the word, trying to tell his wife to flee with their child down the pipe.

In the next moment, his head exploded before her eyes.

The same laser shot grazed Rebette's shoulder, severely wounding her. Mere civilians like them had no real protection and were utterly defenseless against the overwhelming firepower of the xenos' minions.

"My child… my child…"

Crying out in despair, Rebette collapsed to the ground but still stretched out her arms in a desperate attempt to shield her child.

Yet her son moved with astonishing agility. Dropping to all fours, he crawled swiftly toward the pipe, trying to escape this hell.

Rebette's sorrowful expression turned into one of pride and hope. Her child truly was a prodigy!

As long as he survived, their bloodline would endure, and their people would not be extinguished. If he could reach that place—just reach that place—

"Focus fire! Don't let that freak escape!"

Biubiu! Biubiubiubiu!

Laser beams tore through the darkness, scorching holes into the path to the pipe.

Her child let out a sharp cry as one of the beams struck him. More lasers followed in rapid succession, overwhelming him in less than a second.

"No!!!"

Rebette's anguished scream pierced the air. Dragging her wounded body, she crawled toward her child.

He lay on the ground, his small body still struggling weakly to rise. After several attempts, he collapsed completely, unmoving, though faint breaths showed he was still alive.

Rebette's heart shattered. Behind her, hurried footsteps drew closer. She turned to see several heavily armed soldiers, their weapons at the ready.

"You xenos lapdogs! You'll be cursed! The gods will punish you!" Rebette shrieked, her eyes blazing with unimaginable hatred.

"Hah!"

The lead officer sneered, spitting in her direction before raising his gun and shooting her in the head.

"Filthy xenos! Capture it alive," he barked coldly.

The soldiers surrounded the small, motionless body on the ground, stepping over the corpses of Rebette and Ekos.

The creature had purple skin covered in a chitinous carapace, now marred with burn marks from the laser fire. One of its claws had been blown off, yet the rest of its limbs remained intact.

Hiss!

The officer had assumed the creature was done for, but it suddenly leaped up with a feral hiss, pouncing on one of the soldiers and driving its remaining claw into his neck. Blood spurted like a fountain.

The terrified soldiers opened fire in a panic, riddling both the creature and their fallen comrade with laser blasts until the alien child was reduced to a bloody pulp.

"Damn it!"

The officer's furious roar drowned out the gunfire. "What are you doing? I said capture it alive!"

"Commissar Sanko, it killed Javier!" a soldier protested shakily.

"Idiots! That's exactly why we needed it alive!"

Sanko raged. "A pile of meat won't earn us glory! Capturing it alive would have brought rewards, compensation for the dead, and recognition! But now, because of your stupidity, we're forced to delve even deeper into this dark, treacherous place to hunt these filthy xenos!"

The soldiers lowered their heads in guilt. One glanced uneasily toward the pitch-black pipe, his eyes filled with dread. Many of their comrades had already fallen to these ferocious creatures.

Even after losing limbs, the monsters still attacked viciously, making it nearly impossible to capture them alive.

Now, their one chance—a weakened juvenile—had been squandered.

"Move out!"

After venting his frustration, Sanko issued a cold command. "We keep going until we catch one alive!"

.......

📢30 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢

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