The survivors frantically looted the ant-cattle cans.
The man who had first opened one huddled in a corner, ready to savor the rare "delicacy."
He scooped out a piece of the at and brought it to his mouth.
But then, the ant-cattle at began to wriggle.
Startled by the sudden mutation, the man froze.
Panicked, he tried to throw the at away, only to find his hand stuck to it.
A sharp pain followed.
Sothing was burrowing into his hand!
Writhing in agony, the man scread:
"Help !"
He looked toward Tis, his eyes full of regret and desperation, pleading for her help.
But before Tis could react, parasites burst violently from the at.
Splurt!
The parasites' sharp mandibles pierced through the man's eyes and throat, gnawing hungrily at his flesh.
His blood-curdling screams echoed throughout the storage warehouse.
More parasites erged from the ant-cattle at, scuttling in search of new victims.
Several others were attacked, their cries of pain joining the chaos.
The sight terrified the rest of the survivors. Screaming, they abandoned the cans and ran to Tis, seeking her protection.
A woman's scream cut through the chaos.
The sa spiteful woman who had earlier opened a can now found herself entangled by parasites.
They crawled into her mouth and burst out from her eyes, consuming her body with savage ferocity.
"Tis, save ! Please!"
The woman collapsed to her knees, begging for salvation.
But it was too late.
Tis, her gaze tinged with sorrow, shook her head slightly. There was no saving her now.
The woman died in tornt and regret.
The horror didn't end there.
After feasting on flesh, the parasites turned their attention to the crowd, slithering toward them with deadly intent.
Tis's expression hardened. She slashed her hand with a blade, drawing blood, and activated the rotating saw on her chanical arm.
She intended to use her blood to draw the parasites away, preventing further casualties.
Bearded Saylor, clutching a knife, followed close behind her.
The parasites noticed Tis and launched themselves at her.
With skill and precision, she cut down the parasites mid-air with her saw, while Saylor handled those that got past her.
Together with a few brave survivors, they managed to eradicate every parasite.
The survivors carefully cleaned the warehouse, sealing the corpses and remaining at into steel containers to prevent further incidents.
No one dared speak of eating the ant-cattle at again.
They stayed as far away from the cans as possible, as though the parasites might erge at any mont.
The incident left a heavy mark on the survivors.
In total, just two cans of ant-cattle at had resulted in six deaths.
Had more cans been opened, the parasites would have wiped them all out.
Despair settled over the group once more, with so sobbing quietly.
"Miss Tis," Saylor asked hesitantly, "do you think we'll survive?
The distress signal has been sent. They'll co for us, right?"
All eyes turned to Tis, hoping for a reassuring answer.
She leaned against the door, silent.
She didn't have an answer.
The starport had been abandoned for five years, with no resupply or rescue.
Would the powerful figures on the surface bother to save them?
Perhaps they had already lost their value as people worth saving...
Just as despair gripped the survivors, a crackling sound ca from the nearby sound projector.
It caught everyone's attention.
Eden's voice echoed from the device:
"Survivors of Starspire Port, this is your Governor, Eden Grant.
If you're still alive, stay safe and wait for our rescue..."
The survivors' eyes lit up with renewed hope.
"Did you hear that? They're coming to save us!"
"It's the Governor! He's here to save us!"
"By the Emperor's grace, we'll survive!"
"Long live the Governor!"
A smile spread across Tis's face. Her efforts hadn't been in vain.
The Governor was coming to save them.
As the survivors prepared to make noise to signal their location, Tis suddenly shouted:
"Silence! Chaos creatures are coming!"
The cheers stopped abruptly.
The survivors knew all too well that making noise around Chaos creatures was a death sentence.
Soon, heavy footsteps echoed closer.
Several Chaos creatures were approaching!
Bang!
Drawn by the scent of blood in the warehouse, the creatures roared and slamd into the steel doors.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The heavy steel doors trembled under their relentless assault. Screws popped loose.
The doors wouldn't hold much longer.
"Help hold this!"
Tis reacted quickly, bracing the doors with her chanical arm.
The survivors rushed to assist her, but their efforts were ultimately futile.
The door shook violently, on the verge of collapse.
At the height of the survivors' despair, a terrifying screech rang out.
Hiss!
"For the Emperor!"
Accompanied by chanical clanks and grinding gears, the new arrivals clashed with the Chaos creatures.
Screams, snarls, and the sound of flesh being torn filled the air.
"What are those things?"
"Could they be the xenos the Governor ntioned? The ones that won't harm humans?"
"Nonsense! No xenos would spare humans!"
One survivor shouted back:
"I don't care what they are! If they're here to save us, I'm on their side!"
"Yeah, they're here to help!"
The survivors watched hopefully, rooting for the strange newcors to defeat the Chaos creatures.
So even cheered:
"Co on! For the Emperor! Kill those Chaos scum!"
The battle outside ended swiftly.
No more sounds ca from the Chaos creatures.
"Survivors..."
Eden's calm voice ca through the projector:
"The Chaos creatures have been eliminated. You're safe now."
"We're saved!"
Relief washed over the survivors as cheers erupted. Tis let out a long-held breath, her tension finally easing.
We survived!
The steel doors creaked open as the gears turned.
But instead of salvation, a towering Chaos creature stood before them, over two ters tall.
At its feet lay the bodies of the armored xenos and several Chaos creatures.
"You finally opened the door..."
The creature spoke in Eden's voice, its twisted face radiating glee.
The survivors fell into despair.
They had been deceived.
The Chaos creature gripped the doorfra, ready to force its way in.
Nothing could stop it now.
Just as fear reached its peak, the creature was yanked backward.
"You dare impersonate ?"
Eden slamd the creature to the ground, pumling it with his golden fists until its flesh and blood splattered.
He delivered a final kick, shaking off the blood on his hand, and ordered his guards:
"Finish it."
Ignoring the creature, Eden turned to the survivors, his expression softening into a warm smile.
"Survivors, you're safe now. Welco ho."
Behind him, the guards raised their bolters, unleashing a barrage of gunfire on the Chaos creature.
Its agonized screams ended as it was reduced to a bloody pulp.
We're saved!
Tis's emotions overflowed as she dropped to her knees, tears streaming freely.
"Governor!"
She sobbed uncontrollably, her pent-up emotions finally released.
Following a thorough sweep of the royal district, all Chaos creatures in Starspire Port were eradicated.
Tens of thousands of survivors were rescued from various areas.
With the Chaos creatures dealt with, supplies of energy, food, and more were transported from the surface, along with nearly 300,000 new inhabitants.
The chanicus deployed nearly their entire force, taking over the starport to carry out critical tasks in fleet construction.
Soon, the starport resud full operations.
Starport Command Center
In a luxurious room, Eden stood by the viewport, holding a glass of red wine as he gazed at the stars.
"It's ti to salvage the ships from the Warp!"
(End of Chapter)
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