Zhang Ge and his team did not head toward the bridge but rather toward the front of the ship.
Although Chaos was not known for its intelligence, it understood the necessity of not placing two critical locations too close together. Otherwise, it would make it easier for the enemy to board. So, it was likely that the key position was in a sufficiently solid area, far from the bridge.
After ascending via the Grappling Hook Lines that were fixed to shoot upward, Zhang Ge felt a sudden, inexplicable sensation as he stepped onto the wreckage of the ship: the behemoth beneath him had already "died."
Normally, discovering the wreck of a vehicle or a shattered toy only brought about feelings of something being broken. However, looking at this spaceship now made Zhang Ge feel as though he was gazing upon a bloated corpse that had been parasitized for countless years.
Moreover, this corpse had only recently been active—manipulated by an invisible monstrosity beneath its skin, controlling its decaying bones like a puppeteer, this torment had persisted for millennia.
Soon, it would completely merge with the monster... Fortunately, before that could happen, it had crashed to the ground.
Zhang Ge shook his head, attempting to dispel the lingering feeling, but it proved ineffective; he could only passively sense that this discomfort gradually began to dissipate with the passing time, however imperceptibly.
High Canoness Heloise, serving as the squad's bodyguard, noticed this and moved closer to Zhang Ge.
Seeing her concerned expression, he responded, "I feel like we are walking inside a giant corpse."
Upon hearing this, she paused for a moment, raising her hand to pat Zhang Ge's head.
As his head was gently rubbed by her cold gauntlet, he made no effort to resist, but added helplessly, "I'm not nervous; it really feels this way."
In their brief exchange, the team cautiously navigated through the wrecked defenses.
Puddles of blood mixed with the embossed metal flooring of the ship, and instead of obscuring the sculptures, the vivid color enhanced their vibrancy.
However, in their current environment, it was more appropriate to describe things as eerie; the surrounding sculptures seemed to have blood-filled, tearful eyes that were continually fixed upon them, lending an unsettling lifelike quality.
Nonetheless, the strange environment didn't impede their progress. As they moved to the door, the Valkyrie that had earlier landed took off again, matching their elevation.
Facing the ceramite door blocking their path at the breach, laser cannons fired streams of red light, painting a circle along the mechanical framework of the door.
The metal vaporized, and the nearby structures glowed with molten red and white light as the heavy door soon crashed to the ground.
Before the veteran soldiers could even fire their weapons, the Valkyrie unleashed another volley of laser fire, turning the waiting cultist defenders inside into charred remains.
As Zhang Ge and his team entered the corridor, it wasn't particularly narrow, spacious enough for a vehicle and two rows of people to walk side by side, but it was marked by twisted and damaged structures, likely the result of the ship's impact on the ground.
Fleshy tendrils and gore wrapped around everywhere didn't need much elaboration; small daemons raced out from within, only to be turned to ash by the lasers.
What drew more attention were the intense signals projected on the ceiling and surrounding walls.
A giant and a serpent were locked in combat.
Despite their varied presentations, that element appeared in various scenes… but the information conveyed was sparse.
What did the giant represent? And the serpent? Surely, their meanings weren't literal; the implications of this imagery were far too numerous to perceive at once.
The best guess from the numerous preserved scenes was that they pointed to a significant event within the ship, one that favored the forces of Chaos and was likely a moment worth remembering.
Moving past the corridor.
While they wouldn't receive any support from the Valkyrie here, Amilia remained; her longsword sliced easily through the metal door, which was nearly twice the size of a standard room door, sparing them from the breaching protocol.
After finishing the cutting, she delayed the team from rushing in immediately, instead placing her palm on the door handle and bracing her shoulder against the door frame.
Just as expected, a powerful impact hit at that moment, followed by an explosive boom and splattering molten metal, mingled with lingering red light.
Having blocked the incoming laser blast, Amilia confirmed the weapon's specific location based on the slight variation in force.
Pulling back, bending low, and propelling herself forward with a shoulder charge, she slammed the ceramite door with considerable force, sending it flying toward the enemy with a whistling sound.
Inside, the room's purpose was unclear, but it did not hinder the team's next actions.
Zhang Ge leaned out, his boltgun spitting flames as explosive rounds flew in precise arcs into various holes and crevices. Whenever an enemy dared to peek out from cover, they were met with ruthless death from the drill-like projectile heads.
In a mere moment, Zhang Ge suppressed dozens of cultists in the distance.
The enemy was not without retaliation; however, with Heloise serving as a human shield beside Zhang Ge, not only were automatic and laser weapons deflected, but even concealed heavy explosive rounds couldn't breach her defenses. She either blocked them with her sword or her own body.
The Rosarius Force Field shimmered with ripples from impacted projectiles but still showed no signs of fracturing.
Quickly, the resistance in the room was crushed.
Just as the group cautiously entered, puzzled by the weak defense, instinctively preparing to investigate further, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
A massive wave of flowers surged from the opposite door, spreading across the walls and floor as a mysterious fragrance invaded their helmets, penetrating through to their senses.
At that moment, it felt as if butterflies were fluttering and warm sunlight was showering them; the comforting allure made their nerves want to relax, tempting them to savor this splendid moment.
All sounds beyond their breathing seemed to fade until the melodious voices of young women wafted in from the door overflowing with flowers.
Dozens of delicate yet beautiful maidens opened the door, giggling as they stepped outside.
As the last one exited, she kindly closed the door behind her, and in an instant…
Silence shattered, and the simultaneous sounds of laser and boltgun fire tore apart the "peaceful" atmosphere.
In that moment of illusion, seeing that Zhang Ge, Amilia, and the others were entirely unaffected, the veterans relaxed and, without saying a word, pretended to fall back…
However, their vital areas coincidentally "fell" conveniently behind cover.
It continued until the enemy fully revealed themselves, as dozens of Hedonites stepped out from behind the door.
Instead of meek lambs led to slaughter, they faced a squad of radiant battle nuns, along with veteran soldiers whose eyes gleamed with the triumph of trickery.
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