As it descended from the stratosphere to the thick atmosphere of the sea level, the whine of the cargo ship's transport plane engine gradually turned into an even more angry roar, diving towards Soames Hive on a near-ballistic trajectory.
The speeding machine kept vibrating as the pilot pushed its performance to the extreme and flew towards a public helipad in the hive capital with a life-threatening urgency in his eyes.
Wearing power armor, Khayon and the shuttle vibrated as one, and beside him were twelve scarlet letter warriors who were as motionless as sculptures.
"Servant, you did a good job."
For a moment, amid the static interference, he heard a distant reply. Although the voice was very soft, the sense of humility in it was very clear:
"This is my mission, Master."
"So where do we meet next?"
During the conversation, Kayon would look out the window from time to time.
From this height, one could see behind heavy gray walls the central temple of the Adeptus Mechanicus rising in the heart of the city.
It was a pyramid-like building more than 300 meters high. The towers and fortresses attached to it destroyed its outline. The winding passages and lifting engines made its upper structure appear even more crowded.
A white flame burns on the top of the temple, guarded by several smaller flames. The huge chimney looks like a ceremonial brazier from a distance.
"The target location, I have teleported to the transport plane, Master."
Kayon clicked on the portable imager on the transport plane, and sure enough, a complete map of the hive city appeared on it, and there were several flashing light spots on it.
"Five alternative locations, not bad."
Khayon was proud of the abilities of this servant, after all, it was the product of his own creation.
"That's it."
Then, the Thousand Sons wizard stretched out his hand and clicked one of them.
"Okay, Master."
Soon, the transport plane landed smoothly, but no one came to greet it, and there were no staff around.
After confirming that the landing zone was safe, Kayon left the apron and led the Scarlet Letters straight through the abandoned factory area.
The wind screamed through the empty windows and through the half-collapsed attics. It was midnight on the planet, and everything was shrouded in darkness after all the lights went out.
But darkness is no problem for Khayon. He has seen darkness deeper than this.
It can be seen that this place used to be an assembly workshop, but it seems to have been abandoned long ago and is now deserted. Even the door to the factory supervisor's office has been removed, revealing a cave-like dark space inside.
Cracked quick-drying cement walls separate various work areas, and moss and other low plants grow sporadically in the factory area.
Shortly after he landed, it actually started to rain.
Kayon smiled slightly. Sorge actually took the weather into account. It was indeed his trump card that he had never failed to win——
Soon, pouring rain covered the city.
Khayon looked up at the low-hanging clouds. He could see the slight blur caused by the weather shield protecting the hive's spire. It was obvious that this was probably not the only energy protection in the upper hive.
Still, the middle layer offers little protection, and the air is filled with moisture and an acidic smell reminiscent of the chemical-laden air of an ice refinery.
This factory complex stretches for about a kilometer, and Kayon quickly completed the distance in stride.
He is not a pretender, nor does he bother to pretend here.
Khayon was confident that there were few places on this planet that he could not go, and as early as in the atmosphere he had noticed that there were psykers watching from the spiers of the hive.
But those mortals were too weak.
In Kayon's eyes, their psychic powers were as weak as a match that was about to burn out. He was confident that even if he walked in front of those guys, they might not be able to detect him.
After emerging from the other side of the factory, Kayon discovered a wide road that served as the boundary of the internal factory area.
Dips and cracks in the pavement indicate a similar lack of maintenance elsewhere outside the production area.
There were no street lights on the road, only dim light from the surrounding residential areas, like the rock walls on both sides of the ravine.
No imperial world he had seen before was as quiet as this one.
All factories usually work all night long, and workers work hard for the decadent empire and the equally decadent ruling class.
And here, an abandoned factory site, is almost as silent as a cemetery—perhaps starved for lack of minerals and other materials.
The only sound around was the hum of the generator that powered the living quarters.
To reach the scheduled junction, he needed to run from one end of the city to the other, which was undoubtedly a long way—but he deliberately chose to take a long way.
He needs to observe, because he has not fully trusted Sorge, and he needs to observe whether there will be a monitor along the way.
But so far, so good.
Khayon was confident that no stalker could escape his psychic sense.
This journey, he could say, was smooth.
Moreover, he also relied on his photographic memory to engrave all the trails, commanding heights, firepower points, roadblocks, etc. he had seen in his mind, and planned four feasible retreat routes.
No matter what accident happens next, he is confident that he will escape unscathed.
He even calculated when the workers and police would change their morning shift. Although he didn't know the specific time, it must be within the next few hours.
While walking on the road, Kayon suddenly stopped.
Someone is looking at him.
But not the watcher he expected.
His eyes swept across the tall buildings around him and noticed the figure in a bright window.
It was a woman, but her back was turned to him.
She was comforting a crying child, who was staring wide-eyed at the giant warrior below.
"You didn't see anything."
Kayon smiled slightly, gathered the spiritual energy in his body, and directly modified the child's memory at such a long distance.
After a few seconds, the child stopped crying, shook his head in confusion, and then placed his face contentedly on his mother's shoulder.
Although this was a small accident, Kayon still increased his vigilance. He changed his original route and found a more secretive path.
After passing through two blocks in a row, Kayon suddenly took two steps and then jumped up. A strange flying disk appeared directly under his feet, sending him into the haze that enveloped the roof of the residential building.
The Scarlet Letter warriors following him activated their jet packs one after another.
Khayon landed on the nearest roof and ran along the edge of the roof, glancing left and right, memorizing the city's layout, moving through the darkness like a bat.
The Thousand Sons wizards and the Scarlet Letters kept shuttling between buildings and passing through dense residential areas, making almost no sound.
During a dive, Khayon saw a light faintly visible in the smoke that shrouded the city.
He stepped on the Frisbee to guide himself to the light source and landed on the metal corridor between two residential buildings, just overlooking the target.
As expected, that is where he is going——
An abandoned luxury estate that looks haunted
