Constant used the infrared sensors to gauge the number of guards stationed around the mysterious weapon. After locking eyes with Leicester, he pulled a hypnotic gas grenade from his lower back and hurled it toward the ventilation duct.
Smoke billowed out instantly. Using the haze as cover, Constant leaped down from above. Having pre-confirmed the enemy positions, he moved with lethal precision, striking down Butterfly soldiers before they could react.
Furthermore, the smoke contained a sensory disruptor designed to scramble vision, forcing the Butterfly Zerg to rely on smell to distinguish friend from foe. This significantly dampened their reaction times.
In the midst of the chaos, Constant pressed his back against the wall, inching toward the weapon hidden beneath a heavy black shroud.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly until the last Butterfly soldier fell. Constant reached out and touched the edge of the fabric—it was a specialized protective layer designed to block external interference. He suspected whatever lay beneath emitted a level of radiation that required such a material for safe containment.
As Constant pulled the shroud down, Leicester, standing behind him, suddenly let out a muffled groan.
Constant spun around to see Leicester kneeling on the floor, his face contorted in pain. Simultaneously, Constant felt a strange, inexplicable aura radiating from the now-exposed “weapon.”
The crystalline ore glowed with an eerie orange-red light. Merely looking at it caused an invisible pressure to weigh down on his mind. But why did this feeling feel so familiar? It was… Male Pheromones.
Suppressing a sudden surge of restlessness in his chest, Constant finally realized why the Zerg soldiers had been losing their combat effectiveness one after another on the battlefield.
The Butterfly Race was using such a despicable method to achieve their goals…
But this ore—he had seen it before.
“Nate, look! I took this from my Father Sovereign’s research lab.”
“What is this?”
“I don’t know, probably some kind of ore, but it’s so beautiful! It even glows!”
“I feel strange, Al… I can’t breathe.”
“Constant Al Lex! Why did you sneak into the lab again?!”
“Father! Look, what’s happening to Nate?!”
“As I thought…”
The vision was brief, flashing through Constant’s mind for only a second, but he gripped the memory tightly.
“This is…” Constant wrapped the ore back in the isolation cloth, but the shock in his eyes remained. Why was something from his Father Sovereign’s laboratory appearing here?
Before he could dwell on it, the blaring of an alarm dragged him back to the present.
“Squad One, evacuation complete.”
“Squad Two, evacuation complete.”
“Squad Five, evacuation complete.”
“Squad Four, evacuation complete.”
The reports coming through his earpiece snapped Constant out of his daze. Seeing that Leicester was still struggling, he reached down and yanked him up. “Leicester, wake up!”
The violent shaking made Leicester open his eyes blearily, though he hadn’t fully regained his senses. Constant delivered a sharp punch to his gut; the sudden pain forced a gasp from Leicester, and his eyes instantly cleared.
Once he confirmed Leicester was conscious, Constant stuffed the wrapped ore into his tactical backpack.
“Retreat!” Constant released Leicester’s arm. As the other man finally realized the gravity of the situation and scrambled up, the two dashed toward the door.
“Have the remaining members of Squad Three evacuated?” The crimson warning lights stained Constant’s vision, momentarily disorienting him as he burst through the door. However, he quickly found a path. Though it was the opposite of the way they had entered, his infrared counter-sensor system identified it as the safest and shortest route currently available.
Squads Three and Five were supposed to converge with the rescue teams at the “Chrysalis Tail,” but they now needed to return through the Squad Five corridor connected to the lab. However, if any privates had fallen behind, they would have to head back toward the “Chrysalis Head”—their original entry point. This would not only lead them into remnants of the Butterfly army but also add unnecessary risk to their escape.
“No. 2 is separated from the squad. Repeat, No. 2 is separated.”
Constant’s footsteps faltered upon hearing the message. He looked back toward the other corridor.
“Captain?” Seeing Constant stop, Leicester cast a confused glance at him.
“No. 2 is down.” Constant knew what falling behind meant at a time like this. The probability of survival was almost zero.
With another loud explosion rocking the facility, Constant looked at Leicester. Before he could speak, Leicester had already bolted in the opposite direction—back toward the path they came.
Though Leicester didn’t say a word, a slight smirk played on Constant’s lips as he followed closely behind.
“Report visual coordinates.”
“Lost contact at the lower lab level, junction corridor with Squad Five.”
The message from the earpiece confirmed Constant’s worst-case scenario.
While pausing to plant a demolition charge, Constant took a moment to brief Leicester on No. 2’s last known location.
“Leicester, lower lab level.” As the demolition device emitted a beep—, Constant reactivated his isolation mask. Once he confirmed Leicester had done the same, they retreated behind a heavy obstacle.
“Prepare for the worst,” Constant muttered, not only worried about his teammate but also calculating how to destroy the ore immediately if they were pinned down.
“Yes, sir.” Leicester looked into Constant’s azure eyes and gave a heavy nod.
Those eyes always seemed to give him a sense of calm in the midst of chaos…
As the countdown hit zero, the alarm on the charge grew frantic. With a massive explosion, a hole large enough for three people to pass through was blasted into the lab floor.
The two used rappelling ropes to drop to the lower level. Much like the floor above, the walls here were drenched in the red glow of emergency lights, but this level was littered with the corpses of Butterfly Zerg. The hallucinogenic powder from their wings filled the entire corridor.
The two sprinted through the field of bodies, hoping to find any trace of No. 2. However, no matter how much they scanned with infrared, they couldn’t find a single heat signature among the corpses.
There was only one conclusion: No. 2 was dead, a casualty of the war.
With the Empire ahead and a teammate behind, Constant felt a moment of agonizing indecision—at the very least, he should retrieve No. 2’s identification tag to give his family closure.
Just then, Constant recalled something he had heard his Father Sovereign say while holding his Father Sovereign in the lab.
“This material can block infrared sensors if added to a combat suit as an isolation layer?”
“See? Isn’t your Master amazing?”
“I suppose so.”
“But if our own people use this during a rescue and it’s active, wouldn’t we miss them and leave them for dead?”
“In that case, the only thing you can rely on is the electromagnetic field.”
“Fine, I admit you’re worthy of me.”
“Electromagnetic field.” Constant caught the fragment of memory. He turned and pulled off his helmet. “Leicester, give me yours.”
Though confused, Leicester didn’t hesitate and handed over his helmet.
Before Leicester could even put his own back on, he watched as Constant manually wrenched the signal receiver off the helmet.
“Captain!” Doing that would prevent them from receiving immediate orders from HQ, leading to potential desynchronization.
“It’s fine. If a message comes through, you tell me.” Constant snapped the receiver and put his helmet back on. Now, the only thing he heard in his ear was a constant static hiss.
“Search one more time.” If his ears didn’t pick up any fluctuations from a magnetic field this time, they would turn back immediately.
During the search, Constant’s heart was in his throat. He knew if this failed, he wouldn’t be able to keep his promise. He didn’t want any member to be left behind; he didn’t want to welcome death in his first battle.
As they pushed further, his heart sank. Every step felt like treading over the lives of his comrades. He pursed his lips as they reached the final corner.
But as he stepped forward, a faint sound of electromagnetic interference crackled in his earpiece.
“Leicester!” Constant’s eyes widened at the fluctuation. “He’s nearby!”
As the interference grew louder and harsher, Constant quickened his pace. Finally, he stopped at a corner buried under a pile of Butterfly Zerg corpses.
The static was deafening, but to Constant, it was the most beautiful melody in the world!
The two frantically dragged the Butterfly corpses aside. As the pile thinned, the sight of a Zerg combat suit made them cry out in relief.
“No. 2! No. 2!” Constant reached out to open the isolation layer of the man’s mask, checking the breathing of the unconscious soldier.
Amidst the violent shaking and repeated shouting, Bart opened his eyes.
“Squad Three, No. 2… Bart, standing by…”