Chapter 218 Mysterious Cell
After deciding to move along the shortest route, Sosh Yang and his party entered the passage.
Subsequently, they discovered the large elevator at the end of the passage. By comparing the map on the side of the elevator, he roughly concluded that they must descend to an area of about three hundred meters.
After conducting basic inspections, the Astartes entered the lift.
“This thing seems too old.”
When trying to input instructions into the rune panel of the elevator, Armin complained:
"The machine is not responding."
Before Soshiyang could answer, the electric elevator suddenly appeared at their feet It shook, and the helmet eyepieces of the two warriors even bumped into each other.
"Magnetic lock!"
Saul shouted through the channel, and then the moment the sound of the magnetic lock on the boots falling was heard, the elevator fell downwards.
There was no doubt that someone had tampered with the lift in some details that they had not checked, and Soshyan regretted not bringing Rodrigos with him.
But it was too late to be upset at this time. The elevator they were carrying was turned into a free-falling weight vertically downwards, rushing towards the certain destruction at the bottom of the mine at a soaring speed.
Seeing the critical situation, Thor threw himself down on the control panel and tried hard to tap the runes on it.
Soon, the vise constituting the early warning mechanism slammed shut on the rotating shaft and gravity mechanism, triggering the closed emergency stopping device.
But this is not enough.
Thor's feet were firmly locked on the ground, and he suddenly tore off a metal rod as thick as an adult's arm and inserted it into the rock walls on both sides.
Suddenly, sparks flew throughout the elevator, and the harsh friction between metal and rock was enough to shatter a mortal's eardrums.
At an almost imperceptible speed, they began to slow down, the wail of tortured machinery weakened, and the weightless feeling of falling began to fade.
During this process, Thor said nothing. He stood firmly in a tight posture with the metal rod in his arms. The servo system locked his armor, and his teeth moved as he exerted every force. Focusing on ending this violent descent, they clenched together.
Until finally, the elevator finally came to a complete stop with a grinding sound, and Saul managed to squeeze out a word.
"Let's go!"
The magnetic locks on the boots of the Star Knights unlocked with a crashing sound. Sosh Yang took the lead and tore open the elevator door, revealing a corridor bathed in red light behind the door.
Due to the misalignment between the exit of the elevator and the entrance of the passage, the Space Marines could only bend down and enter the tunnel, squeezing their armor-wrapped bodies through the gap.
One by one, they left the elevator that was about to be destroyed.
Thor was the last to leave.
After trembling and concentrating for a moment, he let go of the metal pole, jumped into the gap between the floors, and rolled in.
The moment he lost his power, the elevator fell again, like a drop pod piercing the planet's atmosphere, falling with a shower of sparks and a white-hot screech of brakes, until both Disappeared into the endless darkness deep in the mine.
Finally, a distant crash came from the abyss.
"Thank you."
Soshi Yang said sincerely, extending his armor-covered hand to Thor.
The veteran emperor held it and tried his best to adjust his breathing. At this moment, every inch of the strengthened muscles on his superhuman body was sore, and waves of dull pain rose and fell in his temples along with his pulse.
Thor took a moment to adjust, and then looked at the surrounding environment.
The tunnel they were in was little more than a natural rock fissure, and the only artificial trace was a metal walkway laid above the slowly flowing groundwater at the bottom of the tunnel.
This place has a strong smell of sulfur, and the surrounding rocks have condensed into a dark shell. His automatic senses showed that the temperature of this corridor made of dark rocks is as hot as purgatory.
But it stands to reason that there are no volcanoes or magma landforms nearby.
"This is not on the map."
Soshiyang compared the map and said regretfully.
“We don’t know where we are now, and we can’t contact the ground.”
After hearing this, Thor made a gesture towards the curved tunnel.
“At least our goal is extremely clear now, and there is no other way in front of us.” “Indeed.”
Soshi Yang put away the map and said in the communication channel.
"Forward in battle formation."
The Space Marines began marching down the walkway, their footsteps ringing like bells on the metal.
Unprotected humans cannot survive in the high temperature of the tunnel, but the power armor worn by the Space Marines is prepared for more severe conditions. At least the current underground environment does not pose a threat to them.
"What destroyed the elevator?"
While walking, Soshyang connected to Thor's personal channel and asked softly:
"Those aliens?"
"Not necessarily."
"You mean those heretics."
"The truth is not always so straightforward, Chapter Master."
Thor was silent for a while, and then responded to the other party.
“In the dark and bottomless abyss, the enemy and us are sometimes not as simple as they seem on the surface, but those aliens undoubtedly want us to go where we want to go. What they want is something else. People don't want it."
"Saul, I find that the way you speak is becoming more and more like Brother Seid, and you are always running towards it during this time."
" You feel uneasy.”
"No, confused."
"Enter the enemy!"
Armin suddenly interrupted their conversation.
Soshi Yang's eyes passed through the squad leader and found that after they passed a corner, a heavy-looking door appeared in front of them, as well as a man wrapped in a bloated gray thermal insulation suit.
As soon as the man saw the Space Marine, he ran towards the door's wheel-like locking mechanism and tried to close the door.
"Don't let him make any move."
A second later, the roar of explosive bombs sounded in the tunnel, the man's head was blown open, and he fell heavily against the half-closed door.
The Space Marine moved towards the end of the tunnel and passed through the door, bolters at the ready.
When they opened the door, they found themselves in a detention area.
The exposed rock wall is inlaid with cages with electrified grids, and figures gather on the inner rock protrusions, wearing the same heavy insulating clothing as the people who imprison them.
Dozens of such cages are lined up in the long, dark space.
As soon as the Space Marines entered, the inhabitants of the cage stared at them.
There were also guards among them. They ran towards their insulated automatic weapons. One of them triggered the alarm, and the wail of the alarm suddenly filled the entire underground space.
The Astral Knight quickly brought down these people, and a series of quick bursts tore the jailers apart, leaving their remains rolling and steaming in the hot wind.
"There is a stairwell at the far end of the room."
Thor's voice came from the intercom, and his discovery changed the situation again. They were now pressed for time and must seize every minute and every second.
“Move there.”
“Wait a moment.”
A voice shouted through the wail of the alarm, and one of the prisoners stood up, hunched over. old.
Soshi Yang turned to her wordlessly.
"We are not ordinary prisoners."
(End of Chapter)