Two hours later.
The region surrounding Argos had fallen into complete darkness as the light of the star vanished entirely.
Due to the absence of natural satellites, Wangchuan Yue's nights were significantly darker than those on Earth.
Fortunately, Argos boasted well-developed infrastructure and numerous streetlights, ensuring residents didn't have to grope their way through the shadows.
On the eastern side of the planet's surface spaceport was the temporary encampment of the Colonial Marine Corps.
This encampment was originally a storage warehouse for goods. However, the tense situation on Wangchuan Yue, exacerbated by the rampant xenomorph infestation, had freed up many such warehouses.
The Marines had thus requisitioned and converted this space for their operations.
Once their Otago-class destroyer mothership completed repairs and the newly recruited Marines finished their training, they would leave the area per their orders to rejoin the suppression campaign.
At present, the encampment, like the entire city of Argos, was in "lockdown" mode.
The new recruits had already completed their training and were enjoying their rare free time, either resting in the barracks or heading to the mess hall for a meal.
At the main gate, two Marines stood guard alongside automated machine guns.
From an aerial perspective, the encampment layout was clear:
The main warehouse had been repurposed into barracks, housing the Marines' quarters, command center, and equipment storage.
The surrounding open space served as a makeshift vertical takeoff and landing pad, where two UD-4 Cheyenne dropships were stationed.
Nearby were two M577 APCs and several engineering and combat exoskeletons.
The UD-4 Cheyenne Dropship was the most commonly used and numerous dropship model in the Colonial Marine Corps.
Known for being "rugged and reliable," despite its clunky appearance, it could reach speeds of Mach 10. It could transport an M577 APC equipped with a plasma cannon and rotary machine gun or deploy an entire combat platoon fully armed.
Additionally, the dropship's variable and extendable wings could carry a range of air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles. After deploying troops, it could continue to provide substantial fire support.
The combat exoskeletons, on the other hand, were a single-soldier armor platform allocated to elite Marine units.
Given the challenging terrain of many colonies in the Alien universe, vehicles like the M577 APC often couldn't maneuver effectively.
The exoskeletons, powered by hydrogen batteries with a five-hour operating time, were developed to give Marines operating in narrow and confined spaces a significant firepower advantage.
In the hands of a skilled operator, these exoskeletons could rival armored vehicles or even main battle tanks in effectiveness.
Aside from vehicles, the encampment was fortified with high-voltage fences and automated machine guns to provide basic security for the Marines during their rest, training, and daily life.
---
At this moment:
"Yaaawn!"
One of the Marines on gate duty let out a tired yawn.
Drowsy, he turned to his companion and muttered, "Another boring day, huh?"
"What, you want something to happen?" his comrade replied, glancing at him.
"Didn't the captain already send three squads into the sewers to try and locate those bugs' nest? And tomorrow, two more squads will be deployed. Why don't you volunteer for that?"
"Uh…"
The yawning Marine shuddered, recalling the gruesome images and videos of xenomorph attacks circulating online—particularly those of victims with chests burst open.
Shaking his head vigorously, he replied, "No thanks. We're leaving this hellhole soon, and I don't plan on dying before that."
"Hahaha, good to know," his companion chuckled. "Same here. Once we're out of here, I'm finding a wild girl to unwind with. This place is way too depressing."
Neither Marine was a local of Wangchuan Yue and thus didn't take the xenomorph infestation too seriously. Orders from above had further dulled any sense of obligation to risk their lives for this colony.
However, their captain and about a third of their company were native to Wangchuan Yue. These locals were doing everything they could to curb the xenomorph outbreak.
Unfortunately, with a company of only 200—including recruits—there wasn't much they could do.
All they could manage was to try and locate and destroy xenomorph nests in Argos before leaving, giving the remaining residents a small measure of safety.
As part of this effort, the captain had been dispatching squads of 5-7 Marines to collaborate with Argos police SWAT teams, investigating areas with frequent disappearances and venturing into the sewers beneath those districts.
But the xenomorphs were playing a deadly game of hide-and-seek.
Neither the Marines nor the SWAT teams could do more than catch fleeting glimpses and tracks of the creatures, leaving them unable to mount a proper offensive.
Currently, three Marine squads, totaling over 20 personnel, along with 60 SWAT officers, were still roaming the sewers of the eastern district.
Tomorrow morning, the captain planned to deploy two additional squads—veterans leading recruits—to reinforce the effort in the eastern district.
It seemed he was determined to "burn out" the xenomorph nests in Argos.
---
Beep—!
Suddenly, the automated machine guns at the gate emitted a crisp alert sound.
??
The two Marines immediately snapped to attention, raising their M41A pulse rifles and aiming down the deserted street ahead.
Their helmets extended monocular infrared screens over their right eyes.
Yet the screens displayed no anomalies.
"Is it the bugs? I remember the briefing said our scanners don't work on them. We can only track them with motion detectors," the yawning Marine whispered nervously.
"Not sure. It could just be the guns acting up again. But to be safe, let's…"
Before his companion could finish, he suddenly froze, unable to utter another word, as though an invisible hand had clamped over his mouth.
Thud!
A muffled impact followed, and his companion's eyes rolled back as he collapsed, unconscious.
???
The yawning Marine turned to react, but he, too, was quickly subdued and knocked out.
---
Through an Atlas-manufactured soldier system, friendly identifiers would reveal a dozen reconnaissance team operatives in nanotech combat suits had already taken control of the gate.
The automated machine guns, equipped with motion detection, had been manually disabled by the operatives.
Although the Empire's nanotech suits boasted cutting-edge stealth capabilities, subtle sounds and air currents caused by movement were impossible to eliminate completely.
Thus, two operatives acted as bait within the guns' detection range, while the others physically incapacitated the guards with non-lethal methods like hand strikes.
Using expensive tranquilizer rounds was unnecessary.
Leading the team was the ever-silent Xiaoqiang.
With data from orbital drones and the stealth-equipped 14th Space Wolves Fleet in orbit, Xiaoqiang had real-time details of every Marine's position within the encampment.
Marking areas for his operatives on his helmet display, Xiaoqiang moved toward the barracks' command center to personally capture the company captain.
---
In the wide underground drainage system of the eastern district, the scene was one of carnage:
Splat! Tear!
The sound of flesh being smashed and torn echoed unnervingly as over a dozen Space Wolves in Titan power armor ruthlessly butchered a group of "locals."
---
These so-called locals were, in fact, xenomorph-worshipping cultists who had built a breeding base.
They imprisoned abducted residents and exposed them to facehuggers for implantation and breeding.
Even worse, the cultists had set up biological labs, where scientists in Weyland-Yutani lab coats studied xenomorph larvae using advanced equipment.
Clearly, Weyland-Yutani was using Wangchuan Yue as a testing ground for weaponizing xenomorphs.
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