The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Inside the main observation room of the station, Talos walked with his hands behind his back, passing by bodies almost identical to humans. They all had the same pale, slightly purplish skin. Some had skulls that differed from normal humans. Finally, he stopped in front of a massive, deformed body with three arms.

“Does a Genestealer from Nateson IV already have a Patriarch?”

Then, he shook his head, discarding the idea.

“If there were a Patriarch, they wouldn't all be holed up in the observation station. It seems this Genestealer cult is still in the early stages of development.”

Behind him stood warriors in dark blue armor, more than sixty of them, motionless like statues.

At that moment, a warrior tinkering with a console in the distance approached.

“Captain, personnel data retrieval complete.”

Talos took the data pad and swiped through it carefully.

“Hmm, it seems that's the case. Good thing we discovered it in time.”

Just then, the observation room door opened, and the warrior carrying Natasha walked in, some warriors turning to look at him.

“Captain, target brought in.”

“Ah, don't put her down, we'll be taking her back later.

Talos waved to stop the other party from throwing the prisoner on the ground, then turned and walked past the warriors.

“You guys aren't very lucky. By the time the modifications were complete, the crusade was already over, so you can only practice on these things. But don't underestimate them. Genestealers, this is only their fourth-generation form. When they give birth to the fifth-generation purebloods, they will turn from the most cunning imposters into the deadliest hunters. Don't think that just because you are true Midnight Hunters, you can take them lightly. As you are now, when you encounter them, it's hard to say who will be hunting who. This time is just so you can recognize them. Next time, it might be a real hunt, a hunt where you could become the prey if you're not careful. Everyone, take it seriously.”

With that, he clapped his hands.

“Alright, there's nothing more for us here. The security personnel from the orbital station will handle it. Let's move out.”

When Natasha regained consciousness, she found herself suspended in mid-air, which made her instinctively want to curl up, but her hands and feet were bound—and she discovered that her supposedly broken hands had been reattached somehow.

She was now tied to a frame, surrounded by a mass of instruments, with tubes stuck into her flesh. Her clothes were long gone, meaning she was completely naked, and all her private parts were fully exposed.

A strong sense of shame made her close her eyes.

Suddenly, the lights came on, followed by the sound of footsteps.

“Lads, Genestealers are arguably the most unique xenos threat to the Imperium. They possess both the characteristics of xenos and the flesh of humans. This infection comes from the implantation of a gene-virus into a normal human body by those fully xenos-transformed mature individuals. The Genestealer's reproductive cycle is very unique. Their first generation is completely xenos, the most common things in derelict ships. From the second generation onwards, there will be traits of the parasitized race, but the fundamental difference is not significant. But the third generation is completely different. They begin to show significant similarities with the parasitized race and learn the race's culture and use the race's weapons, but they are still relatively easy to identify. But the fourth generation is a completely different story. Although the Adeptus Mechanicus has always emphasized the perfection and sanctity of human genes and has always been reluctant to admit this, the fact is before our eyes: the blood of humans and xenos forms an uneasy bond, a compatibility that defies all logic, producing a final result with the advantages of both. Until the fifth generation, they suddenly revert to their ancestors, becoming pure xenos like the first generation.”

Natasha opened her eyes and saw the armored giants, the nightmares that had slaughtered her kin.

She didn't understand anything they were saying.

“Monsters! You monsters!”

Natasha cursed. The leader turned and glanced at her, then said in a mocking tone:

“The most stealthy aspect of this race is that before their group grows large enough to form a Patriarch, they don't even realize what they are. They firmly believe that they are part of humanity. It's like a collective hypnosis. They will self-correct their twisted, morbid beliefs and kinship. In fact, inbreeding within Genestealer cults is very obvious. In the family we purged, according to Apothecary Valerius's analysis, the genome sequences all came from four pairs of paternal and maternal genes, and even those four pairs of genes have obvious kinship. This gives Genestealer cults high stealth and high closure.”

“What Genestealers! You monsters are talking nonsense! The Emperor will punish you! He will send angels to destroy you! The Space Marines will destroy you!”

But the other party completely ignored what she said, suddenly extended a finger, causing Natasha to turn her face away in shame and anger.

“Genestealers are known not to be mammals, but they still retain mammary organs, indicating that they have an instinct for disguise at the genetic level. They even retain the human reproductive system, which may also prove from the side that Genestealer gene pollution changes its method from the third generation, no longer simply viral implantation, but through mating with normal humans to give birth to more stealthy individuals. However, this is not without exceptions, because this individual, her paternal and maternal lines are both fourth generation. Logically, she should be a pure-blooded xenos, but she is not. Instead, she has taken a step further on the basis of the fourth generation, and her stealth has become even more powerful. She even possesses hair, which is rare even among fourth-generation species. As for the specific technology, Valerius, you explain it.”

At this moment, another giant in white armor also walked over.

Natasha noticed this monster. One of his eyes was covered with a blue crystal lens, edged with silver metal. Behind his armor was an extra limb composed of metal bones and artificial muscle cables, with things on it that terrified her: circular saws, cutting knives, sharp tweezers. At the same time, he wore a belt full of empty liquid jars that clinked together as he moved.

Then his mechanical arm reached forward, and a string of needles suddenly extended. When this needle pierced Natasha's chest, she only frowned—even in death, she didn't want to show weakness in front of these monsters.

“According to my examination and inference, the birth of such a special individual in Genestealers may come from a collective consciousness. According to past research on their groups, we may be able to draw a bold conclusion. Generally speaking, according to a more common view, the Patriarch of a Genestealer is likely to emerge from the promotion of a certain ordinary pure-blooded xenos, but this group obviously does not have this condition. They only had fragile third and fourth generation species when they escaped from the neighboring star sector. Without the guidance of high-level leaders such as the Patriarch and the Magus, they do not know how to reconstruct their group, so everything can only be left to their genetic instincts and collective consciousness. And this individual was born for them to conceive a Patriarch or a more special group leader—her first pure-blooded offspring will, without accident, be the Patriarch of this group in the future, which is why the genetic characteristics of stealth are so prominent. Without inspection by professional equipment, basically, most methods cannot identify her identity.”