The respectful officials only vaguely remembered the Governor bringing an attendant; as for whether this attendant was tall or short, male or female, their memories were as blurry as if covered by a thin mist.
The Sisters of Silence's unique trait made Sister Sidera's figure appear as unremarkable as background scenery to ordinary people.
This natural concealment, instead, gave Sister Sidera an excellent opportunity for observation—as long as she didn't make large movements or deliberately draw attention, she could move like a shadow along the edges of the crowd, taking in every person's micro-expressions and small gestures.
Bored, Sister Sidera began to discreetly observe the surrounding crowd.
Her gaze swept over the richly dressed officials, the quietly conversing attendants, and the guards standing in the corners, searching for any suspicious clues.
Her gaze quickly locked onto several individuals with strange mannerisms—these people all had shaved heads, and faint patterns of chitinous exoskeletons were visible on their skin, reminding the Sister of the beetle shells she had seen in the monastery garden as a child.
In particular, the woman who constantly stayed by the Mayor's side aroused Sister Sidera's high vigilance.
This woman appeared ordinary, dressed in a proper administrative official's uniform, with a polite smile, but in the Sisters of Silence's special perception, strange Psyker fluctuations lingered around her.
These energies coiled around the Mayor like threads, and were even attempting to silently spread towards Alex, like some invisible parasite, slowly infiltrating the target's thoughts.
Sister Sidera's pupils suddenly contracted.
She stepped forward without hesitation, releasing the suppression on her Void Field.
In an instant, like a sun disc dispelling morning mist, the illusion covering the female Psyker instantly disintegrated, exposing the distorted truth beneath.
The woman first froze, then let out a heart-wrenching shriek—her true appearance was completely exposed: a bald head covered in wrinkles, and a pair of completely black compound eyes beneath a protruding forehead.
Only then did Alex turn his head, as if he had just noticed the abnormality.
When he clearly saw the woman's features, his expression drastically changed, and he sharply shouted: "Genestealer?! Seal the area immediately! Sister Sidera, initiate purification protocols! Any suspicious targets, kill on sight!"
The moment the order was given, the Sisters of Battle, who had been standing like statues, suddenly burst into astonishing action.
In an instant, six shield-bearing Sisters had tightly guarded Alex in the center, while the remaining Sisters fanned out, their Bolter muzzles pointing at the crowd before them.
Sister Sidera's Executioner Greatsword was already unsheathed; the officials pointed at by the blade trembled and retreated, and the entire welcome ceremony instantly plunged into a suffocatingly grim atmosphere, with only the exposed Genestealer still emitting inhuman wails.
The armed guards at the scene were initially bewildered, exchanging confused glances, not understanding why the welcome ceremony suddenly needed to be sealed off.
But upon seeing the Inquisition Rose Sigil that Alex held up, all hesitation instantly vanished; the instinct of the Imperial armed forces made them obey the authority of an Inquisitor.
"Seal all exits! Group A control the east passage! Group B establish a firing line!" The hoarse shouts of the sergeants echoed through the welcome ceremony.
The soldiers quickly sealed all exits and set up defensive positions at key intersections.
Soldiers in heavy riot armor began to isolate the panicking crowd in batches, forming human walls with riot shields, roughly separating nobles and officials by area.
This reaction slightly relaxed Alex's tense nerves; he noticed that the soldiers' movements were swift and precise, without any hesitation or abnormality.
At least the Genestealer contamination had not spread to the military's lower ranks; this guard unit still maintained its loyalty to the Imperium.
However, this brief relief was soon shattered.
Sister Sidera's blade suddenly pointed at the guard formation, and with the eruption of the Void Field, three soldiers and a lieutenant began to twitch violently, the Psyker illusions covering them instantly dissipating.
They twisted their bodies and let out inhuman roars, their mutated limbs and distorted faces revealing their non-human essence—knuckles elongated into claws, spines twisted and deformed, and foreheads covered with chitinous bone plates.
Alex's face instantly turned ashen, his fingers gripping the hilt of his power sword turning white from exertion, his knuckles emitting faint cracking sounds.
These monsters had actually infiltrated the guard's command layer; this discovery sent a pang of pain through his stomach.
Fortunately, most of the soldiers still remained loyal.
Although they watched in horror as their comrades, with whom they had spent day and night, suddenly transformed into monsters, some letting out suppressed gasps, others instinctively taking a half-step back, they still firmly carried out the lockdown mission under the command of Alex, who held the triple authority of Governor, Expeditionary Force Commander, and Inquisitor.
The roars of several veterans stabilized the formation: "Hold the line! These bastards don't deserve to wear this uniform!"
"City-wide lockdown! Close the orbital spaceport!" Alex's voice was like ice, carrying an undeniable majesty.
At this moment, Alex had already drawn his power sword, and the blue-white energy field emitted a dangerous hum; although he didn't need this weapon to kill enemies, it could increase his authority at this time: "Sister Sidera, by the authority granted to me by the Emperor—execute ultimate purification on all suspicious targets, and any resisters shall be summarily executed!"
With this order, the entire city, like a military fortress, instantly entered its highest state of combat readiness.
The ground began to tremble slightly, as if a sleeping behemoth had been awakened.
Huge anti-aircraft gun turrets slowly rose from beneath armored shelters, their thick barrels pointing directly at the sky, the humming sound of charging resonating in the air, grating on the teeth.
The heavy alloy gates on the outskirts of the city slowly descended with the hiss of hydraulic systems, the grinding metal sound of gears meshing was unbearable, sealing the entire urban area into an airtight steel cage.
Piercing alarms blared through every street, sharp electronic buzzing echoing between the Gothic buildings, forming an unsettling reverberation among the spires and arcades.
Civilians panicked and fled in all directions, surging towards the nearest buildings for shelter like startled herds.
All navigation beacons at the orbital spaceport turned a dazzling red, and warning lights flashed wildly on the control tower.
Transport ships that were taking off and landing received urgent orders and were forcibly recalled, their engine nozzles spewing dazzling exhaust flames.
Several merchant ships that failed to return in time were mercilessly destroyed by defense platforms, the roar of Macro Cannon silently reverberating in the vacuum.
A major purge targeting the Genestealers officially began.
(Don't believe the jokes about just shooting bald people to find Gene-stealers; in reality, Genestealers themselves have Psyker illusions, which are highly deceptive.)
(The most effective way to identify a Genestealer is through genetic testing. As for baldness? Baldness is a very popular hairstyle in the Imperium.)
(Third and fourth-generation Genestealers are almost indistinguishable from humans in appearance; fourth-generation Genestealers should even have hair.)
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"