Reborn as Humanity’s Emperor Across the Multiverse

Whoosh. Whoosh.

The environment amplifier in the helmet clearly picked up a series of faint gunshots, sharp and irregular in pitch.

Janes Thompson frowned slightly, his expression immediately growing serious.

From the distinct frequency and pitch of the gunfire, he quickly identified the source: the unmistakable sound of an old Covenant plasma rifle, once widely used across their forces.

Moments later, the helmet's built-in auxiliary system locked onto the gunfire's origin and marked its direction on his display.

According to the data, the source of the gunfire was about 100 meters to the north of their landing zone.

Following the system's guidance, Thompson's gaze quickly fell upon an obvious collapsed area nearby. A deep fissure extended into the unknown depths below, seemingly connecting to a vast underground space.

"That must be the entrance to the underground city," Thompson muttered to himself.

He didn't linger on the sight for long, instead shifting his focus back to the other data on the screen, trying to piece together the situation based on known intelligence.

According to the Intelligence Division's analysis, internal conflicts were frequent among the extremists on Quikonto. These groups often fought over scarce resources, leading to infighting and even large-scale armed clashes.

But Thompson couldn't yet determine the reason behind the current outbreak of gunfire within the underground city.

The gunfire could merely be another skirmish among these extremist factions.

However, he couldn't rule out another possibility—that the conflict was not an internal fight but the result of external forces or an unknown entity attacking the underground city. If that were the case, its defensive forces might have been entirely occupied, which could explain their lack of response to the stealth vessel's arrival and the commotion caused by the team's large-scale deployment.

Within seconds, multiple possibilities raced through Thompson's mind.

Each scenario pointed to significant risks for their current operation.

He glanced at the right side of his helmet display, which showed that the transport convoy was still 20 minutes away from arrival. Without hesitation, he issued a command to the troops who had already disembarked from their drop pods:

"All ODST and special operations teams, along with the Tyrant pilots, establish a defensive perimeter around the landing zone. Hold your positions and wait for the transport convoy to arrive."

"Yes, Colonel!" came the prompt response.

The soldiers quickly set to work.

Twelve heavily armed Tyrants, equipped with high-caliber plasma cannons and 10mm six-barrel Gauss miniguns, immediately positioned themselves on the outermost edge of the landing zone. Half of them trained their "gaze" on the collapsed area.

Additionally, four ODST Cyclops mechs coordinated with the Tyrants to fortify the perimeter.

Nearly 300 ODST and special operations team members spread out, focusing their attention on the direction of the collapsed area.

Meanwhile, Thompson continued issuing orders: "Clone Battalions One through Three, along with the Hellhounds and Hunters, proceed to the marked collapsed area for further investigation. Confirm the status of the underground city and identify the source of the gunfire."

"Understood."

A raspy voice with a strong nasal tone responded over the comms. Soon after, 500 clone soldiers—deployed via massive container-like drop pods—formed into tactical squads of six and advanced toward the fissure in an orderly manner.

The Hellhounds and Hunters, following a similar deployment pattern, surged ahead to conduct preliminary reconnaissance with remarkable efficiency.

In mere moments, the 100 Hellhounds, moving at high speed, disappeared from view entirely.

At this point, Thompson and his team could only track the Hellhounds' movements via the friend-or-foe markers on their tactical radar, showing the units darting through the tunnels in the collapsed area with agility and speed.

The Hellhounds, having undergone continuous upgrades by the Biotech Division, were capable of surviving in almost any extreme environment—including toxic zones, high-radiation areas, and even vacuum conditions for up to ten minutes.

Compared to mechanical hounds, the Hellhounds had a significant advantage in cost-effectiveness.

Even if thousands of them were lost in a single mission, the damage to the Biotech Division's operations would be negligible, as their breeding cycle was incredibly short. They were, in essence, disposable assets.

Complementing the Hellhounds were ten Hunters, also tasked with reconnaissance.

The Hunters' design was inspired by the basic structure of Hex-tech robots but featured a more aggressive and angular aesthetic. These six-legged spider-like robots had sleek, razor-sharp lines, exuding a cold, geometric beauty.

Silent in their movements and adept at navigating complex terrain, the Hunters were almost undetectable unless specifically looked for.

Their closest counterpart might be the Terror Drones from the Red Alert universe.

Additionally, each Hunter carried a small "hive" module on its abdomen, capable of deploying 20 hovering reconnaissance drones.

These low-cost drones possessed powerful detection capabilities. They could map detailed terrain, analyze enemy forces, and even detect energy fluctuations with precision.

The Hellhounds and Hunters worked in perfect synergy—one biological, one mechanical; one fast, one steady. The Hellhounds scouted ahead, while the Hunters mapped the environment, providing precise intelligence to the main force while minimizing risk.

Thanks to these units, the ground troops could operate without fear of ambushes from unfamiliar terrain or hidden enemies.

Even if something unexpected occurred, the clone soldiers—dressed in fully sealed "trench coat" combat suits with exceptional adaptability and combat capability—were there to serve as the first line of defense, shielding the human troops.

The clone soldiers had also undergone numerous iterations, now capable of basic interaction with humans.

Stronger than the average human and completely loyal, the clones served as an impenetrable barrier on the battlefield.

After all, the Biotech Division's ultimate goal in continuously upgrading the clones was to ensure that human soldiers could operate from relatively safe positions—commanding or providing fire support—without risking their lives in dangerous reconnaissance missions.

Whether it was the Hellhounds, the Hunters, or the clones, their shared purpose was to function as "low-cost, high-efficiency" expendable units.

Even their drop pods were designed as disposable containers, prioritizing simplicity and efficiency over advanced safety features. Equipped with basic cushioning and thermal shielding, they served their purpose without unnecessary complexity.

Thus, even a stealth-class vessel like the Diana III, measuring "only" 800 meters in length, could accommodate four of these massive container-like drop pods and launch them in rapid orbital strikes.

It wasn't long before the three clone battalions entered the fissure's tunnels.

Thompson, leveraging his command privileges, projected the first-person view from the leader of Clone Battalion One onto the left side of his helmet display, allowing him to monitor their movements in real-time.

The screen showed that the tunnel was about five meters wide, with a rough rocky structure marked by signs of both natural erosion and artificial modification. Faint traces of tool cuts were visible on the walls.

Descending the sloping rock staircase, the clone soldiers advanced steadily, maintaining constant vigilance for any potential threats.

As data streamed back from the Hellhounds and Hunters, the tactical radar on Thompson's screen gradually revealed the initial layout of the underground city's entrance.

The fissure extended roughly 30 meters downward, connecting to a sizable "hub zone."

Within this hub, the intersecting tunnels formed a massive space, with a web of intricate pathways radiating outward like a spiderweb, leading to deeper, uncharted areas below.

Meanwhile, the Hunters' optical sensors transmitted additional key details.

The hub zone's walls and floors were scarred with plasma burns, the residual heat indicating the marks were recent.

Needle-shaped crystal shards embedded in the walls emitted a faint pink glow, their material properties and energy signature unmistakably tied to Covenant technology.

Most strikingly, the Hellhounds and Hunters discovered extensive bloodstains—ranging in color from common red and purple to a rarer dark green—suggesting that a large-scale conflict had recently taken place.

The blood splatter patterns hinted at a chaotic battle, but there were no corpses to be found. Only the aftermath remained, as if the battlefield had been swiftly cleared.

At this point, the Hellhounds' enhanced sense of smell came into play, analyzing the lingering scents in the air to reconstruct more details about the fight.

The Hunters expanded their reconnaissance efforts, deploying numerous miniature drones to scan the hub zone from multiple angles.

Some drones followed the blood trails and battle damage, attempting to track the movements of potential targets—or locate the missing bodies.

To maximize efficiency, the Hellhounds split into small teams, advancing through narrow passageways in different directions.

These biological units demonstrated extraordinary adaptability and mobility, effortlessly navigating steep slopes and tight crevices.

The Hunters followed the paths charted by the Hellhounds, providing more detailed environmental data while continuing to use their spectral scanners and energy detectors to search for the underground city's hidden entrances.

"…"

Faced with this series of anomalies, Thompson's expression grew increasingly grave.

Based on the information so far, he realized that the situation here was far more complicated than anticipated.

Remnants of the Covenant, an unknown species, missing bodies, and these bloodstains and weapon marks—all pointed to a recent battle involving extraordinary forces.

Chaos?

Thompson's mind immediately jumped to this possibility. As a veteran soldier, he had seen countless battlefields. While he had never directly confronted Chaos, he had heard of their horrors from others, including his retired friend Rod Hoineld.

The dark green blood reminded him of the Flood, but the analysis from the Hunters ruled that out.

The biological traits of the green blood did not match anything in the Biotech Division's database, including the core features of the Flood's cellular structure, known as FSC (Fungal Spore

Code). The absence of FSC definitively ruled out the Flood.

So, what were these mysterious entities that had fought with the Covenant remnants or space pirates in the hub zone?

Thompson's focus shifted toward the possibility of "Heretics."

According to files from the Inquisition, Heretics were often individuals or groups corrupted by Chaos or affected by extreme mutations.

If the underground city—home to Covenant remnants and space pirates—had been exposed to prolonged Chaos corruption, it could have become a breeding ground for such heretical lifeforms.

However, as a seasoned soldier, Thompson remained cautious. While he had faced countless battles, he had never directly encountered the forces of Chaos.

Beep—!

As Thompson analyzed the situation, a sharp alarm interrupted his thoughts.

Moments later, his helmet display lit up with the latest footage from a Hunter's reconnaissance drone—

What appeared on the screen sent a chill down his spine.

The video showed a group of grotesquely mutated Brutes and Jackals dragging the bodies of their fallen comrades deeper into the underground.

Their forms were twisted and irregular, as if their flesh had swollen under immense pressure, warping their armor in the process. Their bones and joints no longer provided proper support, yet they moved quickly, staggering and lurching with unnatural speed.

Most disturbing was their ability to survive in the harsh environment despite their ruptured armor and exposed, mangled flesh. These severely deformed creatures no longer seemed to rely on sealed equipment to withstand the planet's frigid, low-oxygen, low-pressure atmosphere.

Seeing this, Thompson immediately realized the dark green blood belonged to these mutated Brutes and Jackals.

He quickly transmitted the drone's footage to the agents who were still ten minutes away from landing.

Within seconds, a response came over the comms. A calm but urgent voice declared:

"Colonel Thompson! Those creatures are highly contagious! Order your troops to maintain their distance and avoid close-quarters combat at all costs!"

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