Jill, visibly incredulous, quickly exclaimed, "There are at least hundreds of normal crew members and many soldiers inside. Are we just abandoning them?"
The leading PDF soldier, aware that Marcus had personally sent Jill and the others to the aircraft, and knowing Marcus's current authority, immediately explained. "Fifteen minutes have passed since the Gene Stealer's full exposure. At a normal speed, those people in the area would have been mutated by now. They must be abandoned."
Jill was momentarily speechless. She still struggled to fully adapt to the Warhammer Universe, a setting so utterly saturated with war and darkness.
"Alright, let's follow them for now," Isaac stepped forward, placing a reassuring hand on Jill's shoulder. She nodded, quickly recovering her composure.
Soon, everyone present received new orders. "Assist another unit in clearing Gene Stealers in surrounding C6 and D4 areas, and simultaneously reinforce the blockade of the C3 area." Upon receiving the order, the leading officer left a portion of the PDF Soldiers to reinforce various ventilation shafts and narrow crevices, preventing Tyranid Genestealers from finding a way to escape the blockade.
Isaac's squad, meanwhile, was called to assist in the fight. This was also an order from Marcus. He didn't want these few people's training to end so quickly; more combat experience was always beneficial. "Hmm, I'll have to get something to reward them afterwards," Marcus mused, stroking his chin in the command center of the Hive City Spire.
During this time, he had been managing the overall situation through the communication array, but Marcus hadn't truly led an army in battle himself, so he left the specific tactical details to the officers below. Incidentally, he could also use this opportunity to identify and remove some of the incompetent officers who were merely freeloaders.
"Let's use those four draws and see if I can get something for them," Marcus thought to himself. He opened the system panel and switched to the lottery interface he hadn't seen in a long time. A striking prompt appeared in the center.
[Authority has been elevated. Lottery items will now include Architecture and Character categories. Additionally, the probability of drawing high-grade rare items will be slightly increased.]
Seeing this prompt, Marcus was momentarily stunned. This was the first time his so-called "authority" had been elevated. Not rushing to draw, Marcus first checked the other system interfaces but found no other new prompts. "But it's good news for me." Increasing the drop rate and item types was definitely a positive development for Marcus; after all, who wouldn't want to be a lucky emperor?
According to the explanation provided by the system interface, the Architecture category included giant warships, as these vessels were large enough to accommodate thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of people. For example, the twenty-kilometer-long Ultramarines flagship, the Macragge's Honor; the seventy-kilometer-long Protoss Ark of Doom, the Spear of Adun; or even the three-hundred-kilometer-long Forerunner warship, the Mantle's Approach.
As for the Character category, it included key figures from various worlds. For example, Iron Man and Captain America from the Marvel Universe, or Master Chief from the Halo Universe. However, the probability of drawing such protagonist-level characters was extremely low, with a higher chance of drawing some background characters with little presence.
"Damn, if I drew the Emperor~" Marcus gasped, quickly shaking off the strange thoughts in his head. Rubbing his hands, Marcus chose to perform four consecutive draws. "Hopefully, I'll get the Spear of Adun, then I can walk sideways." After muttering softly, a white light flashed, and Marcus looked at the lottery results.
The first item was a large box of laser rifle magazines, its origin unknown, directly "stolen" by the system from some forge world. After retrieving it, Marcus called over several guards and had them carry the magazines away. These guards didn't know why a large box of laser rifle magazines had inexplicably appeared on the top floor of the Hive City, but they dared not ask too many questions. Immediately after, Marcus looked at the next few items.
[Vulture Source: StarCraft Universe
Effect 1: The Vulture's top speed is 400 kilometers per hour, and its anti-gravity suspension technology allows it to easily traverse rugged terrain.
Effect 2: The Vulture is equipped with a mine dispenser, which can automatically produce Spider Mines after specific resources are invested.
Effect 3: Spider Mines will automatically burrow into the ground or other concealed locations and explode violently when enemies approach. Note: Reckless driving leads to tears for loved ones.]
"Raynor's ride, huh? I wonder if it's faster than an Astartes' combat bike." Marcus casually tossed the Vulture into the system warehouse. For him, this thing could only serve as a temporary ride; its utility was truly minimal. With Marcus's current Psionics strength, he could already achieve levitation, so he naturally had no need for it. "I'll give it to them as a reward later."
After deciding the Vulture's destination, Marcus looked at the second item.
[Academy of Immortality Source: They Are Billions
Effect 1: After extracting and fixing this building, all combat units of the user's subordinate forces will slowly raise their combat experience to the "Veteran" level within the current worldview.
Effect 2: Once this building is fixed, it cannot be retrieved into the system warehouse. Note: It's best not to let zombies enter this building. Do you choose to extract and fix it?]
After reading the effects of the Academy of Immortality, Marcus's eyes widened instantly. Although its effects were only two short lines, far fewer than the god seal and telekinesis crystal's four, in some sense, the value of this thing was even greater than the combined value of the previous two! The effect of the Academy of Immortality influenced all combat units of the subordinate forces. Although the concept of "Veteran" was vague, its implications were profoundly powerful. If someone of the Emperor's caliber obtained the Academy of Immortality, then the billions of Astra Militarum and PDF Soldiers across the galaxy would receive an enormous boost. This boost wasn't a simple increase in strength or speed, but rather a rapid acquisition of combat experience that was almost impossible to achieve quickly!
The average battlefield survival time for an Astra Militarum soldier is fifteen hours. Anyone who survives beyond that time is considered a veteran. Don't think this time is too short. Consider how many monstrous entities there are in the galaxy: Orks, Tyranids, Necrons, Eldar, Daemons—fighting these entities and surviving for fifteen hours truly made one an elite among elites. If the Imperium of Man truly had this building, the Empire might genuinely experience a revival.
"If that Guilliman guy found out, he'd probably send millions of Astartes to besiege me," Marcus muttered, then chose to extract the Academy of Immortality. Subsequently, he entered a God's-eye view. The entire Avarax planet appeared in his sight. And Marcus needed to choose a location on it to place it. Curiously, he scrolled a few times, and upon seeing several Adeptus Mechanicus facilities, Marcus stopped. He then decided to place the Academy of Immortality on the upper level of the Central Hive where he was located.