Chapter 47 - Tyranid Raid

"Hans, do you know Mark used to be a butcher?"

"Holy crap, seriously?!"

The veteran looked at the whispering recruits beside him and cursed, "Stop screwing around, keep your eyes forward! What does it matter what Mark used to do? All that matters is he can save your lives now. What, you want to lie on a Medical Sister's lap and have them heal you? You scumbags aren't worthy!"

"Heh heh, if the Sister agrees, I have no objections."

"Me neither."

"Damn it, stop chattering! If it were the old me, if you little punks dared to talk back, I'd rip your tongues out."

The veteran forced out his signature expression from the past to his subordinates.

The Astra Militarum squad leader's cruel smile made the recruits shrink back, quickly shutting up and focusing on the misty front lines. The roars occasionally coming from the fog indicated that the bugs were hiding within it.

"Today, why did the bugs get smart?" the squad leader said, puzzled. Years of gang life gave him an abnormal intuition for danger, and he quickly ordered his subordinates:

"Keep your eyes wide open, something's not right!"

The person lying next to the squad leader couldn't help but ask, "Boss, did you find something?"

The former gang leader, now an Astra Militarum squad leader, with a solemn expression, stared intently at the fog and shook his head, saying, "No, but I trust my intuition. Back when I was in the Hive World, it's all that saved me from several assassination attempts by rival gangs."

"Squad leader, you used to be in a gang? How did you end up joining the army?"

A trace of reminiscence flashed in the Astra Militarum veteran's eyes, and he said with a sigh:

"I was a bit greedy, thought I had a lot of brothers, and wanted to pay less tribute to the noble lords. The next day, the enforcers kicked down my door, pointed a gun at my head, and asked: choose to be a soldier, or choose to be shot—"

Before he finished speaking, the feeling of his hair standing on end made the Astra Militarum squad leader's heart suddenly stop. He instinctively pulled his body, which had been peeking out of cover, back in.

"Whoosh!"

A chitinous barb, too fast for the human eye to see, shot through the spot where his body had just been.

"Bang!"

The barb, failing to hit its target, struck a rock further away and exploded.

Hiding in cover, the Astra Militarum squad leader knew his intuition had saved his life once again. While feeling relieved, he didn't forget to shout:

"Artillery! Take cover!"

But more chitinous barbs tore through the fog, smashing into the human defense line, exploding and sending out jagged shrapnel that pierced everything around.

"Whoosh"

"Whoosh"

"Bang"

"Bang"

"Ah! I'm injured, I'm going to die." An Astra Militarum soldier, unfortunately hit by shrapnel, wailed.

"Stop yelling, damn it, everyone take cover! Yelling loudly won't kill you yet, crawl back and find Mark. Everyone else, as soon as the shelling stops, counterattack immediately! Don't care if you see the bugs or not, just shoot! Understand?!"

"Understood!"

The veteran's judgment was correct. Large numbers of Knife Worms and Gun Worms, under the cover of artillery fire and fog, swarmed towards the defense line like a tide.

But what the veteran hadn't expected was that the Tyranid never considered "casualties." Even as the Knife Worms had already charged into the trenches, the Tyranid artillery fire never stopped for a moment. This time, his intuition couldn't save him again.

The same scene was also simultaneously occurring across human and Titan Star defense lines. The Gorgon's sudden large-scale attack, leveraging the weather, quickly made the first defense line precarious.

Soldiers, losing their terrain advantage and cover, were forced into bloody close-quarters combat with the Tyranid creatures.

"Die! Die!"

The soldier, whose comrades around him had become mangled flesh, had bloodshot eyes and a terrified expression as he continuously pulled the trigger on a dead Knife Worm on the ground. He had no other thoughts in his mind, only knowing that pulling the trigger meant he was still alive, and pulling the trigger at the bugs meant he could stay alive.

This was what the squad leader had told him before he was torn apart by the bugs. He did as he was told and survived. As for what to do next, he didn't know.

The person who could tell him was already dead.

But reality wouldn't stop just because he didn't know. Another bug appeared before him. The soldier frantically swung his gun, pulling the trigger at the Gun Worm, but this time no laser shot out from the muzzle.

"Shoot! Shoot!"

"Damn it! Damn it!"

The approaching danger brought the soldier back to his senses for a moment. He quickly threw away the energy-depleted laser gun in his hand and scrambled on all fours towards his fallen comrade's remains, searching for a weapon.

Found it! I can live again!

The wild joy in his mind was interrupted by a sharp pain. The Tyranid would not give an unarmed human a chance for a fair duel. The Gun Worm's symbiotic weapon was activated the moment the soldier touched the weapon.

The flesh-eating beetles residing in the Fleshborer were awakened by the bio-electric shock caused by the Fleshborer's firing. Using their flea-like legs, they leaped out of the barrel at extreme speed and burrowed into the human's body.

"Ah! Ah!"

"Ah!"

The human howled, rolling in the blood on the ground. It was too painful, too terrifying. He saw his own body melting at the wound, and he heard the sound of bugs drilling and gnawing inside his body.

"Kill me! Kill me!"

"I can't take it! Don't torment me! Kill me!"

"Emperor, grant me death! Grant me a merciful death!"

The Tyranid had no mercy, no joy, only hunger. The Gun Worm, seeing that its target had lost the ability to resist and move, turned and left, leaving only the continuously wailing human. Captured food was not worth wasting its valuable biomass.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The Mechanical Hounds roared as they charged towards the Tyranid Knife Worm. Upon spotting the hounds, the Knife Worm immediately pulled out its rending claws, which had been impaled in a human body on the ground, and swung them at the charging hounds. Just as the massive chitinous claws were about to strike the Mechanical Hounds.

The hounds suddenly changed direction, dodging the claw attack, then quickly retreated a few steps. The Tyranid Knife Worm, knowing no fear, saw its opponent retreat and roared, chasing after the continuously retreating hounds. Seeing the Tyranid pursue, the hounds, which had been slowly backing away step by step, immediately turned and fled.

The Knife Worm's thighs powerfully pushed off, unleashing its maximum speed. Just as its claws were raised once again, an unexpected change occurred. In a flash of lightning, two hounds, which had been ambushed nearby, charged at the Tyranid from left and right.

The unprepared Knife Worm tried to slow down but it was too late. The inertia generated by its full-speed burst prevented it from changing its posture.

It could only raise its claws to meet the new opponents, intending to perish with the attacking hounds.

But it forgot about another opponent. The originally fleeing hound once again changed direction and charged back towards it. The extremely short distance between them meant the hound's speed after turning was not fast, but it was enough to knock the Knife Worm over.

"Well done, Steel Fang (Gāng yá) 1, 2, and 3." A soldier patted the heads of the Mechanical Hounds that had returned, carrying their prey's head, praising them gleefully.

Not far from him, a group of wounded soldiers were holding their weapons, vigilantly aiming in any direction a bug might appear. They felt incredible seeing the little guy from their company directing three hounds not only to kill a Tyranid but also to drag back a comrade who was half-dead.

"Company Commander, where did you pick them up?"

"On the road." The company Commander, missing an arm, spoke with pride in his voice.

"Sigh, now it'll be hard to tease Little John anymore."

Those near him nodded in agreement after hearing his words. After all, they had all been saved by Little John, one by one, with his dogs, and dragged to this spot. They all owed the little guy a life.

"Will the ones just rescued survive?" the company Commander asked.

"I think they're about to wake up. Luckily, we found the medical equipment, otherwise none of us would have survived. But Company Commander, what should we do next?"

"Fight!"

"Just us?"

"Just us. I don't know if retreating will get us shot by the Political Commissar, but those bugs definitely won't let go of such a large chunk of meat like us. Don't worry, as long as the General Command hasn't decided to abandon this place, there will be reinforcements!"

"Boom boom boom…"

The Astra Militarum soldiers hiding in the fort all heard the distant roars and vibrations, which lifted everyone's spirits. This was the sound of large-caliber artillery bombarding the ground, meaning they hadn't been abandoned here, and also that reinforcements from the rear were already on their way.

The frontline regimental Commanders immediately reported the situation to command when the Tyranid attacked the defense line. At the same time, they organized soldiers resting behind the defense line to reinforce the front. Their assigned defense line might be on the verge of collapse, but they were not lambs to the slaughter; they were not without the ability to counterattack.

To command Tyranid creatures of such a scale, Tyranid Synapse Creatures were indispensable. How to deal with them was key to achieving victory. The Commanders were well aware of this and had already prepared killers for these Synapse Creatures!

"Damn it, it's really big." The Astra Militarum Star Realm Legion Commander cursed as he observed the Tyranid Warrior through his binoculars.

After cursing, he turned to look at the Tech-priest behind him, who were bowing their heads to the Mechanical Hounds in a "blessing" ritual. The Star Realm Legion Commander was anxious. Every second delayed meant greater casualties for the soldiers tasked with holding back the Tyranid Warriors. These soldiers were his elite, hardened veterans who had survived countless battles. Losing one meant one less.

But no matter how anxious he was, he dared not rush the Tech-priest in front of him. If the machine spirit were displeased, all their previous efforts would be in vain, and the sacrifices made would be for nothing.

"Praise the Omnissiah, holy machine spirit, please help us eradicate the enemies of the Machine God!"

"Woof!"

"Ready?" the Star Realm Legion Commander asked impatiently.

"Mm."

Hearing the Tech-priest' somber reply, the Star Realm Legion Commander said nothing more. He could understand the Tech-priest' current mood; if he had to send his own beloved vehicle to do the same, his expression would be similar.

"You took pictures of them, right? They'll be our regiment's heroes from now on."

"I did."

"Good, then let's begin the operation."

"You SB bug, look at this! Look at your grandpa's big gun, waaaagh or not waaaagh!"

The Tyranid Warrior dodged the incoming bolter rounds. A look, which would never appear in the eyes of a Knife Worm or a Gun Worm, emerged in its compound eyes. It was thinking; the human provocation made it sense something unusual. As a Synapse Creature, its biggest difference from lower Tyranid organisms was its intelligence.

Although its innate intelligence still couldn't comprehend the meaning of the human's actions, it didn't matter. As a Synapse Creature, its consciousness was always integrated with the Hive Mind, allowing it to search for the optimal solution within the Hive Mind's knowledge base.

They want to hunt me. These food sources are just to stop me.

The Tyranid Warrior, already aware of the Commander's intention, did not attempt to break through or escape. It did not believe that food would pose a threat to it, or rather, it did not fear death. Occupying this planet for the Hive was paramount. If its death could accelerate the occupation even by a second, it would die without hesitation.

Focusing on slaughter, the Tyranid Warrior transformed into a terrifying creature that only existed in human nightmares. Despite being twice the height of an ordinary human and covered in thick carapace, these did not hinder its movements. Its speed was like a whip being cracked through the air.

One human after another fell beneath its scything talons and bone swords. Bravery, fearlessness, terror, and cowardice held no distinction in its eyes.

The Star Realm Legion Commander, observing from a distance, several times drew his chainsword, intending to charge, but was firmly held back and restrained by the people around him!

Finally, just as the soldiers tasked with stopping the Tyranid Warrior were on the verge of collapse, roars echoed from behind them,

"Woof!"

"Woof woof!"

"Woof woof woof!"

The growls of the Mechanical Hounds seemed to inject courage into the soldiers' bodies. Some of them voluntarily leaped out of their cover, unleashing all their fury upon the Tyranid Warrior.

They did not fear death; they feared sacrifice without the sight of victory!

"Come on! You son of a bitch, come on! Grandpa's right here, come eat me!"

Even as his mouth and nose bled from the recoil of his bolter, his body went numb, and his bones fractured, the soldier still didn't lower his gun, still didn't release his finger from the trigger.

Pain, injury, death—the soldier didn't care. He only cared, he only wanted, this bug to die!

These things that cannot be converted into biomass are their weapons against me?

A hint of confusion flashed through the Tyranid Warrior's mind as it watched the Mechanical Hounds charging towards it. It had already destroyed many of these useless four-legged wastes. Although their combat power was higher than that of ordinary humans, it was not enough to pose a threat to it.

The Warrior intended to test them first. It raised its Deathspitter, intending to fire at the approaching Mechanical Hounds, but the humans, realizing its intention, immediately suppressed it with their firepower. Simultaneously, the Hounds spread out, flanking the Tyranid Warrior from both sides.

"Stop the incoming bugs!"

Hearing the command from the communicator, the soldiers finally noticed the Tyranid swarm rushing from a distance. They had already made too many sacrifices to eliminate the swarm around the Tyranid Warrior. The soldiers understood that they absolutely could not let these bugs reach the target, or everything they had done would become meaningless. As soon as it detected the human's intention, the Tyranid Warrior, being a Synapse Creature, summoned nearby Knife Worms and Gun Worms through the Hive Mind network to come as reinforcements. If humans wanted to hunt it, why wouldn't it want to hunt humans in return!

Who is the prey?

Who is the bait?

And who is the hunter?

Who can clearly say which...

At this moment, the situation on the battlefield underwent a drastic change. The humans who had originally surrounded the Tyranid Warrior now became the surrounded. The bullets that had been directed inward, suppressing the Tyranid Warrior, now had to turn their muzzles to fire at the Tyranid swarm outside the encirclement.

Now, the entire encirclement, set up to hunt the Tyranid Warrior, had transformed into a massive "coliseum," a coliseum where steel beasts confronted Tyranid giants.

"Roar!"

"Woof!"

There was no standoff; the battle between the beast pack and the giant beast had already begun the moment they met. The Tyranid Warrior's ranged bio-weapon fired living projectiles, one after another. Although these living maggots could only survive in the air for a few seconds, their secreted digestive enzymes and bodily fluids could easily melt armor.

The machine spirit, born from humanity's Golden Age, reacted instantly to the Tyranid raising its weapon, acting in accordance with its innate nature. The Hounds began to run, circling the Tyranid Warrior in an ever-changing, irregular circle centered on the Tyranid Warrior, helping them dodge the Tyranid's projectiles one by one.

"Roar!"

The Tyranid Warrior, realizing that shooting was useless, put down its Deathspitter. It discovered that the combat power of these steel wastes increased with their numbers, and it would take some effort to deal with them. Raising two bone swords, the psychic power from the Hive Mind was activated, and a bio-disintegration field enveloped the bone swords.

This is humanity's confidence?

A hint of confusion flashed through the Tyranid Warrior's mind, but the Mechanical Hounds gave it no time to think. Just as the Tyranid put down its gun and picked up its bone blades, the Mechanical Hounds also changed their behavior. They simultaneously changed their running direction and charged towards the Tyranid Warrior in the center.

"Woof!"

Watching the Mechanical Hound leap towards its bone blades, the Tyranid Warrior seemed to realize something. It did not swing its bone blades to cleave the Hound in two, but instead tried to retreat and dodge. However, it was already surrounded. Thirteen Hounds left it no room to dodge.

"Boom boom boom!"

"It's done! Counterattack, full-line counterattack! Before new Synapse Creatures appear, drive the Tyranids out of our defense line! Kill them all!" the Star Realm Legion Commander roared into the communicator beside him. The spirits of the Astra Militarum who received this communication were uplifted. No matter their current predicament, even if they were merely clinging to life on the defense line, even if the Tyranid's claws were already raised high before them, this communication instilled in their bodies a sudden surge of courage and strength, making them roar as they swung their weapons at the Tyranids before them.

As the Star Realm Legion Commander issued commands over the comms, the Tech-Priest, who had been closely observing the outcome in the "coliseum" with him, had already run towards where the Tyranid Warrior had fallen.

When he arrived at the scene, the injured soldiers, unable to move easily, were venting their anger on the Tyranid Warrior's shattered corpse. Upon seeing the Tech-priest from their unit arrive, everyone stopped what they were doing.

"Priest, it's all messed up like this, the brothers thought it was useless, so—" The medic's words, attempting to excuse the wounded, were cut off by the Tech-Priest.

"Stop talking nonsense! Everyone, immediately, collect the remains of the Mechanical Hounds and bring them to me!"

"Huh?"

While the frontline officers were directing the Astra Militarum's counterattack, the human general headquarters in the far rear, upon receiving intelligence from the front, was not inactive either. Although Gorgon's large-scale attack was sudden, humanity, which had always been prepared, would not be caught off guard.

Dozens of armored regiments set out urgently from the rear, rushing to provide support with their speed advantage. Upon reaching the battlefield, they coordinated with the counterattacking Astra Militarum, utilizing their armor and firepower superiority to specifically target and eliminate the already discovered Tyranid Synapse Creatures.

"Hahaha, what a load of crap Tyranid, what Synapse Creature. I think the Political Commissar just scares us all day long, saying it can cleave my vehicle in half with one sword. In the end, wasn't it blown to smithereens by my cannon?" The tank Commander joked to his crew members.

"Exactly. Before we set out, I kept praying to the Emperor. Now look, I've made a huge fool of myself in front of His Imperial Majesty," the loader complained resentfully.

The others burst into laughter upon hearing this. Having just easily dealt with a high-value target, the entire tank crew was enveloped in a relaxed atmosphere. If the high-risk Tyranid organisms that the officers spoke of were only at this level, after this battle at Kosa, each of them would receive enough military decorations to make a bulletproof vest.

"Vehicle 33, proceed immediately to Hill 4 for support. A Tyranid Synapse Creature has appeared there."

Hearing the command from the Leman Russ communicator, the tank Commander, with a smile on his face, picked up the handset and replied, "Received."

(Imperial Fist – Leman Russ)

"Brothers, let's go! Let's show those mud-footed guys what's what again!"

"Yes, sir, let's show them. Their expressions just now were really funny."

"Hahaha."

Vehicle 33, speeding towards Hill 4, was met by the guiding Astra Militarum upon arrival at the target location,

They directed them towards the last known position of the Tyranid Warrior.

"You must be extremely careful. We've tried several times and haven't been able to kill it, and we've lost many brothers."

"Alright, alright, got it." The tank Commander, leaning out of the tank, replied perfunctorily.

"Especially its weapon, you must be careful, even with this iron lump protecting you, be careful!" The Astra Militarum, seeing the other party's perfunctory attitude, reminded them again with concern.

Hearing that the soldier next to him didn't even know what his precious vehicle was called, the tank Commander impatiently said, "Got it, stop talking nonsense. How powerful can it be? No matter how powerful, it can't compare to the iron lump you're talking about. I've already killed one, and its little toy didn't even scratch the paint on my baby."

The inexperienced new recruit, seeing this, didn't say anything more. This iron lump did look very powerful, and no matter how strong the bugs were, they were made of flesh. How could flesh be stronger than iron?

Upon reaching the danger zone, the tank Commander retracted into the vehicle, closed the hatch, and said unhappily, "Steering wheel, step on the gas harder.

Let the country bumpkins behind us inhale more of our baby's exhaust."

The driver laughed and said, "Alright."

"Open the auspex. Let's see where that bug is?"

"Received, searching now."

"Gunner, aim carefully, one shot to finish it, don't embarrass us!"

"Got it, don't worry."

"Report, target found, 9 o'clock direction, 320 meters away."

"Good! Get it!"

"Target moving, charging towards us, very fast!"

"Gunner!"

"Aiming! Loader, high-explosive round!"

"One round loaded!"

"Big bug, Grandpa's sending you back to your bug mama's belly!"

As the Leman Russ tank rotated its cannon to aim at the Tyranid Warrior, the Tyranid Warrior's Fleshborer also aimed at it, and pulled the trigger a step before the Leman Russ.

Fist-sized seed pods were launched from its muscle tubes. Imbued with immense kinetic energy by the Tyranid's powerful muscles and steel sinews, the seed pods, accompanied by a piercing shriek, shot directly into the Leman Russ tank's armor plate.

The noise and vibration from the impact made the crew's hearts tremble. They realized that this opponent seemed a bit different from the last. However, although the attack power was much stronger, it was still not enough to penetrate their vehicle's armor.

"Gunner, you f*cking hurry up!"

But this was not the end of the attack; quite the opposite, the impact just now was merely the signal for the beginning. The seed pods matured in a few seconds, breaking open their hard husks and extending hook-like tendrils in all directions. The vehicle's armor plates were ripped open by the growing force of the tendrils,

The cannon barrel and tracks were also firmly bound by the steel-like tendrils.

"Commander, turret malfunction! Cannot turn!" the gunner cried out in alarm.

"What are you panicking about?! Driver, adjust direction, engage the enemy with the forward secondary weapon!"

"Yes! Huh?! Tracks jammed! We can't move!" the driver screamed in panic.

"Damn it!" A panicked expression flashed across the Commander's face, but he forced himself to calm down and continued to command:

"Gunner, driver, you two keep trying, don't stop! You go to the left auxiliary weapon, I'll go to the right. Fire when you see the bug, don't let it get close to us!"

The loader immediately replied, "Yes!"

"!" Another impact sound, just like before.

"Mee!"

"Mee!"

Impact sounds, one after another, sent the hearts of everyone on Vehicle 33 plummeting. Now, there was not a trace of the earlier ease and disdain on their faces; only deep fear remained.

While the symbiotic weapons equipped by low-cost Tyranid organisms couldn't pose a serious threat to these steel vehicles, when their opponents became synaptic creatures like Tyranid Warriors, even a slight misstep could lead to the vehicle's destruction and the crew's demise.

Tyranid Warriors are the synaptic organisms of the Hive Fleet and one of the most important combat units among the Tyranids. Their power is not only reflected in their agility and strength; these are not even the most lethal aspects of the Warrior. Their most dangerous quality lies in their biological plasticity, which is the strongest among all Tyranid organisms!

This means that when you face a Tyranid Warrior, trying to defeat it through experience will only cost you your life, because you don't know what kind of biological weapon this Tyranid Warrior will pull out or what mode of attack it will use against you.

It might use a Scything Talon, a symbiotic weapon with an extremely high rate of fire that can launch deadly spines. This weapon primarily relies on the neurotoxin carried on its spines to kill opponents, rapidly harvesting lives like a lawnmower. However, against heavily armored vehicles, it has no effect.

It might also use a Lash Whip, a Barbed Strangler, a Venom Cannon, a Deathspitter, and so on—any weapon found in the Tyranid arsenal that suits their size. Of course, if necessary, the Hive Mind can also make the Tyranid Warrior's body grow larger.

They even have different modes of movement: flying, walking, jumping, running. Over 212 Tyranid Warrior variants have been recorded by the Imperium. The Adeptus Mechanicus even created a dedicated biological genus for them—the Tyranidus Gladius.

(Note: Look closely, the three Tyranid Warriors are holding different weapons.)

"What's the situation now?"

The Commander, who had been closely monitoring the battle's progress, immediately replied, "The counterattack is proceeding fairly smoothly, but judging by the current situation, the original defensive forces have suffered very heavy casualties!"

"Damn it!" one Commander cursed fiercely.

Although the others didn't curse, their expressions showed that they felt the same way.

The Headquarters Commanders' mood was so grim not just because of the casualties. For those who had grown accustomed to viewing lives as mere numbers on paper, these sacrifices alone couldn't affect their mood.

What truly distressed them was that they had already formulated a plan to prevent a sudden attack from Gorgon, but before they could even finish deployment, the Tyranids suddenly struck.

"Since things have come to this, we should no longer dwell on what has happened. After the counterattack is complete, the top priority is to complete deployment in the shortest possible time to prevent this from happening again."

"Yes, sir!"

"How effective is the targeted strategy against synaptic organisms?"

"Although there have been failures, overall, the effect is very good."

Ventris nodded his head, but he didn't fully believe the battle reports from the front lines. It wasn't that he thought the front-line soldiers were exaggerating their achievements or falsifying military intelligence, but because when facing an unconventional opponent like the Tyranids, using normal methods to analyze and interpret battle reports could easily lead to misjudgments.

He needed to hear the judgment of a professional, so Ventris asked Inquisitor Finnie, who was sitting nearby:

"Inquisitor Finnie, what do you think of this battle report?"

The Inquisitor, acting as an advisor, didn't hold back and said bluntly, "There is an effect, but it's not as good as you think."

"How so?"

Upon hearing the Inquisitor's words, the Commanders showed no dissatisfaction at being contradicted. Instead, they all perked up their ears, wanting to hear her perspective. Fools who are self-absorbed and cannot listen to others' opinions and suggestions would not be in their positions.

"Through my investigation, I've found that the lesser Tyranids surrounding the Tyranid synaptic organisms are not merely escorts. Unlike ordinary Knife Worms, another type of small Tyranid organism is parasitic on their backs. The specific function of this never-before-seen small Tyranid is still undetermined."

"However, I then reviewed previous data and found that in this Gorgon Hive's attack, the density of synaptic organisms was much lower than before. Therefore, I deduce that the newly discovered Tyranid organism has the function of helping synaptic organisms expand their command range. This means that we have encountered far fewer synaptic organisms in this instance than we imagined!"

"This is the main reason why the paper data looks so good this time. These armored forces are actually facing a much weaker opponent than we anticipated."

"There's another point we must take seriously. I believe you also saw it in the intelligence sent back from the front line: before Gorgon launched its attack, it carried out a large-scale bombardment of the defensive line. From the Tyranid samples sent from the front line, it appears that the perpetrator of this bombardment was not the medium to large Tyranid organisms we imagined, but a low-level Tyranid similar to the Knife Worms and Gun Worms."

"This means that after Gorgon discovered that its toxins were not having the desired effect on us, it began to change. It is miniaturizing heavy weapons. I think it won't be long before our vehicles are no longer safe in front of low-level Tyranids!"

"So I must warn everyone, if we base future plans on the results of this battle, we will suffer heavy losses."

The Inquisitor finished speaking and returned to her seat, saying no more. But her views and the data she presented caused everyone's brows to furrow.

Ventris looked at the Tyranid Bone Sword on the projection, examining the barbed launchers on their shoulders. He felt a sense of absurdity in his heart; the more he looked at it, the more it resembled one of the Tech-priest' early inventions—the OMG-type RPG.

Using that thing against Nurgle's living creatures and demons was quite effective more than a decade ago. Now, the Tyranids are using something similar against them. The Gaius deeply understood how frustrated those living creatures must have felt back then.

"If Gamma were here, it would be great. Gorgon's speed in upgrading weapons definitely can't outpace the tricks in his mind," Ventris muttered to himself.

Someone sitting not far from Ventris didn't quite catch what he was saying, but Gamma's name was heard clearly. Assuming the Gaius was planning to use something Gamma had left behind, he asked:

"Lord Ventris, are you considering using the 'Hound Legion' left by Magos Gamma?"

Upon hearing someone mention the "Hound Legion," someone immediately spoke up, "Are we going to use the Hound Legion now? Isn't it too early?"

"It's not necessarily too early. After all, according to Magos Gamma's idea, we should have used it from the beginning. It's just that we thought it would be too wasteful, so we didn't use it. Now we can confirm that Gorgon is increasing its investment, planning to take us, the Titan Star, and the Orks all at once. The timing is just right. Otherwise, either we abandon the first line of defense, or we keep throwing more resources into it."

"The 'oil-filling' tactic is not suitable against the Tyranids. Besides the Orks, who can win a war of attrition against the bugs?"

"If we give up the first line of defense so easily, why are we expending strength on a counterattack?"

"That's true."

The Commanders' back-and-forth discussion left Ventris, who hadn't considered the "Hound Legion" at all, speechless. He could only subtly listen to their discussion while analyzing whether their words aligned with the current situation. After listening for a while and pondering, Ventris spoke:

"Release the 'Hound Legion.' Gorgon has made its move; we also need to show it how hard our bones are, otherwise, it won't put in the effort to chew on us."

"Lord Ventris is right. Let's see if Gorgon's teeth are good."

A Tyranid invasion has a clear process, from the spread of the swarm to digestion.

The first step is the assessment and infiltration of the prey planet. Then, a swarm composed of everything from the smallest Ripper Swarms to massive Bio-Titans assaults and overwhelms the planetary defenders. Once all major resistance is crushed, it's the digestion phase. The planet's atmosphere is modified, and all genetic material is sent into digestion pools to be broken down.

These pools are eventually absorbed by the Hive Ships, joining the fleet's vast gene pool, becoming raw material for creating the next wave of Tyranid organisms.

Kosa is currently in the second phase, but this does not mean that humanity's enemies only use bugs. As Tyranid spore pods release Tyranid spores, contaminating Kosa's native atmosphere, these spores also contaminate Kosa's indigenous plants, transforming them into highly aggressive mutated plants.

It is precisely because of this that Tech-priest, who enjoy studying xeno-biology, believe that the cursed place of Catachan is inextricably linked to the Tyranids. Whether the Tyranids tried to take a bite out of Catachan, found they couldn't, and fled with genetic samples, or Catachan found the ability interesting and, after consuming the Tyranids, specifically retained it.

In short, these mutated plants and Catachan's carnivorous plants have a high degree of behavioral similarity—they both actively hunt.

Of course, in terms of attack power and variety, the "elites" on Catachan are still stronger, as even the Orks occupy the ecological niche of "mushrooms" and "rabbits" there. Furthermore, these mutated plants are not Tyranid organisms, nor are they parasitic organisms; they are merely induced to mutate by some substance released by Tyranid spores.

Even the Tyranids themselves are not currently focusing their energy on dealing with these dangerous mutated plants. Only in the later stages of the invasion, when Kosa's planetary atmosphere is completely altered, the sky becomes dim and lightless, the planet's temperature begins to rise, and the surface is transformed into a greenhouse environment, will large swarms of Ripper Swarms be dispatched to consume these plants, which have become weak due to the rapid environmental changes.

The Hive Mind's use of spores to mutate Kosa's native plants is not to create trouble for itself; it has its purpose. On one hand, the mutated plants will actively acquire nutrients. This activeness is not only manifested in predation but also in the absorption of nutrients from the soil. The Tyranids are "good chefs"; they use various methods to turn what was originally indigestible into edible matter. The Tyranids have no intention of letting go of any nutrients in the air, oceans, or soil.

On the other hand, rapidly growing mutated plants also provide excellent cover, concealing and protecting things the Tyranids don't want to be discovered, such as: spawning pools.

During the conquest phase, more and more spores will infect the planet. These spores have many effects, one of which is to allow Tyranid tissue to grow and flourish rapidly. Spawning pools are one such tissue; they can provide rapid reinforcements for the Tyranid swarm.

On the surface, a spawning pool appears as a cluster of deep, lotus-like holes, but underneath lies a complex of womb-like caverns.

And Tyranid organisms develop within them.

Within the warm environment of the spawning pools, Tyranid organisms grow at an astonishing rate, and their incubation time is very short. In just a few days, a spawning pool can churn out a full brood of monsters.

Once fully grown, Tyranid organisms remain in a dormant state until the Hive Mind needs them, at which point they awaken and tear a path with their claws, bursting forth from within the cavern.

Spawning pools are the supply depots established by the Hive Mind on a planet. Discovering and destroying them can greatly curb the Tyranids' swarm tactics.

However, with the cover of mutated plants and the fact that spawning pools are deeply buried underground, it is extremely difficult to discover a spawning pool from the air.

Using a dragnet-style human reconnaissance is no different from throwing meat buns to dogs.

But as a metallic claw stepped onto the forest floor composed of mutated plants, the Tyranids' unfailing tactics finally met a nemesis beyond fate.

"Awoo—"

Following a howl from the distance, the pack of Mechanical Hounds, which had been sniffing the ground for pheromones with their bionic noses, instantly dashed towards the direction the howl came from.

At the same time, all Mechanical Hounds within a ten-kilometer radius of the howl's origin were rushing towards the center.

Near this center, a group of Mechanical Hounds was maneuvering around a Tyranid swarm. The Hounds, being at a distinct numerical disadvantage, chose not to engage the Tyranids head-on.

As soon as the Tyranids discovered their tracks, the Hounds began to call out for help to other Hounds in the distance, while splitting into four groups and scattering.

Such a clean and decisive "flight" caused a temporary disruption in the swarm's movements. Since the Tyranid Warrior in command possessed intelligence, it meant that it would also be troubled by that intelligence.

Intelligent humans and intelligent bugs shared the same flaw: overthinking. Just like this intelligent Tyranid Warrior, it was contemplating: Should I pursue? Which one should I pursue?

After a brief assessment, the Tyranid Warrior ultimately decided to pursue. These Mechanical Hounds, scurrying through the forest, were getting closer and closer to the Nurturing Sac it was tasked with guarding. These self-destructing threats could not be allowed to approach that location.

However, if the forces were split for pursuit, the Knife Worms and Gun Worms, without its direct command, would quickly lose their targets. Out of necessity, the Tyranid Warrior had no choice but to send most of the swarm back to continue guarding the Nurturing Sac, while it led a small portion of the swarm to track one of the groups.

Through information uploaded by other Tyranid Synapse Creatures in the Hive Mind, it learned that these metallic creatures exhibited clear characteristics of pack animals. As long as it followed one of the groups, it would be able to find the others that had escaped.

But the Tyranid Warrior hadn't tracked for long before it discovered something amiss: the fleeing metallic creatures hadn't rejoined other metallic creatures. Instead, they were leisurely circling it.

"They know I'm behind them." Thinking this, the Tyranid Warrior no longer concealed itself, urging the swarm to pursue at full speed. And when the Hounds discovered the pursuing swarm, they immediately accelerated, once again fleeing with all their might.

After several such repetitions, the Tyranid Warrior noticed something was wrong. A pack of Hounds had appeared behind it, forcing it to abandon further pursuit. It wasn't that it couldn't kill these Hounds; it was just that as soon as it tried to use its speed and strength advantage to close in on them, these Hounds would abandon their previous fleeing posture and turn to self-destruct with it.

Yet, even the fastest Knife Worms were a step slower than these Mechanical Hounds. The Knife Worms, which could serve as cannon fodder and meat shields, were useless, preventing the Tyranid Warrior from unleashing its powerful abilities.

The appearance of the new pack of Hounds made the Tyranid Warrior feel threatened. It did not fear death, but the Hive Mind's mission to protect the newly hatched Nurturing Sac was its top priority.

It intended to retreat. As long as the Hounds did not approach the Nurturing Sac, the Tyranid Warrior had no interest in these metallic beings.

But then events unfolded beyond the Tyranid Warrior's plan. As it commanded the swarm to retreat, the positions of the swarm and the pack of Hounds swapped. The Tyranids transformed from pursuers to the pursued.

The pack of Hounds did not actively attack; they merely maintained a safe distance from the Tyranid swarm, trailing far behind, as if they wanted to follow the swarm back to its lair.

The Tyranid Warrior tried commanding the Gun Worms to shoot at the pack of Hounds, but as soon as the Tyranids made the slightest move, the pack of Hounds would scatter like startled birds, turning and running. After observing from a distance for a while, they would catch up again.

If the Tyranid Warrior possessed human emotions and language, it would surely be cursing loudly right now: "I've never seen such shameless creatures!"

This time, it was the swarm that was leading the Mechanical Hounds in circles through the forest. The Tyranid Warrior dared not lead them back to its lair. It knew that these Mechanical Hounds were human creations, and once these Hounds discovered the location of the Nurturing Sac, humans would immediately blast everything there into oblivion.

It also sent signals to other Tyranids via the Hive Mind network, requesting support, but the information received indicated that other areas were experiencing similar situations.

Left with no choice, the Tyranid Warrior had to stop its standoff with the Hounds. This confrontation lasted for several days, during which Mechanical Hounds from other locations would arrive to relieve the Hounds currently in the standoff, allowing them to return for recharging.

Without any combat occurring, one Gun Worm after another collapsed. Lacking digestive organs, they were the first to starve to death. The dead Tyranids became food for other living Tyranids. Similar situations were abundant throughout the Mutated Forest.

Unwearying bodies of steel, tireless golden machine spirits, a natural hunting instinct that utilized teamwork to exhaust and distract prey, the absolute numbers granted to them by Gamma, and the self-destruction capability that tied the hands of the Tyranid Synapse Creatures.

A casual idea, a clever accident, a miraculous combination, made the performance of the "pack of Hounds" composed of Mechanical Hounds far exceed everyone's expectations, including Gamma, their creator.

After discovering the situation here, the Gorgon Hive Mind also tried to find a solution for the "pack of Hounds," but without success. Even destroying some Mechanical Hounds had no impact on the vast "pack of Hounds."

It tried to use aerial superiority to attack from above, bringing in flying units like Gargoyles to deal with the Mechanical Hounds. The toxic acid sprayed by the Gargoyles could indeed threaten the Hounds' metallic bodies, but the dense forest became the first obstacle these large flying bats had to overcome.

The trees hindered the Gargoyles' movement and firing, but provided the Hounds with cover and leverage points. The switch between hunter and hunted often took only an instant.

After discovering that Gargoyles could not effectively annihilate or stop the Hounds' movements, the Hive Mind also tried to bomb the pack of Hounds with Tyranid Harpies.

But the Mutated Forest, originally used to conceal the Nurturing Sac, once again became an obstacle. The spore mines dropped by the Harpies had to pass through the excessively overgrown branches and canopies, which had desperately absorbed nutrients, before hitting the ground. The Hounds killed were few and far between, but large clearings were blasted in the forest, exposing the previously hidden Nurturing Sacs.

The Hive Mind had tried deploying specialized units like Lictors, but the result was that a Lictor's single strike would cause it to lose half its life, only to be finished off by another Hound's suicidal charge.

Using Ravener and Trygon to attack from underground was effective, but the key issue remained: as soon as a Hound was approached by a high-tier Tyranid unit, it would self-destruct. After the explosion, other Hounds would come to pick up the spoils.

No matter how the Hive Mind calculated, it felt it was at a loss. It couldn't even obtain a gram of biomass from killing a Hound, and losing meant paying a significant price.

Using low-cost Knife Worms or Gun Worms to overwhelm the Hounds with sheer numbers, the Hounds, seeing the unfavorable situation, would turn and run towards the human defense lines. Once their masters dealt with all the bugs that tried to bully them, they would wag their tails and swagger back into the forest to continue their "stroll," embodying the phrase "a dog's might is its master's right" to the fullest.

They would swarm any lone Tyranid, "call friends and allies" when encountering groups of Tyranids, and employ a strategy of "enemy advances, I retreat; enemy retreats, I advance; enemy is tired, I still don't attack" against swarms of Tyranids. They simply wore them down, as the metallic-bodied Hounds never tired.

"Uh—"

Ventris opened his mouth, unsure what to say. It had been some time since he had received news of the front lines being attacked by Tyranids.

The others also exchanged glances, equally puzzled. Why was it like this? It shouldn't be, should it? Shouldn't it be a Tyranid swarm against self-destructing Hounds? How did it turn into this incomprehensible situation?

"Inquisitor Finnie, perhaps you'd like to say a few words?"

"Alright, I'll speak then. What is the current damage report for the 'pack of Hounds'?" Ventris asked.

"According to the statistics from the Tech-Priests on the front line, the number of Hounds destroyed by the Tyranids daily is slightly lower than our daily production capacity."

"..."

Ventris was silent for a moment, then asked, "What are the current battle results?"

"Thirty-six Nurturing Sacs have been discovered, and all of them have been destroyed by our long-range firepower."

"The number of Tyranid organisms killed is unknown, but based on observed results, Gorgon seems to have temporarily abandoned us here and shifted its forces towards the Orks and Titan Star. We have observed that the intensity of the war in those two directions is higher than before."

"....."

At this point, a Commander spoke up, "Is it possible that the Tyranids are using a paralyzing tactic again?"

After speaking, the Commander added, "I'm just concerned, not that I've discovered anything—"

"Hmm, I understand. The current situation is indeed a bit beyond all of our expectations."

Ventris smiled and nodded, indicating it was fine. Let alone the other person, even he was feeling uncertain, having thought it over for quite some time.

The Ultramarines finally cast a pleading glance at the Inquisitor.

Finnie saw the plea and curiosity in Ventris's eyes, and a wave of helplessness washed over her. She found that anything related to Gamma was unexpectedly bizarre. However, as his chief of staff, she had to provide advice to Ventris at such a time.

"Ahem!"

The young Inquisitor, steeling herself, coughed heavily, drawing everyone's attention, then began:

"I believe everyone here knows that the machine spirits of the Mechanical Hounds are the crystallization of human Golden Age technology, and their level of simulation is far beyond our comprehension. Although we are all somewhat incredulous about the current situation, it doesn't prevent us from putting ourselves in their shoes. If we were Tyranids, facing an opponent like the Hound Legion, what would we do?"

The Inquisitor's words made all the Commanders present fall into thought. If they were the Hive Mind, facing an opponent that was shameless, fearless, and tireless, what would they do?

"Hiss! To achieve this level with just simulated animals, how terrifying must the Iron Men be!" a military officer with some family knowledge muttered to himself.

His words were heard by others and resonated with them. At this point, someone suddenly asked Ventris, "Lord Ventris, I don't mean anything else, it's just—"

"You want to ask if the Mechanical Hounds are safe, don't you?" Ventris said, looking at the officer. The officer did not answer, only remained silent. This question directly involved Magos Gamma, who had made enormous contributions. Asking such a question was indeed a bit treacherous, but his concern outweighed it. If these Mechanical Hounds went out of control, the consequences would be unimaginable!

"I don't blame you. But rest assured, there are plenty of extremely conservative Tech-Priests in the fleet. If there were any issues with the Hounds' machine spirits, we wouldn't have heard nothing at all."

"Furthermore, Magos Gamma has added safety measures to the Mechanical Hounds. I have a method to instantly destroy all Hounds."

"Our concerns have already been considered by Magos Gamma, their creator."

Hearing Ventris say this, the Commanders secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Their feelings could only be described as a mix of gain and loss, both joy and worry. The excellence of the Hounds delighted them, but too much excellence made them fearful.

The Ultramarines watched the changes in the Commanders' expressions, their thoughts returning to when Gamma handed him the trump card to destroy the Hounds before his departure.

"Don't you trust your own creations?"

"Ventris, you know what? There's only one absolute in this world, and that is, 'there are no absolutes.'"

The Mechanical Hound's unexpected performance provided humanity with a greater strategic buffer, allowing the human high command, led by Ventris, to avoid focusing all their energy on countering Gorgon's attacks on the defensive line.

They were already discussing whether to offer some generous assistance to those blue-skinned xenos if necessary; emotionally, they were reluctant, but now those Titan Star people and they were in the same boat, and they understood the principle that if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.

However, facts proved they were still too optimistic. Although the Gorgon Hive Fleet, due to its powerful adaptability, had to breed a large number of small, genetically simple Tyranid organisms, resulting in fewer large units, it was not incapable of breeding large Tyranid organisms.

Humanity's leisurely days did not last long before a large number of Tyranid drop pods slammed down from the living warships, skipping across the Kosa atmosphere and traversing half the planet to land outside the human defensive line.

This time, what crawled out of these living drop pods were not swarms of Knife Worms and Gun Worms, but living artillery pieces. The Tyranids in the mutated forest also stopped their entanglement with the Mechanical Hounds, merely guarding these living artillery pieces and preventing the Mechanical Hounds from approaching.

The Astra Militarum, who had watched a night of "meteor showers" and knew something had changed but not what, soon witnessed the power of these living artillery pieces.

However, these Bio-Acid Worms, Pyrovores, and Plasma Gun Worms primarily targeted the packs of Mechanical Hounds wandering in the forest, reversing the hunter-prey relationship once again.

Under the Tyranid's long-range artillery fire, measured in kilometers, the Mechanical Hound Legion suffered heavy losses. Seeing this, humanity had no choice but to recall the Mechanical Hound Legion and quickly deploy heavy artillery units behind the defensive line, beginning an artillery duel between humans and Tyranids.

But without the Mechanical Hounds' suppression, it wasn't long before large numbers of Knife Worms and Gun Worms began to assault the defensive line again. The Astra Militarum on the front lines, while repelling the swarm's charge, also had to endure bombardment from Tyranid living artillery, causing casualties to skyrocket.

If it were just this, humanity could still bear it, but Gorgon clearly showed signs of escalating. This attack was no longer the original trench warfare or artillery duel; Gorgon simultaneously deployed Tyranid organisms capable of underground attacks, such as Mawlocs and Trygons, as well as aerial units like Gargoyles and Harpies.

Under Gorgon's multi-directional assault, the first defensive line was breached multiple times in a short period. Although it was subsequently retaken again and again, the price paid, the bloodshed involved, was something even grizzled veterans who had seen countless deaths did not wish to recall.

The question of whether to abandon the first defensive line was placed before the senior Commanders.

"I object to abandoning it. Although the fortifications of the second defensive line are more complete than the first, they still cannot withstand Gorgon's multi-directional attack. Are we also to abandon the second defensive line? How much our strategic space will be compressed without these two defensive lines, are you not clear?"

"But if we don't abandon it, how long can the front line hold? Don't you see that Tyranid organisms have already crossed the defensive line and are attacking our supply lines! Staying strong now will only lead to us being worn down by the Tyranids!"

"Our purpose in staying here is to tie down Gorgon. If we don't engage the Tyranids in open battle, how do we tie them down?"

"We can rely on the fortress's complete defenses to tie it down." The person speaking had not finished when he was interrupted, and another Commander retorted:

"How can we guarantee that Gorgon will exert its full strength to attack the fortress? It is not a mindless monster; it thinks, it weighs. If, after weighing, it chooses to besiege us, block our escape, and then fully accelerate the rate of consuming and absorbing the planet, who can guarantee that the combined fleet will not arrive to see the remains of Kosa!"

This argument left those who wanted to achieve victory with smaller sacrifices at a loss for how to respond, but they did not give up. They turned their gaze to Ventris.

"Lord Ventris, can we inform the combined fleet to execute the plan ahead of schedule? Given the current situation, and the scale of the Gorgon Hive Fleet, it has already committed considerable forces to Kosa."

"No!" Ventris refused expressionlessly.

"But—"

"Everyone! Please listen to me!" The Inquisitor sitting beside Ventris suddenly said loudly.

Those who still wanted to say something saw this and had no choice but to temporarily give up, quieting down to listen to what the Inquisitor wanted to say.

"Your feelings, Lord Ventris understands, but 'no' means 'no.' It's not that we don't want to, but that we can't!"

"Why?" The Commander asked, not understanding.

The Inquisitor sighed, then said, "We have already tried to send astropathic messages, but the Warp shadow of the Hive Mind has already enveloped the Kosa system. We have no way to contact the fleet."

"What!"

A portion of those present were extremely surprised upon hearing this news. Although astropathic communication, like Warp travel, was unreliable, it was still the only method of faster-than-light communication humanity possessed. Now, losing this means they were isolated on the island of Kosa.

"Lord Ventris, why are you only telling us such important news now?"

Ventris did not answer; someone else was more suitable. The Inquisitor deliberately tapped the table with a hand wrapped in a rose knot, drawing everyone's attention. Only after everyone was captivated did she speak:

"Not disclosing this news was because it concerned psychic powers."

"But since things have come to this, let me explain to everyone. I believe you all know that astropathic communication relies on psychic powers, but what you may not know is that the Hive Mind's psychic power is extremely strong!"

"Its psychic energy can radiate outwards from the swarm like a flood. These powerful psychic energies, permeating the Hive Fleet, can distort the Warp within a radius of several light-years around the fleet, hindering Warp travel and astropathic communication."

"That is why the fleet agreed on a return time with us when they left. They can only travel at sub-light speed when Warp travel is impossible."

"We must hold out until the fleet arrives! If we cannot hold out, it means the plan has completely failed!"

After a brief silence in the operations room, the sounds of discussion and deliberation resumed, but this time the Commanders' discussions focused on how to hold out until the fleet arrived.

"What a bunch of broken ships! By the time we get there, everyone will be Tyranid droppings!"

The speaker was Gamma, who hadn't appeared for several chapters. Standing beside him were Calgar and Gayss. The two exchanged helpless glances upon hearing Gamma's words; they had already accompanied Gamma in touring all types of warships in the fleet, and the young Tech-priest had also disparaged all human and Tau Empire ships in the combined fleet, regardless of size.

And it was done in public, disparaging without avoiding anyone. If anyone dared to refute him, he would pilot the Gear Boy directly in front of their warship, making them eat his exhaust.

"I say, you two, when you were making the plan, didn't you consider the performance of the ships!" Gamma, in his agitated state, was now irritable towards everyone.

"Alright, alright, Gamma, stop like this. Haven't you noticed that everyone in the fleet is avoiding you?"

"Hmph! If it weren't for your broken plan, would I be like this!"

The reason Gamma transformed from the "gentle and amiable" young Tech-priest to the current "heaven and earth" irritable Tech-priest was simple.

The original plan was to reach the predetermined location through several Warp-skips, and after coordinating the time with the ships already stationed there, immediately return to Kosa at sub-light speed.

Everything went smoothly at first, but problems arose on the return journey. For some unknown reason, ships in the fleet began to experience frequent malfunctions, severely dragging down the fleet's travel speed. This meant they would be late, meaning that by the time they reached Kosa, Gorgon might have already consumed Kosa entirely.

It meant Gamma's acquaintances on Kosa might all be fed to the Tyranids!

"How could this be?" Gamma frowned, completely perplexed.

He truly couldn't understand the reason. If it were just human ships, it could be explained by machine spirits, but the Tau Empire ships also behaving this way was completely unexplainable.

"It shouldn't be, right?" Gamma muttered again.

Calgar and Gayss now relied on Gamma, the fleet's recognized technical expert, to solve the problems the fleet was currently facing, after all, the Gear Kid was one of the few ships in the fleet that hadn't malfunctioned.

"Grand Inquisitor Gayss, you've engaged Gorgon so many times, has a similar situation never occurred?"

"No."

"Chapter Master Calgar, have you encountered a similar situation when engaging other Tyranid fleets?"

"Hmm—I'm not sure." Calgar replied.

"How so?"

"When Otarama was invaded by the Tyranids, when I led the fleet to intercept one of the Tyranid's main tendrils, there was a brief, similar situation.

But that time was very short."

After hearing Calgar's words, Gamma rubbed his chin and fell into thought. Then, as if he had an idea, he looked at the Grand Inquisitor with sparkling eyes and asked:

"Grand Inquisitor, I heard that powerful Blanks can affect machine spirits. Is there such a thing?"

"Yes."

"You must have used Blanks to deal with the Tau Empire, right? Can they affect the Tau Empire's machinery?"

Gayss hesitated for a moment before saying, "The Assassin Court has a type of existence called the Callidus Assassin. These assassins are powerful Blanks, and there have been cases of Tau Empire drones being affected by their negative psychic energy."

"Is the Warp shadow of the Hive Mind somewhat similar to Blanks?"

Gamma's question made the Grand Inquisitor, as a psyker, begin to compare the similarities and differences between the two.

Blanks are black holes that absorb psychic energy.

The Hive Mind is a shadow that obscures the Warp.

Ordinary people near Blanks will instinctively feel aversion, nausea, faintness, and even death.

Areas enveloped by the Hive Mind's shadow will make people in that area instinctively uncomfortable, falling into fear and nightmares, despair and madness.

Psykers' perceptions of both are ten times that of ordinary people.

"You mean the Hive Mind's psychic energy is affecting the ships? But why wasn't it discovered before?"

"I guess it's because of the intensity. The Tyranid Hive Mind is a huge collective created from the consciousness of countless Tyranid organisms. Each Tyranid can be seen as one of its cells, and the Hive Fleet is its body. What you faced before was only a part of it; this time, we are facing its entirety, so the intensity is different."

"Moreover, haven't you noticed that the ships experiencing more malfunctions are mostly those with lower age, and the older the ship, the fewer the malfunctions? Although my ship is the youngest, my ship is full of devout followers of the Omnissiah."

Calgar then said, "Gamma, do you already have a solution to the problem?"

Gamma shook his red robes and proudly said, "Hmph, consecration, we are professionals!"

Even though Magos Gamma couldn't guarantee he had found the "root cause" of the problem, as long as the medicine wouldn't kill anyone, it was good medicine. What if it was the right cure?

Besides, "blessing" had no side effects, so why not try it?

After Magos Gamma shared his thoughts with Calgar and Gayss, they both decided to try it as a last resort.

Magos Gamma returned to the Gear Boy and called all the Tech-priest out of their laboratories, which caused visible resentment from the Tech-priest who were deeply immersed in the joy of studying relics.

"Ahem! Alright, don't look at me like that. The fleet is in crisis, and I've thought of a solution. But this method requires everyone's effort."

"If this succeeds, it will be an excellent opportunity to spread the glory of the Omnissiah! It is our undeniable duty as Priests!"

After Magos Gamma spoke to this extent, the resentment of the Tech-priest dissipated. He then explained to the Priests that the joint fleet might be affected by the Hive Mind, causing mechanical failures, so he planned to "invite forth" the Omnissiah to help the fleet overcome this crisis.

Upon hearing this news, the ship full of "Gamma Faction" Tech-priest were incredibly excited. Listen to this! "Invite forth the Omnissiah"—is this something Tech-priest can do? How did they not know they had this ability?

The Omnissiah's offspring was still so stubborn. If he was going to unleash his power, he should just do it, instead of finding such clumsy excuses!

To avoid being ridiculed, Magos Gamma didn't plan to have the entire fleet kowtow from the start. He intended to test the waters first to see the effect before deciding whether to promote it on a large scale.

Fortunately, Magos Gamma had his own "volunteer ships." Besides the flagship, the Gear Boy, other ships in the Gear Fleet also had problems, especially those pirate frigates of unknown origin.

He picked the ship with the most problems, filled every possible space with Tech-priest, and had them and the crew begin intense kowtowing.

Perhaps it was due to the extreme piety of the "Gamma Faction's" kowtowing, but within a few days, many of the ship's problems lessened. This made Magos Gamma confident that he had found the right "medicine."

But Magos Gamma was a greedy person. He felt the efficiency was still too low. He couldn't possibly have his people kowtow on one ship after another. Not to mention whether the Priests' lumbar spines could handle it, by the time he cured the entire fleet, Gorgon would have already eaten its fill.

Having no other option, he had to delve into the Adeptus Mechanicus classics and various blessing rituals, which he hadn't looked at for a long time.

He extracted the essence, discarded the dross, and embedded a large number of psychological suggestions within, painstakingly compiling a heretical book titled "The Tome of Blessing."

This heretical book, fully titled "The Great Tome of the Omnissiah's Blessing," if read twice by someone with weak will, would inadvertently lead to an object fetish. Even those with strong will would likely develop it after two more readings.

"Uh—did I go too far?"

Magos Gamma looked at the heretical book he had written, feeling a bit uneasy. But severe illness required strong medicine. After much deliberation, the young Tech-Priest decided to cure the illness first, then deal with the after-effects. At worst, he would compile another "Great Tome of the Omnissiah's Purification" to counteract this heretical book.

He handed the book to Magos Lauster, emphasizing repeatedly that the "Law should not be lightly transmitted" and that the full text should absolutely not be given to anyone who wasn't a "fated one" with an unyielding will. Then he left Magos Lauster to handle the rest, as he needed to quickly compile the "Tome of Purification," otherwise, the sin would be great.

The largest and only "cult leader" in the Gear Fleet—Magos Lauster—after receiving the heretical book personally compiled by the "heretical god," eagerly began to read it. After reading it through, Magos Lauster felt that this book was good, not just ordinarily good, but extremely good, immensely good.

It was simple, easy to understand, highly accessible, and upon closer inspection, contained profound truths. Reading it again, it felt as if knowledge would pry open one's skull and pour into the brain.

Compared to "The Tome," all other classics were mere verbose toilet paper.

The only flaw was that it didn't mention Magos Gamma himself a single time. However, when Magos Gamma handed the book to Magos Lauster, he also told Magos Lauster to help him revise it. His original words were:

"Magos, I am young. Please look it over and help me revise anything inappropriate, so people don't misunderstand."

Magos Gamma's intention was: Magos, I am inexperienced. Please help me review it so people don't find fault and cause us trouble.

Magos Lauster's understanding was: Magos, I am inexperienced. Please help me revise it so people don't believe in the wrong thing.

This only goes to show that the thought process of a "pious believer" is different from that of a normal person, and the thought process of a "pious believer full of mission" is even more unusual.

Magos Lauster, who picked up and put down his pen several times, deeply felt his limited talent and insufficient wisdom. That very night, he summoned all his "unwaveringly pious" "cultists" to brainstorm.

After a night of intense deliberation, the truly heretical scripture, nominally "The Great Tome of the Omnissiah's Blessing" but actually "The Great Tome of Gamma's Blessing," was successfully produced. Magos Gamma's tome would at most cause an object fetish, but after Magos Lauster added Magos Gamma's name, it could cause an "Gamma-fetish."

With the book revised, Magos Lauster naturally began his evangelism, fulfilling the task Magos Gamma had entrusted to him. He approached Calgar and Gayss, handing over both the "treatment data" and the tome to the fleet's leaders. Magos Lauster then quietly awaited the final judgment.

If successful, the Gamma Faction would expand greatly from then on.

If it failed, the Gamma Faction would fight another day.

"Magos Lauster, this book is...?" the Grand Inquisitor asked, flipping through Gamma's Tome.

Ah, the Emperor's hound, what a keen nose.

"Magos Gamma simplified the blessing process. The original was too complex, and relying only on us Priests would be too slow."

"Oh, so it's for the crew. No wonder it's so easy to understand, different from the books of your faith I've seen," Grand Inquisitor Gayss said, nodding.

"Chapter Master Calgar, what do you think?" the Grand Inquisitor asked.

Calgar, who had just finished reading the treatment data, did not answer Gayss's question. Instead, he asked Magos Lauster: "Magos, can you explain the reason?"

"Chapter Master, are you asking why the blessing has this effect?"

"Yes."

"I cannot answer that question. No one understands it except the Om—the Omnissiah. Everything is His power."

"Is that so? Then is it only effective if your Priests perform the blessing?" Calgar asked again.

"Normal rituals are only effective when performed by Priests, but the rituals in this book can be performed by anyone who has faith in the Omnissiah, though the effect will be somewhat diminished."

"Good, I understand. I'll leave the rest to you, Magos Lauster."

"It is my duty."

After Magos Lauster left, a strange silence fell between Calgar and Gayss. They quietly looked at the data and flipped through the tome.

"I don't believe you didn't see it, Gayss."

"Hahahaha, I don't believe you didn't see it either, Calgar."

"Why didn't you stop it?"

"You didn't either."

Calgar closed the tome in his hand, sighed, and said: "I trust the Magos Gamma I see with my own eyes. I don't believe he would do such a thing. If he wanted to, he had countless opportunities. You should be well aware of Thedan's current situation, and you know how high his prestige is there."

"Heh, precisely because I know, I also don't believe it."

The Ultramarines Chapter Master looked at the Grand Inquisitor with an oppressive gaze, as if if the Grand Inquisitor's answer didn't satisfy him, his iron fist would smash Gayss's head the next second. Calgar gritted his teeth and said:

"But you give me the feeling that you don't disbelieve it; you hope he is!"

The aging Inquisitor calmly met the giant's eyes, then replied indifferently: "Calgar, do you know how many factions there are in the Inquisition?"

"..."

"Don't say you, even I'm not sure if I know all of them. But do you know why the final destination for us Inquisitors is always madness or delirium?"

"Only those who hold hope for humanity are chosen as Inquisitors, but the more we understand, the more we despair."

"Whether it's the Puritans or the Radicals, it's the same."

"A considerable number of people in both factions are trying to find a way for the Emperor to walk among humanity again."

"The Saint Thorian faction, named after the hero of the Age of Apostasy, Sebastian Thor, believes that Thor possessed a portion of the Emperor's power back then, and thus believe that the Emperor's soul might be resurrected through a new body, then rebuild the Imperium and launch a second Great Crusade."

"The Saint Thorian faction is further divided into two factions due to differing views: the Alien Witness faction only seeks signs of the Emperor's return and does not try to resurrect him prematurely."

"The Earnest Seekers believe that the Emperor will not be resurrected through a single individual but has already dispersed and possessed all of humanity, often challenging impossible goals in an attempt to prove their point."

"The Radical Thorians, like the Saint Thorian faction, believe the Emperor will be resurrected, but they have more tricks."

"The Shining Silver faction attempts to become necromancers, keen on learning how to bring souls back from the Warp into the material realm and attempting to resurrect the Emperor through this method."

"The Restorative Resurrectors are dedicated to studying the process of death and attempting to reverse it to resurrect the Emperor intact."

At this point, Grand Inquisitor Gayss suddenly laughed nervously, his laughter filled with contempt, scorn, hatred, and disgust, but it seemed to also carry a hint of expectation.

"Hahahahahahaha, and there's something even more blasphemous. I bet after you hear it, you'll seek them all out and crush them one by one. Just the name is blasphemous—the Horus-like faction, hahahaha!"

"Bang! You madmen! Heretics!" Calgar roared, smashing the table in front of him with a furious punch, standing up and looking down at Gayss, asking in a sharp tone.

Splintering wood pierced the Grand Inquisitor's forehead. Blood flowed from his scalp down his eyebrow, then into one of his eyes, staining it blood-red, but none of this stopped his laughter.

"Hahaha, what do you think they plan to do? They believe the power granted to Horus by the Chaos Gods can be used to recreate a body for the Emperor. And most who believe this nonsense are like me, with only a few years left to live. We've tried every method throughout our lives and gained nothing but despair. Don't people always have crazy ideas when they're desperate?"

"Are you part of that faction?! Answer me!" Calgar's voice boomed like thunder.

The Grand Inquisitor seemed startled, trembling with his arms crossed. His words didn't sound like an answer to Calgar's question, but more like a murmur:

"I'm not! I'd be crazy to join them! I'm scared! I'm a coward! I don't dare to step forward, I'll just stay put! Yes, stay put! Do nothing! Do nothing!"

The Ultramarines Chapter Master withdrew his killing intent, reached out and patted the other's shoulder, and said in a gentle tone he had never shown before: "Old friend, you have done the best you could. No one can question your contributions to humanity. Don't let yourself be crushed! Hope still exists!"

"Yes, yes, yes. Hope still exists! Hope still exists! Hope still exists!"

Repeating "Hope still exists" over and over, Gayss slowly returned to normal, resuming his initial calm demeanor.

"You've seen me at my worst. I'm getting old, and my self-control is declining. Calgar, you said earlier that I hoped he was him, and you were not wrong."

"Magos Gamma has so many similarities with the Emperor!"

"Don't look at me like that. I'm perfectly normal now!" Gayss said to the Ultramarines Chapter Master, who had a strange expression, feeling a bit awkward and helpless.

"I know this sounds absurd, but I have evidence. On the path to resurrecting the Emperor, I also collected many records about the Emperor from the Great Crusade era. I think you Ultramarines have these records, and you can check them yourselves when you go back."

Calgar remained silent. He knew his old friend harbored too many secrets that couldn't be revealed, and these secrets were tormenting him. The Ultramarines intended to be a listener. Even if what he heard was a bit blasphemous, having already heard of the 'Horus Impersonators,' how much more blasphemous could it get?

"Even if Gamma's followers disguise themselves, in the eyes of people like you and me, they are immediately recognizable. I assume you've also investigated them, and the result was that they are all self-motivated. Even if Gamma never admits it, and even actively suppresses it, it's futile."

"This innate divinity that makes mortals instinctively worship him, Calgar, have you seen it in anyone else besides a Primarch? Could Gamma be a Primarch?"

"..."

Calgar: Which Primarch is this short?

"The Emperor was also like this back then, extremely disgusted by being revered as a god! You wouldn't be unaware of the Lectitio Divinitatus and the perfect city."

"And Gamma, like the Emperor, despises Chaos. They both seem to understand Chaos very well. If Gamma isn't the Emperor, where did he learn all this from?"

"..."

"Furthermore, although Gamma has not displayed powerful psychic abilities, I believe Ventris should have reported to you about him casually 'banishing' three demons."

"To investigate the truth of this matter, I once used psychic prophecy, but I didn't get any information, not even false information, it was as if those three demons never existed!"

"Now it might be four. I arranged for someone near Inquisitor Finnie to report some findings to me."

Calgar: Inquisitor Finnie is truly unlucky to have an elder like you.

"At the same time, I also used my psychic abilities to probe Gamma himself, but I couldn't find Gamma. Even if he stood right in front of me, my psychic vision still couldn't locate him. There are only two explanations for this situation: either Gamma has no soul, or his soul is so vast that my soul is like an ant before him—no! A bacterium. A corner of his being is an entire world to me. Which one do you think it is?"

"..."

Calgar: Is it that bizarre?

"Later, I had my soulless followers test Gamma, and the result was that Gamma showed no abnormalities even with physical contact, treating him completely as an ordinary person. His negative psychic level is very high. Does this make you think of anything?"

"Sisters of Silence! Besides the Emperor, even a Primarch would feel uncomfortable in front of them!"

...

Calgar: Uh, should I be more respectful to Gamma from now on?

"And that extraordinary talent, as if he learns by just looking, like knowledge and technology resurfacing from memory. Have your apothecaries found anything in the Weapon-Bug's genes? Any familiar feeling? Such skilled bio-alchemy, where did he learn it from? Was it Archmagos Cawl's remote teaching?"

"If I told you now that even if you personally led a thousand Ultramarines, it wouldn't be worth Gamma exerting his full power, what would you think?"

"According to my informant with Inquisitor Finnie, Gamma once showed Finnie a weapon. This weapon was originally developed for Gorgon, but after that, neither of them mentioned the matter again. Finnie even mind-wiped all her attendants. If my people hadn't been prepared and recorded this matter beforehand, this weapon would have seemed to not exist."

"Think about 'Detoxification,' then think about Gamma's unintentional display of disdain and indifference towards Detoxification. What could this weapon be? Let's guess."

"Besides the Nano-Plague, this forbidden technology, what else could it be?"

Calgar: Lord Gamma is still hiding this treasure!

"Calgar, I've said so much, you should understand why I hope he is the Emperor, even if it's only a part. But how can we be sure he won't develop and grow?"

"Gamma is the most probable candidate I've seen in my lifetime. Of course, I won't take any action, but I also won't stop any action."

After saying all this, Grand Inquisitor Gayss seemed to have exhausted all his strength, swaying as he slowly walked to the sofa and sat down.

He slumped powerlessly on it, like a prisoner who had confessed all his crimes and was awaiting final judgment.

Now the problem was handed to Calgar. It was absolutely impossible for him to endorse Gayss's words, but he couldn't refute the other party either. How to prove that "he is not a god" was a galactic problem. The Emperor couldn't solve it more than ten thousand years ago, and he certainly couldn't solve it.

Finally, Calgar could only say, "These are all your thoughts and conjectures, just like Gamma's followers. Aren't you all too oblivious to Gamma's own feelings?"

"Just keep pretending not to know. We Inquisitors are all madmen. We suspect everything, and we'll stake everything on what we believe. Doing nothing is the greatest restraint I can manage."

"I hope you stick to your word!"

Besides his trust in Gamma, another major reason Calgar condoned Magos Lauster's small actions was due to identity. The Adeptus Mechanicus held a very special position within the Imperium of Man. As long as they didn't openly raise a rebellion, others would turn a blind eye to whatever the Tech-priest did. If it was truly unbearable, Mars would be left to clean its own house.

Moreover, the matter of the "Omnissiah" descending was not unheard of; it was just well-covered up by Mars and didn't spread widely.

Calgar had lived for centuries, and while he hadn't directly encountered the various secret societies and factions within the Imperium, he had certainly heard of them.

While the Inquisition had those who wished to resurrect the Emperor, within the Adeptus Mechanicus, the other head of the Imperium, there were even more who desired the Omnissiah's descent.

And the Tech-priest weren't as secretive as the Inquisition; they were all legitimate organizations within the Adeptus Mechanicus. Which Tech-Priest wouldn't want the Omnissiah to walk among mortals again?

Even if Gamma were to declare himself the Omnissiah right now, the reaction from Mars and other Forge Worlds would be to send people to verify it immediately, rather than directly announcing a crusade. Otherwise, with the rumors of Thedan's "Young Master's" miracles, which Thedan never concealed or promoted, how could Mars have no reaction at all, and even gradually relax its restrictions on Thedan? It's clear that Mars had long since infiltrated Thedan, and even Gamma's ship. Even an outsider like the Grand Inquisitor could list a heap of evidence that "Gamma is a god"; you can guess what the Tech-priest sent by Mars are like now.

It would be insane for the Ultramarines Chapter Master to obstruct the proselytization of the "Gamma Faction." If he dared to show any dissatisfaction today, he would receive a warning from the Adeptus Mechanicus tomorrow. Regardless of whether Gamma is a god or not, outsiders interfering in the internal affairs of the Adeptus Mechanicus is touching their bottom line.

Thus, with the tacit approval of the fleet's two top leaders, the Tech-priest of the Gamma Faction, imbued with a lofty sense of mission, wholeheartedly threw themselves into the task of "curing" the fleet.

The daily hymns praising the Emperor in the Human flying cathedrals were replaced with the holy songs of the Omnissiah. The indentured laborers, sailors, and accompanying Priests on the ships, with the exception of a few high-ranking officers, began to kowtow to the ship's components under the guidance of the Gamma Faction.

These members of the Gamma Faction were die-hard fans of Gamma. Having followed Gamma for so long, their thoughts and behaviors had subtly changed a great deal.

Especially after living in the comfortable environment of the Gear Boy for so long, suddenly coming to the harsh environment of ordinary Imperial warships and seeing all sorts of inhumane operations, they truly felt a bit unaccustomed.

During the cult gatherings, it was inevitable to discuss and compare the differences between the two. The conversation naturally turned to Gamma's usual pronouncements, such as:

Technology that cannot serve humanity is not good technology.

The meaning of technological development is to serve people, to make life more comfortable, safer, and healthier; otherwise, it is meaningless.

And other unconventional views. The Tech-priest hadn't felt these words deeply before, but this time, suddenly descending to the grassroots, the impact immediately hit them.

Coupled with their goal of proclaiming the "Name of the Omnissiah," they decided, after discussion, to personally practice Gamma's path. While leading people in kowtowing, they also began to distribute free medicine, treat diseases, and improve the living conditions of the indentured laborers and sailors.

Under the dual stimulation of the scriptures and supplies, the number of "converts" began to rise geometrically. The Gamma Faction also began to appear among the accompanying Priests. These new brothers in the faith were greeted with considerable enthusiasm by the older members.

While actively communicating, they also granted them permissions, allowing them to log into the Gear Fleet's internal network and access the safety knowledge that Gamma had placed there, after sorting, completing, and verifying it.

This knowledge was the basic part of Gamma's "Human Technology Completion Plan" achievements. The technical content was not very high, and most of it was theoretical knowledge, but it covered an extremely wide range of fields. Even a Archmagos would not dare to claim to know everything.

This caused the accompanying Tech-priest, who hadn't left the ship since boarding, to immediately kneel before Gamma. Shallow believers directly upgraded to fanatics. If the captain dared to say one bad word about Gamma, they would dare to detonate the ship's reactor.

The captains in the fleet also observed these changes. They had approached Calgar and Gayss to subtly express their concerns, but some words never reach the ears of those who pretend to be deaf, so their reactions were in vain.

With the blessing of faith, after some time, the condition of the Human ships indeed began to improve. Malfunctions began to decrease, and the reactor's power also began to increase.

The Tau Empire observed the improvement in the Human ships' condition and naturally inquired about the methods used by the Humans. They were surprised to learn that it was Magos Gamma, who was highly skilled, virtuous, and well-reputed, who had "invited" a god to help.

This news stirred Shadowsun, who had previously interacted with the Tau Va Goddess. She immediately summoned the Tau Va Goddess's Priests from the auxiliary races and asked if the Tau Va Goddess could also help.

As for why Shadowsun, an atheist, had Tau Va Priests in her Tau Empire fleet, the story goes back to the war between the Death Guard's plague fleet and the Tau Empire. In short, the Tau were beaten badly by the plague pigs, and Tau Va, fearing the Tau's collapse, intervened to assert her presence.

However, the combined fleet was currently shrouded by the Warp shadow of the Hive Mind, and the Tau Va Priests could not contact Tau Va at all, let alone ask Tau Va for help.

This made Shadowsun, who originally knew little about gods, realize that there was a significant difference between gods. The god Gamma had summoned was more powerful.

Since Tau Va couldn't help, Shadowsun had no choice but to seek another method. She gathered the high-ranking members of the four major castes in the fleet and the Ethereal to discuss.

Finally, after some discussion, they decided to consult with Magos Gamma to see if he could also help them.