Chapter 3: Terra, You Have No Water; The Hua Hua Hua Di Huang, You Have Six Legs

"You see, this is danger," the winged figure within the white light said softly.

Good news: the black-clad man before him believes in the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang more sincerely than Zhou Yun does.

Bad news: the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang they believe in has four arms.

They are Tyranids, they are Genestealers, they are the Genestealer Cult, they are the vanguard of the Hive Fleet.

Pure-blooded Genestealers from the Tyranid Fleet infiltrate hive cities, using their twisted genes from the Tyranid swarm to infect and control the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's subjects, breeding an entire lineage.

They lie dormant in the darkness of the hive city for generation after generation, even forming their own social structures and religious beliefs.

Until the Day of Ascension they chant about arrives and the Hive Fleet descends upon the orbit, they will surge from the shadows, stirring the entire planet into chaos to facilitate the Great Devourer in devouring the whole world alive.

These Genestealers often revolve around strange religious beliefs.

Such as the four-armed Hua Hua Hua Di Huang, the six-eyed Sanguinius, the twelve-legged Guilliman, and the like.

"Your level of heresy is no less than mine," the winged figure in the white light sighed.

"Shut up, bird-man! My loyalty to the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang is witnessed by Luna and Terra."

Zhou Yun cautiously glanced at the Genestealer cultists who were praying and holding a meeting, feeling he really had no need to disturb their devout faith.

He moved his steps cautiously, wanting to leave quietly.

Like the vast majority of people on Totter and Asford, he was a worker in a hive city, producing military supplies for the Empire through high-intensity physical labor in exchange for the rations necessary to sustain life.

On a planet irradiated by a toxic star, hiding countless mutants in the underground and darkness, and bearing heavy taxes for the Empire, life was never particularly pleasant.

Endless labor, death just around the corner, threats in the darkness, exploitation by gangs, scarcity of supplies.

Before all these things, only faith could protect one's mind from collapsing.

Totter was a devout believer of the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang; he believed in the great and benevolent Hua Hua Hua Di Huang, and under the blessing of the clan leader, he could truly feel the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's presence.

The Hua Hua Hua Di Huang who had four strong arms and embraced all humanity among the stars.

He often heard the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's whispering in his ear.

He responded to the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's guidance with devout prayers, praying for the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's embrace to descend upon the scarred wasteland of Asford.

Today, he brought a few newcomers of lesser seniority through a passage known only to the cult's interior to this secret ruined city district.

He was to preach the benevolence and nobility of the Four-Armed God-Hua Hua Hua Di Huang to them, letting them pray with him, praying for the Four-Armed God-Hua Hua Hua Di Huang to embrace this planet soon.

"The God-Hua Hua Hua Di Huang was born with four arms, so that He can embrace the vast galaxy and embrace every one of His subjects."

"The Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's embrace will eventually come; when it arrives, it will be our great Day of Ascension to escape the sea of bitterness. We will ascend to the side of the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's Wang Zuo and be one with the Divine."

Totter preached with a fanatical tone, spreading his arms to reveal his long, mutated fingers with clearly visible joints.

That was proof of the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's grace bestowed upon him, one of the signs of his pride.

"My Lord Bishop," a newcomer among the rubble raised his hand timidly.

Totter ignored him; the devout prayer to the Four-Armed God-Hua Hua Hua Di Huang should not be interrupted.

"Praise the Four-Armed God-Hua Hua Hua Di Huang, praise His generosity and benevolence; He will lead us out of the sea of bitterness, abandon the stars, and reach the Divine Realm."

"My Lord Bishop, look behind you," another newcomer said somewhat frantically.

Totter's brows furrowed.

"Do not interrupt me!" he said with some anger.

"No, My Lord Bishop, look behind you!"

Seeing the few newcomers before him all pointing frantically behind him.

Behind? What could be behind? Wasn't there a large promethium tank behind him?

Totter turned his head with some confusion.

He only saw a man wearing the common clothes of a hive city worker, taking furtive steps, trying to sneak away.

Totter paused for a moment; where was the large iron tank behind him? Where did such a big tank go?

Who was this man? How did he get into this ruined city district?

Totter and the man's eyes met, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment.

The man's lips curled into an awkward smile, and he spread his hands, adopting a helpless posture.

"Good morning, have you eaten yet, my lord?"

"..."

Totter made a gesture behind his back; two believers quietly reached into their black robes and pulled out the auto-pistols holstered at their waists.

"Who are you?" Totter asked in a deep voice.

"Actually, I am also a devout believer of the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang, except the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang I believe in has six legs."

Hearing the man's words, Totter paused slightly.

A six-legged Hua Hua Hua Di Huang? What kind of heresy is this!

The Hua Hua Hua Di Huang is clearly two-legged and four-armed! Six legs are clearly the form of a Xenos!

Before Totter could react, he saw the man's ten extended fingers aimed at him.

"——————Bang! Bang! Bang!!"

Three "Bangs" came from the man's mouth, and waves of air shot from the fingers he extended toward Totter.

Totter felt a shockwave explode in his chest; a thunderous sound rang out, and the thin chitinous armor covering his chest cracked.

He then fell to the ground, crashing heavily among the rubble.

At the same time, several believers behind him were blown away; the auto-pistols in their hands fell, and they tilted their heads, fainting.

"A Psyker? Someone from the Ark Gang?" Totter clutched his chest, forcing himself to stand up despite the pain.

He had received the grace of the Four-Armed God-Hua Hua Hua Di Huang; his mutations were greater, and his body was more solid.

Totter reached out, tore off the black robe shattered by the shockwave, revealing purple, gelatinous skin.

Two deformed arms curled within his ribs extended, and four arms aimed at the man before him.

"Die!!!"

It roared and lunged at the man like a giant jumping bug.

The man suddenly lifted his clothes and thrust his hand into a white pocket on his belly.

Then, Tot saw the man pull a massive thorium tank seven or eight meters tall out of that palm-sized pocket.

So the tank was here—Tot, hovering in midair, suddenly understood.

Then he watched the enormous tank, made of ceramic steel, crash down upon him head-on.

Boom——————

Zhou Yun reached out and shoved the thorium tank back into his pocket.

The body modified by Tyran genes ultimately could not withstand the crushing force of the ceramic steel; that Hunxue Sect follower was smashed into a bug cake.

"Damn it, that mongrel raised by Lag—did he just sell me the location of this broken district?"

Zhou Yun couldn't help but curse the gang member who sold him the location of this ruined city district and scammed him.

This ruined city district was probably already the territory where the bugs operated.

"They have clearly infiltrated Asford for a long time, friend."

The winged figure within the Bai Guang appeared once more:

"The shadow of the swarm has wrapped around this planet; their tentacles are waiting to lick up every drop of biomass on the planet."

(End of this chapter)