Chapter 118: Hunting the Exodite Eldar (Part I)

The Teriken system is crucial to Ninglu's future plans; it will be the industrial center of the realm he is cultivating.

Ninglu handed the Teriken system over to Sanchez, who, along with five "Hunters" of the Seventh Legion, will complete the hunt for the Exodite Eldar.

The Teriken system consists of Virgin Worlds of the Eldar, all of which are lush Paradise Worlds.

Virgin Worlds were originally just dead worlds; before the "Fall of the Eldar," the Eldar Empire used advanced terraforming technology to turn these unusable planets into lush, habitable worlds to meet their growing residential needs.

Ninglu, however, knows that the future Human Empire will occupy the Teriken system.

Teriken I, containing rich mineral resources, will be developed by the Adeptus Mechanicus into a Forge World, while Teriken II, IV, and V will become three Knight Worlds, guarding the Forge World.

Ninglu must eliminate the Exodite Eldar entrenched here before the Adeptus Mechanicus arrives and develop the five habitable planets within the system.

"My Lord, a target has appeared at A-004 Hunting Ground."

Yulian, the leader of the guard who is both a Psychokinetic psyker and a "Hunter," handed the data slate to Sanchez.

The "Hunter" viewed the situation at A-004 Hunting Ground through the data slate.

A company of the 333rd Regiment of the Solar Auxilia was sent there to hunt local wildlife—creatures with the bodies of leopards but the heads of bears.

In reality, they are one of the baits thrown out by the "Hunter." Through this period of probing, observation, and skirmishes, he has already gained a considerable understanding of the Teriken Exodite Eldar: they do not tolerate outsiders damaging the environment.

This is their weakness, and the "Hunter" can set traps.

Sanchez handed the data slate back to Yulian, "That is First Captain Szczesny's hunting ground; I trust in his ability."

"Monitor A-007 Hunting Ground, the big bait I threw out; the Eldar will surely take it."

The "Hunter" has prepared for this day for one stellar month, personally using materials to craft traps and set up ambush points.

The Lord also ordered all teams to use this place as a supply point for their activities.

He believes that they, who live in the wilderness but are the remnants of an ancient Xenos race, must understand that striking a supply point will pose a huge threat to the outsiders.

As Sanchez was deep in thought, Yulian's excited voice rang out.

"My Lord, the prey has taken the bait."

The Lord of the Seventh Legion quickly took the data slate to check the footage.

Thousands of dinosaur riders launched an attack on the supply point.

The skin of the Exodite Eldar has evolved into a blue-gray color, and their cheekbones and brow ridges are inlaid with dinosaur tooth bone fragments.

The dinosaur mounts they sit upon are slender and light, with hind limbs as long and springy as springs, and exceptionally long lower leg bones.

The dinosaurs' skulls are low and narrow, with upturned snouts forming a unique concave shape, and their upper jaws are densely packed with dozens of serrated, curved sharp teeth.

The curved sickle claws evolved on their hind limbs are covered with a horny sheath, sharp as a scalpel.

Their forelimbs have three fingers with hooked claws, and one can tell at a glance that they possess powerful gripping ability.

"The time for the hunt has arrived."

The "Hunter" said excitedly, striding out of the black tent and walking toward his motorcycle.

At A-007 Hunting Ground, the Exodite Eldar urged their dinosaurs on, whistling as they launched an attack on the human supply point.

An Exodite Eldar holding a white bone spear took the lead, and in an instant, was only a hundred meters from the human camp.

Just at this moment, his mount suddenly pitched forward.

The Exodite Eldar reacted quickly; he decisively stepped on the back of his mount and used the leverage to leap up.

As he tumbled through the air, he thought in confusion.

【How could the monkeys' traps be so well-hidden that I didn't even sense them?】

The perception of the Eldar is far superior to that of humans, and this is even more true for the Exodite Eldar living in the wilderness.

Just as he was puzzled, a sudden explosion rang out; a bolter round shot toward him at high speed, piercing his spine and detonating before he could react.

The dinosaur ridden by another Exodite Eldar triggered an explosion the moment its left hind claw touched the ground, dying instantly, and the splashing shrapnel also killed another unlucky soul.

As the corpses of the Exodite Eldar hit the ground, dozens of their kin also died in confusion.

The Exodite Eldar behind them stopped in a panic, all casting their gazes toward the rider sitting on a dinosaur two heads taller than the others.

After pondering for a few seconds, the tribal leader raised his right arm, waved it forward forcefully, and shouted in the localized Eldar language.

"The monkeys must die; this is our home, our world."

"Scatter and charge!"

The dinosaur riders immediately split into several columns and lunged toward the supply camp.

The hidden traps set by the "Hunter" were triggered one by one, and with every instant, an Eldar fell.

But they did not retreat, nor did they stop.

At the same time, the defenders within the supply camp also reacted; the soldiers of a company of the 333rd Regiment stationed there hid behind covers like stacked crates and raised their weapons to fire at the Eldar.

The dinosaur riders holding bows and arrows raised their weapons and shot arrows at the monkeys who dared to fight back.

In order to escape the eternal hunt of Slaanesh, the Exodite Eldar chose to come to the wilderness worlds to engage in a primitive and simple life; they learned to plant crops and manually collect natural resources like their ancient ancestors, but they actually possess quite a bit of the advanced technology held by the old Eldar Empire.

The weapons they create by fusing psychic energy and craftsmanship are far more advanced than the weapons of truly barbaric primitive people.

The "wooden" arrows easily pierced the armor of the Solar Auxilia, and a single volley from the Exodite Eldar caused over a dozen elite soldiers to fall.

As the dinosaur riders shot, they steered their mounts at a gallop; their agile skills allowed them to draw their bows and shoot accurately at their opponents even while riding on the backs of the high-speed, undulating dinosaurs.

More than the beams shot by the monkeys, what affected their attacks most were the despicable traps.

The Exodite Eldar used their superhuman perception to find traces of some traps.

The disposable bolter-firing devices covered in dust—those fragile things would break after firing a round.

And those grenades were also located one by one by them.

But the despicable monkey who set the traps seemed to have anticipated that they would find them.

He had set up multiple, chain-triggering mechanisms in the traps; when an Exodite Eldar carefully avoided the place where a grenade was buried, his mount triggered an imperceptible thin wire, and the grenade suddenly popped up at high speed, slamming precisely into him.

The "Hunter," possessing a superhuman mind, had laid out multiple-trigger, layered, three-dimensional traps around the camp to entertain his prey.

By the time the first Exodite Eldar rushed into the camp, hundreds of Exodite Eldar had already fallen during the charge.

Just as the dinosaur rider excitedly raised his spear, a loud boom suddenly erupted from behind him.

A series of buried Mark XIX melta bombs detonated.

Blazing fireworks bloomed, and the intense thermal explosion "melted" the Exodite Eldar, who had just gathered into a formation, along with their dinosaurs.

The "Hunter," having just arrived at the hunting ground, admired his masterpiece, and he felt as if something within his own body had also "melted."

Sanchez's eyes flashed, locking onto the Exodite Eldar tribal leader who had luckily avoided the explosion and was fleeing in a panic with his guards; he sensed that this was a "big game."

(End of chapter)