Chapter 227: Catachan Lobotomy

Void Hunter, Lord Captain's quarters.

Sanchez walked through the office, shed his black armor in the private Armory, passed the Meditation Chamber, and walked into the innermost bathroom opposite the bedroom.

He dripped eleven drops of the Ritual Essential Oil requested from Xiang Thomas into the bath, then submerged his entire body into the water.

After the wall clock ticked thirty-three times, he stood up, dried his body with a towel, and put on a black robe.

Sanchez walked into the Meditation Chamber and went before the Altar.

The Altar in the Meditation Chamber was 11.1 meters in diameter and 3.3 meters high, occupying most of the area of the Meditation Chamber.

Sanchez climbed onto the Altar, lit the candles, and used a ritual dagger to set up a wall of Spirituality.

Then he knelt on the Ma'nao pedestal and began to chant in the Dunn Language.

"Black Emperor of the Order Shadow,

Mysterious Master of the Disordered Kingdom,

King of Light and Shadow who holds the rules.

I pray for Your gaze.

I pray for Your hearing:

I have arrived at the Catachan System and persuaded the local tribes; they offer their loyalty to Lord Ninglu.

Oh Scale, balance of the Disordered Kingdom, please transmit power to my incantation.

'Iron Law of the Monarch', foundation of the Disordered Kingdom, please transmit power to my incantation."

Just as Sanchez finished chanting the incantation, he suddenly felt an invisible force surging within the Altar.

He lowered his head and continued to chant the incantation; at the same moment, in the Wheel of Fire System, on Planet Four.

A faint sound, nearly non-existent, reached Ninglu's ears; if not for his keen perception, he would have almost ignored the weak sound amidst the roar of guns and artillery.

The Primarch thought to himself while the bolter mounted on the Hand of Order roared.

【It's like a prayer, but much weaker than the voices when Arsena Dunn and Thomas pray. Is it the effect of distance?】

Thirty-four minutes later, after the battle against the defensive fortifications ended, Ninglu avoided the others and came to the shadow side of the "Disordered Kingdom".

Ninglu discovered that on the shadow side, there was one more light orb flickering with red light.

Ninglu expanded his own Spirituality and spread it toward the red light orb.

Upon contact, blurry and distorted images immediately emerged in his mind, and illusory, overlapping voices sounded.

"Black Emperor of the Order Shadow,

Disordered Kingdom...,

I pray for Your hearing:

I have arrived at the Catachan System... they... offer loyalty.

'Iron Law of the Monarch'... please transmit power to my incantation."

Sanchez's voice was intermittent, and the Dunn Language words were incomplete.

His gaze was deep, his thoughts turning rapidly, pondering the reason for this.

【The distance between Catachan and Wheel of Fire is measured in light-years; Sanchez's prayer consumes a great deal during the "transmission process".

This is a bit like astropathic communication, the information is incomplete, but the advantage is that it is almost real-time.

Hmm, normal prayer does not require sacrifices, but if Sanchez had not set up the Altar and sacrifices, the message probably wouldn't have been able to "arrive".】

Ninglu furrowed his brows, carefully distinguished it for a moment, and pondered in his heart.

【Once the authority is upgraded again, it should be possible to achieve cross-system, real-time, clear communication.

The earliest might be when I digest the "Briber" Potion, and at the latest, I should be able to achieve it after I promote to "Corrupted Baron".】

After Ninglu realized this, he was still satisfied with the results of the experiment.

He whispered, "I know," and then transmitted it into the red light orb through the subtle connection.

Catachan System, Void Hunter, Sanchez kept repeating the chant.

He had not received a response, but he did not give up and was still chanting earnestly.

Suddenly, black mist rose in his eyes, and in the mist, a blurry figure stood in the deepest part.

"... I know."

While shocked, Sanchez also noticed the incompleteness of the sentence.

【Is it because I am not pious enough that I cannot hear all of the Black Emperor's revelations?

Are the Black Emperor and Father the same great existence?

...】

Sanchez's thoughts drifted; after kneeling and bowing for a while longer, he stood up and headed to the surface.

Chief Apothecary Mikel had already led one "Beastmaster", five "Apothecaries", and three "Hunters" deep into the dense forest.

Because the data issued by the Gene-Father warned that wearing power armor makes it easy to be discovered by dangerous flora and fauna, they did not wear black armor.

The Order Shadows were all wearing green shirts, shorts, and carrying green backpacks.

But this also caused their resistance to toxins to decrease; every time they advanced for a period, they needed to inject an antidote Potion.

The formation in which the Order Shadows advanced was not their usual dense formation; they were spaced hundreds of meters apart from each other.

This was to avoid gathering together, which would cause too much movement and stimulate attacks from the flora and fauna.

Even so, vines would occasionally spring toward the Order Shadows like pythons.

The Order Shadows reacted swiftly; they swung their Charged Blades and shredded the pouncing vines.

Three "Hunters" walked on the two sides and the rear of the squad respectively, while Mikel walked at the very front of the formation.

The "Vampire" further enhanced the sense of smell of the Order Shadow; to him, the scent of every living creature was different.

The same type of creature, including every Order Shadow beside him, possessed different blood characteristics.

The "Vampire" could distinguish the subtle scent characteristics of every creature he encountered, recording them in his superhuman brain.

The "Vampire" moved lightly; he traveled through ground cover as tall as a normal person, avoiding the yellow-green light diffusing through the canopy.

The tip of the "Vampire's" nose twitched slightly, locking onto a creature six kilometers away.

The volume of blood within its body was dense; compared to the surrounding creatures, it was like the difference between a pond and a puddle.

The "Vampire" understood that this was also because of its massive body and the large amount of blood within it.

Mikel recalled the data issued by the Gene-Father and had already guessed what that creature might be.

Catachan Devil.

After the "Beastmaster" confirmed that the creature was a Catachan Devil, he decided to domesticate it.

Even on Catachan, where there are many dangerous animals, the Catachan Devil could be called a dangerous creature; domesticating it would make future activities in the forest smoother.

The "Vampire" relied on his sense of smell to avoid one Catachan creature after another that emitted the scent of blood, heading toward the target.

Just at this moment, he felt something drifting down above his head.

Mikel looked up and saw a bird-like creature drifting toward his head.

Its body was composed of tendril-like plants.

The "Vampire" felt that there was not a single drop of blood inside it.

It was a plant, not an animal.

Mikel's superhuman brain spun rapidly, matching it to the Brain Leaf in the data issued by the Gene-Father.

The Brain Leaf was hidden in the dense jungle on Catachan, but it could attach its tendrils to a person's spine and brain to control their body.

Mikel felt no surprise that the Brain Leaf could move and actively hunt.

Every plant on Catachan was like a living thing; they were all hunters, feeding on living creatures.

Vines would launch attacks, and Brain Leaves would control the actions of creatures.

【The Brain Leaf is something the Gene-Father specifically requested.】

While Mikel was thinking, he pulled a black, arm-length iron rod from the side of his backpack.

He raised the iron rod and pressed the circular button on it.

A silk net shot into the air, wrapping the Brain Leaf inside it.

The silk net stuck to the Brain Leaf, and the medicinal liquid prepared by the "Apothecary" immediately invaded the Brain Leaf.

The Brain Leaf was paralyzed all over and could no longer move.

Mikel caught the Brain Leaf and hung it on his backpack.

There were many hooks on Mikel's backpack, which he had specially prepared for the trip to Catachan.

Just at this moment, the "Hunter" walking on the far left of the squad rolled backward violently.

In front of him, a huge tentacle-like feeler sprang up from the ground, swiftly wrapping around the "Hunter's" arm.

The "Hunter" swung his right arm violently, the Charged Blade severing the attacking feeler, and he was just about to swing his sword to hack at the wrinkled maw that had split open in the ground.

The "Hunter" suddenly felt dizzy, his body swaying.

He plunged his Power Sword into the ground to keep from falling.

【I have been poisoned.】

After the "Hunter" realized this, he tore off the feeler with his right hand and pulled an antidote from his jacket pocket, injecting it into his left arm.

After the "Hunter's" mind regained clarity, he pulled out his Power Sword and hacked the maw on the ground to death.

He looked in Shock at the plant slowly disappearing in front of him.

【I am an Order Shadow who inherited the Gene-Father's sensory abilities, and a "Hunter"; my senses are sharp, yet I didn't discover it just now.

This is a Miral Catcher.】

The Order Shadow recalled the Miral Catcher data issued by the Gene-Father.

【Miral Catchers are plants that cling to the ground; their roots are very sensitive to vibrations on the ground, and creatures wandering nearby will cause vibrations.

When they are in a dormant state, they look harmless.

When they launch an attack, their huge feelers will spring up violently and carry out fierce attacks.】

The "Hunter" suddenly realized what the Gene-Father and the Chapter Master had both said.

【"A 'Hunter' must be familiar with the environment and make use of the environment."】

【Only by being familiar with the Catachan environment and Catachan's creatures can I act as a hunter, rather than as prey for the flora and fauna of this world.】

When the "Hunter" understood the meaning of this sentence, he suddenly felt his Spirituality become more active, and his control over the power within his body became stronger.

(End of this chapter)