Chapter 10: Warhammer: What Do You Mean You Conquered the Bug Race

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Protagonist:

Lin En

Lena

After a period of time, continuous, targeted "feeding."

Lin En finally caused a qualitative change in that cold relationship scale.

The affection level shown by the system finally broke zero, becoming a tiny positive number.

Lin En could feel that the attitude on the other end of the spirit link had undergone a subtle change.

Opening the status displayed by the system, indeed, Lena no longer viewed him simply as "obtainable biomass" or "a target to be wary of."

But rather included him in a more complex category, similar to "a special symbiotic unit possessing continuous cooperation value, with behavioral logic that is predictable."

And highly consistent with current survival goals.

That is to say, in Lena's gaze toward him, the killing intent that could erupt at any time had faded.

Replaced by an attitude of viewing a fellow creature or a tool person.

But for Lin En, this was also a huge step forward.

"I am indeed a master of the back alleys!" Lin En happily muttered to himself.

Simultaneously, the system interface also underwent some changes.

A pink-bordered 【Love Cultivation System】 was unlocked, after some examination.

Lin En roughly understood the effects of this cultivation system.

Starting from zero affection level, every ten points of affection level can be exchanged for one skill point.

And under Lena's panel, three clear skill trees unfolded.

【Development Line】: Focused on biomass conversion efficiency, energy metabolism rate, basic unit hatching, and regeneration ability.

【Individual Line】: Strengthened individual combat power, as well as the generation and optimization of special biological organs.

【Tactical Line】: Improved the command range and precision over bug swarm units, strengthened the target's cluster combat command ability.

The three lines corresponded respectively to development, individual combat power, and command ability.

Very similar to hero units Lin En had played many strategy games with in his previous life, since he was just starting out.

He definitely had to choose development!

Coinciding with the breakthrough at zero points, the system gifted an initial skill point.

Lin En almost without hesitation placed it on the first node of the 【Development Line】.

Lighting up the skill tree for the first time directly unlocked 【Swallowing Enhancement】.

The effect was simple and brutal: Lena's efficiency in devouring and absorbing biomass and energy increased by 50%.

Truly a god-tier skill!

The effect was almost immediate.

The next time feeding Lena, Lin En clearly observed.

The same amount of biomass, she absorbed at a faster speed, and the gloss of her carapace and slight growth in body size were more obvious.

She was like a war machine that had obtained a stronger power core, with significantly improved operational efficiency.

The more important internal change was that, as her recognition of Lin En's "Cooperator" identity deepened.

The invisible bond between her and the grand, chaotic, all-devouring "Hive Mind" became increasingly thin and shaky.

The synchronization rate dropped to 【3.1%】.

She was more like a node that had broken free of the spider web and possessed independent action ability, rather than a marionette in the web.

But Lena, who was about to completely break free of the hive network, through fragmented information obtained by devouring some Gene Thieves.

Still summarized a fatal warning.

【Deep Main Hatching Node Activity entered an acceleration cycle.

Local Cleanup Operation (human units) produced disturbance effects, possibly stimulating the deep network to activate the Emergency Protocol.

According to existing information model calculations, the probability window of the Main Will focusing its scan on this star field, accompanied by the descent of physical vanguard forces... approximately 400 Local Days and Nights.

At the same time, the abnormal individual (Lena) was marked by the Main Will as a "Priority Purification" target.】

400 Local Days and Nights, roughly more than a year, and the Hive Fleet would descend.

The joy of just breaking affection level 0 was instantly diluted by crisis.

Lin En leaned against the cold wall, digesting this information.

Tyranid invasion of a planet generally divided into three steps.

Step one, Genestealers, that is Gene Thieves, would descend upon this planet.

After that came a long infiltration period lasting from years to a hundred years, preparing for the descent of the Hive Fleet.

When everything was fully prepared and the Hive Mind believed the time had come, the descent period would arrive.

At that time, the terrifying Hive Fleet would descend upon the planet through Narvhal Whale Insect Ships, controlling gravity fields to achieve faster-than-light movement.

Countless Tyranids would descend onto the planet's surface via spores, devouring all creatures they could see.

That would be a true disaster.

And the Bug Race's infiltration of this world, a long buildup lasting decades, finally neared its end.

When the Tyranid shadow truly covered this planet's sun, when the Hive Fleet's despairingly huge body tore through the cloud layer.

What awaited him and Lena would no longer be the sluggishness of Imperial Bureaucrats or the pursuit of Inquisition Hounds.

It was a pure erasure from beyond the stars, targeting "Abnormalities" and "Betrayal."

The Empire was unreliable, the Bug Race was a mortal enemy, and the Tribunal was the hunting blade behind them.

He and Lena were like two insects trapped in closing steel pincers.

He had to find a way out for himself and Lena, a way to escape this hellish cage.

A turning point, or rather another layer of more lethal pressure, appeared on an unremarkable cycle day.

The Hive Capital's alarms were not always loud and piercing.

For Lin En, mired in the Seventh District's mud, the so-called "High Level's plea for aid" and "response from the External World."

At first it was merely a cold, vague marginal note on an internal briefing.

But in the following days, on the faces of those usually arrogant High-ranking Officials of the Ministry of Justice, appeared barely concealed tension and a trace of... awe?

This made him realize the seriousness of the problem.

Until that voice came.

It was not the roaring the Hive Capital was accustomed to, from the Lower Level furnaces or Upper Level engines.

It was a deeper, more regular low-frequency pulse, as if it could directly shake the chest cavity and bones.

Penetrating layer upon layer of metal decks and concrete partitions, from top to bottom, slowly and firmly seeping down.

Some huge, precise, ruthless steel construct descended upon this filthy Hive World amidst roaring noise.

In the Seventh District, and even the polluted zones of the Eighth District below, countless ears numbed by the roaring involuntarily pricked up.

An instinctive alertness toward a power far beyond comprehension spread through the foul air.

Lin En said softly in his new office, which could already be called "spacious":

"They're here."

He muttered softly, his fingers unconsciously tapping the cold windowsill.

Having learned some news in advance, he felt awe and found these guests troublesome.

The Hive Capital's structure was vertical, and so were ranks.

The Seventh District where Lin En was located was already nominally one of the lowest levels barely covered by "Human Order."

Below that were the Eighth and Ninth Districts, which existed in law.

But were actually abandoned or had become breeding grounds for mutant creatures and heretic cults, "Forbidden Zones."

Though relying on Lena's "intelligence" and the Iron Anvil Society's tentacles, he had made some "achievements" in suppressing Gene Thief activities in the Seventh District and even the edges of the Eighth District.

But other regions, especially those Upper Levels and more ancient areas, the Bug Race's infiltration was deeply entrenched, and the situation was absolutely not something his small-scale meddling could reverse.

The Planetary Governor and those lofty lords had obviously finally realized this.

Or rather, they could finally no longer pretend not to see the abscess about to burst.

The distress signal was sent toward the stars.

And what responded to them was.

Son of Medusa.