Chapter 17: Warhammer: What Do You Mean You Conquered the Bug Race? Chapter 17: Clues

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Protagonist:

Lin En

Lena

While working under Cassius, Lin En honed himself into a precise bureaucratic machine.

Every piece of intelligence he provided was repeatedly weighed, balanced at a subtle point.

Enough for Cassius Squad to find a real Bug Race node, proving his Lin En's value and "loyalty" to the Empire.

Yet not so precise or easy that the source would seem suspicious.

He never actively asked about battle details, even though he longed for the Son of Medusa's tactics, equipment, and weaknesses.

Whenever Cassius or other warriors mentioned battles, he simply listened respectfully, showing at the right moment an expression mixed with awe and lingering fear.

Then he cleverly changed the subject, asking what "outer preparations" he needed to make in advance for the next mission.

He strictly ordered his Patrol Squad never to approach the Core Area where Space Marines had fought.

The official reason was "preventing unknown creature contamination spread" and "avoiding interference with Angel Adult's Purification Ritual."

Privately, his excuse to his subordinates was:

"Those places are graveyards made of alien demon corpses; who knows what radiation or poison gas remains?

Want to die quickly? Go join the fun."

The real reason was that he feared any attempt to recover battlefield biomass would leave traces impossible to cover up.

He could not take this risk.

Psychologically, Lin En felt he was walking on a rusted steel wire above a ten-thousand-zhang abyss.

Every order sent to Lena had to be rehearsed over ten times in his mind, simulating various possible outcomes and loopholes.

His communications with Lena became increasingly short, even carrying a cold, strictly business tone.

Anyway, Lena didn't understand what "coldness" meant, saving him from having to coax her.

Late at night, when he lay alone on the bed in his relatively spacious and luxurious new residence, nightmares became frequent visitors.

Sometimes it was Cassius's dark red Target Lenses lighting up in absolute darkness, like searchlights tracking prey, locking onto him firmly.

Sometimes it was Lena's Nest having its Carapace melted through and flesh evaporated under the saturation bombardment of Warhammer 40000 and Heat Melt Rays.

He could even "hear" Lena's silent shriek before her Consciousness perished;

more often, it was a chaotic scene of both intertwined, in which he ran and shouted futilely.

But could make no sound at all, only watching everything move toward Destruction with his eyes wide open.

Upon waking, Cold Sweat soaked his Pajamas, his heart pounding as if it would shatter his ribs.

He got up, walked to the window, and watched the city below with its forever flickering, morbid neon lights.

He could not break down.

At least, not yet.

Although Lin En was extra careful, hiding his contact and actions with Lena in the endless chaos and death of the Nest Capital's Slum.

But Lena, as an "Independent Node" that had broken away from the Main Hive Will.

Her very existence was the greatest Variable, an abnormal vortex impossible to fully conceal beneath the calm Water Surface.

Cassius was not only Muscle and Bomb Guns.

What Lin En feared most was Cassius's brain, comparable to a Super Computer.

The Logic Processors and Data Analysis abilities of the Sons of Medusa were considered top-tier in the Astartes Order.

After continuously, based on Lin En's intelligence, efficiently suppressing four Bug Race nodes of varying scales, the accompanying Mechanical Priest.

A being from Mars, over eighty percent of his body replaced by machinery, silent and taciturn, interested only in data and the mysteries of Omnissiah.

Began the routine deep analysis of battlefield data.

He input the massive data recorded from before and after the four battles—the Nest Capital's entire Psychic Fluctuation Monitoring Network, Environmental Pheromone Sampling, and the Squad's own Detectors—into the Contemplator Array he carried.

He input the massive data recorded from before and after the four battles—the Nest Capital's entire Psychic Fluctuation Monitoring Network, Environmental Pheromone Sampling, and the Squad's own Detectors—into the Contemplator Array he carried.

The analysis lasted twelve Standard Hours.

When the final report was presented before Cassius, this officer's white Helmet tilted slightly downward, his dark red Target Lens light flashing steadily.

The report's core findings were two:

First, the abnormal Signal Flow.

The weak psychic echoes, pheromone marks, and other biological signals left behind by destroyed Bug Race nodes.

After the main body perished, did not quickly dissipate as usual, merging into the Nest Capital's background of eternal chaotic "Noise."

Instead, these residual signals showed a regular, slow "Movement" tendency.

And were "Flowing" toward a common direction.

And this center of gravity, after data modeling and tracing analysis, pointed to "a deep geological structure complex area at the boundary of the Seventh District and Eighth District."

That area happened to be the core zone of Patrol Officer Lin En Ke'er Wa Na's "Abnormal Creature Patrol" duties.

And also the main area of his earlier "meritorious deeds."

Second, the abnormal "Node."

In multiple Bug Race suppression operations, the Priest discovered.

That near that special area, some Bug Race units would appear "stuttering" or out of sync with other Bug Swarm action rhythms.

This subtle "Confusion" had quantifiable differences from the highly coordinated, finger-like attack patterns typical under the Hive Mind.

The Mechanical Priest wrote down his preliminary hypothesis in the report's remarks column.

"This behavioral deviation matches the model prediction of 'an undiscovered abnormal Tyranid node possessing local interference or information competition capabilities.'"

"The match rate reaches 67.4%; the abnormal node may be located in the aforementioned signal 'flow' area."

Cassius read the report in silence.

His chain of logic connected several points: "the efficient intelligence provided by Lin En," "the signal anomaly in the area indicated by the intelligence," "the abnormal behavior of Tyranid units," and "Lin En himself holding authority within the abnormal area."

A clear hypothesis formed in his ice-cold thought.

Lin En may have some connection with that "abnormal node."

It could be cooperation, manipulation, or perhaps... a deeper, more unspeakable relationship.

The possibility itself of an "independent abnormal Tyranid node" is enough to trigger the highest-level alarm.

And if this node is also connected to a low-ranking official of the Empire...

Cassius did not take immediate action.

The patience of the Son of Medusa was as heavy as their armor.

He needed more evidence, needed to see a clearer picture.

He authorized the Mechanical Priest to deploy more, more concealed surveillance equipment near the patrol squad outpost and Lin En's residence.

These instruments were cleverly disguised as ventilation duct maintenance modules, wall lighting fixture bases, and even parts of inconspicuous debris piles by the roadside.

They recorded Lin En's daily behavior patterns, personnel entering and exiting, physiological data.

Even the subtle psychic environmental changes around his activity area that mortals cannot perceive were all included in uninterrupted recording and analysis.

An invisible and dense surveillance network was quietly cast open.