Chapter 3

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Protagonist:

Lin En

Lena

The system prompt arrived late.

【First Crisis Resolved! Binding Target "Unnamed" Current Status:

Severe Injury (Abnormal Crystallization Wound worsening), Hunger, Main Network Connection Weak.

Affection Level: -55 (Hatred), please establish effective communication as soon as possible~】

Communicate? How? Win her over with love?

Countless Galgame tropes flashed through Lin En's brain.

But none applied to this Insect Race Warrior right in front of him who wanted to tear him into gene fragments.

Just as the bone blade was about to swing down.

Heavy footsteps came from the distance.

Not the light crawling of mutants, but the regular rhythm of metal boot soles striking the ground.

And dog barks, the electronic synthesized barking of mechanical hounds, sharp and full of threat.

And human shouts:

"Movement over there! Possibly a mutant! Stay on guard!"

Legal Department Patrol Team.

The Hive Warrior's movement paused.

Compound eyes flickered rapidly, as if receiving and analyzing information.

Legal Affairs Department meant armed humans, possible heavy weapons, and greater exposure risk.

She was now severely injured, hungry, with unstable connection, and fighting a group of armed humans was absolutely not a wise choice.

She deeply "looked" at Lin En, that gaze complex and hard to read.

Killing intent, confusion, reluctance, and something, the humiliation of being forcibly bound?

Then, she turned around, exerted force on her four legs, turned into a dark purple shadow, and merged into the darkness deep in the pipes at astonishing speed.

Before disappearing, Lin En seemed to hear an extremely faint hiss full of reluctance, like a sigh, and like a curse.

The footsteps drew closer.

Lin En fell to the ground, leaning against the iron door, gasping heavily.

After the adrenaline faded, every muscle in his body trembled.

The mutant blood on his face began to stink, mixed with the stench of the sewers, making him nearly vomit.

But he survived.

In his vision, that shoddy system interface unfolded again.

Pink-purple color scheme, flashing heart special effects, but the content made him slightly relieved:

【Backpack】: Ten slots.

【Status】: Displays two portraits.

Left is himself, HP78/100 (Minor Injury, Fatigue, Mental Exhaustion).

Right is a hideous Hive Warrior silhouette, labeled "Unnamed".

HP32/100 (Severe Injury, Hunger, Pain, Unstable Connection).

【Dialogue】: Gray, unlocked.

【Quest】: Flashing【First Communication (0/1)】.

【Special Animation】: This button is a gray heart, but next to it small text reads "Affection level insufficient, unable to play".

Lin En stared at the four words "Special Animation", stunned for two seconds, then couldn't help but curse under his breath:

"This fucking isn't really what I think it is, right? Who

would lay a hand on an Insect Race Warrior! System you TM......"

"Person inside! Raise your hands! Come out slowly!" The Legal Department personnel's roar interrupted his thoughts.

Lin En struggled to stand up, stuck the dagger into a mutant's head.

Raised both hands, walked out of the dead end.

Three Legal Department officials wearing black armor and closed helmets pointed shotguns at him.

A mechanical hound crouched beside them, red optical lenses scanning his whole body.

"Identity." The leader official said coldly.

"Lin En Ke'er Wa Na, Seventh District Tax Inspector." Lin En tried to keep his voice steady.

"I was attacked by mutants."

The official looked at the mutant remains on the ground, then at the bloodstains on Lin En's face and his damaged uniform.

The expression under the helmet was unreadable, but his tone eased slightly: "Did you kill these?"

"By the God Emperor's grace." Lin En said vaguely, he couldn't mention the Hive Warrior.

The official squatted down to examine the remains.

"Gene Thief Hybrid, third or fourth generation, you, a tax inspector, took down two?"

"I've received Basic Defense Training, and they seemed to have some conflict between them."

Lin En quickly wove a lie.

"They were almost always killing each other; I just finished off the severely injured one."

The Legal Affairs Department official glanced at the dagger on the mutant's head; the explanation was barely plausible.

The Legal Affairs Department official stood up: "This area isn't safe lately; don't act alone at night. Need an escort back to your residence?"

"No thanks, my apartment is nearby," Lin En said hurriedly.

He didn't want the Legal Affairs Department to know his address; who knew if they'd discover something abnormal.

The official nodded, indicating he could leave.

The Mechanical Hound barked at him twice more before being led away by its Master.

Lin En dragged his exhausted body and picked up his pistol and dagger.

Returned to his apartment by memory.

Along the way, he constantly recalled everything that had just happened.

Transmigration, Bug Race infiltration, system activation, Binding Target Hive Warrior...

Any one of them was enough to cause a mental breakdown.

But strangely, after returning to that dirty, cramped room and locking the door from the inside.

Lin En sat on the hard board bed, looking at the flickering System Interface before him, and gradually calmed down.

The Hammer Soul was burning.

"Bug Race Warrior, Affection Level -55. Need to raise Affection Level to unlock Dialogue and that damn 'Special Animation'."

He muttered in a low voice, pulling his mouth corner into a distorted smile between breakdown and excitement.

"This plot is truly fucking deviant, but..."

He opened the 【Status】 page and carefully examined the Binding Target's information.

Below the Hive Warrior's portrait was a line of small annotation:

"This Unit has an abnormal Gene Sequence due to an unknown Crystalized Wound; Hive Mind Synchronization Rate has dropped to 14.7%, possessing preliminary independent action tendencies."

The Synchronization Rate was only 14.7%, meaning she had almost broken free from Hive Mind control and become an "individual."

This meant he had an opportunity!

This was almost the best news he'd received since coming to this Warhammer World.

And that Crystalized Wound needed Healing.

If he could help her Heal the wound, would her Affection Level rise?

If her Affection Level rose, could she stop trying to kill him?

Even her strength, to survive in this hellish Nest Capital?

The system Quest 【First Communication】 was flashing.

The Reward was unlocking the 【Dialogue】 function; without Dialogue, everything was off the table.

But how to communicate? She now hated him to the bone and wanted to tear him apart on sight.

Need a "Gift"? The Bug Race needed Biomass.

But where could he get Biomass, kill people? Morally unacceptable, and the risk was too high.

Maybe, something else?

Lin En recalled from his past life game that the Bug Race would devour everything organic, and even some inorganic matter could be converted and utilized.

The Nest Lower Levels had large quantities of Industrial Waste, Mutant Creatures, and Fungus; maybe he could try.

He opened the 【Backpack】 interface; ten slots were empty.

The system explanation showed the Backpack could store real-world items, but capacity was limited, and living things couldn't be stored.

"Bring the essentials first."

Lin En began organizing the items in the room.

Laser Pistol, one and a half Energy Magazines remaining, Dagger, several Nutrient Pastes, a small bag of Credit Points, a change of Worker Uniforms.

He stuffed these things into the backpack one by one; five slots were occupied.

Five slots remaining. Need to leave some for the "Gift."

He looked toward the eternal dimness outside the Vent, then at the hideous Hive Warrior portrait on the System Interface.

"Lena," Lin En suddenly said, "I'll call you 'Lena'."

Just a codename, better than "Unnamed."

The portrait had no reaction; Affection Level was still -55.

Lin En lay down on the bed, staring at the low Ceiling.

Fatigue surged like a tide, but his thoughts were abnormally active.

"Tomorrow, first show my face at the Tax Bureau, then go get the 'Gift'."

"Need to find her; the system should guide the direction, then try to communicate."

"What the fuck did I actually Bind?"

He closed his eyes; the System Interface was still faintly visible in the darkness.

That 【Special Animation】 button emitted an ambiguous pink light in the Corner.

Before sleepiness struck, the last thought was:

"Once Affection Level is high enough, I want to see what 'Animation' this damn system can put out."