Chapter 353

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Protagonist:

Lin En

Lena

A week later, a grand victory banquet was held in the repaired banquet hall of the James Tong.

The attendees were all senior officers of the Tithe Fleet and generals of the Brevis Expeditionary Force.

The banquet hall was brightly lit, with cups clinking and crossing.

The officers raised their cups and drank heartily, celebrating this hard-won victory.

The air was filled with the scent of alcohol and roasted meat, and cheers and laughter rang out everywhere.

Dominic sat in the seat of honor, accepting toasts from everyone.

He had drunk quite a lot today, his cheeks slightly flushed, looking exceptionally excited.

He kept recounting the course of this campaign to those beside him, from the initial defeat at Kal II to the final decisive strike at Horse Hoof Valley, narrating it vividly and colorfully.

Whenever he reached a thrilling part, it would draw bursts of cheers and applause.

Lin En sat beside Dominic, smiling as he watched all this.

He rarely spoke, merely raising his cup occasionally to return others' toasts.

As the drinking reached its height, Dominic suddenly leaned back in his chair, rubbing his slightly throbbing temples.

"Alright, the matter of Dolido is temporarily settled," Dominic said.

"Next, we should also return to Brevis."

"There's still a mountain of Tithe accounting work waiting for us to handle."

Lin En nodded: "Good, I had the same intention."

"It's been so long since we left Brevis, I wonder how things are there."

"Rest assured, with Isud there, there won't be any problems," an Expeditionary Force general said.

"That woman is far more capable than you imagine."

Lin En smiled and said nothing.

He naturally knew Isud's capabilities.

If not for Isud helping him manage the Governor's Mansion's internal affairs, he couldn't have fought on the front line with peace of mind.

"Then it's settled." Dominic stood up, stretching lazily.

"Tomorrow morning, we depart, returning to Brevis!"

"Tonight, let's drink to our heart's content! Hahaha~"

Lin En spoke no further, just smiling as he watched it all.

Lena sat quietly beside him, her purple eyes lowered, long eyelashes casting a faint shadow beneath her eyelids.

Just then, Lena lightly bumped Lin En's arm.

Lin En turned his head, meeting her purple eyes that held a trace of gravity.

"Lin En, come out with me for a moment." Lena's voice was very soft, only the two of them could hear.

Lin En nodded slightly, set down his wine cup, and stood up.

"Excuse me." He gave an apologetic smile to the few generals beside him, then followed Lena, striding out of the banquet hall.

The two walked along the cold metal corridor until they reached a deserted corner.

"What is it, Lena?" Lin En turned around, looking at Lena's solemn face, and asked softly.

Lena walked to the porthole, gazing at the starry sky outside, and said in a low voice: "Lin En, something has happened in Brevis."

"Something happened?" Lin En's brows furrowed slightly, "What happened?"

"Plague." Lena spat out two words, her tone carrying a trace of worry.

"The Lower Hive has broken out with... an abnormal plague."

Lin En's gaze instantly turned grave.

Brevis is a typical Hive World; the Lower Hive sees no sunlight year-round, sewage flows everywhere, rubbish heaps pile like mountains, and sanitary conditions are extremely poor.

It was originally a breeding ground for all kinds of diseases; a plague outbreak is nothing unusual.

But for Lena to inform him so solemnly, this plague was absolutely not ordinary.

Lin En seemed to think of something, and continued asking: "What are the symptoms?"

"Very strange." Lena shook her head.

"In the early stage, the infected show symptoms of high fever, coughing, and general weakness, no different from ordinary flu."

"But after an incubation period of three days, they become utterly irrational, eyes bloodshot, with an intense craving for the raw flesh of their own kind."

"Moreover, their strength becomes very great, and their aggression extremely strong, just like... those plague zombies that appeared on Dolido."

Lin En let out a breath, then asked in a deep voice: "The same as the zombies on Dolido?"

"Not exactly the same." Lena said.

"This plague's transmission speed isn't as fast as the one on Dolido, the infected's vitality isn't that tenacious either, they can even be killed with ordinary bullets."

"And, it still has a certain incubation period." Lena's tone grew even heavier.

"During the incubation period, the infected look no different from normal people, and can still move and communicate normally."

"This causes many people to be infected unknowingly; by the time it's discovered, it's already too late."

"But it's precisely this difficult-to-detect incubation period that has driven the populace to the peak of panic, because you cannot confirm whether the person beside you has been infected with the virus."

"Riots are constantly breaking out in the Slums. Many are trying to flee the Lower Hive with their families, hoping to reach the Middle Hive or Upper City for refuge."

Lin En leaned against the cold wall, looking up at the flashing indicator lights on the Ceiling, his heart filled with emotion.

What was coming, still came.

Nurgle's claws eventually reached Brevis.

The failure at Dolido was only the beginning.

But he could not show any sign of abnormality.

Dominic was still at the banquet.

At the Empire's normal speed of news transmission, those far away in Dolido could absolutely not know about the plague outbreak in Brevis so quickly.

If he acted too concerned, he would definitely arouse Dominic's suspicion.

"I understand," Lin En said to Lena via telepathic link, so he wouldn't have to worry about being overheard by anyone.

"Your guess is correct; this is absolutely not an ordinary plague," Lin En's voice echoed in Lena's mind.

"The plague in Dolido was spread by those three Space Hulks; that should have been the 'great gift' the Nurgle Fleet originally prepared for us."

"And this plague in Brevis should be another kind of disease," Lin En continued.

"It looks milder than Dolido's plague, but is actually more insidious."

"Its long incubation period is enough to let it spread throughout the Nest Capital without anyone noticing."

"And the crowd's panic may be what they truly want to see."

"Chaos and fear are always Chaos's best nourishment."

Lena nodded, worry showing in her eyes:

"So what should we do now? If we let the plague spread, Brevis will probably be unable to cope."

"Don't worry," Lin En comforted her, "I already have a plan."

"Contact the Butcher immediately."

"Have him activate all intelligence networks of the Dark Department, closely monitor the situation in the Lower Hive, and mark the location immediately once an infected person is found."

"Then, have him go to the Lower Hive to find the 'Priest'."

Lin En's tone turned serious, "Have the Priest immediately establish a 'Plague Cleansing' Cult."

"Plague Cleansing Cult?" Lena asked.

The Priest was a Genestealer Patriarch lurking in the Lower Hive, and also the first Genestealer Lena had deployed in Brevis.

"Correct," Lin En nodded.

"Genestealers have a natural resistance to Chaos corruption, and their Perception is extremely sharp, allowing them to easily distinguish who is infected."

"Have the Priest lead his Believers, under the guise of 'Cleansing the Plague, Saving the World,' to secretly divert the crowd in the Lower Hive, separating the healthy from the infected."

"As for those already infected and beyond saving..." Lin En's voice turned cold.

"Execute them on the spot, then burn the corpses; absolutely no hidden dangers can be left behind."

"Understood," Lena nodded, "I'll contact the Butcher right now."

"Remember, it must be conducted in secret," Lin En instructed.

"Absolutely no one can discover the Genestealer's connection to me."

"Nor can Dominic know too early."

"I understand," Lena gently took Lin En's hand, "You be careful too."

"Don't worry," Lin En smiled, "I'll be fine."

Lena nodded, turned, and quickly left the observation deck to contact the Butcher.

Lin En stood alone before the Porthole, gazing at the black Space outside, his eyes deep.

Nurgle...