Chapter 368: War Hammer: What Do You Mean You Conquered the Xenos

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Protagonist:

Lin En

Lena

First sanctify Destruction, packaging the terrifying Plague as a trial sent down by the God Emperor.

All death, suffering, and betrayal now had a "reasonable" destination, no longer meaningless disasters, but a Screening.

Then mythologize the Survivors: surviving was not luck, not a fluke, but proof of being chosen by the God Emperor.

It was like driving a Mental Steel Nail into every Survivor's heart.

I survived because I am different, because the God Emperor is watching me.

Just this alone is far superior to the State Religion's vague "God Emperor blesses you."

But the woman's preaching continued.

Her voice gradually became impassioned, and the Psyker Fluctuation intensified with it, like surging waves washing over people's shattered minds one after another.

"But the trial has not yet ended."

"The God Emperor chose you not to let you linger in the Safe Zone."

"He granted you life, granted you clean souls, so that you may become part of the 'Sacrifice.'"

She raised her staff, the purple gem emitting a soft radiance that illuminated her solemn face.

"Above the Lower Hive, the Empire's Warships await; the Conscription Order for three billion Soldier Sources is the God Emperor's Summoning."

"Board the Warships, head to the Battlefield, and use your flesh and blood to block the iron hooves of Xenos and Chaos."

"This is your path of Redemption."

"You will bleed on the Battlefield, you will die, you will become a speck of dust in the galaxy."

"But your souls will return to the God Emperor's Embrace and gain eternal 'Ice Cold Peace'."

"Your Sacrifice will protect your Same Kin behind you, protect the Empire's territory, protect the God Emperor's Faith."

"This is the meaning of your survival."

"This is the only bright future."

As the last words fell, the Square fell into dead Silence.

A few seconds later, someone knelt down first, shouting "fortheemperor" in a Hoarse voice.

Immediately, one after another knelt down, shouting loudly.

Thousands knelt together on the cold Metal ground, like wheat flattened by a wild wind.

The Numbness, Fear, and Despair on their faces were all replaced by a fanatical Radiance.

Some wept tears, some clenched their Fists, some prayed in low voices; the Dead Air was gone from their eyes.

They were no longer pitiful people driven to desperation by the Plague.

They were warriors chosen by the God Emperor.

Their deaths would be glorious Sacrifices.

Dominic stood in the Shadow, feeling a Chill run down his Spine.

Too Terrifying.

In just over ten minutes of preaching, a group of refugees on the brink of collapse had become Believers willingly rushing to death.

This brainwashing rhetoric, this layered psychological Guidance, was more cult-like than any Cult.

Yet ironically, the result it ultimately led to was exactly what the Empire needed most.

Soldier Sources who willingly enlisted, with firm Soul Faith and no complaints.

Even, this was the effect the State Religion wanted......

But the State Religion's Pastors could not achieve this.

Even if they preached for Three Days Three Nights, they might not make these Slum commoners truly understand the meaning of "Sacrifice."

But this woman did it in just over ten minutes.

Because she used a power not belonging to language.

Psyker!

Two Silent Sisters simultaneously cast confirming gazes.

During the preaching just now, the Psyker Fluctuation never stopped.

Not crude Consciousness control, but silent Guidance, soothing, and reshaping.

It slipped through the most fragile cracks in people's hearts, planted the Seed of Soul Faith, then used Psyker to make it sprout.

Strictly speaking, this is Psyker abuse, strictly prohibited by Empire Law.

But Dominic opened his mouth and found he could not pick out any substantive flaw.

The result was good.

The Plague was controlled, the refugees were soothed, the Soldier Source was secured, and even the risk of Chaos Corruption was reduced to a minimum.

The Methods were Heretical.

But the Empire actually did things this way too, and even did them worse than they did.

He brought the two Sisters away from the Underground Plaza with a Complex mood.

On the way back, the wind of the Bottom City was still Foul Smelling, but Dominic's heart felt as if blocked by something, heavy and oppressive.

He had seen countless Cults; they either spread Plague, incited Rebellion, or sacrificed Warp Domain Existence—without exception, they were all destroying the Empire's order.

But this Purge Plague Sect...

It seemed instead to be helping the Empire maintain order.

When he returned to the starport, dawn was breaking.

Dominic did not return to his residence but went straight to the Mechanical Priest's laboratory.

He handed the skin flake sample taken from the monastery to the ship's Mechanical Priest.

"Test this for me." His voice was somewhat hoarse.

"I need to know its gene sequence, exactly what species it belongs to."

The Mechanical Priest asked no more questions, respectfully took the sampling tube, turned, and entered the testing chamber.

The precision gene sequencer emitted a low humming, data streams flashing rapidly across the screen.

Dominic stood outside, hands clasped behind his back, waiting silently.

He already had a vague, absurd guess in his heart.

But he dared not believe it.

Half an hour later, the door of the testing chamber opened.

The Mechanical Priest walked out, his electronic synthesized voice carrying a trace of rare confusion and shock.

"Major General Adult, the test results are out."

"This is not a human gene sequence."

Dominic merely nodded; this was not hard to guess.

"Its gene fragments contain a large amount of Tyranid genetic information, mixed at the same time with human gene characteristics."

"According to database comparison, this is a Gene Thief, a Fourth Generation Hybrid, highly mimicking humans, and regular testing finds it very difficult to distinguish."

The Mechanical Priest continued to supplement:

"From the activity of the skin flakes and the psychic residue, its master should be an 'Escort' Gene Thief."

"Responsible for protecting more core 'Bishop', 'Commander,' and other sect members."

The Mechanical Priest's voice continued, but Dominic could already barely hear it.

Gene Thief.

The Tyranid vanguard army, the parasite infiltrating worlds, the xenos threat familiar to all high levels of the Empire.

They silently infiltrated human society, infecting, breeding, accumulating strength.

When the Bug Swarm fleet arrived, they would launch rebellion from within, weakening the defense of the entire world, and opening conditions for the Bug Swarm fleet's descent.

This is the Empire's mortal enemy, a target all humans must hunt down.

But now, these very "enemies," in Brevis's Bottom City, were doing what the Empire itself should do.

They screened the infected, burned corpses, controlled the spread of plague.

Comforted refugees, rebuilt faith, provided the Empire with qualified Tithe Soldier Source.

They even established a defense system more efficient and more complete than the Empire's official one.

Dominic walked to the window, watching the endless stream of recruits boarding transport ships below.

Those young men had numb eyes, but steady steps, and determination to go to the battlefield on their faces.

They had obviously been "guided" by Gene Thieves using psychic power.

But their current state was more like qualified Imperial warriors than any recruit conscripted from the Nest Capital.

Absurd.

Too absurd.

He recalled all the war histories, doctrines, and iron laws about xenos he had read.

Xenos are all enemies, kill without pardon.

Tyranids are a disaster devouring everything, with absolutely no possibility of cooperation.

These words he had heard since childhood, never doubting them.

But now, the facts lay before his eyes.

Before the plague that even the Empire was helpless against, it was these "xenos" who stepped forward.

They stabilized the situation, saved billions of people, and even completed the Tithe conscription of soldier source in both quality and quantity.

They were doing what the Empire could not do.

All their actions so far were objectively helping the Empire.

Dominic closed his eyes and rubbed his swollen temples.

He had always thought this world was black and white.

Humans were just, xenos were evil, the Empire was right, Chaos was wrong.

A soldier's duty was simple: stand on humanity's side and kill all enemies.

But now, this clear boundary had become somewhat blurred.

If xenos could also do "good deeds," if enemies could become assistance at specific times...

Then was the absolute stance the Empire had always upheld really right?

Utilization? Cooperation?

These thoughts had just arisen when he forcibly suppressed them.

No.

Too dangerous.

The nature of Gene Thieves would not change.

Today they help you control plague, tomorrow they might hollow out the entire planet from within.

He understood the principle of rearing a tiger only to invite calamity.

But another voice rose in his heart.

Could Brevis, as he was now, really manage without them?