Chapter 398

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Protagonist:

Lin En

Lena

Two completely opposite conjectures tugged back and forth in his mind, like two saws sawing away at his cognition.

If Keli Feng himself was a creation of the Tyranids, a highly mimetic humanoid carrier of the Insect Swarm Will...

Then how did he deceive the State Religion's Faith Verification? And how did he hide from the psyker perception of the Silent Sisters around him?

No matter how superb the Tyranids' mimicry technology, it could not possibly deceive an Untouchable's examination.

Kasaduo and Elaine had multiple close contacts with Lin En, and never detected any xenos psyker fluctuations.

Even more inexplicable is the motive.

If he is a vanguard of the Bug Swarm, everything he has done is far too abnormal.

Repelling Green Skins, purging Chaos, stabilizing Nest Capital order, submitting the Tithe on time.

Every single thing he has done has reinforced the Human Empire's rule over this star system.

It's not as if the Tyranids suddenly developed a kind heart, helping humans govern territory just so they'd be fatter when devoured later?

So in essence it's a kind of "protection racket" behavior?

That's too absurd.

He shook his head, marveling at how his own thoughts were practically heretical.

But if he is a pure human?

That makes even less sense.

What are the Tyranids? They are the galaxy's most top-tier and ruthless predators, an extinction-level race that knows only devouring and destruction.

The Empire has fought them for so many years, and there has never been a single case of effective communication.

They have no individual will, no concept of negotiation, like a cold, ruthless destruction program; wherever they pass, only desolation remains.

No one has ever been able to "control" the Tyranids.

Even the Tribunal's Xeno Research Department, exhausting thousands of years, could not find any possibility of communication or control.

A young, down-on-his-luck noble — by what right could he achieve what the Empire cannot?

The more Dominic thought, the more chaotic his thoughts became.

The ice plains outside the window gradually receded; the terrain below shifted from vast white snow to gray-brown Nest Capital wasteland, and the distant starport's lights flickered faintly beneath the cloud layer.

He gripped the sampling tube in his palm.

All doubts, all mysteries, ultimately could only fall on one person.

Keli Feng.

Only by confronting and questioning him directly could the true answers be obtained.

……

Deep within the Arctic Ice Plain, inside a grand hall hidden beneath a glacier.

This place is even more secluded, even colder, and even more silent than the Tooth City's temple.

Ice-blue energy patterns flowed slowly along the dome and four walls, like frozen blood vessels, maintaining the operation of the entire underground space.

In the center of the hall stood a massive ice coffin; within, a dragon-shaped silhouette was faintly visible, surrounded by pale blue cold qi that rose and fell like breathing.

God Envoy·One stood before the ice coffin.

He was taller than the deceased Four, and more slender; a blue-gray gown clung to his tall frame — likewise four arms, yet he carried a few degrees more scholarly air than Four.

His pupils were an extremely pale ice blue, like a lake covered in thin ice; beneath the calm lay unfathomable cold intent.

As the Supreme Leader of the Brevice Ice Plains, he was the first of the Ten God Envoys Lena had earliest cultivated; his permissions were second only to the Mother Queen's main body.

He shared a deep sensory link with Lena's primary consciousness, possessed extremely high autonomous decision permissions, and could even temporarily mobilize all Frost Dragon Units except Lena's main body when necessary.

Just now, Four's life signal had completely extinguished in the Bug Swarm Network.

Also transmitted simultaneously were the temple's final moments of visual records.

Intruder, golden dagger, Untouchable, and the global alarm Four emitted before death.

God Envoy·One stood quietly, his ice-blue eyes showing little emotional fluctuation.

A clansman's death would not anger him; it would only make him analyze the situation faster, deduce the optimal solution.

He closed his eyes, consciousness connecting to the Secondary Hive Network.

All hibernating Cold Soldier Units lurking on the ice plains, informants distributed among various tribes, and hatching nodes hidden in glacial crevices.

Massive amounts of information surged into his consciousness like a tide.

Intelligence synchronized from the Bottom City's priest side.

The only caravan recently contacting the Ice Fang Clan traced its origin to the Tithe Fleet docked at the starport.

The caravan leader's identity was forged; Imperial Intelligence Department veterans were concealed among the entourage.

The caravan's front feet had just arrived at Tooth City, and the temple's back feet were intruded upon.

The timing was too perfectly matched.

God Envoy·One slowly opened his eyes; a trace of cold light flashed in his ice-blue pupils.

That Tax Collector again.

Lieutenant General Dominic.

Starting from the Purge Plague Sect, this person has always been probing in the dark, step by step digging away the surface mud, wanting to uproot everything underneath.

Last time it was the Purge Plague Cult of Bottom City; this time, they've reached straight into the core of the Ice Plains.

He did not immediately mobilize troops to pursue.

The airship has already flown far; the Ice Plains are too vast to intercept the Empire's aircraft.

Chasing now would only expose more information in the open, a losing proposition.

More importantly, from this matter he sniffed out the scent of a deeper conspiracy.

The Mother Queen's consciousness is trapped beneath Saint Galus Castle; this fact itself reeks of abnormality.

The Nine-Sided Sealing Spirit Array, isolating the Insect Swarm Will — it sounds like a killing move, yet the time flow inside the barrier was deliberately slowed.

According to Lin En's perception, the battle rhythm inside is extremely sluggish; the Nine Chaos Knights surround but do not kill, looking more like restraint than execution.

If Luna truly wanted to kill the Mother Queen, accelerating time flow and concentrating fire would be common sense.

Slowing time equals giving those outside ample rescue time.

This is illogical.

Add to that Dominic happening to choose this node to delve deep into the Ice Plains, digging up the Frost Dragon's old secrets...

Two things put together — it's no coincidence.

God Envoy·One rapidly deduces the full picture in his mind.

Luna set up a barrier to trap the Mother Queen's consciousness, yet deliberately slowed time — not for a quick kill, but to lure the tiger away from the mountain.

Lin En has an impatient personality; learning the Mother Queen is trapped, he will inevitably personally lead troops to rescue.

Once he leaves, a gap appears in the overt defense.

Simultaneously, someone secretly guided Dominic to dig into the Ice Plains' secrets, shoving the connection between the Frost Dragon and the Gene Thief before this Imperial Major General.

On one side, the Mother Queen is trapped, Lin En diverts his attention to rescue.

On the other side, the Imperial Major General uncovers the truth; the two's relationship will inevitably deteriorate sharply, even possibly coming to blows directly.

Internal division, mutual suspicion.

This is the modus operandi of the Evil God who governs conspiracy and change.

Never a frontal hard clash, forever manipulating pieces in the dark, trying to make the enemy collapse from within.

What the opponent wants has never been to kill the Mother Queen, nor simply topple Lin En.

She wants the entire Brevis to fall into thorough chaos.

Wait for Lin En and Dominic to fight until both are wounded, then she jumps out from the dark to clean up the mess, reaping the fisherman's profit.

Perhaps even taking the chance to fully spread the forces of Chaos, dragging the whole planet into the depths of the Warp's Abyss.

"A fine abacus."

God Envoy·One softly spat out four words, voice icy.

He is very clear: now the Mother Queen's consciousness is out of contact, Lin En has plunged headfirst into the battlefield of Saint Galus Castle — equivalent to both cores being restrained.

The entire Brevis Bug Race system is equivalent to temporarily losing its highest command.

Bottom City has priests holding the fort, barely able to maintain basic operation, but that's all.

Priests excel at management and infiltration, not at grand strategic games.

To them, if Lena is the Mother Queen, then Lin En is the Main Father.

Everything of the Main Father, the Mother Queen cares about extremely deeply.

So at this moment, someone must step out to stabilize the situation the Main Father has been painstakingly managing.

And that person can only be him.