Chapter 400: Warhammer: What Do You Mean You Conquered the Bug Race

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Protagonist:

Lin En

Lena

In the corridor of Underground Second Floor, smoke mixed with the sulfurous stench unique to demons, choking people's lungs until they ached.

Chaos runes on the wall still flashed with eerie blue light from time to time, and stray Pink Terror Demons shrieked out from the shadows, only to be blasted into scattered smoke by heavy shells from the tanks.

Soldiers of the Vanguard Army advanced along the wall, muzzle flashes from bomb guns rising and falling in the darkness, sweeping down Chaos Believers who resisted stubbornly in droves.

Lin En stood behind a Temporary Command Point, analyzing the map on his Tactical Terminal, his gaze landing on the position of the Underground Third Layer Barrier.

The advance was slower than expected; Luna had laid large numbers of Witchcraft Traps and Summoning Nodes on the second layer, and every ten meters forward came at a heavy cost in casualties.

"Adult."

A gray-robed figure appeared silently at his side, a Purge Plague Bishop.

He bowed slightly, linked with the Symbiote on Lin En's body, and transmitted the news directly into Lin En's mind:

"News from the surface: Lieutenant General Dominic has sent a Summons, demanding you explain within a time limit the matter of the Purge Plague Sect and the Frost Dragon Believers of the Ice Plains."

"Governor Carter is trying to stall, but he can't hold out much longer."

"Also, God Envoy·One sent word that the temple was breached, sacrifices were made, and the other side should have taken the gene samples."

The bishop then recited God Envoy·One's analysis in full.

After hearing the news, Lin En paused.

He raised his head, his eyes turning colder by a few degrees.

Something had happened on the Ice Plains side; God Envoy·One's analysis sounded sound.

Dominic had investigated the Ice Plains and obtained solid proof; now he finally wanted to lay all his cards on the table.

"Luna, Luna..." He shook his head slightly, a flicker of coldness crossing the depths of his eyes.

"I underestimated her after all."

Previously he had only thought this Regent King was good at trickery, lacked vision, and every move reeked of petty small-mindedness.

But this time's layout was terrifyingly precise.

Using the Nine-Sided Sealing Spirit Array to trap Lena's main consciousness, yet deliberately slowing the flow of time, neither killing nor releasing her—all to lure him into the game.

If he rushed to save Lena and personally led troops deep underground, it would be equivalent to relinquishing control over the situation in the Nest Capital.

Even if he didn't come in, as long as he exposed the connection between the Frost Dragon and the Gene Thief before Dominic.

With that Major General's upright personality, he would absolutely not let it rest.

By then, pressure from the Imperial Navy would force him to divide his attention regardless.

No matter how he chose, he would be led by the nose.

This stratagem of feinting east to strike west combined with using another's knife to kill was far beyond Luna's level.

"Could it be that she has finally awakened?" Lin En muttered softly.

The Lord of Change excelled at manipulating fate, leading enemies step by step into the Abyss through their own choices.

Though Luna had defected to Yi Su, her brain didn't seem to have become any sharper.

Now it seemed someone else must be guiding her.

But the other side had overlooked one thing.

Lena had already confirmed that the Luna at the barrier's core must be the Main Body without a doubt.

Thus it could be assumed that while the barrier could isolate the Insect Swarm Will, it had also trapped Luna herself.

She had to maintain the array and the Nine Chaos Knights, and simply could not free herself to withdraw.

That was enough.

Dominic's inquiry was certainly troublesome, but in the end it was merely a difference of stance, not yet a matter of life and death.

But Luna was different; this woman, if not removed for a single day, Brevis would not have peace for a single day.

Now that they had her cornered in her lair, she absolutely could not be allowed to escape.

As for the Summons outside... Carter could stall for a while, and if he couldn't, it didn't matter.

At worst, once he walked out carrying Luna's head, he could slowly settle accounts with Dominic.

Lena and Brevis—which was lighter, which heavier—he knew very clearly.

"Pass the order down." Lin En raised his head, his tone betraying not a trace of panic.

"Sonel leads the First and Third Assault Battalions, plus two Battalions of Vanguard Army, feigning retreat back to the surface."

"Announce externally that the Governor received a naval Summons and must return to the Governor's Mansion to handle government affairs; the purge operation will temporarily slow down."

"The remaining elites all follow me to continue advancing, striking straight into the flank of the Underground Third Layer Barrier." He tapped his Tactical Terminal, drawing a concealed dashed line.

"Yes!" The bishop bowed to receive the order and silently retreated into the shadows.

A few minutes later, there was a brief personnel shift at the Vanguard Army's position on Underground Second Floor.

A group of people hastily left the battlefield.

On the Bridge of the James Tong, the atmosphere was solemn, completely different from the atmosphere on Lin En's side.

Dominic stood with his hands behind his back before the Main Screen, his severed left arm already fitted with a new prosthetic.

More than three hours had passed since the messenger delivered the Summons.

The response from the Governor's Mansion kept going back and forth with just those few sentences.

"Transferring," "Governor not returned," "Please wait patiently."

Patiently?

A trace of impatience appeared on Dominic's face.

He had long known that Brevis's bureaucrats might evade the issue, but he never expected the other party to delay so brazenly.

If that isn't guilt, what is?

"Major General Adult, the gene comparison report from the Mechanical Priest's side is out."

Deputy Officer Karen walked over quickly, holding a freshly printed data report, her tone carrying a hint of heaviness.

"The result... is roughly what you expected."

Dominic turned around, took the report, and his gaze quickly swept over the strings of data on it.

The Divine Envoy tissue sample collected from the Ice Plains and the gene sequence of the Purification Apostle from Bottom City overlapped by more than 99.9 percent.

The same human gene base, with Tyranid gene fragments embedded, the same Fourth Generation Hybrid traits.

The only difference was that the Ice Plains sample had a few extra mutation sequences adapted to frigid environments.

In other words, the believers of the Frost Dragon and the apostles of the Purge Plague Sect were fundamentally the same thing.

They were all Gene Thieves.

With a "Boom," it was as if something exploded in Dominic's mind.

He had been comforting himself before, saying the Purge Plague Sect was merely a stopgap measure, a choice Kaili had no choice but to make to deal with the plague.

But the sleeping army of over a thousand on the Ice Plains, that systematic Dragon God faith, the infiltration of savage tribes across the entire North Pole...

This absolutely could not be done on a whim.

This was an infiltration planned long in advance.

It had already begun before the Forbidden Wall War, from when Keli Feng first arrived in Brevis.

What Frost Dragon Recognition, what Lord of the Ice Plains, were all a facade.

He had been cooperating with the Tyranids from the very beginning, no, perhaps even being controlled by the Bug Race, step by step devouring Brevis's human society.

Dominic's hand holding the report trembled slightly.

Not fear, but anger.

He truly admired Keli Feng. He admired his military talent, his governance ability, his sense of responsibility in stabilizing a region in troubled times.

He had even thought that, once he returned to Terra, he would personally request merit for this Young Governor and recommend him for a more important star domain post.

But reality gave him a hard slap.

The talent he admired was actually inviting wolves into the house, using the humans of an entire planet to feed the Tyranids' Parasitic Pioneers.

This was no longer the grey zone of a "stopgap measure."

This was betrayal of humanity, blasphemy against the Empire, an atrocity that crossed the bottom line of every human warrior.

"Karen." Dominic's voice was low, but carried the heaviness of a storm about to break.

"Subordinate is here."

"Order the entire fleet to enter First Level Combat Readiness." Dominic raised his head, his eyes holding only cold resolve.

"Charge all Macro Cannons, preheat the Light Spear Array, all carrier-based aircraft load ordnance and sortie."

"Tell the Ground Garrison to seal all starport entrances and exits."

"Send Keli Feng one last Summons: within one hour, come personally to the James Tong and explain everything clearly."

He said word by word: "Otherwise, don't blame me for not showing courtesy."

Deputy Officer Karen's heart sank, and she immediately stood at attention and saluted: "Yes! Major General Adult!"