Marcus slowly made his way toward the main force of the Astra Militarum. Wherever he passed, the Cadian soldiers parted for him, their faces etched with awe. They had witnessed him charging out of the trenches, joining the Ultramarines in their assault, and personally slaying a Tyranid Warrior. There was a deep-seated tradition within the Astra Militarum of respecting strength, for the strong served the God-Emperor better and were more effective in defeating the galaxy's myriad demonic forces. His recent feat, killing a Tyranid Warrior with his mortal body, had earned him the profound respect of these Cadian soldiers.
From the crowd, a woman in a military uniform stepped forward. Marcus recognized her as Major Carenz Sarkaana, the Commander of the Cadia Eighth.
"Soldier, tell me your name and identification," Sarkana said, looking up at Marcus, who stood nearly two heads taller than her.
Marcus stopped, meeting her gaze. At that moment, the system panel in his vision perfectly overlaid her. Shifting his eyes from the display, he replied, "Sir, my name is Marcus, from the Mountain Sector." The original owner of Marcus's current body indeed hailed from that sector.
Sarkana nodded. "From now on, your military rank is Lieutenant, and you will be responsible for leading the soldiers of the Fourth Platoon." Without another word, Sarkana turned and walked away, heading to the front line to direct the construction of defensive fortifications.
As for Marcus, the moment Sarkana promoted him, twenty Cadian soldiers immediately stepped out of formation and positioned themselves behind him. These were the remaining members of the Fourth Platoon. Originally, a platoon comprised about fifty men, but constant combat had dwindled their numbers to just twenty.
A non-commissioned officer stepped forward, saluted Marcus, and declared loudly, "Sir, Cadia Eighth, Fourth Platoon, twenty men strong, all present! Please give your orders!"
Marcus rubbed his slightly aching head. He hadn't expected Sarkana to directly assign him a platoon. After a moment's thought, he simply waved his hand, instructing the men to follow the main force and assist in constructing the defensive works.
Finding a secluded, empty military tent, Marcus stepped inside, found a spot to sit, closed his eyes, and rested. Only half an hour had passed since his transmigration, yet he had already endured several life-or-death battles. Marcus felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.
After a few minutes of rest, Marcus opened his eyes and looked at the system panel before him. Finally, he had time to process his gains.
First, he examined the title "Warrior Slayer" he had obtained from killing the Tyranid Warrior. According to the system's description, this title increased the damage he dealt to Tyranid Warriors, though the specific amplification wasn't detailed. What Marcus found more intriguing was the latter part of the title's effect:
"When in a one-on-one state with a Tyranid Warrior, there is an extremely small chance to trigger a fear effect, causing it to break free from the Hive Mind's control."
In his opinion, this effect was absolutely astonishing—the ability to directly cause a Tyranid Warrior to break free from the Hive Mind's control. Under normal circumstances, the Hive Mind's control over its various troop types, especially mid-to-high-level ones, was absolute. However, the trigger condition was stringent: it required a true one-on-one confrontation with a Tyranid Warrior. This was almost impossible on a regular battlefield, as Tyranid Warriors were never alone; they were always accompanied by swarms of basic units like Hormagaunts and Gun Worms. Overall, Marcus was quite satisfied with the title's effect; the damage increase alone was already incredibly useful.
Next, he turned his attention to the second reward: the codex unlocked after defeating the Tyranid Warrior. The system had previously notified him about unlocking the codex when he killed the Hormagaunts and Gun Worms, but he hadn't had time to examine it then.
Upon opening the codex interface, a lifelike image of a Tyranid Warrior, with four arms and two massive bone blades, appeared on the system panel. Below it, the effects of unlocking the codex were detailed:
"Upon unlocking this codex, you can summon a Tyranid Warrior (Boneblade) unaffected by the Hive Mind, which will completely obey the summoner. This unit can be re-summoned 24 hours after its death."
Marcus's eyes immediately widened. If the "Warrior Slayer" title had merely satisfied him, the effect of this codex completely exceeded his wildest expectations. He knew he couldn't even defeat a healthy Tyranid Warrior currently; his success in the last encounter was solely due to the opponent having two broken arms and being in a weakened state. And this codex could actually summon a Tyranid Warrior that completely obeyed him and was not controlled by the Hive Mind!
This thought sent a thrill through him. If unlocking the Tyranid Warrior codex allowed him to summon one, what if he unlocked the codex for Scythe Mantis, Serpent Bug, or even Executioner, Enhanced Lictor, or a Tyranid Hive Tyrant? Perhaps he could summon corresponding troop types that completely obeyed him. By then, Marcus could create a Tyranid force entirely under his command! He will Zerg rush towards his victory.
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. As opponents, the Tyranids were undoubtedly a nightmare, but as subordinate troops, they would be the ultimate weapons of war. Marcus shook his head, forcing himself to calm down. Though the codex's effect was powerful, it required a long period of collection and accumulation. Moreover, if the Imperium of Man ever discovered he could control the Tyranids, he would surely meet a grim end. Marcus resolved that, at least in the Warhammer world, he could not expose this ability.
Finally, he looked at the last reward, the highlight of his current gains: a chance for a random draw. The system panel indicated that the drawing range was extremely wide, including, but not limited to, equipment, items, and even starships. What he could draw depended entirely on luck.
As Marcus pressed the draw button, an exquisite, ornate mechanical box appeared on the system panel. Its lock clicked open, and countless beautiful cards leaped out, forming a line that flashed past his eyes at an incredibly fast speed. With his enhanced eyesight, Marcus barely managed to make out some of the content on the cards:
Mjolnir Armor from the Halo world. Plutonian pattern Terminator Armor from the Warhammer world. Ghost Enhancement Surgery from the StarCraft world. Sandevistan Operating System from the Cyberpunk world...
Finally, a card slowly stopped in the center of the system panel, and the item on it made Marcus's eyes immediately light up.