Qin Yun's face was expressionless, but inwardly, he was overjoyed.
Assisting the Loyalist faction in reclaiming the planet Astroma was originally a task assigned to him by the Emperor.
He was definitely going to do it.
It's just that the mission rewards were a bit meager, only Faith Points and a pair of Epic-grade wings.
For Qin Yun, who wanted to build his own faction, these things were a drop in the bucket, pitifully few.
In the Warhammer universe, the strength of one individual is ultimately limited.
Even beings as powerful as the Primarchs needed the support of their Legions.
Qin Yun had no intention of following in Celestine's footsteps and being a good-natured but isolated figure.
Rushing from afar to provide aid, only to be betrayed by some paranoid Inquisitor.
He wanted his own faction, his own power to control the narrative.
House Valancius's willingness to pledge allegiance was a good start.
A first-generation Rogue Trader dynasty possessing a Warrant of Trade.
If nurtured properly, it could definitely become a powerful Rogue Trader dynasty in the future.
"Very well, for the sake of the God-Emperor," Qin Yun said. "I will assist you as much as possible."
"Later, have your people synchronize all battlefield data and intelligence to the space station."
"After we deal with the enemies here, I will find a way to provide support to you on the surface."
Valancius sighed in relief upon receiving Qin Yun's promise.
"Thank you for your assistance, esteemed Lord Guide. House Valancius never breaks its oath."
The communication ended.
The projection flickered and closed.
Astroma's battlefield intelligence was quickly packaged and sent to the space station.
Qin Yun had Tena receive it, planning to check it himself after finishing his current tasks.
"If I can gain the support of House Valancius, it would count as having a foundation."
While mentally planning how to build his faction, Qin Yun headed to the control console to establish communication with the Imperial Glory.
He ordered Old Bird and the other players to pilot the ship into the port for maintenance and repairs.
No pilots, no control tower.
Coupled with the players operating the battleship being a bunch of inexperienced rookies.
Inevitably, the Imperial Glory had an accident.
The Adamantium ram collided with a docking tower at the port.
Fortunately, the ship's speed was at its lowest during the impact, so no major damage was caused.
The players on the bridge were thrown off balance by the collision, tumbling to the floor.
"Congratulations, you've earned the achievement 'Ram the Ship into the Wall'."
Reckless, who had climbed back up, patted Old Bird's shoulder and gave him a thumbs-down.
Faced with his friend's disdain, Old Bird responded by flipping him the middle finger.
"If you keep pointing fingers, I'll tie you to the prow and go joyriding in space."
Reckless tossed his hair, striking a cool pose. "Then make sure you tie me up handsomely. I'll have someone take a photo to commemorate it."
Old Bird looked Reckless over, his expression speechless.
"I never saw you being this secretly flamboyant back at the research institute. Letting yourself go after entering the game, huh?"
"Are you corrupted by Slaanesh or something?"
"This is the real me, handsome and secretly saucy." Reckless revealed a sleazy smile.
Bzzt! Bzzt!
A current sound rang out as the Servitor shuddered from the influx of data.
The bridge's projector whirred to life, emitting a hum.
The projected beams outlined Qin Yun's figure.
Old Bird and Reckless, who had been joking around, immediately straightened up and saluted.
"Lord Guide."
The other players on the bridge did the same.
"Is everyone alright?" Qin Yun asked with concern.
"Report, Lord Guide, no one is injured."
"This was my command error. If Contribution Points must be deducted, please deduct only mine."
Old Bird stepped forward, taking the blame alone.
"You all did very well this time. Managing this well on your first attempt is not a mistake; it deserves a reward."
Qin Yun did not blame them; instead, he granted a reward.
Several players cheered immediately.
They shouted "Long live the Guide!" and promised that such accidents would never happen again.
After the Imperial Glory entered the port, Qin Yun went to find Captain Airen.
He asked him to help select some workers from among the survivors.
To assist the players in repairing the Imperial Glory.
"Leave this task to me, Lord Guide," Airen guaranteed. "I will select a group of workers with experience in ship maintenance."
"Thank you for your trouble, Colonel Airen," Qin Yun said.
Aging replied sincerely, "My Lord, you are too polite. Serving you is my honor and my duty."
Laicade Space Station, B-11J Residential Sector.
This area originally housed tens of thousands of people.
After the crisis broke out, these people were transformed into Plague Zombies.
To prevent the Loyalists from retaking this sector, the cultists had set up traps and firepower.
After arranging for the ship's repairs, Qin Yun led the players and soldiers of the 101st Regiment in an assault on this sector.
"For the Emperor!"
With battle cries, Qin Yun and the others launched their attack, unleashing ferocious firepower upon the zombie horde.
Shattering the rotting living dead.
Harvesting the cultists who worshipped the Dark Gods.
The team advanced, leaving countless broken, rotting corpses in their wake.
"Watch my newly learned Frost Nova!"
As Warp energy surged, dozens of Plague Zombies had their feet frozen solid, becoming live targets for the players.
"Why do Psykers get active skills, and we don't? This isn't fair!!"
Warmaster blasted a Plague Zombie's head off, his tone somewhat sour.
He had also gained skills after leveling up, but they were all passive:
{Zeal: Can temporarily increase combat power and reaction speed.}
{Shooting Talent: Masters the use of various guns and cannons faster than ordinary people.}
{Tenacity: The body can withstand more damage.}
{Unyielding Will: Willpower is increased, able to resist more temptation and interference.}
All were for boosting combat power and willpower, not a single active skill among them.
"Nothing to be done, this guy's the RNG King!!"
Twisty swung his mantis blades, cutting two Plague Zombies in half.
"Comparing people is just infuriating," Warmaster shook his head.
Suddenly, the surrounding temperature increased by several degrees.
Powerful Warp energy converged; faint whispers and writhing shadows appeared around them.
The players turned to look and saw it was the Guide channeling psychic power.
Ten-times also stopped, a look of astonishment on his face.
This Warp energy was too vast for him to handle.
"Psyker Fireblast."
After obtaining the new skill, Qin Yun had gone to the shrine and spent all the Faith Points he had accumulated recently.
He upgraded the levels of his psychic-related skills.
Taking advantage of the battle, he wanted to test the power of his new skill.
They saw Warp power gathering.
Pillars of fire erupted from the ground, instantly blasting the zombie horde into the air and setting them ablaze.
Fierce flames shot skyward.
In just over ten seconds, the zombie horde turned into flying ashes within the sea of fire.
"Holy moly!!"
Ten-times eyes widened.
"We're both using psychic powers."
"Why is the Guide's psychic power so strong!!"
"This isn't scientific."
Twisty, standing nearby, rubbed his nose. "Psychic powers and you're talking about science??"
Ten-times ignored him, sinking into silent self-pity alone.
He originally thought that with more training and leveling up, he would surely be able to wrestle with Slaneesh in the future.
But with the Guide's display, he realized he was just a small fry.
The other players and Imperial soldiers like Airen were also stunned.
'Was this the power of the Emperor's Living Saint?'
'With a mere gesture, he could annihilate the enemy.'
The residential sector lacked powerful enemies.
Only cultists and Plague Zombies.
These foes were no match for Qin Yun and the others.
They were slaughtered one-sidedly.
While clearing the battlefield, a player unexpectedly discovered over a hundred survivors in a hidden warehouse.
Actually, it wasn't just the residential sector; when reclaiming other sectors, they had found survivors in varying numbers.
Qin Yun selected strong men and women from among these people.
He issued them weapons and trained them as soldiers.
With the increase in manpower, the pace of reclaiming the space station quickened significantly.
Within a few days, the Aquila flag flew once again over many sectors of Laicade Space Station.
After killing a Nurgle-Blessed making plague carriers in the water purification plant, Qin Yun leveled up again.
[Congratulations, you have gained experience.
Level LV9 -> LV10
Comprehended Skill: Psychic Touch (Can touch another's mind, extract information, or distort perception)
Comprehended Skill: Soothe Machine Spirit (Can calm out-of-control machine spirits, restoring them to calmness)]
This time, leveling up, Qin Yun not only gained skills but also unlocked some hidden elements.
[Detected that the target meets the conditions for Astartes ascension. Faith Points can be used to exchange for corresponding Gene-seed implantation.]
[Note: Gene-seed not obtained via Faith Points will lose its enhancement effect upon death.]
[...]
[Detected that conditions for time-limited mission activation are met. Opening time-limited missions, freely choose to accept.]
[Time-limited Mission: Assist Belisarius Cawl in traveling to Macragge.]
[Time-limited Mission: Assist the Blood Angels Chapter in resisting the Leviathan Fleet.]
[...]