A howling hurricane erupted from the street, its knife-like winds cutting in all directions, forming a vortex.
The genestealer bikers around watched in astonishment.
Sewage, mud, and gravel from the street were all sucked up, swirling like black shadows in the air.
Wailing sounds echoed through the hive city's ruined district, the tornado like a ferocious beast, roaring as it lunged at the motorcycles.
Before they could react, they were swept into the hurricane, and their motorcycles began to shake uncontrollably.
Just then, they saw a black shadow appear deep within the hurricane.
The shadow leaped out from the overturned heavy truck, nimbly jumping into mid-air.
Before the bikers could react, the figure had already sprung onto the nearest motorcycle in the blink of an eye.
It was then that the bikers clearly saw the identity of the newcomer.
It was a slender figure clad in deep black leather, wearing a chainmail coif, standing on the front of their motorcycle.
The biker tried to shoot, but a sharp rapier plunged directly into its neck, and blood gushed out.
Dixus, like a black ghost, swiftly weaved through the motorcycle convoy, harvesting the lives of the genestealer, while rapidly moving away from the area enveloped by the hurricane.
The hurricane erupting from the gourd was rapidly expanding.
Fortunately, Dixus was agile enough to retreat to the edge of the street by stepping on the motorcycle convoy in a flash.
This was the first step of the assassination plan.
Dixus, carrying a divine technological tool called "Pocket Tornado," would silently infiltrate the heavy truck carrying the Genestealer leader.
If the assassination succeeded, the leader's life would be taken directly.
If not, the hurricane would be unleashed in the narrow heavy truck, stirring everything into chaos.
After Dixus retreated from the storm-covered area, she heard chilling crawling sounds from the shadows.
Even though these crawling sounds were extremely faint, and even though the strong winds echoed all around,
the training and modifications Dixus had received since birth allowed her to identify these sounds.
In the dark corners of the surrounding houses, Pureblood genestealers with purple skin surrounded Dixus.
This was also expected.
Shadows flashed by, one after another.
The other eleven Dying-worshippers assassins, dressed in gray leather, also appeared beside Dixus.
A fervent smile appeared on Dixus' lips.
Death, they would bring death to the Emperor Doraemon.
Micro-injectors hidden under her leather clothing activated, and various complex, secret Dying-worshippers concoctions were injected into Dixus' body.
Her nerves, muscles, and heart were instantly strengthened, her eyes became bloodshot, her pupils constricted, and everything before her seemed to slow down.
"Xenos, your heads will surely please our god even more."
Dixus' eyes were filled with blood-red, the drugs stimulating her mind, making her expression somewhat frenzied.
Blood began to gush.
In the sewers, sewage flowed downwards.
hive city rats, larger than seven or eight-year-old children, gathered in clumps among the sewage, constantly crawling and gnawing on the "food" in the sewage.
Some of them looked vaguely like humans.
Under the acceleration of various toxic chemicals in the hive city, these small creatures, originally from Terra, spread with human expansion, and expanded to countless planets on starships, becoming terrifying predators in the hive city sewers.
Even strong hive city workers, if they accidentally stumbled into the sewers, would be gnawed to white bones by these large rats gathered in groups.
Some bolder rats would even sneak out of the sewers at night, infiltrate residents' homes, and gnaw an entire family to death.
But these ferocious rats encountered an even more ferocious sewer monster today.
Pureblood genestealers were clearing a path through the sewage for the leader, and every group of rats that tried to pounce was torn into bloody pulp by their sharp claws.
It is said that some powerful Pureblood genestealers can even tear through Terminator power armor with their claws.
The Pureblood genestealers guarding West, though not so terrifying, were enough to allow West to pass unimpeded through the filthy sewers.
What truly worried West was the assassin.
Through the psychic link, West could see that the female assassin in black leather was clashing with the Pureblood genestealers.
The more West watched, the more he trembled with fear.
This woman, clearly a mere mortal, relying on simple leather clothing, a rapier, and some inexplicable injected drugs, was fighting a group of Pureblood genestealers to a standstill.
She praised the Emperor and some nonsense Doraemon while beheading Pureblood genestealer after Pureblood genestealer.
Each time she cut one down, she would shout which number head it was, and say it was dedicated to the Emperor and Doraemon.
Then she would constantly praise death, blood, and sacrifice, and continue to cut off another Pureblood Genestealers head.
This made West somewhat frantic.
Is this a fanatical follower of the Emperor? How does her style of action seem more like those crazy berserkers who worship the "Blood God"?
And at least she was being held back by the Pureblood genestealers.
But what West worried about were her other companions?
The only factions in the entire Lower Nest that had reason to assassinate him were the Ark Gang and the Leman Russ mentioned in the intelligence.
Where was the Ark Gang's psyker cult leader?
Where was the mysterious man named Leman Russ?
West chose the sewers to escape, hoping to prevent being tracked by those two.
The sewers of the Lower Nest were complex and ever-changing; finding someone in them was extremely difficult.
And the psychic link established with the entire brood allowed West to effectively evade various psychic predictions.
Bang!!!
A roar sounded above West's head.
The Pureblood genestealer standing beside him immediately grabbed him and dodged to the side.
The sewer ceiling suddenly cracked and collapsed, and a psychic heavy hammer smashed down from the sky, heavily striking the ground, instantly churning the sewage into surging waves.
A fleeting look of surprise flashed across West's face, and he quickly realized who had launched the attack.
Sure enough, Reyna's figure descended from the cracked ceiling.
"Stay where you are!!!"
A powerful Seducer's Whisper directly pierced the Pureblood genestealers and West present.
However, this voice, filled with powerful psychic energy, could not cover the Leviathan's Song that was growing clearer and clearer in the ears of the Pureblood genestealers and West.
That was the song of the Four-Armed Emperor among the stars!!!
But just then, West noticed that Reyna's body was entwined with flashing electric currents.
That was bio-electricity generated by psychically enhancing neural currents.
The Seducer's Whisper was deliberately used to distract them! This bio-electricity was Reyna's true attack!
Reyna suddenly plunged into the sewage, and the electric currents spread through the sewage, piercing between the flesh of the genestealer and West like poisonous needles, causing their movements to suddenly halt.
West gritted his teeth, dragging his numb and stiff body, and sharply turned around, wanting to escape quickly.
However, the moment West turned, a figure suddenly appeared in his vision.
It was a man with dark golden hair, his face like a Lion in a deep forest, awe-inspiring and terrifying.
He wore a somewhat comical mechanical hat on his head, holding a red cane in one hand and a laser automatic rifle in the other.
The dark muzzle of the gun was aimed at West's head.
Leman Russ!
West's pupils constricted, and he saw the man gently lower the red cane in his hand, letting it fall towards him.
"Found you." Leman Russ said softly.
Then, a bright laser beam shot towards West's glabella.
The surrounding Pureblood genestealers wanted to pounce and protect West.
But before they could react, Leman Russ had already pulled the trigger.
His marksmanship was indeed so terrifying!
West felt a rush of heat on his face, as if a sun had burst on him.
Then, his head turned into a puff of ash and dissipated into the air.
Thud.
Alexander calmly watched West's headless body fall to the ground.
Everything was as planned, and the Seeker's Staff confirmed that the person in front of him was indeed the Genestealer leader.
The Seeker's Staff determined the location, Dixus used the Pocket Tornado to force it to abandon the main force and retreat.
Then, the Seeker's Staff was used to track it, Reyna smashed through the ground with her psychic powers and interfered with their movements using bio-electricity.
Finally, it was Alexander, teleporting into the sewers, and with his god-like marksmanship, he instantly shot and killed the Genestealer leader.
The entire plan was successfully and perfectly executed.
His figure flickered slightly, instantly appearing beside Reyna.
The enraged Pureblood genestealers roared and lunged at Alexander and Reyna.
Reyna's pupils constricted, and the surrounding air grew cold.
The Superpower Hat on Alexander's head pointed at the genestealer.
A psychic heavy hammer, mixed with a telekinetic cannon, forcefully pushed these Pureblood genestealers away.
Seizing this opportunity, Alexander manipulated his telekinesis and pulled hard, dragging the genestealer leader's corpse towards him, and stuffing it into his four-dimensional pocket at his waist.
Then he took out the Anywhere Door, placed it against the nearby wall, and, pulling Reyna, vanished into it.
By the alley,
Dixus was bathed in blood, a frenzied smile on her face, her eyes filled with the exhilaration brought by battle.
Seven or eight Pureblood genestealers' heads were thrown behind her, piled into a small mound.
Harvesting heads, bringing death, was always so exhilarating.
This made Dixus feel as if she was being blessed by the Emperor!
Unfortunately, the side effects of the drug were gradually manifesting, and a sense of fatigue was slowly emerging in Dixus' muscles.
This was still the result of Dixus' long training in body and drug resistance.
If it were an ordinary person, they would probably die from drug side effects within seconds of injection.
Just then, a sharp laser shot out, piercing one of the Pureblood genestealers beside Dixus.
Dixus turned her head and saw Alexander's Lion-like face nodding slightly at her from a distance.
She knew this meant the Genestealer leader's life had been taken.
A savage smile appeared on Dixus' lips, and seizing the last moments, she cut off another Pureblood Genestealers head.
Afterward, she and her sisters vanished like shadows into the alleyways.
One-Eye, wearing a fiber vest and a bulletproof vest, hid behind a factory pipe.
Beside him were members of the Ark Gang, or rather, they should now be called soldiers of the Ark Gang.
These young men were clad in PDF standard-issue gear, wielding various weapons produced by the Agrippina Forge World.
However, they had only received about a month of training, so their performance on the battlefield was just barely adequate and still a bit rusty.
But fortunately, they had a stronger will to fight than the PDF.
They believed in the Emperor and knew that fighting these blasphemous xenos was protecting their homes and lives.
Coupled with Reyna's extremely effective propaganda and speeches—One-Eye suspected psychic influence—these young men fought fearlessly, far better than the PDF, a bunch of good-for-nothing wastes whom the governor had raised to just fire a few shots and earn their pay.
governor Augustus Flax refused to transfer the PDF, only allowing them to guard him closely.
These PDF soldiers hadn't participated in any serious combat for decades, so even with good equipment and training, their combat will and actual combat capabilities must have steadily declined.
One-Eye had returned to the Upper hive twice and couldn't help but shake his head at the current state of the PDF.
On the other hand, he was increasingly satisfied with these young men from the Ark Gang.
"Sir!"
An Ark Gang member, clutching an Agrippina Pattern III autogun, shouted loudly:
"The GSC bastards are charging! Just as you predicted!"
A smile played on One-Eye's lips.
He knew that the genestealer in this factory had almost exhausted their bullets and supplies.
Launching a charge now was merely a desperate, futile attack.
Indeed,
After Alexander and his companions dealt with the so-called Genestealer leaders,
Although these blasphemous xenos still fought with almost no fear of death, their tactical and strategic abilities plummeted, and there was almost no coordination between them.
They had practically become a scattered mob, fighting no differently from Lower Nest gang thugs.
"Let's close the net."
One-Eye tossed aside the lho cigarette in his hand and, along with the Ark Gang members beside him, launched an attack.
Blood began to fill the factory, this time primarily from the genestealer.
"The genestealer in the fourth major district have also been cleared out; their last stronghold has been eradicated."
In the Ark Gang's stronghold, Reyna's lips curved into a smile.
"Hopefully, before the Sanguinius Festival arrives, we can reclaim another major district."
Ever since Alexander, Dixus, and she successfully assassinated the Genestealer leaders,
The tide of battle had indeed begun to turn.
Aside from a small number of elite genestealer units, most of the GSC had become scattered skirmishers with no coordination among themselves.
Meanwhile, the Ark Gang members, meticulously honed by One-Eye, grew increasingly skilled in combat.
Overall, the advantage in the battle was increasingly shifting towards the Ark Gang, with genestealer strongholds being rooted out in one major district after another.
Of course, in the front-line areas of combat, the Genestealer elite forces still possessed considerable fighting power.
Many Pureblood genestealers also began appearing on the battlefield.
They still held firm to several major districts centered around the Garbage Mountain and continuously harassed other districts.
The entire Lower Nest was engulfed in the flames of war.
Alexander sat beside Reyna, fiddling with the red cane in his hand.
He calculated the time, confirming that the city of Fordia was currently facing away from the Netherworld Star System's crimson sun, towards the outer reaches of the star system.
Recently, almost every day at this time, he had to perform one of his tests.
"Leviathan hive Fleet," Alexander said to the red cane.
The cane tilted sharply, pointing towards the sky.
This time, the degree of tilt was much smaller than yesterday, indicating that the Leviathan hive Fleet was getting closer.
Top hive,
In front of the massive airfield before the governor's palace,
Rows of PDF soldiers stood solemnly, clad in exquisite gear, like statues erected before the airfield.
Even though they had barely engaged in real combat for decades, allowing the Lower Nest to descend into chaos,
These PDF soldiers still adhered to daily training under the governor's almost rigorous demands.
This made them extremely proficient at standing guard, forming ranks, and exuding an aura of authority.
A seemingly imposing Planetary Defense Force could make governor Augustus Flax feel secure.
Augustus Flax manipulated the servo-skull, which looked almost identical to him, standing in the center of the PDF, watching the vast, empty airfield with vigilance and suspicion.
The ships around the airfield had been cleared, specifically to welcome the incoming person.
That person was coming at the behest of the High Lords of Terra.
It was said that this time, the High Lords of Terra, uncharacteristically, didn't bicker but decisively passed a resolution unanimously.
That is, to fully mobilize military forces near the Netherworld Star System to support the Netherworld Star System.
According to the intelligence Augustus Flax had already acquired,
Approximately two years ago, the Vitria Star System lost contact, with only a faint distress astropathic message transmitted.
This message was received by the Eleventh Storm Trooper Regiment, the "Eagles of Capec," whose commander, Storm Trooper Chief Uther Abraxas, led the starship *Punishment Measures* to Vitria to investigate, ultimately discovering that the entire star system had been devoured by the Tyranids.
After losing an arm, Uther Abraxas sent a warning to Terra:
"The Leviathan hive Fleet is attacking; their next target is the Netherworld Star System."
Two years later, this message, via the hands of the Inquisition, became known to the High Lord Council of Terra.
Fortunately, the High Lords understood the significance of the Netherworld Shield.
The greatest value of this star system was to serve as a fortress guarding the Baal Star System, and Baal was the Archangel's home, the homeworld of the Blood Angels.
In every sense, the High Lords could not stand by and watch the Netherworld Star System fall, and Baal be attacked by the Tyranid.
After dealing with other more important matters, the High Lords, uncharacteristically, unanimously passed the resolution,
To fully commit to holding the Leviathan hive Fleet in the Netherworld Star System until stronger defensive forces could be gathered on Baal.
Finally, after a hurried effort, Imperial reinforcements at last arrived in the Netherworld Star System before the Leviathan hive Fleet did.
Augustus Flax stood here, waiting to hand over his authority to the Astra Militarum commander.
According to Augustus Flax's knowledge,
The Astra Militarum forces arriving in the Netherworld Star System this time numbered approximately three million, but which specific unit it was, Augustus Flax was not privy to.
Augustus Flax composed himself.
Power would certainly be handed over, but he did not intend to hand over the PDF.
After all, he still needed the PDF to protect his crypt and his own safety.
Tiberius and Alexander, these two could come to kill him at any moment.
Thinking of Alexander, Augustus Flax's mouth twitched slightly.
He tried to contact the Inquisitor on Lexio.
But the news he received was that the governor on Lexio was suspected of having joined the GSC.
And that Inquisitor ignored even that, single-mindedly going to investigate some Goddess of Salt in the tides.
Even Battle Sister Magda Grace of the Order of the Sacred Rose had been taken away by him.
Augustus Flax's expression was a bit grim; it seemed now that to deal with Alexander, he could only start with the Astra Militarum commander.
Just as Augustus Flax was pondering,
A gust of hurricane-force wind swept across the airfield, and the clouds in the sky suddenly parted.
A Valkyrie gunship with dark green livery slowly emerged from the clouds, its surface covered in mottled traces left by war.
Additionally, two Vulture Valkyrie gunships, armed with Hellstrike missiles, formed a formation with it, appearing together in the sky.
Valkyrie gunship, Wings of the Emperor.
Augustus Flax thought, composing himself.
The dark green livery was weathered and ancient.
But it was impossible to tell which Astra Militarum unit it was; almost all Astra Militarum units that emulated the Cadian used this livery.
The Valkyrie gunship slowly descended onto the tarmac, its hatch opening, and a group of Astra Militarum infantry in dark green armor poured out.
They quickly formed a formation in front of the Valkyrie gunship.
At first glance, the equipment of these warriors was even less exquisite than the governor's PDF, almost all bearing mottled scars left by war.
But governor Augustus Flax couldn't help but straighten his back, not daring to show the slightest disrespect to the warriors before him.
Their eyes held a faint purple hue.
This was a mutation, a trait that should have been despised in the Imperium.
But now, these purple eyes almost signified that this was one of the most excellent Astra Militarum soldiers.
Purple eyes are a unique genetic mutation of the Cadian.
The Astra Militarum arriving in the Netherworld Star System was none other than the famous Cadian Shock Troopers.
Augustus Flax was slightly taken aback, as he knew that the fortress world of Cadia was also currently under attack.
A commander stepped down from the gunship.
He was about fifty years old, considered an old general, with graying hair cut short, close to his scalp.
Beneath his short hair, one eye had been replaced with a crimson bionic eye, while the other was the deep purple unique to the Cadian.
This commander, with the strong, disciplined stride that only rigorous training could produce, walked to Augustus Flax in the blink of an eye.
In front of this commander, Augustus Flax felt himself become extremely small.
"Mellon Drost."
The Astra Militarum commander introduced himself:
"In the Emperor's name, by order of the High Lords of Terra, I lead three million Cadian Shock Troopers and the Vostroyan Firstborn to support the Netherworld Star System."
"According to the High Lords' command, I will take over all ground command authority on your planet."
"May your planet stand firm, like Cadia."