Alexander tightened his fist, controlling his strength, and looked at the Termagaunt in front of him.
Compared to him, the Termagaunt's movements were incredibly slow, like a jammed film reel.
Only after truly using the item called Speed-up Clockwork did Alexander genuinely understand what "accelerating any action" meant.
Now, Alexander's movements, thoughts, and reactions were all accelerated.
Relative to the world, he felt like he was in fast-forward.
Tighten your fist, control your strength, don't turn it into a meat paste.
Alexander thought calmly.
The Superman Gloves could provide up to a hundred tons of strength, but the drawback was that it was difficult to control.
With the Speed-up Clockwork accelerating Alexander's actions, controlling his strength became even harder.
Before, he had accidentally turned Tyranid into meat paste.
Future Department Store's recycling depended on the condition of the items, and Tyranid turned into meat paste were basically sold at a dirt-cheap price.
Alexander took a deep breath and lightly threw a punch at the Termagaunt in front of him—
Bang!
Alexander's hand, wearing the Superman Gloves, struck the Termagaunt's head, causing an indentation to appear, and flesh splattered out.
The Termagaunt fell heavily to the ground, kicked its legs twice, and died.
Alexander let out a sigh of relief; he had finally hunted a Termagaunt intact.
This was roughly the right amount of force.
Thinking this, Alexander was about to reach out and stuff this almost complete Termagaunt into his four-dimensional pocket.
Several Rippers suddenly lunged from the ground, pouncing on the dead Tyranid, about to start devouring it.
A vein throbbed slightly on Alexander's forehead; that was his Termagaunt he had just killed!
"Mine! It's all mine, damn it!"
Alexander kicked away the pouncing Rippers:
"What class are you to compete with me for biomass?"
With that, Alexander, with lightning speed, stuffed the Termagaunt into his four-dimensional pocket.
[Item Name: Termagaunt ]
[Origin: Nether Shield Star System - Ashford Star - Tyranid Hatchery]
[Evaluation: A relatively low-level Tyranid, one of the cheapest units for the Tyranid. The firearm in its hand is actually a symbiotic organism. It has the effect of strengthening yang and nourishing the kidneys, making one's 'gun' stand firm, but is not suitable for consumption.]
[Production Time: 998.M41]
[Status: Slightly damaged]
[Value: 3000 Credits]
Alexander clicked 'sell' without hesitation, then took off, transforming into an afterimage and disappearing from his spot.
The Termagaunt was just a casual kill; his real target was...
Alexander continued to swing his fists, killing the Tyranid blocking his way, while searching for signs of a node organism within the Tyranid.
Where was the node organism leading this part of the Tyranid?
Node organisms were like mobile hotspots; just as electronic devices needed to connect to Wi-Fi to access the internet, low-level Tyranid relied on node organisms to connect to the hive mind.
As long as the node organism leading this part of the Tyranid was killed, the lower-level Tyranid in the Tyranid would fall into chaos or even attack each other, becoming no different from ordinary beasts.
The Cadian Shock Troopers could also take this opportunity to wipe out the chaotic Tyranids.
Since stepping onto the front line, Alexander had been hunting node organisms within the Tyranid.
This was both to create opportunities for the Cadians and because node organisms were generally more valuable and durable, resulting in better condition when finally sold.
Alexander casually killed two Termagaunts and stuffed them into his four-dimensional pocket.
He had gone around this section of the Tyranid once already; why couldn't he find any node organisms?
"Overhead!" The voice of Sanguinius sounded in Alexander's ear.
Alexander suddenly looked up, feeling a gust of strong wind strike his face.
The beast spread its wings, letting out a piercing shriek, and two slender claws lunged at Alexander's face.
Alexander's body shifted slightly, transforming into an afterimage and dodging the attack.
At this moment, he also clearly saw who his attacker was.
A Tyranid Winged hive Tyrant!
It was a Tyranid covered in dark purple carapace, about two to three meters tall, with a slender body and two sharp claws.
Its posture exuded lightness, elegance, and danger, as if it were a carefully tuned killing machine.
Unlike other Tyranid, it only had two claws; the other two were replaced by a pair of massive wings.
The strongest subspecies among Tyranid Warriors were called Tyranid hive Tyrants.
They were often stronger, faster, and more dangerous.
And the Tyranid Winged hive Tyrant was a specialized hunter, even more dangerous and terrifying, with enhanced flight and speed based on the Tyranid hive Tyrant.
Alexander suddenly swung his fist at the Tyranid Winged hive Tyrant.
His speed, boosted by the Speed-up Clockwork, was already too fast for the naked eye to discern.
However, the Tyranid Winged hive Tyrant suddenly flapped its wings at the last moment, riding the wind straight into the clouds.
It was like a hawk circling in the sky, patiently waiting to hunt Alexander.
Alexander understood instantly that this was a unit specifically produced by the Tyranid hive mind to target him.
This was what the Leviathan hive Fleet excelled at: manufacturing corresponding units based on changes in the battlefield.
A smile played on Alexander's lips; it had indeed taken the bait.
The Tyranid Winged hive Tyrant flew high in the air, staring intently at Alexander on the ground.
Its flying height was about ten meters above the ground.
Because if it flew too high, it would be attacked by the anti-air firepower composed of Icarus anti-aircraft guns and Hydra anti-aircraft tanks.
As a higher-grade Tyranid node organism, the Tyranid Winged hive Tyrant was endowed with extremely high intelligence; it could understand the meaning of its existence and knew how to act.
Hunt, hunt that male bipedal hairless creature on the ground.
That creature had a negative impact on the Tyranid's feeding.
He was very fast, his punches had a hundred tons of power, and he accurately hunted node organisms within the Tyranid.
What troubled the Tyranid most was that this creature seemed to be using some method to snatch biomass that rightfully belonged to the Tyranid.
This was bad; it meant the opponent was not just prey.
The opponent was also a hunter, a predator, a competitor to the Tyranid.
Competitors were different from prey.
No matter how fiercely prey resisted, the Tyranid could always ensure that the biomass they ultimately harvested was greater than what was lost through precise manipulation and corpse recovery.
No matter what, the Tyranid always profited.
But competitors were different.
Whether it was those incorporeal Warp entities or those mechanical beings made entirely of steel,
whenever they fought them, the Tyranid often lost out.
The creature in front of him was the same; he possessed some means of making biomass disappear.
Even if the Tyranid eventually hunted him down, the lost biomass would not be recovered.
He must be eliminated as soon as possible to prevent further loss of biomass.
To eliminate him, the Tyranid had hatched the Tyranid Winged hive Tyrant.
Very fast? The Tyranid Winged hive Tyrant was also very fast.
Very strong? The Tyranid Winged hive Tyrant flew in the sky, beyond his reach.
And based on previous observations, the hive mind had confirmed that his physical strength was very low.
As long as one weakness was seized, the Tyranid Winged hive Tyrant could pounce and kill him—
The sound of wind whistled in the Tyranid Winged hive Tyrant's ears.
The Tyranid Winged hive Tyrant hurriedly dodged.
However, Alexander took less than half a second to appear in front of it.
The unprepared Tyranid Winged hive Tyrant had no time to dodge.
At the last moment, the Tyranid Winged hive Tyrant only managed to clearly see a small yellow propeller on Alexander's head.
The intelligence and knowledge bestowed upon it by the Tyranid could not comprehend how such a small device could provide the creature in front of it with enough lift to ascend ten meters in less than half a second.
So he could fly; he intentionally hid this ability to make the hive mind produce the wrong unit.
As the Tyranid Winged hive Tyrant realized this, Alexander's fist was already in front of it.
It will definitely be useful next time!
The Tyranid Winged hive Tyrant thought so.
Then its head was struck by Alexander's fist, bursting into a bloody mist.
Alexander grabbed the headless corpse of the Tyranid Winged hive Tyrant and stuffed it into his four-dimensional pocket.
[Item Name: Tyranid Winged hive Tyrant]
[Origin: Nether Shield Star System - Ashford Star - Tyranid Hatchery]
[Evaluation: A Tyranid node organism, a Tyranid hive Tyrant specialized in flight and speed, one of the most dangerous hunters on the battlefield. Sweet and mild in nature, it replenishes liver and kidney, boosts qi and blood, nourishes yin and clears deficiency heat; not suitable for consumption. Recommended prescription: hive Tyrant White Phoenix Pills.]
[Production Time: 998.M41]
[Status: Wait, wait, if you go any further, you might also be headless.]
[Value: 450,000 Credits]
Alexander's lips twitched slightly.
The Tyranid hive Fleet, especially the Leviathan hive Fleet, was particularly good at hatching Tyranid based on battlefield needs.
This was usually an advantage.
But the problem was that in an emergency, the Leviathan hive Fleet couldn't redesign a Tyranid to hatch.
It had to choose the most suitable unit from previously designed ones to hatch.
This meant that if someone had a sufficient understanding of Tyranid, and even knew the common units used by the Tyranid, then they could guess what kind of units the Tyranid would hatch and deploy based on the abilities they displayed, the battlefield situation, and the Tyranid's goals.
They could even guide the hive mind to hatch specific units.
In other words, Alexander could 'order' dishes, asking the hive mind to 'freshly fry two dishes' for him.
He deliberately lured the Tyranid hive mind into hatching a flying node organism unit, waiting to ambush it with the Take-copter.
The Take-copter's speed was eighty kilometers per hour, not particularly fast, but it didn't need to accelerate to reach this speed.
Alexander could instantly fly at eighty kilometers per hour.
With anti-air suppression, the Tyranid couldn't fly too high.
Unless the hive mind went all out and directly threw out a winged hive Tyrant to deal with Alexander, otherwise, the Take-copter, which could ascend more than twenty meters in one second, was enough to instantly kill most Tyranid flying units.
Of course, after doing this once, the hive mind would definitely be more cautious next time.
Alexander's lips curved; he still had a few ideas already implemented, specifically targeting different Tyranid units, wanting to see if he could trick the hive mind again.
Just then, Alexander noticed a flare slowly rising from the Cadian Shock Troopers' position.
Alexander saw the flare rise, his body moved slightly, turning into an afterimage and disappearing among the Tyranid.
In the blink of an eye, he was back among the Cadian lines.
This Cadian position was built against a garbage mountain, with various obstacles placed in the narrow passages. A large number of Cadian hid behind the obstacles, tearing thousands of small Tyranid into pieces with concentrated lasgun fire.
Lyttin snipers hid in high places, trying to target the node organisms hidden deep within the Tyranid horde.
Of course, most of the node organisms had been hunted by Alexander.
Precisely because of this, the Cadian's pressure was greatly reduced.
Most of the time, they only needed to hold out until Alexander dealt with the node organisms, and then clear out the Tyranid that fell into chaos after the node organisms died.
Only on rare occasions would they face any escaped node organisms.
Even so, the Cadian still had to face Tyranid that outnumbered them several times over.
And Alexander could only protect one position, barely ensuring that the side of the garbage mountain in the thirteenth district would not be breached by the Tyranid.
The situation in other major districts must be much worse.
"Champion!" A short Lyttin ran over to Alexander's side.
Alexander was startled for a moment, realizing that this Lyttin was the marksman who had previously lost to him.
Seeing Alexander's expression, the Lyttin knew that Alexander recognized him.
"Hobien of the Swift-Handed Auxiliaries, your defeated opponent," the Lyttin introduced himself.
He pointed to the Cadian currently engaged in combat and said:
"You see, the Cadian are temporarily unable to spare any hands."
"Instead, all of our Lyttin's work has been taken by you, old man."
Hobien grinned and said, waving for Alexander to follow him:
"The general and the others have already arrived."
Alexander nodded slightly and followed Hobien into a small hut half-buried deep within the garbage mountain.
The location of this hut was extremely hidden; if one didn't know of its existence beforehand, it would be very difficult to discover.
The Cadian Shock Troopers found this hut and made it their command post because Reyna, as the Zealous Thief, had used it as a hideout, and she had told Alexander its location when she was in the Bottom Nest.
Alexander squeezed through a small hole made of stacked garbage and entered the hut.
General Drost and Reyna were gathered around a table inside the hut, with a map laid out on it.
"Feeling better?" Alexander asked Reyna after entering the hut.
"Much better, Kimmy," Reyna turned her head, her voice a little stiff as she spoke.
"Huh?" Alexander was stunned by Reyna's words.
"Minos, my language function is still a bit disordered, Mambo." Reyna's words were interspersed with several meaningless words.
Clearly, she hadn't fully escaped the effects of the Warp Shadow on her.
When speaking, she would unconsciously interject some meaningless syllables.
"Pfft!" Alexander couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"You bastard, Aminos!" Reyna's words became even more jumbled as she saw Alexander laugh.
Alexander smiled, no longer teasing her, and walked to the table to look at the map.
"How many areas do we still control now?" he asked General Drost.
"Districts Six, Seven, and New Eight have all fallen; Districts Fifteen, Twenty-six, and Thirty-five are on the verge of falling."
"Districts Twelve, Fourteen, and Thirty-three are in bitter fighting and are not expected to hold out much longer."
"And eight other major districts were actively abandoned by us due to tactical needs."
General Drost said, pointing to the map, drawing a circle on it to represent the areas currently under the control of the Cadian Shock Troopers.
Approximately forty percent of the Lower Nest had fallen, and the entire Cadian Shock Troopers' defensive line had rapidly shrunk.
And the thirteenth district, where Alexander was located, had become a protruding salient.
"You are truly the most excellent warrior I have ever seen. Even many Astartes are far inferior to you."
General Drost couldn't help but praise:
"You actually managed to lead the thirteenth district to hold out for so long."
The thirteenth district was extremely important in the plans of General Drost and Alexander.
Because the garbage mountain here directly connected with the hive city outskirts, a large number of Tyranid drop pods would be released in the hive city suburbs.
As long as the thirteenth district could be held, the majority of the Tyranid forces would be unable to enter the interior of the hive city, and the defensive pressure on other areas would be much lighter.
Similarly, the time for personnel evacuation from within the hive city would be more ample, leaving less biomass for the Tyranid.
However,
"However, the retreat will also be soon," Alexander said, looking at the map.
The two major districts near the thirteenth district, the twelfth and fourteenth districts, were also in poor condition.
The Tyranid, of course, also realized the strategic value of the thirteenth district. Since they couldn't take the thirteenth district, they would concentrate the Tyranid that had fallen into the hive city to attack the two nearby major districts.
If the twelfth and fourteenth major districts were breached, the thirteenth district would be completely isolated.
Alexander would have to face attacks from both the front and the back, and he couldn't split himself in two, only able to defend one front.
It was time for the thirteenth district to be abandoned.
However, after abandoning it, the Tyranid would gain no advantage.
The thirteenth district was mainly divided into two parts: one was the garbage mountain, and the other was the parish of the Dying-worshippers.
When it was time to retreat, the Cadian would transform the garbage mountain into a minefield.
The Tyranid would have to pay a considerable price before they could pass through the garbage mountain and reach the parish of the Dying-worshippers.
What was in the parish of the Dying-worshippers? The answer was nothing.
Due to the doctrines of the Dying-worshippers, their entire parish was almost the least densely populated area of the hive city.
The people had almost all died, and even the flesh had been scraped clean, leaving only a pile of bleached bones.
At Alexander's request, the Dying-worshippers had placed small bombs inside these bones.
When the Tyranid entered, these bones would explode in front of them, striving to leave not even a single bone for the Tyranid.
The Tyranid were like a group of starving ghosts who hadn't eaten for three days and three nights.
They went to great lengths, traversed the minefield, and sacrificed a large number of units, finally prying open the thirteenth district, this tantalizing lunchbox.
Then, they would discover that this lunchbox was empty.
Let alone biomass, not even a single bone was left for them.
The biomass consumed earlier would not be replenished at all; the Tyranid would suffer a pure loss in the thirteenth district.
Alexander hoped to use this method to make the hive mind begin to resent him.
Most units in the Tyranid had no consciousness, emotions, or souls.
Because of this, many people overlooked a fact: the hive mind was not an absolutely rational entity.
In fact, it possessed emotions and desires.
It was ravenous, insatiably greedy, it had desires and impulses, it even got carried away.
It would roar in victory, rage in defeat, fume over wasted biomass, and be troubled by wars with no end in sight.
The more biomass invested, the smaller the return, and the more impatient the hive mind would become.
It would also increasingly hate and desire to eliminate individuals who caused it to waste biomass.
Alexander wanted to use this to gradually guide the hive mind, to make it hate him, despise him, and consider him extremely threatening.
And to make it deploy more units to deal with Alexander.
Anyway, Alexander would not die before exchanging for the anywhere door.
The more units the hive mind sent to deal with him, the greater his gains.
It could also, in turn, alleviate the pressure on others. Why not?
"Makabaka! Start organizing the retreat."
Reyna said, her words interspersed with meaningless syllables:
"I will use Seducer's Whisper to command the evacuation. Abba Abba!"
"There's no need for that; the Cadian know how to take care of themselves." General Drost rejected Reyna's suggestion.
"Besides, if you release Seducer's Whisper now, I'm afraid everyone won't be able to help but laugh out loud." Alexander patted Reyna's back and said.
Reyna's expression suddenly twisted and twitched.
The three put away the map and left the small hut, heading to the outside position to command the Cadian Shock Troopers' evacuation.
The Tyranid would certainly not miss this opportunity to attack, but what Alexander truly cared about was not this.
Alexander glanced at the shadow beside him, nodding slightly towards it.
The Cadian knew how to take care of themselves.
Reyna quickly understood the meaning of this statement.
To be honest, Reyna had only witnessed gang warfare, so the sight before her somewhat exceeded her comprehension.
Amidst the garbage mountain, the Cadian began an orderly retreat.
Whether it was collecting supplies, covering the rear, or providing artillery cover, the Cadian moved with the fastest actions.
Every one of their movements seemed ingrained in their genes; every soldier appeared perfectly in the correct position.
The most dangerous task was covering the main force's retreat; they had to hold their lasgun and withdraw from the front line at the very last moment.
But these warriors showed no hesitation, shouting "Cadia Stands!" as they charged towards the attacking Tyranid.
"These are the Cadian Shock Troopers, one of the finest mortal forces under the Emperor." Alexander said, standing beside Reyna.
"One of?!" General Drost's mouth curved into a smile, but his tone carried dissatisfaction: "Be confident, we are the best."
"Is that so? I do support the Cadian, but the Tempestus Scions, the Death Korps of Krieg, and the Catachan Jungle Fighters also have their own supporters."
Alexander's gaze swept around as he smiled at General Drost and said:
"And the units commanded by those legendary commissars, like Commissar Cain's Valhallan 597th Ice Warriors and Commissar Yarrick's Armageddon Steel Legion, are also very famous."
"They are indeed all excellent and worthy of respect," General Drost chuckled several times and said, "but they are not Cadian."
"My point is, if they were Cadian, they would be even better."
As he spoke, General Drost leaned closer to Alexander, quietly asking, without changing his expression, "It should be here, right?"
"Almost," Alexander nodded slightly.
His senses, enhanced by the Emperor's blessing, vaguely detected a slight anomaly in the surrounding light and shadow.
The hive mind indeed couldn't bear to let the three of them go, to let go of Ashford's current three leaders.
The sound of claws tearing through the air rang out, stabbing fiercely towards Alexander's neck—
The surrounding light and shadows began to waver unnaturally, and invisible, wind-like blades pierced out from behind Alexander, aiming for his neck.
The creature hidden within the flowing light and shadows had calculated everything perfectly.
Its movements, timing, and position were all flawless.
It would take the life of the creature before it—
Rip!!!
A sharp rapier shot out from the shadows, colliding with its sharp claws.
The clang of metal reverberated, echoing continuously through the garbage mountains.
The light and shadows on the Tyranid attempting to assassinate Alexander rippled, momentarily revealing its true form.
It was a lean and agile Tyranid, wielding sharp, scythe-like claws and a proboscis covered in tendrils around its mouth.
Its eyes glowed like rubies, filled with killing intent and fury.
A Lictor!
One of the most exceptional assassins among the Tyranid, it had come to decapitate Alexander, General Drost, and Reyna.
As expected, one of the things the Tyranid hive mind was best at was this.
When the three appeared together, it would never miss such an opportunity.
But unfortunately, Alexander also had an excellent master assassin on his side.
Dixus appeared from beside Alexander like a shadow, dressed in a paint black leather suit and wielding two sharp rapiers, her cold gaze revealing layers of deathly intent.
She was the most outstanding creation forged by Ashford's Dying-worshippers, an assassin who acted on the will of the God of Death.
She had followed Alexander's orders from the beginning, hiding in the darkness, waiting for the Lictor to expose itself.
Not only that, but Alexander had also used the Speed-up Clockwork on Dixus.
This already agile and swift assassin was now even faster and sharper.
The Lictor's figure was only revealed for less than a second; in a flash, the light and shadows flowed, and it was about to disappear back into its chameleonic carapace.
Dixus didn't give it that chance.
The injector hidden beneath her leather suit activated, and drugs and hormones, almost reaching the human body's tolerance limit, were injected into her.
Veins bulged on her modified body, crawling over her like layers of curses, and blood filled the capillaries in Dixus' eyes.
In an instant, Dixus' eyes turned a terrifying blood-red.
The three present only saw Dixus flash like a shadow, and then witnessed ripples in the light and shadows, with the sound of metal clashing in the air.
Amidst the rippling light and shadows, the Lictor's figure was exposed once more.
Its sharp, scythe-like claws clashed with the slender steel rapiers in Dixus' hands.
Dixus' crazed face revealed a chilling killing intent; she was actually on par with this perfect biological weapon, debugged and designed by the Great Devourer.
"Death! Only sacrifice to Death! Only worship the God of Death and Doraemon!"
A roar filled with madness burst from Dixus' throat.
Her muscles suddenly tensed, clearly visible beneath her skin.
Her modified body exerted force, and more drugs were injected into her.
She roared, forcefully pushing aside the Lictor's two scythe-like claws.
"Ray!!! Hachimi!" Reyna roared, her voice mixed with disordered syllables.
A psychic lightning bolt pierced out from the void, striking directly at the exposed chest of the Lictor.
"Roar!!!" The beast let out a roar, twisting its body to try and dodge.
It had already realized that the roles of hunter and hunted had now reversed.
This was a trap that had been prepared long ago to deal with it.
"Hmph! Trying to run? Lion Flying Head Punch!"
The moment it dodged, Alexander's figure flashed, appearing beside it.
Alexander, wearing the Superpower Hat, instantly moved to the Lictor's side.
No matter how fast the Lictor was, it couldn't outrun instant teleportation.
The Lictor hastily extended its sharp claws to block Alexander's fist.
Its scythe-like claw then burst into meaty foam, flying through the air.
"Death God above! Doraemon's Chosen above!"
Dixus seized this moment, stomping heavily on the Lictor's chest, her blood-red eyes finding a weak point between the Lictor's bones and carapace.
The sharp rapier in her hand plunged into the Lictor's flesh, and the injector hidden within the rapier then injected potent neurotoxins into the Lictor's body.
The powerful neurotoxin, refined over generations by the Dying-worshippers, could make a person scream in agony until death with just a tiny amount.
However, against the Tyranid Lictor, its effect was much weaker; the Lictor only fell into a momentary stiffness.
Reyna seized this opportunity, pressing her psychic-infused arm heavily onto the Lictor's head.
Directly inserting one's consciousness into a Tyranid with psychic power was extremely dangerous.
But Reyna didn't intend to do that. Psychic power enhanced Reyna's nerves, and a series of short, intense neural electrical currents, infused with psychic power, pierced into the Lictor's brain.
The Lictor's body suddenly trembled and shook a few times.
But even so, the Lictor only fell into a momentary stiffness.
As one of the most dangerous creations of the Tyranid, it was incredibly robust and terrifying.
Moreover, death was not the end for the Lictor.
Its consciousness would not dissipate; its memories would be uploaded to the hive mind, and it would re-evaluate this failure and launch another hunt.
Alexander took advantage of the Lictor's momentary stiffness, grabbing its thigh and dragging it towards the four-dimensional pocket.
Before the Lictor could react, Alexander forcefully stuffed it into the four-dimensional pocket.
The Lictor's crimson eyes stared blankly at the deep, hollow void before it.
It realized that its connection with the hive mind had been severed.
Then, it vanished into the dark, deep void.
[Item Name: Lictor]
[Origin: Nether Shield Star System - Ashford Star - Tyranid Hatchery]
[Description: An assassin among the Tyranid, a top-tier hunter hidden in the gaps of light and shadow, patient and dangerous. Sweet and salty in taste, warm in nature, it has the effects of calming convulsions, detoxifying, and reducing swelling. It can be used to treat infantile convulsions, hemorrhoids, and athlete's foot. Not suitable for consumption.]
[Production Time: 998. M41]
[Status: Disabled, Living]
[Value: 500,000 credits]
The hive mind loomed like a shadow over the entire Netherworld Star System.
Its will, like tentacles, seeped from the void into the body of every node creature, and from every node creature, it extended to every Tyranid.
Whether it was a bio-titan or the smallest Ripper, every Tyranid was a part of it, a tentacle extending from it.
Driven by hunger, it moved these tentacles, devouring the biomass on the five planets in the star system.
So hungry, so hungry, so hungry.
The hive mind restlessly wriggled its tentacles; on all five planets, its tentacles encountered resistance.
Especially on the planet with the most abundant biomass.
Through the eyes and ears of the Tyranid, through the memories of the genestealer,
the hive mind knew the name of this planet: Ashford.
On this planet, the hive mind encountered a competitor.
An entity also devouring biomass, a greedy creature similar to itself, snatching the biomass that should have belonged to it.
Was he also hungry? Did he also crave to feed?
To deal with him, the hive mind first hatched a winged Tyranid hive Tyrant.
But it was deceived; he seemed to understand the Tyranid, setting a trap to prey on the valuable hive Tyrant.
So this time, the hive mind hatched a Lictor to confront him.
It wanted to devour his flesh and blood.
However, the Lictor also failed, but this was within expectations.
Although biomass would be lost, the Lictor's memories would return to it.
It would gain experience from fighting him and could apply it more effectively in the next encounter.
Hmm?
Hmm???
Hmm?!!!
Where are my Lictor's memories? Where is my Lictor's consciousness? Where is the experience I could definitely use next time?
The hive mind vaguely realized that its connection with that Lictor had been severed.
Did it die?
Why didn't its memories and consciousness return to it?
Through that Lictor, the hive mind only felt that it seemed to have been swallowed by some cold, deep, dark, pocket-like maw. Perhaps that was his feeding apparatus.
But why, after the Lictor was preyed upon by him, were no memories or consciousness transmitted back? Could it be...
Could it be that he could even eat memories and consciousness?!
The hive mind was quite shocked.
On Lexio, High Sister Magda raised her bolt pistol, aiming at the head of the ferocious Tyranid before her.
The Battle Sisters assisting her in combat had cut off the blasphemous xenos' sharp claws with their power swords, and Sister Magda had left another fatal wound on its chest with her Chainsword.
However, this monster showed no fear; it stared intently at her.
Its crimson, jewel-like eyes held killing intent and hatred.
It definitely recognized her.
High Sister Magda thought to herself.
This monster was probably the same Lictor she had killed twice before.
"A third time."
High Sister Magda said softly:
"There will be a fourth time."
"Xenos, you can return again and again."
"And in the name of the Emperor, we can punish you again and again."
The sound of the bolt pistol rang out, and the blasphemous xenos fell.
High Sister Magda couldn't help but let out a breath.
Though she said that...
If Lord Alexander hadn't warned her in advance,
High Sister Magda might not have noticed that this Lictor had been lurking beside her all along.
"High Sister, a communication from Ashford," a Battle Sister said, coming to Magda's side.
High Sister Magda nodded slightly, then walked to the communicator.
The circular screen flickered with crackling light, and the faces of General Drost, Alexander, and Reyna appeared within it.
High Sister Magda gave the three an aquila salute.
"How is the battle, the three of you?" High Sister Magda asked.
"A good start." General Drost rubbed his eyes with his bony fingers.
He was one hundred and eighty years old and had witnessed countless wars, but the war on Ashford still left him weary.
If not for Alexander's performance in the thirteenth district, he would probably be even more exhausted.
"The artillery I arranged on the Ringworld intercepted the Tyranid reinforcements for a long time, which gave us… and you… an opportunity."
General Drost said in a deep voice:
"The main Tyranid forces landed in the hive suburbs, and Mister Alexander led his troops to intercept them. By the time they retreated, the Tyranid had only gained an empty district, which taught the Tyranid a painful lesson."
"Furthermore, we were targeted by a Lictor's assassination."
Hearing the words 'Lictor', High Sister Magda's heart leaped.
She said in a low voice, "It will come again, time and time again, constantly assassinating you."
High Sister Magda had such a Lictor as an opponent.
It had been relentlessly pursuing her since she was a young sister.
Just now, she had killed it again.
"It won't," Alexander said calmly.
"It won't?" High Sister Magda was startled.
She wanted to tell Alexander that a Lictor could revive repeatedly.
But then she remembered that Alexander was actually the one who told her this.
"You… you truly killed a Lictor? Its consciousness didn't return to the hive mind?"
High Sister Magda couldn't suppress her shock.
She couldn't imagine how Alexander had accomplished it.
Alexander merely smiled faintly and shook his head, indicating that this was something only he could do, and High Sister Magda had no possibility of replicating it.
High Sister Magda could only sigh.
"We still hold four-tenths of the Lower Nest urban area and have used it to resist the first wave of the Tyranid invasion. What about you?" General Drost asked.
High Sister Magda sighed, "Thanks to the Emperor's grace, it's good overall."
"I persuaded the local nomads, those who don't believe in the Adeptus Ministorum and the Emperor. The Adeptus Ministorum had originally approved me to purge them if necessary."
"But now I've become their protector. Their massive crawling machines and our Rhino transports formed a convoy, moving while fending off the Tyranid descending from the sky, but there were too many of them, and our firepower wasn't sufficient."
"Finally, my Seraphim squad had no choice but to fly into the air with jump packs and engage the Tyranid flying creatures there."
"Fortunately, we managed to resist the invasion and began to evacuate towards the starport."
At this point, High Sister Magda Grace's weathered face showed a sorrowful smile:
"It's truly ironic to say, but the nomads witnessed me killing the Lictor."
"This was exactly like their legend of a Saint slaying the Chameleon Dragon."
"They now call me Saint Grace, Saint Grace the Chameleon Slayer."
High Sister Magda couldn't help but laugh at the irony of the situation:
"Can you believe it? Not long ago, they called me a butcher, insulting, disliking, and distrusting me."
"Now they fully believe in me, without a single complaint."
"When I said I hoped they would believe in the Emperor, they responded enthusiastically. For a long time, I had been trying to break their superstitious beliefs, but I didn't expect it to bear fruit at this time."
"Perhaps this is the Emperor's will," Reyna suddenly said.
Coincidentally, she too had, under a series of miraculous coincidences, created the Ark Gang, allowing them to now fight alongside the Astra Militarum in the Lower Nest.
These gang members would evacuate civilians, assist in combat, guide the Astra Militarum through complex alleys, and point out potentially infiltrated conduits.
"That must be the best arrangement." A faint smile appeared on High Sister Magda's lips: "Regardless, I will protect these nomads."
"What about the others? How are they doing?"
High Sister Magda was asking about the status of the garrisons on other planets.
General Drost could only shake his head with a hint of helplessness: "I don't know."
"I haven't been able to establish communication with the commanders and soldiers on other planets."
"Instead, Perdita, that death world…"
General Drost paused, giving High Sister Magda time to recall information about that death world.
Perdita was the outermost planet of Ashford, a cold death world with barely breathable atmosphere, but its severe cold could still claim all life.
There were no residents living on it, making it a worthless target for the Tyranid.
But Alexander played a trick. He suggested to General Drost to gather all the serious criminals on Ashford and throw them all onto Perdita.
The hungry Tyranid would certainly not pass up these delicious biomasses, and part of their fleet would be attracted there.
The garrisons on other planets could reduce some of their pressure.
"I received word that the cargo holds carrying the serious criminals have been dropped onto Perdita," General Drost said.
This meant Alexander's plan had succeeded.
Knife-like, freezing gales swept through the dry, black stone mountains, cutting into Ivanka, making him feel as if he was being stabbed by a thousand gang thugs.
He curled up, huddled by the wreckage of the cargo hold, trying to conserve his body heat as much as possible.
"Bastards… which heartless wretch did this…"
Even as the cold continuously gnawed at him, Ivanka couldn't help but curse:
"Throwing us into this godforsaken place to attract those xenos' attention, it's utterly despicable!"
Ivanka knew his fate.
Either he would die in this freezing wind, or he would become food for the xenos invading the Netherworld Star System.
Ivanka felt like crying but couldn't.
He truly was an unlucky fellow.
Ivanka thought about it; his bad luck could be traced back to the Old Eight District.
He was originally a small leader in a hive city gang, ordered by his boss to lead a group of people to excavate the buried Old Eight District.
Who knew that a terrifying cultist, looking like a lion, would appear?
He not only held Ivanka hostage through the gang's stronghold but also pulled out a strange golden ring and immediately burrowed into the Old Eight District.
By the time Ivanka rushed to dig open the Old Eight District and found the PDF stronghold inside… it had already been cleared out.
Realizing that his gang boss would never let him go, Ivanka immediately decided to run away.
He first used old connections to find a way to the Bottom Nest, planning to flee there.
Who knew that before he even got there, both the Four-Armed God-Emperor Cult bishop and the mutant leader of the Bottom Nest were killed, and the entire Bottom Nest fell into chaos.
Even boatman, who was supposed to meet him, was inexplicably killed.
What terrible luck!
Ivanka gritted his teeth and had no choice but to take a risk and sneak into the Upper hive.
As a result, the Ninth District was completely sealed off due to some heretical corruption, and even the church was torn down.
Ivanka was extremely unlucky and was caught red-handed by a Battle Sister named Adeleide.
Then Ivanka underwent an extremely painful interrogation. After being confirmed not to be a heretic, he was thrown into a cell originally reserved only for serious criminals.
What rotten luck!
Even worse luck was that,
Some heartless wretch, who knows who, actually advised an Astra Militarum general,
To package all of them, the serious criminals, and throw them onto Perdita, this death world, to attract the xenos' attention.
Unluckier than ever!
Ivanka clenched his teeth.
He now wished he could strangle the people who had ruined him.
That lion-like cultist, the guy who killed the Four-Armed Emperor bishop and the mutant leader, the person who caused the Ninth District lockdown, and the one who suggested sending serious criminals to Perdita to the Astra Militarum general.
These four bastards… Ivanka truly wished he could kill them all, one by one!
As Ivanka was cursing, a freezing gale blew, stabbing into Ivanka's body like a thousand knives.
Ivanka quickly hugged his arms, continuing to shiver and huddle in the corner of the damaged cargo hold.
Many such cargo holds had been thrown onto Perdita.
Some lucky serious criminals might have undamaged cargo holds, which could still, to some extent, block the cold wind.
But Ivanka clearly didn't have such good fortune.
He had always been inexplicably unlucky.
Ivanka huddled his body. He wanted to cry, but the icy wind dried his eyes, and he couldn't shed a single tear.
He vaguely remembered his father, that honest, simple hive city worker.
Ivanka's father had long since cut ties with him. He didn't want to see Ivanka become a gang thug.
Ivanka also didn't want to be a hive city worker sweating in scorching factories, then have a child and let him continue to be a worker.
But if he could choose again, Ivanka would rather be a worker.
In the cold wind, he even began to like the scorching factories in his memory.
He also missed his father, that taciturn but devoutly Emperor-worshipping hive city worker.
That tall, thin father who worked diligently for the Emperor and his family.
Tall and thin.
Ivanka blinked in confusion. He seemed to see several tall, thin figures appearing in the distance.
They flickered in and out of view in the cold wind, but their steps were unusually firm, as if the cold wind couldn't affect them at all.
Did these people have cold-resistant clothing and equipment?
A look of joy appeared on Ivanka's face.
Did this mean he was still saved?
Ivanka quickly got up, fearing these people wouldn't notice him.
"I'm here! There's someone here!!!"
He waved his arms, shouting loudly as he ran towards the figures.
As he approached, the blurred figures in the dim light gradually became clearer.
Ivanka's steps halted.
They were a group of skeletons made of pale metal, emitting an eerie orange-yellow glow, clad in human flesh stained with blood.
"Holy shit, this is truly unlucky."
These were the last words of Ivanka's life, as a beam of light shot towards him.