In the core area of the Hive, dozens of massive Drones moved back and forth, transporting fresh fragments of human remains. A giant bio-pool surged and bubbled, constantly digesting the organic matter within.
Alexei watched the scene with a look of excitement. As the last corpse was cast into the bio-pool, the progress bar on the transparent panel before him finally filled to the brim.
With a simple thought, a Zerg creature—far larger, more twisted, and more formidable than its in-game counterpart—slowly emerged. It was covered in heavy chitinous plating and countless wriggling appendages.
This was clearly Abathur, the Overmind's chief genetic engineer and the Evolution Master of the Swarm.
As the monstrous organism emitted strange, guttural sounds, its voice manifested directly inside Alexei's mind: "Master. Abathur. Loyal to you."
"Abathur, can you upgrade the Swarm here?" Alexei asked, curiously eyeing the massive creature.
"Swarm. Inefficient. Primitive. Requires vast biomass," Abathur's voice echoed in his brain. "Detected quality genetic sequences. Can utilize. Perfect. Evolution."
Quality genes? Alexei pondered Abathur's words. Is he referring to the Genestealers?
Unfortunately, he was currently short on biomass. What should I do? Alexei sank into thought, his gaze inadvertently brushing past the house where the Enforcer was held.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. An idea took hold. "I've got it!"
Inside the room, Kaider huddled in a corner, watching Alexei enter with a sinister smile. The Enforcer looked wary. "What do you want? You damned heret—"
Thump! With a heavy blow, Kaider's vision went black as he collapsed. Alexei quickly set to work, stripping the damaged equipment from the man's body.
A short while later, Alexei looked at the relatively intact Enforcer gear in his hands and nodded with satisfaction. He was even "thoughtful" enough to leave behind two pieces of tattered clothing that were barely wearable.
"Six flamethrowers, six heavy stubbers, and thirty-seven functional autoguns." Alexei crouched, counting the captured weaponry.
He planned to trade this equipment with Underhive gangs for fresh corpses. In the Underhive, bodies were ridiculously abundant—so much so that if left unmanaged for a few days, they could trigger horrific plagues.
"Perfect!" Alexei stood up and clapped his hands, a satisfied expression on his face. The next step was choosing a trading partner.
The name of a gang he had encountered when he first arrived in this world came to mind: [Sons of Rust]. Alexei walked toward the location of an Overlord to make final preparations.
The Underhive, Chris's Tavern
As the only tavern in the territory of the Sons of Rust, the owner's moonshine wasn't half bad—even if it was heavily watered down at times.
Most gang members and local laborers would come here for a drink whenever they had a bit of spare coin. It was one of their few forms of recreation. Unfortunately, their rest was interrupted today.
Bang! A man dressed in a damaged Enforcer uniform stepped into the tavern. The rowdy atmosphere fell silent instantly.
Alexei glanced around. Almost no one was willing to make eye contact with an Enforcer.
"My Lord, how... how can I help you?" The tavern owner approached with a fawning smile.
Looking at the man's nearly hairless scalp and a mouth full of decaying yellow teeth, Alexei let out a cold snort of disgust. The owner immediately understood and scurried back several steps.
Alexei turned his gaze toward a man sitting in the back of the tavern. He was the only one who dared to look him in the eye.
He knew who this man was: the boss of this territory, the leader of the Sons of Rust—Hordem Art.
Alexei had occasionally visited this tavern before. As one of the few places in the Underhive with edible (or drinkable) things, he would come here for a cup after a long day of scavenging.
During those visits, he had noticed this tall, burly bald man. Rumor had it he was a noble from the Hordem family of the Spire, who for some unknown reason had fled to the Underhive with a few followers to build his own power base.
Alexei walked over and stood by the table, staring directly into the man's eyes. Tension thickened the air, causing several people to lose their nerve and slip out of the tavern.
Eventually, Hordem Art was the first to lower his head. Recently, the "Skullcrushers"—the most powerful gang in the Underhive—had somehow angered the lords above.
A massive force of Enforcers had been sent down to suppress them, led by a Leman Russ Battle Tank that cleared the way. The gang leader's head was still hanging in his own territory as a warning.
Art decided it was best not to provoke the Enforcer in front of him. He had only just finished seizing most of the fallen gang's territory. Seeing the damaged gear on this man, Art suspected he might have participated in that very operation.
Thinking of this, Art let out a soft sigh and spoke. "My Lord, may I ask why you are looking for me?"
Alexei pulled out a chair and sat opposite the man. "I have been commissioned to make a deal with you." He paused, observing the other's expression. "I need a large quantity of fresh corpses. In exchange, I offer weapons."
Art didn't dismiss the idea. He nodded and asked, "What kind of weapons?"
"Flamethrowers, heavy stubbers, autoguns." Alexei tapped the table with his finger. "This is only the first transaction. If the 'Lord' I serve is satisfied, there will be further cooperation."
A look of interest appeared on Art's face. "May I ask—"
Alexei's face immediately darkened with a warning look, and his finger stopped tapping.
Seeing this, Art gave a sheepish smile. "Alright, alright. When and where for the trade?"
"Six bell-tolls from now, at the entrance of the large abandoned landfill tunnel on the edge of your territory." Alexei tilted his chin toward the direction behind Art.
"Very well, My Lord. I would be happy to cooperate." Art's attitude was very polite. After all, establishing a connection with an Enforcer was a rare stroke of luck in this hellish Underhive.
"By the way," Alexei suddenly leaned forward, lowering his voice. "Do you know anything about the Cult of the Twisted Helix (Evolution Cult)?"
Art was startled. "My Lord, you..."
Seeing Art's surprised expression, Alexei put a finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet. "Do you know where they are active?"
Art hesitated. He didn't want to provoke that group of strange, fanatical madmen.
Alexei gave a cold laugh and leaned back heavily in his chair. "This is important. If you can provide intelligence, that 'Lord' might even be able to return you to the Spire."
Art's eyes lit up instantly. "Understood, My Lord. I will provide a detailed map along with the delivery."
Before leaving, Alexei turned back with one final instruction. "Also... find me some toys for a little girl."
Ignoring the confused look on Art's face, Alexei walked out of the tavern.
Watching the crowds of diverse, strangely mutated humans passing by, Alexei felt that his plan was progressing quite successfully.