C'tan Shard

After the battle against the Great Unclean One Kugath, the veteran players reached level 10 one after another.

Having experienced so many battles, they had accumulated a large amount of Faith Points.

Most of the veteran players chose to exchange them for Gene-Seed to promote themselves to Astartes.

A small portion of players chose other paths.

For example, Old Bird chose brain enhancement and auxiliary brain implants, promoting himself to a Tech-Priest.

Little Fatty chose neural enhancement, preparing to follow the Knight path.

He planned to get his hands on an Imperator-class Titan to play with in the future.

Such choices were perfectly understandable.

Not everyone liked the idea of becoming an Astartes.

In the Warhammer 40K era, Astartes were considered precious.

But in the 30K era, their status was equivalent to that of elite grunts.

When fighting hard battles, they were used to fill the front lines, far less valuable than Knights or Titans.

The group of players who promoted to Astartes fully equipped themselves with power armor, Bolters, and Chainswords crafted by Priest Hina.

Although the power armor provided by Priest Hina was far inferior in performance to those produced by a Forge World, it was the only mass-produced model currently available to the players.

Most players did not have enough Contribution Points on hand and could only take out loans to purchase the new equipment.

Thus, the players who had just finished paying off the loans they took for previous enhancements found themselves saddled with a heavy new debt.

Jackdo, Tina, and the other Tech-Priests watched this scene and silently marveled at their loyalty.

Taking out loans to buy equipment, all to better serve the Omnissiah.

If this isn't loyalty, what is?

Do not ask what the Emperor can do for you, but ask what you can do for the Emperor.

After arming his adorable cattle-and-horse players, Qin Yun began to deal with the Genestealers.

Under the guise of a victory celebration, he ordered the Genestealer soldiers led by Griffin to leave their weapons and equipment at the camp and head to the assembly point empty-handed.

Subsequently, he arranged for the fully armed players and a group of absolutely loyal Imperial Guard soldiers to lie in ambush.

Once the time was right, they would execute all the Genestealer soldiers to prevent any chaos.

"Is this the Warhammer 40K version of 'summoning troops to the parade ground without armor'?"

Little Fatty, as the main force for suppressing the Genestealer soldiers, was dispatched to the plaza of Goliath Hive City.

He and his squad operated repaired and modified Heavy Exoskeleton Mechs, standing at a high vantage point.

They were just waiting for the Guide's order to slaughter the unarmed Genestealer soldiers in the plaza.

"This game truly shocks me for ten thousand years."

Spiky Hair complained.

Who would have thought that The Art of War could be used in a game!

The Guide must also be someone who loves ancient Terra culture.

After all, in the current Empire, they are always at war with xenos and daemons, rarely having use for such schemes and strategies.

Most wars consist of both sides constantly calling for reinforcements, fighting until the world is torn apart.

"Poor Genestealers, they definitely didn't expect humans to be so despicable." September Nine laughed.

On the other side.

Qin Yun was not idle either.

He took Ten-Timer, Brother Zhong, and other players who had promoted to Astartes straight to Tyreen Hive City.

To ensure the success of this operation, he requested that Von hand over military command to him.

Von did not question Qin Yun's approach and readily surrendered his military authority.

With everything ready, Qin Yun led his troops to board Valkyries and Transport Gunships, heading toward the target location.

They soon arrived at the perimeter of the abandoned factory where the Genestealer Patriarch and numerous Purestrains were hiding.

"Seal all entrances and exits. Do not let a single xeno escape."

Qin Yun issued the order.

The Imperial Guard moved quickly.

They drove tanks and infantry fighting vehicles to establish defensive lines at every tunnel exit, standing ready.

Once all entrances and exits were sealed, Qin Yun led the players and elite soldiers into the factory.

The abandoned factory was like a massive tomb.

The high, empty roof disappeared into the gloom.

The factory floor had once been home to a great deal of heavy industrial equipment.

Now, it was all abandoned, reeking of acidic oil and rotting metal.

Not long after they walked inside, a group of Hybrids lurking in the shadows launched a surprise attack on Qin Yun and his team.

Accompanied by the roar of Bolters and the flash of lasers, that batch of Hybrids was quickly struck down.

Qin Yun stepped on a Hybrid that still had three arms and was not yet dead.

Immediately, he used the skill Psychic Touch to read the creature's memories and thoughts.

The Hybrid was connected to a Psychic Network that encompassed every Genestealer on the entire planet.

The Patriarch hiding deep within the factory sensed Qin Yun's intent to enter the Psychic Network.

It immediately launched a mental attack, intending to wipe out Qin Yun's consciousness.

However, the next second, every Genestealer linked to the Psychic Network let out a painful shriek.

They had seen a Black Sun with edges radiating a golden glow.

A cold pressure, carrying an aura that could destroy all things, descended upon them.

Only the will of the Great Devourer could compare to this black sun.

Having gained the upper hand in the mental realm, Qin Yun locked onto the Patriarch's location in an instant.

He also learned the identities of every Genestealer hidden among the human upper echelons.

Among them were many important figures, and even the heads of powerful noble families.

"Found you."

After Qin Yun finished speaking, he aimed his Bolter at the now-useless Hybrid.

He pulled the trigger, and with a bang, he blew the creature's head into fragments.

Qin Yun took out a Data Slate, marked the main passages of the factory and the enemies' locations, and then assigned tasks to the players.

"Leave none alive. Move out."

As soon as Qin Yun's voice fell, the players excitedly went to carry out their missions.

"Fighting against aliens, just thinking about it is exciting."

"Me too. Back when I watched Alien vs. Predator, I imagined this kind of scene countless times."

"Help me take pictures later, I'm going to beg the group leader to see if he can post them for me."

"Heh heh, little aliens, the Predator Schwarzenegger is coming."

"."

Qin Yun shook his head, ignoring the goofy players, and strode toward the depths of the factory.

As he entered a dim corridor, strange hissing sounds erupted, and several Purestrains lunged out from the dark.

Purestrains possessed razor-sharp limbs and sturdy biological armor.

When in large numbers, they could even pose a threat to fully armed Astartes.

But in front of Qin Yun, they were like paper.

They were easily torn to shreds by the Chainsword in his hand.

After his promotion, his original two-handed sword, the Blade of Divine Judgment, had become a one-handed sword.

To compensate for his lack of reach in melee combat, Qin Yun had Priest Hina forge him a heavy two-handed Chainsword.

It was specifically designed to deal with large targets and groups.

Now, it was finally being put to good use.

The teeth of the Chainsword spun wildly, and amidst the roaring sound, flesh and blood sprayed like a rainstorm.

From time to time, Qin Yun would also use his own psychic powers to release Aether Shards.

This caused the heads of the Genestealers to explode one after another.

Or he would unleash a Psyker Flame Burst, turning all enemies into ash.

Before long, the attacking Purestrains had all been reduced to shattered flesh on the ground.

Qin Yun and his team continued to push deeper.

Enemies attacked them constantly along the way, and battle after battle ensued, leaving the ground littered with corpses.

Qin Yun even encountered a Genestealer Magus.

She was a female with a very beautiful appearance and possessed surging, powerful psychic energy.

Her appearance was no different from an ordinary human; if placed in a crowd, one would never be able to tell she was an alien.

She tried to stop Qin Yun, but the result was being pierced through the chest by the Chainsword and torn to pieces.

After yet another massive Genestealer Aberrant fell beneath Qin Yun's Chainsword, a heavy tremor began to ripple through the ground.

A behemoth standing six meters tall emerged from the darkness, appearing before Qin Yun.

It was the core of the Genestealer Cult, the Genestealer Patriarch.

It possessed a carapace as hard as diamond and four massive claws capable of tearing through vehicles.

The Patriarch stared fixedly at Qin Yun with eyes filled with hatred.

It launched an attack toward Qin Yun, its sharp claws easily leaving deep gouges in the steel walls.

Qin Yun met the charge, wielding his Chainsword.

He was no longer the rookie of the past, but a Living Saint possessing immense combat power and psychic abilities.

After a fierce battle, Qin Yun's chest was sliced open by his opponent.

But he also successfully severed the head of the Patriarch.

With corrosive blood spraying out, the massive, six-meter-tall body collapsed with a thunderous crash.

Without the Patriarch's mental control, the surviving Genestealers showed expressions of terror.

Driven by the instinctual fear of death, they turned and fled.

"Hunt them down, do not let a single one escape."

Qin Yun issued the order to Ten-Timer and the other players.

Over at Goliath Hive City.

Colonel Griffin and his subordinates had also been brutally slaughtered.

Little Fatty and the other players, along with the Imperial soldiers, opened fire the moment they received the order.

Many Genestealer soldiers were gunned down before they could even react.

"Why?"

"Why would you do this to us?"

Griffin had been struck by a bolter round, shattering half of his body.

He lay in a pool of blood, asking Aing in despair.

"Go to hell to find your answer, you ugly thing."

Aing pulled the trigger of his laspistol, executing him.

With the Patriarch dead, numerous Hybrids, Purestrains, and Genestealer soldiers who had infiltrated the Imperial military were massacred.

The remaining Genestealers hid in the deeper sewers, yet they could not escape their fate of being hunted down.

Meanwhile, Qin Yun led Von, Hydrak, and other high-ranking members to purge the corrupted noble families.

After a bloody storm, the Genestealer influence in Tyreen Hive City was completely eradicated.

Having dealt with the Genestealer threat, Qin Yun took the Warmaster, Magos Casca, and others to the ancestral mausoleum of the Valancius Family.

Upon learning of this, Von did not voice any objections.

He even took the initiative to act as their guide.

Having witnessed Qin Yun's ruthless efficiency in purging the Genestealers.

Von knew clearly that he had no choice but to bind himself completely to the other party.

Perhaps to protect the C'tan Shard, the mausoleum was equipped with numerous defensive mechanisms.

However, with Von as the family heir and Casca present as a Magos, most of the traps failed to serve any purpose.

Qin Yun successfully entered the mausoleum where the ancestors of the Valancius Family rested.

He gazed upon the C'tan Shard he had been longing for.