C'tan Shard

After the battle with the Great Unclean One Kugath, the veteran players gradually reached Level 10.

Having gone through so many battles, they had also accumulated a large amount of Faith Points.

Most veteran players chose to exchange them for Gene-Seed and advance into Astartes.

A small number of players chose other paths.

For example, Old Bird chose brain enhancement and an auxiliary brain implant, advancing into a Tech-Priest.

Little Fatty chose neural enhancement and prepared to follow the Knight path.

He planned to get himself an Imperator-class Titan to play around with someday.

There was nothing wrong with that choice.

Not everyone liked becoming an Astartes.

In the Warhammer Universe, Astartes seemed precious during the 40K era.

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

When it came to hard battles, they were used to fill the front lines, nowhere near as valuable as Knights or Titans.

The players who advanced into Astartes completely switched to the Power Armour, Bolters, and Chainswords crafted by Priest Hina.

Although the Power Armour provided by Priest Hina was far inferior to products from Forge Worlds,

it was currently the only mass-produced model available to players.

Most players did not have enough Contribution Points and could only take out loans to buy new equipment.

Thus, the players who had just paid off the loans they had taken for enhancements were once again burdened with heavy debt.

Seeing this, Jackdo, Hina, and the other priests silently marveled at their loyalty.

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

What was loyalty? This was loyalty.

Do not ask what the Emperor could give you. Ask what you could do for the Emperor.

After arming the adorable workhorse players, Qin Yun began dealing with the Genestealers.

Using a victory celebration as an excuse, he had the Genestealer soldiers led by Griffin leave their weapons and equipment in camp and gather at the assembly point unarmed.

He then arranged for fully armed players and a group of absolutely loyal Imperial soldiers to lie in ambush.

Once the time came, they would execute every Genestealer soldier and prevent any unrest.

"Is this the Warhammer 40K version of handing out pay on the parade ground without armor?"

As the main force assigned to suppress the Genestealer soldiers, Little Fatty was sent to the square in Goliath Hive City.

He and his squad operated repaired and improved Heavy Exoskeleton Mechs from an elevated position.

They only had to wait for the Guide's command before massacring the unarmed Genestealer soldiers in the square.

"This game has shocked me for ten thousand years."

Spiky Hair complained.

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

The Guide must also be someone who liked Ancient Terra culture.

After all, the present-day Imperium was always fighting xenos and daemons, so such schemes and strategies were rarely useful.

Most wars consisted of both sides constantly calling in more people and fighting until the world fell apart.

"Poor Genestealers. They definitely never imagined humans could be this despicable." September Nine laughed.

Elsewhere.

Qin Yun was not idle either.

He led Ten-Timer, Brother Zhong, and the other players who had advanced into Astartes straight toward Tyreen Hive City.

To ensure the operation went smoothly, he demanded that Von transfer military command to him.

Von did not question Qin Yun's decision and readily handed over military authority.

Once everything was ready, Qin Yun led the troops aboard Valkyries and Transport Gunships toward the target location.

They soon arrived outside the abandoned factory where the Genestealer Patriarch and many Purestrains were hiding.

"Seal every entrance and exit. Do not let a single xenos escape."

Qin Yun gave the order.

The Imperial Guard moved swiftly.

They drove tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, establishing defensive lines at every passage exit as they waited in full readiness.

Once every entrance and exit had been sealed, Qin Yun led the players and elite soldiers into the factory.

The abandoned factory was like a massive tomb.

Its lofty, empty ceiling vanished into the darkness.

Many heavy industrial machines had once been installed inside the factory.

Now they had all been abandoned, giving off the smell of acidic oil and decaying metal.

Not long after entering, a group of Hybrids lurking in the shadows launched a surprise attack on Qin Yun and the others.

Amid the roar of Bolters and flashes of lasers, those Hybrids were quickly brought down.

Qin Yun stepped on a three-armed Hybrid that was still barely alive.

He then used the skill Psychic Touch to read its memories and thoughts.

The Hybrid was connected to a Psychic Network containing every Genestealer on the planet.

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

It immediately launched a psychic attack, intending to erase Qin Yun's consciousness.

Yet in the next second, every Genestealer linked to the Psychic Network let out agonized screams.

They saw a black sun radiating golden light from its edges.

Its cold pressure carried an aura capable of destroying all things.

Only the will of the Great Devourer could rival that black sun.

With the advantage in the psychic realm, Qin Yun located the Patriarch in an instant.

He also learned the identities of every Genestealer hidden among humanity's upper ranks.

Among them were quite a few important figures, even the heads of influential noble families.

"Found you."

After saying that, Qin Yun aimed his Bolter at the Hybrid that had lost its value.

He pulled the trigger, and with a bang, blew its head into fragments.

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

"Leave none alive. Move out."

The moment Qin Yun finished speaking, the players eagerly went to carry out their tasks.

"Just thinking about fighting xenos gets me excited."

"Me too. Back when I watched Alien vs. Predator, I fantasized about scenes like this countless times."

"Help me take pictures later. I'll ask the group owner if they can help me post them."

"Hehehe, little xenos, Predator Schwarzenegger is here."

"..."

Qin Yun shook his head, ignored the goofy players messing around, and headed deeper into the factory.

As he entered a dim passageway, strange howls rang out and several Purestrains pounced from the darkness.

Purestrains possessed sharp limbs and sturdy biological carapaces.

In sufficient numbers, they could even threaten fully armed Astartes.

But before Qin Yun, they were as fragile as paper.

His Chainsword easily tore them into pieces.

After his advancement, the original Two-handed Sword, Blade of Divine Judgment, became a One-handed Sword.

To compensate for his lack of close-combat power, 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 proving its worth.

The Chainsword's teeth spun wildly, and amid its roar, flesh and blood sprayed like a torrential rain.

Qin Yun occasionally used his psychic power as well, releasing Aether Shards.

They blew apart the Genestealers' heads.

Or he released Psyker Flame Bursts, reducing all enemies to ashes.

Before long, every attacking Purestrain had become shattered flesh strewn across the ground.

Qin Yun and the others continued deeper.

Enemies attacked constantly along the way. One battle followed another, leaving corpses everywhere.

Qin Yun also encountered a Genestealer Magus.

She was a beautiful woman with surging, powerful psychic abilities.

She looked no different from an ordinary human. Placed in a crowd, no one would be able to tell she was a xenos.

She tried to stop Qin Yun, only to have her chest pierced by his Chainsword and be torn into pieces.

After another massive Genestealer Aberrant fell beneath Qin Yun's Chainsword,

heavy tremors began to shake the ground.

A six-meter-tall beast emerged from the darkness and appeared before Qin Yun.

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

It possessed diamond-hard carapace and four massive claws capable of rending vehicles apart.

The Patriarch stared at Qin Yun with eyes full of hatred.

It attacked Qin Yun, its sharp claws easily leaving long marks across the steel walls.

Qin Yun met it head-on with his Chainsword.

He was no longer the rookie he had once been, but a Living Saint with formidable combat power and psychic abilities.

After a fierce battle, Qin Yun's chest was slashed open.

But he also successfully cut off the Patriarch's head.

Corrosive blood erupted as the enormous six-meter body crashed to the ground.

Without the Patriarch's psychic control, the surviving Genestealers revealed terrified expressions.

Driven by their instinctive fear of death, they turned and fled.

"Hunt them down. Do not let a single one escape."

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

Over in Goliath Hive City,

Colonel Griffin and his men were also slaughtered.

The moment Little Fatty, the other players, and the Imperial soldiers received the command, they opened fire.

Many Genestealer soldiers were shot dead before they could even react.

"Why?"

"Why are you doing this to us?"

Griffin was hit by a Bolter round, and half his body was blown apart.

Lying in a pool of blood, he desperately questioned Aing.

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

Aing pulled the trigger of his Las-pistol and killed him.

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

The remaining Genestealers fled into deeper sewers, but they still could not escape being hunted down.

At the same time, Qin Yun led Von, Hydrak, and the other higher-ups in purging the corrupted noble families.

After a bloody purge, the Genestealer forces in Tyreen Hive City were completely uprooted.

After dealing with the Genestealers, Qin Yun led the Warmaster, Magos Casca, and the others to the Valancius Family mausoleum.

Von, upon learning of this, voiced no objections,

and even took the initiative to guide them.

After witnessing Qin Yun's decisive purge of the Genestealers,

Von understood that he had no choice but to bind himself completely to Qin Yun.

Perhaps to protect the C'tan Shard, many defensive mechanisms had been installed inside the mausoleum.

However, with Von, the family heir, and Casca, a Magos, accompanying them,

most of the defensive mechanisms were unable to serve any purpose.

Qin Yun entered the mausoleum where the Valancius Family ancestors rested without difficulty.

There, he saw the C'tan Shard he had been longing for.