Celerus Hive

Alvin's silence was deafening.

Did these Greenskin Orc chase after them simply because they wanted a thrilling race?

The pilot stiffly turned to look at Alvin, seemingly seeking his opinion. His bewildered and slightly surprised expression perfectly conveyed his current frantic mental state.

Throughout his life, he had piloted the Valkyrie through countless perilous situations, such as traversing bombing zones, conducting low-altitude reconnaissance missions, and engaging in thrilling high-altitude dogfights. But... racing against Greenskin Orc was a first for him.

"I suggest you don't refuse these mushrooms' matchmaking request," Hilda said calmly, seeing his hesitation. "Trust me, racing Orks is much easier than killing them."

Alvin took this very seriously.

This brings us to the Orks' unique reproductive method. Every Greenskin Orc is essentially a combination of fungus and organism, so it releases spores from birth. Once Orks is blown up, congratulations... you will see even more Orks sprouting from the ground!

Unless it's Promethium burner or high-temperature annihilation, it's difficult to completely wipe out the Greenskin Orc. The "Waaaaagh" halo that constantly surrounds the Orks race is an absurd, idealistic halo that humans, Aeldari, and Necron all find outrageous.

In layman's terms, once a certain Orks starts chanting "Waaaaagh," and many other Orks around them believe it, what happens next might shatter your worldview.

"You're right." Alvin immediately instructed the pilot, "By whatever means necessary, get past those damned Orks, understand?"

"Understood, young master!"

To everyone's surprise, a glint of excitement suddenly appeared in the pilot's eyes, as if he had finally been freed from constraints. He grinned maliciously and said, "After all these years, someone has finally told me that I can fly the plane to my heart's content!"

"..."

An ominous premonition welled up in Alvin's heart.

"Well... actually, there's no need to rush."

Unfortunately, as he said those words, a strong, powerful push almost threw Alvin off, but Hilda managed to hold him back.

Clang! Clang!

The people sitting in the rear transport compartment were immediately thrown out, crashing haphazardly into various parts of the compartment. Aggressive Low Gothic came from behind, but because it was so dirty, the Navigator System didn't translate it.

Judging from the voice, the person cursing was probably Tucker.

"I forgot to mention, Young Master Alvin." Elsa, who was beside him, had clearly expected this and had already fastened her seatbelt, sticking out her tongue. "Before he retired, he flew transport planes in Cadian, making hundreds of round trips every day."

With Hilda's help, Alvin barely managed to fasten his seatbelt, his face covered in cold sweat. "Wow, so she was a professional before. No wonder we got targeted by the Orks. So this is the unspoken understanding between experts?!"

Now he has to suspect that he was targeted by the Orks people because of his unique temperament, which made them notice him and chase after him to compete against him!

Boom!!!

Valkyrie Engine in Full Power!

Amidst the violent tremors and the ferocious propulsion, the Valkyrie broke the sound barrier. With no regard for aerodynamics, she was propelled by pure brute force, flying like a brick. The cone-shaped air blast ring surrounding her fuselage emitted a deafening roar, instantly surpassing the Greenskin Orc!

"Waaaaagh--!!!"

Match successful!

The Greenskin Orc speedsters let out excited screams, then, riding their dilapidated motorcycles, defied the laws of physics and created sonic booms!

For a few seconds, Alvin felt utterly exhausted.

Nobody should accuse anyone of cheating. Whether it's the Orks's idealistic aura or the Imperium's powerful brick-throwing ability, both things... are pretty damn stupid!

And so, the following bizarre scene unfolded!

On the desolate plains of the Alert Star, Valian Sandstorm Vortex raged, its frenzied killings sweeping across the sky, filling the Stormfront with radiation and extremely high salt content.

The Greenskin Orc are well-suited to riding Kuku motorcycles that puff out black smoke, leaving sonic booms trailing behind them, chasing a Valkyrie whose engine is running at full power, its turbocharger creating Mach rings!

On the desolate plains of the Alert Star, the two sides engaged in a thrilling speed competition. It was a contest without referees, yet they showed mutual respect and competed at a high level, demonstrating the passion for speed that transcended their different languages!

Finally, in a fierce competition where neither side would yield and there was no room for friendship, Alvin emerged slightly stronger and was the first to reach the Celerus Hive. The first Alert Star Human -Orks Speed Race came to a perfect the Veil.

The speed demon stopped his motorcycle and watched them drive into the nest area. The Greenskin Orc leading the group even yelled at the pilot. According to Hilda's translation, it meant that they had a great time and wanted to come back again next time!

The pilot, seemingly still savoring the moment, grinned from ear to ear, turning back with a proud expression. "How about that? Wasn't I amazing?!"

However, the imagined cheers did not occur.

Instead, Alvin glared at him with resentment. "You... once you get there, hurry up and run, don't let the people behind you catch you."

He was having a great time, but it was tough on Tucker and the others in the cabin behind him. The Low Gothic profanities were almost nonstop, which really broadened Alvin's horizons.

He was genuinely terrified that once the transport plane landed, Tucker and the others, who had been left behind the whole way, would probably twist the pilot's head off and use it as a football!

Only then did the pilot begin to feel a little guilty. "It shouldn't be... that bad, right?"

He tried to dial the communication device in the rear cabin, but all that came through was a furious roar, almost overflowing with rage. "Raman, I know it's you! The one who can pilot Valkyrie like that, it has to be you, you bastard!"

"When I get out, if I don't rip your head off, I'm not Catachan!!!"

After a few seconds of silence, pilot Raman's lips twitched, and he looked at Alvin with a pleading expression. "Young Master, can we discuss this and have them parachute in?"

If it lands, he won't even have time to run!

"What a talent..." Alvin covered his forehead. Although he was so badly shaken that he almost threw up his food, he had to admit that Raman was indeed an ace pilot!

Anyone who can take off and land hundreds of times a day on the Cadian Horizon, braving the Chaos Cannons, would have been buried long ago if their birth chart and skills weren't top-notch!

Besides, if we're really going to hold someone accountable... this was something Yun allowed, so we can't just stand by and watch the enraged Tucker and his gang beat Raman half to death, can we?

Then.

Soon, the enraged Tucker and his crew heard Alvin's order: due to certain special reasons, they needed to parachute into the starport this time, and the Valkyrie would not be landing.

"Fine!" Tucker gritted his teeth, half his face swollen from the impact, and sneered, "Raman, you think you're so tough? Wait till I get back, I'll show you what a real 'Catachan' is like!"

Celerus Hive, Starport.

Because of her special identity, Hilda had activated her Valkyrie long ago, choosing to infiltrate through underground pipes. Therefore, Alvin and Elsa used a gravity parachute to parachute in.

After landing, Tucker was still resentful, staring intently at the Valkyrie, his teeth grinding in anger. "Don't be angry, Raman had no choice," Alvin pleaded helplessly for Raman, patting Tucker on the shoulder and comforting him, "Besides, the situation was urgent, with a bunch of Orks chasing us. If he hadn't driven slowly, we would have been in danger."

"Don't worry, I understand the reasoning."

Tucker took a deep breath and grinned maliciously, "I'll be very careful. I'll make sure nothing bad happens to him; at most, he'll be lying in the medical ward for a few months."

"... Alright."

Alvin thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

He almost threw up his dinner from being dumped; someone had to stand up for him, right?

Then, he looked Tucker up and down, sighed with some helplessness, and said, "You're so old, why do you have to get involved?"

Having undergone the "Spartan Program" transformation, Tucker is now nearly two meters tall, with more muscular and firm muscles. He doesn't look old at all; his energy and spirit are completely renewed, and he looks much younger!

"Why not give it a try?" Tucker knew he was worried about Alvin, so he patted Alvin on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Don't forget, I'm a soldier of Catachan, born to fight. I'd rather die on the battlefield than stay in the safe rear and grow old!"

Tucker was one of his few friends on Los Selby. If possible, Alvin would rather provide this veteran, who had fought his whole life, with a safe retirement environment than let him step into this Purgatory galaxy again.

But unfortunately... Tucker doesn't seem to think that way.

"Kid, don't overthink it." Tucker grinned, full of pride. "I'm a warrior of the Emperor. Even if I retire, I'm still a warrior. This is the path I chose. You don't need to feel sorry for me. Even if one day... I really die on the battlefield, you should be happy for me!"

"Okay, I respect your opinion."

Alvin had no choice but to respect the veteran's wish.

"Don't forget about my plans for the future." Tucker, as roguish as ever, patted his chest arrogantly. "I'm not bragging, but with my current strength, I could easily rip the head off a Chaos Space Marine. You believe me?!"

"I believe it, I believe it..."

Alvin showered him with compliments, finding them somewhat exaggerated.

If you actually encountered Chaos Space Marine, you'd be lucky if you didn't twist their head off, let alone try to twist it off! Do you really think you're Marbo?

"Your Lord Alvin."

The Tech-Aide, clad in a rusty red robe, slowly approached them. After verifying their identities, he spoke in a flat, emotionless voice, "Grand Sage Drakris has specially sent me to greet you all. Please follow me."

The Grand Sage Drakris is one of Carroll's connections. In the Forge World of the Styx Eight, he is considered a powerful Grand Sage, specializing in mechanics.

"Yes, please convey my respects to Grand Sage Valshius Drakris." Alvin toned down his demeanor somewhat, after all, this was Mechanicus territory, and many noble titles didn't actually carry much weight with them.

The Mechanicus and the Imperium of Man are not in a superior-subordinate relationship, but rather a cooperative one. This can be seen from the Imperium's banner, the Aquila, which shows just how powerful the Cult of Mechanicus is.

Furthermore, the Martian Mechanicus's Forge Master also holds a place in the High Lords of Terra of Holy Terra!

In many cases, the Imperium of Man has no way to deal with the Mechanicus. For example, on the Alert Star, on the Styx Eight, the Tech-Priest disregarded the lives of hundreds of billions of people in order to mine the Blackstone. The tectonic tremors caused by his reckless mining and his unrestrained greed for technology have Imperium of Man a lot of headaches.

This wasn't just happening on Alert Star; similar examples abound throughout the vast territory ruled by the Imperium of Man. And often, the Forge World planets occupied by the Mechanicus are considered top-tier tax-free zones by the Ministry of the Interior!

While they were thinking, they boarded the Rhino APC.

"I apologize, Lord Alvin," the Tech-Aide explained, "Because there have been many Genestealer appearing in Celerus recently, so traveling in the Rhino APC is for your safety."

"Praise be to Omnissiah, praise be to His Excellency Drakris the Grand Sage." Alvin offered a devout prayer. "May the Enemy of the Emperor be swiftly eradicated."

Yes, it will.

The Tech-Aide declared confidently, "Omnissiah's wrath will burn those damned heretics!"

Soon, the Rhino APC arrived at the core hive area, which was also the stronghold of the Mechanicus. Several massive factories were located there, and Alvin was assigned to a position on the periphery.

"Lord Alvin, the Grand Sage Drakris is currently busy commanding the army, so please stay for a few days," the Tech-Aide said emotionlessly. "During this time, please do not leave without permission, and do not go anywhere. Otherwise, you will be solely responsible for any consequences!"

After saying that, he left.

"What do we do now?" Tucker frowned. He had been observing the Mechanicus's arrangements on the way here. He lowered his voice and said, "The surveillance is very tight. It's difficult for me to avoid the Mechanicus's gaze. It seems... these gearheads are very suspicious of our arrival."

"There's no need to make any moves for now."

Alvin was also troubled. He hadn't expected that even with Carroll around, the vigilance of the Styx Eight hadn't lessened, and they had even been specially placed in the core area.

On the one hand, it's for their safety; on the other hand, it makes it easier to monitor their every move!

Fortunately, he hadn't placed his hopes on Tucker and the others; in fact, they were just bait!

"Next, I need to go see my dear friend and talk to him about... the price increase."

Alvin's lips curled up into a shrewd smile.

Hey hey hey~ It's another day of writing 10,000 words! The world I'm going to travel to next has already been chosen, and I promise it won't disappoint you!