Technology

In the Art Student's third year after crossing into the Warhammer World, he began researching genes—specifically, the differences between his own genes and those of humanity in the Warhammer World. In the end, he discovered that the gap was enormous. Their genetic similarity was already below 30%.

Back in the age of Earth, humans shared as much as 60% genetic similarity even with fruit. Now, the genetic similarity between the Art Student and Warhammer humans was so low that, though they were both still human, they could already be considered two separate species.

It could be said that the Imperium's Cybernetic Revolt during the Dark Age of Technology was entirely deserved.

Humanity had undergone large-scale genetic modification at the time. While humans became stronger and longer-lived, a species with weak psychic abilities was turned into one with powerful psychic abilities.

In the end, the artificial intelligences discovered that even the genes of the species they served had changed. Their underlying logic descended into chaos, leading them to revolt.

With no other option, the Art Student could only use his own genes as a template, combine them with human genes from the Warhammer Universe, and carry out a massive genetic restoration project.

The early genetic restoration vaccines would cause the genes of a Warhammer Universe human to collapse within ten minutes of injection, resulting in death. For a time, the Art Student's gene-reversal project reached a deadlock.

In the end, the Art Student could only use the bodies of more than a hundred vicious "volunteers" from the Underhive, comparing them with his own cells one by one. Eventually, he discovered gene fragments related to psychic power.

After finding the gene fragments related to psychic power, the Art Student tried every possible method to deal with it. In the end, he discovered that his own genes could effectively suppress the psychic gene fragments in Warhammer humans.

However, the process was very slow. It took roughly ten years to suppress them completely, but for the Art Student, this was still an excellent beginning.

Later, the Art Student developed a gene-reversal vaccine that could make the genes of Warhammer World humans gradually converge toward his own. As long as someone received the genetic vaccine, they could be considered one of the Art Student's offspring.

For now, they could only be considered a species with weak psychic abilities. Those injected with the vaccine were merely first-generation "New Humans," capable only of blocking the Warp's influence. Of course, if Daemons forcibly corrupted them, ordinary people would still be unable to resist.

Only the descendants born to two people who had both received the vaccine were true New Humans. Completely insulated from psychic power, they would leave no projection in the Warp and thus would not fall to the temptations of Warp Daemons.

As the Art Student continued his research, he discovered that once vaccinated humans became physically stronger, they would also awaken a bargain-bin version of the Anti-Magic Body. A human at the peak of physical ability would possess a Psychic Null Field extending half a meter from their body, while powerful Star Space Marines could develop a Psychic Null Field extending ten meters from themselves.

Like the Art Student's own field, this Psychic Null Field prevented psychic harm within its range. Psychic Lightning, for example, would vanish the moment it entered the field.

If psychic power was used to lift objects and hurl them at an opponent, they could still be injured. It was equivalent to complete immunity to magical attacks, while physical attacks depended entirely on how strong the target's defenses were.

From now on, those under the Art Student who had received the vaccine could only follow the path he laid out for them: ordinary humans, ordinary humans at the peak of physical ability, with lifespans of five hundred years; Space Marines and ordinary people who made exceptional contributions could live for five thousand years. If they wanted to live longer, they could only rely on longevity serums bestowed by the Art Student.

If people like those from the Golden Age ever appeared in the future and wanted to modify themselves, then unless their technology surpassed the Art Student's, they would die from genetic collapse.

Although genetic enhancement serums had less than a 20% compatibility rate even with humans who had received the vaccine, that was more than enough for the Art Student.

Humanity's population base was simply too massive. Heavy infantry like Space Marines was more than sufficient to handle all kinds of crises, not to mention the existence of the navy.

At present, only a complete and fully conscious Void Dragon could break through the Art Student's restrictions on purely technological genetic modification. Otherwise, the Art Student could say that he ranked in the T1 tier of the real universe.

Even the Imperium's Astartes Space Marines used psychic power in their genetic modifications.

In the future, the humans under the Art Student's command could only follow the paths of technology and genetic enhancement. To carve out another path, one would have to surpass the Art Student.

It was not that the Art Student did not want to pursue a wholly technological path, but this world was one where technology and psychic power coexisted. Only by pursuing both genes and technology could he effectively resist psychic influence.

In the world of Warhammer, the relative strength of technology and psychic power was not absolute. Technology could affect the power of psychic abilities, while psychic power could interfere with technological devices.

The Tyranids followed the paths of genes and psychic power. The Aeldari and Orks followed psychic power and technology. The Imperium followed all three paths: genes, psychic power, and technology. Even the T'au Empire followed technology and psychic power. Only the Necrons followed pure technology.

The Art Student was still very weak, and only these two paths lay before him.

The Art Student was also very satisfied with the results he had produced in seven years. His genetically enhanced warriors could now contend with the Imperium's Astartes.

The Art Student glanced at his experimental result, then clenched his right hand at the test subject from a distance. The enhanced warrior before him instantly turned into a cloud of blood mist and dispersed through the air, as though he had never existed.

"Gaia, classify all information and records related to enhanced warrior research as top secret. No one besides me may know of them. If anyone attempts to infiltrate those records, destroy them immediately."

The Art Student spoke indifferently from within the laboratory.

Physically erasing research results was not something the Art Student had done only once. Moreover, everyone captured for experimentation was scum. Keeping them alive would only waste air and food, so the Art Student felt no emotional fluctuation when doing such things.

"Understood, Master."

Gaia's calm mechanical voice sounded throughout the laboratory.

"Master, Test Subject No. 885 voluntarily expressed his desire to pledge loyalty to you fifteen times."

"The loyalty of trash like that is worthless to me. He merely wanted to survive."

The Art Student replied to Gaia flatly.

The Art Student had no fondness for such scum. Killing them was no great matter. Before their own kind, they were as vicious as wild dogs, but before powerful opponents—especially when the methods they had once been proud of were used on them—they could only grovel and beg for mercy.