The underground cave was incredibly large, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Countless stalactites hang from the cave ceiling, and the ground is covered with pits of all sizes.
The air was filled with a strange, fishy smell, along with a faint odor of rotting protein, making one feel nauseous.
Ralfa's expression grew increasingly grim.
She could clearly sense that a large amount of Psychic Power remained here.
Moreover, there was a familiar aura about it—the aura of the Tyranids.
Although it's very light, it's definitely not bad.
"Is this... the hatchery of some kind of wild beast?" Dominic also noticed something was wrong.
He crouched down and looked at some remaining fragments on the ground that resembled chitinous shells.
There were also some blurry marks on the walls, resembling the corrosion of biological tissue.
" Tyranids?!"
Dominic instinctively turned to look at Ms. Ralfa and received a nod of approval from her.
[But this seems a bit small-scale; it might just be a test.] Ralfa said in sign language.
"A test? Why?" Dominic stroked his chin, somewhat puzzled.
The two continued walking inside.
Deep inside the cave, they found some broken carapaces, some withered mycelium, and traces of dried slime.
"It seems they tried to hatch some Tyranids units here, but for some reason, they've moved them away."
Dominic stood up and said in a heavy tone.
"They want to establish a foothold on this planet in preparation for a future invasion."
"What about the Dragon of Frost?" a guard asked.
Dominic shook his head, a rare hint of disappointment in his expression.
"I think that so-called Dragon of Frost is nothing more than a legend made up by Kerry von."
He used this legend to enhance his prestige and subdue those savages.
"A good tactic."
Ralfa remained silent; she had a feeling that things weren't that simple.
Why would anyone go to such lengths to delay a typical Tyranids stronghold?
Moreover, that cold Psychic Power aura was somewhat different from the aura of the Tyranids she had encountered before.
But she had no evidence.
Most importantly, the infiltration of the Tyranids into the Hive World is a very common occurrence.
Almost every Hive City contains, to varying degrees, the vanguard of the Tyranids, the Genestealer Cult.
In the early stages of their incubation, they can even help the Imperium maintain order and improve production efficiency.
This is why many governors, despite knowing about the existence of Genestealer, choose to turn a blind eye.
"Let's go," Dominic said. "Let's go back."
"Aren't you going to continue the investigation?" Ralfa asked in sign language.
"Investigate what?" Dominic smiled.
"Even if we find out the truth, what then? Can we expose all the Tyranids?"
"Or perhaps Kerry Von's mismanagement gave the Tyranids an opportunity to exploit?"
" Kerry von is a good governor; he can govern Brevis well and also stop the Orks ' expansion."
"As for the Genestealer, let's leave them alone for now as long as they don't cause trouble."
"We'll tell Kerry Von when we have the chance, and he can take his time to clean it up."
Dominic paused for a moment, then continued:
"Moreover, we have more important things to do now."
" The Tithe hasn't been collected yet, and the fleet is still undergoing repairs. There's no need to get involved in other troublesome matters at this time."
Ralfa looked at him and nodded.
She understood what Dominic meant.
In these dark times, sometimes compromises have to be made.
The group emerged from the underground cave.
The guards outside immediately surrounded them.
"My lord, how is it? Have you found the Dragon of Frost?"
"There is no Dragon of Frost." Dominic shook his head.
"It's just an abandoned Tyranids testing site."
" Tyranids?!" The guards' expressions changed drastically.
"Don't be nervous," Dominic waved his hand.
"It's been abandoned for a long time, so there's no danger."
"Pass down the order: pack your things and return to Starport."
"Yes, sir!"
As the hunting party disappeared at the foot of Twin Peaks Mountain, Sorine's figure slowly emerged from behind a distant ice rock.
She watched the hunting party disappear into the distance and breathed a sigh of relief.
He raised his wrist and pressed the button on the communicator.
"Mission accomplished. They did discover the hidden underground cave, but after emerging, they returned directly to the starport."
"Thank you, Sorine." Lynn's relieved voice came through the communicator.
Sorine didn't speak, turned off the communicator, and disappeared back into the darkness.
Inside the governor's mansion, Lynn let out a long sigh of relief and leaned back in his chair.
His heart jumped when he heard about the hidden cave underground.
Only after hearing that the other party had returned directly to Starport without any further action did I finally feel relieved.
The Ripper poked its head out from the cuff. "It should be safe now, right?"
"We're safe now." Lynn smiled and reached out to rub its little head.
It seems that Dominic simply regarded the underground laboratory as an ordinary Tyranids nest and didn't think much of it.
This is the best possible outcome.
But Lynn thought about it afterward and realized it made sense; it was just a Tyranids hive, so wasn't it normal to place it in the Hive World?
Who could possibly guess that they have a secret relationship with the Tyranids?
But as long as Dominic is still in Brevis, the risk of his secret being exposed increases.
We need to find a way to get him to leave as soon as possible.
Early the next morning.
Inside the VIP reception area near Star Harbour.
Dominic was sitting at his desk, idly polishing a pair of brand-new Brevis bison horns.
Although the journey to the Icefield didn't yield the Dragon of Frost, it wasn't entirely fruitless.
At least, he knew that Brevis had been infiltrated by Genestealer.
Moreover, the battles with the Orks and the trekking through herds of bison gave him a real thrill.
But now, he's getting bored again.
The fleet's repairs will take another two weeks to complete, and the Tithe issue will also be temporarily put on hold.
He really didn't know what to do.
Just then, a guard's voice came from outside the door:
"My lord, Governor Kerry von requests an audience."
" Kerry von?" Dominic looked up, his eyes lighting up. "Let him in."
Soon, Lynn pushed open the door and walked in.
He was dressed in a standard blue-gray governor's uniform, his face solemn.
"Lord Dominic," Lynn said, walking up to Dominic and getting straight to the point.
I have very important news to tell you.
"What news?" Dominic asked.
Lynn took a deep breath and relayed the information he had just received from Rena:
" Dorito ' Orks warlord, Big Stomach Ragnar, is assembling his troops."
"A massive fleet consisting of more than 100 ships and hundreds of millions of Orks soldiers has set sail from Dorito."
"Their target is Carl II!"
Dominic stopped wiping the bull's horns.
He looked up at Lynn, his tone surprisingly containing a hint of... excitement?
"What did you say? Hundreds of millions of Orks? Hundreds of warships?"
"Yes." Lynn nodded, his tone heavy.
"Furthermore, according to our intelligence, Ragnar himself has personally led the expedition."
"Is the intelligence accurate?"
"Sure."
Dominic suddenly stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the starry sky outside.
A flame of longing ignited in his eyes.