"That woman in the black armor is so annoying. She keeps staring at us, making me afraid to come out for some fresh air."
A tiny Ripper, about the size of a palm, was perched on Lynn's shoulder, shaking its little head and puffing out its cheeks.
Lynn affectionately stroked its smooth shell and said with a smile, "Alright, it's safe now."
When he was with Dominic, he had to sever all physical ties with Rena to prevent Sisters of Silence from noticing anything amiss.
That feeling is like being stripped of your strongest arm, making you feel uneasy all over.
Only now, when he could feel Rena's presence again, did Lynn finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"So what do we do now?" Rena nuzzled Lynn's cheek with her little head.
"Sitting on the sidelines and watching the tigers fight? That's my favorite!"
"Let's wait until they're both badly injured before we go in and pick off the rest; that way, we'll minimize our losses."
In Rena's opinion, this was the wisest choice, and it was also in line with Lynn's consistent style.
Dominic and Ragnar are both tough nuts to crack, so let them fight it out. Lynn can just sit back and reap the benefits.
"I'm afraid it won't work this time." Lynn shook his head, picked up Rena, and walked towards the bridge.
"Why?" Rena looked up in confusion.
"Are we really going to help that annoying nobleman? He was really rude to us earlier."
"That's right, we should help him." Lynn nodded and said earnestly.
" Dominic is different from Luna. Luna has discovered our secret and is an irreconcilable enemy."
"But Dominic hasn't yet; he's still our ally."
"Moreover, he is a more powerful and controllable ally."
" Ragnar's actions today have forged a deep and irreconcilable enmity with Dominic."
"Given Dominic's character, if he survives this battle, he will definitely mobilize all his forces afterward to counterattack Dorito and completely annihilate Ragnar."
"This is fantastic news for us."
"We don't need to pay a heavy price to use Dominic to eliminate Ragnar threat, and also take the opportunity to reclaim Dorito."
Rena nodded, seemingly understanding, "Oh... that makes sense."
"Those people were always on guard against you, but they really didn't notice my presence."
"And," Lynn continued.
"Although Dominic has a bad temper, is arrogant and stubborn, he is an honest and principled person."
"Once you understand his personality, it's actually not difficult to get along with him."
"But if he dies, the Imperium will certainly send a new tax collector."
"The next tax collector might just be a greedy, corrupt, stupid, and wicked fellow."
"It will be even more troublesome for us to deal with then."
"Therefore, we must find a way to save Dominic."
"Of course," a sharp glint flashed in Lynn's eyes, "We should also try to take the opportunity to kill Ragnar."
That was his real purpose in "deserting himself in the face of battle" just now.
On the Gemstone, under the watchful eyes of Dominic and Ralfa, he was unable to use his true power.
His strength, aside from the improvement in physique brought about by Imperium equipment and the so-called " Emperor's Chosen," was due to...
The vast majority of it came from the symbiotic armor and Psychic Power link provided by Rena, as well as Rena's own Tyranids power.
If he joins forces with Rena to fight against Ragnar in front of Dominic, his secret collusion with the Tyranids will be completely exposed.
At that point, forget allies; Dominic would immediately turn his guns on him, this "heretic," first.
But now, he has returned to the Pinnacle Black Obsidian.
This is his territory.
He can mobilize all his power at will.
He could secretly intervene and help Dominic deal with Ragnar.
As long as it's done cleanly and efficiently, no one will know it was him.
"Great!" Rena waved her little paws excitedly.
"Finally, I can let loose and do whatever I want!"
Lynn smiled and strode into the bridge of the Pinnacle Black Obsidian.
"Your Excellency!"
Seeing Lynn enter, Gus quickly went to greet him, his face showing anxiety.
"You're finally back! Things are bad on the Gemstone. Ragnar has led a boarding force and stormed in. Lord Dominic is in grave danger!"
"I know." Lynn nodded, walked to the main control screen, and calmly watched the two sides engaged in fierce combat on the screen.
Outside the Gemstone, the Anna was still relentlessly biting its left flank.
The other Orks warships were also launching a frenzied attack on the human fleet's defenses.
Inside the Gemstone, chaos reigned.
The Orks have already occupied nearly one-twentieth of the cabins.
" Gus," Lynn said, turning to Gus.
"You're in command here. Continue to hold the line and don't let any other Orks warships get close to the Gemstone."
"Yes, sir!" Gus nodded vigorously.
" Rena, let's go," Lynn said to the Ripper on his shoulder.
"Good!"
Just as the war in the Carl II System was escalating...
Dorito, light-years away.
A bizarre and mysterious disaster is quietly spreading.
Dorito is the most important agricultural planet in the Calixis System, with fertile land and abundant resources.
But ever since Ragnar led the Orks to conquer this place two years ago, this beautiful and bountiful planet has become a living hell.
Billions of people were slaughtered, their bodies carelessly buried in fields, wilderness, and cities reduced to ruins.
The Orks built their tribe on the bones of humans.
They cut down forests, cleared land, cultivated mushrooms, and raised Squig, turning Dorito into a huge food production base.
Everything seemed so "orderly".
Until the day before the engagement of Carl II.
A Ork Boyz guarding Squig in the fields suddenly notices that the ground beneath his feet is beginning to shift.
Curious, he squatted down and dug around with a shovel.
Suddenly, a rotting, blackened human hand emerged from the ground and grabbed his ankle.
"Wow!!!"
The Ork Boyz screamed in fright and quickly swung his shovel, smashing it hard against the hand.
The man's hand was broken, but it continued to writhe on the ground.
Then, more bodies crawled out of the ground.
These corpses were all humans who had been killed by the Orks.
Their skin was a strange, murky green, their eyes were white, and they made strange, hoarse noises.
Their bodies were already rotting, some even missing limbs, but they could still move.
They staggered toward the Ork Boyz, stretching out their withered claws, trying to grab him.
"What the hell is that?!"
Although the Ork Boyz was frightened, his Orks nature quickly calmed him down.
He raised his machete and slashed at the zombie in front.
With a single stroke, he severed the zombie's head.
But what horrified him was that the severed head was still lying on the ground, its mouth agape, constantly biting.
The headless corpse continued to walk towards him.
"Damn it, what kind of evil magic is this!"
The Ork Boyz was terrified and turned to run away.
He ran back to the tribe and told the tribe's chief about it.
The tribal chief initially didn't believe it, thinking the boy was just a coward making up lies to deceive him.
He led a few of his men, armed with weapons, into the fields.
As a result, they witnessed a scene they would never forget.
Thousands upon thousands of zombies are crawling out of the earth from all directions.
They surged toward the Orks tribe like a tide.
"Waaaagh!!!"
The tribal chief roared and led his men to charge. They were Orks and didn't believe in any evil gods or spirits.
A chaotic battle broke out.