The plague will get out of control, the manpower will not be enough, the Lower City will become a living hell, and in the end, a scorched earth policy will have to be used, sacrificing billions or even tens of billions of people to end the situation.
Using them, at least for now, can save more people, complete the Tithe task, and prevent Brevis from completely collapsing.
Dominic stood by the window, the morning light falling on his face, half bright and half hidden in shadow.
For the first time, he discovered that there was such a wide gray area between "right" and "wrong".
He was standing on this very spot, caught in a dilemma.
Outside the window, the engines of transport ships roared as they sailed away from the starport one after another, carrying the new recruits whose minds had been "purified" towards the unknown battlefield.
In the shadows of the Lower City, Luna's game of chess continued, and Lynn's strategic planning never ceased.
Dominic, the Imperium Major General caught up in the game, holds the truth that could overturn the entire situation, yet he has yet to make a move.
He knew that every decision he made next could drag Brevis into a completely different future.
Is it better to adhere strictly to dogma and conduct a thorough investigation, only to plunge Brevis into even greater chaos?
Or should we pretend not to see them and let these Xenos continue to "help" in exchange for temporary stability?
Dominic's clenched fist trembled slightly.
He still doesn't have an answer to this question...
In the middle of the night, the light in the governor's office was still on, casting a shadow on the metal wall and revealing Lynn's silent profile.
He smoked cheap cigarettes; only this kind of tobacco, which disregarded taste and only cared about strength, could stimulate his tired nerves.
The only sound in the air was the low hum of the cooling system; it was so quiet you could hear the rise and fall of a person's breathing.
Something's not right.
This was his strongest intuition in the past three days.
There was no concrete evidence, nor any decisive intelligence reports from his informants, yet those subtle anomalies silently pierced his nerves.
The Ecclesiarchy Guard at Starport suddenly intensified its screening of new recruits' beliefs, turning the routine blessing ceremony into random questioning.
Several intelligence units of the Tithe Fleet disappeared silently from the attendance records, only being reported to the public as routine patrols.
Even Dominic himself postponed two scheduled meetings, citing "handling internal fleet affairs" as the reason.
Each of these events, when examined individually, has a reasonable explanation.
But when put together, they give off a sense of impending storm.
Lynn never hesitated to assess risks with the utmost caution, nor did he place his hopes on his opponent's slowness.
Dominic might be able to turn a blind eye for now, for the sake of Tithe and for the sake of stability.
But once external forces keep pushing him forward and present evidence to him...
In the Imperium's intolerant educational environment, this major Imperium's stance could be reversed at any moment.
Moreover, he could pinpoint the source of this undercurrent almost without even guessing.
Luna.
The Lord Regent and Tzeentch Sorcerer, who had been hiding deep within the Saint Garus Castle, finally couldn't resist making his move after so long.
Their intentions were crystal clear.
They used the Plague Cleansing Cult to stir up trouble, muddying the waters and drawing Dominic's suspicions to him, ultimately using the Imperium's power to eliminate him.
Even if we can't completely bring him down in the end, it will be enough to leave him overwhelmed and unable to take care of himself.
"We can't wait any longer," Lynn muttered to himself.
Passive defense has never been his style.
Now that we've sensed a conspiracy, we should prepare a backup plan while simultaneously launching a preemptive strike to drag out and eliminate the lurking rats stirring up trouble in the shadows.
Fortunately, it wasn't all bad news.
A soft rustling of fabric came from the shadows beside him. Isolde slowly stepped out, his purple eyes gleaming warmly in the cold light.
She didn't speak, but instead used a telepathic link to project the latest battle situation of the Dead World A directly into Lynn's mind.
Deep in the desolate desert, where yellow sand stretches as far as the eye can see, fields of mutated mushrooms spread out like a green plague, and Orks camps extend along the rift valley.
The smoke from the cooking fires intertwined with the pale green halo of the Waaagh! Field, steaming with vibrant life.
" Toothy's team has completely taken root." Rena's voice echoed in his mind.
"The initial 30 to 40 million Orks that landed have, through spore reproduction, officially surpassed eight figures in population size."
"They've occupied the mountainous areas of the western desert. The Mekboy Workshop operates day and night, constantly conducting experiments on tanks, weapons, and biological modifications."
Lynn nodded slightly, signaling her to continue.
"The controlled war officially began a week ago." The scene shifts to a battlefield where yellow sand and flesh intertwine, with the roars of Orks and the shrieks of insect swarms rising and falling.
Small-scale raids occur daily, while large-scale battles take place every three days.
"As expected, the longer the war goes on, the faster the Orks reproduce, the denser the Waaagh! Field becomes, and the clearer their evolutionary direction becomes."
"Direction?"
"Flesh and Blood Biotechnology." Rena's tone carried a subtle hint of approval.
"Because the opponent is my Toothy swarm, those Orks ' Waaagh! ' forces of Yadodo are all developing in the direction of flesh and blood ascension."
"Using Squig tendons as the power cable and mushroom mycelium as the control system, they even created a biological rifle capable of spraying corroded rocks."
"They even started dissecting some basic Tyranids units in an attempt to replicate the swarm's symbiotic weapons."
Lynn raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.
The Orks tech tree never follows any logic; it relies entirely on the environment and "learning" from its rivals.
It's understandable that someone who's constantly laning against the Tyranids would choose the Flesh Ascension talent.
Where is your Zerg swarm?
"The benefits will be greater," Rena without hesitation.
"The biomass production of Orks far exceeds that of ordinary human populations."
"At this rate, within a month we can assemble a main Zerg swarm capable of directly confronting the Tithe Fleet."
More importantly, both forces are firmly in Lynn's own hands and are absolutely loyal!
Through the soul connection via the King and Subject route, Lynn can precisely transmit instructions to Toothy.
Rena and he were even more bound by soul and shared a deep connection.
The timing, location, troop deployment, and expected casualties of every war were negotiated through him as a transit point before the war even began.
Those unruly Orks leaders who escalate the war without authorization don't need Toothy effort to be dealt with; Rena's swarm will precisely "target" them.
By breaking them down into pure biomass, along with their underlings, discipline was restored and resources were replenished.
On one side is the ever-growing army of Orks vassals, and on the other is the ever-evolving Tyranid Swarm.
These two forces, operating outside the Imperium order, are his most solid foundation when facing any upheaval.
As long as we can stall for time and wait for Toothy and Rena to fully develop, even if Dominic eventually turns against us.
Even if the Inquisition arrives on the scene, he has the means to escape unscathed.
"Delaying is a bad strategy." Lynn pulled himself out of his thoughts, his eyes gradually turning cold.
"If the root cause isn't addressed, the troubles will only multiply."
Just then, three short, rhythmic knocks came from the metal door of the secret room.
Leo St. Garus has arrived.