Warhammer 40k: Starting as a Rogue Trader

Chapter 148: The Zerg Hive Mind

"Father, the Swarm led by Zagara has completely taken root in the underhive as planned!"

Kerrigan walked over to Lucan, seeking praise.

Lucan patted Kerrigan's head. The plan was a success. The growing Zerg Swarm would continuously push upward from the underhive. The advantage of a "turtling" strategy was that the moment it was fully established, the entire course of the war would be broken wide open.

Lucan also discovered that a large gathering of Zerg would form a hive mind network in the nearby warp, similar to the Shadow in the Warp of the Tyranids. It acted like signal interference, disrupting anyone trying to draw psychic energy from the warp. But unlike the shadow created by the Tyranids, this interference had no effect on ordinary humans. This gave the Zerg an even greater advantage when fighting against those with psychic talents.

Lucan was also surprised to learn that special individuals like Zagara had begun to appear in the Swarm.

"Kerrigan, can the Swarm produce a special individual like Abathur?"

As the scientist unit of the Zerg, Abathur could further design and alter the genes of existing Zerg units. With such a unit, the Zerg would have even more possibilities in the world of Warhammer. When they eventually faced the Tyranids, they would have more advantages. You can devour me, but I can also collect your genes for further enhancement.

"Abathur... he does exist in my memories. But Father, this requires a much larger Swarm. The number of Zerg needs to at least triple or quadruple before I have enough psychic power to produce such a special individual."

Hearing this, Lucan was very satisfied. As long as it was possible, that was all that mattered. The uninhabited star system where Char was located had many planets that could be colonized, and the Zerg were not picky about their living environment.

In the secret passage established by Frank, Glydus was no longer in mortal danger, but the mutations to her body could no longer be concealed. Her once-perfect appearance was now exceptionally hideous. One had to wonder if the people of Malfi, who had once trusted and followed her, would still consider their governor anything but a heretic if they saw her now.

Covering herself completely, Glydus arrived at her secondary command post in the lower hive. Countless factories were constantly producing war materials. The hidden hereteks of the Dark Mechanicum had provided the planet of Malfi with technology it should not have possessed.

However, during the time she was out of contact, her command system had fallen into chaos. Some thought she was dead and advocated for surrender. After all, the Inquisition had already declared Glydus a heretic, and not everyone had the courage to oppose the infamous Holy Ordos.

But there were also Glydus's die-hard loyalists who refused to believe she was dead, as they had not seen her body. They wanted to fight Lucan to the bitter end.

But when Glydus reappeared, both those who advocated for surrender and those who advocated for resistance fell silent. The appearance of their governor could hardly be called human anymore.

And she, who had once been considered a benevolent ruler by the common people of Malfi, now began to issue orders that were difficult for them to accept. Men and women, old and young, soldiers and workers—everyone had to take up arms and fight. She wanted to turn every corner of Malfi into a graveyard for the soldiers of the Mongorte Dynasty.

Anyone who refused would be executed.

"Governess, they are just civilians! What is the difference between sending these people with no combat experience to the battlefield and sending them to their deaths? Didn't you once say you would treat them well?!" an officer asked, unable to comprehend Glydus's request.

The next second, Frank's sorcery killed her. Glydus watched without a change in expression.

"I am the Governor of Malfi. I am the ruler of this planet! Carry out my orders!" Glydus said in a tone that brooked no argument. "If you are unwilling, then you can die. Someone else will do your job."

The fear of death, combined with the authority Glydus had already established, made the soldiers choose to obey. Countless civilians were driven from their homes and given weapons. Fear and death began to spread across Malfi. The covertly corrupted PDF and household guards were formed into disciplinary squads, unhesitatingly executing those who resisted or refused.

Glydus and Frank waited for the crazed cultists from the underhive to join the war.

"Frank? What is going on? Where are the people?!"

According to the plan, these cultists who worshipped different dark gods should have been ready by now. As soon as the gates were opened, the Malfi guards stationed there were ordered not to stop them. But now? Not a single living thing emerged from the dark passage leading to the underhive.

"What in the world is happening?"

Frank had no clue about this turn of events either. Not only that, but as the gates opened, he suddenly felt his connection to the warp weaken. He tried to muster his psychic energy to cast a spell, to find out the reason.

But as his divination spell began to take effect, a terrifyingly powerful consciousness suddenly invaded his mind.

His vision was filled with dark purple carapaces. A creature he had never seen before appeared in his scrying. As the divination went deeper, he saw a planet of flesh, teeming with these unknown xenos. A purple, living creep writhed constantly.

And in the center of the endless sea of Zerg, a female figure with arthropod-like tentacles on her back stood proudly. These xenos revered her as their queen.

When he looked at her, trying to discern her identity, an incredibly powerful psychic energy erupted from her body, rushing toward him in an instant. The Zerg hive mind battered his brain, and he immediately stopped his psychic sorcery. But the aftershock of her power still caused Frank to suffer a severe psychic backlash.

Frank convulsed, blood pouring from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Glydus thought she saw the phantom of a female xenos figure behind him, and the aura it exuded made everyone present recoil in fear.

"Frank, tell me! Tell me what happened!"

"Xenos... There are countless monsters in the underhive! Quick! Close the gates! Quickly!" Frank roared.

"Monsters? Close the gates? What about the army I need! You said the gods promised me!"

Frank no longer had the strength to explain to Glydus. And it was precisely Glydus's hesitation that allowed the Zerg to begin their move.

Lucan watched as the psychic energy around Kerrigan flared up and then quickly subsided.

"Father, someone just tried to spy on me!"

"Spy on you? Are you alright, Kerrigan?"

"Don't worry about me. With their level of power, they can't do anything to me. And by following their psychic probe, I found them. I think I even saw that target you mentioned, the one called Glydus!"

"Really? Can you track her position?"

"Yes. A faint trace of my psychic energy remains in her body. I can order the Swarm to follow that energy and find her location!"

Lucan hadn't expected that after Norris and his team had lost the target, she would deliver herself right to their doorstep.

The fleet in orbit began to move in concert with the Zerg. One by one, Banshees descended toward the planet's surface, destroying the ground-based defensive firepower. The drop-pod troops were also ready, drawing the attention of the forces on the planet to relieve the pressure on the Swarm's advance.

At this moment, the PDF soldiers stationed at the outpost outside the underhive gates stared in horror at the now-open portals. They didn't know why the gates, which were meant to contain the threats of the underhive, had suddenly opened wide. Glydus hadn't informed these soldiers. Just as they thought they would have to fight to the death against the mutants pouring out, they found that not a single person came out. Instead, a viscous, purple creep was spreading outward.

"By the God-Emperor, what is this? Some kind of mutated moss from the underhive? Quick, ask command for the situation! Why did the gates open automatically? Flamer squad, go burn that stuff!"

A flamer squad cautiously advanced, but before they could incinerate the creep, spines shot out from unseen assailants, pinning them to the ground. It was the work of Hydralisks.

"For the Queen of Blades~"

A sea of countless Zerg poured out from the underhive.

"Enemy attack! It's xenos! Prepare for battle!"

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