Chapter 282: The Terror Legend of Commorragh
To deal with the Tyranids, Lucan's thoughts turned to Abathur, who was still in Commorragh...
At that moment, Abathur had become one of the most troublesome and terrifying beings in the Dark City. The most elite forces of the Dark Eldar, including the flesh-constructs of the Haemonculi, had once united to venture into the lower levels of Commorragh to find the source of the Zerg infestation. After all, an organized race like the Zerg was bound to have a controller.
After suffering massive casualties, and with the help of some insidious assassins, they had finally discovered the existence and whereabouts of Abathur. But under the protection of his genetically mutated Zerg, Abathur had still managed to escape, disappearing once again into the endless depths of the undercity.
Asdrubael Vect had issued a bounty throughout all of Commorragh. Anyone who could kill Abathur would be granted a permanent front-row seat in the fighting arenas, and the Haemonculi would even reshape their body to grant them greater power and the privilege of resurrection after death. This applied even if the killer was a slave.
This unprecedented reward was incredibly generous. For a Dark Eldar, it represented true immortality. Even without going on raids, one could maintain their youth indefinitely by feeding on the pain from the arena's front-row seats.
Vect's bounty drew countless hunters. They took their most powerful gladiators and warriors and descended into the lower levels they had once been unwilling to enter. But soon, the unbearable losses made most of them realize that this bounty was not so easily claimed. Most of those who went deep into the undercity in search of the reward died there. The few who survived brought back only the corpses of Zerg, and a terrifying legend of the Swarm began to spread throughout Commorragh. The areas where the Zerg were active were covered in writhing Creep, a truly horrifying sight.
Through Kerrigan, Lucan had learned that Abathur had found a great deal of useful genetic material in Commorragh, the largest slave market in the galaxy. This essence had been incorporated into the genes of the original Zerg strains. Many of the Zerg in Commorragh were now different from the standard strains, which made Lucan all the more curious.
It was clear that the Zerg were the best biological counter to the Tyranids at this stage. The Tyranids could evolve to adapt to the battlefield, but so could the Zerg.
However, the Zerg still had a significant disadvantage when facing the Tyranids alone: their void fleets were completely incomparable. Even though there were already a number of Leviathans near Char, Lucan had no intention of throwing them into a war against the Tyranids. If any accident occurred and the Tyranids managed to capture the genetic code of a Leviathan, it would be a catastrophe. Warp-capable Hive Fleet tendrils running rampant throughout the Imperium, freely plundering biomass... before long, the Tyranids would completely overrun the galaxy.
And without their Leviathans, the Zerg's ability to deploy troops would be severely limited.
Furthermore, in a non-static battle, there was a huge difference between a nomadic civilization and a settled one. If a Hive Fleet tendril were to head directly for the Zerg homeworld of Char, Lucan was almost certain that, ignoring the space battle, the Tyranid ground forces would be drowned by the Swarm. But Char could not move, and the countless Zerg on its surface could not be deployed to a battlefield all at once through Nydus Worms. Lucan was worried that the speed at which the Tyranids could deploy and reinforce their troops might overwhelm his own. Without first laying down a large amount of Creep to gather resources, the Zerg were actually weaker than the Tyranids.
"But thankfully, I don't just have the Zerg," Lucan thought. "My Imperial fleet and the Protoss can also provide support. The Tyranids may hunger for Zerg essence, but the Zerg hunger for theirs as well! The genes of the massive Hierophants, Dominatrixes, and the Tyranid's living fleets could be used to further strengthen the Zerg! This war is winnable!"
Once he acquired the genes of the Tyranids' giant bio-forms, he could finally remedy the Zerg's shortcomings in fleet and high-end combat power.
"Lord Lucan, I believe you," Guilliman said, "but with the current situation on Terra, I cannot leave. The situation has not yet stabilized. However, I will mobilize as many forces as I can. I will have my Third Company proceed to the vicinity of Baal first; they are experts in fighting Tyranids. I will also notify all available Chapters in the area to head to Baal. Ferrus and his Iron Hands will also go with you. His body cannot be away from you for long."
The Iron Hands had already sent more than half of their Chapter to Terra to be with their Primarch.
Although the Tyranids could not travel through the warp, their fleet was still incredibly fast. Lucan and Ferrus immediately boarded a warship to return to Agathos. The central server from the Stellar Pioneer also needed to be transported back and installed.
At that moment, things were also changing in Commorragh.
In the Spire of Commorragh, within Vect's own palace, the Supreme Overlord sat on his throne in silence. The ever-growing Zerg Swarm was beginning to undermine his rule over the Dark City. The various Archons and even the Wych Cults were beginning to question him. If he could not help the Dark Eldar deal with these xenos that had appeared out of nowhere, how could he command their respect? Too many coveted Vect's position, and they would not miss this opportunity to challenge him.
Vect looked at the Haemonculus Tevantias at his side. All signs indicated that these creatures had come from his experiments. The Zerg corpses brought back from the undercity even bore traces of Tevantias's modifications.
"Tevantias, perhaps you should explain what is going on with these xenos?"
Tevantias, usually so self-important, was no longer so arrogant. The Zerg leak had indeed occurred from his laboratory. As the lower levels of Commorragh were the Haemonculi's domain, he was the first to realize the severity of the problem. At first, he had just thought it was a simple lab leak; he was even excited by how powerful the Zerg were. They were precious biological samples. But as time went on, the situation had spiraled completely out of control. His own armies of modified constructs had clashed with the Zerg in the lower levels several times but had failed to eliminate them.
The Zerg's numbers, on the other hand, were only increasing. They had even launched an assault that destroyed his main laboratory. The Zerg infestation in Commorragh was now beyond his ability to solve.
And it wasn't just Vect who was pressuring him. The other Haemonculi in Commorragh were also demanding answers. The lower levels did not belong to Tevantias alone, and nearly all the Haemonculi had suffered losses.
"Vect, do not question me in that tone," Tevantias hissed. "We are collaborators. None of us wanted these xenos to appear. We need to find their source. They are more independent than the Tyranids, more sentient. They do not consume all life like the Tyranids do. They are even protecting those humans."
"I don't want to hear it," Vect snapped. "I want a solution to get rid of these xenos! I want to restore order to Commorragh!"
As the two argued, a masked Harlequin slowly approached them. Vect had no fondness for these elusive figures, who entered his palace without permission, but he could not show his anger. His own rule was indeed supported by the Laughing God.
The newcomer was Lemire.
During this time, Lemire and his troupe had come to understand the situation Commorragh was facing. When he saw the Zerg corpses, he immediately realized the source of the problem. The creatures he had seen on Lucan's planet had somehow appeared in Commorragh.
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