Bolstered by its powerful self-healing and regenerative abilities, the Predalien's previously damaged black carapace was already fully repaired.
It returned to its cloaked state, undetectable by radar.
The Predalien's movements were covert and lethal; even the Tactical Robot, equipped with the most advanced sensing devices, could not detect its actions.
Its thick, unusually long tail, tipped with chitinous serrations, slowly approached the last Tactical Robot in the formation.
The next second, the long tail shot out instantly.
The seemingly slender body erupted with terrifying power.
The sharp tip of the tail pierced directly through the chest of the Tactical Robot, penetrating the heavily protected energy core, causing it to tremble and fall.
The tail hooked the incapacitated Tactical Robot and immediately slammed it into another Tactical Robot nearby that hadn't had time to fire, knocking it to the ground.
Simultaneously, with a swift pounce, its inner jaw instantly headshotted yet another Tactical Robot. The Tactical Robot, having lost its integrated head sensor system, could only fire wildly and naturally failed to harm the Predalien in the slightest.
The remaining Tactical Robot, which had just managed to get back up, naturally couldn't face the ferocious Predalien alone at such close range, and was quickly torn into a pile of scrap metal.
The newly born Predalien made excellent use of the complex surrounding terrain to complete this counter-kill, sustaining almost no damage itself.
"Phase One test passed. Initiating Phase Two test."
The Researchers recorded a series of data points, while simultaneously releasing another target intended to test the Predalien.
A basic, unarmored T103 Tyrant.
Unlike the metallic Tactical Robot, the T103 Tyrant, as a bio-weapon with a strong life signature, immediately captured the Predalien's attention the moment it appeared.
That life signature was triggering the Predalien's innate desire for propagation.
Sure enough, as the Researchers had anticipated, the Predalien could no longer hold back and began its offensive.
Its black, streamlined body was nearly undetectable under the cover of the dense surrounding bushes.
The Predalien repeated its earlier tactic, shooting its long tail from behind, attempting to pierce the T103 Tyrant through the heart, instantly incapacitating it and turning it into a host for propagation.
Its intelligent mind could already envision how powerful the offspring born from this creature would be once it was parasitized.
However, unlike the previous Tactical Robot, the T103 Tyrant—whose skin was immune to small and medium-caliber gunpowder firearms—managed to block the Predalien's killing blow.
The tough skin resisted the Predalien's long tail; although the tail continued to penetrate, its speed was extremely slow.
This length of time was enough for the T103 Tyrant to react and grab the serrated tail.
Despite the serrations cutting numerous deep wounds into its palm, the T103 Tyrant remained utterly unshaken.
It lifted the Predalien, which was many times lighter than itself, and slammed it toward the ground.
"This is what happens when an assassin fails to instantly kill a tanking berserker in close combat."
A Researcher observing from afar commented.
This was clearly the result of the Predalien failing to correctly assess the T103 Tyrant's strength.
"Can that Predalien survive? Even a regular Ork Boyz might not fare well against a T103 Tyrant."
Another person shrugged.
"We'll see. If even a special Predalien is this weak, then I don't think we need to consider incorporating the Xenomorphs into our combat roster. You know what kind of monsters we're up against."
the Universal Union wanted to incorporate the Xenomorphs into a specialized stealth combat roster, not to let them bully ordinary people.
They are meant to contend with the various alien races of the Warhammer World.
The Orks have their Kommando Boyz, the Imperium of Man has the Officio Assassinorum, and the tyranids have the Lictor—
the Universal Union should also have its own stealth and assassination unit.
The Researchers refocused their attention on the testing ground.
The Predalien, being tossed around repeatedly like a ragdoll by the T103 Tyrant, had suffered extensive cracking on its carapace.
Corrosive blood seeped out and dripped onto the ground.
After letting out a shriek, the Predalien swung its claws, aiming for the T103 Tyrant.
But its claws were seized by the T103 Tyrant's other massive arm.
Subsequently, the T103 Tyrant began to exert tremendous force, holding the tail with one hand and the claws with the other, intending to tear the Predalien apart alive.
Under the immense strength, the Predalien let out a painful wail.
All of its joints were creaking, sounding as if it would be ripped to shreds the next second.
Just as the Researchers believed the Predalien was out of options and about to be torn apart by the T103 Tyrant.
Driven by its innate hunting instincts, the Predalien took a surprising action that stunned everyone.
It committed self-mutilation!
The Predalien's inner jaw began relentlessly tearing at its own restrained forearms.
As the carapace shattered, a large amount of corrosive blood poured down, splashing directly onto the T103 Tyrant's face.
"Sizzle—"
The sound of skin and muscle being corroded rang out continuously; the T103 Tyrant's grayish-white face was rapidly dissolving, exposing the pale white bone beneath.
Even its eyeballs were burned blind.
However, the T103 Tyrant, being a relentless BOW, continued to strain its hands, pulling at the Predalien's body.
This was a race against time: would the Predalien's corrosive blood destroy the T103 Tyrant's brain first, or would the T103 Tyrant manage to tear the Predalien in half first?
After a brief stalemate, the victor was decided.
The T103 Tyrant's eyeballs were completely corroded, and the remaining corrosive blood flowed smoothly through the empty eye sockets into its brain, utterly destroying its nervous system and causing its complete demise.
"Thud!"
The wounded Predalien dropped to the ground, unable to move for a long time.
But under the effect of its terrifying regenerative ability, its injuries were rapidly healing, and it quickly regained mobility.
After letting out a triumphant shriek, the Predalien approached the T103 Tyrant's body.
Its ovipositor was mercilessly inserted into the T103 Tyrant's barely recognizable mouth.
The Xenomorph embryo was injected into the body, where it began drawing the remaining nutrients from the corpse to undergo incubation.
"Should we continue the test, Mr. Wesker?"
The Researchers looked toward Wesker, who had remained silent.
"End the test. Recover the T103 Tyrant corpse, inject anesthetic gas into the testing ground, re-contain the Predalien, and begin implanting the control device into the Predalien three hours from now."
The Researchers, having received their orders, immediately began to act.
Specialized anesthetic gas was pumped into the testing ground, quickly rendering the Predalien unconscious.
Fully armed soldiers entered the testing ground, tied up the Predalien, and placed it inside a cryogenic containment pod.
The parasitized T103 Tyrant corpse was sent to the main laboratory for continuous fluoroscopic observation.
The Researchers were very interested to see what kind of special Xenomorph would hatch from it.
Just as Wesker and the Researchers were conducting various research experiments on the Predator and the Aliens.
On the other side of the base, within the designated maintenance area belonging to the Charcarodons.
A total of two hundred and ninety Charcarodons were gathered there.
Aside from the two Techmarines who were currently repairing equipment, eight Charcarodons were absent.
In the boarding action shortly before, these eight Charcarodons had died under the human wave tactics and Plasma shoulder cannon bombardment of the Predator.
Although they possessed a double advantage in physical fitness and weaponry, and had executed a successful tactic.
Boarding, after all, is an extremely high-risk tactic, and casualties are unavoidable.
Looking at the cold, hard data and results, it was precisely because of these eight deceased Charcarodons that the remaining Charcarodons were able to capture so many Predator warships faster.
Thereby influencing the entire space battle situation.
At this moment, the Charcarodons, led by Chapter Master Tyberos, were holding the Chapter's unique memorial ceremony.
Although the Charcarodons are bloodthirsty and ruthless in combat, they still place some importance on the camaraderie of their Chapter brothers.
This might stem from their Gene-Seed Primarch, Corvus Corax, the Raven King.
After the ceremony concluded, the Charcarodons did not disperse.
Instead, two Techmarines rushed to the scene.
And they brought a colossal machine with them.
It was none other than a Redeemer-pattern Dreadnought!
Besides the eight deceased, there was also one Charcarodons who was heavily wounded and near death.
After obtaining the consent of the Charcarodons himself, Tyberos had already ordered that this glorious Charcarodons veteran be interred within the sarcophagus of the Dreadnought.
The life-support sarcophagus would allow this veteran, who had fought for centuries, to continue contributing to the cause of the Void Father and continue slaughtering the enemies of mankind.
Under the gaze of his Chapter brothers, the heavily wounded Charcarodons was carried before the Dreadnought.
The Chapter's Apothecaries and Techmarines began working together to modify the body of this Charcarodons.
The scorched and necrotic limbs, destroyed by the Plasma bombardment, were amputated.
Only the upper torso and head remained, having been repaired, their external appearance still intact, though the internal organs had begun to fail.
Even life-saving organs like the Belisarius Furnace were no longer functioning.
Amidst binary prayers praising the Void Father and the machine god, the two Techmarines began connecting various complex conduits to the Charcarodons veteran's body.
Hundreds of dense conduits intertwined, resembling a spider web.
Finally, under the silent gaze of the other two hundred-plus Charcarodons, the veteran was placed into the open life-support sarcophagus of the kneeling Redeemer Dreadnought.
As the conduits were connected one by one, the powerful life-support system quickly took effect.
The depleted superhuman organs were barely maintained at the final moment before complete necrosis, still able to function.
Chapter Master Tyberos personally came before the veteran and spoke in a deep voice.
"In the name of the Void Father, my brother, will you continue to slaughter the enemies of mankind!?"
"This is my duty and mission!"
Under the effect of the life-support sarcophagus, the Charcarodons veteran regained some lucidity.
"In the time to come, are you willing to endure this solitary darkness!?"
"Until my final death!"
Finally, after the Charcarodons veteran took one last look at the bright sun in the sky, Tyberos personally closed the hatch of the life-support sarcophagus.
This meant that this Charcarodons would be completely isolated from the outside world.
For the rest of his life, he would no longer be able to see the light with his own eyes, only observing the outside world through the Dreadnought's sensors.
"Arise, my brother, and continue to fight for the Void Father!"
At Tyberos's summons, the massive Dreadnought slowly began to move.
Countless steel components began to mesh together and operate smoothly due to the pilot's implantation.
As the Dreadnought fully stood up, it signified the birth of a new Charcarodons Dreadnought!
Without needing Tyberos's command, the two Techmarines habitually led the Dreadnought, which had already become a "deceased," away into the distance.
The new Dreadnought pilot needed time to fully adapt to this new body.
"Thanks to the grey tithe batch we traded for earlier, otherwise we would have lost this brother forever."
Beside Tyberos, Akamu, the Charcarodons Second Company Commander, watched the retreating Dreadnought and spoke.
Tyberos retracted his gaze and looked at his Second Company Commander.
"Have everyone prepare for battle; those aliens called 'Predator' will soon return."
"Yes!"
Akamu replied seriously, adding:
"However, Chapter Master, there is some discussion within the Chapter now that we have moved far away from the illuminating range of the Void Father's light."
The Charcarodons were not fools; the terminator armour could not execute teleportation assault tactics, and based on observations and information gathered during this period, the Charcarodons already knew that the planet beneath their feet was surprisingly not under Imperial rule.
Furthermore, the Charcarodons, who had wandered in the darkness outside Imperial borders for years, were aware that worlds outside the illumination of the standard Astronomican did not look like this.
Coupled with the familiar names of the planets.
"Mars, Saturn, Jupiter—"
The Charcarodons arrived at an unbelievable conclusion.
They had arrived in another world not under the gaze of the Void Father!
Another world that also possessed a Sol System!
"I knew this long ago."
Tyberos said indifferently.
As a veteran who had lived for ten thousand years, Tyberos was different from the other Charcarodons; he had personally witnessed what the Sol System of the Warhammer World looked like.
It was precisely because of this that shortly after arriving in the "Alien vs. Predator" world, he reached this conclusion.
"What should we do?"
Akamu couldn't help but ask.
Unlike the ordinary Charcarodons below them who only needed to focus on combat, the Chapter high command had to consider many non-combat issues.
Especially concerning the Universal Union that had brought them to this new world.
What attitude should the Charcarodons adopt?
This was going to be a very important question.
"Just remember, all of this is the will of the Void Father."
Tyberos said in a deep voice.
"We only need to obey the representative of the Void Father for now."
Akamu nodded understandingly, then left.
He needed to convey his Chapter Master's meaning to the other Charcarodons.
Tyberos's face, covered by his terminator armour, showed a thoughtful expression.
Even he, a true veteran of the Long War spanning ten millennia, felt unbelievable about arriving in a new world.
He even couldn't help but wonder if all of this was the deception of the Chaos Enemy?
Perhaps the true Charcarodons had already succumbed during Warp travel? Was what they were seeing now merely an illusion created by the Chaos Gods?
But soon, Tyberos dismissed this idea.
Tyberos, who had personally experienced the Horus Heresy, knew clearly that even the Great Powers of Chaos could not possess such immense strength.
Furthermore, why would the four Great Powers of Chaos expend time and effort targeting the Charcarodons, a fringe Chapter that had long operated outside the Imperial borders?
There was absolutely no need for it.
If they were going to corrupt anyone, they would corrupt the more important Chapters.
Although the Charcarodons have long roamed the darkness beyond the Imperium of Man's borders, they are an undeniable Chapter of the Long War.
Such Chapters have generally developed unique Chapter cultures that deeply permeate every aspect of the Chapter and the heart of every space marine.
The Charcarodons' recruit selection ritual is precisely like this.
"Chapter Master, we need to harvest the red tithe to replenish our ranks."
No sooner had Second Company Commander Akamu left than third company commander Shaar arrived before Tyberos.
"We already lost many brothers fighting the Kronos Hive Fleet, and now this excellent planet is a good place to harvest the red tithe."
As he spoke, Shaar revealed his mouth full of sharp, shark-like serrated fangs.
Tyberos, however, shook his head, rejecting Shaar's proposal to harvest the red tithe.
As Chapter Master, Tyberos understood clearly from his recent interactions with the Universal Union that if the Charcarodons continued to use cruel methods to forcibly harvest the red tithe as before, it would inevitably provoke opposition, or even attacks, from the Universal Union.
The Charcarodons indeed needed to replenish their ranks, but they could no longer simply plunder the entire planet's population as they used to.
"Then what should we do?"
Shaar retorted upon hearing that they couldn't harvest the red tithe.
Tyberos did not rush to answer but began to think.
It was extremely difficult to change habits the Charcarodons had formed over ten thousand years.
Tyberos needed to carefully consider all the impacts of such reforms.
As he pondered, a figure descended from the sky and landed before the two of them.
Isaac, having finished his work, had just witnessed the birth of a new Charcarodons Dreadnought from a distance, and at the same time, he keenly picked up on the conversation between Tyberos and Shaar.
Isaac looked at the two and posed a question.
"During the Great Crusade, why were the Ultramarines able to become the largest Legion?
And by the 41st Millennium, why did the number of Ultramarines' successor Chapters account for nearly half of all loyalist Chapters?"
Tyberos was a veteran from ten thousand years ago, but he had never personally seen the Emperor's thirteenth son, the great Guilliman.
But he knew that Guilliman was the most adept among all the Emperor's sons at managing his Legion, perhaps even without peer.
Shaar, on the other hand, only became a Charcarodon in the 41st Millennium and had barely interacted with other Chapters.
But he had heard of the Ultramarines' good reputation across various Imperial Worlds.
"There is only one answer, and that is sound operational planning."
Isaac said.
"Many loyalist Chapters, including your Charcarodons, are accustomed to using cruel methods to select the most valiant warriors.
Some Chapters even believe that those who fail to be selected waste valuable time and turn them into Servitors."
What Isaac said was true; even a First Founding Chapter like the Space Wolves, who would fight the Grey Knights for the sake of civilians, did this.
The Space Wolves would gather young mortal blacksmiths from their homeworld of Fenris and have them forge weapons and equipment.
Anyone who could forge a weapon that even a Space Marine would approve of would gain the qualification to become an Iron Priest, instantly becoming a person above others.
But for every one person who qualified, it meant a hundred failed.
And these failures would be accused of the grave sin of wasting the gods' time.
These originally valuable mortal blacksmiths would be sent to dungeons, forcibly made into Servitors, and follow the Iron Priests to fight enemies.
Their status in the Chapter was even lower than that of the Space Wolves' cybernetic wolf mounts.
Besides the Space Wolves, there were also the Black Templars.
This fanatical loyalist Chapter would also turn recruits who failed their duties into Servitors, rewarding them to other outstanding warriors as attendants.
Other Chapters, such as the Grey Knights and the Malevolent Warband, need no further mention.
This practice was euphemistically called selecting true strong individuals, but in reality, it was a genuine waste of valuable manpower and resources.
The Ultramarines and most of their successor Chapters, however, would not create such problems.
Even Huron Blackheart, the master of the Red Corsairs, who originated from the Ultramarines' bloodline, had fallen to Chaos and betrayed the Imperium, yet he maintained this excellent tradition.
When a mortal officer failed to complete a difficult task assigned by Huron Blackheart, and was prepared to be killed, Huron Blackheart personally intervened, solved the task, and afterward assigned the mortal officer a more suitable duty.
This is also why the Red Corsairs could, in just a century, leap to become the second-largest renegade Space Marine force in the entire galaxy, second only to the Black Legion.
In short, in Isaac's view, and that of almost all Alliance personnel,
the Imperium of Man in the Warhammer World had good reasons for becoming so irredeemable.
Aside from the immense threats of xenos and Chaos, the Imperium of Man itself had wasted vast amounts of resources and manpower over a long period.
High Lords would directly increase a planet's Tithes tenfold because it could originally produce massive mineral resources, completely disregarding the lives of its inhabitants, and exhausting everything on the planet in a short time.
Furthermore, if the people on this planet dared to resist due to these extreme Tithes, the High Lords would spend resources far exceeding what the planet could produce to dispatch armies for suppression.
From a practical perspective, this was naturally counterproductive and putting the cart before the horse.
But the High Lords would do so for the sake of their authority.
Some Space Marine Chapters were the same; although the Space Marine warriors were not driven by ridiculous authority, the resulting outcome was the same.
They would waste the strength of hundreds of people to select one.
And these wastes could all have been avoided.
"What are you trying to say, Psyker?"
Shaar frowned; perhaps due to the influence of the World Eaters' gene-seed, he was unaccustomed to contemplating such complex issues.
Isaac spread his hands.
"My meaning is the same as your Chapter Master's: the Charcarodons need a more reasonable recruitment method, instead of barbarically harvesting the red tithe as before.
And the Universal Union will help you quickly replenish your ranks in a more reasonable way."
Shaar was not appreciative; in his view, others had no right to interfere with the Chapter's operations.
The High Lords could not, the Imperium could not, and naturally, the Universal Union could not either.
Isaac ignored Shaar; although the other party was the third company commander, the entire decision-making power of the Charcarodons Chapter rested with Tyberos.
"How does the Universal Union intend to help us?"
Tyberos looked down at Isaac from above.
"By setting correct indicators and conducting public assessments—
In short, we will select talent suitable for your Chapter in a truly reasonable way.
Just as the glorious Ultramarines have always done."
In the past, once the Charcarodons set their sights on a planet and intended to harvest the red tithe.
They would directly descend their fleet and display authorization from the ancient High Lord.
They would use terrifying methods to gather most of the able-bodied youth on a planet, forcing them into brutal, bloody gladiatorial combat.
A very small number of victors would gain the provisional qualification to become Charcarodons, while a small number of losers would become mortal guards on their ships.
But even more people would become low-status Warband serfs, burdened with heavy labor.
What's even more ridiculous is that planets plundered by the Charcarodons would not be exempt from the next Tithes.
The Imperium of Man's tax fleets would still ruthlessly collect taxes from them, even if the planet had lost most of its young and strong population.
Who knows how many planets and civilians indirectly died under the Charcarodons' red tithe harvest.
But at the same time, the Charcarodons were constantly fighting various enemies of humanity in the darkness beyond the Imperium of Man, and they also saved more worlds and civilians.
This is the Megalodon Warband; they are one of the representatives of the Imperium of Man, a collection of contradictions.
And now, what the Universal Union needs to do is to change the Charcarodons' bloodthirsty and cruel side, and mold them into a model Warband similar to the Ultramarines as much as possible.
An hour later, in a secret room, Chapter Master Tyberos, Second Company Commander Akamu, third company commander Shaar, and several other adjutants, Techmarines, and other high-ranking Warband officials were all gathered.
Sitting before them were Isaac and other Alliance personnel, who brought a series of indirect but highly efficient reform proposals.
"First, the Charcarodons' recruits will naturally no longer be chosen directly from civilians without combat ability and experience, as before.
Instead, they will be prioritized from Alliance Soldiers with combat experience."
As soon as he finished speaking, the already irritable Shaar immediately slammed his hand down and stood up.
"This is impossible! Who knows if you are trying to plant spies in our Warband through this!"
That's right, Shaar bluntly stated this issue that should not have been brought to the table.
However, even if Shaar didn't say it, the other Charcarodons' high-ranking officials also had this doubt in their hearts.
Space Marine Warbands should have a very high degree of autonomy.
But now, the Universal Union immediately wants to interfere with their source of new recruits, which is really hard to accept for a while.
Isaac was not afraid of the terrifying killing intent released by Shaar, but calmly responded.
"Do you think the Universal Union needs to do this?"
These words were not only for Shaar but also for the other Charcarodons.
To put it bluntly, the Universal Union actually does not lack the combat power of the Megalodon Warband.
the Universal Union does not lack lower-level, mass-producible Tyrants and Pursuers.
the Universal Union can also build higher-level, more powerful small Titan Mechs.
It was the Emperor who suddenly appeared, forcibly sent the Charcarodons to the Universal Union, and designated Marcus as his spokesman, and only then did the Universal Union have to accept the existence of the Charcarodons.
Moreover, the appearance of the Charcarodons also disrupted the Universal Union's original arrangements.
Alien combat units like the Na'vi have not yet appeared before the Charcarodons.
"Selecting directly from combat personnel can greatly shorten the time to train new recruits, which is a very simple math problem."
Isaac said.
"Training more combat personnel in a shorter amount of time allows for better striking of the enemy, doesn't it?"
Shaar was at a loss for a retort for a moment, but still refused to give ground on this matter.
Turning to look at his other colleagues, Shaar found that none of them, including his own Chapter Master, immediately raised objections like he did, but instead began to consider the feasibility of this proposal.
The impatient Shaar quickly reiterated the sanctity and necessity of the Warband's ancient customs.
But in the end, Tyberos still nodded and agreed to Isaac's proposal.
This was a crucial step; with this beginning, various subsequent proposals would naturally fall into place.
Regarding the content of the assessment and selection, the Universal Union will send professional personnel to assist in the selection of Charcarodons' new recruits and the gene-seed implantation surgery.
Finally, Isaac stood up and said.
"We will send the first batch of candidates for testing as soon as possible; we hope you will be ready to receive them."
After saying that, he had the staff next to him pass copies of the data to each Charcarodons' high-ranking official.
The data included information on every member of the first batch of test personnel.
Before leaving, Isaac added.
"Will you continue to fight arduously in the darkness beyond the Imperium of Man as before, where even your battle achievements cannot be remembered, leaving only names representing destruction and slaughter within the Imperium of Man?
Or will the Megalodon Warband completely change and become a more glorious Warband, allowing its name to be remembered by more people?
The final decision on all of this still rests with you; the Universal Union can only play an auxiliary role."
After speaking, Isaac and the Universal Union staff left the secret room, leaving only the Charcarodons' high-ranking officials to ponder the meaning of these words.
As Isaac said, now, two paths, two choices, lay before the Charcarodons.
The future direction of the Warband depended on them.
"Chapter Master, do we really have to do this?"
Akamu looked at Tyberos.
It must be said that Isaac's various proposals were indeed objectively reasonable, capable of quickly replenishing the Warband with excellent soldiers and enhancing combat power.
At the same time, stopping the cruel red tithe would indeed change the Charcarodons' notorious reputation.
The internal composition of the Charcarodons is not uniform; the main body uses Raven Guard gene-seeds, but it also contains gene-seeds from the World Eaters and Night Lords.
Although under the influence of the Warband's special modification surgery, the Charcarodons' views on major issues are unified, loyal to the Void Father.
However, regarding this choice, the Charcarodons' high-ranking officials still found it difficult to reach a unified conclusion immediately.
"Don't forget."
Tyberos said in a deep voice.
"This is not only the Psyker's proposal, but probably also the Void Father's spokesman's proposal; this is the will of the Void Father."
The other Charcarodons were speechless.
Indeed, since the Charcarodons had already chosen to obey the will of the Void Father and sworn allegiance to the spokesman named "Marcus," they naturally had no choice but to accept the changes the Universal Union brought to them.
"Get ready to receive the new recruits."
Tyberos was the first to stand up, and at the same time, he instructed.
"Those alien enemies called Predators will soon return, and I do not wish for more serious casualties in the next battle."
"Yes!"
Space Marines, or rather, Astartes.
For an ordinary person to become one of these two-hearted, three-lunged super-soldiers, they must undergo comprehensive augmentation surgery and gene-seed implantation around the age of sixteen.
Furthermore, the test subjects must be male.
This is reportedly due to the recipient's hormone levels.
However, few in the Imperium of Man know the specifics.
Not all Space Marine Chapters are foolish; naturally, some have tried to select recruits from battle-hardened adults.
But these attempts all failed without exception and were considered a sacrilege, a waste of precious gene-seeds.
the Universal Union's researchers, especially Wesker, naturally wanted to understand the specific reasons behind this.
However, since it was certainly impossible to directly use Charcarodons as live samples for research, this plan had to be abandoned.
"Captain Isaac, do we really have warriors of that age?"
After leaving the secret room, a lower-ranking staff member couldn't help but ask.
"I always thought—"
"Thought what? That the Universal Union is absolutely righteous and glorious? That it wouldn't allow people of that age to become warriors?"
Isaac continued walking.
"Wake up. the Universal Union faces many worlds, especially this Warhammer World. We will encounter many incredibly complex situations in the future, and we must prepare for every contingency.
Teenage warriors are merely the most humane of those options."
The staff member who asked the question was speechless.
Just as Isaac said, the Universal Union has never been an absolutely righteous and glorious organization.
Some things that are not so "correct" are also allowed to exist within the Universal Union.
Even before the Charcarodons appeared, the Universal Union had already secretly formed a special unit, entirely composed of eligible teenagers who underwent strict special training.
And after the Charcarodons appeared and pledged allegiance, this special unit naturally came into use, ready to be deployed as reserve members for Charcarodons recruits.
"I will use my authority to communicate with the other side of the world gate; you all prepare to receive them."
"Yes."
After returning to a communication spaceship docked at the base, Isaac opened his RIG System.
He then sent an information exchange request to the world gate located in space.
"Detecting information source... Confirmed: Isaac Clarke. Authority granted."
From a massive space battleship down to the most basic microscopic particles.
All require authorization to pass through the world gate and travel to other worlds.
Isaac had secondary authority directly granted by Marcus, so the information passed through extremely quickly.
To his surprise, Marcus's face appeared directly on the screen.
This was a real-time communication.
"How are things in that world?"
Marcus asked.
Although half a day had passed since the space battle ended, detailed information had already been sent to Marcus, who was far away in the Warhammer World.
However, since Isaac was the overall person in charge of the "Alien vs. Predator" world, direct questioning would provide clearer information.
"You should have seen the report. Although we suffered some casualties, they were within an acceptable range, while the Predator Tribe named 'Solitude' suffered heavy losses—"
Isaac briefly described the situation in his world.
Finally, he turned to the Charcarodons.
"According to the plan, we have proposed to the Charcarodons that we help replenish their recruits, and their Chapter Master, Tyberos, has accepted."
Marcus was not surprised by this.
This plan was his idea, and he believed that the Charcarodons, who were not foolish, would understand its implications and ultimately choose to accept.
"The Charcarodons' recruit augmentation surgery is very unique; even recruits who used gene-seeds from heretic Space Marines can be forcibly turned and become loyal to the Emperor. The ideological education we provided earlier might have been completely ineffective."
Isaac reminded him.
"These selected individuals are very likely to go and never return."
Without Isaac needing to say it, Marcus was the one who understood the Charcarodons most deeply within the entire Alliance, and naturally knew this point.
Marcus, however, was indifferent to this.
"More or less. The Charcarodons and the Universal Union are now forcibly bound together. If the Charcarodons' combat power is replenished, it naturally benefits us.
And surely this is better than letting the Charcarodons collect red tithe, right?"
"That's true."
"I have already sent the people over; they will reach you soon. Prepare to receive them. There is also another batch of medical personnel and the latest equipment. Even if the recruit augmentation surgery fails, try to avoid any deaths."
Marcus instructed.
Isaac nodded in agreement.
Even the most stable gene-seeds and the most skilled Space Marine Chapters performing recruit augmentation surgery can still experience failure due to various unforeseen reasons.
There's a possibility that someone who was a peerless genius in combat could die on the operating table during augmentation surgery.
the Universal Union, having inherited the Precursor Civilization's biotechnology, can naturally minimize the occurrence of such situations.
In fact, if we follow the statement that "the recipient of Space Marine augmentation surgery must be a young male due to recipient hormones."
the Universal Union could actually directly alter the hormone levels within adults through various biological means, making them no different from their youth.
But this is merely speculation, and the Charcarodons' gene-seeds are also very precious.
Such a heretic act, not tolerated by most Chapters, would be difficult to implement.
So, Marcus is not yet planning to take such a big step.
Moreover, with the Universal Union's current biotechnology, creating a weakened version of a superhuman is not difficult.
Various extreme physical augmentation technologies + mind power crystals.
It would be easy to create a powerful superhuman legion.
But firstly, it's unnecessary; the Universal Union's current combat unit sequences are already very comprehensive.
Secondly, such a large number of superhuman warriors would be difficult to control.
The Imperium of Man is the best example, bar none.
Even with Marcus's Psychic Contract, he couldn't guarantee that these people would be 100% in control.
It's more suitable to use the more controllable BOWs.
After continuing to discuss the situations in various worlds for a while, the communication ended.
Isaac disembarked from the spaceship.
The huge silhouette of a transport spaceship had already appeared in the sky above.
The youths who were about to undergo Charcarodons recruit augmentation were inside.
The spaceship slowly descended into the base.
As the hatch opened, several hundred teenagers, appearing to be only fifteen or sixteen years old but with a distinct military demeanor, emerged.
The officer leading these individuals came before Isaac and saluted.
"A total of three hundred warriors have all arrived."
Those who grow up in cruel environments become cruel warriors, eventually turning into cruel rulers, thereby allowing the cycle to continue.
This is the situation for the vast majority of Chapters in the Warhammer World that possess savage customs and cultures.
The Megalodon Warband is an excellent example of this.
The Megalodon Warband was originally composed of Terran-born Raven Guard who were exiled by Corvus Corax, the Raven King, during the Great Crusade ten thousand years ago.
The reason for their exile was their excessive brutality and disregard for civilian casualties, which clashed with the philosophy of Corvus Corax.
Chronologically speaking, Tyberos, being a Super Raven Guard, was only born near the end of the Horus Heresy.
No one knows how Tyberos found the Megalodon Warband or how he became the Chapter Master.
Perhaps it was due to the influence of the Super Raven Guard surgery, or perhaps it was Tyberos's own will.
In any case, over the past ten thousand years, Tyberos has continuously allowed the cruel philosophies inherited from the Terran veterans to spread within the Chapter.
This has resulted in the Megalodon Warband becoming a Chapter with a notorious reputation.
There are certainly benefits; many remote Imperial sectors that refuse to pay their taxes on time are so terrified merely hearing the news that the Megalodon Warband is approaching that they quickly and obediently pay their overdue Tithes.
The downside, however, is that no Imperial power is willing to cultivate good relations with the Megalodon Warband, and many of the Megalodon Warband's supply resources are even traded for with the renegade Space Marine Warband, the "Claws of Ash."
The pair of weapons Tyberos wields, "hunger and slaughter," were seized from the Chapter Master of the Claws of Ash.
All in all, regardless of the past, Tyberos now intends to change the atmosphere within the Chapter.
At the very least, they can no longer act as they did before when dealing with civilians.
This is partly because the situation the Megalodon Warband currently faces is vastly different from before, and also because the Universal Union will not tolerate them acting recklessly as they once did.
The change starts with this batch of incoming recruits who will undergo the Megalodon Warband's selection tests.
On the ground, inside the base.
After undergoing comprehensive inspections by Alliance professionals and confirming that everyone was cleared.
These three hundred adolescent warriors were sent to the area occupied by the Megalodon Warband.
Three hundred people are actually just the right number for the Megalodon Warband.
A standard Space Marine Chapter consists of a thousand men, divided into ten companies of a hundred men each.
After the Megalodon Warband endured prolonged dark battles in the outer regions, followed by successive engagements against the Kronos Hive Fleet and boarding actions against the Predator Fleet.
The total number of casualties is roughly two hundred.
In other words, the Megalodon Warband needs to replenish itself with two hundred recruits and quickly bring them up to combat readiness.
Two hundred people are to be selected from the three hundred.
This ratio does not seem low; in fact, it is quite high.
But don't forget, these people are already warriors carefully cultivated by the Universal Union; although young and their bodies not yet fully developed, every single one is an elite soldier.
Every one of them is extremely high-quality military personnel.
The Chapter's recruit selection is no small matter, and the Megalodon Warband high-ranking officers who were present in this world all attended the site.
Chapter Master Tyberos, Second Company Captain Akamu, Third Company Captain Shaar, Techmarine Hicadi, as well as a Battle Group Chaplain and four subordinate officers.
third company commander Shaar looked at these youngsters, who were less than a tenth of his age, and said disdainfully.
"These guys? They look useless."
However, no one paid him any attention.
They were originally ordinary people on some planet, then the Megalodon Warband descended, forced them into duels, where they emerged victorious, underwent augmentation, and fought for the Void Father for a century.
Every single one of them grew up this way.
The content of the test was primarily chosen by the Megalodon Warband.
Basic physical fitness was the least of their concerns; even a weakling who couldn't lift a chicken could become a superman capable of destroying fortifications bare-handed once the augmentation was successful.
What the Megalodon Warband wanted to assess was the temperament and practical combat abilities of these young warriors.
To this end, a massive testing ground had already been constructed outside the town.
Centered around the forest where the Predator spacecraft crashed, the testing ground was a huge, complex area spanning fifty square kilometers.
Alliance personnel had already placed many dangerous units with disabled control programs inside.
These ranged from fully armed Tactical Robots to BOWs like Hunters, Lickers, a few Tyrants, and various strange-looking medium and small monsters.
In addition to this, even Krauser, under Wesker, joined the fun, throwing the Lone Wolf, who had been infected by the Las Plagas Parasite, into the forest to act as a Hunter.
Not only that, but a small number of Facehuggers that had not been completely cleared remained in the forest, constantly seeking hosts for reproduction.
Several Xenomorphs fitted with control devices by the Adeptus Mechanicus were also thrown in.
Tyberos even arranged for three Charcarodons to enter the forest.
"Your assessment requires you to survive in this forest for twenty-four hours."
"Means are unrestricted, tools are unrestricted, methods are unrestricted."
"Those who survive until the end will be qualified to become recruit reserves."
Tyberos's towering figure stood before the three hundred individuals.
These three hundred people only carried the most basic equipment: flak armor and laser rifles.
Excluding combat experience, they were no different from standard Astra Militarum troopers.
Everyone silently boarded the transport aircraft and flew toward the forest outside the town.
They would be airdropped into the massive fifty-square-kilometer area.
On average, there would only be six people per square kilometer, and they would face thousands of constantly patrolling Tactical Robots, as well as many more Lickers and Hunters skilled in stealth and assassination.
Not to mention the Tyrants, who were virtually impossible to wound with the laser rifles they carried.
Not to mention the Lone Wolf, the Xenomorphs, and the three Charcarodons acting as "Bosses."
"Hmph, just survive? They should be allowed to attack other people and creatures; whoever kills the most should qualify for victory."
Shaar was interested in this Battle Royale style of testing, but he was dissatisfied that the assessment criterion was merely "survival."
"survival" was too simple.
In his view, this would only select cowardly fugitives.
If it were in the past, Tyberos might indeed have done as Shaar suggested, using killing as the assessment metric rather than survival time.
But as mentioned earlier, Tyberos intends to change the cruel atmosphere within the Megalodon Warband, starting with this recruit selection assessment.
Isaac, who was nearby, smiled.
"If the third company commander wishes, he may enter the testing ground himself."
"But I must remind you, once you enter, all consequences are your own responsibility."
Shaar naturally saw that this was a provocation, deliberately meant to anger him.
But he clearly didn't believe that such a simple Battle Royale posed any threat to him.