After the battle with Ku'gath, the Great Unclean One, the Old Players gradually reached level 10.
After so many battles, they had also accumulated a large amount of Faith Points.
Most Old Players chose to exchange for Gene Seeds and advance to Astartes.
A small number of Players chose other paths.
For example, Old Bird chose Brain Enhancement and Auxiliary Brain Implants, advancing to Mechanical Priest.
Little Fatty chose Neural Enhancement, preparing to take the Knight path.
He planned to get an Emperor-class Titan to play with later.
Such choices were understandable.
Not everyone liked becoming an Astartes.
Astartes in the Warhammer Universe were precious in the 40K era.
But in the 30K era, their status was equivalent to elite grunts.
When fighting tough battles, they were used to fill the front lines, far less precious than Knights and Titans.
The Players who advanced to Astartes all switched to power armor, boltguns, and chainswords crafted by Father Tina.
Although the power armor provided by Father Tina was far inferior in performance to those produced by Forge Worlds,
it was currently the only mass-produced model available to Players.
Most Players did not have enough Contribution Points and could only buy new equipment on loan.
Thus, the Players, who had just paid off the loans they incurred for enhancement, once again took on a heavy debt.
Jack and Father Tina and other Priests saw this scene and silently lamented their loyalty.
Buying equipment on loan, only to better serve the omnissiah.
What is loyalty? This is loyalty.
Do not ask what the Emperor can give you, but ask what you can do for the Emperor.
After arming the adorable Players, Alex began to deal with the Genestealer.
Under the guise of a celebration, he had the Genestealer soldiers led by Griffin leave their weapons and equipment at the camp and go to the assembly point empty-handed.
Then, he arranged for fully armed Players and a group of absolutely loyal Imperial soldiers to ambush them.
Once the time was right, all the Genestealer soldiers would be executed to prevent chaos.
"Is this the Warhammer 40K version of 'collecting pay on the parade ground, without armor'?"
Little Fatty, as the main force suppressing the Genestealer soldiers, was dispatched to the plaza of Rock Hive City.
He and his squad, controlling repaired and modified heavy exoskeleton mechs, stood on high ground.
They only waited for the Guide's command to begin the slaughter of the unarmed Genestealer soldiers in the plaza.
"This game truly shocks me for ten thousand years," Pigtail complained.
Who would have thought that Sun Tzu's Art of War could also be used in a game?!
The Guide must also be someone who likes ancient Terra culture.
After all, the current Imperium is constantly at war with Xenos and Daemons, rarely using these strategies and tactics.
Most wars are just both sides continuously calling in reinforcements, fighting until the world collapses.
"These poor Genestealer, they certainly wouldn't have thought that humans could be so despicable," September Ninth laughed.
On the other side.
Alex was not idle either.
He took Tenjiro, Zigman, and other Players who had advanced to Astartes directly to Tirien Hive City.
For the smooth execution of this operation, he requested that Feng transfer military command to him.
Feng did not question Alex's actions and readily handed over military authority.
With all preparations complete, Alex led his troops aboard Valkyrie gunships and transport gunboats to the target location.
They quickly arrived at the outskirts of the abandoned factory where the Gene Stealer Patriarch and many Purebloods were hiding.
"Block all entrances and exits; do not let a single Xenos escape," Alex ordered.
The Imperial Guard acted swiftly.
They drove tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, establishing defensive lines at every passage and exit, standing ready.
Once all entrances and exits were sealed, Alex led the Players and elite soldiers into the factory.
The abandoned factory was like a giant tomb.
The tall and empty roof disappeared into the gloom.
Many heavy industrial equipment had once been deployed in the factory.
Now, they were all abandoned, emitting the smell of acidic oil and decaying metal.
Not long after entering, a group of Hybrids lurking in the shadows launched a surprise attack on Alex and his group.
Accompanied by the roar of bolters and the flash of lasers, the Hybrids were quickly struck down.
Alex stepped on a Hybrid with three arms that was still alive on the ground.
Immediately, he used his skill [Mind Touch] to read the other party's memories and thoughts.
The Hybrids were connected to a psychic network that included all Genestealer on the entire planet.
The Patriarch, hiding deep within the factory, sensed Alex's intention to enter the psychic network.
He immediately launched a psychic attack, intending to obliterate Alex's consciousness.
However, the next second, all Genestealer connected to the psychic network let out agonizing screams.
They saw a black sun with golden light radiating from its edges.
A cold pressure enveloped them, carrying an aura of destruction.
Only the will of The Great Devourer could compare to this black sun.
Alex, having the advantage in the mental domain, pinpointed the Patriarch's location in an instant.
He also learned the location of every Gene Stealer hidden among the human high-ranking officials.
These included many important figures, and even the helmsmen of powerful noble families.
"I found you," Alex said, then aimed his boltgun at the Hybrid, which had lost its value.
After pulling the trigger, with a bang, he blew the other party's head to pieces.
Alex took out his data-slate, marked the main passages of the factory and the enemy's positions, then assigned tasks to the Players.
"Leave no one, move out."
As soon as Alex finished speaking, the Players excitedly went to carry out their tasks.
"Fighting Xenos, just thinking about it is exciting."
"Me too, I used to fantasize about this kind of scene countless times when I watched 'Predator vs. Alien'."
"Later, you help me take pictures, I'll ask the group owner to see if he can help me post them."
"Hehehe, little Xenos, Schwarzenegger the Predator is here."
"..."
Alex shook his head, ignoring the goofy Players, and strode towards the depths of the factory.
As he entered a dimly lit passage, strange roars erupted, and several Purebloods lunged out from the darkness.
Purebloods possessed sharp limbs and sturdy biological carapaces.
When numerous, they could even pose a threat to fully armed Astartes.
But in front of Alex, they were like paper.
They were easily torn to shreds by the chainsword in his hand.
After his advancement, his original two-handed sword, the Holy Judgement Blade, became a one-handed sword.
To compensate for the lack in melee combat, Alex had Father Tina craft a heavy two-handed chainsword for him.
It was specifically used to deal with large and group targets.
Now, it was serving its purpose perfectly.
The chainsword's teeth spun wildly, and flesh and blood splattered like rain amidst the roaring.
Alex would also occasionally use his psychic powers to release Ethereal Shards.
Causing the heads of the Genestealer to explode.
Or release psychic fire blasts, turning enemies into ashes.
In a short while, the attacking Purebloods all turned into shattered flesh and blood on the ground.
Alex and his group continued to delve deeper.
Enemies continuously attacked along the way, battle after battle, leaving corpses strewn everywhere.
Alex also encountered a Gene Stealer Magus.
She was a female, extremely beautiful in appearance, and possessed powerful and surging psychic abilities.
Her appearance was no different from an ordinary human; placed in a crowd, one would not be able to tell she was a Xenos.
She tried to stop Alex, but ended up being impaled through the chest by his chainsword and torn to shreds.
After another massive Gene Stealer aberrant fell beneath Alex's chainsword,
a series of heavy tremors shook the ground.
A colossal beast, six meters tall, emerged from the darkness and appeared before Alex.
It was the core of the Gene Stealer Cult, the Gene Stealer Patriarch.
It possessed diamond-hard carapace and four massive claws that could tear vehicles apart.
The Patriarch stared intently at Alex with its eyes full of hatred.
He launched an attack on Alex, his sharp claws easily leaving gashes on the steel wall.
Alex wielded his chainsword and met the attack.
He was no longer the rookie of the past, but a Living Saint with powerful combat prowess and psychic abilities.
After a fierce battle, Alex's chest was sliced open by the opponent.
But he also successfully cut off the Patriarch's head.
Corrosive blood spurted, and the massive six-meter-tall body crashed down.
Without the Patriarch's mental control, the surviving Genestealer showed fear.
Driven by the instinctive fear of death, they turned and fled.
"Hunt them down, don't let a single one escape," Alex commanded Tenjiro and the other Players.
On the Rock Hive City side.
Colonel Griffin and his subordinates were also massacred.
Little Fatty and the other Players and Imperial soldiers opened fire immediately after receiving the order.
Many Genestealer soldiers were shot dead before they could even react.
"Why?"
"Why are you doing this to us?"
Griffin was hit by a bolt round, half his body shattered.
He lay in a pool of blood, desperately asking Aying.
"Go to hell and find the answer, you ugly creature," Aying said, pulling the trigger of his laspistol and shooting him dead.
The Patriarch was killed, and many Hybrids and Purebloods, as well as the Genestealer soldiers who had infiltrated the Imperial army, were massacred.
The remaining Genestealer hid in the deeper sewers, but still could not escape their fate of being hunted down.
At the same time, Alex, along with Warmaster, Hyderak, and other high-ranking officials, began to purge the corrupted noble families.
After a bloody storm, the Genestealer forces in Tirien Hive City were completely eradicated.
After dealing with the Genestealer, Alex led Warmaster, Sage Kaska, and others to the Valanxius Family mausoleum.
Feng, who was aware of this, did not express any opposition,
and even voluntarily took on the role of Guide.
Witnessing Alex's swift and decisive actions in purging the Genestealer,
Feng knew very well that he had no other choice but to completely tie himself to the other party.
Perhaps to protect the Ethereal Shard, many defensive mechanisms were set up in the mausoleum.
However, with Feng, the family heir, and Kaska the Adeptus Mechanicus accompanying them,
most of the defensive mechanisms failed to function.
Alex smoothly entered the mausoleum where the Valanxius Family ancestors were located.
He saw the Ethereal Shard he had been longing for.