Initial binding protocol activated; scanning for interactive high-value targets...
Scan complete! We've selected three high-quality potential partners nearby for you to interact with:
[Option A: A Pure Believer in Chaos]
Target: A Captain of the Guard (Male), corrupted by the whispers of Terror.
Tags: #Hot-blooded Idiot, #Muscle Worship, #Irritable, #Revelinthegayslaughter
Initial Favorability: -30 (He sees you as a weakling in need of testing)
Strategy Tip: Fight him for glory and survive! Blood and skulls are the best gifts!
Danger Rating: ★★★★☆
[Option B: The Tsundere Tech-Priest Waifu]
Target: Tech-Priest Apprentice (Female, 60% mechanized) who ended up here due to an experimental accident.
Tags: #Hypocrisy, #Mechanic, #Loneliness, #Tsundere
Initial Affection: -10 (She regards you as an inefficient organism)
Strategy Tip: Provide rare mechanical parts or ancient technology data! Praise be to the Omnissiah!
Danger Rating: ★★★☆☆
[Option C: Silent Tyranid Unit]
Target: A Hive Warrior (Gender?) that hatched prematurely due to spore mutation and carries abnormal data.
Tags: #The Three No's, #Hunting Instinct, #? ? ?
Initial Affection: -50 (It considers you edible biological matter)
Strategy Tip: Survival and showcasing your "unique value" requires the patience to decipher Xenos logic.
Danger Rating: ★★★★★
...
The options floated in front of him like the selection interface of a cheap dating sim, complete with flashing heart effects.
Raynor's brain froze for half a second. Then, the soul of a former Warhammer enthusiast and visual novel player erupted with fierce criticism:
"Tzeentch! This is definitely some of Tzeentch's wicked handiwork!"
"No! It's him and Slaneesh working together! IT must be!"
What was this?!
"I Want to Fall in Love Even in the 41st Millennium"?
And it was a trial version!
Every Warhammer fan knew that while traveling to that universe might be possible, discovering you had a "System" was definitely not a good thing. It was almost certainly a Warp-tainted prank.
The Gene-stealer mutant had closed to within three meters, the stench of its rot assaulting his nostrils. Raynor had no choice but to trust the system.
But the options! One was a blood-crazed terrorist, one was a mechanical zealot, and the last was a literal space bug! What kind of hell-mode visual novel was this?
Reason pounded against the inside of Raynor's skull. Choose the Captain? He'd just use Raynor as a blood sacrifice. Choose the Tech-Adept? She'd likely report him as an "inefficient heretic" to the Inquisition.
The Tyranids? The Xenos!
Past gaming lore surfaced in his mind: Tyranid units have a very brief "operable window" when they aren't fully synchronized with the Hive Mind's will—usually due to psionic interference, genetic contamination, or, as the prompt described, "premature hatching and abnormal data."
Theoretically, that was the only moment when communication was possible. Moreover, looking at the distance markers on the panel, the Tyranid unit was the closest to him. If he chose either of the others, they'd only arrive in time to collect his corpse.
More importantly, the curiosity of a Warhammer geek resonated like a demon's whisper: "Conquering a Hive Warrior? That's pure heresy."
...But he really wanted to see what would happen! Since he was going to die anyway, he might as well go out with a bang.
There was no time to lose; the mutant's claws were already raised.
"I choose C! Bind the Tyranid unit!" Raynor practically shouted.
The system's electronic voice was so cheerful it was infuriating:
"Contract established~ Wishing you and your 'sweet burden' a pleasant time together~ Muah!"
The next second, purple light burst from Raynor's eyes. It surged from the depths of his soul, transforming into several translucent psionic chains covered in strange runes. They shot toward the shadowy depths at the end of the alley.
From the shadows came a sharp, pained, and furious hiss—a sound that belonged to no human or animal. It was a cacophony of grinding chitin, twisting bone, and tearing biomass, interspersed with a high-frequency spiritual scream.
Rusted pipes and waste piles were smashed aside by a tremendous force as a ferocious figure, nearly three meters tall, was forcibly "dragged" out of hiding. Psionic chains coiled around its limbs and torso, digging into the seams of its carapace with a teeth-grinding screech.
Raynor finally saw his "target of affection" clearly.
A Hive Warrior.
The chitinous carapace covering its body was dark purple with a biometallic sheen. Four thick, counter-jointed lower limbs supported a streamlined torso. Its forelimbs were a pair of massive, sickle-shaped bone blades with serrated edges, dripping with acidic mucus.
Its head was relatively small but covered in compound eyes. At that moment, every single eye was fixed on Raynor, glowing with a scarlet light so intense it felt physical. Its three-lobed mouthparts clicked open and shut, revealing rows of needle-sharp teeth.
But it wasn't in perfect condition. There was a shocking wound at the joint of its third limb on the left side. It wasn't a tear, but a crystallization; purple, translucent crystals grew from the cracks in the shell, eroding the surrounding tissue like malignant tumors. Faint light flowed inside the crystals, locked in a conflict with the creature's biomass.
Was this the "abnormal data"? Some kind of Warp contamination?
The Hive Warrior struggled frantically against the psionic chains. Its bone blades struck the links, splattering sparks of psychic energy, but the threads held firm. It let out a furious roar at Raynor. The meaning was clear: I will tear you apart, devour you, and erase your very genetic code.
At that moment, the two Genestealer mutants were also stunned. They recognized a higher-tier Tyranid unit when they saw one. Hive Warriors were the command nodes of the swarm; their combat power far exceeded that of these hybrid mutants.
However, the Warrior was clearly compromised, showing no signs of being synchronized with the Hive Mind. To the mutants' simple logic, she was "polluted"—a heretic to be eradicated for her biomass.
They abandoned Raynor and pounced on the Hive Warrior instead.
The system popped up a notification: [The first forced 'interaction' has begun! Please provide your bound target with initial 'assistance'! QTE (Quick Time Event) triggered!]
Three options appeared:
Throw a stun grenade (if applicable)
Shout to indicate the direction of the threat
Try psionic encouragement (High Risk)
Raynor didn't have a grenade; Option 1 was grayed out. Option 3? He knew nothing about the Warp, and trying to use psionics would likely result in a demonic possession or a brain hemorrhage.
That left only Option 2.
"The one on the left! At the seam of the carapace! Three inches below the neck!" Raynor shouted with all his might, using his lore knowledge to point out the mutants' weaknesses.
The Hive Warrior ignored his shouts. The moment the mutants pounced, she unleashed terrifying power, snapping two of the psionic chains.
System notification: [Warning! The bound target is resisting fiercely!]
With her bone blades swinging, the battle was a slaughter. The first mutant tried to block with its claws, but the Warrior's blade severed its arm like a hot knife through butter before cleaving its skull. Green blood and ichor splattered the walls.
The second mutant pounced from the side, biting at her flank, but her carapace held. The Hive Warrior thrust her other bone blade outward, skewering the mutant through the chest and pinning it to the wall. With a sudden, violent twist, she caused the mutant's internal organs to explode out of its back.
The entire fight took less than two seconds. The two mutants were reduced to scrap meat.
But Raynor noticed a detail: every time the Hive Warrior attacked, her body would stiffen for a tiny, unnatural moment—about 0.2 seconds. It was as if she were being jerked by invisible puppet strings. The system was forcing her to "listen" to his instructions, even as she fought it.
The battle was over. The water treatment area fell silent, save for the sound of dripping slime. The Hive Warrior stood amidst the carnage, slowly turning around. Her reverse-jointed hind limbs clicked as she moved, and her compound eyes locked onto Raynor once more.
There was no gratitude in that gaze—only a cold, murderous intent. And perhaps... a hint of confusion?
She could feel an "agreement" forcibly connecting her to this weak creature, a bond that defied every instinct of the Swarm. The Hive Mind taught her that all non-Tyranids were food. But now, she was the "abnormal" one, and this biological matter was her "partner."
She took a step forward.
Raynor retreated, his back hitting the rusted iron gate. He had nowhere to go.
The creature hissed, her mouth opening to reveal fangs dripping with digestive acid that hissed as it hit the floor. She raised a bone blade, pressing the serrated edge directly against Raynor's throat.