The Overmind opened the star map to reconfirm the location of the "Terrans" mentioned by the Laughing God.
If divided according to human standards, the galaxy is roughly split into five segments: Segmentum Solar (where Holy Terra resides), Segmentum Obscurus, Segmentum Tempestus, Segmentum Ultima, and Segmentum Pacificus.
Currently, the Overmind was located in the vast eastern region of Segmentum Ultima, and Segmentum Pacificus at the westernmost edge of the galaxy was indeed very far away.
However, what concerned the Overmind more was the meaning behind the Laughing God's words: "Where the Emperor's light cannot reach."
† The Emperor's light... does that refer to the Astronomican? †
A place where the Emperor's light cannot shine likely referred to the "Dark Zones" west of Segmentum Pacificus—regions beyond the reach of the Astronomican's beacon. Lord Solar Macharius once attempted to conquer those lands, but his soldiers abandoned the campaign out of fear of losing the Astronomican's guidance.
† It's far enough. †
The distance between the Zerg and these "Humans" spanned almost the entire galaxy. Even with the Leviathans' warp jumps, it would take considerable time to cross. Although Segmentum Pacificus is geographically close to Segmentum Solar, the Imperium has historically deployed heavy forces there due to numerous "rebel emperors" appearing in that sector. At one point, it was even known as the era of "Twin Empires" or "Twin Emperors."
One planet had even established the "Nova Terra Interregnum," naming itself "New Terra." Later lore mentioned several more rebels declaring themselves emperors.
† Wait, I hope that fellow "Terran" transmigrator hasn't declared himself emperor too. †
† Surely not. No one would be crazy enough to establish a Second—no, a Third Empire in the world of Warhammer. †
If he had the Arcturus Mengsk template, it wasn't impossible. One could only hope he wasn't that foolish. Then there was the "Protoss" fellow, who transmigrated ten thousand years early but ended up in the Warp...
Entering the Warp is both a curse and a blessing. A curse because you must face Daemons; a blessing because time within the Warp is unstable. You might enter ten thousand years ago, but when you emerge, only a few hundred years might have passed for you.
† Well, since he's in the Warp, I can't look for him for now. I can't enter the Warp, nor do I want to. I suspect with Protoss combat power, they should be fine in there. †
For now, he knew the general locations of these two "unlucky bastards" like himself, yet it felt as if he knew nothing at all. The Overmind committed this to memory; as long as they weren't dead, there would be a chance to meet.
Furthermore, you couldn't fully trust the Laughing God. That "troll" often mixed truth with lies; heaven knows if he was bluffing. He claimed the Protoss were crushed by the Emperor? The Overmind found it hard to believe that the Emperor could completely wipe out a race possessing warp-ins and Webway navigation technology. For now, everything remained unknown.
† I'm not heading to the western fringe yet, nor am I entering the Warp. I'll finish infecting this Craftworld first and bring it back to our home base. †
The war had just ended, and the Swarm had suffered significant losses. The Zerg needed time to produce new units. It would take about three days to replenish the Ultralisks. Over two hundred Ultralisks died in this battle, but in three days, their numbers would break into four digits—and they would all be second-generation Ultralisks.
Next, the Overmind prepared to cause trouble for the T'au while remaining wary of the Necrons.
Honestly, to the Overmind, the Necron threat was far greater than that of the Tyranids. A battle between Zerg and Tyranids was a war of attrition and adaptation speed. But the Necrons? They employed a static and incredibly difficult-to-handle playstyle.
Even the lowest-tier Necron Warriors were equipped with Gauss Flayers—weapons that could ignore almost all armor and cause lethal damage to biological matter. A single hit would cause damage that a Roach's regeneration couldn't offset. Large targets like Ultralisks, if hit multiple times, would see their wounds spread and fail to heal.
And that was just the basic Necron foot soldier. A Necron Phaeron might possess black technologies beyond imagination. They were once the enemies of the Old Ones, Aeldari, and Krorks. Crucially, their low-to-mid-tier units—like the Swarm's—were gestalt-like: mindless tools that executed orders perfectly. Combined with the self-repair properties of living metal, their numbers were staggering.
These were all traits the Swarm least wanted to face in an enemy. Yet, they had to be faced. The Necrons were an arrogant race; once they fully awakened, they would not tolerate the existence of the Zerg.
† Necrons are truly a pain. The Silent King's forces are far more terrifying than the Tyranids. †
Fortunately, the Necrons were not united. A Phaeron known as the Stormlord was dissatisfied with the Silent King's rule and had challenged him, leading to a brief civil war among the Necrons.
† Ah, I still need to occupy a safe enough sector or sub-sector. †
The Swarm needed a large sector as a base. The Overmind scanned the star map again. The T'au Empire's space was an option, but it was too small.
Then there was... the Tiamat System.
This was also a system in Segmentum Ultima, not far from the Overmind's current location.
† Tiamat System... I remember that's the home of Hive Fleet Tiamat. There's a massive Tyranid structure there. Some say it's a galactic-scale synapse node for the Hive Mind. †
Hive Fleet Tiamat differed from other Tyranid fleets. Instead of stripping planets of all biomass after conquering them, they settled down and fiercely protected their territory. Furthermore, every Tyranid in Fleet Tiamat possessed a unique chitinous composite shell that provided perfect protection against high-intensity energy weapons and kinetic impact.
On the star map, Eldar Rangers had scouted and marked the largest jungle planet in the system—Ziaphoria. It housed a colossal, continent-spanning biological construct. Its conical superstructure was composed of chitinous shells and soft, pulsating flesh, spewing incredible amounts of psionic energy.
The Shadow in the Warp was so intense in the Tiamat System that Eldar Rangers lost consciousness just by approaching the planet's atmosphere, their minds rendered comatose by the sheer weight of the Hive Mind's presence.
The Overmind had an idea.
† Ho-ho, this place isn't half bad. †
The geographical environment of the Tiamat System was excellent, featuring multiple jungle and rainforest planets rich in biomass. Combined with the current biomass held by Fleet Tiamat itself, it was enough for the Zerg to have a massive feast.
Most importantly:
† I want the physiological structure of that continent-sized psionic building and the energy-resistant chitinous shell design from Fleet Tiamat. †
To take down Hive Fleet Tiamat, he would need to amass a lot more forces. After all, Tiamat was currently one of the major Tyranid Hive Fleets in the galaxy!