Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 223 Hannibal's Culinary Lessons
The black Stormbird landed on Planet Four, and Nimrod and Hannibal stepped off the boarding deck.

Ninglu noticed that Hannibal's nose twitched.

"The meat tastes like fungi."

Ninglu looked at Hannibal's expression, which seemed to smell food, and spoke.

"You have a very keen sense of smell."

Hannibal's charming smile was tinged with a hint of gloom.

“Lecter is a world of food scarcity, and Mads and I are always hungry.”

"So, you understand, hungry people are always very sensitive to food."

Hannibal said somberly, “There are too few Xenomorphs in Lecter. The Wheel of Fire is heaven.”

Ninglu nodded slightly and said to Arsène Dunn.

"Holographic scan image".

The Primarch's servant raised his left arm and operated the projector embedded in it, projecting a scan of Planet Four in front of the two Primarchs.

"Lord Hannibal, Planet Four is the closest of the eight planets to its star. Due to the influence of gravity and many other factors, the volcanoes on this planet are very active."

“The land after a volcanic eruption is fertile and brings minerals from the Earth’s core to the surface. Human colonists established their own territories around these volcanoes, outside the eruption zone.”

"After the Greenskins conquered this world, they also built their strongholds on the original human territory."

Hannibal looked at the unfolded holographic image and saw it covered with countless tiny points of light.

After highlighting sixteen of the points of light, the silver-haired Alsena continued.

"The Greenskins have sixteen large outposts, and numerous smaller outposts are scattered around them."

Ning Lu, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

"Based on the situation on Planet Four, my cleansing plan is divided into two phases."

"The first phase involves capturing large fortresses, followed by withdrawal from these fortresses."

During his voyage from Terra to the Wheel of Fire, Hannibal heard Suarez and Erling describe the characteristics of the orcs.

Although the two company commanders had previously experienced battles on a smaller scale, they still gained some understanding of the orcs.

Hannibal quickly understood Nimrod's tactical intentions after a moment's thought.

"After withdrawing from the large fortress, the greenskins from the surrounding small outposts will definitely flood into the large fortress, and their fighting will consume a lot of greenskins."

“That’s right,” Nimrod said approvingly, looking at Hannibal. “Once the Greenskins have decided on a winner, we can then launch an attack on them, who are already exhausted.”

What Nimrod didn't mention is that this tactic is only suitable for planets like Planet Four, where there are many orc tribes, but none exceeding 100 million.

Orcs will grow stronger in battle, and the victorious orc leader will become much stronger, and his tribe will become even more powerful!

This will be reflected in the future Euclius.

Ninglu decided to launch an offensive immediately after each stronghold was decided, rather than waiting for the emergence of a unified planetary leader.

He adopted this strategy because he was confident in his ability to contain potential threats.

Nimrod said to Hannibal, "In the first phase of the war over the past two months, my legions have already cleansed out the three strongholds marked as number one, four, and eleven."

Hannibal noticed that three outposts in the hologram were green, while the other thirteen were red.

"In the second phase of the war, my legion will launch an offensive against strongholds number three, thirteen, and fourteen."

"The Second Legion is in charge of the offensive on the second stronghold. According to the scan of the Auguste Matrix, that stronghold is the second largest orc fortress."

"it is good."

Hannibal maintained his charming smile and readily agreed.

From Ninglu's arrangement, I understood his thoughts. Considering that he had just returned to the Empire and needed a period of adjustment with the Legion, he assigned me to be in charge of the offensive of only one stronghold.

However, considering his honor, he entrusted the largest of the remaining fortresses to the Second Legion.

Nimrod chatted with Hannibal for a while, both teaching him the basics of the human empire and observing and understanding him.

The two Primarchs were not separated until the Second Legion's landing ships completed their landing deployment.

Hannibal boarded the Stormbird and flew toward his legion.

As the Stormbirds descended slowly, the Faceless Ones erupted in deafening cheers.

Suarez and Erling had gathered all the adjutants and captains together, and Hannibal walked up to them.

His eyes swept over the crowd, and after noticing that each of his offspring carried a steel-forged blade, he said with satisfaction.

“You have all been equipped with bear hunting knives as I requested.”

"The primary principle of hunting is timing. When encountering powerful prey, it is not advisable to launch a hunt at that time, as the prey's resistance is very strong."

"We must launch a swift offensive, relentlessly strike our prey, weaken them to a certain extent, and then begin the real hunt."

Hannibal looked at Suarez and Erling, who seemed to be deep in thought, and said with a smile.

"As you set off as a team, I will personally teach you what true hunting is."

"Tell every Faceless One that the best hunter will receive a delicious meal prepared by my chef."

Suarez and Erling felt their throats watering; the Father of Genetics' food tasted far better than their rough diet.

After the Second Legion assembled, Hannibal gave the order to attack the outer defenses of the stronghold.

He strode forward, walking at the very front of the line, raised his bomb gun, and fired bombs at the orcs.

The Faceless One followed the Father of Genetics and raised the explosive gun in his hand.

The barrage of bullets rained down on the charging orcs, blasting them to pieces.

Two minutes later, Hannibal turned on his communicator and spoke into the Second Legion's sonic channel.

“Remember, the best time to hunt is when half of the prey is dead; this is a conclusion drawn from Lecter’s millennia of experience.”

"When half the prey is dead, the least tasty ones have already been eliminated, leaving only the most delicious ones."

"Now, draw your bear-hunting knives." After Hannibal finished speaking, he was the first to sling his explosive rifle over his shoulder and draw his bear-hunting knife from his waist.

Like Planet Four, Lecter is also a mountainous world, but unlike Planet Four, it is covered with forests.

Hannibal, such an excellent hunter, preyed on bears in the forest.

When hunting, they use bear knives.

The bear-hunting knife is similar in appearance to the ancient Terran-named hunting knife, with a curved blade that provides excellent cutting performance.

When a hunter is chopping, he must keep his hand balanced so that he will not lose his center of gravity and be devoured by his prey.

Hannibal glanced around at his sons and, seeing that they all had their swords drawn, continued speaking.

"The first step in hunting is choosing a target; its body proportions must be appropriate... its flesh must be firm and elastic..."

“No single indicator is rigid; you must have your own standards for food.”

Hannibal listed sixty-eight indicators in a row, explaining them in relation to the orcs' bodies to aid in the creation of offspring.

He spoke very quickly, finishing his speech in just two minutes.

"Selecting the best prey in the instant of hunting is a huge challenge."

"Ensuring that your objectives do not conflict with the Faceless Ones around you, and coordinating your hunts, is an even greater test."

"But this is something you have to overcome if you want to become a great food hunter."

As Hannibal spoke, he had already chosen his prey.

In the forests of Lecter, Hannibal honed his skills, becoming able to pinpoint the perfect prey from among thousands in an instant.

He wasn't the tallest or strongest Hannibal had ever seen, but he best fit Hannibal's culinary philosophy.

Hannibal spoke to the Faceless Men over the communications network.

"Next comes the crucial step."

"This is a test of hunting knife skills; we cannot ruin the essence of the dish."

"We must end the life of our prey swiftly; this is the respect we should show to our food."

He licked his lips: "That's also a requirement for deliciousness. Frightened food will secrete hormones such as lactic acid, causing the meat to turn sour."

Hannibal emphasizes the importance of quickly ending the culinary agony while dodging the orc's club.

He swung his bear-hunting knife horizontally, sending the orc's head flying.

To him, the orcs' armpits smelled the worst and tasted the worst.

But he learned from Suarez and Erlin that orcs were incredibly resilient and that only by cutting off their heads could they be killed without damaging the rest of their bodies.

Hannibal continued on his way; one orc was far from enough to satisfy his appetite.

He had never eaten to his heart's content. Seeing the orc in front of him, his stomach growled with hunger; he needed more food.

Hannibal stopped after beheading five orcs.

He looked around and noticed that officers like Suarez were learning very quickly.

They all found their own culinary delights, which, even by his discerning gourmet standards, were delicious.

They used bear-hunting knives to complete the hunt, without using power swords or chainsaws, which could damage the food-carrying tissues.

Their swift movements prevented the food from being startled, which showed the proper respect.

Hannibal switched communication channels and gave orders to the team of twenty chefs.

Hannibal's culinary team numbered as many as 260, most of whom were from Lecter, with the rest being excellent chefs he recruited from Terra.

They all took turns undergoing the modification surgery to ensure that there were always twenty chefs cooking for him.

"Cook food!"

Twenty chefs, along with a thousand apprentices, began cooking.

Wash, cut into pieces, slice the meat...

Everyone has a clear division of labor.

The aroma of fungi mingled with fresh meat filled the campsite, and the golden steaks glistened enticingly in the sunlight…

Hannibal pointed to the top performers one by one: "Suarez, Erling..."

He selected over three hundred of his descendants: "You will enjoy the chef's delicious food with me."

"The others eat the food cooked by the apprentices."

The legion's servants set up folding tables.

The tablecloth on the table was clean and white.

After washing his hands, Hannibal dried them with a white handkerchief.

After he sat down, he wrapped a white napkin around his neck.

Hannibal clasped his hands together and spoke to his sons.

"Before enjoying a meal, we should give communion."

He lowered his head slightly: "Thank you, Emperor, for giving me an appetite; thank you, orcs, for becoming my food!"

Faceless Ones, follow the Father of Genetics and Communion.

Hannibal smiled and picked up the knife.

"Now, let's begin to savor the delicious food."

Twenty-six minutes later, Suarez and Erling took out white handkerchiefs and wiped their mouths.

With satisfied smiles on their faces, the two men sitting opposite each other exchanged glances and read the same thoughts in each other's eyes.

We used to be too rude and wasteful of food.

We should strive to be as elegant as the father of genetics, becoming gourmets.
(End of this chapter)