Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 340 The Terrifying Queen Bee Among the Soul-Eating Bees
After seeing his father off, Magnus met with Nimrod, his deep voice filled with apology.

“Ninglu, I’m sorry, although I really want to talk to you right away, my offspring are in dire straits and I must save them first.”

Ninglu looked at Azek Ahriman, who was walking off the landing ship, his mind in a daze due to the mutation of his flesh and blood, as if he were sleepwalking, and nodded slightly.

"Of course, I don't mind waiting."

“Thank you for your understanding.” Magnus walked toward his offspring and saw a red-armored warrior whose appearance was more perfect than the others, and who was clearly in better condition than the others.

He walked towards the son and asked, "What's your name?"

“Father,” Mat said with a smile, looking at the red giant before him with reverence, “I am Hathor Mat.”

As an "observer," he took in the admiring and hopeful gaze of Apophis, who was in the best condition around him, towards Magnus, and imitated his expression and demeanor.

At the same time, he offered his evaluation from the perspective of a biochemical psychic.

[Outwardly, both Father and Lord possess a perfect appearance that surpasses even Astartes.]

But my lord possesses an even more miraculous ability; he can completely rid me of the flesh-and-blood mutation.

So, how will my father, the creator of these genes, resolve the flesh mutation that plagues the Legion?
“You’re in good shape,” Magnus said. “Now I need your help.”

"I will follow your command."

Ninglu withdrew his gaze; Matt's excellent performance revealed nothing unusual.

He then led his selected honor guard members aboard the Shadow Stormbird.

Each chosen member of the Guard is not a psionicist, but an extraordinary being through different pathways.

The Shadow Stormbirds then took off, flying westward toward the dangerous wasteland.

The black stormbird flew silently over the vast forests, clear rivers, and wide plains, landing outside the ancient city.

Stepping off the deck, Ninglu looked at the group of charred, black iron towers that stood there.

They have been overgrown with greenery for a long time due to being uninhabited.

Ninglu's gaze swept over all the iron stone towers before he walked toward one of them.

He didn't go in; his telekinetic powers swept over him, grabbing the rotten iron gate like a giant hand and pulling it down.

A damp, musty smell wafted over, and at the same time, a deep, buzzing sound like that of a bee rang out, accompanied by the sound of countless pairs of flapping wings in the cave, as if a flock of raptors had taken flight.

“The Soul-Eating Bees are very sensitive to psionic energy. Even using a small amount of psionic energy like I just did will attract their attention.”

"The more you use psionic energy, the more spirit-devouring bees you will attract."

Ning Lu used examples to show them that he had also achieved his goal of attracting many Soul-Eating Bees.

A large number of winged monsters, forming a swirling swarm of ever-changing insects, flew out of the Iron Stone Black Tower, the buzzing of their wings mingling with the opening and closing of their chitinous pincers.

The segmented body of the Soul-Eating Bee is covered with a shiny, gleaming shell, and disgusting slime flows from its six slender limbs.

They are about two and a half meters long, and their wings flap at a speed that is difficult for ordinary people to keep up with the naked eye, but the Shadows of Order can capture their flight trajectory.

The swollen head, like a human brain, emitted the stench of rotting flesh, and its multifaceted compound eyes stared at Ninglu.

The Soul-Eating Bees eat everything, but psionicists are their favorite food. Nimrod, being the only psionicist, naturally became their prey.

Dozens of male bees in the Soul-Eating Bee swarm emitted strange cries.

Dozens of invisible spiritual needles whistled as they attacked Ning Lu.

The spine of the primordial gene burst forth with light, instantly ascending to the second level of mental state.

Dozens of psionic spikes struck the invisible wall formed by mental power.

Invisible ripples spread, and the psionic strikes failed to penetrate the Primarch's mental defenses.

The Soul-Eating Bees seemed to be connected by their minds; they flapped their wings and swooped down simultaneously.

The Gene Primarch raised its left leg and stomped on the iron gate. The shattered metal fragments spun rapidly in the air and coalesced into metal ropes.

Nimrod did not use telekinesis, but rather the extraordinary ability "Rope".

He could sense that inside some of the nearby iron towers, the Soul-Eating Bees had sensed the psionic energy fluctuations when he released his telekinetic powers and were flying over.

Further away, the Soul-Devouring Bees, unaware of the fleeting psionic fluctuations, had not yet made a move.

The "Corrupted Baron" measured the rate at which his spiritual energy was being consumed and replenished by the blood-red necklace wrapped around his right little finger, without attracting any more Soul-Devouring Bees.

The "Corrupted Baron" gripped tightly, and the metal "ropes" wrapped around the Soul-Eating Bees tightened, binding them so tightly that their thrashing bodies fell limply to the ground.

Thump thump thump…

One after another, the Soul-Devouring Bees fell to the ground.

More Soul-Eating Bees flew over; they did not use psionic attacks, but their compound eyes flashed with an eerie light.

Nests of non-material eggs were released, heading straight for Ninglu.

Ninglu knew that the Devouring Bee swarm would usually be attacked by the male bees first, and most psionicists would suffer a mental attack and fall into a coma.

Then, the female bee will begin an insatiable reproductive process, scattering invisible eggs into the mind of the psionicist.

Once the egg is implanted in the mind of a psionicist, it is initially no larger than a grain of sand in the real world.

But the next morning, they will begin to hatch and feed on the host's brain.

Ninglu instantly ascended to the third level of mental state, and the invisible egg smashed against the wall of his mind, creating waves of invisible ripples.

Ninglu's restored spirituality spread, and green vines flew up and wrapped around the Soul-Devouring Bees.

The Soul-Eating Bees' sharp pincers trembled, but those razor-sharp pincers, capable of shaving steel into shavings, failed to cause the slightest damage to the fragile plant.

The "rope" causes the plant to undergo physical structural changes in accordance with its will.

A deafening buzzing sound swept in as hundreds upon hundreds of Soul-Devouring Bees attacked from all directions.

"Attack!" Ning Lu gave the order. Besides capturing some Soul-Devouring Bees for materials, he also wanted to personally lead his selected hunting elites to their first direct encounter with the Soul-Devouring Bees, gaining valuable experience.

Even if he shared the information he knew about the Soul-Eating Bees with the Honor Guard members, it would still be less comprehensive and direct than a direct encounter.

The Sahadui people, who have obvious weaknesses, are fine, but the Soul-Eating Bees do not depend on water for survival like the Space Shark People.

The selected hunting elites from the Honor Guard immediately began to act based on the information issued by the Father of Genetics.

The four "provocative individuals" strode out, immediately attracting the Soul-Eating Bees, who pounced on them as if they were psionicists.

The "provocative man" raised his heavy flamethrower, pulled the trigger, and swung it left and right.

The promethium solution sprayed out, and the molten flames burned the large swarm of attacking Soul-Devouring Bees to ashes.

Amidst the drifting sparks, two apothecaries raised their archaeological pistols and fired at the Soul-Eating Bees.

The bullets are coated with a medicinal liquid made by the "Pharmacist" using various plants and animals from Qatar and employing the "Material Application" ability.

They didn't know which venom was most effective against the Soul-Eating Bees, so they tested all fifty-two different venoms.

The "pharmacists" fired the bullets while observing the effect of each shot.

The venom extracted from the Katachon black viper has the best lethality; a bullet shot into the compound eye is like shattering a mirror, and the Soul-Eating Bee falls to the ground in an instant.

The neurotoxin extracted from the barbed thorn bean has the best paralyzing effect. The bullet, when shot into the swollen head, causes the Soul-Eating Bee to flap its wings twice before falling to the ground.

……

The two "pharmacists" recorded the effects of various poison bullets one by one.

A spirit-devouring bee swooped down like lightning, attacking from the right side of the "provocateur".

Its swollen body dripped with mucus, and a long spike protruded from its tail.

The "warrior" wielding the Storm Shield took a step forward and stood in front of the "provocateur."

The tail spikes, covered with vicious barbs, pierced the surface of the shield that was enveloped in a charging field.

With a crackling sound and a burst of lightning, the Soul-Devouring Bee trembled.

As the Soul-Devouring Bee's body stiffened, the "Arbitrator" attacked from the side, its powerful punch, gleaming with blue light, slamming into its body.

With a loud bang, the Soul-Devouring Bee's body was torn apart by the disintegration force field.

More Soul-Devouring Bees surged out of the ruins, attacking in an overwhelming manner.

Ning Lu raised his hand, transforming the vines into strong "ropes," which wrapped around more than twenty Soul-Devouring Bees, pulling them from the air to the ground. Suddenly sensing something, he turned around instantly.

A huge, bloated Soul-Eating Bee appeared in his line of sight; it was much larger than any other Soul-Eating Bee.

Its tail, along with its unusually sharp stinger, is as long as that of other spirit-devouring bees.

It has two pairs of wings on its back, unlike the one pair of ordinary Soul-Eating Bees.

When Ninglu saw it, he recognized it as the most terrifying queen bee among the Soul-Eating Bees.

Queen bees are not a naturally occurring species. The three main species of Soul Eater bees are the Mara, Luctorus, and Prospero.

Any breed can produce a queen bee, but the conditions for her birth are extremely special, making it one in ten thousand.

Ninglu recalled that after studying the Queen Bee, the future "Death Watch" bio-sage deduced that they required special conditions to appear, and that these conditions were almost impossible to replicate.

The Queen Bee is an absolute deadly enemy, capable of single-handedly killing a squad of experienced Deathwatch assassins.

Only the most determined warriors can withstand the Queen Bee's mental attacks, and only the strongest warriors have a chance to kill it.

The queen bee was so fast that the "provocative one" didn't even have time to react. Its sharp tail hook pierced through the powered armor as easily as piercing a piece of paper.

Just as its tail hook was about to pierce the shadow of order, it suddenly and strangely slid away, grazing its body.

Ninglu manipulated "force," causing the queen bee's tail hook, which was aimed at her offspring, to slide past him before rushing towards it at high speed.

The queen bee let out a piercing, shrill cry, and an invisible mental shockwave struck Ninglu's head.

An invisible collision occurred in the spiritual realm, and Ninglu directly felt the difference in strength between the Queen Bee and the ordinary Soul-Devouring Bee.

If the mental attack of an ordinary Soul-Eating Bee is like a steel needle, then the Queen Bee's attack can be described as a power sword.

The mental defense wall constructed by the primal organism trembled.

But it only trembled slightly.

The Primarch did not stop; he appeared in front of the Queen Bee in an instant.

The "Corrupted Baron" clenched his right fist, his muscles bulging, twisted his waist and back, and swung his arm, unleashing a punch that resembled a cannonball, slamming into the Queen Bee's bloated abdomen.

A dazzling light burst forth, and a psionic shield enveloped the Queen Bee's body.

Rumble!
The deafening explosion echoed throughout the ruined city.

With a scream, the psionic shield shattered, and an invisible force swept around, blowing away more than a dozen Soul-Devouring Bees.

Ninglu raised his left arm, mobilized all the remaining spiritual energy, and pushed forward, using "Imprisonment".

An extremely viscous, transparent liquid enveloped the Soul-Eating Bees.

The amber fell to the ground, and the terrifying queen bee seemed to turn into a specimen.

The hunt lasted for five hours before no more Soul-Eating Bees appeared.

After having his honor guard members search the area, Ninglu dragged the Soul-Eating Bees back to the "Land of Chaos".

On his first hunt, he caught a total of 316 Soul-Devouring Bees.

The most precious of all is, of course, the queen bee, which has been chosen as the potion for his "chaos mentor".

The Shadow Stormbird set off to return, carrying one male and two females, along with three unconscious Soul Eater Bees, on its underbelly. They would serve as experimental subjects for the "Pharmacist."

(End of this chapter)