Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 527 The Brain Eater: I've always been the one paralyzing others, but today it's the other way around.
Ascron Sector, Port Aquila.

On the bridge of the Shadow of the Kings, Ning Lu, who commanded the throne, gathered his thoughts, pressed the communication bead, and spoke.

"We will join forces to wipe out the aliens in the galaxy."

“After that, I will summon you.”

“As you wish, my lord,” Luther replied.

After the communication was lost, Ninglu noticed that Diana Pauline's chair had not been turned back to face her control panel.

"My lord, we have a clear advantage in the battle, and I hope to join the fight after establishing an advantage in the void."

Ning Lu keenly sensed the desire for battle in her tone.

Considering that Diana was already a Sequence 6 "Hypnotist" with considerable combat ability, he granted Diana's request.

"You can go to the surface."

Diana recalled the results of the Auger Matrix scan she had just received: some aliens had landed on the surface while the Imperial warships were still doing their best to defend.

The scan results showed that the intensity of the war was not high, which suited her perfectly.

"Follow your will."

The female captain spun her leather seat and turned her control panel around.

She adopts the mindset of an "audience member," examining the video screen in front of her from a detached perspective.

A few seconds later, she regained her composure and directed the fleet to launch an attack.

Blazing spears of light and a rain of light from the Shadow Blast filled the void, illuminating Aquila Harbor and shining into the dimly lit hive.

The people of Hertfordshire fled in terror.

Eleven-year-old Pat stumbled and ran through the loading and unloading area, his steps uneven as he fled.

What tormented him more than hunger and weakness was the color around him.

Red and black filled his eyes.

Countless blinding white lights—each one a symbol of individual fear.

The whole city was trembling.

No, the whole world.

A dark light suddenly shone in Pat's eyes.

He immediately took off running in the opposite direction.

Pat had previously seen a dark light, after which he felt his mind go blank and his body stiffen.

If he hadn't regained his mobility faster than others, and if others hadn't been closer to that evil alien, he would already be a corpse, or in an even more miserable situation—enslaved.

Pat sprinted away, his tattered boots, much larger than his feet, now covered only by a few scraps of faux leather.

His feet stung as he stepped onto the cold metal floor of the loading and unloading area.

He bit his dry lips tightly, not daring to make a sound.

Accompanied by terrified screams, a bloody red light flashed behind Pat. He didn't turn around, but he could see it clearly.

Pat ran a little faster, his desire to survive causing a burst of power within him.

He stumbled and ran all the way.

He stopped walking only when there was no color around him.

Leaning against the cold machine, he took a few quick breaths.

Pat immediately covered his mouth with both hands and looked around warily.

A few seconds later, as if the fog had cleared, he could see the sign above.

He learned more than other workers' children from a young age, and could barely recognize the letters on the paper.

To his surprise, he found himself having crossed the loading and unloading area and reached berth number thirty-six.

Pat felt a sense of alienation and irony; as a dredgesman's son, he would never set foot in this area, not even in his death.

Unexpectedly, due to the alien invasion, he actually escaped the cage of his birth.

Pat looked around blankly, and when he saw the burning aircraft, he snapped out of his daze.

[Those fierce guards are gone.]
His eyes suddenly lit up. "Those damned aliens, they've been here, they won't be coming back."

At least... not today.
As Pat thought of this, his body lost its strength, and he collapsed limply.

He curled up and fell asleep, exhausted.

After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly frowned.

Black, red, white.

Pat woke up with a start, his body instantly drenched in cold sweat.

He sprang to his feet and ran wildly.

Pat heard a piercing screech in the air and immediately rolled to the ground.

He caught a glimpse of an orange figure, its sharp beak embedded in the ground, its wings slapping against the earth. Pat panicked and ran between the two wreckage pieces of aircraft, the wind whistling overhead.

Also, the engine humming.

He had no time to think; he was only concerned with escaping for his life.

A thud sounded as one orange, bird-like creature after another crashed to the ground.

Pat looked up at the sky in astonishment and then saw fifteen black aircraft descending from the sky.

The airflow from the opening hatch propelled his frail body backward.

He crossed his arms in front of him, staring wide-eyed ahead.

Pat saw a female officer in black armor, her long blonde hair tied up and hanging down her back.

Her blue-green eyes suddenly lit up with gold, and deep within her pupils seemed to be another pair of golden vertical pupils looking at her.

Pat shrank back, pulling his thin, tattered clothes tighter around himself. He felt those sharp golden rays pierce through his body, as if he were seeing light.

“My lord…you…” he cried out in the local low Gothic language, his lips trembling.

He wanted to say something that would make him feel better.

Pat's words came to an abrupt halt as he suddenly felt a surge of blackness behind him engulf his surroundings.

He immediately started running in terror, when suddenly he heard a gentle yet powerful voice.

Pat couldn't understand the language, but a voice suddenly flashed through his mind.

"Don't panic!"

Pat sensed a certain power in the voice, which he couldn't understand, yet he was no longer afraid.

He was no longer afraid and stopped walking.

Pat stared blankly at the dashing female officer as she walked past him toward the bizarre alien creature.

After "comforting" the boy, Diana approached the brain-eater.

Diana suddenly felt her mind freeze, as layers of gray, faded threads appeared one after another.

The hypnotist's eyes shone with golden light, and she immediately felt her mind clear again.

The hypnotist's golden eyes narrowed, and a spiritual light shot towards the brain-eater like an arrow.

Knowing that her "combat hypnosis" would only last a short time, the "hypnotist" raised her archaeological pistol as she used her extraordinary abilities.

The brain-eater raised its bent arm, then suddenly lowered it, knocking away a flying machine.

He only realized what was happening when he felt a burning pain in his arm.

The brain-eater glanced at the arm in confusion, and a bright beam of light shot towards it.

The energy beams harvested from the star shot out at the intersection of the vertical beam overhead and the horizontal beam of light.

A fist-sized wound, with disgusting snot dripping onto the ground.

The brain-eater let out a scream. It was always his neurotoxins that numbed others; this was the first time he had been paralyzed by his own thoughts.

The brain eater takes a step and raises his arms.

Suddenly, he slipped.

Just as his swaying body regained its footing, another dazzling beam of light shot towards him.

No longer afraid, Pat followed the female officer's figure and looked towards the battlefield.

He was astonished to see that the terrifying alien, like those adult drunk workers, staggered and swayed as it walked.

Beams of light blasted at the alien's body.

He fell.

It crashed to the ground.

Pat stared blankly at the long golden hair and the straight back, and murmured:
"Are you... a magician?"

Diana heard the boy speaking a local Low Gothic language that he couldn't understand. She didn't comprehend it, but as a former "mind reader," she could guess at the boy's astonishment.

She looked at the brain-eater lying on the ground, feeling somewhat surprised herself.

Having access to portions of the "Shadow of Order" report, she recalled that only the elite warriors within the "Shadow of Order" were capable of killing the Brain Eaters.

She knew this was because the neurotoxins from the brain-eaters wouldn't harm her, given her expertise in the mental realm.

His own "combat hypnosis" caused the brain-eater to act abnormally, and the archaeological pistol could inflict sufficient damage.

[I don't have that much time to deal with other enemies who excel in melee combat.]
After calmly reflecting on her situation, Diana was still satisfied with her current combat abilities.

Before meeting Lord Ninglu, I never imagined I would possess such an ability.

Thank you, Lord Ninglu, for bestowing upon me this power.
As Diana was pondering, a gray figure suddenly flashed past her left eye.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked to her left.

(End of this chapter)