I summoned the Fourth Scourge in Warhammer

Chapter 259 The arrow is on the string
The Tyranids, a terrifying force driven by endless hunger and cold logic. Within their vast arsenal of bio-weapons, Licarta is undoubtedly one of the most representative elite hunters.

However, the difference between the upper and lower limits of Licartas is like heaven and earth. Some Licartas, under the control of the Hive's will, are merely used as expendable resources. Their cloaking ability can even expose fatal flaws such as "yellow eyes," which are seen as idiotic by veteran Space Marines. They are just slightly cunning Tyranno variants, representing the lowest level of Licartas.

But some Licartas are entirely different. They are extremely specialized by the Hive Will, directly controlled by it; every neuron, every tendon, is inextricably linked to the supreme wisdom of the Hive Will. These Licartas will become killing machines more stealthy and dangerous than even the Eldar's most elite assassins. They are pure embodiments of death, executing the Hive Will's commands with the utmost precision and efficiency.

Take, for example, the Licat, which was just meticulously crafted by the Hive's will. It is no ordinary individual, but rather the culmination of the Hive's will's immense biomass and boundless wisdom. Its skin is covered with billions of tiny optical scales that can adapt almost perfectly to changes in light and instantly transform into the texture of the surrounding environment, allowing its form to blend completely into the background, imperceptible even to the most discerning naked eye.

Its brain is completely sealed by its skeleton, minimizing its bio-electromagnetic signature to the point that it can evade even the Empire's most advanced technological scans, and its presence is undetectable even to psykers. This allows it to move across the battlefield like a ghost, silently approaching its targets.

Even more terrifying is that its scythe-like limbs secrete a deadly toxin specifically targeting human genes. A mere scratch from its blades, even for a Space Marine of extraordinary abilities, will plunge them into a state of suspended animation induced by the neurotoxin within seconds. Without timely and professional treatment, the consequences are self-evident, let alone if the blade is used to pierce a vital organ. All of Licat's actions are directly controlled by the Hive Will, without the slightest deviation or hesitation.

The Hive Will consumed massive amounts of biomass to create it for one purpose only—to kill Ultramarines Chapter Leader Maneus Calgar and the leader of the Deathbringers, Nguyen Van Bo.

The Hive Will made such a risky decision because, after countless simulations and calculations, it judged that if it did not carry out this high-risk decapitation operation, the fate of the swarm on Plantim would be nothing more than a slow death.

The arrival of Imperial reinforcements, Calgar's command, and the tenacity displayed by those fearless "suicide squads" are gradually eroding the swarm's advantage. Given this, it might be better to take a risk and seize that slim chance to turn the tide.

This Licarta, personally crafted by the will of the hive, was like a death god born from the dark abyss, separating from the tide of the Tyranids without making a sound.

Its form blurred in the dense spore mist, its tiny optical scales capturing and replicating every detail of its surroundings at an astonishing speed—from the texture of damp rocks to dust particles floating in the air, to the faint light and shadow of distant battle. It was no longer a physical entity, but rather more like a moving piece of air.

The battlefront was now engulfed in fierce fighting. The roar of explosive guns and the clang of chainswords intertwined into a symphony of death, laser beams tore through the air, and the screams of aliens and the roars of humans rose and fell. Flesh and carapace scattered in the explosions, and the air was thick with the pungent stench of poison gas, blood, and alien bodily fluids. Yet, amidst this hellish chaos, Ricard moved like a ghost gliding across calm waters.

It certainly wouldn't choose a direct assault, but instead followed the terrain's blind spots, using the wreckage of the destroyed Lemanrus, the debris of collapsed fortifications, and the mountains of corpses as cover. Each step was incredibly light; its slender limbs silently trod across the soft soil, the cracked terracotta plates, even brushing past a still-convulsing Tyrannosaurus corpse, without causing the slightest tremor. The tripwires and miniature sensors originally set up for early warning were utterly useless against it; it always managed to evade their detection range by the smallest margin, or perfectly bypass them using some kind of biological "blind spot."

A soldier, facing certain death, was wiping the barrel of his automatic rifle, his gaze warily sweeping across the area ahead. His eyes even briefly lingered on the spot where Likat was "hiding," but he only saw a patch of ordinary ruins. Unbeknownst to him, within those ruins, a pair of cold, compound eyes silently took him in, then quickly looked away. Likat's target was not these insignificant soldiers.

It easily evaded several patrol teams, even those with Astartes. The various sensors on their hands were completely useless to this highly specialized creature.

Its bioelectromagnetic signature is suppressed to a minimum, its body temperature blends perfectly with the environment, and even its breathing and heartbeat are so faint that they cannot be detected by any known device.

Those Space Marines clad in terracotta armor, despite possessing far superior perception and state-of-the-art tactical equipment, were unable to detect the minute deviations in the light refracted by Licatt with their retinas, nor could they distinguish the subtle differences between its footsteps and the sound of the wind with their hearing.

The thermal imagers and motion sensors integrated into their power armor were all obscured by an invisible interference signal. Even the psionic sensing capabilities of some chapter think tanks were completely ineffective.

Licat could simulate the weak electromagnetic fields of the environment and even adjust its own bio-wavelength, making it appear as harmless background noise in the Astartes' scanning network. It silently glided past an Astartes less than a meter away, the warrior's explosive musket even slightly raised, pointing at the void it now occupied, but ultimately only cautiously scanned the area before returning to calm.

When it finally slipped through layers of defense and quietly entered the relatively safe rear area, it triggered no alarms and aroused no suspicion. It didn't even kill a single person, because every unnecessary kill could leave a trace and increase the risk of exposure.

Behind the front lines, convoys were busily unloading supplies, while officers nervously coordinated tactics at their communication devices. The cacophony of voices and the roar of machinery created another scene of busy tension. Amidst this complex background noise, Licatt had vanished completely, like a stone sinking into the sea. It had successfully infiltrated, and humanity was utterly unaware. A meticulously planned assassination was about to begin.

(End of this chapter)