Warhammer 40k: Melee Warriors

Shi Tou followed suit, while Mi Yang couldn't eat a single bite, staring at the ceramic bowl in front of him with scrutinizing eyes, suspecting that it contained deadly poison.

As the tribe's leader and a powerful psychic prophet, Falla didn't eat anything fancy. She downed the entire bowl in one gulp, licked her lips, which were still slightly gritty, and asked, "What's wrong, guests of the tribe? Is this food not to your liking?"

"I can only say that it's quite interesting to eat, at least much more interesting than bland nutrition bars," Komi said half-jokingly.

Faya covered her mouth and chuckled. Because of the giant dragon claw, she only needed one claw to cover most of her lower face. "You are always so humorous and tolerant. If Mi Yang's soul could come into contact with you, I think she would benefit a lot."

Mi Yang didn't say anything, but just gave Faya a cold glance.

Then Faya held up a cup and said to Komi, "The bottom nest rarely produces normal food, so I suggest you drink this cup of water as much as possible."

Koji raised his eyebrows. He had also seen the water. It wasn't clear; it had a rusty reddish hue and contained things like grass clippings and wood stalks floating in it.

It looks like tea, but upon closer inspection, it seems to have a strong throat-irritating effect.

Connecting this to what Faya had said earlier, Komi raised his water glass and asked, "So what we're eating is poisonous, and this is the antidote?"

"Yes, it's poisonous, but this will neutralize it." Faya nodded and drank the water in her cup in one gulp.

The water tasted even stranger, but once you got through the difficult part, you could feel the numbness on your tongue completely disappear.

Miyan did not touch her food or drink from her water glass; she simply sat to the side, staring at Faya with the same scrutinizing gaze one would use to examine heretics and traitors.

After being subjected to such prolonged hostility, even someone as good-tempered as Faya would feel resentful. She raised a claw at Mi Yang and released a surge of spiritual energy, instantly locking Mi Yang's body in place and rendering her unable to move.

Before Komi and Ishi could react further, Faya quickly opened Miyang's mouth and poured all the food and water into her mouth.

Mi Yang choked and wanted to cough and vomit, but a psionic plug was placed in her esophagus, blocking her nausea again and again.

"These things may not taste good, but they are necessities for life in the bottom nest. Many unknown diseases and filth roam here, and one can easily fall ill if one is not careful. But fortunately, the merciful God-King has not abandoned us and has left behind these great miracles that heal life."

Faya prayed to the emperor, "I don't think you want to rot and die from the inside out, do you?" Faya smiled at the suffering Miyang, but this well-intentioned act only earned her hostility.

Fortunately, Mi Yang didn't utter a curse; he just sat sullenly in his chair, his hand resting on the weapon hanging from his waist.

Faya slightly curled the corners of her lips, and then enthusiastically inquired about the situation at the upper levels from Komi.

Koji didn't mention that he and Miyan had pretended to be orcs and caused trouble. He only talked about the fierce battle between the 88th Mobilization Corps and the orcs.

Falla reacted with the excitement of a little girl to these war stories, but Komi could tell that there was no change in the man's eyes.

This soft appearance is just a trick to deceive Komi.

When the conversation turned to the 88th Mobilization Corps' ambush of a fleeing mutant tribe, Falla's eyes finally showed some change.

“Based on your description… I think I know the name of that tribe,” Faya said thoughtfully, while Komi and the others quietly prepared for battle.

If this guy is here for revenge, Gu Jian and the others will have no choice but to fight their way through this tribe.

Seeing Komi's nervousness, Faya hurriedly waved her hand, saying with some embarrassment and awkwardness, "No, no, no, you misunderstand. My relationship with them is not good at all; it would be an exaggeration to say that we are enemies."

"Really?"

“Truly, I swear to the great and benevolent God-Emperor.”

Falla performed the standard Eagle Salute with her claws, which made Mi Yang even more displeased, and he couldn't help but curse inwardly.

What kind of rotten fish and shrimp are they worthy of worshipping the Emperor?

Chapter 33: The Reasons for Fleeing the Disaster

The bottom nest is chaotic and dangerous, with extremely limited safe living space. Faya was able to lead the Dragonscale Tribe to settle in this spiked basin not through politeness and preaching, but by stepping over the corpses of other mutant tribes.

The tribe that worships the god of a hundred is called the Bilpu tribe. Faya doesn't know when they became involved with the god of a hundred, but he knows that these people are quite skilled at handling human flesh.

A delicious dish made with human flesh was first offered to the centaur, while the leftovers were shared among the other members of the tribe.

Through worship and offerings to the god of the hundred, they received the protection of this thing.

The gaunt old man who could summon the Hundred Gods must be quite powerful. What kind of being could have forced them to flee?

Faya was very curious about this. She had to find out the reason why the Bilpu tribe had fled for the sake of the tribe’s safety in order to decide whether the Dragonscale tribe should migrate or stay where it was.

The purpose of conversation is not to have conversation; the essence of conversation is the exchange of benefits.

After Komi resolved some of Faya's doubts, it was Faya's turn to resolve some of Komi's difficulties.

The bottom and upper hives are not inaccessible; the subsequent expansion of the hives is all built upon a central point, an ancient, straight passage connecting the top and bottom layers of the hive.

Faya will tell Komi how to get to the ancient central passage, and Komi will need to contribute to Faya's reconnaissance mission.

“I can tell you’re quite strong.” Faya’s eyes gleamed with a faint glimmer of spiritual energy, leaving Komi speechless.

The Beipu tribe and the Longlin tribe are far apart, and it is difficult to reach them without some preparation. Faya spent three days organizing a team and supplies, while Gujian wandered around the tribe during this time.

Falla was not someone who had fallen from the Upper Nest to the Lower Nest; she was a native mutant whose only opportunity to come into contact with the Imperial Faith was when she found a copy of the Emperor's Word from the Upper Nest while scavenging as a child.

The book was exquisitely crafted and bound; such a book would have cost at least twenty-five years' salary for Officer Miyan. Yet, it ended up in the dark and hopeless depths of the nest, bringing the Dragonscale Tribe their only ray of salvation.

In the most difficult times, religion can indeed greatly unite people's hearts, and Koken does not deny this, especially since there really are gods in the Warhammer world.

If the sacrificial ceremony is performed correctly, hearing the whispers of the gods is not a pipe dream.

These past few days, Komi has also tried to learn from Miyan's behavior, praying devoutly to a small portrait of an emperor that can fit in his pocket.

After each prayer, Miyan would excitedly ask Koji if he had felt the warmth of the Emperor's Light and the guidance of his majestic voice...

Gu Jian felt nothing, only hearing his own voice echoing in his mind.

Koji couldn't figure out the problem, and could only attribute it to his own overly utilitarian approach to prayer.

Sometimes he even had some blasphemous thoughts, such as why not just curse the Emperor a few times. So many people in the empire praise him, so there must be fewer who curse him, right?

Although the Chaos faction also criticized the Emperor quite a bit, their criticisms were clearly too religious, such as the decaying Corpse Emperor and the dried corpse on the chair, which failed to directly address the Emperor's vulnerabilities.

If it were Komi to be the one to criticize, he would definitely start by finding fault with the relationship between the Emperor and his son. If he were willing to go all out, he could also target Saint Gillespie and Macado Grey directly.

After much deliberation, Komi finally chickened out.

Fearing that he might offend the emperor and cause him to send not a blessing, but a cursed army to purge the offender.

Three days passed quickly as Komi was lost in his own thoughts, and the team he led, which included Komi and his Faya organization, now numbered thirteen.

This inevitably reminded Koken of the many speculations that the Imperial Number might be 13, and perhaps these 13 people could bring some mystical help to their journey.

Along the way, they encountered many wild beasts and carnivorous plants that had grown in lakes containing compounds accumulated over hundreds of years. Some enemies were strangled to death by Faya's psionic grip, while others died under Komi's axe.

Arriving at the territory of the Beipu tribe, this place, compared to the orderly Dragonscale tribe, was more like a filthy highland that combined a slaughterhouse and an altar.

Some of the muddy ground still held traces of past blood, turning the land red and black in patches, with no bones remaining. These things, it seems, were not wasted by this cannibalistic tribe.

Faya hummed a tune she had composed, drawing magic circles on the ground with her claws. Her knowledge of magic came from her dreams.

Honestly, the only reason Falla hasn't been killed by her own psychic powers is because the Emperor has put in the effort.

"I'm going to perform a psychic ritual to communicate with the distant past," Faya reminded her before sitting cross-legged in the magic circle, as psychic energy surged from the earth into her body.

Komi stood guard to the side, holding a machete. His posture was incredibly cool, but the tribespeople who had accompanied him over the past few days had all witnessed his close combat skills and could only admire and respect him.

It seems like something is watching us...

Koken raised an eyebrow and glanced at a dark spot.

Suddenly, Faya's face turned deathly pale, and her usually calm and gentle voice screamed in panic, "We have to get out of here! I know what they're trying to escape from!"

As Komi stared at the dark red light, a tribesman was snapped in half at the waist. No blood spurted from his wound; the scorching laser almost evaporated all the blood in his body, leaving only the smell of burnt flesh lingering in his nostrils.

The Empire has so many types of laser guns that even Miyan couldn't possibly recognize them all, but judging from the power of this laser, the weapons and equipment used by those who attacked them were undoubtedly excellent.

"Find cover!"

"Don't resist!"

Faya and Komi's voices rang out at the same time. Komi raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Faya in confusion.

Faya's eyes were filled with terror and pleading, which Komi couldn't understand why a powerful psychic would behave this way.

Surely it couldn't be that the one who attacked them was an inquisitor on a mission to the bottom of the nest?

Koken was somewhat alarmed; he didn't want to get involved with this fanatical organization so early on.

"Damn it, Otas, even if they were all dead, they wouldn't be worth that energy you fired!"

A shout or curse came from the darkness, followed by the loud thud of several heavy objects falling to the ground.

Faya was very nervous during this process and tried his best to appear humble and insignificant. The other tribesmen followed suit and bowed down to the darkness.

Koken deeply understood the principle of being flexible and adaptable, so he didn't stubbornly make any irresponsible remarks, as if he wanted to be offered as tribute.

A group of armored warriors appeared before Komi. Their armor styles were all different, and Komi had never seen a similar structure in military books or settings.

The humanoid armor is engraved with the Empire's golden double-headed eagle, as well as mineral-patterned emblems symbolizing family affiliation.

These people are Hunters...

Koken recognized these people and couldn't help but feel nervous.

Chapter 34: The Hunters' Interests

The noble status of these hunters was something Faya revered. Although she was a powerful psionicist, she was still too weak in the face of the top nobles. Those big shots could easily crush Faya and her tribe with just a flick of their fingers.

These hunters' equipment is awe-inspiring; their weapons and armor are generally based on lost technology, and some of their powerful and ancient equipment even surpasses the level of the Space Marine arsenal.

Koji didn't want to clash with these hunters and then be wiped out by technology from the dark age or even more ancient times.

The hunters walked forward arrogantly, completely unconcerned that these filthy, lowly tribesmen posed any threat to them.

The leader was wearing a gorilla-style power armor that enhanced his strength. His electronic muscle bundles pulsated as if they were alive under the impact of energy, giving him terrifying power that could crush ordinary people while also absorbing external kinetic energy damage.

He asked the crowd in a commanding tone, "What are you filthy fellows doing here?"

Faya did not get up, but crawled over and buried her forehead deep in the blood and mud. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead because she had just seen the miserable state of the Beipu tribe being hunted down by these hunters through the spirit ritual.

Even the powerful nightmare of the Hundred Gods, who were revered as the tribe's protector, fled in terror under the siege of these hunters.

These are people you absolutely must not mess with!

They must be made to feel so insignificant and incompetent that even picking up a rock to kill them would be considered a waste of the power armor's energy.

Falla's voice was usually very pleasant, possessing a rational beauty, but now it sounded hoarse like that of an old woman dying from illness and disaster, "Your Excellency...we are merely merchants trading with the mutants of this tribe."

Faya trembled just right as she pulled her paws out from under her animal-hide clothes.

The hunters did not recognize the roots in Faya's hands. They came to the bottom of the hive city only to hunt powerful creatures and use their blood to make their family crests shine brighter.