Warhammer: Empire Reboot

Chapter 41 Enhanced Katachon Jungle Warrior

The whole process lasted about fifteen minutes.

As the last trace of subspace energy merged into the depths of his genes, Lawson opened his eyes.

The brightness of the light remained unchanged, but he could see more details.

The tiny cracks on the armored walls that were previously indistinguishable to the naked eye are now as clear as if viewed with a magnifying glass.

In the shadows, he could distinguish at least three different metal oxide layers.

Then there's hearing; he can tell which section of the ventilation duct is slightly blocked by subtle changes in the airflow in the distant ventilation duct.

He stood up.

The distance from the ground to the top of your head has become shorter.

Even before its evolution, Lawson was already considered to be of a relatively tall stature among the Katachans.

Now, his gaze is at eye level, about 2.1 meters above the ground.

It's not a simple stretching; it's a proportional expansion that occurs after bone density increases and growth hormone reactivates the bone.

He clenched his fist.

The knuckles made a crisp popping sound.

Lawson made a simple comparison in his mind.

An ordinary Katachon jungle warrior is already recognized as a top-tier elite infantryman in the Imperial Star Forces.

The average height of the Qatari people is over 1.85 meters, and their muscle density far exceeds that of ordinary humans, enabling them to sustain combat under three times the standard gravity.

Their individual combat skills surpass those of most Star Guardian special forces, and they can even hold their own against members of the Storm Commando in certain close-quarters combat situations.

Even among the strongest veterans of the Catachan, such as Lawson in his pre-evolutionary state, there is still a significant difference between them and a newly recruited Space Marine at the scout stage.

Even without the aid of power armor, Astartes' physical attributes, enhanced by genetically modified seeds, far exceed the limits of ordinary humans.

Scouts have a reaction speed that is about two to three times faster than elite ordinary people, a strength output that is three to four times faster, and an endurance that is on a completely different level.

Now, Lawson saw his enhanced overall rating in the system panel.

[Genetic Baseline Leap: Initial Stage Completed]

[Comprehensive Physical Fitness Assessment: Equivalent to Imperial Standards - First Generation Astartes Recruits (Unarmored)]

Reaction speed: 2.1 times the limit of a mortal.

Power output: 2.3 times the limit of a mortal.

Durability: 2.5 times the limit for ordinary people.

Nerve conduction velocity: 1.9 times the human limit.

That's the actual combat power you can buy with 1,000 points of subspace energy.

Within the framework of the Empire, this assessment means that Lawson can now fight on par with an Astartes recruit who has just completed his gene-seed implantation and is still serving in the reconnaissance company, without wearing any armor.

Because the true terror of the Astartes was never just about its naked physical attributes.

The power amplification of the power armor, the neural interface of the black shell, the redundant circulation of the two hearts, and the accumulation of decades or even centuries of combat experience—all these combined constitute the Emperor's Angels, a war synonym spanning 40,000 years across the galaxy.

But Lawson's advantage lies in...

He looked at the newly appeared text on the system panel.

[Next Stage: Genetic Basal Leap - Stage Two]

[Consumption: 10000 points of subspace energy.]

Its advantage lies in its ability to continue evolving!

The genetic modification of Astartes is a one-time event.

After the implantation, physical fitness is fixed at that level, and combat power can only be improved through the accumulation of experience and skills.

But there is no ceiling to Lawson's path.

Given enough subspace energy, he can break the current limits again and again.

From comrades-in-arms to veterans, from veterans to...

He didn't continue thinking about it.

Now is not the time to daydream.

Lawson closed the enhancement assessment page and turned his attention to another change in the system panel.

Suicide Summoning Template.

A new entry has been added next to the original "Katachan Jungle Warrior" option.

Enhanced version of Katachon Jungle Warrior

Cost: 200 Health Points + 2 cubic meters of Steel.

Note: Recompiled based on the host's evolved genetic base.

Two hundred life points and two cubic meters of refined steel, double the original one hundred points plus one cubic meter.

But in return, they gained a group of elite soldiers whose basic skills were equivalent to 80% of those of the Astartes scouts.

The judgment of cost-effectiveness depends on the battlefield environment.

In the current derelict spaceships, the enemies they face include orcs, demons, and gene stealers, each of whom possesses individual combat power far exceeding that of regular Astraklan infantry. Stronger assassins mean higher survival rates and better trade ratios.

Below the enhanced template, there is a separate sub-option labeled "[Limited Enhancement - Brain Neural Modification]".

[Hemisphere Alternating Sleep Circuit]:

The system completely shuts down brain regions responsible for dreaming and excessive emotional expression, and restructures central neural synaptic connections. It allows the left and right hemispheres to enter independent, alternating shallow sleep states. When the left hemisphere enters sleep, the right hemisphere maintains full tactical alertness and motor control, and vice versa. These sleep cycles alternate, each lasting approximately 45 minutes, ensuring that at least 50% of the brain remains fully active at all times.

Practical significance: The host and the assassins using this template will completely abandon traditional closed-eye sleep, achieving a 24/7 uninterrupted high-intensity combat readiness. They will always maintain 100% conscious and absolute rationality, becoming immune to conventional hypnosis, mental fatigue attacks, and interrogation methods based on sleep deprivation.

Side effect: Permanent loss of the ability to dream.

Cost: 3000 points of subspace energy (permanently activated, one-time consumption).

As Lawson looked at the section on side effects, the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

Loss of the ability to dream?

In this universe, dreams are the most vulnerable window through which the subspace penetrates the souls of mortals.

Every psionicist in the Empire knows that a nightmare is not just a nightmare; it can be the whispers of Khorne, the temptations of Tzeentch, the corruption of Nurgle, or the invitation of Slaanesh.

Countless resolute imperial soldiers, who could withstand the direct impact of chaos when awake, were silently corrupted in their sleep during the few hours when their soul defenses were weakest.

Permanently losing the ability to dream?

This isn't a side effect, it's an extra benefit.

Under the current system, assassins need sleep just like ordinary humans.

They need about four to six hours of rest each day to maintain their fighting capacity.

This means that at any given moment, about a quarter of his suicide squad is at rest.

For a force with a total strength of only 71 men, a quarter of its manpower is a fatal weakness.

Especially in an environment like a derelict spaceship, where attacks could occur at any time.

If assassins don't need to sleep.

If every soldier can maintain a high level of combat readiness 24 hours a day.

With the same 71 people, the effective combat efficiency is directly increased by 33%.

Moreover, there are no gaps in the defense or information gaps caused by shift changes.

Lawson clicked "confirm".

Chapter 42 The assassins have become stronger and more numerous (Third update)

[Enhanced Katachon Template - Additional Modification: Hemisphere Alternating Dormant Circuit]

[Consuming subspace energy: 3000 points...]

[Template compilation complete.]

[Enhanced Katachon Jungle Warrior - Additional Feature: Hemisphere Alternating Dormancy Circuit (Permanently Built-in)]

Current subspace energy reserves: 5389 points.

The enhanced template icon on the system panel has changed. The original simple humanoid outline now has a ring of fine gold lines around the skull area, like a neural topology diagram that has been rewired.

That's the system compiling these three thousand points of pure energy into the template's genetic blueprint.

From this day forward, every enhanced assassin redeemed from this template will have their brains undergo a sophisticated reconstruction that conventional neuroscience cannot achieve the moment their physical body coalesces from nothingness.

This means that from now on, every newly summoned enhanced zombie will be a war machine that never needs sleep, the moment it opens its eyes.

They lack the capacity to dream, the capacity for excessive emotional expression, and the window of opportunity for their souls to be permeated by the whispers of chaos in the dead of night.

This is the factory default setting.

The standard version of the Catachan assassin template remains unaffected; they still retain the full human sleep requirements and still need four hours of rest per day to maintain their combat effectiveness.

However, that template was designed to be a cheap, mass-produced consumable. The cost of 100 life points plus one cubic meter of refined steel meant it was not worthy of such a luxurious neural modification.

Lawson quickly did the math.

There are 71 surviving assassins, all of whom are from the old, standard template.

They still need to take turns resting, with a quarter of the staff in a dormant state each day.

However, as long as resources allow, he can gradually replace the replacement slots after a player dies with the enhanced version.

Before long, the entire team will transition from ordinary people who need to sleep to a war engine that never stops.

When the enhanced version accounts for more than half of the team, the rotation system can be completely abolished.

Everyone is online at the same time, all defenses are at full strength at the same time, and all firing points are activated at the same time.