The prayer ceremony had begun.
The square was filled with loyal and fervent believers.
They looked devoutly at the four-armed statue of the Emperor, seeking His blessing.
Members of the gospel choir were lined up, singing hymns in praise of the Emperor.
The bishop stood on an anti-gravity pulpit, hovering in the air as he spread the Emperor's gospel to the followers:
The great Emperor will hear each of our voices.
He will descend from the distant stars to save all our souls!
Under His guidance, we will usher in a bright future.
His grace will extend to every corner of the universe.
Let us follow Him with gratitude, sing His praises, and cheer for His glory!"
Watching this scene, Eden stood there, feeling a strong wave of discomfort.
A mental shock hit him, causing a sharp pain in his stomach.
As this feeling reached its peak—
He broke through a psychic network barrier, regaining his freedom!
Eve opened her eyes after her devout prayer, noticing that Eden was nowhere to be seen.
"He probably ran off to play somewhere."
Gallia, unconcerned, said:
"Let's finish praying; we'll look for him afterward."
This was the church square, the safest place in the area, so there wouldn't be any danger.
Gallia and his family closed their eyes again, resuming their devout prayers.
They prayed for the great Emperor to descend from the stars and save this world of suffering.
Eden hid in a corner, looking at the densely packed crowd in the square.
Most of these people had patches of pale purple skin.
They were naturally bald with prominent foreheads; they weren't purely human.
Eden finally realized that the Underhive had been infected.
And the infection came from Gene Stealers, commonly known as "stealers."
Gene Stealers were the terrifying vanguard of the Tyranid Hive Fleet. They were intelligent and capable of independent action, even without guidance from the Hive Mind.
Usually, a single first-generation pure-blood Gene Stealer could infect and control an entire planet.
A Gene Stealer's mouth hid a long, sharp tongue, a needle-like ovipositor.
They would capture conscious beings, using this tongue to inject "seeds" containing Tyranid genetic material into their hosts, usually by piercing through the mouth to the stomach or chest.
These "seeds" would quickly infect the host's body and mind.
The host would forget the infection and succumb to the will of the Gene Stealer, feeling an intense desire to reproduce.
They would seek out others to procreate, giving birth to severely deformed, first-generation hybrid offspring.
These "seeds" would also twist the host's mind, causing them to unconditionally love these non-human "children."
First-generation hybrids, with their prominent alien traits, would typically hide in sewers or abandoned buildings as they grew.
After several generations, they would begin to resemble humans, gradually infiltrating society.
As the infected and their hybrid offspring multiplied, they would gather around the original Gene Stealer.
They would form a psychic network, creating a massive, loyal family around the Gene Stealer Patriarch.
This network would spread, eventually forming the Gene Stealer Cult.
Many members of these cults would appear outwardly as loyal Emperor worshippers, appearing normal except for the four-armed Emperor statue hanging around their necks.
Many truly believed they were worshiping the Emperor, not some Tyranid creature, acting as model Imperial citizens.
When faced with a Chaos or alien invasion, these cultists would transform into the most loyal warriors, defending their world.
The phrase "Stealers defending the homeworld" wasn't spoken without reason.
This seemed so obvious—why hadn't he noticed earlier?
Suddenly, a sharp pain twisted his stomach, and he vomited a mass of purple tissue.
Looking down at the vile tissue, Eden checked his body and found a wound on his chest.
He finally understood. Damn it—this projection had been parasitized at some point.
It must have happened while he was unconscious, with a Gene Stealer hybrid seizing the chance to infect him.
No wonder he had blended so perfectly with the Gene Stealer brood, even finding those twisted Gene Stealer babies adorable.
Fortunately, this cloned body had been created without gender characteristics during its manufacturing.
Otherwise, he would have likely found himself procreating with a female Gene Stealer descendant.
The thought was unbearable—worse than the horrors of Slaanesh.
Eden quickly stopped his thoughts, concerned about the current situation.
Based on what Gallia had described, the Gene Stealer Cult had likely taken over most of the Underhive.
Now, the Underhive's power struggle was probably between the Chaos Cult and the Gene Stealer Cult.
And the Gene Stealer Cult had the upper hand.
This was a nightmare start.
Soon, Eden thought of an even worse possibility.
As the Tyranid vanguard, the original pure-blood Gene Stealer would act as the Patriarch.
It could control its descendants through the psychic hive network, growing stronger and more intelligent as the cult expanded.
When the cult reached maturity and amassed sufficient psychic power...
The Patriarch would become a psychic beacon, attracting the Tyranid Hive Fleet.
Once lit, the psychic beacon would allow the Tyranid Hive to locate this planet in the vastness of space, drawing them in for a feast.
When that happened, the swarm would consume everything, including the Gene Stealers and their hybrid descendants.
In other words, the poor "people" in the square and every lifeform on Urus would be nothing more than a meal for the Tyranids!
So yes, these Gene Stealers were true "thieves" in every sense.
Welcome to Warhammer 40K, Eden thought, where even trying to lay low somehow attracts Tyranids.
Even the Imperium's main forces struggled against Tyranid invasions.
The urgent task now was to find that hidden Patriarch.
But in such a massive and complex Underhive, how could he locate it?
Moreover, the hybrid descendants and brainwashed people would stop at nothing to protect it.
Still, find it he must!
Eden steeled himself.
He had a clear understanding of the situation now.
The Chaos Cult and the Gene Stealer Cult were at a stalemate, which bought him some time.
This gave him the chance to return to the Warp and gather more resources, allowing Kaul to build more war machines.
Once the machines were ready, he would open the Hive's gates and let a mechanical tide sweep through the Underhive!
This approach was brutal and would sacrifice countless lives in the Underhive.
It wouldn't just be the unfortunate humans; it would include those lost in blissful delusion, waiting for the Emperor's salvation—Gene Stealer hybrids among them.
Most of them would perish.
But this was Warhammer 40K, a universe without perfect solutions.
Only suffering, and more suffering.
Eden closed his eyes.
To prevent the entire planet from being consumed, he had no other choice.
Even if it meant razing the Underhive to the ground, he would find and destroy that damn Patriarch!
Just as Eden made his decision, something unusual happened in the square.
The choir stopped singing, and the people stood in silence, as though waiting for something.
He looked up, seeing the Gene Stealer Bishop on the anti-gravity pulpit, listening intently.
Moments later, the Gene Stealer Bishop excitedly announced the unparalleled gospel:
"Faithful followers, your prayers have been answered.
The great Emperor is about to descend from the stars to save us all..."
The Gene Stealer cultists in the square erupted into fanatic cheers.
They laughed, wept, and hugged each other in happiness.
At that moment, Eden sensed a vast psychic energy emanating from the square, sending a signal into space.
The beacon... had been lit!
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