Chapter 32: Masterpiece of Biology

Night.

As the victorious news of the beheading operation spread, the frontlines had already advanced by a hundred kilometers. Duncan's synthetic regiment, moving at an incredible pace, was forced to halt at dusk to await reinforcements. 

For the ground troops, today was undoubtedly a triumph. They had won, without question. Yet, as they gathered around the campfire awaiting their rations, a sense of disbelief hung over their excitement.

"Did we win too easily?" 

"I thought this was supposed to be a do-or-die battle." 

"Thank the Emperor, no matter how it happened, we did win." 

As his subordinates discussed the results of the battle, Duncan's mind replayed the events of the day. 

Advance. 

That single word summarized the entire day, the first victory since the full-scale counteroffensive began. 

At first, the rebels' resistance was fierce. Then, it became more desperate. But suddenly, their lines collapsed, leaving only those fleeing in chaos as their trail. 

If Duncan were to write a memoir, he would sum it up in a single sentence: 

We advanced, shielded by the unrelenting fire of autonomous artillery and swarms of drones. We pressed forward without pause, clearing the remnants left in the wake of the bombardments, seizing stronghold after stronghold.

"When we possess overwhelming firepower and are fully prepared, battles should go this smoothly. I don't believe in the genius of tactics or strategy, nor do I enjoy gambling in war. I only trust the mightiest weapons, the fiercest firepower, and the strongest armor."

A voice interrupted their conversation.

At the sound of the voice, every soldier seated around the campfire stood and turned their gaze toward its source. Qin Mo, accompanied by his guards clad in their formidable power armor, approached from the distance.

Without hesitation, the soldiers gathered around him, paying their respects with a proud Imperial salute.

Qin Mo's eyes swept over them before settling on Duncan. "I've heard of your bravery today. You were the first to lead your forces here, destroying numerous rebel contingents along the way. Well done."

"Your praise brings honor to me and my men," Duncan replied, pride swelling in his chest. "We've also heard of your success in the beheading operation. Without your elimination of the rebel leaders, we could never have advanced so smoothly."

"I must admit, you're right," Qin Mo said with a smile, nodding as he walked on, his gaze shifting to the others around him.

Duncan followed silently, pondering the purpose of Qin Mo's personal visit. It had to be an important mission.

"Is there anything you need?" Qin Mo asked, turning toward Duncan.

"We need only to annihilate more rebels," Duncan replied firmly.

"That may be your desire, but you're not a psyker. You cannot know the minds of all your men. Let them speak for themselves," Qin Mo said.

The soldiers quickly gathered around, voicing their requests one after another. Some wanted backpacks added to their power armor, others wished for larger batteries, and still others hoped for a reward of alcohol when the campaign ended.

Anruida, one of Qin Mo's elite guards and a survivor of the 44th regiment, recorded every request. Anruida had once been a scribe for Buhr, making him well-suited for the task.

"I'll ensure that all your requests are fulfilled," Qin Mo assured them. 

It wasn't an empty promise. With material fabrication technology at their disposal, such requests were effortless to meet.

After recording everything, Qin Mo turned to Duncan. "I came to check in and see what you need. Now, just focus on your duties—attack and occupy."

"Yes, sir." Duncan saluted.

At that moment, a transport aircraft flew overhead. Its anti-gravity engines made only a faint hum, barely noticeable to those below.

"Stay motivated, stay efficient," Qin Mo said in parting, leading his guards onto the transport as it descended, flying off to visit the next regiment.

This post-battle appearance wasn't Qin Mo's idea but Kline's suggestion. Kline believed that showing his face to each regiment and offering rewards would solidify his authority among the troops. 

Given that Qin Mo's elite guards had been seen throughout the integration of the defense lines, the soldiers were glad to see them once more. But beyond boosting morale, these appearances reassured the men in preparation for what was to come. Qin Mo was about to immerse himself in the development of a weapon against the Gene Stealers—a task that would keep him from the frontlines for some time.

...

After a full Terran day of visiting every regiment, Qin Mo returned to his lab within the fortress. As he placed the extracted blood from the rebel leader into the material analyzer and awaited the results, his thoughts drifted back to the beheading operation.

The Gene Stealer Patriarch possessed psyker abilities far surpassing any other individual, yet during the battle, it had been unable to use them. It had tried, repeatedly. But every attempt was abruptly halted, as if silenced by an unseen force. Each effort ended with the Patriarch collapsing to the ground.

It was as though someone—or something—had nullified its powers.

Qin Mo knew it wasn't his doing. He could block psyker influence on his mind, but he had no ability to interfere with the manipulation of the Warp itself. If that were the case, the Archpriest who arrived later would never have been able to cast her powers.

Who had interfered with the Patriarch? 

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The results were in.

The analysis generated tens of thousands of lines of data on the screen. Qin Mo set aside his questions about the strange events and approached the monitor to review the findings.

As the information scrolled rapidly, he concluded that extracting biological material from the Patriarch, rather than other Gene Stealers, had been the correct choice. Its genetic code far surpassed that of any hybrid, offering the most complete information. Any weapon developed from this would be devastatingly effective.

Yet, the Patriarch's genes had already begun adapting to the environment of Tylon Hive. While the weapon would indeed end the conflict here, it would be limited to the conditions of this world. If Gene Stealers existed on other planets—even within the same star system—changes in atmospheric composition or pollution could render the weapon ineffective.

"Who created you?" Qin Mo mused aloud, staring at the biological samples from the Patriarch. "What a masterpiece."

He couldn't help but wonder, if he were to design a bio-weapon, could he create something as extraordinary as the Gene Stealer Patriarch?

The Patriarch was a masterpiece. But the Tyranids? They were beyond genius—transcendent.

While the possibility of the Tyranids evolving naturally wasn't impossible, the odds were slim—unless they had been born on a world that forced rapid and extreme adaptation.

"Focus on the task at hand," Qin Mo muttered, clearing his thoughts and turning back to his research and weapon development.