Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 581

Chapter 579, Capturing Protozoa

. Ewing didn’t respond directly to Gu Hang, claiming he needed to return to discuss matters with his battle-brothers.

In reality, this wasn’t the case.

Ewing held considerable prestige within the Chapter, and the Blood Sharks didn’t have a Council of Elders, a Veteran’s Corps, a Secret Meeting, or an Inner Circle. His word was final.

However, he hadn’t thought this through clearly. He needed the opinions of veterans and company commanders, as well as more time to fully consider Gu Hang’s proposal.

His long life, rich in experience, had left him with a skepticism about free lunches.

Gu Hang’s terms, even including those that challenged Chapter tradition, were still generous.

He also believed that the Alliance, with its demonstrated strength, could deliver on Gu Hang’s promises.

Yet, this was precisely why he was wary.

He simply couldn’t see many pitfalls in the terms.

Would becoming a “close ally” with the Alliance mean they would be controlled by it? Probably not. They weren’t involved in command positions within the Chapter. Whatever life experiences those new recruits had, they only had a decade or so. Compared to the Space Marines’ almost infinite lifespans, they would be ingrained in the Chapter’s culture for at least decades. What did those past experiences matter? Is

n’t that how Space Marines are? After undergoing gene-seed transformation, over time, they gradually forget their brief mortal experiences, ultimately becoming loyal warriors of the Emperor.

So, after becoming allies, would the Alliance force them to assign missions?

Probably not. The terms were equal, an alliance. A request from the Alliance was a ‘request,’ not a ‘mission.’ They could certainly refuse.

As for deliberate sabotage… that would be malicious. The Blood Sharks weren’t rookies. They would definitely research intelligence before taking on any assignment. They wouldn’t just believe everything the Alliance said—at least not until they’d established sufficient trust.

So what was the problem?

Ewing couldn’t think of a solution.

He decided to offer a limited, preliminary agreement first.

This wasn’t a matter of instantly forging a permanent alliance.

Currently, both sides were on the same battlefield, and Gu Hang was nominally the theater commander. To a certain extent, they were bound to follow his orders and commands.

It might be a good idea to test the waters in this war.

Seeing the results, they could then decide whether a more permanent agreement was necessary after the war.

Ewing’s decision was quickly vindicated.

In the recent large-scale naval battle, the Blood Shark fleet had participated and, under unified command and instructions, had significantly impacted the situation.

They had also participated in the seizure of the Retribution-class battleship, now named the Iron Horse, and played a crucial role. Their achievements were somewhat less impressive than those of the Phoenix, but not by much.

Further back, the Blood Sharks had rescued three Alliance battlecruisers and destroyed the Torchlight, the flagship of the New World Torch Regiment.

Overall, they had already played a significant role in this war,

and inflicted considerable damage . Especially in the battle to destroy the Torchlight, they engaged the New World Torch in a head-on confrontation, losing over a hundred Space Marines.

For the Blood Sharks, this was their greatest loss in the last twenty years.

If Gu Hang truly wanted to fulfill his promise, shouldn’t he offer a reward?

Of course not.

But not now.

Gu Hang suggested waiting until the battle was over before settling all the accounts. It would be more convenient.

After destroying the majority of Alfonzo’s fleet heading towards the Fantasy Moon System, another group still needed attention.

The sole remaining Sage of the Main Occupation, with the Emperor-class battleship, was racing towards the Vuchi-Vinchi line.

They were moving at a considerable speed.

Gu Hang certainly wouldn’t let them go.

He coveted that Emperor-class battleship. If he could, he would definitely try to seize it by seizing it.

In terms of value, the Emperor-class might not be as valuable as the War Ark previously destroyed by the Alliance. However, their roles were completely different.

The War Ark, to put it bluntly, was still a Mechanicus-class “Ark” vessel. Essentially, it still serves as a core base for space warfare. A normal Ark is practically a mobile factory. While the War Ark has discarded many of its production, living, and scientific research functions and has been repurposed for combat, it’s still essentially an Ark.

Its inherent size and complexity allow it to accommodate dozens of times more personnel than an Emperor-class vessel, making it comparable to specialized giant transport vessels like the Gorgon.

Furthermore, due to its nature as a mechanical Ark, much of its operation must be performed by Mechanicus personnel.

Seizing it would certainly be valuable; at least the Ming Yang Cult would beg Gu Hang to sell it to them. However, it wouldn’t directly enhance the Alliance’s combat effectiveness, and with tens of millions of Skitarii combat troops and a Neurozoan inside, capturing it would be incredibly challenging.

But the Emperor-class is different. It could hold at most 700,000? 800,000?

And it’s highly versatile; it’s not a Mechanicus-exclusive vessel.

Seizing it and repairing it could significantly elevate the Alliance’s naval fleet.

It’s definitely worth seizing.

However, before going to rob the ship, Gu Hang still had one thing to do.

In the Bowang system, on the battlefield of the previous space battle with Alfonzo, the Alliance work ships floating in the wreckage of the void, responsible for cleaning the battlefield, sent a message that made Gu Hang very concerned:

they found the neurozoan.

It was not dead.

Gu Hang was a little surprised.

My goodness, this thing has such tenacious vitality?

It was on Alfonzo II. This war ark was blown to pieces by the concentrated fire of the Alliance fleet during the naval battle without any additional defense. When a

ship explodes in a naval battle, there is almost no possibility for the life forms on board to survive.

Even if they don’t die for a while, after the ship disintegrates into a pile of debris, the life support system is gone. In the cold space without air and food, how can the life forms survive?

Unless they are extremely lucky and survive in a relatively intact cabin.

But they will not live for long.

Gu Hang asked himself, if it were him, while he had some ways to survive, such as hiding in the subspace, the neurozoan certainly didn’t have such conditions. Under normal circumstances, survival would be quite difficult.

The neurozoan’s survival was certainly not just luck.

Its immense vitality, especially its powerful psychic energy, enabled it to survive the most perilous process of bombing, detonation, and disintegration, surviving in the void.

According to the latest reports, the neurozoan even broke free from the wreckage and, in the void of space, propelled by psychic energy, moved in an unknown direction.

Alliance ships were following.

The neurozoan was likely seriously injured, or perhaps relying solely on psychic energy to propel its speed, so its speed was slow. The ships could keep up,

but they dared not approach.

Two Blackfish patrol ships had already been caught in the neurozoan’s psychic power after inadvertently getting too close.

Their energy shields were ripped apart, their engines seized, and they were unable to operate. Then, the crews inside went berserk and attacked each other. Someone broke into the power module and detonated it…

Two ships and thousands of crew members were lost in this inexplicable way.

Having learned this lesson, the Alliance ships cleaning up the wreckage of the battlefield are warping with caution. The two remaining patrol ships could only track the neurozoan from a distance.

Lacking a main battleship and clear orders from their superiors, they refrained from launching an attack.

That’s not entirely accurate; they did attempt to open fire, but it was clear that conventional patrol ships, unlike the specially designed, disposable Blackfish ejected by the Zhuge-class, wouldn’t abandon everything and deploy their full firepower. The patrol ships’ conventional weaponry posed little threat to the neurozoan.

So, they reported the situation,

hoping for more support, perhaps a few larger ships to destroy it. Instead, their superiors ordered them to maintain tracking, avoid getting too close, and ensure they didn’t lose sight of the target.

They inquired about the solution, and their superiors, unfazed, informed them: the Governor would personally handle the situation.

…

Gu Hang, aboard the Raging Owl, quickly arrived in the Bowan system and located the neurozoan, which had been pursued by Alliance ships.

In reality, the distance between them was immense. Even with its massive size, the neurozoan was still a living being, making it difficult to observe with the n*ked eye.

The warship’s location was determined by its constant radar lock. The neurozoan attempted to interfere, but was quickly relocked.

Gu Hang’s situation was even simpler; he could sense it directly through his psychic energy.

The neurozoan was highly sensitive to Gu Hang’s psychic energy and immediately activated its psychic power to counter Gu Hang.

It was still incredibly powerful, reaching S-class psychic strength. However, even though it was comparable to the top psykers among humans, how could it possibly stand up to Gu Hang?

In the previous Battle of Bovan, the Mechanicus, by controlling and enslaving its power, was able to unleash Alpha-level strength, or even beyond. Even Gu Hang, at full power, tearing open the Warp rift, exerting nearly the full force he could wield in the real universe, could only achieve a draw in a head-on confrontation.

Granted, he was distracted by manifesting a large number of Heroic Spirits, but the neurozoan was also imprisoned at the time, its power shifted, and it wasn’t fully engaged in a confrontation with Gu Hang.

The two should have been evenly matched.

It certainly shouldn’t have been as weak as it was now.

Gu Hang ordered the ships to close in.

With him around, a neurozoan, whose current power was no longer at the Alpha level, couldn’t threaten the Wrathful Owl.

As the distance drew closer, even reaching its very edge, the neurozoan remained subdued.

How could it not be subdued, completely suppressed by Gu Hang’s psychic power?

And when Gu Hang, from the bridge, could see the neurozoan’s appearance through the visuals, he probably understood the reason for its current weakness: it

was crippled.

The neurozoan certainly hadn’t been lucky enough to be in a safe area when the ship disintegrated; it might even have been directly bombarded, or even suffered a secondary attack during the disintegration.

Even with its psionic powers as a means of self-preservation, its body suffered extensive damage.

Gu Hang suspected it might have used these powers to hold on until the very end, but its shield was ultimately breached. The aftermath of the explosion, the impact of debris, the intense energy… these things damaged its body.

However, its physical strength allowed it to withstand the impact, or perhaps even erect new shields in time.

Having survived the explosion, it now fell into Gu Hang’s hands.

As for how to deal with it, Gu Hang hesitated.

If he wanted to use it, he had to consider the fate of Alfonzo’s fleet.

That War Ark was the most powerful ship in Alfonzo’s fleet, but if Gu Hang hadn’t detonated the Neurozoa bomb from within, even with his full strength, it would have been a difficult task to defeat.

Although Gu Hang was confident he could suppress the monster, could he guarantee that he would always be at full capacity?

Moreover, even if he could suppress it, it would be quite frustrating to have to worry about it one day when facing a powerful enemy.

But… as the most advanced individual species among the Void Zerg, there’s no record of its capture in the entire Empire—perhaps because it’s kept secret.

Its research value, and its potential utilization once a method is found, are both enormous.

Benefits and risks.

These two weights weigh heavily on Gu Hang’s mind, causing him to constantly waver. He’s

a bit troubled.

Fortunately, there’s no need to make an immediate decision.

He can capture it first and then place it in a safe place.

For most factions, creating a cage capable of absolutely safely imprisoning a neurozoan is incredibly difficult. The Alfonzo Cult has already achieved this with highly developed research, so how can the Alliance do it?

But the Alliance can’t do it, but Gu Hang can.

He actually has a particularly safe place:

his Kingdom of Storms.

After stuffing this neurozoan in there, he’ll need to let it out for future research and utilization. But at least, as far as the safety of its confinement and transportation is concerned, there’s absolutely no problem.

The power of the Kingdom of God could constantly torture the neurozoan. The millions of heroic spirits within were no idlers either. While immortal, they could help Gu Hang keep it under control.

If a riot truly broke out, it would be convenient for Gu Hang to personally suppress it.

In the Kingdom of God, his power was far greater than in the real universe.

He could find a way to kill even the great demons, and the neurozoan was no exception.

(End of this chapter)