Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 615

Chapter 613, Western and Northern Fronts

The Dragon King’s Spear’s restoration of order has had a profound impact.

Eleven hundred Space Marines, a million-strong auxiliary force, a battle barge, and six strike cruisers comprise the Chapter’s fleet—a formidable force.

Had they continued their hostility toward the Alliance, the battle in the Nepeta Sector would have become difficult. Conquering the entire sector would have become nearly impossible, and suppression of the infestation in the occupied territories would have been slow. Unknown numbers of worlds would have struggled to recover, becoming a constant drain on the Alliance, and countless lives would have been lost.

But now, not only was the battle overtaken, but the entire Dragon King’s Spear, under the name of Commander-in-Chief, had been sentenced by Gu Hang, in conjunction with the Shimmering Inquisition, and with the two Chapter Masters, Blood Shark and Phoenix, as witnesses, to a fifteen-year Penitentiary Expedition. The battle began on the spot.

The Alliance allowed them to retain all their weaponry, equipment, and fleet, but only required them to surrender their entire stockpile of gene-seed. The Alliance promised to safeguard it and, if the Chapter lost ground, would provide it with new recruits.

There were six hundred of these seeds in total.

Gu Hang already had twelve thousand unused gene-seeds in his possession. The six hundred Dragon Legion seeds and the six hundred Punisher Legion seeds came from the stockpile handed over by the Dragon King’s Spear and from the corpse of Wrathful Flame.

These were non-renewable resources.

Gu Hang couldn’t decide whether to use Wrathful Flame’s six hundred seeds. He already had a full complement of Space Marines, so he decided to keep them for now; they wouldn’t expire.

Gu Hang decided to keep his promise and not touch any of the Dragon King’s Spear’s six hundred seeds, using them exclusively for his own use.

They had surrendered with great cooperation, aiding the Alliance and obeying Martins’ orders as commander. As long as they weren’t forced into direct conflict with Iron Armor, they performed their other tasks perfectly, executing whatever orders were given.

With such cooperation, Gu Hang was happy to be a gentleman.

It was a pity, however, that while the Dragon King’s Spear was now acting under the Alliance’s orders, the system hadn’t recognized their loyalty to Gu Hang. Unlike the Phoenix, nor the New World Torch, which had completely surrendered and allowed itself to be savaged by Gu Hang, the Dragon King’s Spear remained independent.

Unrecognized by the system, they could not exchange their gene seeds, nor could they expand the number of seeds Gu Hang could exchange.

But that didn’t matter.

Just like the Blood Sharks, as long as they continued to fight under their command, there would be ample opportunities in the future; there was no need to rush.

After the Dragon King’s Spear’s surrender, the situation in the Nepeta Star Region improved dramatically.

With the addition of a powerful force, capable of pacifying the entire star region, Martins ambitiously expanded his strategic plan

to encompass the entire star region. He had originally intended to take the remaining two hundred or so planets gradually, but now he could capture them all swiftly. He now possessed sufficient power to implement his increasingly sophisticated strategy to save the world.

He was now a true savior, with 422 worlds in the Nepeta Star Region waiting for his rescue.

He even considered expanding into the Princess Star Region.

But Gu Hang stopped this idea.

The situation in the Empress Star Region was even worse.

Some Alliance agents had been sent into the Empress Star Region, but their work there was becoming increasingly difficult.

The environment within the star region was extremely harsh, and the agents’ survival naturally increased significantly. The number of Alliance agents who lost contact during the intelligence gathering phase within the Empress Star Region was many times higher than those sent elsewhere.

Whether they were exposed, brainwashed by the cult, or infected by the parasite… the outcome was disastrous.

This made intelligence gathering within the Empress Star Region the most difficult.

However, judging from the sparse intelligence that was transmitted back, almost every world in the Empress Star Region was comparable to the worst worlds in the Nepeta Star Region.

The reason was easy to imagine.

The Empress Star Region was Iron Armor’s home base, and Humphrey Paul’s will had been implemented across the 550 worlds of the Empress Star Region for over two hundred years. The governments of nearly every planet there had fully embraced the Pest Cult. The widespread infection is unstoppable. The Zerg swarm has reached full scale, and planetary ecosystems are collapsing uncontrollably. Countless planetary resources are being absorbed by the spreading Zerg flesh carpet. Even on some of the most hostile planets, massive incubation pools are already birthing Zerg-like vessels!

This is precisely why Martins wants to enter the Imperial Star Region. Acting sooner rather than later, even if they can save a single world, would be beneficial.

It would also help suppress the emergence of the Zerg.

At least among the Alliance’s top brass, there’s a consensus that a major battle with the true Zerg swarm is inevitable.

Saving each world now not only increases population and output, but also reduces the number of Zerg swarms they will have to contend with in the future.

Given this critical situation, the Imperial Star Region warrants a rescue effort. Otherwise, relying solely on the planet’s limited resistance and the deliberate cooperation of the global ruling class, the planet’s demise and the Zerg’s growth will be imminent.

If we don’t go now, it will be too late!

This was Martins’s idea.

Gu Hang agreed with all of his previous opinions, except for the last one.

He believed that it was too late.

The Alliance did not have enough power to independently interfere in the affairs of the Princess Star Region. While ensuring that the current situation in the Nepeta Star Region did not continue to deteriorate, even if they took the initiative to enter the Princess Star Region, how many worlds could they save?

Each one looked like the worst planet in the Nepeta Star Region, and the Alliance could not handle it.

Perhaps some could be saved, but should the existence of Iron Armor be considered?

It was known that Iron Armor might still have tens of thousands of Space Marines.

The Stone Shield still had three thousand men.

Rushing in would save few worlds and, in fact, could very well cost them their lives.

This required the arrival of all three armies.

For now, the situation looked promising.

On the western front, the situation eased after Ortopis, leading the Solar Fleet and the Solar Auxiliary Forces, along with several other chapters, entered the Magre Sector.

Although several worlds were ravaged, parasitic colonies and cults vanished overnight, leaving entire swathes of the surface in a state of near-death silence. Imperial scholars speculated that the swarm was responsible. They knew they couldn’t “eat” an entire world before Imperial forces arrived, and once they did, they would have to spit out all the infrastructure they had brought with them.

So, they simply cut their losses, digesting the already infected people and areas, compressing them into their most basic biomass, and then taking them away. The remaining mess would be returned to the Empire.

It was disgusting.

But objectively speaking, Chapter Captain Organgron’s actions still had significant positive impact on the Western Front. Iron Armor was now forced to “plunder the sheep,” but without their aggressive actions, they would have simply been sucking blood!

In fact, similar “plundering the sheep” actions also occurred in the Nepeta Sector.

Martins’ fleet was primarily composed of fast ships. They captured a fleet of insect cultists. Their crews were almost entirely infested with parasites, and their ships were filled with biomass.

Martins purified them.

While losses were objectively incurred, the good news was that the biomass could not be transported and would not transform into future insects. Furthermore, the fact that the enemy was forced into this tactic also proved that the Alliance’s work in the Nepeta Sector was effective, forcing them to make drastic measures.

After stabilizing the situation in the Magre Sector, the Western Front fought back into the Spider Web Sector, entering its westernmost sector: the Tangu Sector.

Here, Jerry Organgron’s progress noticeably slowed.

The problem here wasn’t like the occupied territories in the Magre Realm, which Iron Armor hadn’t controlled for long. On the contrary, the situation in the Tangu Sector was at least similar to that in the Jingjie Sector.

Organgron’s forces began to be dispersed extensively and severely.

Then, they suffered a sudden attack from Iron Armor’s main force,

inflicting heavy losses.

Fortunately, Organgron, constantly on guard against the Iron Armor’s hidden main force, arrived in time to rescue them and engage them in a decisive battle.

Although casualties were numerous, Iron Armor had paid a price.

Organgron was advancing slowly but steadily.

Meanwhile, a breakthrough had also been made on the northern front.

With the arrival of another Black Crusade squadron of a thousand Space Marines, and the strong support of the Anti-Xenophobia Adeptus, which brought over a thousand Argent Watch, as well as a large number of elite Stormtroopers and Inquisition fleets, the entire northern front’s strength was significantly strengthened. Furthermore, the renowned Astra Militarum Legion from the Devouring Stars Realm, the Aggra Ice Guard, also joined the battle. This renowned Legion, renowned for its honors, having once crushed a Chaos-corrupted attack against an entire sector with its purely mortal forces, was a powerful addition to the Army’s arsenal.

They had also achieved a breakthrough.

After a sustained battle against the Zerg in the Lefor Sector, and with the Argent Watch as their primary force, they gradually began to suppress the swarm, engaging in several large-scale annihilation battles. They also opened up a second front. They launched a brilliant assault in the Sword Gate Sector, where the situation had been relatively calm, despite the Zerg swarm. They not only destroyed two Hive Fleet branches but also deployed a force led by the Black Crusaders and the Agra Ice Guard into the Princess Sector.

They were, surprisingly, the first to reach the Princess.

Gu Hang, however, was unfazed by this.

It seemed that the Black Crusaders were simply like that: they loved the spotlight, the leadership, the protagonists.

They relished the title of “first to reach the enemy’s heartland.”

But Gu Hang felt that this held little practical significance.

On the contrary, expanding the Empire’s effective control of the Jianmen Sector as much as possible, ensuring that more worlds in this region are protected from the Zerg, was more important.

Gu Hang even sent a special letter to Marshal Leroy of the Black Crusade. He began by flattering the Black Crusade and praising their significant progress on the northern front, then subtly suggested that people should be prioritized, and that the situation in the Jianmen and Lefo sectors was more important.

Unfortunately, Gu Hang witnessed Marshal Leroy’s arrogance. He wouldn’t ignore Gu Hang’s astropathic message. After all, Gu Hang was also the commander of the southern front, and had single-handedly achieved remarkable results on the previously neglected southern front. Leroy still accorded due respect.

However, his tone was also blunt, stating that he had a clear grasp of the situation on the northern front and that Gu Hang didn’t need to worry about it. He then made several requests of Gu Hang, hoping that he would quickly resolve the Alfonzo issue or at least hold off the rebellious Mechanicus. At the same time, in the Nepeta Star Domain, the Alliance should be bolder and directly charge into the Princess Star Domain. Both sides can strive to win a victory and meet in the Princess Star Domain.

At that time, the Western Front will tie up the main force of the Iron Armor, and the North and South Fronts will merge in the Princess Star Domain, destroying the Iron Armor’s lair, ending the insect pest problem in the entire star domain, and destroying Humphrey Paul’s conspiracy

. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Seeing this suggestion, Gu Hang instantly lost interest in communicating with Le Rouvado.

Reckless, overly optimistic about the situation, this is Gu Hang’s evaluation of Le Rouvado.

But there is no way he can change the mind of this arrogant Black Crusaders Marshal.

He sent a message back, flattering him, but in fact he was just passing the matter over.

He himself no longer paid attention to the battle situation in other places, but focused on the affairs of the Alfonzo Star Domain.

The Alliance still had to act according to its established policies and strategies.

(End of this chapter)