Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 684

Chapter 682, Phoenix Savior

renewed shadow of the Warp is thicker than ever.

It has become very difficult for Gu Hang to exert his psychic power on the real universe. The heroic spirits that have already appeared in the real universe have also been dispersed and returned to the Kingdom of Storm God.

But so what?

The outcome is already doomed. In the naval battle, the Hive Fleet can no longer turn the tide.

If Gu Hang really wants to forcibly invest his psychic power to influence the real world, it is not completely impossible. The Warp Shadow is an unbreakable wall for others, but for him, it can be torn apart.

Especially since the Queen is at such a long distance, and in the current area, the anchor point of the Warp Shadow, that is, the huge number of Hive Fleets, are being eliminated at a rapid rate, making the Warp Shadow even more unstable.

But Gu Hang did not force it.

The main reason was that it was unnecessary.

The second reason was that he had another thing to do.

Across an immense distance, Gu Hang met the Queen’s venomous gaze. Meanwhile, with some difficulty, yet with considerable determination, he tore open the Warp shadows and the veil of reality one by one.

It was difficult, laborious, and

he only managed a tiny rip. The Warp shadows still posed a significant obstacle.

But it didn’t matter. What he had to do was simple—he scooped up the four dead neurozoa, passed through the four small Warp slits he had created, and swallowed them into the Storm Kingdom.

Some of the four neurozoa had been directly struck by the naval cannons, unable to defend themselves, or even killed in vain. Their bodies might not just be shattered, but completely destroyed. The two killed by the Space Marines and Gu Hang’s thunderbolts, though also shattered, at least their bodies remained.

Whether the bodies were intact, shattered, or completely shattered was immaterial. As long as the neurozoa died in this place, and not long ago, their remaining Warp essence would surely remain.

That was what Gu Hang desired.

Neurozoa, or all Zerg creatures along the line of Cerebrates that possess psychic powers, are unlike other Zerg. They lack souls, but their psychic power must originate from the Warp, requiring the construction of a Warp essence.

To create these psychically-powered Zerg, the Zerg Queen expends vast quantities of biomass and other resources, expending immense effort and time to produce even one.

However, hatching a Neurozoa’s body, however challenging, is only the simplest step. Concentrating enough “soul” to create a projection within the Warp is the key to creating a Cerebrate. The same principle applies to more advanced Neurozoa, though the transition from quantitative to qualitative is even more challenging.

Creating four such Neurozoa is a truly arduous undertaking for the Zerg Queen.

The Alfonzo Cult’s Dubo fleet suffered a significant loss in psychic power, and after the Alliance entered the Princess Star Region, Gu Hang was able to harness psychic power even within the shadow of the Warp. And each use of his psychic power inflicted immense losses on his descendants. The Queen saw all of this, which is why she created these four Neurozoa.

Normally, she’d barely bothered to deploy them, but this time, she dispatched them all at once to escort the Hive Fleet southward in support, demonstrating her seriousness.

However, not only did she fail to secure the Hive Fleet she’d hoped for, loaded with biomass, but all four Neurozoa were also annihilated.

Furthermore, amidst her immense anger, resentment, and heartache, she had to watch helplessly as Gu Hang captured the soon-to-dissipate Neurozoa!

She didn’t know what Gu Hang wanted with the Neurozoa’s remaining subdimensional essence, but she could guess, and her guess was pretty close. Yet,

she was powerless, completely unable to stop him.

She even felt that Gu Hang’s slowness was a deliberate act, intended to provoke her.

This only intensified her rage!

Besides her impotent rage, she was actually a little bit apprehensive—Zerg creatures at the level of the Zerg Queen already possessed quite a wealth of advanced emotions.

She was apprehensive because she didn’t seem to know how to deal with Gu Hang.

She also didn’t know how to resolve the dilemma she was facing.

She was very intelligent, so she could foresee many things in the future.

For example, what would Gu Hang do after he won this time? He

should turn south and look for the reinforcements that had been withdrawn from the Battle of Dantao and were heading north to replace the reinforcements that had now been destroyed.

That force only had three biological battleships, and there was no way they could confront the main Alliance fleet.

Could they escape?

The Zerg Queen had already ordered them to retreat back to Rheaduches, but there was a high possibility that Gu Hang would catch up with them halfway through their escape.

The outcome would probably not be a good one.

And then what?

Whether Gu Hang attacked Readuches directly, or put it on hold and headed further west, joining forces with Salilius and Martins to attack her western defenses from both sides, it would be a nightmare scenario for her.

But was there any way she could stop it?

Absolutely nothing. She

withdrew her gaze, no longer staring at Gu Hang across the Warp.

Boring.

I need to figure out how to get through this difficult time.

…

Su Lie finally felt a sense of peace as he looked at the countless burning, dead bio-ships.

Earlier, while drifting in the Warp, he had led the remnants of the chapter with unwavering determination, persevering no matter the hardships they faced.

He and his battle-brothers had never given up. They certainly wouldn’t give up in the foreseeable future.

But in reality, they were sinking deeper and deeper into despair. No matter

how much Su Lie hated to admit it, he had to recognize that this was the truth.

Gu Hang’s arrival had changed everything.

Although, when Gu Hang first appeared on the Phoenix Crown, sailing through the Warp, where all outsiders were to be considered enemies, Su Lie had naturally attacked Gu Hang. Even after explaining the situation later, he still remained somewhat wary of Gu Hang.

What in the Warp didn’t require vigilance?

But honestly, that also gave him a glimmer of hope.

Perhaps he could be saved?

Later, the information, including directions, coordinates, and sharing of the current battle situation in the real universe, was confirmed by the Chapter’s think tank and priests as highly credible.

They were indeed sailing on a seemingly safer and more targeted route.

All of this deepened his trust in Gu Hang, and only after the Phoenix Crown reached the back of the Storm God Kingdom, completely escaping that malicious and greedy gaze, did he feel somewhat reassured.

It was precisely because of this initial trust that he cautiously accepted one of Gu Hang’s battle plans.

But even though Gu Hang had warned him, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of panic the moment the Phoenix Crest emerged from the Warp, surrounded by countless Zerg bio-ships.

In the past, he’d mocked and disdained some Imperial fleets for treating their precious, powerful vessels like precious treasures. The Retribution-class was fine, but ships like the Emperor and even higher wouldn’t dare be deployed in difficult battles. Even in normal combat, they often stayed far back, their distant cannons rarely penetrating into danger and delivering their intended decisive effect. At the slightest disadvantage in battle, naval commanders tended to withdraw their high-value vessels and wait for action.

This situation was undoubtedly irrational, contributing to the navy’s overall fear of combat. However, was Su Lie himself immune to this?

In past battles, he’d fought bravely, outperforming even the older men in the Imperial Navy. But he wouldn’t dare risk the Glory Queen-class Phoenix Crest directly into the heart of the enemy’s fleet.

But he didn’t dare, and there was nothing he could do. With the situation at this point, he couldn’t afford to dwell on it any further.

He could only console himself—at least what Gu Hang said was true. He could finally put aside the idea that Gu Hang was just some Warp-demon’s hoax.

Phoenix Crest Feathers appeared in the midst of the Hive Fleet’s formation, a commanding presence that delivered the final blow. From the outset, they blasted two Biotic Battleships to pieces and completely ripped the Hive Fleet’s formation apart, drawing the Hive Fleet’s attention and providing the perfect opportunity for the Alliance’s main fleet to strike.

But at the same time, they were under immense pressure. They fought alone for a considerable period, enduring intense concentrated fire. Two Biotic Battleships even attempted to ram them, one of which actually hit them.

Void shields were failing, the ships were damaged, and a swarm of Zerg invaded the interior. The battle brothers desperately fought to eliminate the invaders…

For a moment, Su Lie wondered if Phoenix Crest Feathers would be destroyed by his own hands.

Would the Phoenix Chapter be nothing more than a founding chapter without a glorious queen? The Chapter’s greatest sacred relic, passed down for millennia, was a treasure trove the entire Empire couldn’t forge a new one, and only the founding Chapter possessed. The Queen of Glory was gone?

That was a real joke.

It was only second to the Phoenix Chapter’s demise under his leadership.

But thankfully, that didn’t happen. The Phoenix Crown’s powerful capabilities, coupled with the Phoenix Warriors’ desperate resistance within the ship, ultimately enabled them to hold out.

While the ship sustained some damage, it was still within acceptable limits.

Su Lie felt a deep sense of gratitude towards Gu Hang.

He had saved the entire Phoenix Chapter.

Not just physically, but spiritually.

No matter how many excuses there were, the collapse of the Western Front six years ago was a defeat for the Phoenix.

A complete and utter defeat, a near-annihilation.

And now, the Phoenix Chapter had returned. Not only had they been saved, but they had also emerged as the absolute protagonists in a battle of such magnitude and importance, playing a pivotal role and turning the tide.

This was crucial.

In the future, the Phoenix Legion could proudly declare that they were not losers.

Although they had experienced defeat, they ultimately returned and won, even playing a crucial role in a crucial battle!

From this perspective, he truly needed to thank Gu Hang.

Gu Hang was the Phoenix’s savior.

In every sense of the word.

…

Gu Hang, thanked by Su Lie, was devouring his meal.

He had been slowly collecting the remaining souls of four neurozoa, precisely to provoke the Queen.

With the Queen’s gaze averted, Gu Hang no longer bothered to pretend and simply began eating.

He was quite full,

even unable to finish a single bite.

In the past, consuming a single neurozoa would have been a significant benefit to Gu Hang.

Such a neurozoa was incredibly powerful. Compared to a human, it was equivalent to an Alpha-class psyker or even stronger; compared to the Warp, it was perhaps the equivalent of a Great Demon.

Of course, this level of neurozoa was “artificial,” or rather, fabricated by the Queen. The level might have been up to par, but when Gu Hang actually ate it, the nutritional benefits weren’t as good as consuming a real demon. It

was far inferior to the benefits of digesting Govaga.

However, it didn’t matter.

What wasn’t good in quality, he made up for in quantity!

Eating a single neurozoan was far inferior to a demon, and Gu Hang certainly didn’t dare, nor could he find a demon to eat. But consuming   four neurozoans in one sitting was definitely equivalent to a demon,

with more to spare. In fact, Gu Hang couldn’t even finish that many in one sitting. The four remaining souls were imprisoned in a tower within the Storm Kingdom.   This tower had been built by the heroic spirits when Govaga, the Great   Unclean One, was digested. Gu Hang devoured one whole, then hung the other three on the tower.   The lightning within the Storm Kingdom continuously bombarded and hammered the three remaining neurozoan souls hanging there.   Each bombardment and each hammering knocked a bit of nutrients from their remaining souls, the very essence of the Warp, to be consumed by the entire Storm Kingdom.   The Storm Kingdom was growing stronger.   This also meant that Gu Hang’s psychic power was growing stronger.   Gu Hang roughly estimated that by the time he had consumed and digested all four neurozoa, his psychic power, without the aid of the Storm Kingdom, would have reached the strength of a relatively strong Alpha-class existence.   And once full firepower was unleashed, or the battle simply broke out within the Storm Kingdom, Gu Hang would be able to crush even ordinary great demons like Gowaga.   Against monsters like neurozoa, four at a time, Gu Hang wouldn’t even need the help of the tens of thousands of Storm Mages to fight on his own.   This was a clear increase in strength.   Long ago, after Gu Hang had raised his psychic level to LV9 within the system interface, his upgrade path within the system had reached its limit. To further improve, it seemed the only way was to devour these top-tier psychic creatures.   The most fundamental requirement was that these creatures possessed a sufficiently strong subspace essence to nourish the Storm Kingdom.   (End of this chapter)