Chapter 2: Marines and Medics
Bang, bang, bang
The sounds of explosions and impacts continuously slammed against the grand hall's main door. Clearly, the individuals outside were trying to breach it and eliminate him.
However, how could the door to the chamber holding the Warrant of Trade be broken by such methods?
Lucan knew he was temporarily safe, at least for now, but he had no idea what was happening on this voidship.
"Medic, what's your name? How did you get here?" Lucan asked curiously, looking at the doctor beside him.
"You can call me Connie. I don't know how I arrived here either. From the moment I gained consciousness, I knew you were the great Creator, and my mission is to protect you and obey all your commands."
"You say I'm the Creator?!"
"That's correct!"
Hearing this human from StarCraft mention the title "Creator," Lucan's first thought was of the Xel'Naga.
They were beings capable of creating universes and even seeding life. These powerful entities resided in the Void but could project their physical forms into the material universe, though they needed to absorb energy to maintain their presence and strengthen their powers in the real universe.
It had to be said, they sounded quite similar to Warp daemons or Chaos Gods!
After failing to get any more useful information from Connie, Lucan decided to deal with the immediate problem.
Since the Medic could indeed be summoned, then the Terran Marines, those good old bros from StarCraft, could be too!
Opening the shop interface again, Lucan turned his gaze to the Marine option.
"I didn't expect these 50-mineral good-ol'-boys to have their price hiked to 100. I hope they're worth it. I still don't know where these Psy-crystals come from. Don't tell me I have to mine them like in the game?!"
Lucan directly converted all his remaining 800 Psy-crystals into Marines. He didn't know the number or strength of the enemies outside, so it was better to be safe and spend them all.
As the Psy-crystals were consumed, eight beams of light appeared simultaneously in the hall. A few breaths later, eight Marines clad in blue CMC-400 combat armor materialized out of thin air.
Compared to their small sprites in the game, when the Marines actually stood before him, the sense of pressure they exuded was quite strong.
Although not as tall as Space Marines, a Marine wearing CMC combat armor still stood at an average height of 2.5 meters. The combat suit also significantly increased their strength, endurance, and speed. Built-in functions like infrared detection, intelligence sharing, real-time positioning, and targeting prediction further enhanced their combat effectiveness.
A Space Marine's power armor required the Black Carapace implant for proper use, amplifying the user's original physical abilities while also increasing their defense and survivability. The Black Carapace allowed the power armor to be used as if it were part of their own body.
The greatest value of the CMC combat suit, however, was that it could be used by ordinary people.
The massive C-14 Gauss Rifles in their hands provided them with ample firepower.
"Lieutenant Damon, Raynor's Raiders, reporting, sir!" the lead Marine stated solemnly to Lucan.
"Raiders? Jim Raynor's rebel army?!"
Suddenly surrounded by this group of burly soldiers, Lucan immediately felt a sense of security.
As long as the enemy wasn't a Space Marine or some powerful psyker, Lucan was confident these Marines could give them an unexpected and nasty surprise.
The C-14 could penetrate 5 centimeters of steel plate and had a firing rate of 1800 rounds per minute. As long as the enemy was flesh and blood, it wouldn't be a problem.
"Alright everyone, you can eliminate any living thing you see outside. Connie! Keep an eye on everyone's status, don't let anyone die."
"Mission accepted, sir!"
The Marines all aimed their rifles at the hall's main door, while Lucan approached the Cogitator near the entrance.
He placed his hand on the Cogitator's control panel.
[Bloodline Scan Complete]
[Identity Confirmed: Lucan Mongorte]
The Cogitator's machine spirit awakened and awaited Lucan's command.
"Open the door!"
"Please verify command. System detects faint Warp energy fluctuations outside."
"Open the door! Now!"
As the Cogitator began to operate, the incredibly sturdy door before them, which was even laced with adamantium, slowly ground open.
The people outside were momentarily stunned when they saw the door opening.
"Looks like that bastard has accepted his fate! Charge in, kill him, and destroy that Warrant! The Mongorte family's oppression ends today! From now on, we are the masters of this ship!!"
The mob outside was a group of raggedly dressed individuals, their faces gaunt from long-term malnutrition. It was a wonder how they had managed to fight their way here.
But when the door fully opened, what greeted this rabble was eight Marines and their dark, menacing rifle muzzles.
"Who... who are these guys?! This isn't what we were told! Weren't they saying the candidate had no guards?!" the cultists shrieked in terror.
"Open fire! Kill them!!!"
The cold fusion cores in the chests of the CMC combat suits began to power up the C-14 rifles. Spikes, accelerated by electromagnetic force and propelled by chemical boosters, rained down like a storm upon these mortals.
These cultists wore not even the most rudimentary armor; a single hit meant a gruesome, shredded end.
"Advance! Suppress them! Don't let anyone escape!"
Damon ordered his men to switch from full-auto to burst fire. The targeting assistance from their tactical visors allowed them to precisely pick off the surviving cultists.
However, it couldn't be said that the cultists were completely defenseless. Bullets from their crudely made autoguns only sparked harmlessly against the combat suits' armor, but some laser rifles they had acquired from somewhere were actually capable of damaging the Marines.
Yet, it was this very damage that allowed Lucan to witness another absurd aspect of the Medic.
The nanite beams fired by the Medic could not only repair biological damage but could even mend inorganic materials like the combat suits.
Game mechanics had once again bled into reality.
As the cultists were killed one by one, Lucan noticed his Psy-crystal count actually starting to increase.
Although each cultist only provided 2-3 points, the sheer number of them added up.
Nearly a hundred cultists had been mostly eliminated by Damon and his men, netting Lucan almost 300 Psy-crystals.
"It seems killing those affected by the Warp allows me to plunder that portion of Warp energy from their bodies. If even these barely corrupted cultists can provide so much, then accumulating 100,000 Psy-crystals might not be that difficult after all."
Moreover, as he killed these Warp-tainted cultists, it wasn't just his Psy-crystal balance that increased; Lucan also felt a certain power within his body growing stronger.
He felt as if he could see his projection in the Warp growing more solid, even devouring the surrounding Warp energy to strengthen itself, like a black hole existing in the Warp. The devoured power was being transformed into an exceptionally pure energy that fed back into Lucan, though its current level was still insufficient.
"Why does my physical strength feel like it's increased a bit…"
Only when the gunfire outside completely ceased did Lucan dare to peek his head out of the hall.
The sight of severed limbs and dismembered bodies scattered everywhere, along with the overwhelmingly thick stench of blood, almost made Lucan throw up.
Having lived his previous life in a peaceful era, he had never witnessed such a scene.
Damon and his men began to check each corpse, ensuring they were all completely dead.
Suppressing the fear in his heart, Lucan walked out of the doorway.
"Are you alright, sir!" Connie rushed to Lucan's side.
"I'm fine, just… still not quite used to this."
Just then, the elevator shaft not far away began to whir into operation.
Damon and his men once again aimed their weapons at the elevator. However, when the elevator car reached Lucan's floor, it wasn't more cultists who emerged, but a group of people wearing Imperial Navy uniforms.
The moment both sides saw each other, they prepared to pull their triggers.
"Stop! Don't shoot!! It's me, Lucan! Hold your fire!!"
Lucan recognized them; they were the ship's Boatswain, Delris, and the Purser, Verre. They, in turn, also recognized him.
(End of Chapter)