nucmednet Chapter 376 Five Years Like a Dream
Chapter 376 Five Years Like a Dream
**Center of the Battlefield - Eye of the Psionic Storm**
Russell's entire body was engulfed in golden flames, the last of his psionic energy—
With his first step, he shattered the ground, golden spiritual energy exploding beneath his feet, and his figure shot out like a cannonball.
The second step was the first wave of the brain worm's psionic storm, which shattered the three golden shields instantly, cracked Russell's left arm armor, and evaporated the blood that had just seeped out.
Thirdly, the Overlord-level Blade Insect's scythe slashed horizontally, and Russell slid in, using his entrenching tool "Blood Drinker" to cleave open the insect's abdomen, green blood splattering onto the golden shield with a sizzling sound.
**“Alert: Psionic reserves 19% remaining—”** He ripped off the warning from his tactical goggles and threw it away.
The brain worm's twelve compound eyes simultaneously locked onto Russell, and the second wave of psionic storm was ready to begin.
- **0.3 seconds**: A storm erupts, lifting up a kilometer-diameter area of the ground, creating a metallic rain of rubble and Zerg remains.
- **0.5 seconds**: Russell's golden shield was down to its last piece, blood was seeping from his ears and nose, but his sprint speed did not decrease at all.
- **0.7 seconds**: A Hive Tyrant pounced from the side. Russell didn't dodge at all, letting its bone blade pierce his right abdomen. Using the momentum, he stabbed the Tyrant's shovel into its eye socket.
"Get out of my way!" He twisted the shovel handle, the tyrant's head exploded, and he himself continued to leap forward using the recoil.
The brain worm finally panicked.
Its psionic tentacles thrashed wildly, commanding all its guards to retreat, but it was too late—Russell crashed into the soft folds of its head, and the Doomsday Nail pierced the pulsating psionic core.
**"In the name of the Emperor—"**
Golden light illuminates heaven and earth.
The Imperial runes on the Doomsday Nail lit up one by one, and the cerebrate's psionic energy collapsed inward as if swallowed by a black hole. Its outer shell began to crack, and what flowed from its compound eyes was not bodily fluid, but materialized fear—
"No...it...is...possible..." The mental echo exploded in everyone's minds.
Then came the silence of annihilation.
In the final moments before the brain worm exploded, it released all its remaining psionic energy.
The first impact sent Russell flying like a rag doll, his power armor disintegrating in mid-air.
The second impact: The golden psionic shield shattered completely, and his skin began to carbonize.
The third impact: It crashed into the ground, shattering half of the insect nest's spire, and was eventually buried under the rubble.
Carleon watched all this unfold from afar, and in the super angel's psychic vision, Russell's life signal—
It's gone out.
…………
**Battlefield Ruins, Beneath the Scorched Earth and Flesh**
They found Russell deep within the insect hive ruins—
A charred skeleton was curled up in broken armor, with the still-glowing entrenching tool "Blood Drinker" wedged between its ribs. The blood grooves on the blade flickered like breathing, and with each flash, a fine golden liquid seeped from the handle, flowing down the cracks in the skeleton.
**“Vitality signs…present?”** The medical servo skull circled the skeleton, the scanner emitting a confused buzz. **“Cell recombination rate 0.7%, yet psionic readings reach Alpha level…”**
Carleon knelt on one knee, his wings drooping. He reached out and touched the skull's brow—
**Buzz!**
Golden ripples exploded from the point of contact, and the super angel was forced back three steps. The finger bones of the skeleton suddenly twitched.
Guilliman's holographic image appeared inside the medical pod, his gaze sweeping over the skeletons submerged in nutrient solution:
**Bone Surface**: Fine golden lines are proliferating at a rate visible to the naked eye.
**Location of the heart:** A vibrant golden light replaced the original organ.
**Entrenching Shovel:** Secured by black stone shackles by the Sage of the Mechanic Order, but still maintaining an energy resonance with the skeleton.
"This isn't self-healing." The Primarch summoned his psionic chart. "It's that weapon reconstructing his body... using some ancient technology we can't comprehend."
Suddenly, two golden flames lit up in the skeleton's eye sockets.
Russell's vocal cords had not yet regenerated, but his mental fluctuations directly pierced everyone's consciousness:
**“Brain worms…and more than that…”**
…………
At the same time, on the other side of the battlefield——
The last remaining worm-like remnant suddenly writhed, countless blood vessels emerging from the cracks in its carapace, coiling around the nearby Orc and Space Marine corpses. The flesh that touched it rapidly dissolved and reformed, ultimately resulting in...
**Humanoid Zerg.**
They have:
- The orc's thick limbs
Space Marine Power Armor Fragment
- Tyronn's Sharp Bone Blade
- A miniature version of the brain worm's compound eyes is embedded in its forehead.
Guilliman's tactical screen popped up a top alert:
**[Gene theft pedigree mutant detected]**
**[Threat Level: Extinction Order Level]**
…………
**Makulagh Sanctuary Healing Shrine**
Sunlight streamed through the stained glass onto the pristine white sheets, causing Russell's eyelashes to flutter.
He opened his eyes and saw—
Calgary's face had a few more scars than he remembered, but his smile remained calm.
Carleon's wings were no longer the silvery-white of the battlefield, but were now edged with a faint gold.
- My own arm, with faint golden veins flowing beneath the skin, like marble pierced by sunlight.
"He's awake!" The mechanical servant beside him exclaimed in a synthesized voice, its gear-like head rotating 180 degrees to call the doctor.
Calgar patted Russell on the shoulder, his pressure perfectly controlled—not enough to hurt his still-healing body, yet carrying the ruggedness characteristic of a warrior. "Five years, old friend. If you hadn't woken up, I'd be treating your entrenching tool like an antique."
Carrion knelt on one knee, his wings folding into a solemn arc. "My lord," he said, "your 'Blood Drinker' remains active… it even slew three Mechanicus heretics who attempted to steal it."
Russell tried to sit up, and muscle memory made him subconsciously reach for his waist—which was empty.
Calgar smiled and handed over the entrenching tool. The moment the blade touched Russell's palm, the golden light in his blood groove immediately surged, coursing through his veins.
"I've slept long enough." Russell's voice was hoarseer than expected. He looked out the window—the sky over Macurag was a clear, deep blue, and the orbital defense platforms twinkled like stars. "How's the situation now?"
Calga and Carleon exchanged a glance.
"It's worse." Karga pulled up the holographic star map. "The Zerg have learned to devour the Orcs' WAAAGH energy, and the Chaos forces are taking advantage of this to expand. And..."
The star map suddenly switched to a planet covered by a blood-red fungal carpet.
"Your old adversary, Mortal, has created a new Plague Colossus."
Russell gripped the entrenching tool tightly, golden light flowing between his fingers.
"Then let's not waste time." He stepped barefoot onto the cold ground, golden psionic energy forming an invisible support beneath his feet. "Where's my armor?"