The cosmic dust of the Salaxis V Star Sector had not yet settled, and the Infinite Engine's onboard cleaning system was sweeping the last wisps of ion storm remnants into the recycling ducts.
Lin Yu stood in the center of the laboratory, his fingertips gently caressing a sample of living metal extracted from the Necron Battleship wreckage, a pale blue energy flow dancing in his palm, reflecting a cold gleam off the Gauss Rifle parts on the experimental bench.
"The energy spectrum of the Soul Extinction Dead Zone has been fully analyzed."
The voice of Guards' chief scientist, Morgen, came from outside the containment chamber, his white lab coat stained with dark silver metal fragments.
"This technology, capable of forcefully collapsing the quantum state of a psyker's brain... it's simply the bane of Warp creatures."
A flicker of fanaticism passed through Morgen's glasses as he unconsciously stroked the experimental log tablet, as if caressing a lover's hair.
Lin Yu looked at the Inertialess Engine model slowly rotating in the holographic projection, a satisfied arc playing on his lips.
These technologies, considered secret by the Space Undead, were now laid bare on the Great Clock's analysis interface, like dissected mechanical organisms.
He could clearly see every ripple in the energy matrix's force fields, and hear the hum of the phase shield generator at the sub-atomic level—this was a cosmic rhythm only a tech god could comprehend.
"Increase the propulsion efficiency of the Inertialess Engine by 27%." Lin Yu directly wrote the modified Inertialess Engine parameters into the Little Clock's database.
"Remember to retain its sharp-angle maneuverability. Our Space Marines need this kind of battlefield ballet."
Morgen's pupils were instantly filled with data streams, a characteristic of the direct dark communication system receiving commands.
When he came to his senses, his eyes glowed with excitement:
"Lord of the Divine River, do you know what this means? Our frigates will be able to complete a 360-degree turn in 0.3 seconds. The Empire's battleships will appear as clumsy as prehistoric dinosaurs in our eyes."
The laboratory suddenly plunged into temporary darkness. When the emergency lights came on, Lin Yu saw the hem of Morgen's lab coat crystallizing.
"A side effect of the Soul Extinction Dead Zone?"
Lin Yu frowned, and the energy beam condensed at his fingertips instantly vaporized the ice-like crystals. Morgen trembled and backed away as if waking from a dream: "Sorry... I was just simulating a scenario of using the Soul Extinction Dead Zone against a psyker mage corps, and the result..."
His voice suddenly choked, "Those proud blue-skinned sorcerers couldn't even let out a wail in the face of our technology."
"Little Clock, activate the laboratory's anti-psyker force field." Lin Yu quickly gave the order, his voice firm and calm. Almost simultaneously, eerie blue protective runes instantly appeared on the laboratory walls, shimmering with mysterious light, as if weaving an invisible shield. Morgen's gaze returned to normal, and he looked at Lin Yu with lingering fear: "Just now... some kind of presence tried to read my memory. It should be residual consciousness from the Space Undead."
Lin Yu nodded slightly, his gaze falling on the Gauss Rifle on the experimental bench. Fine silver beads of sweat were seeping from the barrel's surface, as if the weapon itself was afraid of something. "That's the residual consciousness of the Space Undead. They are afraid, afraid of our mastery of their technology, afraid of the fate that is about to befall them." Lin Yu's voice was deep and firm, showing contempt for the enemy and confidence in victory.
When Lin Yu stepped into the Infinite Engine's core bridge area, a 360-degree holographic star map projected the phase space characteristics of the entire galaxy around him.
He stepped barefoot on the cold projection of the star map, feeling the tremor of every ripple in the phase space.
"Begin marking."
Lin Yu's command made the entire Infinite Engine hum, as twelve high-precision tachyon radars on top simultaneously activated, illuminating the dormant Space Undead tomb worlds deep within the galaxy one by one.
"A hidden phase rift has been discovered in the deep space of Cadia." The Little Clock's mechanical voice carried a rare fluctuation,
"There are at least three complete Space Undead dynasties there."
Lin Yu looked at the red markers that suddenly lit up on the star map, a dangerous arc forming on his lips.
He knew that these markers would become guideposts for the Divine River Federation's future expansion; every tomb world was a technological treasure waiting to be unearthed.
Over the next seventy-two hours, Lin Yu, like a cosmic gardener, meticulously pruned the phase space branches of the galaxy. He encoded the phase space characteristics into dark energy pulses, broadcasting them through the wormhole network to every suspicious spacetime wrinkle, marking and illuminating every large tomb world.
"Marking complete."
The Great Clock's voice also seemed to carry an undisguised sense of satisfaction,
"A total of 23 primary phase space anchor points and 479 secondary reaction zones have been marked."
Lin Yu looked at the markers twinkling like stars on the star map, and suddenly felt a surge of satisfaction.
He finally no longer had to worry about these Space Undead, whose technology was at the pinnacle of the material universe, appearing and disappearing unpredictably. Although he himself was not afraid of them, Federal Fleet warships would still be in great danger if they encountered them.
As Lin Yu left the core bridge area, he met Ge Lei, who was debugging new weapons.
The Guards' commander-in-chief's dark alloy armor had a new energy arm cannon modified from a Gauss Rifle, and eerie green beams of light danced at the muzzle, like trapped spirits.
"Try this."
Ge Lei handed over a silver bullet, with Lin Yu's portrait etched on its warhead.
"The Space Undead version of the Godslayer I armor-piercing round, specifically designed to deal with living metal."
Lin Yu held the bullet up to his eyes and saw a miniature psionically-driven living metal decryption program rotating inside the warhead.
"Not bad." He nodded approvingly, "Remember to equip every Guards warrior with this ammunition. Next time we encounter the Space Undead..." He suddenly showed a cruel smile, "I want to make sure they don't even have a chance to revive."
As the Infinite Engine began its return journey, Lin Yu stood on the bridge, gazing at the starry sky of the Salaxis V Star Sector.
The spatial characteristics there had been completely analyzed by the Great Clock, and the previously hidden phase space fluctuations generated by the tomb ships now shone like lighthouses.
He knew that this victory was just the beginning. Deep within the galaxy, countless technological treasures awaited discovery, and the Great Clock's markings would serve as treasure maps and safety guides for the Divine River Federation's journey into the vast sea of stars.
"Notify the Federal Academy of Sciences." Lin Yu turned to his adjutant and said, "Tell them we've brought back a gift that can change humanity's destiny." His voice was firm and confident, as if he could already see the magnificent sight of the Federal Fleet freely traversing phase space. Behind him, the Great Clock's computational core still flickered with the light of wisdom in the sea of quantum foam, like a silent sage, guarding the future of the Divine River Federation.
Lin Yu stood on the bridge of the Infinite Engine, his gaze passing through the massive observation window, staring at the deep, boundless universe. The stars twinkled, like countless eyes peering into this mysterious space. His expression was solemn, and he had already clearly understood all the secrets and data of the Space Undead, quickly outlining the next course of action in his mind.
"We must clear out several Space Undead dynasties in the Ghoul Star Region as quickly as possible." Lin Yu frowned slightly, muttering to himself in a strong, firm tone, his will as resolute as steel. His fingers tapped lightly on the control panel, making a rhythmic sound, as if setting the beat for the upcoming action.
Ge Lei, his adjutant, nodded slightly, a hint of doubt in his eyes: "Lord of the Divine River, why such haste? The Divine River Federation could explore gradually and deal with these threats slowly."
Lin Yu turned, his gaze burning as he looked at his adjutant: "You don't know. Most of the Space Undead are currently in a dormant, fallen empire state, and the Space Undead of the Ghoul Star Region have very little contact with other areas of the galaxy. They are completely unprepared at this moment, which is the perfect opportunity for us to deliver a fatal blow." He clenched his fist, as if he had already grasped the dawn of victory.
"This is not only to leverage our existing information advantage and completely eliminate the threat, but also a crucial plan I've had for a long time." Lin Yu's gaze once again turned to the depths of the universe, as if to pierce through the endless darkness, "This is the key condition for us to truly gain a foothold in this universe. If we miss this opportunity, once the Space Undead awaken and unite, we will face immense trouble."
The adjutant suddenly understood, his expression becoming solemn: "Lord of the Divine River is far-sighted. We will certainly carry out your orders with all our might."
Lin Yu nodded slightly, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes: "Send word down, prepare for action. We must ensure a swift, decisive strike, sending the Space Undead back to the eternal silence of the void."
Of course, Lin Yu's urgency in pushing for the extermination of the Space Undead was not just to preemptively eliminate the threat in the Ghoul Star Region, their main base. It also related to a long-planned scheme of Lin Yu's, one that was not yet ready to be revealed to outsiders! This plan concerned his most critical and important step since arriving in this universe, and it was tied to whether he could ascend to greatness in one fell swoop, even achieving his ultimate dream!