67: Chapter 67 The First Test of the Psionic Void Network: The Imperial Fleet Watched and Applauded from the Back Row

The first combat test node of the Psionic Void Network went online at dawn, Metallis time. It was not a laboratory simulation, nor an internal calibration of the Void Throat's sealing layers—it was live combat. The Sovereign retrieved the standard deployment protocols for the Cohesive Psionic Network from the Old Ones' database; the Brood Queen translated the protocols into The Swarm's genetic code, and the Blackstone Cerebrate injected the code into the Void Throat's quantum-state array at the base of the Talasta Void Gate. All three actions were completed in an extremely short time. Then, the triple cold-green halos of the Void Throat simultaneously pulsed outward in a faint, nearly transparent ripple of living psionic energy, directly connecting to every Brood Queen, Blackstone Cerebrate, Brood Lord, and the Hive Mind nodes of the leviathan motherships along the quantum resonance links of all the Blackstone Defense Line's engines.

On the bridge of the Wrath of the Emperor, Marcus Aurelian watched the topology map of the Psionic Void Network light up node by node on the main screen. The network covered the entire Blackstone Defense Line and then extended beyond its edges, enveloping all sectors controlled by the Allied Forces in the Ultima Segmentum. Each node was marked with different functional labels—the core quantum-state command layer of the Void Throat, the global scheduling nodes of the Metallis Brood Queens, the data relay arrays of the Talastra Blackstone Cerebrates, the fire control links for the living railguns of the leviathan motherships and Brood Lords, and the Void Shield coordination ports for all Strike Cruisers of the Imperial Third Assault Fleet. This network integrated The Swarm's Hive Mind, the quantum resonance of the Necron living metal, the Cohesive Psionic theory of the Old Ones, and the tactical data links of the Imperial Navy into a single living neural network. It did not use external psionic communication, Warp relays, or Blackstone resonance broadcasts—it generated a shared tactical decision matrix for all nodes directly within the network.

The Tech-Officer brought up the Psionic Void Network's interference and suppression effects on external psionics. An Astropath attempted to send a test signal to Terra using the highest-level soul-binding protocol; the moment the psionic pulse entered the coverage area of the Psionic Void Network, it was decomposed into harmless basic psionic particles, which were then directly absorbed by the network and converted into backup energy for the defense line's resonance cavity. The Astropath stood up from his chair and said, in a tone that sounded as if he were witnessing a miracle, that the thing had "eaten" the psionics.

Bern sent a test confirmation from the Void Gate position, his voice carrying a rare hint of relaxation—his Psychic Talisman was not suppressed at all within the Psionic Void Network. The Old Ones' Cohesive Psionics only devoured Extrinsic Psionics and did not touch the Emperor's holy power. The sight of bugs gnawing away Warp trash to make way for the Holy Light was perhaps the most ironic scene in the Galaxy. Marcus did not dwell on the topic, directly ordering the entire fleet to begin the live-fire test. The goal was to complete a full coordinated interception under the coverage of the Psionic Void Network—The Swarm's leviathan motherships would simulate enemy targets, the Imperial Fleet would perform the interception using Lance Weapons, and the Grey Knight squads would work with the Blackstone Cerebrates for two-way data link calibration. The operation was codenamed "Psionic Void Network."

The leviathan mothership battle group entered the test route after the Psionic Void Network calibration was complete. Marcus ordered the Third Assault Fleet's Lance Weapon arrays and Void Shield coordination links to connect to the network at full speed. The Void Shield charging frequencies of the Imperial Strike Cruisers and the fire control parameters of the leviathan motherships' living railguns were synchronized in real-time within the network, with fire control solutions fully allocated through the network. The simulated interceptors accurately hit all predetermined coordinates in the first volley, with a deviation lower than any previous combat record of the Imperial Navy. Before the fleet's response on the public frequency was even finished, Sebastian had already sent back ground test data from Griffin IV. The deployment speed of the Terminator Assault Platoon under the coverage of the Psionic Void Network had increased significantly; the Zerglings' creep-sense and the Terminators' seismic sensor data were automatically integrated by the network into a living tactical map, marking all targets in real-time.

While everyone was reviewing the test data, the Brood Queen's quantum-state translator suddenly broadcasted a brief notice across all allied channels: "Attention. The Psionic Void Network has detected Tzeentch's infiltration waveform. The frequency is identical to the Error Correction Code period, and the intensity is at a testing level. Chaos is counter-testing our new network."

Bern's Psychic Talisman lit up at the same second. Carrying his Holy Hammer, he strode toward the base of the Void Gate, telling Marcus as he walked that Tzeentch would use infiltration to assess the response speed of the Psionic Void Network. Having failed to pry open the Blackstone Defense Line with the Error Correction Code last time, he likely wanted to see if the new network would leave any cracks when faced with a simulated attack. Marcus turned to the Brood Queen's translator and asked if the Sovereign wanted to adjust the network's defensive parameters to lure the infiltration into a trap zone.

The Sovereign's reply was as clean as a scalpel: "No need to change defensive parameters. Let it infiltrate. The second-layer protocol of the Psionic Void Network is living psionic absorption—any non-cohesive psionic energy will be decomposed into basic psionic particles the moment it touches the network. Once Tzeentch's infiltration waveform enters the network, it will be entirely torn into energy fragments and then directly converted into backup power for the leviathan motherships. He wants to see the response speed—then let him calculate for himself how many seconds it takes for his Chaos psionics to be eaten by the bugs."

Tzeentch's infiltration waveform triggered the outer passive absorption protocol of the Psionic Void Network exactly at noon, Metallis time. That mass of pinkish-purple Chaos psionic energy was torn apart by the living psionic layer the moment it touched the network boundary, converted into a series of brief backup energy pulses that charged the second halo of the Void Throat. In the Crystal Labyrinth, Tzeentch reassembled the shredded infiltration remains on his chessboard, holding a fragment of that cold-green afterglow between his fingertips and examining it for a while. He then chuckled: "With the Psionic Void Network as the foundation, the Void Throat locking the door, and the Blackstone Defense Line blocking the windows, those bugs and their Imperial pets have wrapped the Ultima Segmentum into a cocoon they think is safe. What are they guarding against? They are guarding against me." He put away the afterglow, drew a new chess piece from the Divination Pool, and casually pointed to a Chaos Hulk Fleets standing by in the depths of the Astronomican's shadow, beginning to program new test variables.

On the bridge of the Wrath of the Emperor, Marcus was checking the results of the Psionic Void Network's first test line by line with Sebastian. The Tech-Officers were recording the interception deviation values, Void Shield synchronization latency, and psionic absorption conversion efficiency into the War Council's official evaluation report. Oldenburg reported no unusual movement from the Tyranid remnants on the periphery of the defense line, and Bern used his holy power to sweep across the entire defense line, confirming that the Tzeentch infiltration residue had been completely decomposed.

The Sovereign did not celebrate, nor did he even use the word "success." The next piece of text he sent was briefer than any test report: "The first test of the Psionic Void Network is complete. The threats from the Tyranid remnants and the Chaos fleet are temporarily secondary. Next, the Allied Forces must continue to add nodes and increase coverage to withstand larger-scale psionic impacts. From this moment on, the test content will fully transition to network redundancy stress testing. Inform The Swarm when the God-Emperor's fleet is ready for the next coordinated interception test. The Brood Queen will remain here to monitor the Void Throat's evaluation window."