Gerald, the newest member of the inner circle, cautiously led Hans, Liam, and Charles through the oppressive darkness. The hive had been unnervingly quiet over the past few days. The recent downpour of chemical rain had devastated massive sections of the area, melting away entire portions of the structure and taking with it scores of roaming cultist gangs. Those who survived had gone into hiding, unwilling to face the acidic deluge or its strange aftermath.

The rain hadn't just destroyed—it had transformed. Much of the scattered scrap and debris left behind had taken on an unsettling, almost organic texture, as if it had turned into flesh. One desperate townsfolk, who had been hiding near the gang's hangout, had foolishly tried to eat it. They had claimed, before the rain melted half their jaw, that it tasted faintly like low-grade corpse starch. Word spread quickly, and soon others began testing their luck. Most made it through unscathed, but a handful suffered horrifying injuries—melting flesh, burned throats, or worse.

The Reverend, ever cautious yet driven by the harsh realities of survival, had forbidden the gang from trying the strange substance for now. But everyone knew hunger could change his mind in an instant. Food was scarce, and starvation gnawed at them all. If nothing else could be scavenged, eating the mutated remains of the hive might become their only option.

For now, however, the small band had a more immediate concern. Someone had trespassed onto their turf. Moving silently through the shadows, they hunted for the intruder. Whoever dared to encroach on their domain would be evicted—violently if necessary. Nothing would stand in the way of the Redemption. The Emperor's truth was absolute, and His demand for obedience unwavering. Those who defied His will would burn, and Gerald and his companions would ensure that lesson was learned.

Cycle Five - Rules 

• Order is in Ascendance during this cycle.
• Before determining income for this cycle, all of the gangs territories are razed.
• Income from the territories are generated in step 4 of the Post Battle Sequence of the first game.
• As before, there are no new income generated from territories after the first battle.
• Before any battle, any gang can try its luck by trying to eat the transformed parts of the Hive, if they do 1 random member of the gang must immediately roll on the lasting injuriers table, applying the result directly, re rolling any results of Critical Injured or Captured. But the gang does not suffer from the Starvation and all members counts as having being feed a portion of meat before this battle