Chapter 331: Rupture (3) |
Hiss—
Inside the secret room.
The faint hiss of a depressurizing airlock echoed from the black box.
Vugas was startled by the sudden noise, looking over in uncertainty and alarm.
He had always been curious about what was kept inside that box, and what kind of self-defense mechanism his son-in-law used.
Now, Vugas had his answer.
The lid of the box slid open, and a black figure stood up from within. It looked down at Vugas, a cold gaze piercing through its crimson holographic visor.
"Who are you..."
Before Vugas could finish, a cold glint flashed before his eyes, followed by a sudden chill against his neck.
"You..." Vugas's eyes lost their focus, his expression relaxing entirely as he entered a state of complete honesty.
"What is your impression of Lino?"
"He... he is a cash cow, but he doesn't really understand how the world works."
A very straightforward answer.
Lino wasn't surprised and continued to ask, "Do you harbor any negative intentions toward Lino? For example, seizing his inventions and wealth."
"I... I once wanted to kill him."
Lino raised an eyebrow. "Why did you want to kill him? When was this?"
Vugas shook his head, mumbling in a daze. "About three years ago, back when Lino was in the Governor's Agents. During a mission, he discovered that the eldest son of a branch family of House Vugas was involved in the Cold Trade. When I got the news, I planned to have Dalton silence him to prevent the family scandal from leaking."
Lino narrowed his eyes, searching his memories until he finally recalled the incident. (For details, see Chapter 100)
"Then why did you change your mind?" Lino asked.
Vugas contorted his face in pain.
"I... I heard His Majesty's voice. He forbade the assassination. Not only that, he ordered me to marry my daughter to Lino, saying it would make Lino serve the Hive City and me better. I was very averse to it at the time, not understanding why His Majesty wanted me to do this, but somehow, I accepted his arrangement."
Lino nodded inwardly and asked, "And then you convinced Tido to approach me?"
"No, I didn't convince Tido." Vugas touched his head. "Tido seemed to... seemed to have also been influenced by His Majesty. Before I even mentioned you, she took the initiative to persuade me to accept your existence."
Lino felt neither joy nor sorrow. The women of the Warhammer world were potential ticking time bombs, liable to become leverage in the hands of enemies at any moment. He had been mentally prepared for this for a long time.
"In other words, if the yellow weasel hadn't influenced you, Lino would have died a long time ago, right?"
"Yes. I would never allow a family scandal to be exposed, especially since he was just a commoner. Heh, if he had been willing to voluntarily hand over the formula for Synthetic Starch, or cooperate with my research in that area, I might have let him live a little longer."
The governors of the Warhammer world were all ruthless figures who would resort to any means necessary. Otherwise, would it even be Warhammer?
Hearing Vugas reveal his true thoughts, Lino actually breathed a sigh of relief.
His Warhammer world finally felt right!
Thud, thud, thud...
The findin' gizmo detected rapidly approaching footsteps.
The newcomer carried significant weight and was likely wearing Power Armor with anti-detection capabilities.
Aside from the footsteps, the findin' gizmo did not pick up any other signals.
Lino thought for a moment, found the switch for the secret room, and activated it.
Hiss—
Following the sound of venting gas, the airtight blast doors slid open.
Two silenced rounds from a Heavy Bolter spiraled toward him.
Lino casually pulled Vugas up to use him as a meat shield.
Bang! Bang!
The bolter rounds detonated, spraying a mixture of shredded flesh, shattered bone, and sparks everywhere.
Tossing aside Vugas's mangled remains, Lino stepped out of the secret room and looked at the Lord of the Hydra approaching him.
"Alpharius, this is our second meeting. I didn't expect you to have been lurking by Vugas's side all this time. Let me guess, was your disguised identity Dalton?"
Alpharius was stunned for less than a tenth of a second before realizing why the other party called this their second meeting.
Their first meeting must have been in the Bone Drinker Vault on Epimet DE.
Alpharius glanced at the mutilated corpse on the floor, feeling no sorrow for Vugas's death.
He was just a planetary governor. Dead was dead.
To be sacrificed here could be considered fulfilling his loyalty to His Majesty.
"Lino, since you've guessed who I am, let's have an open talk."
Alpharius halted, leveling the silenced Heavy Bolter in his hands. His voice was calm.
"Come quietly with me to Terra..."
Boom!
Rumble!
Black Knight 1 self-destructed!
A golden-white cation storm flooded the narrow corridor!
One moment Alpharius was speaking, and the next he was swallowed by the violently raging particle stream!
A full three minutes passed before the blinding light in the corridor died down.
When the glow dissipated, the scene was one of utter devastation.
The floor, the walls, the ceiling—nothing remained intact.
"Cough... cough, cough..."
A figure burned black as charcoal peeled off from an equally blackened crater in the wall, hitting the ground with a heavy thud and kicking up a cloud of dark dust.
"Damn it... blowing himself up without a second word. Are all these so-called 'transmigrators' this decisive?"
Alpharius tore off his visor and spat out two mouthfuls of thick black fluid, mixed with blood and fragments of internal organs.
A crashing noise echoed from behind.
Bang, bang, bang, clatter!
Two Chaos Orks worked together to smash open the heavy blast doors. They charged into the corridor, excitedly firing at Alpharius.
Alpharius's expression shifted slightly as he remembered that he was on a planet on the verge of falling.
He grabbed his helmet and shoved it back on. While gunning down the Chaos Orks, he activated his comms and transmitted a message:
"Report! Mission failed! I was unable to secure Lino. He detonated a bizarre black Ork armor! I repeat! Mission failed..."
Bang, bang, bang! Rat-a-tat-tat—
Swarm after swarm of Chaos Orks squeezed into the corridor, forcing Alpharius to focus all his attention on escaping with his life.
...
...
Outside the galaxy, at the ascension site.
Lino transferred his consciousness back to the Shaman Boy.
The ascension ritual was running smoothly.
The bio-ships used for breeding Paru Boyz were operating in orbit, rapidly increasing the population at a rate of over 100 million Paru Boyz per hour.
The bio-ships present lacked offensive capabilities. The massive, bloated vessels relied entirely on armor plating and Green Dams for protection, every aspect of their design dedicated to breeding Paru Boyz.
There were fifteen bio-ships, each capable of holding nearly 10 billion Paru Boyz. It was estimated that in about 70 hours, the population would reach the minimum requirement to condense a Warp projection. After that, there would be a waiting period spanning an entire month.
It was worth noting that the Paru Boyz used here were not the combat variants.
They had been injected with a "lethargic" gene, preferring to stay inside amniotic tanks in a long-term state of slumber. Their only purpose was to contribute the power of faith.
Once the Warp projection was fully condensed, he would detonate the bio-ships to dispose of them all at once—painless, harmless, and with no side effects.
The future source of his power of faith would be normal Paru Boyz and Gretchin; he wouldn't need these Orks specifically designed for the ritual.
Once the Warp projection began to condense, he wouldn't be able to leave the ascension site so easily.
Considering this, Lino decided to make a clean break from his human identity ahead of time, lest the yellow weasel keep sickening him.
He opened the system interface and pondered for a moment. Instead of entering his human body, he loaded the save state of that Black Knight in his private laboratory.
The consciousness transfer completed. The moment Lino opened his eyes, he saw an uninvited guest in the laboratory.
The man wore a rough burlap robe and held a staff. His face was ancient, looking as though he had one foot in the grave, yet an aura of immense power radiated from him.
Malcador.
He had already arrived.
The static noise crackling from within the Black Knight heralded the activation of the Ork device, making Malcador realize an extra gaze had just settled upon him.
There was no need to ask; this consciousness clearly belonged to the master of the laboratory.
"It seems even Alpharius couldn't do anything to you." Malcador set down the experimental notes, leaned on his staff, and turned to look at the black humanoid device in the corner.
"Lino, I do not know when you acquired the method to become a True Ork God, nor do I know what the one who conveyed this method told you, causing you to treat the Imperium of Man as your enemy. What I want to say is, no matter what you heard or saw, consider carefully whether it might be a trap laid by chaos."
Faced with the old bastard's gaslighting, Lino chose to be blunt:
"Was the yellow weasel planning to seize my ability to possess Orks while I was possessing the ancient ork specimen?"
Malcador's breath caught in his throat. He hadn't expected Lino to know even this.
Fortunately, his millennia of psychological fortitude allowed Malcador to quickly regain his composure.
"So this is the lie chaos spun for you? Do not let the tricks of chaos cloud your judgment. You are a part of the Imperium of Man, and the Palu Orks are the Imperium's most vital allies. Why would His Majesty steal what belongs to you?"
"Heh, you're quite the actor, old man," Lino sneered. "If my findin' gizmo hadn't caught that brief, abnormal spike in your vitals, I might have actually fallen for it."
Malcador furrowed his brows slightly, his expression growing solemn.
"Lino, chaos has corrupted you deeply. Do not be prejudiced by false notions. I promise you, the ability to possess Orks is yours and yours alone, and no one can take it away. You are a pillar of the Imperium, a cornerstone of human society. If you fall to the corruption of chaos, the Imperium of Man will suffer an immense loss.
"Think about your life these past few years. Aside from the pressure in the very beginning, hasn't the rest of it been happy and fulfilling? You wanted a career, and you have one; you wanted a family, and you have one. In a few days, it will be your wedding ceremony with Tido. Are you truly going to let yourself lose your way to the corruption of chaos at such a critical juncture in your life?"
Malcador spoke with earnest gravity, his eyes filled with genuine concern, like a kind-hearted elder urging a prodigal son to return home.
Appearing swayed by his words, Lino's tone softened slightly.
"Malcador, I... I don't know what's wrong with me. I keep worrying that the God-Emperor will take away my ability to possess Orks. Can you help me?"
"My child, just tell me how you want me to help. I will do everything in my power to resolve your troubles."
"Malcador, I beg one thing of you. You must promise me."
Seeing Lino drop his guard, Malcador's expression grew even more benevolent.
"Speak, child. I promise you."
Lino "painfully" clutched his head.
"I beg of you, Lord Malcador. Please accept my invitation."
"No matter what you invite me to do, I am willing. Speak, child. What do you want me to do..."
Before Malcador could finish, he felt an irresistible force tearing at his soul.
Just as he tried to channel his psionic energy to resist, the world before his eyes shifted drastically.
In a single instant, the private laboratory transformed into an amniotic tank, and he himself changed from an immortal human Psyker into an Ork head floating within it.
"This is my invitation. Are you satisfied, Malcador?"
Lino possessed the Palu Ork inside the interrogation room. Crossing his arms, he looked down at the terrified Imperial Regent suspended in the amniotic tank.
"This is... this is your ability?! You can forcibly transfer someone else's consciousness into an Ork?! No wonder His Majesty tried everything to reclaim Alphamega's Warp essence!"
Malcador had lived for nearly ten thousand years, but this was the first time he had ever encountered such a horrifying phenomenon. He completely lost his composure and let the truth slip.
"Tsk, tsk, old man, did you slip up? How could the great and wise yellow weasel plunder my abilities?"
Lino chuckled and reached out to press a button on the amniotic tank.
Hiss—
Freezing gas sprayed out, rapidly encasing the contents of the amniotic tank in ice. It preserved only the most basic life functions of the Ork head.
Lino shifted his consciousness back to the private laboratory.
He strode over to the collapsed Malcador and brought out a genetic sampler to collect the man's DNA, yet he refrained from taking the Imperial Regent's life.
This wasn't out of mercy, but out of respect for Malcador's character. An elder who had always remained strictly loyal to humanity shouldn't die here just like this.
After finishing the sample collection, Lino opened the laboratory's blast doors and walked out.
The maid in charge of his daily life, Brandi, heard the commotion. She looked in confusion at the black figure leaving the private lab and asked, "Master, has someone invaded the Royal Court District?"
In Brandi's memory, the last time someone invaded the Royal Court District, her master had worn this exact armor to slaughter the enemies completely. Hence her question.
Swish!
A dose of truth serum pierced into what little biological flesh Brandi had left.
Lino asked, "Was your approach to me an accident, or was it arranged by someone else?"
Brandi lost consciousness, remaining standing entirely due to her internal bionic structure.
Her head drooped, and she slurred her words.
"Lord Malcador... Lord Malcador ordered me to closely monitor your whereabouts."
"Lord Malcador?" Lino raised an eyebrow. "You're an assassin under his command?"
"Y-yes."
Ha. Ha.
Lino was so utterly speechless he almost laughed out loud. Was there a single normal person left by his side?
Right at that moment, the sound of pneumatic doors opening came from the entrance of the residence.
Lino looked over. Tido was walking in, holding a Dataslate and reading through its contents, completely oblivious to the abnormal atmosphere in the room.
Swish—
The moment the entrance doors closed, a truth serum syringe spiraled out and pierced into Tido's neck.
Her expression turned to shock for half a second before melting into dazed bewilderment.
