Warhammer: Saving Humanity Begins with the Resurrection of Horus

Page 94

“Psionic level confirmed, level assessment completed, current hazard level: moderate.”

A bad feeling flashed through Lin Qi's mind, and the next moment, the words of the electronic female voice made the alarm bells in his mind ring loudly.

"I see you."

The combination of coldness, ruthlessness, rationality, and bloodlust seemed to be a death threat directed at Lynch.

With his pupils dilating, Lin Qi did not hesitate. In a short instant, he completely severed his spiritual energy and withdrew from perceiving his surroundings.

His five senses returned, and the world before him began to return to normal. The mist and the obsidian cross reappeared, and Lin Qi felt a strange wave of weakness wash over him, but he quickly broke free of it within a second.

However, he still staggered, and for a moment it looked like he was about to fall.

A hand was reached out and supported Lin Qi.

It is the first of the original castings.

After taking a few deep breaths, Lin Qi gently shook his head, signaling the original forging leader to release his grip, and then looked in one direction.

“There,” he said. “The traitors are there, at least most of them. They chose that place, and they haven’t moved much, presumably because they’ve discovered something there.”

The Forged Leader and Evelyn exchanged a glance. They sensed a hint of anxiety in Lynch's tone and realized that the intelligence was definitely not that simple.

"I didn't notice the problem with psionic energy, otherwise my reserved psionic energy would have been activated."

Lin Qi shook his head, then remained silent for a few seconds before slowly uttering a single word.

"Iron Man".

Evelyn's expression froze, and then her tone became stiff and awkward.

"Lord Lynch, do you mean...you've discovered an iron man?"

“I’m not sure, but just now, I was definitely discovered by something.” Lin Qi’s face was grim. “That thing detected my psionic senses and even assessed my psionic abilities. I should have been discovered by her now… no, perhaps we should all have been discovered by her.”

Lynch's words illustrated the seriousness of the situation. If there really was an Iron Man inside the ruins, and he could move around freely, then the danger of this place was self-evident.

In the ruins that the Mechanicus had previously searched, the mechanisms and guards originally assigned to protect them had largely lost their effectiveness over the long years, with only a small portion still functioning.

Many ruins do contain iron figures, but these figures cannot withstand the erosion of time, lose their intelligence, and become nothing more than scrap metal.

The fact that an iron man can move freely already demonstrates the risks inherent in this ruin.

"What do you plan to do?" Yuan Zhuzhi asked Lin Qi directly without hesitation.

Lin Qi lowered his head, remained silent for a few seconds, and then his gaze became firm.

“We’ll go to the traitors. They must have discovered something. We’ll intercept them now,” Lynch said, revealing his plan. “Evelyn, we’ll likely need your help then. You’re a professional; you can crack their scheme and keep them moving forward.”

Evelyn nodded, indicating that she understood.

“The two of us will take care of their guards.” Lin Qi looked at Yuan Zhuzhi. “We need to deal with them as quickly as possible. Every extra minute is an opportunity for us.”

The original leader didn't speak, but simply took off his power sword, swung it a couple of times, and got a feel for it.

So, let's go.

Lin Qi took a deep breath, then led the two of them in the direction he sensed.

At this very moment, deep within the ruins.

As the machine, dormant for millennia, began to operate again, hundreds of indicator lights started flashing at an extremely rapid pace. The dust that had fallen to the ground and was on the steel plates of the machine's surface leaped up and swirled around, like a heavy snowfall in a confined space.

So, what will happen next?

Nature is complete awakening.

The indicator lights all turned red at once, and then they all turned green.

The sound of gears rang out, the ground rumbled, and a huge black hole appeared in the ground. A lifting platform began to slowly rise, and on the platform, a huge, twisted humanoid creation appeared.

"The killing pact has been confirmed."

The creation emitted a cold, electronic voice, and then took a step.

Chapter 120 Brothers, Let's Join Forces...

Heavy footsteps sounded behind him once again. Apelun Slovak, the heretical tech priest from the Dark Mechanicus, the dark forging world of Aspros, sighed helplessly, turned around, and looked at the tall giant clad in Terminator power armor, bowing his head respectfully.

“My lord.” Apellun’s voice was calm, sounding just like that of a normal person who had not undergone any physical or prosthetic surgery. “This is the eighth time you’ve come to me in three hours. If my calculation system is correct, according to probability, you’ve come to inquire about the progress of the cracking again, haven’t you?”

The giant didn't speak; he simply strode past Apellun. After passing the busy figures of dozens of heretical techpriests, he finally arrived at the obstacle blocking their progress through the ruins. He looked up at the massive bronze gate before him—which, according to his assessment, could even allow a knightly mech to pass through—and seemed lost in thought.

The bronze gate looked incredibly ancient, its surface marked by the passage of time. Among the blurred lines, the giant could vaguely discern an ancient mural—two angels, entangled and falling from the sky. One angel grasped the other's wings with both hands, and with a mighty force, tore the other apart amidst thunder and fire.

The giant felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had witnessed a scene similar to the mural before him many years ago. However, his chaotic mind no longer allowed him to recall it. Turning around, the giant walked to Apellun's side and uttered the words the latter already knew.

"What's the progress?"

The giant spoke, his voice hoarse, like the engine of a badly damaged Land Raider struggling to roar.

“My lord.” Apellun raised his head, revealing a face beneath his hood that was a blend of flesh and steel. “Lord Fakus Keiber, this is a relic from the Dark Ages, and it is remarkably well-preserved. Do you understand what that means?”

Fakus Kaber, the loyal servant of Abaddon the Great Raider, the Black Legion's elite Despairbringer and leader of the Warband of the Darkblade. A flicker of annoyance crossed his skinless face, and even the horns that jutted out from his eye sockets seemed to burn.

“I know.” But in the end, Fakus Kabo managed to suppress his anger. “I just want to know how things are going. You said it yourself, this is a relic of a dark age of technology. We’ve already lost a lot of people, we can’t afford to delay any longer.”

As he said this, a hint of warning came through his voice.

"Although we have temporarily repelled that guy, you should also know that if it weren't for the fact that many of its items were no longer usable, we would be facing a massacre against us."

Apellien lowered his head, clearly aware of just how much of a threat "that guy" posed to their team.

As he looked up, Apellun summoned one of his men. Without hesitation, he inserted one of his tentacles into the man's brain. The modification system within his body began to function, and Apellun extracted the data from the man's brain. He carefully examined it, then looked at Fakus and gave him the answer he wanted.

“One hour,” Apellun said. “In one hour, we can crack the code and open the door to this Corpse King’s territory.”

Fakus nodded and left Apelon's side.

Not far away, nine veterans clad in Terminator power armor huddled together. Without exception, the Terminator power armor worn by these veterans bore clear signs of mutation. Huge fangs extended outwards from the helmets, while the shoulder armor featured protruding bone spikes and blasphemous runes.

These traces revealed their identity—they were members of the Chaos Astartes, under the command of Chaos Warmaster Abaddon, and were also known as the Despairbringers.

As Fakus approached, the veterans automatically made way for him, allowing him to stand in the very center of the formation.

“Fakus,” a Terminator veteran grumbled. “What did those geeks say? How much longer do we have to leave this hellhole and find the exit from the ruins?”

“One hour,” Fakus answered his companion’s question. “They said it would take another hour.”

"...What if that damned Iron Manifestation reappears within this hour? I suspect it's an Extinction Relic. I once heard a Skinner say that there are quite a few of these in the First Legion's armory. Just three of them are enough to restrain a Primarch. Their power is terrifying."

Someone said this, which caused the atmosphere to fall silent.

Finally, it was Farkus Kabo who spoke up and took responsibility.

“This is my problem,” he said, looking around at everyone. “I requested to come on this mission, and you are all my men. Now that something has gone wrong, I am naturally responsible.”

Everyone fell silent. Finally, the person who had spoken first responded to Fakus Kabo.

"We will not abandon any of our brothers," the man said, his voice serious and solemn. "We will live and die together. So what if the Extinction Relic is there? With us brothers working together, we have nothing to fear."

Fakus looked at his old brother who had gone through the Great Expedition and the Great Rebellion with him and nodded approvingly.

“However,” Fakus continued, this time switching to a private channel, “once we open that bronze gate, those oil guys won’t be as important. We only need to keep one Apellen; the rest can be used as cannon fodder. If that creation… let’s assume it’s a lost Extinction Relic for now. If that Extinction Relic reappears, abandon them to buy us time.”

The proposal was unanimously approved by the others. For the Astartes Warband, who had sided with Chaos, brotherhood was indeed valued. In fact, many people chose to betray the Empire and join Chaos because of this "brotherhood."

However, their "brotherhood" is also limited to their own gang. To outsiders, exploitation and betrayal are the most common scenarios.

The group then discussed some trivial matters before scattering to find suitable positions to stand guard.

Fakus let out a long breath, calming everyone down. He also planned to continue to Apellun to keep an eye on their progress.

Just then, the brother who had been the first to reply to him in the discussion came up to him.

"Kaibo".

The fact that he didn't call out "Fakus" but instead called him "Kebo" already indicates that their relationship in private no longer needs to be too formal.

Fakus looked at the newcomer and nodded slightly.

"Palatu, is there something you need?"

"Have you felt... a different feeling?"

"It's a Black Legion veteran named Paratu," he said, his voice tinged with an indescribable emotion.

"I have a vague feeling... have you felt it too...? This feeling is familiar, like, like..."

"Calm down, Paratu. It's just a strange thing that's been circulating among us lately. Have you forgotten Abaddon? He had the same feeling. It won't affect anything. In my opinion, it's probably some strange research by the Corpse King or the Four Gods that has gone wrong, which is why we're in this situation."

Fakus offered this reassurance, but to his surprise, the next moment, Palatul removed his helmet, revealing a face without a nose, with most of his skin gone, exposing the fresh flesh and writhing buds beneath.

Disappointment was now visible on that distorted and terrifying face, the kind of disappointment that was immediately apparent.

"No... Kaibo, can't you feel it?"

Palatul looked at Fakus, his tone revealing disbelief.

"How could you not feel it? Have you forgotten those years we spent reminiscing together? Of those years, wasn't what we cherished most...?"

Before Palatul could finish speaking, a loud rumble of gears turning drowned out his voice and drew everyone's attention.

Apellien walked over with a pleasant surprise and spoke to Fakus.

"My lord! The speed at which the gate is being opened has suddenly increased. We have successfully opened it, and according to my judgment, there should be an exit back to the ground behind this gate."

“Yes, you did a good job, Apellun.” Fakus nodded, then looked back at his somewhat dejected brother and patted him on the shoulder. “Alright, let’s get out of this hellhole as soon as possible. Once we’re on the surface, everything will be…”

boom!

It was a crisp gunshot, and along with it, the head of a member of the Dark Mechanicus not far away exploded, turning into a dazzling flower of blood.

"Enemy attack!"

Fakus immediately realized what was happening. He shouted loudly in the public channel, urging everyone present to take action. Instinctively, he was about to make the decision he had just made in the discussion—to abandon most of the Dark Mechanicus members and take only Apellen and his fellow warriors to the Bronze Gate to find a way out.

However, things never unfold as people wish.

Paratu stared intently in one direction, letting the gunshots ring out as his Dark Mechanicus members were called out one by one. Then, another shot rang out, and the small void shield carried by his Ironclad Terminator activated, blocking the shot aimed at his head.

"Palatu! Let's go!"

Fakus called out, but Palatul did not respond. His body began to tremble uncontrollably, and finally, he shakily reached out, removed his helmet, and threw it to the ground.

“Fakus,” Palatul whispered to his brother. “Ten thousand years have passed, and the Black Legion has changed batch after batch, even the Despairbringer. Those who were originally brothers either died in the battle against the Corpse King, or they were lost under the power of chaos and became complete puppets.”