Warhammer: Saving Humanity Begins with the Resurrection of Horus

Page 58

The one who spoke was Leo. He looked at Lin Qi, his dark eyes filled with a strong determination.

"Father Tal will come over later to tell us what he knows. As for the personnel to be dispatched... I will take three companies with me. Company Commander Leo, can the First Company move out now?"

"Ready to receive orders at any time."

"Sir, the Third Company is also on standby at all times."

"Second Company..."

"Seventh Company..."

A cacophony of voices rose and fell as the company commanders, having determined their target, began vying for positions with the remaining two accompanying companies. Watching this, Lin Qi sighed softly, speaking silently to Horus.

"Should I really go and have some kind of reconstructive surgery?"

"We don't have that much time to waste, unless..."

"Unless what?"

"It's alright, don't think about it too much, just focus on the present."

－－－－－－－

The Limitless Starfield, an unnamed planet

A steel giant clad in a long red robe walked across the boundless desert, accompanied by an Astartes wearing an unknown type of power armor. The two continued forward until they arrived at a huge black obelisk atop a high mountain.

The steel giant stretched out one hand and began to stroke the surface of the obelisk. Astartes stood beside him, watching his actions, remaining silent throughout.

"Look, this is something unknown to humankind."

The steel giant's voice came out, sounding incredibly monotonous and hoarse—probably due to his physical modifications. After all, at first glance, there was almost no flesh or blood on his body; he was entirely composed of various metal cables and mechanical structures.

This is the inevitable fate of everyone who joins the Cult of Mechanics. Their bodies have been transformed beyond recognition through repeated modifications. From a purely physical perspective, they are more like metal monsters with human-like minds and appearances than human beings.

Even worse, through repeated modifications, human thought may disappear, turning them into completely cold machines.

The Iron Giant despised his colleagues who had become like this. At least in his own eyes, even now, when almost no flesh and blood remained on his body, he still believed that he was a human being, not a monster made of metal and cables.

Astartes remained silent, while the Iron Giant, as if not seeking a response, began to mutter to himself.

"I have been exploring the truth of knowledge for ten thousand years. I have always been fulfilling my mission, maintaining that thirst for knowledge that can be described as dangerous and blasphemous for humanity. But do you know? Even now, there are still things that I cannot understand."

"However, I don't think these things can stump me. As long as these things can play their role in the future and contribute to humanity, then I will definitely be able to find their secrets. After all... I am Belisarius Caul."

Belisarius Caul, the great sage of the Mechanicus, spoke in a voice that grew softer and softer until it was barely audible, even less than the sound of a mosquito flapping its wings.

After saying his last words, Caul lowered his hand from the obelisk in front of him, then turned around and led Astartes along the path they had come from, finally arriving at the transport plane that had been waiting for them.

"Where are we going?"

Finally, Astartes spoke, uttering his first words on the entire journey to Kaul. This successfully caused Kaul to turn his head and look down at the one who had asked the question.

“Everything has its own logic. Why don’t you guess why I suddenly chose to change my goal and leave this strange obelisk instead of continuing to study it on this planet?”

"Is it because of that revelation again? You told me a few days ago that you received a revelation that would guide you somewhere. I remember that after that day you spent thirteen hours making sure that you had not been corrupted by the chaos and that there were no deformed flesh and steel on your body."

Kaul suddenly laughed. He looked at Astartes, shook his head slightly, and then entered the rear cabin of the transport plane. His enormous body almost filled the entire rear cabin, but he still tried his best to step back and make room for Astartes.

"We're going to Badab."

After Astartes also boarded the transport plane, Caul spoke, his voice still cold and monotonous, yet it gave off a gentle feeling that seemed to come from nowhere.

"Badab?"

"Yes, Badab."

A glimmer of light flickered in Caul's modified mechanical eyes. He nodded, then looked at Astartes and continued speaking.

"We're going there to perform surgery."

Chapter 77 Emergency Situation

Three companies.

Leo stood on the orbital platform, gazing at the enormous warship before him, his mind filled with complex thoughts.

The Star Claws' naval power is not weak; in fact, Huron left a rich legacy for the current Star Claws. Besides their own combat barges and escort ships, the Imperial Navy's Overlord-class battleship "Raging Gauntlets," belonging to the Badab system, will also join their ranks as a support force.

At this moment, the ships anchored in the void are ready to engage in a medium-sized naval battle. With the addition of three companies and a separate Honor Guard, a total of five hundred Astartes, if used properly, could even turn the tide against a large fleet far exceeding their own size.

"How are you preparing?"

"Everything is ready, don't worry. I'll bring your share when I jump ship."

Leo knew who it was just by hearing the voice.

Casio, a sergeant in the Sixth Company, was theoretically his subordinate, but after the coup, they became friends.

Yes, friend.

"Hehe, no need. You should settle your own debt first, our esteemed Company Commander."

Casio spoke, deliberately drawing out the last syllable to make his voice sound slightly strange. This successfully caused Leo to clench his fists, his expression suddenly turning grim.

"I've already told you, don't talk to me like that."

"Yes, yes, our esteemed Company Commander, please don't speak to me in that tone."

The unchanged sound felt to Leo like the grating noise emanating from a damaged servo skull, utterly irritating. But quickly, as if remembering something, his clenched fist suddenly relaxed, and his expression returned to normal.

Cassio noticed Leo's sudden change in expression and immediately sensed something was wrong. This made him frown and his voice return to normal.

"What's wrong with you? Have I finally convinced you to be immune?"

"No, Casio, I've just figured out a few things."

"whats the matter?"

Casio's tone carried a hint of curiosity, completely unaware of what was about to happen.

"So you're jealous of me. Yes, I've figured it out. The reason you're talking to me like this is simply because you're jealous of me."

Leo squinted, revealing his sharp canines. He spoke calmly, as if stating a fact, but to Casio beside him, it sounded nothing less than a provocation.

Casio bared his teeth, his eyes widened, and his tone became increasingly angry.

"Me?! I'm jealous of you?! Are you kidding me?! My respected company commander!"

"Do you think I'm joking?"

"Do you really understand what you're saying, Leo? What do you have that I could be jealous of?"

"My qualifications."

"..........What?"

"My qualifications are: Sergeant Casio of the Sixth Company."

Leo grinned.

"It's a real pity that your company commander didn't fight for that qualification for you. This time, the mission to support Lord Lin Qi was taken over by our company, the third company, and the seventh company. Your sixth company, no, or rather all the other companies are jealous of us. Thinking about it this way, I can understand your provocation."

"Damn it, Leo, I'm not jealous of you. Lord Lynch also said that whether we go or not, we are all contributing to the warband. Our actions are equal. Why would I be jealous of you?"

Annoyed, the sergeant took a piece of rations from a box being carried by a nearby civilian and threw it at the company commander. The company commander nimbly dodged it and caught it just before it hit the ground.

He put the rations back into the box that the mortal had been carrying. The mortal performed a standard Eagle Salute and then quickly left with the box. Meanwhile, Casio's expression remained angry, and he was even baring his teeth.

Leo shrugged, reached out, and patted the other person on the shoulder.

"You still need to mature more. Maybe when you become a company commander, you'll have a better attitude than Katoks and be more likely to get this opportunity to provide support together."

The sergeant from the Sixth Company pounced forward with the speed of a cheetah. He engaged the First Company Commander in close combat, even though he knew he was no match for him.

The fight between the two was filled with a strange sense of drama. Every move they made was unmistakably aimed at the other's vital points, and a hit would undoubtedly take the other's life. But even in this back-and-forth exchange, at the very moment when blood was about to be drawn, they would abruptly stop and withdraw.

Casio's movements are very fierce. Although he is a soldier in a vehicle company and is good at operating vehicles and using firearms for long-range attacks, this does not mean that his close combat skills are poor.

On the contrary, when it comes to using daggers in combat, Casio can confidently say that he ranks among the top five in the entire Star Claw.

However, he was currently fighting Leo bare-handed, without a dagger. His iron fists, controlled by willpower and muscle memory, swung in ferocious arcs, each punch so fast it produced a piercing whistling sound, forcing his enemy to face the fierce winds of the blows.

A combination of jabs and hooks is no safer than the sharpness of a dagger; when they strike an enemy, they are just as effective. They stimulate the opponent's nerves, causing pain, and generate impact that can damage their internal organs encased in flesh and blood.

Leo narrowed his eyes, a fighting spirit beginning to surge within him, causing him to lick his lips involuntarily.

He could almost smell the blood coming from Casio's hands, torso, arms, and neck.

So in the next moment, he got serious.

The moment Casio's fists touched his chest, he didn't retreat, but instead stepped forward. Using his rock-solid lower body, he avoided being pushed to the ground, grabbed one of the other's arms with both hands, and then suddenly turned around, using his waist to forcefully lift the 6th Company sergeant off the ground.

One giant used an over-the-shoulder throw on another, while the mortals around them had already chosen to dodge. The power armor made intimate contact with the ground, causing both to tremble violently for a moment.

"You two, stop fighting." A figure approached quickly from a distance. "Lord Lin Qi is coming soon, why are you still fighting?"

"Come on, we were just kidding." Leo knew the farce was almost over, so he let go of one hand and then used his strength to pull Casio up from the ground. "Besides, this bastard provoked me first."

"You damned bastard, you really went all out."

Casio, clutching his lower back and baring his teeth, spat viciously at Leo.

"Lord Lynch is coming soon, we'll see you next time..."

Before he could finish speaking, Casio's face suddenly became expressionless. This sudden change confused Leo, but he quickly realized what was happening. He immediately turned around and, sure enough, saw the small figure standing behind him.

"Master Lynch."

The company commander answered expressionlessly, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Very energetic, remember to maintain that when facing the orcs and the Eldar."

Lynch stood in Leo's shadow, a faint smile on his face. He wore a long robe over a breastplate crafted by the warband's technical sergeants and priests to the size of a mortal. At his waist, he carried a long military knife and a laser pistol.

Ryan, who arrived late, sighed helplessly, knowing he was still a step too late. He glared at Leo and Casio, then simply stood aside, watching the show with a cold smile.

"When did you come?"

"When... probably when the two of you start bickering."

Leo and Casio exchanged a glance, both thinking the other's face had become even paler.

"We found nothing..."

"That's nothing. Do you think I said I was also a warrior? Didn't Bell tell you about how I used psionic powers to freely infiltrate the Thorn Court?"