Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 658 06.657: "I will definitely save you, Epic"

The interior of the Epic was completely dark. The bustling scene of the past was long gone, replaced by an uneasy silence.

On the walls of the passage, black and yellow warning signs of "nuclear radiation" can be seen everywhere, with a gas mask painted next to it. The orange and yellow main color of the pattern is particularly eye-catching under the dim light.

Horatio, wearing protective clothing, walked into the ship with a serious expression.

He had just learned from Commander Elphinstone that the Epic would be dismantled on site and the usable parts would be used as spare materials for assembling a new ship.

This news was like a heavy hammer, hitting his heart hard.

"Zizi, zizi, zizi..." He walked along the cold and dark corridor. The Geiger counter made a slight sound, which was particularly clear in the silent environment.

Although this is not yet a high-risk area, trace amounts of radiation have been detected, which means that radiation is spreading.

Horatio's frown deepened and he quickened his pace.

Ahead, the light of a welding torch flickered in a cabin.

He sighed, walked to the door, and asked, "Father Lati, what is the current status of the Epic?"

"Not good."

Latti didn't turn around, concentrating on welding a set of damaged pipes, the welding torch in the appendage's hand emitting a dazzling light.

After a long while, she added: "The machine soul is very weak now."

"How can this be?" demanded Horatio.

Lati did not answer, but turned around, handed him the neural plug connected to the battleship, and said: "You can feel it yourself."

Horatio walked up to her and turned away.

Lati skillfully connected the nerve plug for him, his movements steady and quick.

The moment the interface closed, Horatio felt dizzy, and then his consciousness entered the realm of machine soul.

It was a corridor with no end in sight, completely different from the previous ones.

Now it is particularly gloomy here, filled with a gloomy atmosphere that can only be found in horror movies.

The dim light flickered in the corridor, as if it would go out at any time.

"Xiao Shi, where are you?" Horatio shouted loudly, and his voice echoed in the empty corridor.

"Zizi..." The light above his head flickered a few times and suddenly went out, and he was suddenly plunged into darkness.

Horatio's heart tightened and he subconsciously clenched his fists.

However, not long after, the lights flickered again, and the dim light returned to his eyes.

"You're here." An ethereal voice came from behind him.

Horatio turned around suddenly and saw the pale-faced Xiaoshi standing quietly in front of him.

Her body is translucent, and through her spirit, one can even clearly see the background behind her.

"Are you okay, Xiaoshi?" Horatio quickly half-knelt down and instinctively reached out to put his hand on her shoulder.

However, this time, his hand passed directly through the spirit body, and there was neither a sense of reality nor the icy touch of the past.

"Huh?" Horatio couldn't help but let out a surprised cry, his face full of disbelief.

"Are you... leaving?" Xiao Shi, the machine soul girl, asked softly. Her voice was like the breeze, gentle but with a hint of trembling.

Horatio bit his lip, feeling mixed emotions, not knowing how to answer.

He pondered his words, trying to find a tactful way to convey the cruel news.

But Xiaoshi seemed to see through his thoughts. She slowly raised her hands, cupped them towards his face, and said softly, "It's okay. Xiaoshi is fine. Xiaoshi will remember you."

When the words "remember you" entered Horatio's mind, he was shocked as if an electric current passed through him instantly.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately chose to remain silent.

"What's wrong, Captain? You look different today than before." Xiao Shi's tone was very weak. During the three-hour long escape from death, the Epic's machine soul was seriously overdrawn. In order to keep the engine sailing at full speed for so long, she had tried her best, which enabled everyone on the ship to escape.

Horatio took a deep breath and spoke with difficulty: "The Admiralty...decided...to demolish you."

When he said this, he felt as if his heart was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand. He felt so painful that he could not hide the pain and reluctance on his face.

When Xiao Shi heard this, she just raised her head and looked at him quietly. There was no sadness or joy on her face. It was as calm as a deep lake without a ripple.

"It's a pleasure to meet you in my short service, Captain." She smiled in human form. She had imitated this smile very stiffly at first, but now it was as natural as a real person.

What appeared before Horatio's eyes at this moment was no longer a machine spirit, but a real human girl, although she had become dull and weak.

"Goodbye." Xiaoshi's hand passed through Horatio's face and made a gesture to hug him: "I hope you can remember Xiaoshi too."

At that moment, Horatio completely understood what "machine soul" was.

He froze in place, his nose felt sore and something seemed to be spinning in his eye sockets.

He bit his lower lip, suppressed his emotions, took a long breath, and then withdrew from the machine soul realm.

He looked around in a somewhat bewildered manner, with sadness still lingering in his eyes. "What's wrong? You look very lost." Lati looked at him and said calmly.

"Latti, use the advanced machine soul extractor to extract the machine soul of the Epic." Horatio's tone was firm and unquestionable.

"Calm down, Captain." Lati's tone was cold. "This treasure should be used on more valuable and powerful machine souls. Although each machine soul is unique, the machine soul of the Epic is too young after all. Such a machine soul is easy to cultivate, and being unique does not represent its existence value."

"As you said, every machine spirit is unique." Horatio looked at her with a firm gaze.

“Yes, unique, just like there are no two leaves in the world that are exactly the same.”

"This reason is enough."

"You really don't want to reconsider it?" Lati confirmed again with a hint of regret.

"Use it on her," Horatio said firmly.

Lati thought for a while, nodded slightly, and said, "I understand."

Horatio walked out of the cabin quickly. Extracting the machine soul was only the first step. He could not tolerate such a meritorious warship being dismantled on the spot.

He did not want to see the regrets of the heroic ship Enterprise in World War II happen again.

The young colonel secretly made up his mind that no matter what, he would save the fate of the Epic today!
-
The meeting room of the Naval Captains' Council was bustling with people. As a first-level permanent decision-making body within the Imperial Navy, it was mainly responsible for dealing with non-major resolutions submitted to the Admiralty.

"Colonel Chairman, this is an expedited proposal." A naval captain hurried in with a scroll in his hand and handed it respectfully to the Colonel Chairman.

When the colonel heard that it was an "urgent proposal", he immediately became serious. He put on his glasses and carefully read the content of the proposal.

"Request to reject the resolution to dismantle the E-96 attack ship."

He read the title in a low voice, then curled his lips and thought to himself: Who is so bored that he comes here just to submit a resolution rejecting the dismantling of a non-main battleship?

You know, any slightly larger star district fleet has five or six hundred destroyers and escort ships.

If dismantling a small broken ship has to go through the agenda of the Navy Captains Council, the world will be in chaos.

"Which new rookie lieutenant colonel came up with this idea? He is so young and hot-headed that he only causes us trouble."

Colonel Chairman muttered as he picked up the veto stamp and prepared to stamp it on the signature area in the lower right corner.

Generally speaking, the captains of such small warships are lieutenant colonels. It is true that some lieutenant colonels may make such rash proposals in order to protect small warships that have no repair value, but the Naval Colonels Council has always ruthlessly rejected such worthless proposals.

However, when the Colonel Chairman's eyes fell on the signature, his movements suddenly froze.

"Hmm? ... Hmm?!" His eyes widened and he scanned it carefully again. Yes, the famous name "Horatio Cochrane" was written on the signature.

This man had just returned triumphantly from the Second Damocles Gulf Expedition and was well-known in the Ultramar sector.

He had just been named an Honorary Knight of Macragge by Kalka and a "Lord" by the Ministry of the Interior. He was a colonel with a letter of commission personally issued by Admiral John Jervis of the Hazy Star Domain Headquarters Fleet.

He was very prominent in the Admiralty and was no ordinary figure, not to mention that he was a descendant of the legendary Speyer.

The Colonel Chairman took a deep breath and unconsciously put down the veto stamp with his right hand, feeling fortunate that he did not stamp it rashly.

Otherwise, if he offended such a big shot with such a hasty decision, it would be hard to say whether he could keep his position as chairman.

He looked at the main text again, which elaborated in detail that the Epic was a warship with outstanding military achievements. As the first ship of the type and a pioneer in the implementation of wolf pack tactics, it was of great commemorative and learning significance.

The preservation of such a battleship will greatly inspire the fighting will and determination of every officer who visits and tours her.

If dismantled, it would be a huge loss to the Imperial Navy.

He gave a very clear reason: 'We can build a thousand or ten thousand attack ships, but there is only one epic ship that has achieved such a brilliant record.'

"Is Colonel Cochrane here?" Colonel Chairman asked the captain who was serving as his assistant.

"Coming, Colonel Chairman," the captain replied.

“Please invite him to the stage…”

As the arbitrator rang the bell, Horatio strode into the council chamber.

The colonels who were originally discussing the previous resolutions gradually lowered their voices when they saw such a young person walk up to the podium.

They first looked at his uniform and epaulettes, carefully confirming whether he was a naval captain.

In the Navy, "Captain" is a rank that symbolizes an important watershed.

This rank means that this person can serve as the head of an administrative department of the Navy Department, or the captain of a capital ship, and has the leadership power to independently exercise decision-making power.

Simply put, when you reach the rank of naval captain, you will have independent voice.

The difference between wearing epaulettes on both shoulders and the lieutenant colonel wearing epaulettes on only one shoulder reflects this point, symbolizing that the colonel has grown from immaturity to maturity.

If the person who came was not even a colonel, they would not hesitate to kick him off the stage to save time for the next agenda item.

"Quiet, colleagues!"

The Colonel Chairman picked up the gavel, banged it hard, and shouted, “Please allow our Imperial hero, Imperial Lord, Knight of Macragge, Colonel Horatio Cochrane to speak.

This young colonel with great military achievements has put forward a refreshing and thought-provoking proposal! "

(End of this chapter)