Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 584 Ruth, of course I will keep it a secret for you, but on three conditions.
Duran's majestic orbital station is similar in size to the ring that encircles Medusa.

The fixed gun emplacements unleashed a barrage of bullets at the wolf pack fleet, accompanied by dense flashes and silent explosions that filled the void.

Fakh's fighter squadron swarmed out, their gun barrels spewing torrents of flame from beneath their fuselages.

Burning metal blocks broke off and fell, filling the entire space with smoke and dust.

On the Herafunkel, Russ stood at the observation window, watching the massive, red bow of the Fach emerge, the light from the reactor illuminating the surrounding orbit.

"Destroy them!"

Just as Russ gave the order, eight beams of light suddenly shot out from his eyes.

He suddenly had a bad feeling when the voice of the sound array manager came through the communicator.

"Lord Ruth, the oracles have detected an approaching fleet."

"The scan results indicate that the readings belong to the 'Shadow of Order' fleet."

[The beam originated from the Relic-class battleship.] Ruth immediately realized the source of the attack.

Quan's father gifted Ninglu ships from the "Dark Ages of Technology," which possessed a range surpassing that of all other ships, including the Glory Queen-class battleships.

Sanchez's 7th Battle Group has four ships.

[Ninlu, Sanchez, how could it be so fast?]
As Russ pondered, the voice rang out again.

"Lord Ruth, we have received a message personally sent by Tyrant Duran himself."

“Play,” Ruth strode back to the holographic strategy, looking up at the video screen. “He wants to surrender, but it’s too late. Destruction awaits him.”

Amidst the crackling of electricity, the mosaic pattern of a coiled dragon, symbolizing Fahd, came into Russ's view.

On the high platform below stood a throne made entirely of black, and a thin man wrapped in a scarlet robe spoke with a mocking tone.

“Ruth, I know what you call me, 'Tyrant'…”

"By forcibly attaching it to me, you justify your acts of aggression."

"Look with your own eyes. The Durans are willing to fight to the death for me, while you are nothing but..."

His thin lips were slightly parted, revealing his yellowed teeth.

"The Emperor's lapdog."

boom!
Ruth jumped up and smashed the video screen with a punch, sending shards flying across the bridge.

Over the months, the taunts of Durant, the tyrant, exploded in his mind, and his long golden hair fluttered.

"I will personally cut off your head! I swear!"

Enraged by the alpha wolf's public humiliation at the hands of the tyrant Duran, the dark gray warship charged into Duran's defensive perimeter without regard for the cost.

The black warships of "Shadow of Order" advanced steadily, with the Relic-class warships using their range advantage to launch occasional fire strikes, but they did not attempt to steal the wolf pack's prey.

Yolin gave the order to attack the main orbital station. The crew cabins of the gray stormbirds shook violently, and the wolves chanted the epic tales passed down through generations of Fenris.

The pheromones of wolves, brimming with murderous impulses, permeated the narrow space. Unlike in the past, their overwhelming rage, far exceeding the scope of normal pre-battle preparations, gave them a frenzied and cruel aura.

Inside Yolin's vehicle, three wolves pounded on the metal cage, as if they were striking the edge of a shield with their sword blades.

“The time for slaughter has come,” Jorin repeated the oath he uttered before every battle, “My enemies, the gates of death are now open to you…”

Yolin paused for a moment, thinking that the Wolf King had lost the fur cloak of the Death Wolf Mokai. In order not to affect the pre-battle preparations, he continued, "Open up in front of us."

The hatch opened, and Yolin was the first to jump out.

The battle howls of wolves during their past charges were a kind of meaningless noise, a primal emotional outburst that instilled fear and made people shrink back.

But now, the wolves, freed from their restraints, repeat their chilling howls, their furious gray waves transforming into pure hunters above Fenris, their bloodlust-driven roars echoing through the air.

The wolf pack had never been so angry.

The alpha wolf is not a lapdog.

He is the alpha wolf, the wolf king, the lord of winter and destruction.

Jorin swung his two-handed axe, tearing through scarbin soldiers like a whirlwind, until his armor was covered in layers of strange flesh, and the command center was empty.

Yolin swung his arm to calm it down, and looked at the wolf priest Urban who was walking towards him.

"How about it?"

“Everything is normal,” Urbandell replied. “The same is true in Heimligiga.”

"This gene seed was recovered from the corpse of a fallen soldier, and the cross-section of the seed is completely normal."

Wolf Priest serves as both apothecary and priest for most legions, and is the highest-ranking person in Dalian besides Wolf Lord.

“Very good,” Yolin said with a sigh of relief. “That was a bloody battle. If they can all remain rational under those circumstances, then there’s no need for…”

“But the total is wrong,” Urbandell interrupted the Wolf Lord. “I checked it five times and even sent slave laborers to rescan the wreckage of the space station twice.”

"If fate isn't playing tricks on us, or if I really am mistaken, then..."

"Wolf Lord, some warriors have gone missing."

Yolin's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"The scan yielded nothing, and the battle damage records and the number of damaged power armor pieces did not match."

"The key is, you need to look at this."

The holographic image displayed by Urbandell kept shaking.

"This was extracted from the surveillance records of the Dalian flagship."

Yolin saw the war-torn orbital station appear on the screen, with huge modules constantly shattering in explosions and tumbling toward the planet's surface.

“What am I looking for here?” Yolin stared intently at the image and asked seriously. “You will see.”

As Urbandel spoke, the screen suddenly lit up with the light of the thruster flames exploding, and the trajectory of a metallic object was not as chaotic and disordered as the other fragments.

“A fish that slipped through the net,” Yolin said coldly.

“There’s more than one,” Urbandell shook his head. “This is just a shot taken from a fixed perspective.”

“All they can take away are corpses,” Yolin said confidently. “No one can capture a wolf alive.”

Urbandell smirked. "These Durans are formidable opponents. It's entirely possible they captured one or more prisoners while failing to hold the orbital station."

"If these soldiers were of sound mind, they would never allow the enemy to capture them alive and take them away to suffer humiliation."

"Then only one possibility remains: if they completely lost their minds back then and became like that..."

An uneasy atmosphere hung between the two of them. After a long while, Yolin broke the silence.

You can't be sure.

“Yes, Lord Wolf,” Urbandell replied.

"You have to talk to the alpha wolf."

"What am I supposed to say to him?" Yolin roared.

“We have no idea what the disease is, we are not sure if these people have the disease, and we can’t even confirm whether they have really been arrested.”

"Tell me, how am I supposed to talk to the alpha wolf? A bother him with baseless guesses and inferences?"

“We’ll be on the battlefield in a few hours. Every bit of fighting power is precious right now. The alpha wolf needs us to win for him, to tear apart the defenses of the tyrant Duran in the face of those hateful shadows of order. And you want me to talk to him about this?”

Urbandel shook his head. "If the Durans captured them, there must be a reason behind it."

"You cannot allow the enemy to control weapons that could be used against us."

“I won’t give them any weapons,” Yolin said, reaching out to turn off the data panel, and the holographic image disappeared.

"But unless you have substantial evidence, it's just pointless suspicion."

"Send more people to continue the search for their bodies. If nothing is found, continue the search on Duran."

"I swear, no matter what we find, I will fight alongside you, fight my way through the enemy's hellish world, and bring our brother back."

The wolf priest and his wolf lord locked eyes, their gazes meeting.

Ultimately, Urban said, "Perhaps in the end you really need to do this."

Six days later, as Yorin was searching the surface of Durand, Ruth swung his heavy chainsaw sword, Kraken's Bite, cleaving the Skabin soldier's spine and kicking him off the mountain.

He looked toward the first gate of the Northern Tyrant's Scarlet Fortress, where a report came from the Herafnkel that the slow-moving "Shadow of Order" had just arrived in Duran's orbit.

The moment the Shadow of Order reached the surface, he could proclaim his victory to Nimrod.

Just then, a Duran reactor was started up.

All the wolves' communication channels were jammed, and they, along with all the warships in the void, received the holographic image.

"Fashi's men," a loud, piercing voice boomed, "open your eyes wide and see the true face of the enemy!"

"This group of heretics, mutants, and aliens is trampling this land!"

In the black Stormbird, Ninglu stared at the beast's large face that suddenly appeared on the screen.

He stared at the deformed, ugly face, listening to the rapid breathing and hoarse roars.

Fifteen minutes later, the technical sergeants eliminated the communication interference, but the image of the mutated soldier kept replaying in Ruth's mind.

He glanced at the Crimson Fortress, then turned and boarded the Grey Stormbird.

On the hill, Ruth met Nimrod, but it was completely beyond his expectations.

He stared at Ninglu, whose face remained calm. "Can you keep my secret?"

"Russ, of course I will keep your secret, but on three conditions."

Ruth breathed a sigh of relief and spoke first:

“I will not make any statements about you or ‘Shadow of Order’ in any setting.”

"What else?"

Ninglu smiled and glanced at the clever Russ before continuing.

"I like all kinds of unusual creatures."

“Kraken, Fenris wolves…” Ruth rattled off dozens of Fenris creatures, “The wolf pack will keep your secrets and reward their prey.”

What's the last one?

“You’ll know, Ruth,” Nimrod said, his eyes deep, “when I need to.”

Russ remained silent for a moment, then stared intently at Ninglu.

"I will not betray my father."

“I will not ask you to betray him,” Ninglu said.

"The tyrant Duran is my prey," Ruth roared as he declared.

“As long as you’re fast enough.” Ninglu finished speaking, spread his golden wings, and sand and dust splattered onto Rus.

Ruth stared at the golden-winged, black-armored figure flying further and further away, remaining silent for a long time before turning around and walking down.

His pace quickened, so fast that his wolf brothers, Freddie and Gerry, had to run to keep up.

(End of this chapter)