Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 159 The Scheme of Deception
Viktor stroked his head with his large hand; he was a stone man with humanity, so he naturally knew what the adult was thinking.

The two billion people abducted by the aliens are a precious asset, and our leaders want to protect them.

Viktor scratched his head, his eyes darting around, his voice hesitant: "My method was a bit underhanded..."

“Speak freely.” Doom smiled encouragingly at him and said, “The final decision rests with me.”

With the adults' permission, Victor breathed a sigh of relief and, no longer hesitating about the stakes, revealed his plan: "A ruse to exchange people, then use an extermination weapon to wipe out the aliens."

Doom nodded slowly; Victor's point of view had indeed struck a chord with him.

Two billion people, a rich treasure, they are members of a military alliance who have been plundered.

Due to the flow of time, two billion people are enslaved within the black hole cluster, and time passes very slowly.

The current members of the military alliance are descendants of these plunderers for generations.

Saving these people is undoubtedly a tremendous gift, a gift that wins over the military alliance.

Within the territory of influence, areas where Nur has completely submitted are of great strategic significance.

"That's impossible!" Sophia appeared instantly, looking sternly at Victor: "The glory of an adult cannot be stained with the stain of 'betrayal'."

Her composure and rationality vanished, her eyes wide with anger as she accused the stonemason: "Has your biological thinking failed you? Did you consider the consequences of your plan?"

Faced with accusations from the central legal system, Victor opened his mouth but ultimately did not refute them.

“Don’t blame him, Sophia,” Doom said slowly, calming Sophia’s anger. “I let him speak his mind.”

“I have considered it carefully, and there is no other way to use this solution.”

His expression hardened, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes: "When dealing with aliens, sometimes we need to abandon our sense of shame and morality; they are not worth keeping our promises to."

“But…” Sophia looked anxious; she wanted to stop her master’s terrible idea.

Doom raised his hand to stop her: "No need for further words, I have my own decision to make, the decision rests with me."

Sofia bowed but did not leave, still glaring at Victor.

The latter looked away, not daring to meet the angry Central Law directly in his eyes, and gazed at the starry sky outside the porthole.

Doom was weighing the pros and cons; the conquest had to be swift, ideally within six months.

He cannot stray too far from the normal flow of time; he needs to be constantly on guard against chaos and ensure that he can provide support at any time.

Chaos is Doom's primary enemy. The gods are constantly creating chaos, and after a long period of silence, they must be plotting an even greater conspiracy.

The fleet must now launch an attack, and the action must be swift.

The alien made it very clear that before being captured, it issued the sternest warning, urging its kin to preserve their strength.

The Horanion, now hiding in the black hole cluster, may be planning an escape to preserve their race.

Victor's proposed solution is highly feasible, but it comes at the cost of some of his own credibility.

While Doom was pondering, someone on the bridge made a new move: an unexpected person walked toward the central platform.

The towering Obelisk, clad in black armor, walked heavily toward the holographic image, his hand supporting a long spear.

With a wave of his hand, he brought up an image, and the portrait clearly appeared—a representative of the military alliance.

"They have been fighting each other for thousands of years. They should be the ones to negotiate peace. We are outsiders and third-party witnesses."

Obelisk's voice was deep and resonant. After speaking succinctly, he immediately retreated to a corner of the bridge and quietly stood guard there.

All those present were extraordinary beings, able to understand anything at a glance, requiring no further explanation.

Obelisk's meaning was simple: have the military alliance negotiate with Horanion, with the First Fleet acting as a third-party witness.

A ceasefire between the two sides does not mean a ceasefire among all three sides; it's just a word game.

“Highly feasible!” Sophia’s eyes flashed with data, indicating the feasibility of the calculation plan.

She absolutely agreed with this plan; after exchanging humans, breaking the treaty would not damage the master's reputation in the slightest.

Even if it's just burying one's head in the sand, she still supports this solution.

The other people on the bridge who had the authority to speak nodded slightly after some thought and calculation, indicating that the plan was quite feasible.

They couldn't help but look at the taciturn warrior with newfound respect; beneath his imposing exterior lay a sensitive heart.

"Have the mission contact the military alliance representative and ask for his opinion," Doom ordered, taking concrete action on the plan for offspring.

“Send men to talk to the prisoners; they are the best messengers and know our strength well.”

"The fleet is ready for battle. The first prerequisite for peace talks is having sufficient power to get the aliens to the negotiating table."

With the highest command issued, the fleet quickly prepared for the next battle—to storm the aliens' lair.

The plan to settle the dispute was carried out quickly.

Upon hearing the battle plan, the military alliance participated without hesitation. They were deeply grateful for Nur's kindness in allowing their ancestors and people to return.

Meanwhile, the military alliance stated that if the abducted population returns, the seventeen worlds will submit and accept the rule of the Nur Stars.

Even if they know the stakes involved, they will negotiate if the rescue fails, after all, man proposes, God disposes.

Let the outside rescuers not feel too much psychological pressure.

The alien commander agreed wholeheartedly, cheering and eagerly offering to act as a messenger to persuade his people.

It had long since given up hope, believing that it would die in the human world and be burned at the stake.

It knew that the sins committed against humanity were unforgivable.

A glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in the dark future, and the commander was moved to tears, praising the mercy of fate.

As for the possible hidden conspiracy, the doubts that arose in its heart were dispelled by the intense joy, and it subconsciously ignored the danger.

The commander knew perfectly well that the human race's combat strength was far superior to that of the race; they could hold out for a while, but would ultimately be defeated.

The current peace talks present an opportunity, a tremendous chance.

It saw humanity's leap engine as an opportunity for the race to escape the perilous black hole and travel through the stars.

That's the gambler's mentality: knowing there's a trap ahead, they still risk everything in the face of immense temptation.

“Victor, go and make the preparations.” Doom dismissed the stone man: “Go and prepare some ‘little gifts’.”

What little gift? Victor naturally understood: a "little gift" capable of destroying the alien.

"Understood." Victor bowed, then left the bridge with a sigh of relief, escaping the sharp gaze of the Central Law.

Preparations were completed quickly. Representatives of the military alliance boarded the Royal Majesty, while the fleet left behind support ships before sailing into the subspace.

The aliens' home world lies deep within a stellar graveyard, hidden in a place where light cannot escape.

"Elder William, please don't be agitated." Doom, meeting with the military alliance representatives in the reception room, said to the old man in a friendly manner, "Please have a seat."

The elderly man named "William," dressed in military uniform, was visibly agitated and dared not sit down in the clean and tidy reception room.

Everything here is so beautiful.

William had only heard of such enormous and magnificent warships in legends; how proud his ancestors must have been when they traversed the void.

The military alliance has warships, but large warships are few and far between; those steel behemoths have been dormant for a long time.

Small warships are kept away from the battlefield, hiding in the void, to ensure that humans can evacuate in the most critical moments.

The warship beneath their feet was like a dream, far more advanced than the abandoned warships, and its master, radiating divine brilliance, sat opposite them at the long table.

William, over fifty years old and with a tempered heart, knew he shouldn't be at a loss.

The godlike figure made him sit down, so he knelt down on both knees: "I pay my respects to you, sir who has come from afar."

William bent his knees, but felt he couldn't kneel down; a large hand supported him.

The giant before him made him dizzy; even on the battlefield against the aliens, William had never lost his composure like this.

He bent down and knelt down to stop the person from kneeling before him.

"……grown ups……"

The old soldier's tongue was tied, he couldn't speak coherently, and his mind was in complete chaos.

“Old sergeant, please relax.” Doom pulled the mortal sergeant up and gave him a reassuring smile: “In your current state, you can hardly bear the weight of the plan.”

When the plan was mentioned, William, who was about to beam with pride, paused for a moment.

The old soldier decisively bit his tongue, a clear light flashing in his eyes, as reverence and shock were replaced by hatred.

"I will definitely complete the mission!" The sergeant's voice was strong and powerful, and he stood ramrod straight: "For a thousand years, we have longed for revenge!"

Seeing that he had calmed down, Doom got up and left, returning to his seat.

"This is the solution we proposed."

Doom tapped his finger on the table and slid it toward the old sergeant, revealing the contents of the plan before his eyes.

William's face was serious, his stinging tongue licking his dry lips as he focused intently on the holographic image.

The plan is simple, but it allows no room for error.

A meeting will be held here later to facilitate peace talks between humans and aliens.

After the human population is swapped back, the fleet will destroy the alien world and completely exterminate the Horanion.

"I have no objections and will follow your instructions completely."

(End of this chapter)