Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 217 Secret Meeting
After a moment's thought, Alpharis came up with an escape plan.

“Brother, I’m going over there for a bit.” He pointed to the First Legion’s seats and said to his colleagues in the legion, “I’m going to see a fellow countryman.”

"Go and come back quickly." The chief of the Primal Guard nodded in agreement, his mind flashing through his colleagues' files. He said to the person Alpharis was disguised as, "It's a good thing to meet Terran veterans at the gathering."

The chief of the guard shook his head and sighed: "Most of my batch of test subjects died on the battlefield."

"I'll be back in ten minutes," Alpharis assured him, then left for his seat in the First Legion.

There was no such thing as a "fellow countryman". The First Legion had his genetic offspring, and the Primarch needed an excuse and a witness.

Alpha's pace was brisk, revealing a hint of eagerness, reflecting his enthusiasm for meeting his fellow countrymen.

He approached the offspring of the gene and patted the legion warrior's shoulder armor, but the warrior looked puzzled and didn't recognize his cousin from the Second Legion at all.

"Who are you?" Out of respect, the legionary soldier stood up from his chair and inquired about the person's background.

He searched his memory and confirmed that he had never seen this person before, wondering if the other party had mistaken him for someone else.

Alpharis gave a friendly smile, gesturing for the other person to listen.

The warriors who witnessed this scene were not surprised. After becoming Astartes, some warriors would abandon their original names and take a new one to thank the Emperor for the rebirth he had given them.

The original names were either discarded or used as secret codes among friends.

Alpharis put his mouth close to his offspring's ear and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Alpharis."

Upon hearing this, the First Legion soldier's expression changed drastically. The coded message activated his memories, and he immediately realized his true identity.

He was a soldier of the 20th Legion, ordered to brainwash and infiltrate the 1st Legion. The person in front of him was his genetic father.

The infiltrator's face lit up with excitement as he embraced Alpharis: "It's you, my good brother!"

His expression was genuine, reflecting the heartfelt emotions of meeting a fellow villager and friend.

The First Legion soldiers around them all wore expressions of "I knew it."

After undergoing Astartes surgery, many people's faces will change, and they will bear some of the temperament and characteristics of the father of Astartes.

It's normal for friends not to recognize each other briefly when they meet; only a pre-arranged code can confirm each other's identities.

The infiltrator skillfully used his excitement to mask the trembling of memories surging within him, whispering the Legion's war cry in the Father of Genetics' ear: "We are all Alpharis."

The 20th Legion, which Alpharis named the Alpha Legion.

Alpha, in its name, signifies both the Primarch and, in ancient Terran culture, the beginning and the first.

In some ways, it also implies that Alpharis himself was the first to return, making him the true "first son to return".

"We are all Alphareis." The Alpha Legion warriors murmured their war cry amidst the low murmur of genes.

His emotions were a mix of genuine and feigned, blending the excitement of meeting the father of genetics into his performance, making it difficult for the audience to distinguish between reality and fiction.

The First Legion assumed he recognized a fellow townsman and was momentarily unable to contain himself.

“Cover my escape.” Alpharis was quite satisfied with his offspring’s acting; at the Astartes level, he couldn’t find fault with it.

“Let’s go over there and catch up.” The Lurker pointed to the side, took the Father of Genetics’ arm, and said to the First Legion warrior, “I’ll be gone for a bit.”

"Go ahead, catch up." The soldiers of the First Legion were very welcoming, waving them away.

Alpharis followed his offspring, and the two disappeared from everyone's sight, arriving at a secluded corner.

To outsiders, the two appeared to be close friends, having a private conversation in the garden.

Upon reaching a secluded spot, the garden floor suddenly opened, revealing a hidden elevator.

Alpharis knew that it was his brother who had invited him.

He walked in, turned to face the genetic offspring, and said before the elevator doors closed, "I need nine minutes of testimony. You can continue working."

The infiltrator nodded slowly, watching as the Father of Genes boarded the elevator, infiltrated the deck, and disappeared from sight.

He wondered why the Primarch would allow him to remain hidden when he was already exposed to the ship's intelligence.
But the Alpha Legion soldiers did not hesitate and began to hypnotize their memories in order to continue their infiltration.

He closed his eyes and whispered specific hypnotic words, beginning to shape the memory.

After the hypnosis ended, he was a soldier of the First Legion, where he met with friends from the Second Legion and reminisced about the past. His infiltration of the Alpha Legion wasn't about hiding his identity; before his memories were activated, he was already a member of another legion.

Alpharis has planted countless spies like these.

Within the entire Alpha Legion, only the Primarch knew exactly how many agents were infiltrated into other legions.

Alpharis's face was serious, his mood sinking with the elevator as he kept thinking about how he had been discovered.

The moment the elevator stopped and the doors opened, his eyes lit up and a completely new idea popped into his mind.

Aren't the Night Guardians in front of us perfect targets for infiltrating Nur with genetic offspring?

The Doom Slayer was too tall, far exceeding the size of Astartes, making it too difficult for the Alpha Legion warriors to imitate.

The Night Guard is different; they are similar in stature and their physical abilities surpass those of the Astartes, but not by much.

"Stop your wicked schemes, King Norwick's brother," the veteran Night Guard warned, seeing through the man's plan at a glance, and explained:
“Our country has a very deep cultural heritage that has not been interrupted.”

"If you want to impersonate us, you'd have to spend decades studying at the War College and learn the details of our culture."

“Otherwise…” The Night Guard’s expression was obscured by his helmet, but his tone held a hint of amusement: “A single sentence in a casual conversation might expose the infiltrator’s identity.”

As the veteran spoke, he made a "please" gesture and began to lead the way for the person in front of him.

He was absolutely right; the Night Guards came from Nur and were deeply influenced by warrior culture.

Although the Nur warrior culture is the mainstream, it has flourished over thousands of years.

Furthermore, the culture passed down in the War Academy is a tested and recognized cultural heritage that must be learned.

In addition, there are the family cultures of each family, which are closely related to the mainstream culture.

A detail of an emblem, a variation of a move, a slang term implying something, or the meaning of a soldier's etiquette.

The sheer volume of knowledge was enough to keep the descendants of the Jin people studying for decades, and there were also a large number of students who failed the exams, so you can imagine how difficult it was.

There's one more thing the veteran didn't mention—Nur's genetic screening.

During the Nuer era, when genes continued to degenerate, frequent gene screening was necessary to prevent gene mutations.

After entering the "era of stars," the genetic degradation of the Nur people stabilized, but screening became more rigorous.

As the guardian of the night, Nur directly governs the world and strictly prohibits intermarriage with outsiders and forbids outsiders from entering.

Night Guardians need to undergo regular genetic screening, report data to Nur, perform genetic matching, and leave behind qualified offspring.

How does an undercover agent evade intensive genetic screening?
There's also the simplest way to tell them apart: Night Watchers and Astartes – the difference is immediately apparent when they take off their clothes.

The Astartes are connected to the "black carapace" throughout their body via external interfaces for the power carapace nerve connections.

The Night Guardian only has spinal nerve interfaces, three of which are connected to the power armor in a row; there are no signs of modification on other parts of its body.

The two technologies share some similarities in their sensing techniques, but their application levels differ drastically.

Alpharis caught up with the Night Guard and slowly shook his head. He asked the warrior beside him, "Are you all this perceptive?"

Could a soldier see right through me? Was I really that obvious?
The veteran shrugged, his deep voice, hidden behind his helmet, slowly explaining, "The surprise in your eyes is too obvious, and given your identity as an undercover agent, it's easy for people to make the connection."

Alpharis nodded, realizing that his emotional expression had made his intentions all too obvious.

"You call him 'King Norwick'?" he asked as he walked, showing great interest in the Night Guard's title.

A form of address generally reflects a certain recognition and is the most direct internal assessment between people.

“Yes,” the Night Guard nodded, puffing out his chest slightly: “Doom Norwick, the current King of Norwick.”

"Why not 'Primarch'?" Alpharis couldn't help but ask. "It sounds more noble to call him that; he is, after all, the son of the Lord of Mankind."

"The Primarch? Noble?" The warrior shook his head with a sneer, his tone unchanged as he asked the person beside him, "Norwick represents an indomitable spirit. Do you think nobler is someone born with noble blood, or someone with an eternally indomitable spirit?"

When asked by the warrior, Alpharis opened his mouth but ultimately remained silent.

The Night Guard led him to a corridor and pointed to a secret room guarded by two warriors, saying, "He's waiting for you there."

(End of this chapter)