Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 264 The first clues

The Shaping Union, according to intelligence reports, is a federation of hundreds of worlds that are eager to join the Empire and reunite with their fellow humans from the Lost Old Night.

After Doom stepped off the landing ship, he saw the United Humans, who were not as "strange" as Mumpyah had described.

Contrary to their eeriness, they were tall and slender, with elegant postures, exuding classical aesthetics and etiquette, and were quite refined and composed.

Every person in the Sculpting Union is at least two meters tall, with slender and long upper limbs, and porcelain-white exposed palms.

Apart from their hands, the joint officials who came to greet them had no other skin exposed, making them seem very mysterious.

Doom squinted and scrutinized her closely—beneath her elegant and composed exterior, he did indeed notice something amiss.

The shaping union members wore strange outfits; judging from their exposed arms, they were wearing a tight-fitting bodysuit to protect their bodies from harm.

Over the various colored bodysuits, they wore heavy robes to cover their slender bodies, with all sorts of incomprehensible lines and characters on the robes.

Their most distinctive feature is their full-coverage mask, with a crown on their heads resembling that of a swooping eagle.

The downward-curving beak lies between the eyebrows, the eagle's eyes serve as external monitors on the mask, and the outstretched wings are the crown adorned with various pendants.

“Your Excellency the Consul…” Mambia greeted him with a smile, reaching out to shake hands with the leader, who was dressed in a golden robe. He then turned and pointed to Doom: “The son of the Lord of Mankind, the Lord of the Stars of Nur, has come representing the will of the Lord of Mankind.”

"Our negotiations are almost complete. He will assume imperial authority and examine the Shaping Union in order to re-establish a government."

“Your Excellency,” the governor said, clasping his hands in front of his abdomen and bowing deeply, displaying humility with impeccable etiquette, “the Shaping Union yearns to return to the embrace of humanity once more.”

The consul was a man, but his voice was soft and pleasant; his perfectly timed excitement and sincere tone could move everyone.

Faced with such sincerity, Doom slightly raised his chin, displaying the haughty demeanor befitting a superior, and said to the consul with disdain in his eyes, "Why don't you face me with your true face?"

His demeanor was equally impeccable, fully demonstrating the arrogance, power, and disdain for ordinary people of his high position.

The offensive and impolite question left the governor momentarily at a loss, and he turned to look at the human empire's negotiating representative.

“My lord,” Mambia gave the governor an apologetic look, then explained to the Primarch with a smile, “The humans of the Shape-Shaping Union, in their long separation, have developed a unique culture.”

"They used ancient technology to reshape their beautiful bodies and conceal them under specially made bodysuits and robes."

"Oh?" Doom's eyes swept over the many shapeshifters with a look of inquiry: "Since they have beautiful bodies, why hide them and not show them off boldly?"

His tone shifted from tactful to cold and sharp: "Did you undergo some illegal modification, mutating into a hideous, ghostly form?"

The chilling words made the atmosphere stagnant, like gusts of cold wind blowing by, sending a chill down the spines of everyone present.

The Doomsses behind Doom all turned their gazes toward the Shaping Alliance, their red lenses concealing a chilling killing intent.

hum~
The black-armored warriors gripped their long handles tightly, and azure light blades shot out, flashing with a dangerous light. They had the ability to tear apart any disobedient person present.

Mambia's face turned pale, but his obese body displayed extraordinary agility as he immediately jumped away from the Shaping Union, keeping a safe distance.

The King of Warriors came representing the Empire and should have respected the other party and maintained relations, but instead he deliberately stirred up trouble.

Doom was indeed stirring up trouble, adopting an arrogant attitude and showing contempt and insults towards the shaping coalition governor, all in an attempt to force the other party to reveal an emotional vulnerability.

He had already realized that the people in the Shaping Union were abnormal, and quite abnormal at that.

Are these elegant, slender humanoid creatures still human?

"Heh~heh~heh~heh~" Amid the tense atmosphere, the governor chuckled softly. He covered his mouth with his hand under his mask, maintaining an elegant and gentle demeanor.

“Since you wish to see, sir, we will show it to you.” He said in a friendly tone, resting his chin on his long fingers as he removed the mask from his face.

In an instant, the faces beneath the masks were revealed, causing several representatives of the empire to gasp in surprise.

The person undergoing the sculpting was exceptionally beautiful, with crystal-clear black eyes, a straight and prominent nose, thin and long lips, and porcelain-like skin that radiated a subtle glow.

Not only the consul, but all the officials behind him removed their masks, revealing their exceptionally handsome and charming faces.

“Test their genes.” Doom remained unmoved, gesturing for the Doom Soldier to step forward and use the equipment he carried to test the human genes of the other party.

This was more of a show of contempt; testing human genes showed that the Human Empire still didn't trust the Shaping Union. Unexpectedly, the Governor remained calm and composed in the face of the genetic screening, showing no anger as he extended his hand to allow the black-armored warriors to collect his genetic samples.

"Why hide such a beautiful face?" Doom did not give up and continued to delve into this question.

“Yes…” Mambia wiped his sweat and stepped forward, wanting to explain, but his body suddenly trembled and his face looked as if he had collapsed.

With just one look from Doom, he felt as if he were in hell, and dared not utter another word, staggering backward.

"Our culture." The governor raised his hand, allowing the black-armored warrior to draw blood, and calmly explained to the domineering offspring of the human lord:

"Too many beautiful things will make them seem cheap, so it is not advisable to display beauty too much to avoid impacting mainstream aesthetics."

"When people get tired of beauty, ugliness will become the new aesthetic, and we cannot tolerate ugliness."

"In order to protect beauty, the Body Shaping Alliance has specially enacted laws to punish those who recklessly expose their faces and devalue beauty."

Doom listened attentively, his expression unchanged, without making any comment to the consul.

By observing micro-expressions and analyzing tone of voice, he confirmed that the consul was not lying; his sincerity was frightening.

"My lord, there is no problem. Their genes meet the standards of the human empire."

Looking at the instrument in the genetic offspring's hand, with its crimson blood, Doom's face tightened, remaining noncommittal.

"Notify Sophia to have all ships in the First Fleet leave the standby system and come to our aid."

During the telepathic link, Doom sent a message to his waiting offspring aboard the Royal Majesty, requesting the First Fleet to come to his aid.

After a series of tests, he had come to a conclusion: the restraint of the Shaping Union was beyond his imagination.

Such a profound concealment suggests that their schemes are anything but simple.

His instructions were relayed quickly, through the Destroyer, to instruct Sophia to notify the First Fleet.

Despite having personal electronic devices that allow direct contact with Sofia, there is still a certain degree of exposure risk.

Telepathy is fast and safe.

Perhaps some people can sense the telepathic connection, but the instantaneous transmission of messages leaves no time to guard against the exchange.

“Take me around, let me experience the local customs and culture of the Shaping Union.” Doom waved his hand, lowered his eyes and said to the governor in a commanding tone, “You personally lead the way to the most authentic streets and feel the local folk customs.”

"It would be my pleasure." The consul readily obliged, completely unconcerned by the condescending tone of the emperor's son, and instead offered a polite smile, asking, "Your Excellency, may I wear the mask?"

"After all, as the lawmaker, I am bound to be controversial when I parade around in front of the public."

"So many rules." Doom waved his hand impatiently, showing the disdain of the privileged class for the lower class, playing the part of arrogance.

Following in the footsteps of the consul, the imperial delegation entered the city and strolled through its unique urban landscape.

The further he went, the more wary he became. He kept observing and guessing, wondering what the purpose of the Shaping Union was.

The city, shaped by plastic surgery, is clean and beautiful, with clean streets, fresh air, and various technological devices everywhere.

The people on the street did not panic at the arrival of the high-ranking officials; they simply nodded and bowed to express their respect to the visitors.

The imperial representatives maintained a tense demeanor, not daring to show the slightest impoliteness. The manners and upbringing of any ordinary person in the city were comparable to those of the imperial nobility.

"Notify Sophia to contact nearby legions in my name. I need at least one full legion to support me."

Another mental command was issued, and beneath Doom's expressionless face, a storm was raging within him.

He saw a highly developed society, advanced, civilized, and open, with axioms far surpassing those of human empires.

Walking down the wide street, Doom finally understood what Mumpyah meant by "weird".

(End of this chapter)