Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 351 Little Secret

Whether it is the ancient sages of humanity or the scholars of today's empires.

When the gazes of the ancients and those who come after them overlap and are both cast toward the edge of the Milky Way, there is only eternal, silent darkness there, as if the Milky Way were a solitary light in the universe.

The Hazy Galaxy is located in the northern sector of the Milky Way, bordering the Eastern End Star Region to the northeast, the Pacific Star Region to the northwest, and the inner side of the southern sector facing the Solar Star Region.

The Beta Sector, located at the edge of the outer sector of the hazy star field, is the boundary of stars. Inward, there is the dense Milky Way with its many stars, and outward, there is the deep and boundless abyss beyond the Milky Way.

Even in the golden age that symbolized progress, humanity stopped here, as if some indescribable being in the deep darkness had choked the tentacles of exploration.

Pioneers set foot on the frontier, establishing colonies far from the center of the galaxy, where they thrived and multiplied in the dark frontier, passing down their legacy from generation to generation.

Today, the arrival of an expeditionary fleet has shattered the tranquility of the silent star cluster.

The extinction fleet of the Nur Stars escaped the subspace and lingered in the gaps between sparse stars, using the Terra Torch as a reference point to calculate the rotation of the Milky Way and obtain the fleet's position.

The dangers of the edge of darkness are still unknown.

The gravity here is weak, and if you are not careful, the warship may encounter accidents due to the different physical rules.

Ships traveling from the inner galaxy to the frontier worlds need to leave the subspace multiple times to continuously correct their data and ensure the fleet's safe navigation.

After several subspace jumps, the fleet finally arrived at the outer edge of the target star system, where it lay in wait in the darkness to avoid alerting the enemy.

On the old bridge of the Glorious, Doom stood with his arms crossed, and Harlan, who was holding a spear, stood by the porthole admiring the desolate scenery.

This is the boundary between two worlds, where light and darkness coexist, creating a unique kind of beauty.

No need to be in charge of the fleet, no need to plan strategies and tactics, this moment is a rare moment of relaxation.

"The fleet has arrived at its destination and is beginning to confirm its status."

The Iron Man Captain, who partners with Li Tang, is a black polyhedron with a smooth exterior and dark gold circuits etched on its surface in the shape of circuit boards. It has no mechanical tentacles or obvious external detectors, and its sharp edges are often flashed with light.

In its golden age, it was the captain of the intelligent warship. After awakening from its slumber, it chose to return to its post and continue its design responsibilities.

The mechanical voice from the Iron Man roused the man from his reverie on the command throne. He glanced at the figure standing by the porthole and began his work.

Ignoring the Father of Genetics, Li Tang studied the star map drawn by the bird divination instrument and said to Captain Iron Man, "Bring Gela up."

The extermination operation is about to begin, and the nobles from the fringes must confess what they have been hiding!

Yes, Li Tang believes that the "whistleblower" still harbors secrets and has not told the truth.

During the subspace jump, he reviewed the data again and again and found many things that didn't make sense.

The territory of the Gera family is located in a small cluster of stars at the end of the Milky Way's spiral arm, containing six star systems, five habitable worlds, and sixteen resource worlds.

According to the data, there are approximately 24 billion people scattered across five habitable worlds, relying on the division of labor and cooperation among these worlds for mutual dependence.

These materials are unremarkable; the numbers combined make up the word "mediocre."

Initially, Li Tang briefly skimmed over the information, but just to be on the safe side, he consulted the records of the neighbors in the area ruled by the Gra family and discovered some clues.

Before it submitted to the Nur Stars, several large-scale rebellions occurred within its territory.

In order to maintain their rule from being overthrown, the Gra family used some precious relics to borrow troops from their world to quell the rebellion.

The price the Grae family paid was an extremely valuable pocket weapon.

Miniature, portable pocket weapons are favored by planetary rulers as a powerful means of self-defense, as they can save lives in critical moments.

However, there is a strange point of contention: every time the family borrowed troops or purchased supplies, they were able to offer a corresponding price to ensure that the helpers left satisfied.

Such generous gestures naturally aroused the covetousness of the nobles, who then harbored wicked thoughts of plundering them.

Although the nobles were burning with greed, they never dared to put it into action.

In addition to their miniature weapons, the Grall family's several major worlds possess an ancient technological shield that deters invaders.

Li Tang's patience and meticulousness in unraveling the mystery led him to discover important information, and he naturally realized that Gela had ulterior motives.

The nobles of the Dark Frontier are no pushovers.

If they don't get to the bottom of things, the extermination fleet sent by the Nur Stars could become part of Gera's personal plan. Less than two minutes later, Gera, shackled, was escorted to the bridge by robotic sentries.

After a period of recuperation, his body has almost fully recovered. Not only is his complexion rosy, but his mental state has also become much more stable.

"My lord, what is it that you summoned me for?" Gra bowed carefully, his obsequious manner revealing his utmost respect and humility.

But as he bent over, his eyes suddenly changed, feigning a slight tremor of fear to mask his inner ecstasy.

The moment I entered the bridge, I caught a glimpse of a familiar star cluster through the panoramic porthole; the fleet had arrived home.

Without a doubt, the plan is already halfway to success!
As long as they behave themselves and wait for the fleet from the main planet to eliminate the aliens, they can rely on the secret legacy to make their family rise again.

Grae tried his best to conceal his ecstasy with the pretense commonly used by nobles, and when he got up again, he had a docile expression on his face.

"Humph!"

Li Tang snorted coldly, his eyes narrowed slightly, his black pupils reflecting the hypocrisy of a nobleman, his clear voice extremely authoritative: "I have a question for you, which is also my last chance for you."

The sudden pressure caught Gela completely off guard. Her heart skipped a beat, and the blush on her face gradually faded as she realized that something terrible was about to happen.

The towering giant on the throne exuded a terrifying aura, pressing down like a tsunami, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Of course, Gela knew Li Tang.

The "Heavenly Khan," who led his fleet to conquer the stars, had his name echoing throughout the void. The mere mention of his name was enough to make any world that dared to resist the Nur Stars surrender instantly.

The terror of the Heavenly Khan made the rulers within Nur's controlled territory tremble in fear.

He was an expert in the laws of war, and by completely eliminating the old rulers and then purging the old classes with swift and decisive measures, he rapidly changed the existing political system.

This type of warfare undoubtedly terrified the old rulers.

Therefore, upon hearing of the prestige of the Tang Dynasty, many ordinary people around the world cheered with joy, while the ruling class feared it like a tiger.

Ultimately, in order to preserve their lives, the old nobles generally did not resist much and chose to relinquish power and retire to the paradise world.

Thinking of the Heavenly Khan's ruthless methods and the terrifying aura right before his eyes, Gela broke out in a cold sweat, his legs went weak, and he knelt down on the ground.

His mind raced like lightning, seemingly outpacing everything else, quickly assessing his situation.

Countless methods and hypotheses were proposed, and the aristocracy's exchange mentality quickly came online, which was nothing more than an equivalent exchange of what they gave!

Gela knew that her little scheme had been discovered, but she didn't know exactly how much.

The most urgent matter is how to save one's life.

How can one earn forgiveness for being deceived? What is the enormous price to pay for the Khan to spare one's life?
A mere instant later, Gra fell to the ground, sobbing and weeping, "Please forgive me for hiding it!"

His desperate cries echoed throughout the bridge, causing Doom and Harlan, who were standing by the porthole, to turn around and look.

With life and death at stake, Grala spoke rapidly, as if revealing all the secrets: "Deep within the family's nest, there is an ancient STC template that can produce planetary shields."

"The warehouse also contains many miniature weapons, which are quite valuable and enough to buy many remote worlds."

"I hid it from you before because I wanted to use it to rebuild the family after the war. Now I think I deserve to die."

He knelt and kowtowed repeatedly, his face full of repentance: "Everything within the territory of Nur will belong to King Novik. It was I, a lowly man, who was blinded by greed and shortsightedness. Please forgive my foolishness, Khan."

Gela banged his head against the ground, blood streaming down his face along with his tears, his cries of pleading piercing his throat.

Li Tang remained unmoved on his throne, his all-knowing gaze unwavering as he quietly watched the nobles' performance for power.

How could a mortal, with such a poor performance, possibly deceive Astartes?

Despite the life-threatening situation, the nobles remained true to their nature, concealing crucial information and attempting to one day rise again.

Li Tang smiled dismissively. He had a thousand ways to make Gela confess, but not now.

This cunning young nobleman still has some value; don't push him too hard, lest he become desperate and do something rash.

(End of this chapter)