May Your Soul Return to the Throne

While the other two squads fought to retake the data processing core and communications control room, Qin Yun, the strongest fighter among them, was not idle either.

He led a squad composed of five Players: Little Fatty, Wrist Bro, Twisted People Use Twisted Hammers, Let Me Treat You to Turtle Soup, and Bald Monk.

Their objective was to reclaim control of the Command Hall.

That was where the captain and his staff had been stationed.

It was also the brain of the entire warship.

If the various subsystems of the Emperor's Glory were still operational, they would be able to view the condition of the entire ship from there.

Qin Yun's level was not much higher than the Players'.

But with the Living Saint's blessing, along with having more skills than the Players, his combat power far surpassed theirs.

Under his leadership, the squad's advance could only be described as outrageous.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A large number of Mutants wandered before the grand doors of the Command Hall.

As gunfire rang out, their heads exploded one after another.

They tried to rush forward, but Little Fatty and the others coordinated well.

Using intersecting fields of fire, they gunned them down.

The battle was over in no time.

A heap of corpses lay before the doors.

Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the battle was over, a Mutant suddenly charged out of a nearby room.

It opened its blood-filled maw, exposing sharp fangs, and lunged at Qin Yun with a roar.

Qin Yun remained calm. He was no longer the rookie whose legs went weak at the sight of a Mutant.

He swung his entrenching shovel and smashed it precisely into the creature's head.

The terrifying force sent the Mutant flying before it crashed heavily in the distance.

The Mutant tried to get back up, but Little Fatty and the others raised their guns and shot it full of holes.

Qin Yun walked to the doors, entered the password into the control panel, and opened the blast doors.

"Prepare for battle! There might be a tough fight ahead!" Little Fatty shouted.

The doors slowly opened. Everyone raised their weapons, ready for a vicious battle.

But there were no enemies inside—only corpses scattered everywhere.

The Command Hall was magnificent.

Several enormous pillars supported its heavy dome.

More than half of the tiered workstations had been damaged.

Internal components had been torn out, while exposed cables crackled with arcs of electricity.

There were no Mutants in the hall, only corpses strewn across the floor.

Most of the corpses still retained human form.

Their heads and torsos were covered in wounds from Lasguns and Bolter fire.

Clearly, these people had been executed before they could fully transform.

"They're all dead." Little Fatty's eyes widened. "What happened?"

"You'd have to ask His Majesty the Emperor about that." Wrist Bro shrugged.

"You guys just aren't devout enough. Every time something happens, you want to ask His Majesty the Emperor. Can't you try to figure it out yourselves?"

Twisted People Use Twisted Hammers complained while holding his Lasgun and scanning the surroundings for enemies.

"I never expected there to still be souls on this ship who have yet to be enlightened."

A hoarse voice rang out in the flickering hall.

The Players immediately tensed and aimed their guns toward the source of the voice.

A man in a naval uniform stepped out of the darkness, a Bolter and a Power Sword hanging at his waist.

The man's face looked as though it had been cursed, hideous and terrifying.

One of his eyes seemed to have melted and then solidified, the flesh around it fused together.

The other had been replaced by a scarlet cybernetic eye.

Two data cables extended from the socket and were implanted into the back of his head.

The man grinned, revealing a long tongue, and stared maliciously at Qin Yun's group.

"A mini-boss?"

"With a Bolter, a Power Sword, and armor too—definitely a big boss, not some mini-boss."

"Brothers, our chance to get rich is here. We have to take it down."

"Contribution Points! They're all Contribution Points! Walking Contribution Points!"

To the man, the Players' voices were nothing but chaotic noise.

Like the strange whispers of demons, utterly incomprehensible.

He frowned, then spoke. "Offer me your loyalty, pathetic creatures."

"I am Pascal Hanneman, captain of this warship."

"Sorry, but we won't betray the Emperor." Qin Yun shook his head.

"Chaos is the final destination."

"I don't see it that way." Qin Yun raised his gun. "Open fire. Kill it."

Having received the order, the Players opened fire together.

The Chaos captain displayed astonishing speed and resilience.

It dodged most of the bullets.

A few hit its body, but failed to inflict fatal wounds.

Then it raised its Bolter and fired at the Players.

Bang! Bang!

Wherever the bolts landed, debris exploded into the air.

"Are Bolters really this insanely powerful??"

Twisted Man hid beneath a workbench, not daring to raise his head at all.

One bolt was enough to blow his head apart.

After firing a few shots, Little Fatty ducked back and said, "From Warp fiends with supernatural powers to skeletons obsessed with physical technology."

"There's nothing one bolt can't solve. If there is, then use two."

"In Warhammer, Bolters are just brutal, just powerful. As long as you shoot well, no demon or xenos can escape."

Twisted Man rolled his eyes. "Spouting rhymes like that—are you trying to get into the Schola Progenium?"

"I want to, but I'd never pass the background check." Little Fatty grinned.

"Eat a laser shot, Chaos dog!"

Bald Monk shouted as he tried to shoot the Chaos captain in the head.

When he saw it turn and aim its gun at him, he hurriedly ducked behind a pillar.

Bang! Bang!

The bolts struck the pillar.

Explosions rang out one after another, scattering fragments of stone.

Bald Monk trembled behind the pillar.

Qin Yun seized the opportunity and lunged out from the side, clutching an entrenching shovel.

The Chaos captain swung its Power Sword.

The blade, covered in black arcs of electricity, was incomparably sharp.

The moment they collided, the entrenching shovel was cut in half.

The red-hot cut glowed with scorching heat.

Just as the enemy turned its gun toward him, intending to make him take a bolt round.

Qin Yun hurriedly activated Emperor's Light.

Golden radiance erupted, making the Chaos captain scream as it staggered backward.

Qin Yun snatched away its Power Sword and activated Purification, driving out the corrupt power of Chaos.

The dancing arcs of electricity changed from black to dazzlingly bright.

He turned the blade and thrust it forward, easily piercing the Chaos captain's body.

It let out a shrill wail of agony and staggered to its knees.

Qin Yun had intended to cut off its head with one stroke.

But he saw that the evil, filthy light in Pascal Hanneman's eyes had already faded.

In its place were tears and pain.

Qin Yun stopped.

Pascal Hanneman's voice was filled with anguish. "I tried to stop all this. I killed them, but I fell myself."

"I was too weak. I yielded to the corrupt power of Chaos. I failed the Emperor. I broke the oath I once swore."

"Grant me mercy, please... let this all come to an end."

Qin Yun sighed softly, his voice gentling.

"No! Captain Pascal Hanneman, you did not fail the Emperor. He is proud of you, because you gave everything you had and did all that you could."

Pascal Hanneman's tormented heart found a measure of comfort.

He presented the Bolter to Qin Yun with both hands.

"This is a family heirloom. I hope it can be of some use to you."

"Now, please, grant me mercy. My soul has been corrupted. Only death can free me."

Pascal Hanneman raised his head to look at the Power Sword in Qin Yun's hand, its blade wreathed in arcs of electricity, his expression full of longing.

Qin Yun nodded. He gripped the Power Sword tightly and slowly raised it.

"Loyal Imperial warrior, Captain Pascal Hanneman, the Emperor has witnessed your deeds and courage. The Emperor has witnessed your indomitability and loyalty."

"In the Emperor's name, I grant you mercy. In the Emperor's name, I grant you forgiveness. May your soul return to the Throne."

The blade fell.

Pascal Hanneman smiled in relief.

His lips moved as he spoke his final words.

"For the Emperor, for humanity."

"Why am I suddenly feeling a little sad?!" Little Fatty watched the scene, his eyes growing damp.

"The loyal die to betrayal, the devout die to corruption. That's Warhammer for you—can't avoid it."

Twisted Man bent down and picked up Pascal Hanneman's head, which had rolled to one side.

He placed it beside the headless corpse.

"Pascal Hanneman did well enough. Expecting a mortal to remain sane and loyal while facing the Warp head-on is simply unrealistic."

"Another loyal day, for humanity," Bald Monk said.

Qin Yun purged the Bolter of its Chaotic corruption and hung it at his waist before walking toward the control console.

Most of the workstations had been damaged, but a few were still usable.

Qin Yun rebooted the operating system and activated the facilities that could still function.

Machinery hummed as holographic projections flickered into existence.

Amid dense notification chimes, the systems ran self-checks, and some of the workstations resumed normal operation.

Warning: Engines crippled

Warning: Augur array crippled

Warning: Abnormal energy-core feedback

Warning:

.

A dense mass of red alerts appeared, showing Qin Yun and the others just how dire the Imperial Glory's condition was.

It would need extensive repairs before it could be put back into service.

Distress signal received from Planet Automata. Open?

Qin Yun noticed the prompt.

He opened the distress signal through the interface.

He wanted to see what was going on!!

Another loyal day, as always—please keep up with the daily reading until the latest chapter.