"I haven't read many books, so I can't say anything fancy. All I can do is give you a thumbs-up and shout 'awesome' twice."
"Dora, you're fucking amazing. Fucking handsome, too."
Little Fatty looked at the Heavy Tomorrow Mark III Exoskeleton Armor before him.
He raised both thumbs.
The barrage of flattery made the corners of Dora's mouth lift, and he was practically floating.
This exoskeleton Power Armor stood five meters tall.
Its vital areas were covered in thick armor plating.
It used limb-motion sensors, neural links, and other control methods.
It was equipped with a powerful Stubber and a Multi-laser.
It also had a Chainsword, making it a genuine battlefield killing machine.
Though crude, it already had the beginnings of a mech.
After a few more iterations, it would surely evolve into one.
Dora Workshop had a promising future ahead.
"The battery life is a little poor," Dora said. "You need to keep an eye on the batteries. Don't wait until it breaks down before replacing them."
"No problem. I've already talked things over with Blood Pigeon. Once the battle begins, they'll give us priority support and airdrop ammo crates and energy batteries for us."
Dora nodded. "I tested its performance."
"There aren't any major issues, but details like handling need battlefield data before they can be optimized."
"After the battle, remember to bring the data drive to me."
Little Fatty made an OK gesture.
"Don't worry. Even if I don't make it back, I'll make sure the data drive does."
Dora opened the exoskeleton's armor plating, revealing the cockpit inside. "Get in and give it a try."
Little Fatty climbed into the driver's seat and linked up with the control system.
He had gotten a neural interface from Priest Hina before, and it was finally coming in handy.
As he pressed the activation button, the Exoskeleton Armor came to life.
A massive amount of data flooded into the Cogitator System.
Information on the Auspex, ammunition, batteries, and more was displayed directly before Little Fatty through the HUD.
"Piloting a mech is every boy's dream."
"Now my dream has come true. Praise the Emperor, praise the Omnissiah."
Little Fatty shouted excitedly.
He controlled the exoskeleton and walked back and forth several times.
Then he suddenly threw a punch with tremendous force, enough to tear a person apart.
Little Fatty activated the Chainsword at his wrist again.
The rapidly spinning, razor-sharp blade made the air shriek.
"Excellent. I can't wait to start killing."
"This thing will make tearing those enemies apart ridiculously easy."
Dora stepped a little farther away to avoid getting accidentally hurt.
"As long as you're satisfied. Don't forget to pay the remaining balance on time."
"Don't worry. Once I log off, I'll transfer the money to your bank account."
A customized Tomorrow Type III Exoskeleton Armor was not cheap.
Little Fatty did not have enough Contribution Points, so they had agreed that part of the payment would be made in real-world currency.
"You each pick one and get in."
Little Fatty had his teammates each choose one of the remaining four Heavy Tomorrow Mark III sets.
After getting familiar with the controls, they wore the Exoskeleton Armor out of Dora Workshop and headed for the Imperial Glory.
Compared to an Imperial Knight, the Heavy Tomorrow Mark III Exoskeleton was incredibly crude.
Some hydraulic lines and batteries were exposed, giving it a rough, savage air.
Yet these hulking machines still drew the attention of players along the way.
"Holy shit, that's so cool."
"Damn it, I want one too."
"So big, so fierce, I love it."
"I'm so jealous."
"."
Little Fatty wore a smug expression as he drove the Heavy Tomorrow Mark III past the players in a showy manner.
Priest Hina, who was inspecting the various systems of the space station, saw the scene through the surveillance feed.
Its crude framework and design were practically a blasphemy and insult to the Omnissiah.
If it had been anyone else, Hina would certainly have ordered the Heavy Cavalry Servitors and Adeptus Ministorum soldiers to execute them.
But these people were Chosen, selected by the Omnissiah.
To target the God Chosen was to betray the Omnissiah.
"Why were they clearly chosen by the Omnissiah, yet still desecrated the Omnissiah's creations like this?"
A question Priest Hina had never considered before surfaced in her mind.
Would the Omnissiah truly become angry because someone modified an STC creation?
Or were those so-called rules merely regulations concocted by those old fossils on Mars?
Perhaps the Omnissiah did not acknowledge them at all, which was why the God Chosen could alter His creations as they pleased.
Priest Hina began to doubt the Adeptus Mechanicus of Mars.
Perhaps she could be like those God Chosen as well.
She could use her own wisdom to improve the mechanical creations left behind by the Omnissiah.
Imperial Glory, Chapel of Prayers.
Qin Yun prayed before the Emperor's statue and opened his personal status panel.
He reviewed everything he had gained so far.
He was currently level 10, and his physical attributes made him something of a minor superhuman.
Buff skills: Fanaticism, blessing, Purification, roar, prayer, Rational Aura, Shield of Faith, Soothe Machine Spirit, Emperor's Light.
Passive skills: Melee Combat (Mastery), One-handed Sword (Mastery), Two-handed Sword (Proficient), Throwing (Proficient), Warp Sense, Warp Siphon.
Active skills: Psyker Flame Burst, Aether Shard, Psychic Touch.
Equipment: Arcan-Pattern Power Armor, Administratum Power Sword, Locke-Pattern Bolter, and the Blade of Divine Judgment rewarded by the Emperor.
After reading it, Qin Yun closed his personal status panel.
He prayed to the Emperor to exchange for a Gene-Seed.
He wanted to become an Astartes.
After all, he would soon take part in the surface war on Planet Automata.
He needed greater strength to break the Loyalists' disadvantage.
His previous Faith Points had been completely depleted because he had needed to upgrade his psychic abilities.
But a portion of the Faith Points players gained from killing each enemy was shared with Qin Yun.
As a result, his Faith Points quickly began to accumulate again.
Before long, he had saved enough Faith Points for his advancement.
"I wonder what Gene-Seed suits me. Please don't let it be from a traitor Primarch."
If he got the Gene-Seed of legions like the World Eaters or Thousand Sons,
then he would have to call those traitorous bastards father in the future.
Just thinking about it made Qin Yun feel awful.
As he prayed, a ray of light descended upon Qin Yun.
The surroundings twisted and changed with it.
When everything returned to normal, Qin Yun found himself in a magnificent giant city.
The city was grand beyond measure, with buildings of every style rising within it.
A black star with golden edges hung suspended in the sky.
"The Emperor's Sanctuary?"
While chatting in the group, Qin Yun had seen Ten-Timer's guide post.
It described how players passed through a beautiful giant city after dying and reviving.
It was suspected to be the Emperor's Sanctuary—the City of Dust.
Heavy footsteps rang out.
Qin Yun turned around and saw a warrior in golden armor standing behind him.
The man had a resolute and handsome face.
His voice was filled with authority and strength.
"You completed your task admirably, child."
"Who are you?" Qin Yun asked.
"I have borne many names, and each has its own story. Now, some call me the King in Yellow."
"The King in Yellow? The first commander of the Adeptus Custodes, one of the Imperium's three great figures, Valdor?" Qin Yun's eyes widened. "How could you be here?"
"It seems you know me well, but I have no authority to tell you any truth."
Constantin Valdor said, "My duty is to guide you to receive a gift that was prepared long ago."
"A gift?" Qin Yun looked puzzled.
"This way."
Constantin Valdor gestured for Qin Yun to follow him.
Qin Yun looked around before finally stepping forward after him.
They crossed several empty streets and arrived at a magnificent plaza.
Twenty towering pillars stood in the plaza.
Dark golden light fell from the enormous star in the sky, connecting to the tops of the pillars.
Different patterns adorned the surfaces of the pillars.
The first pillar bore a sword and wings.
The second was smooth as new, without any pattern.
The third bore the emblem of the Imperial Aquila.
The fourth was a metal helmet.
Qin Yun quickly recognized those patterns as the emblems of the Astartes Legions from the Great Crusade era.
The twenty pillars represented the twenty Legions.
"Am I supposed to choose one?" Qin Yun asked.
Constantin Valdor shook his head. "No. Keep walking forward."
After passing the twenty towering pillars, Qin Yun saw a magnificent high platform.
A throne forged from gold stood atop it.
A bright ball of light floated above the throne.
"Go. Receive your gift." Constantin Valdor pointed at the light.
"You're not trying to trick me into sitting on that throne, are you?" Qin Yun asked warily.
"You are not worthy of replacing my lord." Constantin Valdor's reply carried not the slightest emotional fluctuation.
Qin Yun: "."
It might have been the truth, but saying it so bluntly was a little too hurtful.
"Go quickly. Do not waste time," Constantin Valdor said. "You cannot stay here for long, or you will draw those things here."
Qin Yun walked toward the throne and reached out to touch the ball of light.
The next second, countless voices suddenly exploded beside his ears.
The elderly and children, men and women, kings and beggars, the rich and commoners.
Countless voices spoke, yet it seemed as though there was only one voice.
Countless dark truths and fragments of knowledge poured into Qin Yun's mind.
Then they swiftly slipped away from it.
Qin Yun felt as though a tremendous force was continuously kneading and reshaping him.
The process seemed to last a long time, yet it also felt as though only an instant had passed.
When Qin Yun came back to himself and looked around,
he found that he was still standing before the statue in the Chapel of Prayers.
The magnificent giant city was gone, and so was Constantin Valdor.
The holographic interface floating beside him showed that only a few minutes had passed.
Qin Yun held out his hand and noticed the changes in himself.
He had originally been one hundred and seventy-five centimeters tall.
Now, he was nearly three and a half meters tall—a true little giant.
His muscles were knotted and developed, thick and powerful.
With a deep breath, he could feel surging strength coursing through his body.
"Advancing to an Astartes only took a few minutes? Isn't that way too fast?"
"I didn't become a daemon, did I?"
Qin Yun's mouth fell open.
He always felt like he hadn't been promoted to an Astartes, but had ascended into a daemon instead.
The entire Astartes surgical process was supposed to take a year.
He had finished it in mere minutes.
If that wasn't ascending into a daemon, what was?
At that moment, two flashes of light appeared before the magnificent Shrine.
Ten-Timer and Twisted Man logged in.
The moment they opened their eyes, they saw Qin Yun, who had just finished his promotion and was adapting to his abilities and strength.
His body stood over three meters tall, his muscles knotted like a deity who had stepped out of an ancient myth.
Just looking at him was overwhelmingly oppressive.
"The Guide got promoted to an Astartes?"
"Are you stupid? How could an Astartes be that tall? He's clearly a Primarch."
"Holy crap, man. I was offline for one day, and the Guide turned into a Greater Daemon of E."
P.S.
Give us Constantin Valdor.
Brothers, I'm seriously asking for continued support and follow-ups. Follow-up readership is far too important during a new book's run. Whether it gets recommendations later depends entirely on follow-ups.
Once it goes premium, I'll ramp up the updates—three chapters a day guaranteed, with over ten thousand words daily.
Before you continue