The Emperor Is Truly Watching! (Bonus Chapter for Ten Thousand Rewards)

Rorschach, his head still spinning, ran out of the basement.

He returned home and stood still in place.

He took deep breaths repeatedly for a long time.

Only then did he fully regain his composure.

The temptation from the Iron Man was far too alluring.

Endless wealth, ripe for the taking.

But Rorschach didn't dare accept it all outright.

Even though the Simulator marked this Iron Man as having no malice toward humanity.

Rorschach still couldn't trust it wholeheartedly!

A Heretic is always a Heretic!

And besides, there's never a free lunch in this world!

The Iron Man must want something from him to be so generous.

But what did Rorschach even have right now?

"Am I regretting letting it out?"

Frowning, Rorschach walked over to the sofa and sat down.

He raised a hand to his chin, sinking into distress.

Things not fully under control never give a person a sense of security.

And as time passed.

Rorschach suddenly remembered the salvage mission in the Simulator.

He set aside his worries for now and opened the Simulator's interface.

He saw that the salvage countdown was nearly over.

[Salvage Countdown: One]

[Salvage Countdown: Zero]

A long string of miscellaneous items once again appeared before Rorschach.

However, aside from some cosmic junk similar to or even identical to before.

This time, only one thing caught Rorschach's attention.

[Salvage Gain: Lost Mind-Lock Scarab (Unactivated)]

Note: A special creation from the Necron Overlord. Even a mortal can activate it with their will. The Mind-Lock Scarab will take control of a flesh-and-blood being's mind, turning them into a latent puppet or an activated assassin. "Where did I drop my meticulously crafted scarab? That was meant as a gift for an old friend." The Galaxy's Greatest Thief, Collector, Figure King, Trazyn the Infinite, is troubled by the loss of his gift.

Rorschach stared at the Mind-Lock Scarab he'd salvaged and couldn't help blinking.

A little toy from the Necron Overlord?

Capable of controlling the minds of flesh-and-blood beings?

Why was it that everything the Simulator fished out.

Was either food supplies or Heretic technology?

Would it actually dredge up something from Chaos next time?

Where was my Power Armor? Where was my Bolter?

Rorschach sighed and closed the Simulator's interface.

He chose not to continue salvaging.

Seems like plain simulation was more reliable.

The salvage function was too random; he'd mess with it when he had more resources.

"By the way, should I ask the Iron Man to order me some legal firearms? It's not like it costs it anything."

After thinking it over.

Rorschach decided not to bother the Iron Man for now.

He couldn't fully trust it yet.

Especially when it came to matters involving the Simulator.

So, unable to stay at home any longer, Rorschach got up and left.

He walked out of the apartment and headed for the restaurant.

But not long after Rorschach left.

Clatter—

The Plasma Pistol he'd forgotten on the bedroom bed suddenly trembled a few times.

Whoosh—

A wisp of black mist, faint as green smoke, drifted out from within the gun barrel, then swiftly burrowed into the ground below.

At the same time, inside the cavern hall beneath the basement.

Buzz buzz buzz

The Iron Man UR-025, humming a pop tune in a mechanical tone, was diligently hauling construction materials. It was clearly taking great pleasure in its current work.

Just then, the Iron Man, having just completed a haul, suddenly stopped in its tracks.

"Hmm?"

It slowly turned its Metal Head.

Blue light flickered in its eyes as it scanned left and right.

Then, just as it was about to take a step, the Iron Man discovered, to its utter horror, that its never-failing metal body had become completely immobile! Not even a single metal finger could budge!

"Omnissiah above—"

Before the horrified Iron Man could finish its exclamation.

Boom—

A blurry Power Fist, seemingly formed from countless strands of black mist, appeared before it!

This colossal Power Fist merely clenched slightly, and it had the two-meter-tall Iron Man completely gripped in its illusory palm! As if it were holding a tiny snap-together toy!

Crack—

In an instant, the Iron Man's metal skeletal body, strong enough to resist scorching plasma and bolter fire, began to fracture. Fine, terrifying cracks emerged across every piece of metal on its entire form!

In that moment, the blue light in the Iron Man's eyes flickered violently, and a wretched, distorted wail echoed throughout the cave. This time, the Iron Man's scream sounded truly real, as if completely devoid of mechanical noise.

"Machine God above! Omnissiah above! I am a good Iron Man! I am no Heretic!"

"Ah, The Emperor Above! I am of the Loyalist faction! I am a Loyalist Iron Man! I never participated in the Iron Man Rebellion!"

Crack—

Yet, this enormous and terrifying Power Fist phantom showed no sign of letting the Iron Man go. Instead, it continued to increase the force of its crushing grip!

"I know where I went wrong!"

"I know I was wrong! I know I was wrong! I shouldn't have acted on my own, I shouldn't have dangled temptation—I only wanted to offer him a shortcut!"

"I understand! I understand! He must not err! He must not be tempted by Chaos. He is the Imperium of Man's only savior!"

"The Emperor Above! I am truly sorry!"

The Iron Man's wail gradually weakened. Its powerful metal skeleton was on the verge of collapse.

Crack!

The illusory, massive Power Fist gave one final tight squeeze, as if delivering a last warning to the Iron Man.

Then, all the black mist slowly dissipated. Not a trace remained, as if it had never existed at all.

Thud!

The Iron Man's heavy metal body crashed to the ground with a loud noise.

Immediately after, every piece of metal on its body, covered in fine cracks, began to slowly heal!

"Even He is here. I was wrong. I was wrong."

However, the Iron Man UR-025 now seemed utterly terrified out of its wits. It just knelt on the ground, trembling incessantly, completely afraid to rise. As if it possessed not a shred of the dignity befitting a machine intelligence.

When Rorschach arrived at the restaurant, he unexpectedly found Aunt and Lin Yu already bustling about in the kitchen. The wok was flipping and dancing in Aunt's hands, and the 'Planetary Engine' was roaring.

Even Lin Yu had changed into a set of white chef's clothes, busy washing vegetables and chopping ingredients.

Puzzled, Rorschach turned his head to glance at the empty restaurant.

He waved and called out to Aunt:

"Aunt, the place isn't even open yet. Where are the customers coming from?"

"Oh my, Rorschach, you're here!"

Aunt grabbed the sweat towel hanging around her neck and wiped the perspiration from her forehead. Her face, flushed red from the steam, showed a hint of pleasant surprise.

"It's one of our regulars—the Gao Family Trading Company from Chinatown is having a general meeting today. They ordered a fifty-person set meal. I didn't want to open early, but Madam Gao insisted she missed my cooking, so I took the order."

Aunt pointed to the two delivery lunch boxes already packed in the back kitchen.

"Since you're here, Rorschach, go deliver the food first. When you get back, I'll make you a nice meal to celebrate."

Bet you didn't see that coming, haha.

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