Nimrod's High Lord Plan

One after another, black warships appeared in the Gardinal system.

Battlecruiser, Shield of Gardinal.

The Void Caste were released from their various chambers; they were muscular, but smaller than a normal child.

Their eyes are remnants of evolution, covered with a black membrane.

Their mouths are small and oval-shaped, just enough to satisfy their sucking and feeding functions.

They have black skin covered with a layer of secreted human plastic, which acts as a barrier against cosmic rays.

The most distinctive feature of their caste design is their limbs, each end of which has extremely long fingers, facilitating the operation of equipment on the Voidship and combat.

On the bridge, the fifth adjutant from the Servant Caste reports to the commander.

"All manpower has been mobilized, including for the garbage that has already been identified as 'expired'."

The High Caste commander's gaze swept across the video screen with disgust, lingering for a moment on the elderly or suffering from common intestinal inflammations among the low-caste untouchables.

Originally, when returning to Starport for routine maintenance, the human resources department would ensure that all low-caste untouchables marked "expired" were recycled, and their stripped muscles and crushed bones would be their final contribution to Gardinal.

Now, faced with a powerful enemy, he has no choice but to utilize these obsolete components to counter the threat.

The "expired" people numbly and obediently walked out of the cabin and took up positions they thought they would never return to.

The High Caste commander immediately looked away. "I don't want to see this trash anymore."

"As you wish, Your Excellency." The Servant Caste lieutenant, immediately carried out his master's order.

In the Gardinal fleet, over a million "expired" individuals were rapidly and completely erased from the information chain. Even if they still existed, they would not be included in the data collection or appear in any subsequent statistics.

Such waste is intolerable to most castes in Gardinal, but to the High Caste it is merely a small expenditure of resources, worth as much as the weekly offerings they receive from Affiliate Caste.

The young High Caste commander recovered from his negative emotions with a negligible loss of property.

He quickly checked the number of enemy ships on the video screen; the shocking numbers pierced his eyes.

As a military aristocrat, born into the elite, he also had to bear the responsibilities that came with his birth.

Compared to other castes, he was fortunate to have a degree of choice.

Abandoning the fiercely contested and massive surface system of Gardinal, he opted for the smaller but all-powerful Voidship, receiving over sixteen hours of elite training daily. This allowed him to quickly grasp the situation within the galaxy before the pointer completed a full cycle.

Gardinal's fleet was primarily composed of cruisers, with his flagship being a battlecruiser.

The force that suddenly appeared, calling itself "Shadow of Order," not only possesses a behemoth the size of a satellite, but also has a fleet of more than four hundred ships of the same class as the Gardinal's capital ships, and the number is constantly increasing.

Throughout the entire history of the Gardinal, the number of ships never exceeded forty.

What made him feel even more powerless to resist was that the black fleet also contained more than fifty warships of a higher class, and... that number was constantly increasing.

"Report to the High Lord," he said after a few seconds of hesitation, "In the best-case scenario, space defenses can only hold out for three days."

"After that, apart from the Star Ring of the Head of Gardinal, we will lose all space power."

Finally, in order to demonstrate his capabilities and seize the greatest benefits in the postwar reconstruction of space power, he proposed a plan.

"Consul Caste should be sent to engage in negotiations with the 'Shadow of Order' to buy time."

"Use this time to maximize industrial capacity, build our world into a formidable fortress, use resources to wear down the enemy, and win the victory."

Upon receiving the report from the High Caste commanders, the High Lord of Gardinal quickly decided to respond before the two stellar hours required by the "Shadow of Order."

On the Shadow of the Throne, Nimrod wore a mocking smile upon hearing Arsena Dunn's report.

"What do you think they're up to?"

Malena Skala, dressed in a black Hunt-Master Suit with forest green accents on her armor, caught a fleeting, mocking smile from the Black Emperor.

"You told us in the previous war conference that Gardinal has a strong ground force and will not surrender."

"They also refused to accept conditions such as opening the passage to the Head of Gardinal; their proposed negotiations seemed more like a delaying tactic."

The Primarch's Primarch's Attendants, dressed in a black Hunt-Master Suit with white-trimmed armor, nodded in approval from the perspective of a "Deduction Cadets."

"Our void forces have an overwhelming advantage, and they still haven't accepted any of our demands."

"They just want to prepare for war."

"That's right." Nimrod knew that the High Lord of Gardinal would not surrender easily. In his memory, they had first delayed for a long time with Intep Amal, the negotiator sent by the Thousand Sons, before they were discovered.

Even though Ferrus Manus led the 10th Legion and demonstrated formidable strength, and after Gardinal suffered heavy losses, the High Lord who proposed negotiations were not entirely honest.

A High Lord, accompanied by assassins, personally launched an assassination attempt on Manus.

"I will give them a chance to negotiate, but only after I have defeated Gardinal's void forces."

"Then, it will be your time to shine. You must find and lock down all the High Lord."

In the caste system of Gardinal, all power is concentrated in the hands of the High Lord.

The 413th Expeditionary Fleet, led by Cicero, employed classic "Ultramarines" tactics: identifying key enemy targets, then quickly decapitating them to destroy the enemy's military control structure and rapidly seizing control of the local power system. This tactic failed because it was not suitable for Gardinal.

It wasn't just that Cicero underestimated the ground forces of Gardinal; it was also because even if his plan succeeded, Gardinal wouldn't collapse and surrender like other worlds.

The Gardinal people believed that the High Lord had existed since the time of their founding.

Nimrod knew that not all the High Lord were still alive, but at least they had all lived for over a thousand years, and they controlled every aspect of Gardinal.

As long as the High Lord remains, even if Cicero beheads all the officers of Gardinal's army and society as a whole will continue to function.

Nimrod's plan was aimed at these High Lords.

"We only have one chance. We must locate all the High Lord and complete the operation simultaneously."

"The number of High Lord will not exceed ten, but the exact number is difficult to determine at this time."