Mephrit Dynasty

Just as the defensive and attritional strategy for the Stygian System was about to be finalized, Inquisitor Chen Xi's voice broke through the discussion of conventional force deployments.

He did not rise. He merely turned his gaze toward an inconspicuous gray-brown planet in the holographic star map, marked as "Stygian IV."

"Gentlemen," Chen Xi said steadily, drawing everyone's attention at once, "there may be a... higher-risk option with correspondingly greater potential returns when it comes to making use of the Stygian System. It concerns a top-secret matter that Imperial archives have sealed away for a long time."

He worked the control panel before him, bringing up a series of highly classified data fragments and ancient Astra Telepathica records.

"Stygian IV is not merely a lifeless planet. Deep beneath its crust sleeps a Necron dynasty—the Mephrit Dynasty."

The moment the name was spoken, a wave of suppressed gasps rose in the strategy chamber.

The Necrons: an ancient xenos race made of Living Metal, possessing technology far beyond human comprehension and harboring profound hostility toward all life.

Chen Xi continued at an unhurried pace, ensuring every word was clearly understood. "The Mephrit Dynasty was once renowned for its technology in manipulating stellar energy. The Stygian System was once one of their Throne Worlds.

"However, limited records indicate that the dynasty's Phaeron was assassinated by an unknown force during its millions of years of slumber. This caused the dynasty's power structure to collapse, plunging it into prolonged division and silence.

"At present, most Necron installations on Stygian IV remain in low-power dormancy. The internal factional situation is unknown."

He pointed toward several points of light in Stygian IV's orbit that had originally been marked as "large asteroids" or "natural planetary ring anomalies."

"The key is that, at the height of its power, the