Red Corsairs

The Red Corsairs' lair was called Tyrant's Gate, a massive fortress that served many functions.

By the Imperium's standards, a fortress like this could also be called "a world."

Tyrant's Gate had better infrastructure and medical facilities, and a larger arsenal than a flagship.

As Lu Jin walked alongside Huron, he wondered whether, if Aels had already woken up, he should lay everything on the line with Huron.

Lu Jin kept walking with a stiff upper lip, looking nowhere else, his face set in deep thought.

After observing him, Huron wondered what was wrong with the man. He was loyal and devoted to the Fierce Angels, so why would he never open up to Huron?

As they walked, Lu Jin noticed that there were Mortals everywhere.

It was different from what Huron had said earlier. The Red Corsairs' Mortals really weren't just slaves—or, even if Huron considered them slaves, he didn't think much more highly of the other Space Marines.

The logistics organizations, army, and navy made up of Mortals were all important parts of the Red Corsairs, just like the Space Marines. This was also how the Red Corsairs had grown so powerful.

That was how the Red Corsairs had grown so powerful.

The Red Corsairs didn't care about your origins, only your abilities.

Even xenos could stay with them if they could contribute.

As they passed through a plaza, Lu Jin saw that it was filled with statues of gods.

Xenos gods, Chaos gods, the Emperor, and the deities of all kinds of other strange religions.

"I let people worship the corpse on the Golden Throne." Huron glanced at the statue of the Emperor. "If anyone among the Fierce Angels follows the Ecclesiarchy, they can come here to pray and perform their rites."

"Don't these people ever start fighting each other?" Lu Jin looked at the religious adherents.

"Whoever strikes first gets killed first." A ruthless glint flashed in Huron's eyes. "There's only one requirement for joining the Red Corsairs: when you're enraged and facing cannons and Bolters, you need to know how to sit down and talk instead of attacking outright."

Lu Jin nodded, thinking about how Abaddon and Huron had taken two different paths.

Huron emphasized "more"—more people, more guns, more ships. But that also made the Red Corsairs a loose-knit force. In essence, the more than twenty thousand Chaos Space Marines were merely Huron's vassals, or the vassals of his vassals.

Abaddon, on the other hand, was completely different.

Abaddon was the leader of another Warp Rift: the Eye of Terror.

He was known as the Chaos Warmaster, commanding the Black Legion and launching Black Crusades against the Imperium on a regular basis. Yet despite clashing with the Imperium many times and actively leading crusades, he chose the path of elite troops: fewer in number, but stronger and more tightly united.

Thinking of this, Lu Jin suddenly asked, "Which is stronger, the Red Corsairs or the Black Legion?"

Huron's face took on a scornful expression.

"When I was Chapter Master of the Astral Claws, my enemy blasted away half my body with a meltagun during the Badab War."

"I dragged myself into the Maelstrom with half a body. In less than a century, I built the Red Corsairs into the massive force they are today."

"If I wanted to, I could easily crush the Imperial Navy, Army, and Chapters in an entire sector!"

"Abaddon is powerful, but it took him several times longer than me to build his forces. If I'd had the same amount of time, and the name of the Sons of Horus behind me, the Imperium would already be destroyed!"

Lu Jin didn't react to Huron's bold assessment.

Before entering the Medicae, Lu Jin suddenly remembered the Slayers warband that had lent him men to save people. He asked, "Are there any Slayers left? If so, I'd like to repay them somehow and return the favor."

"I've already taken care of it," Huron said. "One Slayer survived. He'd been cast out by his warband, so I put him in the Arena to fight. If he wins, I'll help him rebuild the Slayers and make him the warband's leader."

Lu Jin nodded.

As they entered the Medicae, two Chaos Space Marines who had once belonged to the Botulism Gang turned around in unison, then stepped aside and saluted Huron. "My lord."

Their armor had been repainted from dark green to the Red Corsairs' crimson.

"Go get some rest." Huron smiled warmly at the two, as if they had never had a falling-out and were close friends.

After they left, Lu Jin approached the medical bed and looked down at Aels.

The Star-Claw Veteran whom he and Onaas had turned into a vegetable now had his eyes open, staring around in confusion.

Lu Jin was ready to lay everything on the line.

But when Aels's eyes met his, confusion first appeared in them, then uncertainty. Finally, like a startled kitten, he leaped off the medical bed and curled up in a corner of the Medicae.

Lu Jin was about to speak, but swallowed his words when he saw this.

"His memories will have to return gradually. Right now, he's about like a child."

As he spoke, Huron walked over, intending to help Aels up.

But when Aels saw the strange man with half his face burned away, terror filled his expression. He shoved at Huron, struggling to squeeze himself farther into the corner.

"It's all right. It's all right, Aels. It's me, your Chapter Master."

Huron patiently soothed him. Even when Aels landed a few punches on his face, he showed no anger. He gradually crouched down, wrapped his arms around Aels, and gently patted his back.

Aels seemed to recover some of his memories. He looked up at Huron. "Captain? Your face..."

"Hahaha!" Huron turned to Lu Jin. "His memories have returned to the time when I was a captain in the Astral Claws."

Lu Jin thought, There's still time.

Then he began observing the whole Medicae.

It was packed with equipment, far more advanced than the one aboard Huron's flagship. Various automated weapons were also mounted on the ceiling.

And when he had just entered the Medicae, Lu Jin had seen more than twenty Space Marines hurrying toward it, all clad in the heavy armor known as Terminator Tactical Dreadnoughts.

"Stay here." Huron gently stroked Aels's hair. "A lot has happened. Everything has changed. But once your memories have returned to almost a century ago, you'll understand everything."

Aels still looked confused and glanced at Lu Jin.

For some reason, that man made Aels feel uneasy deep down.

"Let's go." Huron left the Medicae.

The person in charge of treating Aels was still waiting outside the door. When Huron came out, they gave him a brief report. "The ritual will gradually restore his memories. It'll probably take another Terran week."

Huron nodded and continued walking with Lu Jin.

"Weren't you afraid the Botulism people would turn Aels into a monster with boils growing out of his back?" Lu Jin asked.

"Of course I was. I considered that, too. The Botulism Gang sounds like Nurgle's followers, but that's not entirely true. At least, not all of them are."

Mentioning Nurgle immediately reminded Huron of the four gods, including Nurgle, and the influence they wielded.

Thinking of Lu Jin's strange abilities, Huron offered a warning. "Never make deals with the gods. They take something from you, give something in return, and let you taste the benefits. Then you keep making deals until you're completely lost. By then, your personal will and desires will be nothing more than a whim of the gods."

"I won't submit to any god," Lu Jin said. "But I heard you made deals with them."

"Of course." Huron looked down at the mechanical half of his body. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have survived...but I stay wary of them."

The two continued walking.

Lu Jin memorized every route in the place, preparing for when he came back to deal with Aels.

As they walked, Huron made arrangements in a conversational tone. "One warband betrayed me. I'm considering what to do with them... What do you think about killing them all?"

Lu Jin didn't answer.

"From your perspective, this warband is depraved and utterly wicked. Whether you go by the principles you uphold or the reward you'll get for wiping them out, it's a good job. Interested?" Huron asked.

"Which warband?" Lu Jin asked in return.

"The Botulism Gang," Huron said.

Without waiting for Lu Jin to respond, Huron continued making arrangements. "Your Fierce Angels are too few in number. I'll assign some people to go with you. Set out now, and I'll prepare the reward you've earned."

Lu Jin returned to the Ragefang.

When he stepped onto the command deck, he saw that besides the Fierce Angels in Power Armor, another group of Space Marines was there.

The Space Marines wore armor in all kinds of colors. There were more than twenty of them.

Among them stood a tall Space Marine with dark skin.

Lu Jin sensed the tension in the air.

"My lord." Carly entered the command deck a moment later and hurried to Lu Jin's side, speaking quietly. "These men were already aboard when we took over the Fierce Angels. They may have been sent to keep an eye on us. The tallest one is Vengar."

Vengar.

A traitor from the Crimson Angels.

A rising newcomer among the Red Corsairs.

No matter how quietly Carly spoke, Vengar could still hear her.

He bowed to Lu Jin. "The Black Heart King sent me to assist you. My warship and my thousand-strong warband are ready to carry out your will and strategy!"

Only Vengar, the leader of a Red Corsairs vassal warband, bowed. The twenty high-ranking warriors he had brought with him held their heads high, sizing up everyone present, Lu Jin included, with contempt.

One of the Space Marines, clad in purple armor with a human face embedded in his shoulder plate, came over. He looked Carly up and down, then turned to Lu Jin and asked, "How much for this female?"

"We don't sell people!" Jenoss stepped forward and glared down at the purple-armored Space Marine.

He had a fiery temper. Just having these former enemies of the Imperium on the Fierce Angels' command deck was hard enough to stomach. Now the other man was asking to buy a person. He couldn't accept it.

The Space Marine ignored Jenoss. "Your Chapter has so few people left, and you're still holding on to those damn principles? I'm willing to do business because I respect Vengar. Otherwise, I'd make her disappear on your ship, and you'd never find a thing to pin on me..."

Lu Jin's anger surged. His expression turned vicious as he kicked the Space Marine in front of him, breaking his right leg.

He wore only a thin shirt, yet his kick shattered the man's leg armor and the bone inside it.

Then Lu Jin tore off the man's helmet, raised it high in his right hand, and slammed it down.

The man's skull shattered, and his corpse collapsed.

Lu Jin turned to look. Vengar was still bowing as he looked up at him, while the Space Marines who had previously looked down their noses at him now met his gaze, their postures guarded.

"If anyone disappears on my ship, like he said..."

"I don't give a damn who did it. If someone disappears, you'll all die on my ship!"

Lu Jin tossed aside the bloodstained helmet and forced out the warning through clenched teeth.

Vengar asked, "Th-then, if someone gets lost, are we responsible for that, too?"

"You go look for them. If you can't find them, you're responsible," Lu Jin said.

Vengar fell silent.

Two Fierce Angels stepped forward, one to either side of Lu Jin, and handed him a two-handed warhammer and a Battle Axe.

Lu Jin took both weapons and twirled them as if they were daggers. Then he walked over to the star map on the command deck and looked down at the target location Huron had transmitted.

On the holographic display, a Red Corsairs warship flanked the Ragefang on either side.

"Move out."