No One Had Failed the Imperium

The last rays of the setting sun shone on the ruins of the Hive City.

Because the cult inexplicably withdrew, handing over the occupied Middle Hive area, the Defense Force quickly took over the front line and began to set up a new defensive line at the entrance to the Underhive.

Those civilians who survived the brutal street fighting during the day, having been tempered by war, had lost some of their naivety and confusion, and instead gained a certain determination.

The attitude of the Defense Force and the Department of Justice towards these people has improved considerably compared to before, allowing them to withdraw for temporary rest and providing them with some military rations.

Looking at the military rations distributed to him, Alvin found it hard to swallow. This stuff... if he wasn't mistaken, it was probably Corpse Starch!

This is a legitimate Planetary Defense Force!

If the Defense Force are eating canned Corpse Starch, what are the other conscripted civilians eating?

"You guys... eat this stuff?"

His eye twitched slightly as he looked at the soldier beside him.

"Hey... we're lucky to have anything to eat, Company Commander." The young lad next to him, clearly not very old, chuckled, scratching his buzz cut. "When Governor Hadley was alive, our rations certainly didn't consist of Corpse Starch, but... well, since Governor Hadley is dead, our rations have naturally dropped several levels. Now, this stuff can't even be supplied normally."

Damn the nobles of Upper-hive, how dare they withhold this stuff?

Alvin could hardly believe that the Hive City nobles could be so foolish, especially considering that this was the Defense Force's rations!

Are those damned insects so eager to let the cult breach the Hive City, cut off their heads, and pile them up?

"Company Commander, aren't you going to eat?"

The young soldier next to him swallowed hard, staring intently at the can of Corpse Starch in his hand, his intentions obvious.

"You eat it." Alvin handed the can of food to the young boy, then got up and headed towards the military camp.

"Company Commander, what are you going to do?"

The young lad, holding the can of food, looked delighted and asked the new Company Commander a question.

"Don't worry about it."

Alvin, feeling somewhat heavy-hearted, went straight to the center of the military camp, lifted the curtain, and saw Grey staring at a map, his brow furrowed, seemingly pondering a tactic.

Seeing someone enter, Grey frowned slightly, about to reprimand them, but after recognizing the person, he swallowed his words and continued staring at the map, "What are you doing here? Don't tell me you can't stand the Corpse Starch and want me to cook it for you?"

"Report, Commissar Grey, no."

Alvin knew that Grey was the kind of old-fashioned officer who would inevitably get kicked if he didn't report it.

"Alright, there's no need to use your official title in private."

Grey glanced at him and scoffed, "With your stance right now, if this were Cadian, I would have kicked you already. But whatever, just say what you want."

Another one from Cadian?!

Alvin was somewhat surprised. He had originally thought that Commissar Grey's ability to recognize the "Daemon" was simply due to his limited knowledge, but now it seemed that was not the case at all.

He's probably seen more Daemon, Chaos Chosen, and Chaos Champions in Cadian than he has in any other city, including Losel.

"I wanted to ask... why is our Defense Force's rations made of corpse starch?" Alvin asked angrily.

This stuff is basically only eaten by scavengers who have run out of trash after Underhive. Given a choice, who would willingly eat this?

"We're lucky to have anything to eat..."

Surprisingly, Grey remained calm and said indifferently, "Our mission is to defend the Middle Hive to the death. As for the rest... hehe, it's best not to know too much."

"If we're told to hold out to the death, what about them?!"

Alvin was really angry.

This goes beyond being a bunch of bad teammates; it's completely treating Middle Hive, the Planetary Defense Force, the Department of Justice, the Riot Control Group, and so on, as "discarded pawns"!

Alvin could even imagine what those useless nobles who Upper-hive were thinking.

If the Defense Force can hold off the cult, all the better. If they can't, then they can rely on the strong defenses of Upper-hive and wait for the Imperium's support. In the worst-case scenario... a few nobles can even leave Losel by airship!

In short... it's worth it!

No wonder the Imperium has been declining for millennia. How can Imperium of Man revive its glory by associating with these insects? How can it expel heretics?

Alvin wished he could just let the cult storm in and cut off all the nobles' heads, but reason told him that there was no point in dying together with the insects!

"Aren't there... anyone who objects?"

Alvin, somewhat unwilling to give up, asked, "What about Governor Hadley's family? Didn't they stand up and object?"

"Hahaha... Hadley? They've all been killed."

Grey chuckled self-deprecatingly and shook his head, "You should know about Governor Garken's assassination, right?"

Alvin nodded. "I know, but I don't know exactly what happened."

"What exactly? You don't expect me to tell you the truth, do you?" Grey took a drag of his cigarette and said, "I don't know more than you do. The Planetary Governor was killed, and then we were urgently recalled. Our last order was to defend the Hive City to the death, wait for Imperium reinforcements to arrive, and to shed our last drop of blood for the Emperor, sacrificing our lives."

"Damn insects! Trash!"

Alvin slammed his fist on the table in fury, his eyes blazing with rage. "Those cowardly cowards! Even at a time like this, they're still thinking about saving themselves? Do they think they'll survive just because we lose?!"

He was furious that the Upper-hive nobles were useless cowards who feared death!

Despite enjoying the benefits of the Imperium, they act like cowards hiding in the shadows at times like this.

Damn it! He deserves to die!

Looking at the indignant Alvin, Grey's gaze held a deeper meaning. "You're a smart guy, kid, but... do you really want to know why?"

His gaze gave Alvin a bad feeling.

But after hesitating for a moment, he nodded. "Yes!"

Commissar Grey didn't say anything, but took out a metal box from the inside pocket of his jacket and tossed one to Alvin without waiting for his reply.

Then, he picked up a cigarette, took a deep drag on his nose, and put it in his lips, glancing at him while biting the cigarette butt.

Alvin understood immediately and lit it for him.

Sizzle...

Sparks of tobacco swirled around him as he took a deep drag.

"Call..."

Only then did Commissar Grey seem to briefly shed his burden, revealing a hint of relief as he slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. "That day was the Ascension of the Emperor Festival, and the Planetary Governor was in a parade, however..."

He paused, his eyelids slightly lowered, and continued, "No one noticed that a cultist Psyker had infiltrated the crowd and, taking advantage of everyone's inattention... killed the Planetary Governor."

"You probably already know what happened next. When we were urgently recalled from the wilderness, we learned that the Hadley Family... were all dead, and their heads were all cut off and arranged in a blasphemous Chaos Star."

"Wait, you mean... the Hadley Family was assassinated by a cult and beheaded in their home in Upper-hive?"

Alvin suddenly had a chilling thought, "Could someone from the cult have infiltrated the nobles of Upper-hive and orchestrated this assassination?"

"That's right. At that time, the remaining major families shared your idea, so they urgently closed the gates of Upper-hive."

Commissar Grey rubbed his temples and sighed, "And so far... for a full fifteen days, not a single message has come from Upper-hive, except... for that final order: defend the Hive City until the last drop of blood is shed, for the Imperium, for the Emperor, for humanity!"

Could it be...?

Alvin's pupils constricted, a chill running down his spine!

"Young man... your knowledge is still too limited."

Grey patted him on the shoulder, his tone inexplicably heavy, and said in a low voice, "In your mind, nobles must be cowards who are afraid of death, which is why they close their Upper-hive and hide inside while we fight desperately outside, right?"

Alvin opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

No one... has failed the Emperor.

A hint of sadness flashed in Grey's eyes as he said softly, "Even if they are nobles, I don't know about the other Hive City... but they are worthy of the Imperium's title. Sacrifice... is the cornerstone of the Imperium, life... is the Emperor's currency. Please use it wisely, do not betray yourself, do not betray the Imperium, do not... betray the Emperor!"

"Don't overthink it, kid."

Grey spoke earnestly, looking at the bewildered Alvin, "This matter must never be told to anyone. Corpse Starch... is because of the incompetence and cowardice of the Upper-hive nobles, understand?"