Self-Written, Self-Directed, Self-Performed

As the old saying went, when in doubt, follow the Eagle Nation.

When it came to collecting taxes, no one knew more than the Eagle Nation.

After all, they could count stolen loot as part of their GDP and let drug dealers check "self-employed" when filling out tax forms.

Fu Haoran copied their homework outright.

The policy went out that very day.

[Hive City Tax Bureau Establishment Notice]

[Effective immediately, all income must be taxed according to law.]

[Tax rates: 20% on legal income, 40% on gray-market income, 50% on illegal income.]

[After taxes are paid, income is protected under Imperial law, and no one may make claims against it.]

[Tax evasion shall be treated as treason and punished severely.]

The news spread through Hive City like wildfire.

Mostly through the Lower Hive.

At the request of a certain Planetary Governor, the notice was circulated only in the Lower Hive.

Naturally, the Lower Hive erupted.

"What the hell? You can pay taxes on robbery, too?"

"If you pay taxes, it's legal? Then does the Adeptus Arbites still have any authority?"

"Who gives a damn! They've got proof they paid their taxes. What are you going to charge them with?"

"You actually believe that? Maybe it's a trap. They're luring us into becoming cannon fodder, then once we hand over our stolen loot, they'll turn around and arrest us! I've seen that kind of double-cross since I was ten!"

The Under-hivers generally didn't believe it.

In the Mid-Hive, the children of nobles gathered in a tavern. They read the notice that had been passed along and sneered.

"Has our Governor gone insane? He thinks he can rake in money with this idiotic scheme? Only those brainless drifters in the Lower Hive would believe this nonsense."

Another rich kid chimed in. "Exactly. Who'd be stupid enough to rob someone and then pay taxes on the loot? They'd get arrested the moment they paid. They wouldn't even know what killed them."

No one in the Upper Hive believed it either.

In short, not a single person came to pay taxes in the three days after the decree was issued.

Fu Haoran had been ready for that.

That night, it was dark and windy—perfect for getting up to no good.

Wade reported, "Sir, everyone's assembled."

Fu Haoran nodded with satisfaction.

He'd told Wade to gather all the soldiers and officers who'd recently distinguished themselves in battle. He'd said he was handing out benefits.

Once everyone had arrived, Fu Haoran brought out a pile of boxes and opened them. Inside were black training uniforms, merchandise from the 2K World. There was nothing special about them. They were just black.

"Come on, one set each. Put them on."

Everyone exchanged glances.

"Sir, what... are we supposed to do?" Wade asked tentatively.

"I'm taking you on a big job tonight." Fu Haoran was itching to get started.

Kallen, the Tech-Priest, had been dragged along too.

When he saw the black robe Fu Haoran had specially prepared for him, his mechanical eyes flashed wildly.

"I'd rather die than take off my robe!"

"My robe is a sacred testament to my ascension. It's embroidered with three hundred years of the Machine Cult's glory! You want me to take it off and wear this... this black rag?!"

Fu Haoran rubbed his forehead. "...Fine, fine. Keep your sacred rag on, hide at the back, and make sure no one sees you. Happy?"

Kallen snorted and retreated to a corner, clutching his red robe.

Fu Haoran turned to Lucifer and asked hesitantly, "Why don't you... change into one too?"

He thought she'd refuse.

To his surprise, Lucifer took the uniform, glanced down at it, and pulled it on without a word.

Her black robe had been replaced by black clothes, but she was still absurdly tall, and the fabric outlined her curves with striking clarity. Fu Haoran hurriedly looked away.

"Wait, I was just being polite. Why did you actually agree?!"

Lucifer glanced at him but said nothing.

The team set off under cover of darkness.

Wade walked beside Fu Haoran and lowered his voice. "Sir, are you really going? It's too dangerous. What if something happens..."

"It's fine." Fu Haoran waved a hand. "It's a small job. We're practically guaranteed to pull it off."

What Fu Haoran didn't say was, You rookies have never done this kind of work before. If I don't go, who's going to lead you?

The important thing is that Lucifer only listens to me. If I don't go, who could persuade Her Majesty to come along?

If one of my men accidentally pisses her off and she kills him on the spot, that would be a real loss.

Besides, there's no danger in this job. It'd be so boring not to go and have some fun.

One perk of being a Planetary Governor was that getting a map of Hive City's underground passageways took only a word.

Fu Haoran brought up his Data Pad. It displayed information from Victor's pledge of allegiance: "Abandoned underground transport tunnels in Hive City. Three thousand years ago, nobles used them to secretly transport private property and weapons. They were later abandoned."

"The biggest advantage is that they're much more dignified than crawling through sewers."

The group reached the tunnel entrance and encountered their first obstacle: an encrypted metal manhole cover.

It was twenty centimeters thick and had three electronic locks.

Fu Haoran had originally planned to have Kallen crack it. That was why he'd brought the Tech-Priest along.

But Kallen had shrunk to the very back and stubbornly refused to take off his "sacred rag."

Fu Haoran had no choice but to turn to Lucifer.

Lucifer glanced down at the cover, undisguised distaste in her eyes.

"Move."

She raised a hand, and a pale green glow gathered at her fingertips.

Dozens of fingernail-sized Canoptek Scarabs flew out of her sleeve and landed on the cover.

Their mandibles worked rapidly, devouring the metal and reducing it to fine powder that sifted down.

A moment later, the cover had vanished, revealing a pitch-black tunnel entrance.

Fu Haoran didn't know whether to praise her or say something else.

That approach was so brutal, they'd attract attention in no time!

Lucifer ignored him.

The group filed inside.

The tunnel was spacious enough for three people to walk abreast.

Ancient transport tracks, mottled with rust, remained along the walls.

After twenty minutes, they reached their destination: Noble Warehouse Number Three.

Fu Haoran had chosen it with care.

It contained only compact, high-value goods that were easy to move: Adamantium ingots, Promethium crystals, military-grade Servo-Skull parts, several crates of unregistered energy weapons, and some rare minerals.

According to Victor's estimate, it was worth at least a million Throne Coins.

Wade led the men in forcing open the warehouse door.

The moment it swung open, everyone gasped.

Metal ingots were stacked in neat rows, their surfaces gleaming coldly in the dim light. Mountains of crates filled with components reached the ceiling.

Fu Haoran waved a hand. "Move it. You've got an hour. Take as much as you can."

Ronan charged inside first, hoisted a crate of Adamantium ingots, and ran it outside.

Wade lined the soldiers up to form a human conveyor belt, and they passed the crates out one by one.

In the corner, Kallen stared at the piles of advanced components and instruments. He could no longer hold back and hurried over, muttering under his breath.

"What sacrilege against the Machine Spirit... These components must be properly cared for. They can't just be piled up haphazardly."

Some people couldn't lift the crates, so they simply opened them and stuffed the contents into their backpacks.

A sharp-eyed soldier spotted an unopened Chimera Armored Vehicle parked in the corner. His eyes went wide. "Boss, can we take this thing?"

Fu Haoran glanced at it. "Leave the vehicle for now. Strip it for parts—the wheels, engine, weapons systems. Take whatever you can remove."

The soldiers grabbed their tools and swarmed it.

Lucifer couldn't understand why these "primitive monkeys" would do something so inefficient and pointless.

Inefficient, clumsy, and completely disorganized.

They were no different from monkeys.

Still, she didn't mind taking part in an activity like this.

She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. It was the first time in sixty million years that she'd truly breathed.

Air filled her lungs, tasting of dust and the acrid tang of metal.

"The smell of being alive," she murmured. "It's awful."

Though she complained, she didn't leave. Instead, she began sorting through things, taking a few ornaments that caught her eye.

In her hazy memories, lovers seemed to do things like this together.

Fu Haoran's eye twitched, and he froze on the spot.

Lucifer was holding several pretty stones. "What do you think of these for decorating a room?"

The longer Fu Haoran looked at the stones, the more uneasy he felt. "Um, dear, what are those?"

"Aeldari Spirit Stones. They're rather nice little trinkets."

Fu Haoran's first thought was, You're actually keeping those? Aren't you afraid they'll come looking for you?

The importance of Spirit Stones to the Aeldari went without saying. If they found out, they'd come after her to take her life. There was no other possibility.

But how could he reject the kindness of a "girlfriend" who was a Necron Overlord? After a few seconds of thought, Fu Haoran decided to give up.

"No problem, dear. They suit you perfectly. I think you should keep them in your room."

Right. I'm not letting those things anywhere near my room.

Lucifer nodded. Her eyes fell on the Spirit Stones, and the corner of her mouth curled up. "All right. I'll put them somewhere conspicuous when we get back."

Fu Haoran: ...

"Why did I have to ask? Why couldn't I keep my mouth shut?!"

"And how reckless are these nobles? Aren't they afraid the Aeldari will come after them and skin them alive?!"