"Died in Battle"

Laun didn't know what had happened at this point. He was walking along the Underhive roads under Grey's escort.

"I thought I was done for, but I didn't expect someone to consolidate the positions along the defensive line. Truly, the Emperor protects."

"Yes."

"You must have been fighting for a long time. Is the power armor you're wearing an ancient relic dug out from the Underhive?"

"Yes."

"You're really lucky."

"Yes."

Laun spoke while Grey listened, and the two walked forward.

After walking a distance, Laun suddenly felt tired. He turned around and asked Grey, "Why don't you call the transport? How long will we have to walk? I'm afraid we won't finish in a year."

"Yes." Grey nodded again, just as he had before, and this time it angered Laun.

Before, Laun could assume Grey was conflicted internally and therefore not in the mood for small talk, so his constant "yes" didn't matter.

But now they were talking about serious matters, and Grey was still just saying "yes." This was unbearable.

"Watch your attitude, soldier," Laun reminded him.

"Yes." Grey raised his hand and called for a transport drone. "The transport will be here soon."

"Hmph." Laun thought, That's more like it.

While waiting for the transport, Grey suddenly asked, "Do you know, Qin Mo is actually a prisoner, a psychic prisoner."

"Mhm." Laun nodded casually at first, then looked at Grey with immense shock. "Mhm?!"

"Qin Mo isn't even a soldier. He's just a prisoner assigned to the 44th Regiment," Grey said.

"…" Laun shook his head in shock. He would never have dreamed that Qin Mo was a prisoner.

How could a prisoner lead soldiers in battle?

"Actually, this war has nothing to do with Qin Mo," Grey continued. "The reason he was imprisoned was because he didn't want to be hunted. Why should he fight for this planet? Why should he lead us? Why should we demand that he stand with us instead of slaughtering us along with the rebels?"

Laun listened quietly, understanding what Grey was trying to convey.

That is, Qin Mo actually had nothing to do with this war. The only reason he was willing to participate in the war thus far was because he was selfless and righteous.

Then, Laun felt goosebumps all over. He didn't know why Grey was saying this.

"Qin Mo protected us and led us in battle."

"Grot cursed him because he didn't contribute to building the bunkers. But after the 44th Regiment was almost wiped out, Grot still received power armor a few days ago and wasn't ostracized or retaliated against."

"He supported all positions that needed support along the entire defensive line, providing supplies to those who ran out of ammunition."

After saying much more, Grey looked up.

The transport drone had flown over, hovering in the sky with its anti-gravity engines.

Grey suddenly leaped, propelled by his jetpack onto the transport's platform. He then removed his helmet and looked down at Laun.

The transport slowly ascended. Grey's eyes, amidst his scattered hair blown by the wind, stared at Laun as he shouted loudly, "Remember my face, remember that I executed you!"

"Wait!" Laun raised his hands. "Don't be rash, we can talk!"

As he finished speaking, his Shoulder Cannon fired a beam of light.

Laun's body was enveloped in the beam. When the light dissipated, he had been completely annihilated. A deep pit was melted where he had stood.

Grey's Shoulder Cannon on his shoulder continued to fire until it cooled down.

These shots ensured that Laun's biological tissues were completely erased, preventing anyone from detecting his cause of death through technological means.

He picked up his gravity hammer and smashed it against his arm. His left hand, along with its armguard, was instantly pulverized.

Gritting his teeth, Grey put on his helmet and issued the return command to the transport drone.

A moment later.

Inside the fortress.

Klein sat in the conference room, watching a medic bandaging Grey and listening to Grey's account.

"Laun and I encountered enemies halfway. I didn't have time to activate my gravity shield. One psyker controlled me, and another Abomination rushed over and smashed my armguard."

"If I hadn't activated my internal psychic suppressor, I would be dead."

"…"

Listening to Grey's account, Klein looked at Grey meaningfully, raising an eyebrow as he asked, "Tell me the truth, did you kill Laun?"

Klein was very familiar with some of the dark aspects of the battlefield.

For instance, in some terrifyingly cohesive regiments, if they were forced to install a new superior, that superior would be ostracized to death.

Klein had once heard that a classmate of his from military school had died. The report from the soldiers he commanded was: The Emperor teleported this person away.

"I certainly wouldn't kill Laun," Grey said, ordering his helmet to project the footage I'd recorded.

Then Klein saw what Grey had been doing in Laun's room.

It started with them drinking, then Grey actively chose to escort Laun to inspect other positions. The footage from the journey itself was not captured.

"You traitor," Klein said, looking at Grey with disgust. "If Laun were dead, would you have sided with him then?"

Grey remained silent, offering no response.

"Qin Mo is interrogating the female informant next door," Klein said, standing up and walking outside. "I'll spill everything about you, so be prepared to face his wrath."

Grey still didn't speak, his head bowed as if lost in thought.

In the adjacent room.

Qin Mo was interrogating Lyle.

The official reason was that the presence of Adeptus Arbites personnel in the Underhive was highly suspicious, and they needed to rule out the possibility that she was a rebel spy.

"You know I was a prisoner before, right?" Qin Mo said with a smile. "I remember you. You must have been nearby when I was captured; your clumsiness and stupidity were quite memorable."

"Is that why you were willing to bring me and Laun back together?" Lyle retorted.

"Yes." Qin Mo was very candid. He then picked up Lyle's personal terminal, preparing to directly access the Adeptus Arbites database and delete his own records within it.

At that moment, Klein suddenly pushed the door open and walked up to Qin Mo, whispering in his ear and repeating what Grey had just said.

Then Qin Mo wanted to ask: the psychic suppressor automatically activates when it detects a psychic attack, and the activation of the psychic suppressor also triggers the gravity shield. This is a power armor mechanism set up to guard against sudden attacks. How was Grey's arm torn off by the rebels?

But that was a matter on a scientific level. What Grey had done was on another level entirely.

"I understand," Qin Mo nodded.

"He's a prisoner, don't trust him!" Lyle suddenly decided to take a bold gamble, betting that no one besides Qin Mo knew he was a prisoner. She shouted at Klein.

"You're a prisoner?" Klein looked at Qin Mo with utter shock, then laughed. "I thought she was going to say you were her biological father."

"In this situation, it wouldn't be strange if she claimed to be the Emperor," Qin Mo said with a helpless smile.

"Hahahaha." Klein turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.