The Forger

Late at night.

Grot, who was fighting on the battlefield, received a personal order from Qin Mo, demanding that he return to the fortress immediately.

Even Grey was puzzled by the order, but Grot obediently returned nonetheless.

When the guards led him toward the cells, he saw Qin Mo testing a new device inside, while the Rebel bishop he had been desperately searching for and wanted to kill was bound there.

"Isn't this the rebels' bishop? How did you capture her?" Grot asked in surprise, entering the cell and looking provocatively at the bishop.

The bishop glared at Grot, gritting her teeth, but there was nothing she could do.

Qin Mo did not answer. He merely raised a finger and pointed at the bishop's face. "Punch her. Force her to use Psychic Power."

Grot was happy to oblige. Without hesitation, he threw a punch at the bishop's face.

When the fist clad in Terminator Power Armor struck the bishop's face, her entire face caved in. She struggled wildly, trying to bite Grot.

"Effective." Qin Mo nodded in satisfaction.

Grot did not quite understand why it was effective, so Qin Mo immediately explained. "This is a Psychic Power disruptor I've recently developed. Within its range, a Psyker's mind is disrupted, and they cannot use Psychic Power."

"What's the difference between this and the anti-Psychic Power device integrated into the Power Armor?" Grot asked in confusion.

"It has stronger disruption capabilities. Consider it an advanced version. The previous one couldn't disrupt the bishop, but this one can," Qin Mo said.

Grot looked at the device Qin Mo was tinkering with in great delight.

The device was still somewhat large, but this was only the prototype stage. It was mainly for testing, and it would definitely be miniaturized and made more versatile in the future.

Amid his delight, Grot also felt puzzled. Had he been called back just to watch a new device being tested?

"From today onward, you will remain behind to guard the fortress," Qin Mo ordered.

"Yes." Grot accepted the order out of habit, only then realizing what it meant.

The war was still ongoing. Remaining behind to guard the fortress meant he would have nothing to do with the battlefield.

"I will obey your orders, but could you tell me why? Someone like me, wearing Terminator Power Armor, can greatly increase the army's advance speed," Grot asked.

"I have something more important for you to do," Qin Mo replied.

Grot was even more baffled. Wasn't the war the most important thing right now? Besides, what could he do by staying behind to guard the fortress?

But Grot noticed that Qin Mo did not look well, so he did not dare ask further. "As you command, Legion Commander."

"Alright. Go get some rest."

"Yes."

Grot turned and left, but when he put his hand on the doorknob, he remembered something. Turning back, he asked, "Does this mean I won't be able to fight for the foreseeable future?"

Qin Mo did not respond, remaining focused on his research and construction.

Taking the hint, Grot pushed open the door, left, and gently closed it behind him.

"How were you captured?" Qin Mo asked the bishop his greatest question.

The bishop did not want to answer, nor could she, because her entire face was so severely twisted that she could no longer speak.

But from the bishop's furious and bewildered gaze, Qin Mo could tell that she herself did not know what had happened.

Qin Mo stopped dwelling on it and focused on his research and experiments.

Later that night.

In the underground caverns beneath the fortress, Qin Mo slept soundly with his head on the table. Yet he did not think he was asleep, because in his eyes, he was still awake, only transported to a strange place.

It was a lavishly decorated bedroom.

A towering, lush green tree grew in the corner of the bedroom, looking completely out of place amid its surroundings.

When Qin Mo approached the tree, a ferocious face emerged from its bark. The expression swiftly changed into a grin. "Hahahahaha! Did I scare you?"

"You think that's funny?" Qin Mo looked at the tree expressionlessly.

The tree's smile vanished instantly, as if it too found it uninteresting.

Then its body rapidly changed, transforming into a girl.

Qin Mo remembered what this girl looked like. She was the same girl from his previous dream, the one who could transform into a tank and a middle-aged man.

"I remember who you are now." The girl stared solemnly at Qin Mo, her face carrying a maturity no one her age should possess. "You are The Forger."

"A new term again? Didn't you say last time that I was called The Watcher or Mimic?" Qin Mo asked.

"No, no, no. I'm Mimic." The girl's body rapidly changed, and she became Grey wearing Terminator Power Armor. "It's all because those damned Necrophages turned me into fragments, so my memories are intermittent and incomplete. I am Mimic."

After saying that, Mimic began changing the surrounding environment.

The room became countless stars. At the very center of them all, a god whose body consisted of blue energy raised his hand, while stars gathered before him into the shape of a sword.

"If we speak only of personal power, The Forger was the youngest and weakest of all the C'tan. But that was because it did not rely on its own power to fight. The terrifying creations it forged could even command the might of other C'tan."

The stars shifted. A purple mass of energy floated before The Forger, its shape beyond the description of any words.

"That was me, Mimic."

"We were originally the friendliest C'tan among the stars. You were responsible for forging, while I provided you with inspiration through my transformations."

"Though you merged with a human, you are still whole. Yet I became this miserable wreck, unable even to remember my original form."

"All because you betrayed me."

Hearing that, Qin Mo looked at Mimic. "What do you mean?"

"The weapon the Necrophages used to shatter me was forged by you." Mimic spoke through gritted teeth. "My power was not great, but I could take countless forms. The Necrophages originally had no way to shatter me."

The environment changed again.

The Forger stood behind the Necrophages, smiling as it watched Mimic being shattered. It had already prepared to devour Mimic.

Then came many more changes.

There were all kinds of other C'tan as well.

"The Watcher Xiluolai, Aphluo the Star Painter... many of our kind were devoured by you."

As she spoke, Mimic looked at Qin Mo, watching his reaction.

At first, Qin Mo was deeply shocked. What he had heard was far beyond his imagination. Until now, he had always believed that he could merely draw upon the power of the C'tan, or that he had merged with some Star God fragment.

Qin Mo fell into thought, failing to notice the smile on Mimic's face.

"No... something's wrong." Qin Mo suddenly felt that Mimic's story was not true at all.

Qin Mo frowned and pondered.

If The Forger had forged a weapon for the Necrophages to shatter Mimic, and had stood on the same side as the Necrophages, why had he never even heard of such an important C'tan as The Forger?

Having thought that far, Qin Mo raised his head and stared at Mimic. "You're actually... The Deceiver Mal'Fethran, aren't you?"

There would still be seven updates today. Please leave more comments to give me some motivation.