Fake Butcher's Nail?

Chapter 48: Fake Butcher's Nails?

The aircraft flew through the air.

Qin Xia lay in the co-pilot seat, his head resting against the seat, eyes closed as he recalled his recent battle, searching for any shortcomings.

Beside him, Braun, a Tarkos guard who had received the Butcher's Nails, calmly piloted the vehicle, his movements methodical, as if he were one with the machine.

For a fleeting moment, Qin Xia wondered why Braun was so calm despite having the Butcher's Nails, but the thought only lasted an instant.

It wasn't unheard of for someone with the Butcher's Nails to remain calm. Take Sorlax, a World Eaters warrior, for example. After receiving the Butcher's Nails, not only could he think calmly, but he even knew when to retreat if outmatched, rather than seeking death.

Although Sorlax's Butcher's Nails were a low-tier version developed by Galan, an apothecary of the World Eaters Legion, it was still remarkable.

Perhaps Braun, sitting beside him, had received a similar, low-tier version, or even a fake.

Braun, in turn, occasionally observed Qin Xia.

Braun couldn't discern what Qin Xia carried with him. He hadn't even noticed why Qin Xia, despite his robust physique, could sit in a seat designed for ordinary humans without any discomfort or awkwardness.

It wasn't entirely due to the invisibility cloak.

Before and after being taken by the Grey Knights from the White Scars and transformed into one, Qin Xia had never received systematic training in psychic powers. However, the White Scars' Librarium had taught him quite a bit.

For instance, how to use psychic power to make a Space Marine, whose physique vastly differed from that of a mortal, less conspicuous and inconvenient in daily life… using psychic power to alter the body's adaptability to its environment, like straightening one's back to walk through a two-meter-high doorway.

This wasn't particularly difficult, especially for a psyker like Qin Xia.

They both remained silent for a while before Braun finally spoke, "I thought you'd be extremely resistant to cooperating with the Tarkos Family Patriarch."

Upon hearing this, Qin Xia remained silent, feigning a sincere expression. "My gladiator brothers and sisters can no longer endure the damn rules of the Fasting Days. They need medicine, and someone I care about needs their shortened limb repaired, so… I will suppress my resistance."

Beneath Qin Xia's sincere facade, however, lay not a lack of genuine affection, as if he didn't care about the gladiators. Not at all.

What he concealed was his eagerness for an opportunity to leave the gladiatorial arena, as he could accomplish so much with such a chance.

"Oh," Braun nodded slightly.

Whether it was Qin Xia's answer that struck him as odd, or perhaps he felt the atmosphere was too awkward, Braun touched the back of his head where the "iron hair" hung down – the cables from the Butcher's Nails implanted in his brain.

"Doesn't that thing drive you insane?" Qin Xia finally couldn't help but ask.

"You mean the Butcher's Nails?" Braun replied. "No, it doesn't affect me. But if it were implanted in someone else, they'd become a complete murderous maniac. This thing makes the recipient feel like they're in hell unless they kill."

Qin Xia abruptly turned his head to stare at Braun. "You…"

Qin Xia recalled something.

The Butcher's Nails weren't meant for humans. One theory suggested they were a type of neural implant for Stone Men, used to control them.

The so-called Stone Men, like Iron Men, were a type of automaton. "Stone Man" referred to a synthetic human, not a person made of stone.

"Are you a Stone Man?" Qin Xia tentatively asked.

Braun was taken aback by the question. He paused for a few seconds before retorting, "You don't know I'm a Stone Man? I thought you were an alien psyker and could tell, so I didn't plan to lie to you. But you don't know! If I had known, I would have pretended to be crazy."

"..."

Qin Xia was stunned for a few seconds.

Stone Men had served humanity during its peak.

Before humanity fell into abyss, their prosperity was interrupted by the Iron Men rebellion.

The Stone Men sided with humanity during the Iron Men rebellion, but after the rebellion was quelled, they were either purged or disappeared.

Following that, massive Warp storms caused interstellar travel to become completely chaotic and terrifying. Humanity, unable to communicate, fell into decline.

Qin Xia never dreamed he would encounter a Stone Man.

"Can you scan my genes?" Qin Xia had a sudden idea. "If I'm not mistaken, you'll find I'm different from others…"

Qin Xia remembered that when he transmigrated to the 40th millennium, he still had a physical body, but his soul was contained within a body that seemed to have reverted to its youthful state.

"Of course, I can tell. That's why I'm so sure you're not from Nuceria," Braun nodded.

"Then… are there any technological treasures or anything waiting for me to unlock?" Qin Xia asked eagerly. "Or, are there any Iron Men or Stone Men like you who might help me because I'm an ancient human?"

Braun raised the left half of his face, his eyebrow arching, and scratched his synthetic skull, which was wrapped around the Butcher's Nails. "Treasures? Probably not, unless your direct ancestors left you an inheritance through gene-locks. As for helping you, if we're friends, of course, I can. Otherwise… why?"

"I'm different from other humans; you can see it in my genes. Present-day humans have undergone extensive genetic modification, and I have too, but I still carry the genetic samples of primitive humans," Qin Xia said.

"You are indeed different," Braun still seemed puzzled. "If it were the 20th millennium, I'd find a way to bring you to a research institute in a nearby human colony and secure a very good labor contract for you, allowing them to copy your genes, or perhaps assist a professor of archaeology at a university with their research…"

"But you've seen what humanity is like now. Where can I find such a civilized place for you to be a research subject or assist archaeological professionals?"

"This is an age of chaos. Ancient things are either squandered or buried. You'll have to wait until a peaceful, civilized era arrives in the future to unlock the value of your ancient genes."

Braun continued to drive the aircraft while looking at Qin Xia.

Qin Xia fell silent. He thought that the classic fantasy of ancient humans being treasured by the Emperor or Stone Men and Iron Men was just that—a fantasy.

Before asking, Qin Xia didn't believe the claim that ancient humans were highly valuable. But with a Stone Man right beside him, he had to ask—he was willing to try and verify any method, however slim the hope, that could help him escape his current predicament.

"I still can't believe I've actually encountered a Stone Man," Qin Xia spoke again after a period of silence. "This is too unexpected… Aren't you supposed to be extinct by now?"

"Functionally extinct, yes," Braun nodded. "But no matter how something goes extinct, there are always a few who slip through the cracks. The Nuceria people were quite civilized; they didn't consider me a potential threat and kill me after the Iron Men rebellion."