New Weapons, Gauss Ray

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A chill surged through the hearts of the five men.

Eleven Chaos Beacons had been detected.

Furthermore, a suspected Chaos Fleet was lurking nearby, watching them like a predator.

They had enjoyed half a month of ease, thinking the Chaos presence here had been dealt with, but it now appeared that the Chaos forces on Ozrax were merely the beginning.

They had seen the demons of the Warp drawn in by Chaos Beacons before; not only did they outnumber the humans, but there were even Chaos Beasts capable of tearing Dreadnoughts apart with their bare hands. Even they, as Astartes, felt helpless when facing a single Hellbrute, let alone the eleven Chaos Beacons appearing before them. Who knew what even more bizarre and powerful Warp demons might be summoned?

Cyrus could no longer afford to be shaken. He stepped forward, taking in the entire military star map.

He saw the Gamma Planet surrounded by Chaos markers on the map, along with the nearby Xenos Empire.

Years of combat experience told him that the seemingly calm Gamma and Ozrax were, in reality, surrounded on all sides and teetering on the brink of collapse.

Unless Cisrain took the humans and fled the galaxy, they would inevitably be besieged by these forces no matter which direction they expanded.

The Chaos Beacons on Ozrax had not existed for long, yet they had already drawn in a large number of Chaos Astartes, Servitors, Imperial Guard, and Hellbrutes.

As for these other Chaos Beacons, their duration was unknown, and the Chaos demons they might summon would likely be even more powerful. Cisrain had only two choices: either develop in place and wait for the enemy to assemble, or strike first and launch a blitzkrieg.

But either way, it looked unfavorable for their side.

Developing in place meant no resources.

Launching a blitzkrieg meant their fleet was not fast enough.

However, this was exactly what befitted a secret mission from The Emperor.

"Eleven. Chaos Beacons."

"One Chaos Fleet."

Cyrus also noticed the two newly discovered planets: an Oceanic Planet and a Desert Planet. He remembered Chief Scientist Brown telling him that what they lacked most right now were resources.

He thought back to the Gauss Ray they had reverse-engineered.

If provided with sufficient resources, given their research speed, perhaps they could use these two star systems as battle fortresses for Gamma and Ozrax, keeping the Chaos armies and Xenos at bay. If their troop production speed was fast enough, they could even launch a counterattack.

"Governor, if we can take these two planets."

Cyrus pointed to the two planets on the star map and said, "Could we use the resources on them to accelerate the scientists' research speed?"

"That is correct, but you have been working actively for half a month straight." Cisrain nodded, concerned. "It is time to take a proper rest."

Talon: "Hasn't this past half month been a vacation?"

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Clearing out those non-threatening Xenos was indeed like a vacation to them.

Cyrus glared at Talon. "Governor, we are Astartes warriors. We do not need rest; we only need an order."

"But you are also human." Cisrain looked into Cyrus's eyes and said, "In my eyes, whether you are a scientist or a farmer, an Astartes or a commoner, you are all human. You are all humanity, working toward the common goal of driving out the alien. Humanity first!"

"So, when I say you need to rest, you don't need to consider anything else. Just rest, and leave the rest to me. This is your right."

In the Empire.

The status of these gene-warriors, who were once human, was very special. They possessed immense combat power, yet because of The Emperor's decree that the Empire must be ruled by humans, most were treated as tools. On one hand, they fought bravely for the Empire on the battlefield; on the other, they were constantly guarded against by High Lords and used as pawns in internal strife.

This was also why, during the 30K era, many Chapters preferred to wander the fringes of the galaxy rather than fight for the Empire again.

Cisrain did not possess The Emperor's cold, purely utilitarian mindset.

Giving the Astartes the status of humans was also a way to unite everyone who could be united.

I am the Governor; if I say you are human, you are human.

Who agrees?

Who opposes?

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"Then, the mission?"

"Rest for three days. In three days, the weapons transported by the research ship from the homeworld will arrive. Once this mission is completed, I will give you a vacation."

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A vacation?

They had never heard of such a thing.

Besides.

In this world, did such a thing as a vacation really exist?

Cyrus led his squad out of the main control room, and Cisrain turned back to look at the star map.

Saying a few nice words cost nothing.

Even if he really gave them a vacation, given their habits, they probably wouldn't know how to adapt. Besides, now was not the time for vacations.

Three days. In these three days, Cisrain had to bind them firmly to his ship. As for the Blood Raven Chapter, they shouldn't even think about going back. They could just work honestly here, and he would look after them.

The soul pact needed to be put on the agenda.

And the final manufacturing of the Gauss Ray had to be completed.

He only had five cans of his own right now, and they were needed for all sorts of tasks.

He had to stack some heavy-duty gear on them.

The Emperor was too stingy, only sending him five cans. If he had sent fifty thousand, he wouldn't have to struggle so much.

"Lord Governor, Finance Minister Mina has sent an email."

"Receive!"

The figure of a woman with a golden high ponytail appeared on the star map, wearing administrative attire and black-rimmed glasses. "Lord Governor, your recent fiscal consumption has exceeded the limit again. Building the Synapse Condenser has cost a significant amount of funds. As your Chief Finance Minister, I must remind you that it is time to appropriately increase the colony's taxes. 70% should temporarily alleviate the pressure on governance..."

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My dear Finance Minister.

Raising taxes by 70%—you are even more ruthless than I am. This planet has only just started; if you tax it that high, will there be any population left? I only just raised the planet's tax rate to 45%.

"Don't worry about the finances; it will be resolved soon. We have found two planets suitable for colonization: an Oceanic Planet and a Desert Planet. The star map has been sent to you. The research ship heading to the northern sector has returned. I need you to select another group of people who can quickly roll out construction in terms of economy, culture, and systems once these two planets are occupied. Now, divert 50% of the budget to port construction. I need my spaceport built within half a year, and within a year, I must assemble my space fleet."

He closed the interstellar email.

Cisrain finished processing all the documents.

With the Stellaris Template, he could directly adjust the development direction of the entire empire on the template while monitoring all attributes within the empire. However, seeing it was one thing, and possessing the technology was another. It was like seeing the enemy fleet located by the research ship, but only being able to watch them gather their forces, unable to carry out long-range strikes or teleport instantly to their front.

"Modify the research direction of the Synapse Condenser."

"Within three days."

"At all costs."

"Develop the Gauss Ray to 100%, then change the research direction to Power Grid Integration."

Zzzzt.

The darkness obscured the environment, but it could not hide Cisrain's ambition.

He wanted to equip Cyrus's squad with this weapon.

The First Legion has no secrets.

Second