Before Perturabo had even finished speaking, Rogal Dorn raised his weapon at him. A barrage of shots sent countless ripples across Perturabo's shield, but the deadliest blow was the heavy punch Rogal Dorn threw next.
Bang!
Perturabo caught Rogal Dorn's attack. The force transmitted through his palm was enough to prove that Rogal Dorn had held nothing back when throwing that punch. He genuinely wanted to cripple Perturabo with a single blow.
"Dorn! It was just a joke!"
"Perhaps. But Alpharius does possess the ability to disguise himself as a Primarch."
Expressionless, Rogal Dorn continued his assault on Perturabo. Perturabo cursed under his breath. He should never have teased that blockhead. He ordered Iron Wings to carry him into the air, hoping to give Rogal Dorn's overly tense mind a chance to cool down.
Hope was already accustomed to Perturabo and Rogal Dorn's horseplay. He called Benedict over and told him to lead the troops with the Lamenters to Lumbas Mountain, while Creed remained behind to help the Primarchs take over Cadia's command system.
Another half hour later, more expeditionary troops arrived on Cadia's surface through teleportation devices. Acting on Perturabo's orders, they swiftly took over the mining zones built around Blackstone Tower Seven.
The expeditionary force easily crushed the Beastmen tribes guarding the mining zones, while also freeing numerous human captives used as slaves. Many had suffered physical corruption from the winds of Chaos. Horns, extra limbs, eyeballs, and other growths had sprouted from their scarred bodies. In the Imperium of old, contamination at this level would have meant certain death. Neither the Ecclesiarchy nor the Astra Militarum would have hesitated to burn those corrupted by Chaos to ashes.
Fortunately, the expeditionary force possessed a miraculous item known as the Life Vaccine, and every survivor in the mining zones