The Astartes Gungun looked at the two men without speaking. Long years of battle and a harsh, disciplined life had made this a habit.
Suddenly finding himself in unfamiliar surroundings with two strangers, he instinctively began assessing the threats.
But before he could get far, Li Qinwu shattered his assessment with a bombshell.
"Not choosing? Then I'll give you the good news first!
"The good news is that in the fifty-first millennium, the God-Emperor rose from the Golden Throne and returned to full health. He launched a new Great Crusade and wiped out every Xenos and traitor in the universe!
"All his loyal children reunited at his side and led the new Legiones Astartes to sweep across the cosmos. Even his most perfect child, Sanguinius, came back to life!
"The God-Emperor led his Gene-Primarchs and the Legiones Astartes under their command, bringing humanity to new heights. We humans became the greatest beings in the universe!"
Father Anthony stared at Li Qinwu as though he had seen a ghost. The Astartes Gungun's eyes widened too, his stern, rigid, unsmiling expression melting like rock to reveal his astonishment.
"R-really?"
Li Qinwu nodded in complete earnest.
"Really. Citizens of the Imperium don't lie to fellow citizens. But I also have some bad news."
The Astartes Gungun was already immersed in the perfect world Li Qinwu had painted for him. He barely reacted to the mention of bad news.
Li Qinwu continued on his own:
"The bad news is that all of that happened in the fifty-first millennium, and right now, we're still in the forty-first!"
The Astartes Gungun froze. Then his face visibly reddened, like a boiled lobster.
Father Anthony nudged Li Qinwu with his elbow.
"Hey, if you toy with him like that, I think he's going to fight you to the