Until...
"Humm-"
A low tremor that penetrated all things woke him from oblivion.
It was as though two unimaginably vast beings had gone out on the far side of the sector.
The Silent King's alarm clock.
It had rung.
A powerful shock wave of energy followed, sweeping brutally through the entire star system. To psykers, this energy storm was a deadly howl, but to this lifeless world, it was like the jolt that jump-started a car.
"Zzzt-click."
The golden coffin holding Liu Zhipeng gave a soft click.
...Warp resonance confirmed...awakening protocol initiated...core integrity: 100%...repairs...complete..."Deep Slumber" protocol terminated.
The repair fluid inside the coffin rapidly drained away.
"Click."
The lid slid open silently.
Liu Zhipeng-now Overlord Leo-opened his optical sensors.
Green light flickered on.
He sat up and looked down at himself.
Holy shit...
An exclamation of wonder came from his soul.
The battered body that had been reduced to just 34% core integrity during the Battle of Terra was gone. In its place was a flawless, brand-new, even...magnificent Necron Overlord's body.
His living metal shell gleamed with a dark silver sheen, his joints a deep black. His breastplate bore a dynasty emblem he could not decipher yet instinctively recognized. He flexed his fingers, and the faint, pleasing scrape of metal joints was filled with power.
Five stars. Liu Zhipeng whistled inwardly. This service beats any Hilton I ever stayed at on Earth.
He stepped out of the regeneration chamber.
He stood in an enormous repair hall, surrounded by hundreds upon hundreds of similar golden coffins, all of them empty.
The Canoptek Spyders and Canoptek Scarabs that had repaired him and stuffed him inside were long gone, presumably having returned to their respective charging stations.
But...
The entire Tomb World was no longer silent.
A vast, low hum rose