The nobles quickly learned of Lynn's attitude.
Because the governor's camp had no intention of concealing anything.
There was no softening or compromise, only tougher stance.
The day after the joint letter was sent out, the list of the next batch of properties to be raided was announced.
The list prominently displays the names of dozens of families that have "banded together for warmth."
Panic spread rapidly.
"Where is the Supreme King? Supreme King, say something!"
"Where is Lord Callum? Didn't he say he would support us?"
"What about the Ecclesiarchy? Archbishop Goodwin, why are you only offering 'verbal condemnations'?!"
No one answered.
Caladogon has not shown up.
Callum's "support" remained merely verbal, offering nothing more than assistance.
Archbishop Goodwin did speak, but his words consisted of only one sentence:
"The will of the chosen ones is the will of the Emperor, and you, as subjects of the Imperium, should obey."
Obey my ass!
In desperation, the most radical nobles began to take desperate measures.
The Uptown Side was also the first noble settlement looted by Lynn.
This area, once a bustling aristocratic district, is now filled with an atmosphere of tension.
Private soldiers were everywhere in the streets, armed and on guard.
Several key intersections were blocked off with sandbags and iron fences, and Heavy Bolter were set up.
"We must condemn the governor's atrocities!"
A nobleman stood on a makeshift platform and shouted to the gathered crowd.
"He wants to ransack our homes, kill our people, and seize our property!"
"If this continues, there will be nowhere for us to go in Brevis!"
"Yes!!!" came the enthusiastic echo from below.
"We have already appealed to the Imperium, and we believe the Inquisition will arrive soon!"
" The Adeptus Arbites will also get involved! If we can hold out for a few more days, justice will prevail!"
That's a nice way to put it, but he knew perfectly well that there was Warp Storm raging outside, and the news couldn't get out at all.
But now, he has no choice but to bite the bullet and stand at the intersection to give a speech.
The atmosphere was somewhat tense when the first batch of elite PDFs appeared on the western border.
The team was led by a colonel under Carter, in his forties, with an upright appearance.
He stood atop a Chimera Armoured Vehicle, looking at the trembling private soldiers at the intersection, and raised a megaphone:
"By order of the Governor-General's Office, the illegal armed forces in the Western District are to be confiscated. Those who lay down their weapons will not be killed; those who resist..."
"Kill them without mercy!"
The private soldiers looked at each other, some of them hesitating, their guns slowly lowering.
"Don't let it out!"
The radical nobleman rushed out from behind, snatched the private soldier's gun, and fired a shot into the air.
"They won't dare fire! We are citizens of the Imperium too! They won't dare..."
Bang.
A bomb pierced his chest, leaving a cloud of blood.
The nobleman stared wide-eyed at the smoking hole in his chest, then fell straight down.
The colonel put down his Boltgun and continued shouting through the megaphone:
"Those who resist will be killed without mercy."
But the private soldiers didn't throw away their weapons; instead, they glared menacingly at the colonel.
When the news reached the governor's mansion, Lynn was discussing the next steps with Carter.
"The nobles in the western district have gathered and are resisting the confiscation of their property," the messenger reported. "One has already been killed."
Lynn put down the documents in her hand and looked up.
"Judging from this," he said slowly, "They have openly betrayed the Imperium."
The hall fell silent instantly.
Jay Chuck, leader of the Chuck Faction, was the first nobleman to pledge allegiance to Lynn.
He spoke hesitantly:
"Your Excellency, are they simply being instigated?"
Lynn looked at him, her eyes filled with determination.
He understood what Chuck meant.
This old nobleman was afraid, afraid that one day he would also be purged and end up like those people.
Lynn didn't blame him; such fear was only human nature.
But he needs to make his point clear.
"No."
He stood up, walked to the window, and looked towards the western part of the Uptown in the distance.
"The men I sent to seize the assets were all elite soldiers who had returned from the front lines."
"They shed their blood for the Imperium, and they are the most elite troops under my command."
He turned around and looked at Chuck.
"But those unruly commoners dared to resist even the elite PDFs; they are no longer ordinary citizens of the Imperium."
Chuck was somewhat frightened and dared not continue speaking.
Lynn walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder.
"Jay, you've been with me from the very beginning. I remember that kindness."
His voice suddenly turned icy cold:
"But those who brandish guns in the West End must be dealt with decisively!"
Lynn turned and walked toward the door, his cloak billowing behind him like a battle flag about to be unfurled.
The door slammed shut behind him.
Seti will always remember that day.
That was his first day joining the Vanguard.
Before this, he was just an ordinary scavenger in the Lower City.
No, he doesn't even qualify as a scavenger.
Scavengers can at least find scraps in the waste piles that can be exchanged for food.
He hadn't joined any gang; he was simply waiting to die.
My mother was so hungry she couldn't get out of bed.
The younger siblings huddled in the corner, their eyes bulging from thinness, their lips cracked, unable to even cry out.
Seti divided the last half of the Starch Block into four parts, keeping the smallest one for himself. Looking into those three pairs of eyes, he felt an urge to cry.
But he didn't cry; those who Lower City didn't deserve to cry.
Crying only depletes your body's water reserves, and water is more precious than food.
Until one day, the Vanguard's recruitment team arrived.
Seti dragged his legs, which felt as limp as caterpillars, into the long queue.
There were thousands of people in front of him, all of them young people with sallow complexions and thin bodies, just like him.
Someone collapsed on the spot and was dragged aside; no one gave them a second glance.
When it was his turn, the recruiting officer looked him up and down.
How old are you?
"Nineteen."
The recruiting officer scoffed. Nineteen years old, but looks like he's forty.
In the Lower City, a year felt like ten.
Can you fight?
Seti didn't know if he was capable of fighting.
He's only ever been in three fights in his life: twice for stealing trash, and once when someone tried to harm his sister.
He won all three times, because losing would mean death.
"Yes," he said.
He then took a simple test and passed the Vanguard's assessment.
The recruiting officer tossed him a uniform and a card.
"Put on your uniform, grab your card, and go to the warehouse to collect your rations."
Seti looked down at the card.
A line of text was printed on it:
The Vanguard Fifth Legion, recruit Seti, received an advance ration of 50 kilograms of standard starch blocks.
Fifty kilograms.
He had never seen so much food in his life.
Even after he received his food rations and returned home, he still thought he was dreaming.
The younger siblings clutched those simply packaged blocks of starch as if they were the most precious treasures in the world.
That night, they ate their first full meal since birth.
His mother cried; it was the first time Seti had ever seen her cry.
"Remember this person." The mother pointed to the emblem on the card, the symbol of Brevis Governor's Office.
Remember who gave you all of this.
Seti nodded; he understood.