After a moment's thought, he straightened his collar and took a deep breath.
He then turned around and walked back towards the banquet hall.
When Lynn returned to the banquet hall, Dominic was standing on the table, holding a huge barrel of wine, shouting at the officers around him.
"Drink! Everyone drink! We're not leaving until we're drunk!"
Upon seeing Lynn return, Dominic immediately jumped off the table, strode over to Lynn, and patted him on the shoulder.
" Kerry, where have you been? I've been looking for you for ages!" Dominic said casually.
"Did you secretly hide away and drink?"
"How could that be, Lord Dominic?" Lynn smiled and casually brushed it off.
"The captain of the Pinnacle Black Obsidian just sent me a message about some minor fleet resupply matters. I took care of them and came back."
"Hey, this is nothing, just let the people below handle it!" Dominic waved his hand dismissively.
"Today's a celebration banquet, let's not talk about work! Come on, let's drink!"
As he spoke, Dominic shoved a glass full of wine into Lynn's hand.
"Cheers!"
Lynn smiled helplessly, raised his glass, clinked it with Dominic's, and then drank it all in one gulp.
"Great!" Dominic laughed heartily, then turned and went to drink with the other officers.
Lynn watched Dominic's cheerful figure disappear, and the smile on her lips gradually faded.
"So much trouble..."
The next morning, before dawn, the fleet was already fully prepared to set sail.
According to the plan, the Tithe Fleet and the main force of the Brevis Expeditionary Fleet will return to Brevis.
Only a few cruisers and frigates remained, stationed at Dorito and Carl II Space Station respectively, responsible for guarding and patrolling.
"Set off!"
At Dominic's command, dozens of Imperium warships simultaneously started their engines.
The massive fleet, arranged in neat formation, swiftly departed Dorito's orbit and headed towards Brevis.
This return journey was exceptionally smooth; they encountered no remnants of the Orks, nor were they attacked by any Chaos forces.
Three days later, the fleet finally arrived at the Brevis System.
When Brevis's enormous Hive City planet appeared outside the porthole, the entire fleet erupted in excitement.
Countless dignitaries spontaneously gathered around the starport, waving Imperium flags and flowers to welcome the triumphant heroes.
The roads leading to the Uptown of Brevis Prime Hive were packed with cheering crowds.
They scattered flower petals and shouted Lynn and Dominic's names.
"Long live Governor-General Kerry!"
"Long live Major General Dominic!"
Long live the Emperor!
Passionate cheers resounded through the sky.
Dominic sat in the open-top gravity vehicle, looking at the enthusiastic crowds on both sides of the road, his face beaming with joy.
He waved to the crowd continuously, his face beaming with a bright smile.
Dominic said excitedly to Lynn beside him.
"This is the support of the people. To fight for the Imperium, to fight for the Emperor, is the greatest honor for a warrior!"
Lynn smiled and nodded, waving to the crowd.
But his gaze inadvertently swept over the corner of the street.
There, several pale-faced, vacant-eyed civilians stood silently in the shadows, watching the jubilant crowd.
Lynn's eyes turned cold.
The plague has begun to spread.
This grand celebration was merely the calm before the storm.
To thank Dominic, this "savior from heaven," Lynn specially ordered that a life-size bronze statue of Dominic be built at the west gate of the Uptown Square in Brevis Prime Hive.
When Lynn told Dominic the news, Dominic quickly waved his hand, feigning modesty, and said:
"Oh, Governor Kerry, you're too kind. This is nothing, no need for such a fuss!"
But his sparkling eyes betrayed his true thoughts.
From the day the statue's construction began, whenever he had free time, Dominic would secretly go to the square to watch his statue gradually take shape.
Sometimes, he would even point fingers at the craftsmen, suggesting changes here and repairs there, striving for perfection.
Lynn couldn't help but find Dominic's smug expression somewhat amusing.
This rear admiral, though sometimes reckless and boastful, is essentially a pure Imperial Army.
If it weren't for him, Dorito's Orks problem would never have been resolved so smoothly.
Erecting a statue in his honor would be a way of acknowledging his achievements.
However, beneath this city-wide celebration, a plague of corruption is quietly brewing.
Lynn stood by the window of the governor's mansion, looking down at the brightly lit city below, and sighed softly.
Brevis, you've really had a lot of bad luck.
First came the Orks invasion, then the Chaos, and now the plague has broken out.
When will true peace arrive?
Just as Lynn predicted.
A week after the fleet's triumphant return, news of the Underhive plague could no longer be concealed.
Even with the Butcher and Genestealer Cult secretly controlling it, the plague is spreading at an alarming rate.
In just one week, tens of millions of people in the Underhive turned into mindless zombies.
Countless infected roam the streets of the Underhive, attacking every living person they see.
To prevent the plague from spreading beyond the Underhive, the governor's office had to order the closure of all passages leading to the middle city and the Uptown.
The Underhive has become an isolated island.
Raging fires burned in every corner of the Underhive, as the epidemic prevention troops burned the bodies of infected people and contaminated buildings.
Thick black smoke enveloped the chaotic Underhive, and despair spread like a tide.
The entire city was gripped by panic.
The residents of Middle Nest and Uptown also began stockpiling food and water, worried that the news from the Underhive would eventually spread to the Upper City.
The entire operation of Brevis was affected.
News of the plague quickly reached Dominic's ears.
Actually, Dominic didn't want to meddle in other people's business.
In his view, how many people died in the Underhive was none of his business.
His primary task was to collect Tithe.
However, this plague may threaten the quality of the Tithe's recruits.
Brevis is going to send three billion new recruits to the Navy this time.
Before being assigned to various battlefields, these three billion new recruits were crammed densely onto transport ships.
If any of these new recruits are infected individuals in their incubation period, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Perhaps just a few infected individuals could destroy millions of soldiers on a ship.
Furthermore, the virus could potentially spread to other planets within the Imperium, triggering an even greater catastrophe.
Thinking about this, Dominic could no longer sit still.
He immediately sent someone to summon Lynn to his temporary residence.
When Lynn arrived, Dominic was pacing irritably back and forth in the room.
His brows were furrowed, and his face was grim.
" Kerry, what exactly happened?" Dominic stopped and asked immediately when he saw Lynn come in.
"What exactly happened to the plague in the Underhive? Why is it so severe?"
Lynn's face also showed signs of fatigue and headache.
He rubbed his temples and said helplessly, "Lord Dominic, I didn't know things would turn out this way."
"At first, we thought it was just a common epidemic and didn't pay much attention to it."
"But I didn't expect this virus to be so troublesome."
"You know the environment at the Underhive: densely populated, with extremely poor sanitation and chaotic management."
"Minor mishaps are normal; by the time we realize something is wrong, it's already too late."
"As you know, carrying out epidemic prevention work there is incredibly difficult."
Actually, Lynn had already downplayed the matter considerably, especially considering the situation in a place like the Underhive.
The horror of the Nurgle plague far exceeded our imagination; if it weren't for the early discovery and intervention of the Rena Swarm...
The number of infections at the Underhive could potentially increase tenfold.