I'm in Warhammer, I just want to grow mushrooms

Chapter 262 Creating an Information Cocoon for Horus

The Avengers' ships departed the space junkyard.

Shadowmoon Wolves swept through the Ulanor Orc ships and space outposts, capturing the garrison commander of the space junkyard.

This is a Ulanor orc who is nearly three meters tall. He lost both arms in the battle, but his temper is still volatile. He keeps shouting that he wants to fight Shrimp one-on-one.

It was fitted with a bite-proof hood and an electric shock collar and taken to the interrogation room.

As the spotlights came on, the intense light pierced their eyes, and the orc instinctively squinted.

The interrogator stood behind the light source, becoming a cold, dark shadow, and asked the first question in a detached tone:
"Orc, are you aware of Urg's capture of Loka?"

"Hahaha! Of course I know! You shrimps are a bunch of cowards! The Primarch is only slightly stronger than shrimps and pointy-beaked brats! When our boss personally takes action, even your Emperor will have to kneel down!"

"Sizzle s ...————"

A powerful electric current surged through his body, causing the orc to tremble.

The interrogator then asked:

"There are rumors that Ulger has gone missing. Is that true?"

"None of your business! Our boss can go wherever he wants."

"Sizzle s ...————"

Another surge of electricity passed through, punishing the orc for his insolence.

"Tell me, do you know where Urg has gone?"

The interrogator asked the third question.

Just as the orc was about to answer, his pupils twitched almost imperceptibly before returning to normal.

At this moment, Li Nuo logged into the orc's "account".

He quickly grasped the situation and began to act methodically.

It's definitely not appropriate to simply say that the "Wolf Blade" is in the Pacific Starfield.

If the answer comes too easily, the interrogator may not believe it.

So we have to be patient and wait until the atmosphere is right before revealing the news.

“I know where Boss Urge went, but why should I tell you?”

"Do you think that just because you orcs aren't afraid of death, we can't deal with you?" The interrogator sneered.
"To tell you the truth, orc. One of the brilliant governors of our human empire invented a potion that can prevent orcs from having offspring. We've just obtained some samples and are looking to test its effects. You don't want your body to be unable to produce spores, do you?"

ah!!!!!!!?????????

Seriously, buddy?!

Are you kidding me?!

When did the torture of orcs begin with castration?
Also, the medicine you mentioned, could it be the spore activity inhibitor I invented?
Li Nuo was completely dumbfounded, and almost blurted out "Holy shit!"

His stunned expression led the interrogator to mistakenly believe that he was suffering from a huge physical and mental shock and was about to succumb to the pressure.

The interrogator waved his right hand, preparing to increase the intensity.

The mechanical priest stepped forward, his mechanical arm extending from his back. On his mechanical claw was an injection tube as thick as a bowl. The liquid in the glass tube had a faint green hue; it was the spore inhibitor that Li Nuo was all too familiar with.

Li Nuo had castrated countless orcs, never imagining that he himself would suffer the same fate one day.

In order to maintain his current public image, he gritted his teeth and continued to stubbornly deny it.

"Hmph! Don't try to scare me!"

"If you don't believe me, try it. First, inject it with half a dose of the medicine."

At the interrogator's command, the needle pierced the orc's skin, and half a vial of medicine entered the orc's body.

A short while later, the skin on the orc's upper body underwent a dramatic change.

Its body surface originally has many protrusions for releasing spores.

All of these bumps have disappeared.

The mechanical priest took out a scalpel and stabbed the orc in the chest.

This attack should have triggered a physiological response in the orc, causing it to spray out a small amount of spores.

However, it only secretes a few spores from its lower body, while its upper body remains completely still.

Li Nuo timely displayed panic:
"Wanla! I'm going to be childless! You despicable bastards! If you dare, fight me. If you win, I'll tell you where Boss Urge is!"

The mechanical priest remained silent, but simply inserted the needle again.

Li Nuo pretended to be terrified and screamed:
"Stop! I'll tell you! I'll tell you! Boss Urg and Loga are fighting on the 'Wolf Blade'. The 'Wolf Blade' got lost in the warp and accidentally ended up in the Pacific Sector."

The interrogator paused slightly, exchanged a glance with the mechanical priest, and then asked:
"This place is so far from the Taiping Starfield, it would take half a year just to send a message. Only half a month has passed, how did you know the 'Wolf Blade' was in the Taiping Starfield?"

“We orcs have a wonderful little box called the Roaring Box. It can communicate across interstellar space with zero latency. The Wolf Blade is on fire, the warp engine and the broken shield are damaged and won't be repaired anytime soon, and the ship's braking engine has also died, so the ship can't stop. All the Techies need to do is use the Roaring Box to call for help from the Great Crown.”

Li Nuo blurted out everything he had to say.

The mechanical priest nodded and said in a synthesized voice:
"The Greenskins do indeed possess such magical artifacts. They are extremely difficult to decipher, and progress on Mars has been minimal."

The interrogator paused for a moment:
"Orc, tell me, is our Primarch Logar still alive?"

“Just thinking about Luo Jia makes me angry,” Li Nuo said, grumbling.

"The Wolf Blade is practically a junk, and that kid Loka is still fighting with Boss Urg. He really doesn't know his own limitations!"

The interrogator, having obtained a satisfactory answer, made a gesture.

"bass--"

A sharp spike shot out from the back of the chair, piercing the orc's skull, forcing Li Nuo to end the Waaagh simulation.

His consciousness returned to his human body, and he woke up in bed.

Opening the Waaagh simulation interface, Li Nuo continuously searches for the specified simulation object.

"System, accurately search for any orcs who are asked about Urg's whereabouts, and list those closest to Shadowmoon Wolves."

[Searching.]

Search complete.

Search results: 22 items.

【...】

Li Nuo selected the highest priority simulation subject and started the simulation again, where he saw the interrogator and mechanical priest from before.

He cooperated with the two men in their act, and under pressure from the spore activity inhibitor, he "reluctantly" revealed the whereabouts of the "Wolf Knife".

In the following days, Li Nuo conducted intensive searches and simulations, changing the simulation objects no less than a hundred times.

This process was repeated again and again, and an information cocoon targeting Shadowmoon Wolf was thus created.

To make the scene more realistic, Li Nuo spread rumors again at the "Great Crown" to create the atmosphere that Ulger was in distress in the Pacific Starfield.

He even went so far as to expend magical spores to forcibly control a green-skinned logistics fleet, ostensibly to deliver supplies to Urg, and head to the Pacific Starfield.

Such a long and arduous process was tiring, but the results were undeniably excellent. Shadowmoon Wolf had complete faith in the information he had gathered.

This is the 10th day since Expeditionary Fleet No. 63 began its rescue operation for Loga.

The "Soul of Vengeance," a Glory Queen-class battleship, hovered silently in the void filled with the wreckage of green-skinned ships.

The flagship's bridge is so spacious that it can fit even the smallest frigate.

In the center of the strategy room is a circular stone slab, about ten meters in diameter. A holographic device projects a screen onto it, transforming it into a dynamically changing war situation table.

Hundreds or even thousands of strip-shaped intelligence tags floated above the war situation round table, forming a tight intelligence network.

These are important pieces of information that Expeditionary Fleet No. 63 has collected over the past ten days, and each piece is related to the "Wolf Blade", Ulger, and Loga.

All this intelligence points to the same conclusion:
The Wolf Blade has been lost in the subspace and is currently stranded at the southernmost tip of the Pacific Sector. It urgently needs rescue. Ulger and Loga on board are in a state of combat and have not stopped fighting.

Five figures stood around the round table discussing the war situation.

The leader was bald, the most muscular man, wearing a white Terminator power armor with gold trim, and had a whole wolf skin on his shoulder.

He was Horus Lupecal, the genetic prototype of the Sixteenth Legion.

Four Space Marines stood beside him.

Azekair Abaddon, the company commander, is a rough-tempered but brave fighter.

Tarek Togarden, the company commander of the second company, is cheerful, straightforward, and honest.

Hastel Sejanus, the company commander of the Fourth Company, is a gentleman and acts with composure.

Horus Asimand, the company commander of the Fifth Company, is known as "Little Horus." He is resourceful and cunning, but also somewhat gloomy.

These four company commanders formed the "Council of Four Kings".

They were Horus's staff, advising him and jointly deciding on the strategic policy of Expeditionary Fleet 63.

Each of their personalities corresponds to a certain aspect of Horus in some way.

When the four were combined, they possessed all the qualities of Horus.

Correspondingly, when Horus neglects someone in the Council of Four Kings, it symbolizes that Horus has forgotten one of his virtues.

In the Warhammer 30k canon, the decline of the Council of Four Kings proceeded in tandem with the corruption of Horus.

However, at this time, the Council of the Four Kings and Horus are on very good terms and there has been no split.

"The situation is very clear, sir." Abaddon pointed to the intelligence reports on the war situation table, full of confidence:

“Urg is trapped at the southernmost tip of the Pacific Sector and urgently needs a large amount of supplies to repair the ‘Wolf Blade’ and manpower to help him control Loga. We should set off immediately, seize the ‘Wolf Blade’ before Ulano’s rescue fleet arrives, rescue Loga, and take out Urg along the way.”

Horus did not respond, but stared at the intelligence on the table, his brows furrowed, appearing quite deep.

Horus the Younger shook his head slightly, his brows also furrowed.

The other two members of the Council of Four Kings, seeing the thoughtful expressions on the faces of Horus and Horus, did not express their agreement with Abaddon.

"Is there something wrong?" Abaddon's gaze swept over Horus and Horus, expecting a response.

Horus puffed out his chest, took a breath, and nodded to young Horus:
“You speak, Asimand. You are more articulate than I am when it comes to expressing complex issues.”

“Yes, sir.” Although Asimand was also bald, his facial features were much softer than Horus’s.

He reached out and pressed the control button on the war situation roundtable.

A wartime council’s announcement to the entire region has surfaced.

"Before we formally discuss our next course of action, I think we should review this announcement."

Asimand pointed to the appendix to the notice, where the wartime council issued orders to Expeditionary Force 63:

"I've been pondering this question for the past few days. Why was it our 63rd Expeditionary Fleet that rescued Loga, and not the Expeditionary Fleet of the Word Bearers Legion?"

“Of course, it’s because we are the bravest,” Abaddon blurted out, then immediately stopped himself, sensing the awkward atmosphere.

Asimand continued:

"I asked the chief of the Star Language Court to inquire about the recent activities of the Word Bearers Legion. I discovered something unusual. In Loga's 47th Expeditionary Fleet, there are several Imperial Guards responsible for monitoring the Word Bearers."

"After Loka was captured by Urg, the Imperial Guard ordered the 47th Expeditionary Fleet to return to Kochs. The other fleets of the Word Bearers also received orders within a few days and all returned to Kochs. As of this time today, I have not received any news of the Word Bearers setting out on an expedition."

At this point, even Abaddon, whose mind wasn't exactly sharp, realized that something was amiss:

"Why do I have this feeling that the Emperor has placed the Whisperers under house arrest?"

“Although Terra hasn’t said it explicitly, that’s certainly the case.” Asimand looked at Horus, who nodded at him, gesturing for him to continue.

Asimand pressed the button again, and several news items from Terra appeared on the war situation table.

A Friendly Meeting Between Humankind, the Master of the Sea, and Marine Life

The Emperor Arrives in the Magical World, and the Local Wizards Bow Down in Submission

"When the Emperor Goes to War, Not a Blade of Grass Grows: The Demise of the Herbaceous Alien"

Asimand simply presented the news without making any comments.

At this point, anything said based on the news is a desecration of the Emperor's authority and a condemnation of the Lord of Mankind, the Father of the Genesis.

As a son of Horus, Asimand can be considered the emperor's "grandson".

Loka, another son of the emperor.

When he was imprisoned and in dire need of help, his father, the emperor, was "traveling and enjoying himself" in the Milky Way.

Asimand felt he had no right to criticize his "grandfather".

But his silence already conveyed his attitude.

Of the five people present, Abaddon had the lowest emotional intelligence, but even he had a moment of clarity amidst the oppressive atmosphere and grasped Asimand's meaning:
"Yes, that's strange. Why didn't the Emperor lead the Word Bearers on the expedition? Even if he had some friction with them because of the Perfect City incident, he should have stood with our Expedition 63, instead of abandoning us..."

"Hmph..." Horus, stung by the attack, exhaled a heavy breath, his voice hoarse as he said:
"Asimand, that's enough of the analysis. Switch the camera back to the intelligence network."

"Yes, my lord."

A brief moment flashed across the battle situation roundtable, and intelligence regarding the "Wolf Blade" reappeared.

Horus stepped forward, bracing himself against the edge of the table, his face reflecting the dynamic light of the holographic image, his expression dark and uncertain:

"Let us temporarily forget about factors outside of our mission and focus our attention on rescuing Loka. Issue my order: Expeditionary Fleet 63, depart immediately. Target: Southern Pacific Sector, Thebes Sector."

The communications director, who was stationed in the strategy room, received the order and relayed it on the data panel.

Asimand asked:

"My lord, should we request aid from the Imperial worlds near the Thebes sector? There might be Imperial troops and legions on missions there."

“No, Asimand.” Horus straightened up and turned around:

“I am willing to take this action as a test from my father. I cannot understand his intentions for the time being. But, whatever decision he makes, we must carry it out.”

The four kings nodded in unison and said no more.

(End of this chapter)