This is our Warhammer journey

Chapter 279 Good thing, at least it made the leap from secret agent to American police officer.
The wind and sand raged across the wilderness, leaving several crystalline marks on the ground that shimmered faintly.

Several new wounds appeared on the fallen angels' armor, but they were not life-threatening. Arthur flicked his wrist, and the black sword drew an arc in the wind. The blood droplets that fell off the blade were swallowed up by the howling storm and disappeared in an instant.

His gaze fell heavily on Galad, who was kneeling on the ground, his body as still as if cast in iron.

On the latter's drooping wrist, a fresh wound was slowly oozing blood, causing his five fingers to temporarily lose the strength to grip the sword.

The Dark Angels prefer to speak with their swords, and their cunning members will try to provoke the other person's emotions with words in order to expose their true nature.

That's how they communicate: they fight each other, and then sort out their thoughts in the process.

Arthur withdrew his gaze and looked up into the distance.

Amidst the swirling sand and dust, several more figures struggled to break through the soil and stood silently at the edge of the group, no longer provoking.

"It seems I have initially gained your trust."

Arthur smiled, which meant he was very happy.

"I expect you to surrender your weapons and leave the battlefield with the main force. You will be subject to supervision and identity verification—but don't worry, this is not a prelude to interrogation, but rather my responsibility to the soldiers under my command."

He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, fixed on the distant horizon blurred by the wind and sand:

"Next, I will personally go to the watchtower to determine whether this will be a conflict or a war. You will wait for the results. In the meantime, the soldiers in charge of the liaison will provide you with a detailed analysis of... what exactly happened to Caliban back then."

A brief silence spread amidst the howling storm.

Finally, Gallard slowly turned around and walked towards Kay.

His movements were slightly stiff, and the other fallen angels exchanged a few glances before their tense shoulders finally relaxed.

They agreed with Arthur's decision.

If Arthur wanted to kill them, he only needed to reduce the size of the storm shield by one notch, and no one would have time to get into the drill before the storm hit.

As they lowered their weapons and stepped forward, the Space Marines, who appeared to be much larger than themselves, removed their helmets.

"Kay?"

Galad stared at the approaching face, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Many fallen angels also showed expressions of surprise, never expecting that their former comrades had undergone such a tremendous change.

Then, their gazes fell simultaneously on their armor, weathered by time.

Those once-shining emblems are now faded and worn.

Okay, change is mutual.

"The modification surgery involved three steps; you'll understand when you complete the subsequent pharmacist training."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Kai's mouth, but his eyes remained sharp as knives. He raised his hand and placed it on Galad's shoulder armor, his knuckles tapping the metal surface with a dull sound.

"Now, turn around and let me confiscate your weapon."

Five paces away, Azrael stood motionless, his slug gun steadily aimed at Galad's back; any rash move would be met with a fatal response.

Empty the magazine!

This is also for their own safety.

Galad raised his hand in agreement.

Seeing this scene, Arthur felt that his efforts over the past ten years had been quite effective, at least in changing the standards of a group of ruthless agents to the level of American police.

Although I am still instinctively vigilant, my code of conduct has finally reached a controllable bottom line.

He finally didn't have to appease them one by one.

Actually, this is enough. It would be a big problem if it really became a PLA. In most cases, the people that the Dark Angels need to deal with in this world do not support them having such high qualities.

"Take off your helmet."

Galad reached out and did as he was told.

The sudden influx of dry air, carrying sand and dust, made him unconsciously squint.

"By the Emperor."

Kai's voice suddenly lost all hostility, replaced by a light, mocking laugh.

Upon hearing that familiar tone, Galad's tense nerves relaxed slightly.

"you're old."

Kai looked at Galad, whose beard had turned slightly gray.

"But at least it shows that I survived the chase for so long and am still alive."

Galad retorted irritably, then let out a long sigh, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

"How long did it take you to return to the Milky Way?"

As Kai inquired, his fingers deftly activated the disengagement mechanism of the power backpack.

With a hum from the idle servo motor, the heavy armor components detached.

More than six hundred years ago.

Galad answered without hesitation, his voice tinged with weariness from years of experience.

"That's very early."

Kai raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze sweeping over the other man's weathered face, a brown complexion that rivaled that of an old man.

"The hardship is visible to the naked eye."

"Not as good as you."

Galad once again looked down on the other person, but there was no lack of envy in his eyes.

Excellent logistical support, a strong organization, a powerful leader, and the composure that only comes with long-term exposure to a stable organization. These were things he used to take for granted, but now longed for but could not obtain.

"Perhaps my bad luck has already been used up in Caliban."

Kai replied in a accent heavily influenced by Caliban:

"Next, you will be transferred. The cultivators of Flamewing will verify your identities a second time. At the same time, they will also conduct a full review of the entire Caliban incident. You will cooperate a little and explain what you did in Caliban."

During the Great Expedition, Flamewing was usually in charge of strategic planning, commanding the main battlefield and infiltrating behind enemy lines. Therefore, these members usually knew the most fallen angels.

".I see."

After listening to Kai's explanation, Galad nodded.

He didn't actually want Arthur to explain so much; those questions were asked on behalf of his comrades.

Although saying this might sound a bit arrogant, he genuinely didn't care much about those trivial matters.

For him, the Primarch was authority. As long as he did not betray the Empire, he would obey the Primarch's orders and maintain his noble character in the process. Nothing else mattered to this battle-hardened warrior.

This is why he stayed by the Lion King's side, while Kai was exiled to Caliban.

"You just understand."

Kai continued, "Besides the warband led by Osandas, the curator of the Fallen Angels' think tank, who else do you think are still not corrupted at Vigilant Fortress? Give me a hint."

Galad looked surprised, somewhat puzzled by the other party's knowledge of the Fallen Angels, but still explained carefully:

"Besides the warband led by Osandas, the curator of the Fallen Angels' Treasury, the Void Claws also has a large number of centrist members, about three hundred in total. We have been recruiting these members for the past few hundred years."

"They do not trust the power of chaos, but they still have doubts about the orders of the adults."

Thinking of the increasingly oppressive atmosphere inside the fortress, he unconsciously shook his head.

"Not long ago, Osandas received help from Abaddon while operating in the subspace, and thus incurred a favor. The atmosphere at Fortress is currently very tense. If you hadn't come, I would have chosen to lead the team away from here soon."

Osandas owed Abaddon a favor.

That's not the point. Fallen angels have dealt with many Space Marines who have defected or sided with Chaos.

The key point is that Osandas himself embraced the power of chaos. These think tanks, who have been dealing with the Sea of ​​Souls for many years, are easily tempted to take that step when entangled in hatred and the past, and then they can't stop themselves from going down that path.

This made Galad keenly aware that the sanctuary was no longer suitable for people like them to stay.

"That means a significant proportion of them have sided with Chaos."

Kai indicated that he understood, his voice turning colder.

“We will send a signal to those members who have not defected to stand by and watch. If they insist on getting involved in the conflict, they will not be lenient.”

"this is necessary."

Galad's sigh, mingled with the sandstorm, sounded particularly heavy.

The meeting went so smoothly that he almost regretted it.
boom!
Galad instinctively raised his head and saw a knight who instinctively resisted, only to be pinned to the ground by the inspector.

"calm!"

The inspector gave a low growl, and amidst the rising dust, his iron-like hand gripped the other man's wrist as he tried to protect his helmet.

The physical abilities of the original Space Marines were far superior to those of the firstborn Space Marines. With little difference in combat experience, the rebellious knight was easily pinned to the ground and then restrained.

Only after confirming that the threat had been eliminated did the shooter, who had been aiming at the gun from a distance, slightly loosen his finger on the trigger.

The fleeting conflict caused Galad to furrow his brow beneath his visor. He gazed at his subdued comrade, then at the tense atmosphere around him, a strange, stinging pain spreading through his chest.

When did the First Legion become like this?
"Because of hatred."

Kai understands this mentality very well.

He glanced furtively at Gareth, who was idly sitting next to Azrael, having lost all his social circle.

He even wanted to kill Gareth back then.

The fallen angels, utterly abandoned by the Legion.
Unwilling to bear the stigma of rebellion, yet unable to prove their innocence, they must find some reason to persevere.

For warriors like Galad who had followed the Lion King to defect, they could still hope for the Primarch's return to clear their names.

But for many, the Lion King is a traitor, and the Dark Angels are a continuation of that betrayal.

When innocence becomes a luxury, revenge becomes the only solace.

Hatred is like a slow poison, making eyes grow increasingly sinister, keeping nerves constantly on edge, and leaving only distorted fragments of memories from a thousand years ago playing on a loop in the mind.

"Speaking of which, there has been news about Vigilant Star at Rock Fortress."

Azrael's voice suddenly broke in, and he said thoughtfully:

“A group of fallen angels are leaking information about this place, and they will even sacrifice themselves to allow the inner circle to capture them.”

The Fortress contains the "Void Claw"—an ancient weapon capable of distorting spacetime and creating continuous gravitational anomalies, which is actually a spacetime laboratory left over from the dark age of technology.

This secret is common knowledge within the Broken Steel Wings, and their primary objective on this mission is to retrieve this forbidden artifact.

In fact, these fallen angels were secondary. If Arthur hadn't intended to give them a chance, Flamewing's plan would have been to storm in directly, kill everyone, and let the Emperor decide their loyalty.

These unexpected words immediately drew everyone's attention to Azrael.

Azrael felt a little awkward under their gaze, and then explained:

"I asked."

Is this the point?

The group immediately stared at the recruit, who had always gotten along well with most of the Dark Angels, with surprised looks.

How were you able to establish contact with members who possessed this level of intelligence?
(End of this chapter)