Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 332 Relics Ascend
Under Chen Xi's repeated urging, the mechanical priests in their red robes dared not delay any longer.

They manipulated sophisticated robotic arms, rapidly completing the cutting operation of the entire ruins amidst blinding plasma sparks.

Several anti-gravity platforms were carefully installed at the bottom of the ruins, shimmering with a ghostly blue energy light.

"Raise it up immediately!" Chen Xi's voice echoed throughout the area via the communicator.

Meanwhile, the ancient ruins defenders, reinforced by armored forces, have re-fortified their lines.

While suppressing the Greenskins' attack with a dense barrage of fire, the Imperial soldiers methodically recovered the damaged knight mechs and the bodies of their fallen comrades.

According to standard operational procedures, they must ensure that no materials or technology are left behind that can be used by the enemy.

Because Chen Xi's second order had been relayed to every combat unit: the Imperial Army was about to begin its withdrawal operation.

However, the retreat was not a one-off event, but rather a carefully planned echeloned transfer, with transport ships and boats carrying troops in batches to warships on the tracks.

Most shockingly, the Mechanicus is deploying a plan to install a giant teleportation device on the planet's surface, directly transporting the entire planet to the Throne of the Necromancers in space.

When Chen Xi first heard about this plan, he could hardly believe his ears.

"These tech geeks can actually teleport a planet?" Chen Xi wondered to himself, his brows furrowing involuntarily.

He had assumed the Mechanicus would use a more "conventional" approach, such as installing planetary thrusters or gravity-based traction devices.

This discovery forced him to reassess the technological prowess that the Mechanics had unearthed from the Dark Ages.

But now is not the time to delve into these matters.

Chen Xi's gaze turned to the ancient ruins that had been completely cut off.

Five nuns of silence remained stationed there, using their ethereal energy field to block Crocker's every move.

The entire ruin now resembles a massive block of metal frozen in time, its architectural style neither resembling the rugged creations of the Greenskins nor conforming to the architectural style of the Necromancers.

Chen Xi didn't have the extra energy to verify whether this was a lost ancient holy relic or a container built by a long-extinct civilization after accidentally obtaining Kroc.

At this moment, he had only one firm thought in his mind: he must throw this dangerous relic—along with the Kroc sealed inside—into the nearest star as soon as possible to eliminate any future trouble.

But this decision was met with fierce opposition from the Cult of Mechanics.

The red-robed priests swarmed around like vultures smelling carrion, their mechanical eyes flashing with greedy data streams, their binary prayers laced with a longing for ancient technology.

They desperately wanted to obtain Kroc as a research sample, even if it meant destroying it, just to get some spores or body tissue for their research.

Several high-ranking priests even deployed holographic projections on the spot to demonstrate how to preserve samples using a static force field.

There was even a crazed mechanical priest who told Chen Xi that they should strip Crocker of his obviously high-tech armor. The priest's mechanical tentacles twitched excitedly, claiming that the armor's technology might surpass all existing technology on Mars.

His voice was distorted with excitement, and a piercing static noise burst from his electronic throat.

However, Chen Xi ignored them and instead called 32 from Rostov.

Although it took some time—during which the priests chattered incessantly in his ears like buzzing servo skulls—his status as a 32nd Mechanic Inquisitor silenced the noisy geeks and sent them back to their work.

She simply displayed the rose knot symbol of the courtroom, and the priests' mechanical voices fell silent instantly, as if their throats had been choked, and they slunk back to their posts.

There was no way around it; the Mechanicus was an internal order within the Inquisition specifically targeting the Cult of Mechanics, and 32 was also a member of the Discipline Hall—a status that was a fatal blow to the Mechanic.

"So, besides logistical support, are there any combat missions for us?" 32 hugged the mechanical cat she had made, with several kittens crawling all over her body and meowing.

She leaned against the control panel, looking somewhat bored.

Chen Xi lifted his gaze from the tactical hologram, the projected blue light casting a shadow on his cold, handsome face.

"As for combat missions..." Chen Xi pondered for a moment, then asked quite seriously, "How many Christian guards do you have?"

The mechanical tentacles of 32 drew arcs of electricity in the air, pulling up a troop list: "One Hongzhi Guardian Army, plus three squads of intelligent mech soldiers. What, is the front line in dire straits?"

Chen Xi's gaze swept across the defensive line contraction marked on the hologram. The blue markers representing the Imperial Army were retreating in an orderly manner, but each node on the retreat route was flashing with signs of reinforced defenses.

“If you have enough troops, you can go down and participate in ground combat.” He pointed to a key pass: “Although the main force is retreating, this line of defense must be maintained until the technical priests finish installing the teleportation device.”

The 32-inch mechanical prosthetic eye rapidly zoomed in and out, analyzing the battlefield data stream.

Suddenly, her expression turned playful: "Wait, you just said 'if there are enough troops'? You mean if there aren't enough?"

“If that’s not enough,” Chen Xi pulled up an encrypted file from the data panel, and the holographic projection immediately turned a blinding scarlet red, “I suggest you go to the sector capital with Guterres and MaiMai. Ahriman might need some help.”

"Ariman?" 32 looked curious, clearly more interested in investigating the cult than in going to gank with the greenskins: "Wasn't he already taken care of the cult in the sector capital?"

“According to Ahriman’s investigation, the Blood Oath Order has indeed been basically eliminated, and all kinds of problems have been eradicated. However, he discovered traces of another cult organization, and it may involve the Great Demon.” Chen Xi took out a secret document and handed it to 32: “You should know what the Great Demon is. If it really involves the Great Demon, the problem will be very serious.”

32's mechanical tentacles suddenly stiffened, and data streams flashed wildly in her eyes: "Great Demon? Are you sure?"

“I’m not sure, but since Ahriman said so, it would be better to investigate.” Chen Xi sent the file to 32, indicating that the specific situation still needed to be investigated.

32's mechanical fingers deftly flipped the chip, a glint of excited blue light flashing in its prosthetic eyes: "Understood! I'll go find MaiMai and the others right now."

After saying that, she turned and left, and her cats followed.

(End of this chapter)