Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 533 Goodbye Horus

Chen Xi cut to the chase without further ado: "I am currently secretly advancing a 'Psionic Knight' research and development project. The core idea is to simplify and democratize some of the Psionic Titan technology and adapt it to the Imperial Knight mechs."

The great sage of mechanics I'm collaborating with has already built a prototype, but they're stuck on several key technological bottlenecks that my research team will find difficult to overcome in the short term.

He paused, his tone becoming cautious, "An Eldar prophet, for his own purposes, offered me their Bone Technique. This technique holds the promise of solving the core problem we currently face."

However, I have never been able to trust the Eldar.

Therefore, I need your personal involvement to oversee and deeply analyze the entire research project, ensuring that this foreign technology... will not pose any hidden dangers.

“Psionic Knight… Fusion Spirit Bone Technology…” Felus repeated in a low voice, her cold metal fingers unconsciously tapping on her knee armor, making a soft clicking sound, indicating that she was quickly thinking about the technical challenges and possibilities involved.

After a moment, she looked up: "This sounds like a very challenging project. When do you need it to be operational?"

"Within ten years, I must see the technology demonstrator completed and operational. Within twenty years, I must ensure the technology is mature and can be mass-produced stably." Chen Xi stared intently at the five-meter-tall technological prototype, his gaze resolute. "Because the 'major event' we predicted will arrive in twenty years."

Ferrus did not immediately make a promise.

She reached out and grasped the hammer handle, and with a slight hum of a servo motor, she stood up with immense agility, easily hoisting the giant hammer onto her broad metal shoulder armor.

"I can't guarantee it will be completed on time, but I will do my utmost." Her voice carried an unwavering commitment. "The goal is to give you a force of psionic knights ready for actual combat during the major event twenty years from now. I..."

Ferrus's low voice was abruptly interrupted.

hiss--!
A piercing hiss of air leaking out rang out.

The heavy, explosion-proof alloy door of the governor's office, designed to withstand heavy firepower, slid smoothly inward.

A figure walked in.

It's Hathor.

At this moment, she is no longer the awe-inspiring Primarch on the battlefield.

She suppressed her power, maintaining her mortal form. Her well-tailored dark gray administrative secretary uniform accentuated her capable figure, and she held a data tablet in her hand, her posture suggesting she was there to handle routine official business.

Ferrus's cold, silver eyes, like a precision scanning array, almost habitually swept over the newcomer at the door.

The moment our eyes met—

Everything froze!
Feralus's massive body suddenly froze.

It was an instinctive, overwhelming cognition that originated from the deepest core of existence!

A recognition program deeply embedded in the genetic code and engraved in the memory of millennia of blood feud was forcibly activated in a flash, completed the comparison, and arrived at the conclusion that made every atom of her roar!

That secretary's uniform? It vanished instantly in Felus's perception! That deliberately maintained mortal demeanor? It became an absurd illusion!

Her vision, her perception, and her extraordinary insight as the Primarch penetrated all appearances, locking onto a unique core essence deep within that body—the source she had once known so well, fought alongside, yet ultimately betrayed her most fatally!
"Ho-Ru-S-S!!!" A roar, brimming with the accumulated hatred of millennia, the excruciating pain of betrayal, and a pure desire for destruction, exploded like thunder in the office!

Ferrus's silver eyes instantly ignited with a terrifying, almost melting, cold light!

The massive power hammer, mounted on her broad shoulder armor, emitted a piercing shriek from its servo mechanism. The heavy hammerhead, accompanied by a sharp, tearing sound, instantly pointed at the figure in the doorway!
The destructive energy circuit wrapped around the hammerhead suddenly overloaded, and dazzling arcs of electricity, powerful enough to melt armor, crackled and sputtered, leaping and exploding between the hammerhead and the adamantite floor like wildly dancing venomous snakes!
The violent killing intent instantly materialized, like an invisible pressure that completely crushed all previous discussions about technology and the future in the office!
Her massive body, made of metal and tough flesh, trembled violently with extreme rage, and the power backpack on her back emitted a muffled and dangerous roar, like a war engine that had been completely ignited, ready to spew out flames of destruction at any moment!
"Horus!"

A roar filled with pent-up rage and astonishment, like a thunderclap, resounded throughout the office!

Felus's silver eyes flashed with a terrifying cold light, and the power hammer on his shoulder pointed towards the door as if drawn by a magnet. The destructive energy circuit wrapped around the hammer head suddenly lit up, and dazzling arcs of electricity leaped and hissed wildly between the hammer head and the ground!
The violent killing intent, like a tangible shockwave, instantly filled the entire space, shattering the rational atmosphere of the previous technical discussion.

Her massive metallic body trembled slightly with extreme rage, and her power backpack emitted an ominous growl.

Time seemed to freeze the moment Feralas recognized Hathor.

The governor's office, which was discussing future plans just a moment ago, was immediately enveloped by an extremely tense and potentially destructive energy, mixed with an indescribable awkwardness—two former brothers (or sisters?) had reunited in such an unexpected and drastically different form, with one of them holding a deadly weapon pointed at the other.

Chen Xi's heart sank.

"Ferus! Stop!"

Chen Xi's roar sounded almost simultaneously with Felus's howl, but the power contained within them was completely different.

An invisible, overwhelming shockwave of spiritual energy suddenly spread out from him, not as an attack, but as a pure and powerful suppression.

The air seemed to be filled with heavy lead, and gravity instantly doubled. All the light objects in the office—the data boards, the scattered documents, and even the air itself—suddenly froze.

This force was precise and domineering, its target being the Primarch's impending rage.

Just as Felus was about to unleash a thunderous attack, his massive body suddenly stopped.

It wasn't a physical obstacle, but a powerful constraint on the mental level, like an invisible iron hoop that instantly tightened her will and actions.

The wildly pulsating arcs of electricity on the hammerhead seemed to be choked, suddenly dimming and going out.

The anger burning in her silver eyes was forcibly suppressed, turning into astonishment and disbelief as she turned with difficulty to Chen Xi.

The sheer power of this spiritual energy far exceeded her expectations, instantly making her realize that the governor before her was no ordinary person, and further demonstrating the unfathomable depth of his underlying will.

"Look closely, Felus!"

Chen Xi's voice, imbued with the majesty of psychic energy, clearly pierced through the frozen air, reaching the very core of Feralus's chaos: "She is not Horus!"
At least, it's no longer the Horus of the past!

He pointed to Hathor, who was also stunned by the sudden turn of events at the door.

(End of this chapter)