Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 534 The Primal's Forbearance

Hathor clearly recognized Feralas as well, his expression a mixture of complexity, wariness, and a hint of... bewilderment.
She instinctively took a half step back, her body tensing slightly in a defensive stance, clutching the data tablet to her chest like a fragile shield.

She showed no intention of attacking, nor did she call for a weapon. Her secretary uniform looked rather thin at the moment, reflecting the confusion in her eyes.

"Hersole!"

Chen Xi emphasized the name, as if trying to imprint it into Felus's consciousness, "Like you, she is also a being reshaped through 'investment'!"

Her memories, her appearance, even her... gender, have all been reshaped.

She is now on our side, a warrior of the Emperor, and a guardian of the Rostov sub-sector!
Horus Lupecal, the son of war who instigated rebellion and betrayed the emperor, has been buried along with his sins from ten thousand years ago!

Chen Xi's words were like cold iron hammers, striking Felus's boiling rage again and again.

Her sharp silver eyes were fixed on Hathor, scrutinizing her mortal body, her feminine features, and the wariness in her eyes that was so different from Horus's, lacking that arrogant ambition.

The familiar yet loathsome face deep in her memory overlapped and separated from the face before her... A tremendous sense of absurdity and an insurmountable sense of alienation overwhelmed her.

At this moment, Ferrus saw the administrative secretary's uniform as more of an ironic disguise.

“She…she possesses the soul of Horus!” Feralus’s voice was low and hoarse, filled with suppressed anger and confusion. The powerful psychic energy suppressed her movements, but her will still stubbornly resisted. “That aura…I can’t be mistaken!”

“The mark may still exist, but the essence is different!” Chen Xi stood firm, continuously outputting psionic pressure to ensure that Feralus could not make any rash moves. “Just like you, Feralus Manus, you returned with the memory of being beheaded, but are you the Primarch who died in the Battle of Istvan V?”

Not entirely! You are all new individuals, carrying the marks of the past, yet walking on entirely new paths! Hathor chose loyalty, chose to fight against Chaos! She and we are on the same side!

The office fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the deep hum of the power backpack and Ferrus's heavy, bellows-like breathing.

Hathor remained silent, his gaze shifting complexly between Chen Xi and Feralus.

She could clearly feel the almost tangible hatred and suspicion in Felus's eyes, a deep-seated hatred stemming from the blood feud on Istavan V ten thousand years ago, the shame of being betrayed and beheaded by his most trusted brother, which could not be easily erased with just a few words.

She subconsciously straightened the collar of her uniform, a subtle movement that revealed her inner turmoil.

Chen Xi stared intently at Felus, easing the intensity of his psionic suppression, but his mental vigilance remained undiminished: "Put down your weapons, Felus. Here, in Rostov, our enemy is Chaos, the Aliens, the darkness that threatens humanity's survival."

Hathor is now our ally, part of our strength. Internal strife will only hurt our allies and please our enemies!

Ferrus's chest heaved violently, his silver iron fist clenched tightly, and his knuckles made a teeth-grinding metallic scraping sound.

She stared intently at Hathor, as if trying to see through her, through her administrative secretary uniform, and into the mark that seared her soul.

Millennia of pent-up resentment, the pain of betrayal by her brother, the humiliation of being beheaded… countless intense emotions churned and collided within her steely will. Reason told her that Chen Xi's words made sense, but emotionally, the deep-seated hatred burned through her soul like molten lava, almost breaking free from the shackles of Chen Xi's spiritual energy.

Finally, the hammer that was pointing at Hathor fell very slowly and very reluctantly, hitting the floor with a dull thud, as if it were her sigh of resentment.

The energy circuits on the hammer's body went completely dark, just like the anger that was forcibly suppressed in her body.

Her hand gripped the hammer handle so tightly that her knuckles gleamed with an even deeper, cold metallic sheen from the excessive force.

“An ally? Hmph…” Feralus let out a cold snort full of sarcasm and icy anger. She abruptly turned her head away, no longer looking at Hathor, as if even a glance would be a pollution to her senses.

She whirled around abruptly, the heavy power armor joints emitting a violent friction and the servo motors screeching, revealing her extreme inner turmoil.

“Chen Xi,” she said, her back to the governor and Hathor, her voice as cold as an icy abyss, “I will fulfill the technical requirements.”

But about her…” She paused, the name stuck in her throat like a venomous thorn, “…don’t expect me to act like nothing happened.”

"My workplace," she said, each word seemingly squeezed out from between her teeth, with a metallic, cold hardness, "I don't want any 'unrelated people' disturbing it!"

Before he finished speaking, Feralus's massive body rushed toward the door like a moving mountain.

Hathor instinctively stepped aside, his movement displaying the agility of an administrator.

Ferrus didn't even glance at her again, and before the blast door was fully opened, he used his massive, metal-covered hand to roughly shove the heavy alloy door panel to the side!
"Bang Dang——!!!"

With a deafening crash, the sturdy alloy door was slammed against the wall, the door frame seemingly groaning under the strain, leaving a noticeable dent.

Ferrus's figure, filled with soaring anger and icy repulsion, disappeared outside the door. His heavy footsteps, like war drums, quickly faded into the distance, leaving only a chaotic silence in the office and an awkward, tense atmosphere.

Chen Xi slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, withdrew the released spiritual energy, and wearily rubbed his throbbing temples.

While it's good that a Primarch-level conflict was averted, Feralus's undisguised disgust and the way he distanced himself from Feralus at the end... suggests that future cooperation will likely be fraught with difficulties.

Hathor stood there, looking at the still slightly trembling door frame and the dent on the door, then at Chen Xi, a helpless and bitter smile on his face. He subconsciously smoothed the hem of his uniform, which had been slightly disheveled from stepping back: "It seems... this 'new colleague' has quite a lot of opinions about me, Your Excellency."

“Give her time, Hathor,” Chen Xi waved wearily, his gaze still fixed on the empty doorway, his brow furrowed. “Ten thousand years of hatred… is not so easy to let go of.”

As long as she can do her job well, that's all that can be done for now.

He knew in his heart that this was merely the calm before the storm, and the chasm between the two Primarchs, forged by betrayal and death, was far from being bridged.

(End of this chapter)