Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 680 The Mysterious Follower

In the following standard days, Chen Xi and his mysterious retinue entered a new mode of life in the "Giant Stone" fortress.

They were moved to an area closer to the archives and think tanks, where their range of activities was slightly expanded, but they remained under close surveillance.

They were accompanied by Sergeant Camille and two other inner-ring guards on rotation. These soldiers were taciturn and acted like moving surveillance cameras, recording their every move.

The work of reviewing the archives was carried out in an extremely oppressive atmosphere.

They were not led into the core archives, but into an adjoining area known as the "Historical Gallery".

The contents here are mostly myths and legends about the Caliban Knights era, epics praising the heroes of past chapters (the content of which has obviously been greatly embellished and abridged), and some records about the flora and fauna of Caliban and ancient customs.

There is no record whatsoever of the Horus rebellion, the destruction of Caliban, and the subsequent ten-thousand-year hunt.

Chen Xi patiently flipped through these seemingly unimportant files and data panels, his gaze sweeping over the ornate illustrations depicting knights battling giant beasts and reading the flowery yet empty hymns.

He wasn't really expecting to find direct answers here, but rather trying to decipher the image the Dark Angels wanted to project and the outline of the truth they were trying to hide through this access to information.

He would occasionally whisper to his attendants, pointing out contradictions in certain legends or deliberately obscured time points in some descriptions.

The figure under the cloak mostly listened quietly, occasionally extending a slender, pale finger to point to a description of a particular plant in the forest, or the emblem of an ancient knightly family, emitting a barely audible hum of agreement or attention.

These subtle interactions were all observed by the vigilant observers.

The exchanges with think tanks are more direct, but also more dangerous.

The curator of the Dark Angels' think tank is a veteran with powerful psychic abilities and eyes as deep as an ancient well.

Chen Xi needed to describe in detail the “psychic echoes” he perceived—he meticulously crafted a description that was half true and half false, mixing real warp disturbance perceptions with literary embellishments of themes such as the destruction of the Caliban and the Primarch’s slumber.

He had to make his description sound credible, but not too specific lest it be disproven.

The whole process was like dancing on a knife's edge. The think tank director's psychic perception acted like a probe, trying to probe the true intentions behind his words.

Chen Xi maintained a difficult balance by relying on his powerful spiritual energy control and the unique concealment brought by the emperor's "blessing".

Throughout the entire process, his entourage remained an insignificant appendage, quietly standing in a corner, seemingly oblivious to the powerful clash of psychic energies.

Opportunities to participate in survey briefings are extremely rare, and the content is rigorously filtered.

Chen Xi could only hear about the approximate time, location, and damage caused by the attack (usually the disappearance of patrol teams or the destruction of forward outposts), but he was completely unaware of the attackers' specific tactics, traces left behind, and other crucial information.

The Dark Angels clearly only want him to know that "something happened," not that he needs to know "how exactly it happened."

Any further analytical suggestions or requests for information sharing made by Chen Xi were politely but firmly rejected.

In this restricted environment, Chen Xi tried to make contact with the robed figures known as the "Dark Watchers" that he occasionally encountered in the corridors or rest areas.

However, these members were extremely wary of strangers and would often quickly avoid him before he could even strike up a conversation. During his time at "The Rock," he did not gain the trust of these mysterious guardians, who remained silent and loyal in carrying out their duties, maintaining absolute isolation from the outside world.

Despite the slow progress and numerous limitations, Chen Xi did not show any impatience.

He knew all too well that against such a stubborn and cautious opponent as the Dark Angels, any rash advance could lead to the loss of all previous efforts.

He used this time of "house arrest" to learn more about the war group through observation.

He observed the rhythm of the fortress's operation, the expressions and gestures of the warriors coming and going, and felt the unique atmosphere emanating from this mobile fortress, a mixture of pride, sorrow, and heavy guilt.

During the long warp journey toward the former territory of Caliban, Chen Xi spent most of his time in his room, talking with his short, hooded follower.

The topics discussed mostly revolved around the Dark Angels—their historical mysteries, various rumors about "fallen angels," the official version of the Caliban bombing and the possible hidden truth, and the character of Lion King Leon and the significance of his slumber.

Chen Xi did most of the talking, citing classical texts and making analyses and speculations.

His tone was more like an academic discussion or a soliloquy than an urgent search for answers.

The attendant, most of the time, simply sat quietly to the side, like a most patient listener.

The cloak's shadow completely obscured her face; only the faint rustling of the fabric as she occasionally adjusted her posture revealed that she was listening intently.

She rarely speaks up on her own initiative. Only when Chen Xi's point of view is particularly sharp, or when it touches on a very core contradiction, will she give a brief, almost breathy response.

Sometimes it's a single syllable expressing affirmation, sometimes a slight rising tone with a questioning connotation, and sometimes a long, drawn-out breath as if lost in thought.

These responses, though brief, always appeared at crucial junctures, as if encouraging Chen Xi to delve deeper or highlighting the value of a particular line of thought.

This predominantly one-way communication, in the eyes of the monitor, might simply be a way for the judge to relieve stress, or an inherent, silent mode of interaction between him and his eccentric retinue.

They couldn't understand that this seemingly casual conversation was, for Chen Xi, both a process of organizing her thoughts and a deeper level of probing and confirmation.

Through his narration, he sorted out his understanding of the dark angels; and the sporadic responses from his silent follower were like occasional glimmers of light in the darkness, faint yet enough to assure him that he was on the right path, and that some ancient echoes resonated with his words in this small guest room.

The "Rock" fortress sailed steadfastly through the waves of the warp, heading towards its long-destroyed homeworld.

Inside the fortress, a silent struggle continues.

Using the limited trust placed in him, Chen Xi tried to penetrate the hard shell of this secret fortress, like water dripping on a stone.

Meanwhile, the inner circle of the Dark Angels, while granting limited authority, tightly held onto the ultimate key, vigilantly watching every move of this foreign judge, weighing his value and threat.

The storm is brewing, and the answer remains hidden behind the historical fog that shrouds the remains of the Caliban.

(End of this chapter)