Warhammer Survival Guide

Chapter 115 Badge

"I just—did what I was supposed to do," Father Alpha replied weakly.

Clearly, those four hours of battling in the field of microscopic neural networks had exhausted all his computing power and energy.

Here is a list of supplies.

Galan handed over a heavy data panel.

"In return, the chapter will allocate an additional batch of urgently needed medical supplies to Plenty II, as well as spare parts for high-precision oracles."

"The quantity is not large, but it's enough for you to use for one standard Terra cycle."

The priest did not answer immediately.

His cloudy electronic eyes habitually looked at Luo Wei.

Rowe quickly stepped forward, took the heavy data tablet with both hands, and said respectfully, "Thank you for the chapter's generosity, sir."

Garan looked down at Lovi.

His gaze was almost tangible, carrying the oppressive aura unique to demigods, so heavy that it almost suffocated Rowe.

"You must have something extraordinary about you to have gained Father Alpha's approval and trust."

"Please take good care of your mentor; his knowledge is the empire's treasure."

"In the name of the Emperor, I will," Luo Wei swore, bowing his head with a devout expression.

However, he also had another idea in his mind.

There were quite a few knowledgeable priests in the empire.

Even within the Dark Mechanicus, there are many knowledgeable scholars.

What is most precious about Father Alpha is never dry knowledge.

It was his almost obsessive pursuit of truth.

It's the kind of belief that dares to touch taboos in order to save the empire, the kind of sacrifice that says, "If I don't go to hell, who will?"

This is the empire's most scarce and most easily destroyed wealth.

Just as Lovi was about to leave, Galan did not end the meeting.

Suddenly, this Astartes took out a heavy iron medal from the storage pouch at his waist.

The medal's surface is somewhat rough, and it is engraved with the insignia of the "Astral Archon" chapter.

A scepter symbolizing order and judgment.

It was polished until it shone brightly.

Galan stepped forward and presented it to Father Alpha, solemnly saying, "This is the Archon's Glory, awarded only to those who have made significant contributions to the Chapter. Mentor, you saved a Brother of the Chapter's life; this is the honor you deserve."

Father Alpha instinctively took a half step back, his prosthetic arm gripping the edge of his robe, afraid to touch the medal.

"No—Sir, I cannot accept this."

The priest appeared fearful and dejected, saying, "I am a sinner exiled from Mars; my file is filled with accusations of 'technological heresy.'"

"This medal represents the honor of the chapter, and wearing it on me would only tarnish its purity."

Galan shook his head, stepped forward, forcibly pulled the priest's oil-stained mechanical hand, and slammed the medal heavily into his palm.

Then he responded firmly and forcefully: "Glory belongs to actions, not records."

"On the operating table, I saw neither exiles nor sinners. I saw only a mechanical priest, giving his all for the Emperor's warriors."

"The Astral Archons never ask about origins; we only respect results. Accept it, Master; this is an order."

The scene before him filled Luo Wei with emotion.

He had assumed that the Astartes were a group of rigid, rule-bound war machines who viewed ordinary people as worthless.

However, the Garan before them, and the Astral Archon Warband behind him, displayed a moving integrity.

They didn't care about political stains or exile status; they only respected ability and contribution.

This made Luo Wei feel even more awe and goodwill towards this subgroup called "Astral Rulers".

He liked this pure sense of order.

After a long silence, Father Alpha accepted the cold medal.

Then he slipped the medal into Rowe's hand.

"Love—please keep this for me. I am not worthy of it now. One day—after I have cleansed my sins and proven my path is right—you may return it to me."

Luo Wei did not refuse.

Holding the badge in both hands, my feelings were complex and exhilarating.

He carefully tucked the badge into his left pocket, close to his body.

At this moment, on the left side of his chest, lay the emblem of the Astartes Chapter, representing the purest and most loyal forces of the Empire.

On the right side of his chest, beneath two layers of lead plates, lay fragments of a blasphemous amulet from the Nurgle cult.

On the left is ultimate loyalty and honor.

On the right is the ultimate depravity and blasphemy.

Separated only by inches of mortal flesh, they achieved an absurd symmetry amidst the rapid beating of Rowe's heart.

"This is my situation."

Luo Wei chuckled to himself, then gently pressed his fingers against his chest.

Walking between darkness and light, making the most dangerous account in the entire universe.

As he stepped out of the heavy, airtight door of the "Terra Nexus," Lowe deliberately quickened his pace, trying to shake off the invisible pressure behind him.

Father Alpha beside him walked very slowly, and even stumbled a little.

On the operating table, the perfectly functioning robotic arm was now stiffly curled up under his oil-stained red robe.

With each step, the priest's aging internal cooling fan spun rapidly, emitting a series of buzzing sounds.

The two walked through the bustling loading and unloading area and came to a dead corner filled with abandoned shipping containers.

The area is sheltered from the wind, and the industrial noise is blocked by the layers of cargo, making it relatively quiet and secluded, so it won't be seen by outsiders.

Luo Wei took a can of industrial lubricant out of his pocket and handed it over.

He took this from the servant halfway there.

Looking at the priest's still slightly trembling mechanical arm, Lowe jokingly said in a seemingly relaxed tone, "Old buddy, have a drink. You're still got it. Even after all these years, even using a nearly worn-out farm machinery repair arm, you still dared to operate on Astartes' chest."

"I just saw your hands; they're even steadyer than the watchmakers on Terra."

Father Alpha neither reached for the lubricant nor responded to Rowe's praise. Sitting on a discarded solid rubber tire, he asked, "Advisor Rowe, did you think that only Pharmacist Galan was watching us in the medical pod just now?"

Luo Wei's movement of unscrewing the lubricant cap froze in mid-air: "What do you mean?"

The priest's voice, trembling with a static tone, said, "My bird-viewing instrument is a bit outdated, but for research purposes, I secretly added a high-sensitivity thermal imaging array."

.

"During the four hours of the surgery, there was a faint refraction and distortion of light in the four corners of the room."

"That thing is called a Chameleon Camouflage Field, a stealth device used by Space Marines as scouts and snipers."

The priest looked up, his voice tinged with lingering fear, and said, "They activated an invisibility field, invisible to the naked eye, but I could detect suppressed energy fluctuations."

"The energy they exuded was very unstable. This is because they had just crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, and their ferocity and killing intent had not yet completely dissipated."

"There were at least four bomb guns, maybe sniper rifles, pointed at my servo arm from the shadows, and also at your head."

"If my actions are even off by a single micrometer, or if your words or deeds show any disrespect for the battle group—"

The priest didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Luo Wei fell silent.

He recalled how he had seemed so relaxed as an observer in the operating room.

It turned out that he had been being watched closely by his teammates, the Pharmacist Galan.

The reason why the Pharmacist Galan didn't mention it was probably because he didn't want to put psychological pressure on Alpha.

However, this points to a colder conclusion:

This warband, known as the "Astral Archon," had not experienced an ordinary battle, but a brutal fight that could shake the will of a demigod.

Even when they were in the absolute safety of a rear hospital ship, and even when they were facing Alpha, who had saved their comrades, these soldiers' combat logic still overwhelmed the order to rest.

Always invisible, always ready to fire.

This is not just a simple vigilance; it is an unstoppable killing habit, a post-war stress response that runs deep into the bones.

If even the Emperor's angels are in such a state, the plight of the mortal legions struggling on the front lines of the war zone is probably far beyond what Rowe can comprehend.

Luo Wei forcefully cut off this divergent association.

Excessive thinking only leads to meaningless mental exhaustion.

The hope he saw in Astartes, inside the medical bay, now seemed so heavy.

They are the empire's sharpest sword.

It is also steel that could break at any time.

Lowe shoved the lubricant in his hand into the priest's cold mechanical claw.

"Drink up. Clean up your logic circuits and forget about what just happened."

He patted the priest's still trembling shoulder and whispered, "We survived. That's the only important data."

The next morning.

There are only 24 hours left before the 48-hour deadline set by Márquez for the collection of taxes.

The sky above Fengrao II, a sickly leaden gray, had become even more intense.

Acid rain drizzled down, hitting the cold concrete and steel railings of the D-4 platform.

Marquez looked up at the sky, his face showing disgust.

He disliked the oppressive, gloomy climate here.

Then, he led Rowe to the high platform in the assembly square.

The square was full of people.

Tens of thousands of ragged laborers shivered in the cold wind.

They were transported overnight from various agricultural war zones, including Rowe's eastern granaries.

These people were divided into different formations according to their gender and age.

The servo skull behind Márquez hovered above the crowd's heads, its red laser beams scanning the faces of everyone.

"Human resource collection".

Marquez's cold, electronically synthesized voice echoed through the rain.

"According to the emergency order from the Star Region Military Affairs Department, Abundance 2 needs to pay an additional 20,000 standard units of biological wet components."

"6

Standing behind him, Luo Wei felt a sinking feeling in his heart.

In the past, agricultural planets only needed to provide food in the tithe records.

Human resources are typically provided by hive worlds and prison planets.

Now, even the Abundance II, which serves as the empire's granary, is being required to hand over its labor force.

This means that the external situation has deteriorated to an unimaginable degree.

Marquez raised the mechanical claw, pointed it at a young male laborer, and coldly shouted: "Number 774-902, muscle density meets the standard, bone development is complete, and tooth wear is low."

"Recruited. Assigned to the Astral Army Logistics Support Corps as a heavy weapons loader."

The two arbitrators immediately stepped forward and dragged out the young man, whose face was filled with terror.