The Astartes Family's Notebook

Chapter 449 Eternal Calamity

From a journalism perspective, how do you plagiarize articles about white supremacy?

Just change the name.

What?

Crack down on pornography and illegal publications.

what!

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When it comes to secret research bases, what is the first impression that comes to mind for you time travelers?

Desolate mountains and wilderness, isolated islands and desolate lands?

You can criticize Umbrella for being bad, but you can't wrongly accuse the Umbrella Corporation of being incompetent.

Truly secret research facilities are hidden in plain sight.

After all, once scientific research enters certain fields, it is no longer a simple matter of a few brilliant researchers having a flash of inspiration.

Thousands upon thousands of experiments, countless consumables, and enormous demands for energy.

Secrets, research, and large-scale bases—this was an impossible triangle in ancient Terra.

However, in our human empire—yes, the empire of the double-headed eagle—the impossible triangle became possible because of the unique independence of the Mechanicus.

The Mechanic Temples in every major imperial world essentially undertake a variety of scientific research tasks.

It's true that digging up graves and doing archaeology is an important part of the daily life of tech enthusiasts, but the idea that Imperial technology relies on archaeology is just a joke. The Mechanics Cult is also seriously working on research projects that conform to traditional stereotypes.

The pressure from the penitent monks and the vilifiers was immense, and the entire Guardian Army that built the temple was mobilized, creating excellent room for maneuver for the Blood Ducks' secret infiltration.

but......

That's too easy.

Kaz didn't believe that his stealth skills had really reached the mystical level of the original Blood Raven.

So Lord Zhongtang's first reaction was, "Oh no, we've run into a fire dragon that's burning the warehouse!"

"Don't damage any facilities or equipment. No need to carefully distinguish them. Just pick what's easy to take. Be quick and stylish!"

However, there are bad guys among the oil guys. When they discovered that Kars had noticed something amiss, they didn't even need to pretend. As a large number of red warning lights turned green, all the doors opened to Blood Duck.

"Boss, it wasn't me, the door opened by itself."

Qiong En quickly reported the situation.

Alright, the atmosphere's already set, let's go check it out. The host has extended a warm invitation, it's not Kars' style to turn down such an invitation.

And so, Grandma Ka led the group into the Grand View Garden.

Wow, it's actually the Empire's most advanced optical storage device...

Don't accuse the Empire of only using wet components; in fact, human technology is quite diverse when it comes to storage media.

The so-called optical memory is made by injecting a pre-written optical code into a reflective mirror that resembles an "infinite loop". Once the injection is complete, the content cannot be changed. After the translation is exported, the memory is scrapped and the content is destroyed automatically.

To put it simply, this is a one-time reader.

Seeing this, what comes to mind for all you thieves who frequently go out to the lab?

It's an STC template that the Mechanicus Cult copied themselves!

Regardless of whether it's STC or not, content that uses optical storage can't be cheap mainland Chinese products, because making one of these things is very expensive, at least more expensive than making a set of Astartes power armor.

Handle with care and avoid bumping or knocking it; this thing is very delicate.

Regardless of the other party's intentions, since the host was so hospitable, Katz naturally had no reason to leave empty-handed.

The wind is getting strong, let's get out of here.

Although Kars and his group took less than one-thousandth of the total items in the Mechanicus warehouse, the Blood Duck's bad seeds strictly followed their leader's orders.

We don't let any unique items go unnoticed, and for series items, we cut off the beginning and end and pick out the middle ones to satisfy our obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

The return journey was easier than the infiltration route, even though the Astartes were carrying large bags and bundles, the Emperor's thieving angels possessed superhuman physical abilities that allowed them to do so.

Now that the Blood Duck had been obtained, the trolls naturally left as well. With the trolls gone, the repentant monk had no interest in staying to take the blame.

So in less than a minute, the local mechanics sage knew that his house had been burgled.

Holy crap, the Great Sage barely managed to suppress the urge to order anti-aircraft fire to destroy the Penitentiary Chapter's aircraft, having exhausted his last shred of sanity.

Astartes, you all deserve to die!

Alright, alright, you've had your fill of anger. Let's get to the damages.

Then, after taking stock, the Great Sage regretted why he had considered the bigger picture earlier; he should have just opened fire first!

But the good thing about motorists is that they are quite pragmatic.

"Contact the governor; I have something to discuss with him."

The wedge left by Katz has begun to take effect.

Since the Astartes are still hanging in the sky and haven't rushed to escape, it proves that things haven't reached the point of no return.

Talk is possible. We're all loyal subjects of the empire. Even teeth and lips sometimes clash. What can't we loyalists talk about, Your Excellency? You agree, don't you?

Ah, yes, yes, yes.

Regarding the laboratory accident involving the Mechanicus monks, the Astartes Chapter expresses its deepest condolences and sincere sympathies, and is willing to offer any assistance it can. You're all right, Governor.

Ah, yes, yes, yes.

During the negotiations between the Mechanicus and the descendants of Astartes, the governor of the planet was amused by the two aloof imperial giants acting like scoundrels.

But as much as he was enjoying himself, the governor dared not add anything more to the drama. If things went wrong, the Astartes Chapter and the Mechanicus's Defenders might end up fighting on their own planet.

With a reliable intermediary, the Mechanicus quickly reached a preliminary agreement with Astartes.

With things having come to this point, both the insulters and the penitent monks finally relented.

Everyone has their own expertise. I've heard before that the Blood Ravens are cunning and ruthless, always up to no good, and they're good at all sorts of dirty tricks. What a loyal branch of the Empire! Their reputation is a guarantee of their fighting strength.

The penitent monks' urgent need for war supplies and the pent-up frustration of the grumbling monks who had been queuing for three months finally found their release.

In any case, the matter has been determined to be a laboratory accident, and it has nothing to do with Astartes.

As for why the governor was able to rescue those miraculous materials from the heavily guarded secret research facility of the Forging Temple thousands of kilometers away, if you're so capable, go ask the Emperor yourself. If you're not capable but still dare to ask, someone will send the talkative fellow to see the Emperor.

However, Katz was far less relaxed than the other Astartes involved in the matter.

By opening the door wide, the traitor within the Mechanicus naturally needed his services.

Every gift from fate comes with a price tag; there is no free lunch in the purgatory galaxy.

Just wait and see, they will take the initiative to make contact.

As expected, the Mechanical Church was not so willing to "accept defeat" when it came to returning the "stolen goods".

We can give them the goods, but we also need to get leverage over them. Even if we can't kill Astartes, we need to get relevant evidence to file a complaint against these three rogue warbands at the star system government level.

At the very least, we should put Blood Raven and his gang on the Martian Mechanicus's list of unreliable entities!

However, in terms of purgatory capabilities, the Alphas are naturally inferior to the First Legion, but the Fallen Angels are indeed not as good as the Twentieth Legion in the specialized field of cleaning up the rear.

A hitman may not be a good bodyguard, but if a hitman puts himself in someone else's shoes, he can be excellent at killing people in return.

Well, as long as you don't care whether the employer lives or dies.

With the gang leader's instructions, Afa and his men began to carefully inspect the various supplies and weapons that the Mechanical Cult had packed and delivered.

Don't even mention it, they have listening devices, locators, and even psionic beacons.

He still can't swallow his humiliation.

If it were someone else in charge of a different branch, they would most likely seize the opportunity to make a fuss.

But who is Katz? He's the personal disciple of the legendary company commander Motor Sich, the spiritual successor of Sir Humphrey and Sima Yi. He simply packed all this stuff up and sent it back to the oil enthusiast through the governor's mansion. The boxes were even taken from the secret research institute, and the useless ribbon bows were handmade by Katz himself.

That afternoon, the Governor's Office sent dinner invitations to the heads of the three Astartes parishes.

"How to say?"

"going or not?"

"I'll go check the situation. You two get ready for a fight."

"Row."

"Be careful."

The four ironclad bonds in life are not just empty boasts. As good brothers who have shared the spoils together, especially with the final payment still pending, Katz's opinions and suggestions have received unanimous attention from everyone.

That's how prestige is built.

Although the Blood Ravens' reputation for having dirty hands is well-known, the Blood Ducks' brothers have come to our rescue, good brothers indeed!

And so, Katz met up with a guy who was craving a lot of human oil.

You think this is the mastermind behind everything?

That's naive.

The horror story of the old man in the ring has been a long-standing and popular phenomenon in the Warhammer universe. Being a member of the Mechanicus, being possessed by a mentor, having your soul searched by a colleague, or being betrayed by an apprentice are all normal, even taken for granted.

So it was as if he had become a different person. The previously somewhat humble motorist, except for not wiping his forehead with hairspray, had become rebellious and stood tall in the sky.

"Are you satisfied with my gift?"

"If you have something to say, say it; if you don't, get lost."

"You're criticizing the cook after you've finished eating."

"I earn my living through my own abilities."

The motor enthusiast wasn't bothered by Katz's attitude.

"As I've already said, it was just a gift for our first meeting. There's no reason to take back a gift that's already been given. You're overthinking it."

"That's why I'm telling you to get to the point."

"I wonder what price I would have to pay to entrust your warband with escorting that box numbered 17 to the designated location."

Number 17?

Katz's superhuman brain took about 317 milliseconds to recall the War Gang's loot, and quickly realized that it was those light-based storage devices.

Oh ho, so this is a double agent sent by another forging world?

"I don't know anything about box number 17."

"You can know."

"really do not know."

"Okay, can we continue discussing compensation then?"

Kaz turned and left without giving him any face.

Is this guy joking? Our loyalist Astartes faction has been using entrapment tactics for ages. Trying to extract information from me with just a few words without even showing his face? Does he really think I, Karz, am some naive youngster like Choon?

absurd!

The mastermind behind the scenes wasn't annoyed and released the possession. The bewildered oil guy discovered that Astartes had already left, leaving some dune donkeys completely confused.

But it doesn't matter. The mechanical instructor can settle accounts afterward, but in the process of redeeming the "stolen goods," the oil guy paid up without hesitation.

The Governor's Office enjoyed the pleasure of mediating between the Mechanicus and the Astartes, and did not interfere.

But Kazdo is good at dealing with people; he gave the governor's mansion its share, and Blood Duck took it.

Oh, oh, oh, I'm so sorry.

Hey, I'll take what I give you. I won't feel at ease if you don't.

Well... then I'll have to reluctantly agree?

Hey, tuck your lip in, that's your character.

Even the other Astartes of the Blood Duck Warband didn't quite understand why their company commander treated mortals so well.

However, Katz only gave Troys and Choun a brief explanation.