Warhammer, I really didn't intend to form a second empire!

The emperor picked up the half-cooled cup of tea, took another sip, and put it down with a soft thud on the table.

"The main threats on the logistics route are warp storms and sporadic alien raiders, and your offspring have shown an almost instinctive ability to avoid these threats."

"Their fleet almost never engages in unnecessary combat, and when they do, they can quickly resolve the battle. They also rarely encounter severe psionic disturbances during warp travel."

"Since these three thousand men were deployed to the logistics route, the cumulative number of deaths has been zero."

After hearing this, Zhao Zheng leaned back in his chair.

Three thousand men, zero casualties, and they operated continuously for several years—this is the extent of their capability on the Great Expedition logistics routes in the Warhammer universe.

He suddenly found it a little funny that his legion was being used as a logistics support team in Terra, and yet they did a better job at it than anyone else.

Not bad, you didn't embarrass yourself!

"When can I bring them back?"

"Anytime is fine."

This time, the emperor didn't speak as quickly, and he hesitated for a moment. But after glancing at Zhao Zheng, he felt that he couldn't be too harsh on his own children and couldn't show favoritism.

“I have already had Makado draft a transfer order. From now on, the Second Legion will be officially placed under your command. They will be withdrawn from the current logistics fleet in batches and move westward along the exchange routes you have established with the Empire. The first batch is expected to reach the edge of your territory within two weeks.”

Zhao Zheng nodded. He was determined to take these offspring with him. Although three thousand was a small number, they were still his own children, and it was better for them to be under his command.

Moreover, if the Emperor is right, the stability shown by these offspring during subspace travel is a trait inherited from him. Then, once his offspring and the imperial offspring are mixed into a single formation, the Qin Empire's interstellar logistics efficiency will experience a qualitative leap.

After all, the warp engine is really useful.

Zhao Zheng hasn't been able to research a warp drive for faster-than-light travel yet, but the Necromancers do have one. Unfortunately, their flesh and blood bodies can't withstand faster-than-light travel. The Eldar have the Web, but only humans have access to the Warp.

It's not that warp speed is bad; in fact, warp speed is incredibly fast!

How popular is it?

It can be said that if even the slightest problem arises in spacetime...

Depart today, arrive the day before yesterday!

This is subspace!

But in reality, it is more likely that they encountered a warp storm or a problem with the Geller field, and then the fleet was "tainted" in the warp and disappeared. There is a small chance that they would find that their destination and timeline were different when they came out due to a spacetime anomaly.

This kind of route is fast, but it is too unstable, so the Emperor dreamed of creating a transportation route of his own to completely isolate humanity from the dangers of the subspace.

The underground network tunnel in Terra Palace was built under these circumstances.

Compared to the Emperor's approach, Zhao Zheng actually preferred to seize the switch to the entrance to the Net Path from the Spirit Race, then take control of the Net Path himself, and find some materials to see if he could repair it. The creations of the Ancient Saints were quite useful; even the Star Gods praised them!

But these things are still too far away for Zhao Zheng right now. He still needs to focus on the present and wait until he has developed to a sufficiently strong level before thinking about the future.

"That's settled then. I have something to do, so I'll be going now."

Zhao Zheng stood up; this time, he was really leaving.

The emperor did not try to persuade him to stay, but simply reached out and put away the imperial star map on the table.

As Zhao Zheng turned to walk towards the door, he glanced at Horus out of the corner of his eye. The young giant was tilting his head slightly, maintaining a perfectly polite smile.

But Zhao Zheng could sense the malice hidden in Horus's heart.

He's still too young and can't hide his thoughts. He's essentially a hoodlum. Even after becoming the Primarch, his talents continue to emerge under the Emperor's tutelage, but he still retains a gangster mentality.

Moreover, he was extremely immature psychologically, like a giant baby. The fact that such a person could later become a war general only shows that the emperor's favoritism was too obvious.

Zhao Zheng withdrew his gaze, ignored Horus, and pushed open the hatch.

Waldo remained standing by the door, nodding slightly as Zhao Zheng passed by. Zhao Zheng did not stop, and led his sons along the corridor toward the hangar.

Kongming followed behind him, and after walking a dozen steps, he spoke in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, now that our brothers from Terra have arrived, should we establish a separate organization to house them, or should we integrate them directly into the existing expeditionary force?"

"Group them into separate groups first, observe them for a period of time, and then make a decision."

Zhao Zheng's voice was not loud, but it was clear enough.

"They've been on the logistics route for too long, and they've developed fixed operational habits and coordination patterns."

"Rushing to break them up and integrate them into active-duty troops would reduce overall efficiency. Let them maintain their original organizational structure and adapt to the equipment system and combat rhythm here before considering integration."

"By the way, when they arrive here, tell them to come directly to see me. Remember to arrange for some of the brothers to go with them, so they don't feel neglected. We're all family, so let's not do anything messy."

"Your subject understands."

The emperor remained seated, his fingertips tracing the edge of the star map, as the sound of the hatch closing slowly faded from the room.

Horus took two steps forward and stood by the table, shifting his gaze from the door panel to the emperor's face.

"Father, is this brother... really as strong as you say?"

The emperor raised his head and glanced at Horus, his golden pupils seeming to shimmer like starlight in the dim indoor light, carrying a hint of mockery.

It seems that he's a little jealous of his brother, perhaps because he's returned his own son to his father?

Are you asking me, or are you asking yourself?

Horus paused slightly, his smile momentarily froze, but he quickly regained it.

“I’m just… curious. He doesn’t seem to respect you much. The Shadowmoon Wolves and I will never do that. We will become your sharpest blades. Let me start leading the legion out to war, Father. I’m ready.”

The emperor did not respond immediately, but instead stood up and faced Horus.

His psionic body was very tall; Horus could only reach his chest.

When facing the emperor, Horus dared not look him in the eye. Those eyes seemed to see through the essence of everything in the world. He was afraid that his little thoughts and secrets would be discovered. Those were things that could not be seen in the light and could not be spoken of.

“Respect comes in many forms, my son. Some people express respect with words, some with actions, and some with silence.”

"Do you think he's that kind of person?"

Horus did not answer, for he did not know either.

But at that moment, the Emperor placed his hand on Horus's shoulder, causing Horus's body to tremble almost imperceptibly.

“Don’t worry too much about this, Lupecal. He’s your brother. I need him, the Empire needs him, and you need him. I believe you and he will get along very well in the future.”

"It's too early for you to go to the front lines and take over the legion. Don't rush, I'll teach you for a few more years."

Horus nodded, but he still felt a little lonely when the emperor withdrew his hand.

He actually cherished this feeling, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Red Banners Enter Qin

When Zhao Zheng returned to the Lishan, the duty officer on the bridge, Zisi, was entering the official document sent by the Emperor Dream into the system.

The document was formatted in an extremely standard manner, with each clause carefully worded. At the end, it bore Makado's personal seal and the Emperor's mark, and in the corner was a handwritten note in Old Terra.

"The tax rate will be based on the star sector standard. Please submit your list of supplies within thirty days. The Empire will allocate them as needed, and a dedicated person will handle the follow-up."

Zhao Zheng sat down in the command chair, read the document from beginning to end, confirmed that every statement was within the scope of his negotiations with the emperor, and then forwarded it to Kongming.

"You take charge of this matter. Draw up the list of supplies as soon as possible, and highlight the two types: fine gold and radiant gold."

"Given the Empire's technological level, the quantity of refined gold should not be too large. The production capacity of radiant gold is higher, but it is enough for us. If we can obtain some information about STC, or directly get some STC templates, that would be even better."

Kongming nodded, received the document into his data tablet, quickly marked it on the side, and then turned and walked along the corridor toward the communications cabin.

Zhao Zheng leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the golden fleet that was slowly slowing down at the edge of the holographic star map.

The Imperial Dream has changed course and is accelerating back to its previous route, with the escort ships around it rearranging their formation.

He didn't stay on the screen for long before switching to another channel.

That was the common communication frequency of the Imperial logistics system. Imperial officials had already made preliminary preparations for the mobilization of the Second Legion within twelve hours of the document being delivered.

The order has taken effect, and the first batch of Second Legion Space Marines evacuated from the logistics fleet have begun moving in this direction along several routes along the Imperial border.

Zhao Zheng glanced at the estimated arrival time. According to the Empire's subspace travel speed, it would take about two more weeks. The Emperor was right.

Meanwhile, in the laboratory on Qiankun Star, the third phase of the psionic pulse field experiment has entered a stable period.

Zhao Zheng shut down the Emperor's communication channels and switched to the real-time monitoring screen of the Central Research Institute of Qiankun Star.

Zhao Zheng glanced at the real-time data panel. All the subjects' vital signs were within the normal range, and the growth rates of various convergent indicators were basically in line with the previous prediction curves, with no abnormal fluctuations.

Hua Tuo's experimental log was last updated four hours ago, and it contained a brief annotation.

"The sixth group of subjects showed a different response pattern from the fifth group in this round of irradiation. The peak duration of gene expression was longer than in the previous rounds, and the decline was also slower. It is preliminarily judged that this may be related to individual differences in physical condition, and more data are needed to support this."

Zhao Zheng did not reply to the annotation immediately. He first marked Hua Tuo's annotation as pending follow-up, and then switched to another channel.

This channel is connected to the monitoring system of the area where the batch of necromancy technology samples are located in the underground storage warehouse of Qiankun Star. In the picture, the black metal plates and green-patterned discs are still lying quietly on the temperature and humidity-controlled storage rack, without any change.

Zhao Zheng glanced at the monitor and, after confirming that the data was normal, turned off the screen.

Over the next few days, Zhao Zheng spent his time on two things.

The first task was to draft a list of materials to be handed over to the Empire. He listed refined gold and radiant gold as the top priority, followed by engineering chips and micro reactor components of the Empire's standard specifications, and finally several precision industrial components for which the Qin Empire currently has low production capacity but the Empire has mature production lines.

The list underwent two revisions after the initial draft was completed. The final version was reviewed by Kongming and sent to Makado's dedicated communication port.

The second matter had nothing to do with diplomacy or supplies. Zhao Zheng organized the specifications and parameters of the Tao Gang and Xuanwu-type heavy armor, as well as some application data of the spirit bone and living metal, and stored them in the encrypted database of the Academia Sinica.

These data were originally intended for internal research, but now that the Qin Empire has nominally merged into the human empire, Zhao Zheng needs to determine which technical data falls into the category of shareable data and which should remain closed internally.

Zhao Zheng ultimately decided to include the architectural blueprints of the White Tiger and the first-generation Black Tortoise armor in the shareable sequence, while keeping the relevant data on living metal and spirit bones closed.

The White Tiger and the first-generation Black Tortoise armor were developed based on the Empire's existing technological system, so even if the technology was shared, there was no fear of leakage.

However, living metal and spirit bones were the result of the Qin Empire's own efforts, and he did not want these technologies to enter the empire's database before their value was fully confirmed, especially since they were alien artifacts.

It's fine to do it secretly, as long as you don't put it in the open. Emperors usually turn a blind eye and don't want to bother with it. But if you want to conduct research on these things in public...

Well, I'm sorry, but the iron fist of the empire will strike you at a speed you can't even imagine.

A few days later, the first transport fleet that sailed from the direction of the empire to the edge of the Qin Empire's territory arrived at the Qin Empire's supply exchange station set up at the border coordinates.

This was not an Astartes of the Second Legion, but a fleet carrying a large amount of Imperial supplies.

The cargo manifest listed the first batch of refined gold, radiant gold, and two standard-specification Imperial Engineering chip production lines. In Makado's allocation plan, these materials were supposed to be delivered in three batches over six months, but they actually arrived much earlier than expected.

Zhao Zheng stood in front of the main control console on the bridge of the Lishan ship, watching the cargo manifest unfold line by line on the screen, his gaze lingering on the quantities of refined gold and radiant gold.

The Empire's technological level and production efficiency seem to be quite good. Although it is only just starting out, it is not as low as he had imagined.

The quantity of these materials delivered in a single shipment is not large, but for now, they are at least a necessary condition for the production of Qiankun Star.

The first group of Second Legion Space Marines arrived on the outskirts of Qiankun Star four days after the arrival of the transport fleet.

They were organized into a small fleet of three hundred men, all dressed in Imperial standard Mark III power armor.

They had been on the logistics route for too long, and their power armor still looked spotless and without a single flaw, but the moment they appeared at the end of the bridge passage, Zhao Zheng immediately recognized the difference between them and ordinary Astartes.

They were about two heads taller than the Astartes on the Empire's side, their armor plates were extremely tight against the contours of their bodies, their backs were straight, and their steps were steady.

Their gazes lingered on Zhao Zheng for a fleeting moment before they simultaneously stood at attention, their boots clicking together in a crisp, synchronized sound. They then moved in unison, attempting to kneel on one knee, but Zhao Zheng used his spiritual energy to support them.

"Although I am a king, I do not like people kneeling before me."

When Zhao Zheng's psionic energy supported the bodies of the three hundred Astartes, the leading officer paused slightly.

He clearly hadn't anticipated this reaction. His knees hovered in mid-air for half a second before he straightened up, his back tense even more than before. His eyes flickered under his helmet, as if he wanted to say something, but then swallowed it back.

The father of genetics was taller than he had imagined, and seemed to be somewhat tolerant as well.

Previously, he had worried with his brothers on the warship about how they would cope if the Father of Genesis did not welcome them, the Terrans, or if they were extremely incompatible with them.

It seems that this problem is no longer a major concern.

The leading officer was the first to remove his helmet and tuck it under his arm, revealing a sharply defined face. His short, light brown hair lay close to his scalp, and a thin, old scar on his cheekbone stretched from the end of his eyebrow to the edge of his jaw, standing out prominently in the cold white light of the bridge.

His gaze did not leave Zhao Zheng when they met. After a moment's assessment and confirmation, he gave Zhao Zheng the standard Imperial Eagle salute.

"Father, Andrei Boris, commander of the first company of the Second Army Corps, was ordered to lead the first batch of advance companies back to their unit."

His voice carried the clear pronunciation of the Imperial Commons and a heavy ancient Terraslav accent, with a slight upward inflection at the end, like someone accustomed to giving orders consciously suppressing the harshness in his voice.

After Andrei finished speaking, his brothers behind him took off their helmets one by one, revealing faces similar to Ivan's: strong features, deep-set eyes, high cheekbones, light-colored hair and pupils, and appearances that were completely different from those of the offspring on Qiankun Star.

Zhao Zheng did not respond immediately. He shifted his gaze from Ivan's face and scanned the faces of the Terran descendants standing in the passageway one by one. His Primarch's dynamic vision allowed him to make an initial impression of three hundred faces in a second.