For five days, the logistics drones had worked tirelessly, mass-producing dimensional transmission safeguard units under Qin Mo’s direct oversight.
To ensure maximum efficiency and portability, he miniaturized the devices, integrating them into the power packs of standard Praetorian power armor.
Naturally, the Thunderborn-pattern power armor—reserved for his elite warriors—received an enhanced, built-in variant.
Qin Mo temporarily halted further research for long-range dimensional transmission.
Interstellar travel could wait.
For now, the immediate objective was far simpler—
Turning Yoan into a warrior.
Beyond the fortress walls, three armored figures clashed beneath a sky choked with ash and industrial waste.
All clad in Thunderborn-pattern power armor.
Qin Mo watched in silence, arms crossed, recording Yoan’s combat data from a nearby cogitator array.
Grey’s snarl echoed as he fired his wrist-mounted scatter-laser, rapid bursts of searing light hammering into Yoan’s chestplate.
"Just like when you froze in the tunnel! The only difference is—" Grey fired again, the rounds forcing Yoan back step by step.
"You’re not pissing yourself this time!"
Yoan stumbled, trying to dodge—but Grey’s aim never missed.
His armor’s shielding flared, absorbing the repeated impacts.
Qin Mo noted it absently, his patience thinning.
Yoan had the instincts of an Underhive survivor.
But he lacked conviction.
Instead of fighting back, he kept dodging—a wasteful, losing strategy.
He had only just donned power armor—there was no way he could outmaneuver Grey.
"STOP RUNNING, YOU COWARD!"
His massive gauntlet slammed into Yoan’s chest, sending him hurtling backward.
Before Yoan could recover, Grot was on him—pinning him, pummeling his helmet into the ground.
Each strike rattled his skull.
His vision blurred. His thoughts splintered.
Qin Mo raised his hand.
Grot immediately obeyed, stepping back, his glare filled with frustration.
Yoan lay there, his breath ragged, his pride shattered.
Slowly, he pushed himself up and removed his helmet.
His face was drenched in sweat and humiliation.
"I… I’m sorry to disappoint you."
Qin Mo shook his head.
"Growth takes time. Learning takes time. You simply require more… guidance."
His gaze shifted to Grot.
He didn’t need to say anything.
Grot understood immediately.
He grabbed Yoan by the throat, hauling him to his feet.
"From now on, I’m going to beat the cowardice out of you.
You disgrace that power armor."
Grot dragged him away.
As they vanished, Grey let out a deep exhale, as if relieved of some great burden.
Then, he turned to Qin Mo.
"With all due respect… he’s not fit to be a soldier."
"Not yet," Qin Mo replied.
"But he will be. Grot will make sure of it."
Qin Mo never did anything without reason.
This felt like a waste of time.
Grey couldn’t understand why Qin Mo was so invested in Yoan.
"And what do you think about the Devotees?"
Yesterday, he had personally monitored the cult-like movement, as per Qin Mo’s orders.
His response was immediate.
"They have turned their backs on the Emperor."
"However… I understand why they worship you."
His voice was quiet, cautious.
"You led us out of certain death. The things you’ve done… The miracles you’ve performed…"
"I think I’m a god too."
Grey tensed, uncertain if he was joking.
But Qin Mo’s grin widened.
"I don’t need their worship.
And their faith makes them vulnerable to... manipulation."
His voice dropped to a low murmur.
"Imagine what happens if they’re… corrupted.
If something twists their beliefs. If they suddenly turn into heretics."
Like most Imperial soldiers, Grey had never heard of the Ruinous Powers.
To the common soldier, the Warp was simply a means of interstellar travel, spoken of in the same hushed reverence as the God-Emperor’s divine will. What lay beyond its turbulent veil was not for them to know.
And that was a mercy.
The truth was that knowledge of the Immaterium was a cancerous thing.
The mind of an ordinary human was not built to withstand such knowledge. Even the mere act of understanding the true nature of the Warp was corrosive, like gazing into a void that stared back.
To know too much was to invite damnation.
The Ecclesiarchy ensured that the mere mention of its horrors would be met with purging fire, while the Inquisition ruthlessly eliminated those who delved too deep.
Imperial soldiers were taught only the most basic doctrine: fear the Warp, trust the Emperor, and obey without question.
For Grey, the concept of corruption was abstract. He understood treason, cowardice, the weakness of the flesh.
But the idea that a thought, a whisper, a stray doubt could be a weapon more insidious than any xenos blade? That was a horror he had never been allowed to comprehend.
"Forget it," Qin Mo sighed.
"Just tell them they are forbidden from spreading their faith."
"Tell them I am the Emperor’s Angel."
Grey nodded, turned, and walked away.
As Qin Mo watched him leave, he rolled the phrase around in his head.
If it weren’t for the risk of Chaos corruption—or the Adeptus Ministorum (Ecclesiarchy) hunting them down—he would have gladly accepted their worship.
With the entire ground force mobilized, soldiers gathered to receive their safeguard units.
Among them, Duncan stepped forward.
He lifted his new power pack, replacing the standard model on his armor.
Then, he received his orders.
He would be the first.
His mission? To transmit outside the Underhive and deploy a beacon.
Once the beacon was active, the entire army could follow.
With the transmission device fully charged, Duncan stood motionless.
As the process began, his safeguard unit activated, deploying a protective barrier.
Unlike the first test subject, Duncan felt no pain.
The Master Control AI performed rapid calculations.
He stepped into the void.
Duncan could see his body—
But everything around him blurred.
Yet at the same time—
Something pulled him back.
The world solidified.
His senses snapped back.
Duncan was no longer underground.
A vast, empty wasteland.
A colossal, fortified checkpoint.
The sealed entrance to the Underhive.
A Planetary Defense encampment.
The Planetary Defense Force and the Adeptus Arbites had established a heavily fortified perimeter.
The moment he appeared, the defensive line reacted instantly.
Heavy bolters swiveled toward him.
Hundreds of lasrifles locked onto his position.
A general, flanked by Adeptus Arbites, stepped forward.
His jaw nearly hit the ground.
Moments earlier, all they had seen was a flickering energy rift—
Now, a fully armored warrior stood before them.
The general’s voice boomed.
"Are you human or xenos?!"
Duncan slowly removed his helmet, revealing his face.
"I am Colonel Duncan of the 87th Infantry Regiment, First Legion."
The general’s expression darkened.
"87th Regiment? That’s impossible."
His gaze flicked toward the sealed Underhive entrance.
"You should all be dead."
And hurled the transmission beacon behind him.
The device struck the ground, its outer casing unfolding, revealing a signal emitter.
The device activated, sending a powerful signal surging through the air.
The soldiers on the defensive line looked at each other, bewildered.
Duncan’s gaze hardened.
Across the open field, rifts flared into existence.
Gravity-shielded drones emerged first.
Then—Grey, clad in Thunderborn armor.
Then—the rest of the army.
Infantry. Tanks. Heavy artillery. Logistics drones.
The general’s lips trembled.
His breath shuddered.
Finally, he whispered—