Chapter 54: Dawn Approaches

Deville felt a twinge of guilt.

After all, they had just executed this child's parents right in front of him.

By the end of the night, all of the privileges enjoyed by the Vass family would be revoked.

The only son of Vass, and all remaining members of their extended family, would be exiled to the lower hive through special channels.

This was an extremely harsh punishment, one that all families loyal to the Governor feared most.

Deville could imagine the suffering this child would face in the future.

But at the very least, he would live.

Even if only for a little while longer.

If a stranger from the King's Court had been in charge, the child would certainly not have been spared.

This was the only mercy Deville could offer to his former mentor, Vass.

Unfortunately, that mercy was misplaced.

Looking at the child, Deville could see the deep hatred brewing in his eyes, and he sighed inwardly.

That was not the look a normal child should have.

Biu!

Suddenly, Deville raised his laspistol and pulled the trigger.

The laser beam struck its target squarely.

The boy clutched his chest, blood-red eyes full of even deeper hatred, his body beginning to mutate.

He screamed and charged at Deville.

But the next second, another laser pierced his head.

Deville calmly pulled the trigger again and again, until the energy in his laspistol was depleted.

Clang!

The smoldering body of Vass's son collapsed, and a small bloodstained dagger fell from his hand.

Deville stood in silence, staring at the body, lost in thought.

"I told you…" Arye spat, walking over to pat Deville on the shoulder.

"These heretic scum aren't even human. Trust them, and you're as good as dead!"

Deville's expression returned to its cold demeanor:

"I know, I was just reflecting. These traitors enjoyed the Governor's grace, yet they showed no gratitude or loyalty.

Instead, they walked the path of heresy, destroying the efforts of generations in a single stroke!

I despise these traitors. This is the price of disloyalty!"

Arye scratched his head:

"Joining the heretics, dying like this is too easy for them. If I hadn't run out of thermite charges, I would've cooked these scum."

He turned to leave, calling back to Deville:

"Come on, pretty boy. Someone else will handle this mess."

Arye and Deville exited the house one after the other.

They looked up at the darkened sky, unsure of what to say.

At that moment, the sounds of gunfire and explosions began to quiet down.

The battle in the residential areas around the Sacred Square had come to an end.

The Imperial Guards gathered their fallen comrades and the fourteen sealed jars of Chaos essence, then boarded their assault ships to return to the King's Court.

They had lost three guards in this battle.

For the King's Court, this was no small loss.

But fortunately, the Guards had fulfilled the Governor's trust, successfully containing the crisis and preventing the spread of Chaos.

The defense forces began to regroup and return to their posts.

The enforcers, however, were the busiest.

Not only did they have to escort the surviving prisoners, but they also had to organize efforts to calm the panicked citizens.

Claudi was overwhelmed, calling in even more enforcers.

He swore that the enforcers had never been so courteous.

They not only had to pacify those damned lower hive dwellers, but also help put out fires, locate missing persons, and treat injuries.

But those were the Governor's orders, and Claudi had to follow them to the letter. If he didn't, the Governor wouldn't spare him.

Claudi patiently explained to the people through a mechanical loudspeaker drone:

"Tonight, it was the vile heretics from the Hoffman family who invaded, but thanks to the great Governor's war angels, they were all dealt with.

Along the way, we also took care of the gang leaders who had been oppressing you."

The residents cheered in response.

At the same time, Claudi ordered the enforcers to stay vigilant and maintain order in their assigned areas.

Anyone attempting to stir up trouble would be executed on the spot! Mercy alone wasn't enough—an iron fist was also needed to prevent chaos.

This had been Claudi's rule ever since he took charge.

The mercy granted to the lower hive dwellers by the Governor should never be an excuse for them to cause trouble.

Such behavior would be a far greater blasphemy!

In the Drake residential district...

Alia was praying, hoping that the God-Emperor and the Governor would protect her and bring an end to this terrifying chaos quickly.

Otherwise, it would affect her work at the factory.

If she didn't get her paycheck today, she would starve and be unable to move! Fortunately, as if in answer to her prayers, the gunfire ceased, and the curfew was lifted.

A shrill bell rang out in the residential corridors, signaling that it was time for people to wake up and prepare for work.

"Thank the Emperor, it's finally over,"

Alia sighed in relief, mustering the strength to get up and join the workers heading to the factory.

"Hey, this damned sky is finally lighting up!"

Arye took a long drag from what remained of his cigar, gazing at the faint sun in the sky.

Indeed, the sky was lightening.

Deville looked up at that faint light.

As the sunlight pierced through the hazy fog, the long and bloody night had finally come to an end.

...

At the Spire Estate of the King's Court…

Eden lay in a soft bed, sleeping peacefully until the gentle morning sunlight finally woke him.

It had been a long night, during which the armed forces of the King's Court had followed his orders to carry out a cleansing operation.

When Eden awoke, everything was as he had planned—peace had been restored.

This was the privilege of being the Governor; he didn't need to risk his life in battle, fighting desperately.

His loyal soldiers would shed blood and make sacrifices to eliminate all enemies for him! His will was his power, and it extended wherever he desired. Even though his current power was but a fraction of what it had once been at his peak, he remained confident.

Eden believed that he would reclaim his planet.

And once he had regained his strength, he would conquer the stars, bringing more planets lost in the dark corners of the Imperium under his rule, until his name was feared across the galaxy!

Of course, that was all in the future. For now, he was still in the beginner's zone, yet to defeat even the first boss.

At this moment, Eden felt invigorated—his body had grown stronger again!

In one night, he had gained 50,000 points of Hope Power.

The faith of the people was nourishing his body!

Initially, Eden had thought that the aftermath of the chaos would deepen people's fear, reducing the amount of Hope Power he could collect.

But things had turned out quite the opposite.

The locations he had marked for heretics and gang leaders had been so accurate that the entire battle had been contained within a manageable range, avoiding significant damage and casualties.

Plus, the rumors he had spread before were still circulating among the people.

Most of the population had heard the whispers: The Governor was blessed by the Emperor and would destroy all evil, driving away the darkness, and ensuring everyone would eat wood pulp bread.

And tonight, the Governor had truly sent his war angels to wipe out the heretics and the oppressive gang leaders! The rumors were coming true. If the evil was gone, then could the wood pulp bread be far behind?

Moreover, by dipping into next month's grain reserves, Eden had managed to increase the people's food rations.

Although it was still less than before the rationing cuts, this small increase brought immense joy to the workers struggling to survive. They wouldn't starve to death!

These combined factors led some to start believing in the rumors, and in Eden, their Governor.

As a result, the Hope Power surged dramatically!

Hope Power had increased significantly, but Eden wasn't entirely happy.

For some reason, he felt a vague sense of unease.

(End of Chapter)

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