Chapter 43: Cleansing Operation

As night fell, Bayev had completed all the battle plans.

This assault would be a joint operation involving the Imperial Guard, Enforcers, and Defense Forces.

Their objective was to carry out a precise sweep of the residential areas surrounding the Holy Square, ensuring the successful execution of the "Emperor Ascension Festival."

The targets of the cleansing operation were all clearly marked.

The most important targets were the cultists carrying Chaos bio-weapons.

The Imperial Guard would be responsible for executing them.

The rest of the cultists would be handled by the Defense Forces, led by Arye.

Meanwhile, the Enforcers, commanded by Kaes, were tasked with dealing with minor threats like murderers, street thugs, and those involved in heretical rituals.

That's right—while Eden was using his psychic senses to locate the cultists of the "Broken Eye" cult, he also identified other potential threats and marked them.

This filled Bayev with admiration and deep fear.

What a terrifying and omniscient power.

He was confident that after this operation, these residential areas would become some of the safest places in the upper hive—though, of course, only temporarily. Who knew what new horrors might emerge in the future?

Once the tasks were assigned, Carter, Arye, and Kaes each left the war room of the Department of Military Affairs.

They would lead their respective teams, equipped with special gear, into the night's battle.

The square in front of the Department of Military Affairs was brightly lit.

Fifty-five members of the Imperial Guard, five hundred elite Defense Forces, and one thousand Enforcers had assembled.

"One-Eye, how's it going?"

Kaes had finished organizing his troops and approached Arye.

Arye handed the datapad to Kaes:

"Here, these are the scumbags we need to take down. They're a bunch of bloodthirsty cultists!"

He grinned menacingly. "You handle the strategy, but save the toughest ones for me—I can't wait to blow those bastards to pieces!"

Cultists were universally despised no matter where they were in the hive.

They were dangerous and utterly vile.

They liked to abduct women and children, torturing and mutilating their bodies.

No one knew what kind of horrific rituals they conducted with the bodies, or what sort of demons they summoned.

To Arye, cultists were the most disgusting creatures in existence, even more despicable than greenskin grot pests!

The best way to deal with cultists was to blow their heads off and then shove an incendiary grenade down their throats, sending them straight to hell!

Not far away, the Enforcer squads stood ready. The marshals wore thick body armor and helmets.

They operated in teams of six, armed with door breachers, automatic rifles, riot shields, and steel batons.

Claudi, the Inspector, was nervously assigning tasks to his squad leaders.

This was his first major operation since taking the position.

It was said to be personally commanded by the governor, so he could not afford to make any mistakes!

Otherwise, the vultures eyeing his position would certainly seize the opportunity to take his job!

"Don't let a single criminal from the list escape, or you and your worthless crew will be patrolling the streets for the rest of your lives!" Claudi shouted at his squad leaders.

The squad leaders, in turn, repeated these words to their enforcer patrols.

Under the pressure from their superiors, the patrol officers understood the gravity of this operation.

They had to give it their all—there could be no mistakes.

Failure could mean losing their jobs!

While the other teams in the square were noisily exchanging orders and finalizing strategies, Carter and the fifty-five Imperial Guardsmen silently prepared their weapons.

They were the most elite soldiers of the Royal District, and each of their targets had already been deeply imprinted in their minds.

In this cleansing operation, they bore the heaviest responsibility, carrying the full weight of the governor's hopes.

Regardless of whether the other squads succeeded, if they failed, everything would be ruined!

As night deepened, all teams donned their night-vision goggles.

They boarded their respective vehicles and set off toward their designated targets.

From above, the teams spread out across the residential areas, moving under the cover of darkness.

Once the teams reached their positions, they waited quietly for the command to attack.

In the war room of the Department of Military Affairs, Bayev watched the holographic map of the residential areas around the Holy Square, as red dots representing each team arrived at their designated locations.

To avoid alerting the cultists and prompting them to release their terrifying Chaos bio-weapons, no one was allowed to act on their own.

They had to wait for the Imperial Guard to begin their assault before starting their own tasks.

The Imperial Guard's plan was simple.

Each group of three would reach their designated locations and simultaneously strike the targeted cultists.

The operational guideline was clear: execute the cultists and prevent the release of the Chaos bio-weapons!

Bayev anxiously watched the red dots representing the Imperial Guard as they reached their targets.

In five minutes, they would launch their attack.

"May the Holy Emperor protect us," he muttered as he glanced at the clock.

The plans had been set, and the personnel were in position.

All he could do now was wait.

...

Drek Residential Complex,

C31 Area, 13th floor.

The area was a sprawling maze of crisscrossing corridors, and this single floor housed nearly ten thousand people.

It was now late into the night, and the exhausted workers had all fallen into a deep sleep.

The entire place was silent, not even a rat in sight.

There simply wasn't enough food to support any other small creatures.

Of course, there were occasional gunshots and screams.

Some poor soul or family had likely met a tragic end.

But no one dared to investigate or offer help.

Recently, the security in the Drek Residential Complex had worsened, with robberies and murders becoming more frequent.

Even the Enforcers were reluctant to patrol the area.

However, the corpse retrieval teams from the logistics department were always quick to arrive.

If they were a moment too late, the valuable bodies would vanish without a trace.

In short, no one dared to meddle in others' misfortunes in these times.

Everyone locked their doors tightly and prayed for their own safety.

In a rusted corner of the corridor, under the sickly green glow of a dim emergency light, the screams continued.

They came from a young factory worker, being assaulted by a thug.

She cried for help, but no one responded.

All the doors around her were tightly locked.

"Shut up, you filthy wench!"

The thug raised his fist and struck her, causing her head to bleed.

Pain and fear nearly suffocated her, leaving her too terrified to resist.

"Someone, please save me!"

Tears streamed down her face as she silently begged.

She thought of the governor.

Her coworkers had said that the great governor had been chosen and blessed by the Holy Emperor earlier that day.

He would come to save them all!

"Holy Emperor, Governor... anyone, please save me..." the factory worker whimpered in despair.

The thug sneered, landing another punch:

"Another delusional idiot. Do you really think those high-and-mighty nobles care if you live or die?

If you serve me well, maybe I'll spare your life! Understand, you worthless scum?!"

Another punch came down, and the factory worker could no longer speak.

The thug seemed to enjoy it, raising his fist once more.

The factory worker no longer had the strength to shield herself. She closed her eyes in complete hopelessness.

Thud!

The expected punch didn't land, and she opened her eyes.

She saw a dagger lodged in the thug's throat!

(End of Chapter)