In the 41st millennium, darkness rages across the galaxy! The Imperium of Man has lost half of its territories. Millions of planets have fallen victim to the invasion of Chaos! Famine, crime, and heretical cults spread like wildfire… On the planet of Urth, located in the Imperium's dark zone, extreme suffering is taking place. Fortunately, the savior, Eden, has arrived! He awakens to the essence of the Warp and leads his people to prosperity! Starting from a small, broken territory: Farming, building armies, managing internal affairs, unifying the planet, creating Space Marines, forming a fleet, embarking on a grand expedition... When the Lord Regent leads the Imperial fleet to reclaim lost lands, he gazes upon the flourishing star systems and the sky-darkening armada, then looks back at his own ragged ships and is left dumbfounded... Who is the true Imperium? [Raw: 官场职场 > 战锤:从行星总督开始]
Flesh fragments splattered everywhere, covering the entire room.
Once the blood mist from the explosion settled, the Imperial Guards lowered their shields.
All eyes turned to the spot where Marei had stood. The two-meter-tall flesh monstrosity was now gone.
Marei's corrupted body had been obliterated by the blast of the stun grenades, leaving only a head on the ground.
Even though only his head remained, he was still alive, clinging to a sliver of life.
But now, the arrogance that had once filled Marei was gone. Instead, he cursed:
"You damn dogs of the False Emperor! I curse you! The All-Seeing Lord will punish you!"
"No… don't come near me!"
"Stay away!"
As Carter approached, fear appeared in Marei's eyes.
Having faced the terror of death, he suddenly found a desire to survive.
Life was precious, and now Marei didn't want to die.
Tears filled his eyes as he looked at Carter, pleading:
"Please…"
"No… don't…"
But it was too late for regrets now.
Squish!
Carter's heavy boot came down, crushing Marei's head like a balloon.
One of the Imperial Guards glanced around the blood-soaked room and couldn't help but comment:
"The Captain's as brutal as ever…"
"He deserved it," Carter said firmly, though his voice held a note of restraint.
He gazed at the ritual circle, the mangled bodies of infants, and the twisted corpses of women. Rage simmered in his eyes.
No punishment was too severe for these heretical cultists.
As one of the governor's War Angels, it was his duty to make these heretics know the true meaning of terror and the wrath of thunder!
Carter instructed Arila to leave the horrific scene.
Afterward, he and the two other Imperial Guards searched the room, but they found nothing else of concern.
"Commence cleanup," Carter ordered, taking one last look at the faintly twitching bodies on the walls before turning to leave.
Those women could no longer be saved, and the least they could do was end their suffering quickly.
Two of the Guards positioned themselves at the door and retrieved small flamethrowers, pulling down their masks.
They aimed the flames at the ritual circle and the corrupted corpses, burning everything to ash.
Though the bodies writhed and silently screamed in agony, a look of peace appeared on their faces.
They were finally free.
Ah—
A wave of heat rushed out of the room, startling Arila.
Seeing this, Carter stepped slightly in front of her to shield her from the blast.
He pulled out a spray from his waist storage unit and applied it to Arila, while calmly explaining:
"This is a healing agent. It'll treat your wounds."
Arila felt her nerves settle as the pain in her wounds quickly subsided.
Such miraculous effects!
Carter looked at Arila and said, "Miss…"
"Imperial Guard, I... my name is Arila!" she replied.
"Miss Arila, stay here for a few minutes. The Enforcers will come and escort you home."
"Yes… yes, sir."
Arila nodded like an obedient lamb.
Carter, recalling something, added: "Tonight is dangerous. Once you're home, don't go outside!"
With that, Carter turned to leave.
While he had dealt with this cultist hideout, the other Imperial Guards, along with the Defense Forces and Enforcers, had begun their own assault operations.
With his sharp hearing, Carter could make out the distant sounds of gunfire and explosions.
Once he finished here, he would go and provide support.
"Imperial Guard!"
Arila suddenly called out to Carter.
In the past, she would never have dared to do something like that.
She wouldn't have even had the courage to stop an Enforcer, let alone an Imperial Guard.
She had always been too afraid of being beaten or even killed if she angered them.
But today, for some reason, she had called out to the Imperial Guard!
Was she insane?
After calling out, Arila was shocked by her own actions and filled with fear.
Would the Imperial Guard punish her for this?
Carter turned back, a bit surprised, and looked at Arila:
"Miss, is something wrong?"
Gathering her courage, Arila solemnly thanked him:
"Imperial Guard, thank you for saving me!"
She clasped her hands tightly together and nervously added:
"And… and please thank the governor for me! I never thought he would hear my prayers and send you, the War Angels, to save me!
Please… please tell him how grateful I am. I will never forget his kindness…"
Poor Arila truly believed that the governor had heard her prayers and sent the Imperial Guards, whom the people called War Angels, to rescue her.
At this moment, her heart was filled with deep respect and gratitude for the governor, and she was ready to give her all for him.
Hearing Arila's words, Carter paused in thought.
If any other officials from the Royal District had been here to hear such a statement, they would have cruelly mocked the foolishness of this woman.
Then, in the name of disrespecting the governor, they would have punished her harshly until she closed her mouth and never spoke such idiotic, presumptuous words again.
But Carter would never do that.
As the governor's most loyal bodyguard and servant, Carter knew that the governor disliked such behavior.
The governor had changed—he cared for the people more than his father ever had.
This was rare among the governors of the Imperium.
For that reason, Carter had to follow the governor's example, to avoid being cast out.
Besides, Carter had never taken pleasure in bullying the weak.
Seeing Carter remain silent, Arila began to panic, realizing what she had just said.
What was I thinking?
She was terrified. Had she lost her mind, daring to ask something so bold of the Imperial Guards?
"Im… Imperial Guard, I… I…" She stammered in fear.
"Miss Arila, there's no need to be afraid…"
Carter, concerned that she was frightened, awkwardly forced a smile on his normally stern face:
"If I get the chance, I will pass along your thanks to the governor."
The Imperial Guard had actually agreed to such an impolite request!
Hearing Carter's response, overwhelming joy filled Arila's heart. She was so moved that she nearly collapsed with gratitude:
"Thank you, Imperial Guard!"
At that moment, the Enforcers, assigned to follow up, arrived and saluted Carter.
"Captain Carter!"
"Take this lady home."
"Yes, sir!"
The Enforcers approached and quietly communicated with Arila, and seeing this, Carter no longer paid attention.
His task was complete.
The cleanup inside the house had also been finished. The two Imperial Guards retracted their flamethrowers and stood at attention beside Carter.
"Captain, the house is clean. No signs of life detected!"
"Good. Let's move."
Carter led his two Guards outside.
Suddenly, Carter's communicator buzzed—it was an emergency signal!
He quickly answered the call.
"This is Squad A1, Captain Carter, go ahead!"
Listening to the report on the other end, Carter's expression quickly darkened:
"Understood. We'll head to the combat zone immediately!"
"Captain, what's going on?"
"There's been a Chaos bio-weapon leak over in Squad C2's area. It's a big one!"
(End of Chapter)