35: Chapter 35 Departure

Lying on his bed, Xia Xingchen grew drowsier the more he thought until, without realizing it, he slipped into a dream.

Where is this?

In his dream, Xia Xingchen looked up to see a massive Golden Throne, towering imposingly before him.

This is Terra's Golden Throne!

There was movement behind him.

Xia Xingchen turned to look.

The Warp---

Before Xia Xingchen could react.

The next second, his consciousness was violently ripped away from this place.

When Xia Xingchen opened his eyes, he found it was already 7 AM.

Fuck, what kind of damn dream was that?

The Golden Throne, the Emperor, the four Chaos Gods of the Warp... This is practically the Emperor's blessing I haven't gone mad!

As soon as Xia Xingchen stepped out of his room, he was startled.

Nuwa

Saint Sabbat

stood on either side of Xia Xingchen's door like two opposing stone pillars.

Xia Xingchen's nerves instantly tensed. The moment the door opened, he was almost scared into a silent scream.

"You two, why aren't you resting properly in your own rooms? Why are you standing outside my door?"

Xia Xingchen was filled with helplessness. Couldn't this ship have a few normal people?

If this goes on, am I going to turn into one of those madmen from warhammer 40k too?

"I am here to escort you to the bridge and prevent you from falling under someone's psychic influence."

Nuwa's cold, mechanical voice was filled with hostility towards Saint Sabbat opposite her.

Saint Sabbat was not to be outdone and spoke in a gentle voice:

"My lord, I am here to attend to your daily needs.

I believe you would prefer a warm body over a cold machine."

Xia Xingchen was utterly speechless. What were these two women playing at?

"Enough, both of you stop arguing. We are companions now, not enemies."

As he spoke, Xia Xingchen had already put his power armor back on and walked straight out of the room.

"Now, neither of you is to say another word. Follow behind me to the bridge."

Though her voice was cold and mechanical, every word from Nuwa was filled with concern for Xia Xingchen:

"You should consume solid food to replenish the energy and nutrients your body requires."

Saint Sabbat surprisingly stood on the same side as Nuwa for once:

"On this matter, I agree with Nuwa."

Hearing this, Xia Xingchen casually brushed it off:

"Have the kitchen make me a sandwich and send it to the bridge. Oh, and prepare a cup of coffee too."

Xia Xingchen's mind was still not fully at ease.

Seeing Xia Xingchen in this state, Nuwa and Saint Sabbat both fell silent.

Exchanging a glance, they both understood that the lord's mental state was not optimal.

Saint Sabbat was already accustomed to this.

In her previous life, during the century-long Holy War.

Saint Sabbat had witnessed countless officers, soldiers, and even nobles driven completely mad by endless battles and relentless pressure.

On the bridge.

Xia Xingchen took a bite of the sandwich and then quickly sipped his coffee.

Meanwhile, Captain Zheng Hai stood nearby, reporting the day's itinerary to Xia Xingchen.

"Honored lord, our transport ships and escort teams are fully prepared, and the combat troops are ready for deployment.

Should negotiations break down, we will immediately launch a blitzkrieg to swiftly seize the enemy's central command."

Captain Zheng Hai had prepared two plans for Xia Xingchen.

One was to achieve the transfer of power through peaceful negotiation, the other was direct, violent conquest.

Xia Xingchen looked over the detailed plan steps and execution process on the optical panel. After reviewing it in full, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Proceed as planned."

The dream star slowly entered Lanshan Planet's low orbit.

Xia Xingchen had now arrived inside the hangar bay, where the flight deck was filled with transport ships and fighters.

Of the ship's 150,000 personnel, Xia Xingchen could mobilize a combat force of approximately five thousand.

Soldiers in the hangar were meticulously checking weapons and ammunition; all fighters were fully loaded.

Under the officers' coordination, the soldiers had all donned their flak armor, equipped with lasguns and grenades, ready to deploy at any moment.

At the highest point of the hangar, the gold-plated transport had opened its hatch, awaiting the Commander's arrival.

Xia Xingchen walked to the hatch of the golden transport.

"What about you two? Are you coming along on this trip too?"

Xia Xingchen asked, looking at Saint Sabbat and Nuwa following behind him.

Seeing their silent expressions.

Xia Xingchen knew they were determined to stay by his side.

"Alright, board the transport."

Xia Xingchen simply brought them along.

Xia Xingchen, along with Saint Sabbat and Nuwa, entered the transport.

Only the three of them were aboard this transport. It swiftly took off, with two other transports and two escort fighters from the hangar following closely behind.

The communication system in Xia Xingchen's power armor remained connected to the bridge throughout. Should negotiations fail, an attack would be launched immediately.

The transport, like a heavy hammer, raced at full speed towards the planet with its crimson seas.

Feeling the intense vibrations inside the cabin, Xia Xingchen knew the transport was entering the atmosphere.

Soon, the pilot's steady voice came through the cabin:

"Commander, we are expected to land in three minutes."

Lanshan Planet.

Before a massive Western-style cathedral, a man in white priestly robes was preaching the God-Emperor's greatness to the congregation below.

If Xia Xingchen were here, he could easily discern upon listening closely.

That the man's words were largely drawn from *the holy word*.

And the people of this planet had no way of knowing that the contents of *the holy word* were actually written by the traitor Primarch Lorgar.

For these people, the only thing they needed to know was that the Emperor was a god, and they must pray to him devoutly.

This led to the second ironic joke.

The Emperor of that era had been utterly averse to the title of 'god', steadfastly upholding the Imperial Truth from beginning to end.

Just as the priest was about to conclude his sermon, a deafening roar echoed from the sky.

The congregation looked up to see five fireballs hurtling straight down towards the cathedral.

Seeing this, the congregation was instantly gripped by terror.

"Is the God-Emperor delivering punishment?"

"What have we done to displease the God-Emperor, to incur His divine wrath?"

"Please forgive me, God-Emperor! I shouldn't have peeked at the widow Kara next door bathing last night!"

Faced with the sight before them, in their ignorance and fear, the people could only pray devoutly to the only faith they could rely on—the God-Emperor.

For a moment, everyone displayed their basest instincts.

A few more rational members of the congregation immediately ran to kneel beside the priest, pleading urgently:

"Your Grace, please tell us, what is happening?

Has the God-Emperor truly doubted our faith and sent divine punishment?"

But their questions were in vain. The priest himself stood frozen, unsure how to answer.

The scene before him completely exceeded the priest's understanding. The only thing that matched what he saw were the descriptions of divine punishment recorded in *the holy word*.

The priest was also wondering if he had done something wrong to anger the God-Emperor, prompting this divine retribution.

But soon, the anticipated punishment did not arrive. Instead, the fireballs slowed down, gradually landing around the square in front of the cathedral.

Finally, everyone could see clearly. Those fireballs were not celestial punishment at all, but rather huge, flying lumps of metal.

Just as the townspeople, filled with curiosity, formed a circle around the transports.

A loud boom.

Everyone was startled, and the townspeople hastily took several steps back.