69: Chapter 69 Judge Chloe

A sophisticated set of power armor appeared before everyone's eyes.

The first thing Xia Xingchen saw was the ornate power armor, followed by a middle-aged man with a short white beard on his chin. Most strikingly, his head was completely bald, with a massive tattoo etched across his forehead.

It was a skull design, with an I-shaped tattoo piercing directly through the skull.

Wait a minute, haven't I seen this pattern somewhere before?

Oh, isn't that the symbol of the Inquisition?

Beside the middle-aged man from the Inquisition stood a woman wearing a face mask, her hair tied up into a high, vertical ponytail.

Her features were obscured; a vast number of tattoos and cybernetic organs had modified her beyond recognition.

She's probably a Blanks, isn't she?

Xia Xingchen speculated inwardly.

To the left of the Inquisitor stood a mortal soldier clad in full power armor, looking like a Stormtrooper.

Xia Xingchen looked at the trio before him.

An Inquisitor accompanied by a Stormtrooper and a Blanks.

Well, that's within the realm of acceptability.

However, the Star Guard in front of Xia Xingchen were completely panicked. They had no idea how this person had arrived here, let alone why he was blocking Xia Xingchen at this critical juncture.

Worried that this was Governor Vanad's trump card, they hurriedly shielded Xia Xingchen in their center.

The Inquisitor showed no hostility; they didn't even adopt a defensive or offensive posture, simply standing there calmly.

Seeing this, Xia Xingchen knew they meant no harm and ordered his soldiers to lower their weapons.

Only then did the tense atmosphere between the two sides ease.

"May I ask who you are?"

"Inquisitor Inquisitor Kolo. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Xia Xingchen looked at the man claiming to be Inquisitor Inquisitor Kolo. After a moment of silence, he chose to engage with him first.

"Xia Xingchen."

Inside the reception room of the Governor's Mansion.

Xia Xingchen sat in his seat, looking at Inquisitor Inquisitor Kolo across from him.

"Is there something you need from me, Inquisitor?"

The Inquisitor was also mentally debating how to negotiate with Xia Xingchen.

Inquisitor Kolo needed Xia Xingchen's troops to serve him, but the Inquisitor also saw clearly.

Xia Xingchen was a lost lamb; in a sense, the possibility of Xia Xingchen helping him was slim to none.

So, instead of making a direct demand, he began to reveal certain information in a roundabout way.

"Governor Xia Xingchen, I have news to inform you of. There is a Chaos fleet that is, quite literally, within arm's reach of you. If they discover you, I'm afraid..."

Inquisitor Kolo paused halfway, a slight smile playing on his lips, before continuing in a tone that suggested he was looking out for Xia Xingchen's best interests:

"Everything you have will be destroyed. Therefore, you need me to help you deal with them."

Xia Xingchen didn't care much upon hearing this, replying with total nonchalance:

"Then let me take a guess—only a guess, of course."

Xia Xingchen leaned forward in his chair and tapped the table, laying out his speculation to Inquisitor Kolo.

"First, you came to the Ultima Segmentum and discovered a pocket of heresy. This heresy is so powerful that you likely cannot handle it alone, and the problem is so severe that it has surpassed the point of following standard procedures.

Logically, you should have reported this to the Imperium and mobilized the Imperial Navy, the Administratum' forces, and so on, to organize a massive purification fleet."

Having finished explaining the reasoning, Xia Xingchen looked at Inquisitor Kolo. Inquisitor Kolo remained as impassive as ever.

Clearly, his Inquisition training gave him a mindset where his expression wouldn't flicker even if a mountain collapsed before him.

Xia Xingchen continued:

"So you hope to use the power of the surrounding Governors, and the closest one to you should have been Governor Vanad.

But man proposes and God disposes; the Imperium's control over Vanad has been weak for a long time, which led to the rebellion of Governor Waka Thomas."

Finally, Xia Xingchen stated his conclusion:

"So you have no other choice, and my appearance has become your new option—relying on me to eliminate the heretics."

After finishing in one breath, Xia Xingchen stared at Inquisitor Kolo:

"Am I right?"

Hearing this, Inquisitor Kolo smiled and gave Xia Xingchen a round of applause.

"More or less."

Xia Xingchen still raised a doubt:

"Then why do you think I would help you? Even if you say Chaos might threaten me, it's only a possibility. That alone is hardly enough to make me deploy my troops."

Xia Xingchen's reasoning was simple: Inquisitor Inquisitor Kolo's words and justifications weren't enough to compel him to send his army to help.

"And what if I command you in my capacity as an Inquisitor?"

Xia Xingchen burst out laughing at those words.

"I'm terribly sorry, I just couldn't help myself."

Xia Xingchen pointed at himself:

"Even you said it yourself—I am a lost lamb."

Xia Xingchen didn't spell it out directly, but in a sense, what he needed was a balance of interests, not a heartfelt declaration of loyalty.

Inquisitor Inquisitor Kolo knew this in his heart, so he didn't get angry at Xia Xingchen's tone.

In reality, Inquisitor Inquisitor Kolo was forced to compromise with Xia Xingchen due to the grim reality of the situation.

Even if Inquisitor Kolo could execute Xia Xingchen on the spot for heresy, he wouldn't be able to control Xia Xingchen's army.

From the previous battle, the Inquisitor saw clearly that Xia Xingchen was the absolute core of this military force.

"That double-headed eagle medal on you... I have a feeling that the person wearing it should be someone loyal to the Imperium."

Hearing this, Xia Xingchen's expression became solemn for the first time.

The double-headed eagle medal given by the Emperor had brought Xia Xingchen much help: the opening of the treasury and the recruitment of key talents all stemmed from the assistance of this medal.

Could the purpose the Emperor gave me be to help Inquisitor Kolo?

Seeing Xia Xingchen's silent contemplation, the Inquisitor finally took a step back:

"Then under what conditions would you be willing to deploy your troops to help me fight the heretics?"

Xia Xingchen didn't state his conditions immediately; instead, he first asked for details about the heretics.

Inquisitor Kolo clearly hesitated. He didn't want to reveal the full situation, fearing that Xia Xingchen would back down once he heard the truth.

After all, Inquisitor Kolo had sought out other Governors in this region before.

Those Governors were either obsessed with pleasure and had neglected their military, or they only thought about defending their own homes and lacked the capability to expand.

The only one with a bit of ambition and vision, Governor Vanad, ended up betraying the Imperium.

It left the Inquisitor feeling as if his righteous fury was being vented into a bale of cotton.

But now it was different; a capable man like Xia Xingchen had arrived. The problem was, his loyalty to the Imperium was too low, and his attachment to it was far too weak.

"The specific situation is that the heretic Xue Shatian has taken control of a planet on a very important spatial transport route.

By rough estimate, the heretics have gathered about ten million Chaos Cultists there."

In fact, Inquisitor Inquisitor Kolo was downplaying the threat; the heretics actually numbered at least fifteen to twenty million.

Xia Xingchen frowned upon hearing this.

That name sounds so familiar!!!

Isn't that the heretic who was spouting nonsense about worshipping Khorne in the chat system!

Wait, there are some other issues.

Xia Xingchen looked at Inquisitor Kolo, knowing he was hiding information—such as whether the Warp Mandenville Point was held by the Imperium or the heretics, and whether the heretics had warships, and if so, how many.

The Inquisitor hadn't mentioned a single piece of this critical information.

Seeing Xia Xingchen still wavering, Inquisitor Kolo could only stand up and perform a formal Aquila Salute:

"Honorable Governor, in my capacity as Inquisitor Inquisitor Kolo, I hope you will, for the sake of faith in the Emperor and the safety of mankind, fight for the Emperor and for humanity."

Since things had been put that way...

Xia Xingchen also stood up quickly and returned an Aquila Salute to Inquisitor Inquisitor Kolo:

"Governor Xia Xingchen shall respond to Inquisitor Inquisitor Kolo's summons to fight for the Emperor and for humanity."