121: Chapter 121 The Overlord sealed the prototype of the error correction code in the Black Stone Engine isolation chamber beneath Metalis.

The wreckage of Chaos hulks in the debris field was still drifting in orbit, and the residual heat from the Titan-Eater's void-class core had not yet dissipated, but the Brood Queen had already encased the Error-Correction Code Prototype in an adamantium-chitin isolation capsule, escorted all the way back to Metallis by four Blackstone Cerebrates.

The surface of the isolation capsule was densely engraved with the quantum encryption runes of the Necron Dynasty, each rune precisely synchronized with the resonance frequency of the blackstone engine isolation chamber.

Chaos psychic energy was continuously suppressed inside the isolation capsule, and that mass of pinkish-purple, high-density information aggregate pulsed quietly, wrapped in cold green light patterns, like a heart being strangled by the throat.

Deep beneath the Metallis Forge Temple, the hatch of the blackstone engine isolation chamber had completed a full-power pre-heat before the Brood Queen arrived.

This isolation chamber was built by The Swarm during the Coalition era using dead living metal and blackstone resonance technology, originally intended to seal the prototype fragments of the Old Ones' sealing protocols; now, its second layer of quantum protective shielding had been specifically recalibrated to match the Chaos psychic frequency of the Error-Correction Code Prototype.

The Brood Queen embedded the isolation capsule into the interface at the very center of the chamber, while the four Blackstone Cerebrates simultaneously injected the cold green runes on their forehead plates into the resonance nodes at the four corners of the chamber.

The isolation chamber's outer shell closed layer by layer, each layer emitting a deep, low-frequency quantum locking confirmation tone upon closure.

The Chaos psychic fluctuations were completely sealed within the blackstone resonance field, and not even the creep surrounding the isolation chamber showed any signs of corruption.

"The Error-Correction Code Prototype has been sealed. The blackstone engine isolation chamber is operating at full power, with zero Chaos psychic leakage." The Brood Queen sent the confirmation of sealing to the Overmind.

The Overmind reviewed the sealing data within the Hive Mind and then ordered the Blackstone Cerebrates to conduct the first round of reverse-decryption on the Error-Correction Code Prototype.

The focus of the decryption was not the Chaos psychic energy itself, but the records of Tzeentch's full-spectrum penetration of Coalition communication protocols using this Error-correction code during the Coalition era.

The Brood Queen submitted the first batch of decryption results within a very short time after the decryption began—the psychic frequency bands of the Universal Void Shield Coordinator had been marked by Tzeentch before the Coalition was even established; the encryption protocols of the Coalition shared database had been deciphered layer by layer by Tzeentch using Chaos divination while acting as an observer during the Coalition legal definition negotiations; and the psychic communication links of the Coalition War Council had even been embedded with multiple passive monitoring backdoors.

The Overmind forwarded the non-classified portions of the decryption results to the Emperors Hammer.

Marcus Aurelian stared at the protocol numbers on the main screen that had been infiltrated by Tzeentch, remaining silent for a long time.

He recognized every one of these protocol numbers—the Universal Void Shield Coordinator Version 3.0 Firmware Sharing Protocol, the Coalition Supply Chain Dynamic Allocation Encryption Protocol, and the War Council Psychic Communication Link Joint Calibration Protocol.

They were all core documents jointly signed and executed by all signatory parties during the Coalition's heyday.

"The encryption protocols of the Coalition shared database had already been marked by Tzeentch before the Coalition was established." Bern's voice came from the Griffin IV Anchorage, his speech extremely slow, as if reading a death warrant word by word, "This means that all tactical communications during the Coalition era—including the fleet deployments for the Star of Judgment campaign, the civilian transport coordinates for the Lead-Gray Abyss, and the engineering parameters for the Living Psionic Network at the Origin Facility—were all under the surveillance of Chaos."

His Psychic Talisman flashed violently inside his breastplate, silver Holy Power patterns leaking from the cracks, and several extremely fine fissures appeared on the talisman's surface—not physical damage, but the Holy Power autonomously responding to the residual psychic corruption the talisman had detected.

Heinrich's mechanical prosthetic eye flashed red on the other end of the fleet channel, and he hoarsely asked if The Swarm had already submitted the Coalition's vulnerability parameters.

Marcus projected the notification that the Brood Queen had sent along with the decryption results onto the main screen— "The Swarm has completed the decryption of the Error-Correction Code Prototype. The vulnerability parameters for all communication protocols from the Coalition era have been annotated by the Overmind. It is recommended that the Imperial Navy conduct a comprehensive review of existing communication encryption protocols; encryption protocols from the Coalition era must no longer be used for any military communications. End of notification."

Marcus stood up and walked to the star map, pressed the fleet channel, and announced to all anchorages that the Imperial Navy was to immediately and comprehensively replace all communication encryption protocols; all existing versions of encryption protocols related to the Coalition shared database, the Universal Void Shield Coordinator, and the War Council psychic communication links were to be abolished, with new encryption standards to be jointly formulated by the technical division of the Imperial Navy Tactical Assessment Bureau and the Grey Knights psychic security consultants.

"I have done what The Swarm notified me to do." Marcus forwarded the fleet's response to the Brood Queen, adding a private note: The vulnerabilities from the Coalition era will all be patched by the Empire, leaving none behind. This is the last time the Empire will receive a warning from The Swarm regarding vulnerabilities in Coalition protocols.

He sent a briefing to Terra, recommending that the Council of High Lords simultaneously review the communication encryption protocols for all Imperial Navy sectors and abolish all encryption protocols related to the Coalition era.

Terra subsequently replied that the Council of High Lords would establish a special committee to implement this and requested that Marcus submit an evaluation report.

The Brood Queen received Marcus's fleet reply outside the isolation chamber and forwarded it to the Overmind.

She handed the next phase of the decryption task to the Blackstone Cerebrates and finally added a short note at the end of the task package— "Humans have already begun to replace their encryption protocols. They are moving faster than in the Coalition era."

The Overmind forwarded this message back to the Emperors Hammer, attaching his reply: "But it is not free."