"Is that so? Then, all that can be done now is to wait."
After confirming that there would be no unexpected incidents in orbit, Calvin turned his attention to the holographic projection on the command platform in front of him and began to look directly in front of the bridge.
His eyes followed the bulletproof glass on the huge porthole and the void behind it, to the planet that was the galaxy and the capital of the Sect. Through the atmosphere that was not yet highly polluted, the large and small things on the surface
Among the building complexes with artificial traces, they directly locked the target of their trip - the planet's capital hive - Rastrohod Hive.
At this time, a huge swirling dark gray cloud covering hundreds of kilometers was occupying the sky above the location that originally represented the hive city.
Bang... Bang... Bang... Bang... Huge footsteps slowly approached from the outer hall of the auditorium.
Under the lead-black sky outside the window, heavy rain was still falling endlessly. In the dark and empty hall, broken decorations and furnishings fell haphazardly to the ground.
The green and purple stamens are blooming coquettishly on the roots that are twisted and densely covering the entire hall.
Most of the space in the hall is filled with these roots and branches. If it weren't for the armor and weapons lying in the corner, and the faded imperial double-headed eagle logo on the wall, this room would look more like a house used to cultivate seeds.
A greenhouse with flowers instead of its original purpose.
The luxurious decorations in the past have become dilapidated due to long-term neglect and vacancy, and the growth of vegetation in the house has accelerated the decay of these remains.
A figure was walking across the red carpet in the center of the chapel.
When his body followed the pace and passed by the floor-to-ceiling windows on the side, the lightning flashing across the sky outside the window barely illuminated some silhouettes of this figure before it was extinguished in an instant:
Green moss-like skin covers the huge and bloated body, and the whole body is so fat that it almost loses its human shape.
When he was harassed by the rot flies and insects flying around him and shook his head in annoyance, the huge antlers on his head that were impossible for humans to have were even reflected in the flash of electric light, creating a deformed reflection. It was like
A crown representing distortion and corruption is worn on his shadow that has no human form.
The strange green lightning is still streaking across the sky, occasionally reflecting into the huge Gothic floor-to-ceiling windows.
Through these short-lived green lights, one can see the velvet carpet on the ground that has been soaked by the unknown liquid and has begun to rot and sprout. As for the original color, I am afraid no one knows...
The original gilded bracket of the crystal chandelier at the top of the hall was covered with green rust. Except for a few lights scattered around the inside of the hall that were converted into self-powered lights, most of the lighting equipment has been replaced.
With the loss of energy supply, it fell into darkness.
In such scattered and sparse light, the throne symbolizing the ruling authority on the highest step of the auditorium is empty, just like this hive where no one survives except in the hall, full of meaningless things.
, leaving behind the absurdity and irony of formal existence.
"Well...it's a little itchy..." The giant, or troll, muttered to himself while stretching out his huge, fat and bloated fingers to lick the outside of the other arm. But it might be scratching.
With a little more force, the bright green skin was easily cut open by the black-green nails on the fingers, and dark green blood flowed out of the broken flesh.
But the troll didn't seem to feel the pain. It dug out the piece of rotten flesh and the maggots that were causing itching in the flesh. Through the sparse light, he observed with curiosity like a child:
The flesh maggot covered with black spiny hair did not appreciate this. It was very angry that its feeding was interrupted. It bit the huge palm and tried to get back into the warm flesh again.
"Ah, naughty guy..." the troll muttered. He grabbed his palm, crushed the flesh and maggots in his palm, and then stuffed it into another mouth on his waist and abdomen.<
/p>
The mouth that stretched across his entire waist was very dissatisfied with the stingy portion of the food. The long and thick tongue stuck out of the mouth and carefully washed his hands from the elbow down until
After confirming that there was nothing to eat, he shrank back angrily. While flicking his tongue, he also hummed like the mouth above:
"Hungry...ah!"
The sour hunger in his belly urged him to walk straight towards the banquet hall next to the back of the auditorium. The instinctive message told him that there would be enough food there, or something that could be used as food. p>
"Boom!" The lightning outside the window flashed in the distance again, and the huge thunder in the clouds followed shortly.
The troll's footsteps stopped. His head looked too small under the huge antlers, and his originally chaotic eyes became a little clearer under the stimulation of thunder.
The scene in front of him and the encounter in his memory made him confused about the order of time and authenticity. His consciousness, which was still immersed in memories a second ago, looked at the wreckage in front of him after waking up, and he couldn't figure it out. p>
He subconsciously raised his hand to touch the corners of his eyes, where there should have been a pair of tortoiseshell frames.
This frame was not expensive, and it was very cheap compared with the rare treasures he saw after he became governor. However, it was a gift from his comrade before his death, and it was also his most cherished personal wealth.
But now, the touch of the sky on his fingers let him know that this thing had been lost by him just like this person.
Lost along with the frame were pendants, rings, swords given to him by other comrades... there were more than twenty items in total, of which there were as many as 8 rings alone.
These cheap "babies" originate from the tradition of his regiment: when a recruit likes something from a veteran, he can tell the veteran directly. Then, when the battle is so intense that a certain death situation arises, the veteran
They would leave their property and entrust it to the recruits, and the things that the recruits were interested in were exactly the price for transferring these properties to the veterans' families.
In fact, the meaning of those things goes far beyond that. Hidden behind them is the obligation of survivors to protect the families of the deceased.
Otherwise, there would not have been a story about Hailan, who was born into a noble family, but he didn't like anything when he first entered the service, and was forced to press his head by the old regiment leader and specify this pair of frames.
This pair of frames was the first piece of wealth he inherited. And placed together with the various twenty pieces after that, it was his lifelong obligation.
It is precisely because of this tradition that the successive leaders of the Hailan Regiment, including him, never competed or grabbed for military exploits, and even more so when it came to spoils of war, they gave whatever they asked for and never said a word.
Because the successive heads of the regiment, including Hailan, all know that their most important mission is not to cut off the roots.
After all, there are still too many people waiting for news about them in their hometown. If they forget, the "wealth" in their hands will remind them.
After all, the Hailan Regiment still couldn't escape except for the day when their numbers were shattered. The whole month of fierce battles on the Mangra 5, and the late arrival of reinforcements intentionally or unintentionally were a devastating blow to them.
This small mortal army has no ability to participate in the game between the Astra Militarum and the Astartes, and it has no right to complain.
He has always been content with his duties, neither fighting nor grabbing. Even if the Ministry of Military Affairs directly revoked the designation afterwards, it did not arouse Hailan's resistance.
In his eyes, such an ending was neither the best nor the worst. Although in the end even the right to resettlement on site was taken away, he, Hailan, had not failed to live up to the old regiment leader's instructions.
Have you finally arranged this group of people? That’s enough.
"In the eyes of those of us who can still survive after fulfilling our obligations to the Empire and being loyal to the Emperor, every day of peace is so precious."
This is what Hailan thought. He did the same.
Before the disaster came, the seemingly honest and harmless fat Governor Hailan would wake up every morning, wearing a pair of tortoiseshell frames without lenses, eight cheap rings on his hands, and a low-quality ring on his waist.
He was wearing a sword and hanging around his neck were a few necklaces that looked like they were bargains.
No matter what other people's strange eyes are, he still goes his own way. Because he knows that every breath of peaceful air he breathes now is a gift from the owner of these small objects.
Now, these things were lost. Ignoring the change in my appearance, I began to look around in a panic:
"Where is it? Where is it? Why is it lost?"
The huge antlers on his head were swinging around with his head, and the huge centrifugal force made the things on these horns no longer stable.
"Bang!" A worn-out honorary sword was thrown off from his right antlers, and he immediately discovered this lost thing.
"Ah, here...everyone is here, that's good, that's good..." He picked up the sword, which was about the size of a fruit knife compared to his current body shape, and happily stuffed it back into the right corner.
……
It was not until this moment that Hailan, the little fat man who was known for his big heart before, and now the big fat man, noticed the huge changes in himself from his hands and the extra antlers on his head... p>
"Boom!~!" There was another green lightning and thunder. Hailan's consciousness, which had just woken up, fell into a deep sleep again. He once again followed his instinctive hunger, stood up and staggered towards the back hall.
On the distant horizon, some tiny meteors streaked across the sky, seeming to arouse bad memories in his subconscious: