Although the chance of the statement being false was high, given the tone and expressions of the speaker, Zhang Ge didn't want to waste too much time on such trivial matters, especially since it was the eve of a counteroffensive.
He set that issue aside, glanced at his immediate companions, and after a moment of contemplation, began assigning them their respective tasks.
First was Amilia; she needed to gather the Sisters of Battle, which went without saying. What was worth noting was that she also had to retrieve a piece of equipment essential for Perveti from the Ecclesiarchy:
A modified suit of power armor.
The height of the power armor was similar to Perveti's, and after emergency modifications, it could be donned as external armor, allowing her to disguise herself as a somewhat special suit of power armor, making her less conspicuous.
Endymion, at three meters tall, could still be explained away as a mutant or a servitor—after all, in his current condition, few would believe he was a Custodian Guard—but Perveti, at four meters, could be recognized immediately, especially with her four pairs of large wings. If she lifted a super-heavy tank like it was a toy, calling her a "normal person" or a "combat servitor" would be akin to fooling everyone else.
In fact, even wearing the modified power armor, when not in crisis, Perveti would have to restrict her output, or the armor would tear internally, exposing a pilot not much smaller than the armor itself.
Subsequently, tasks were assigned to Penelope, Isis, Dominica, and others... However, due to realizing the multitude of tasks that actually needed to be addressed, what began as a brief assignment ultimately dragged on for more than ten Terra minutes. It wasn't until Zhang Ge was left with only a few maidens, Perveti, and the Eldar girl that the entire process finally came to a close.
Glancing at the Eldar girl, now kneeling on the ground with her eyes glazed over, translucent saliva dripping from her mouth, leaving an unclear wet stain on the lower half of her robe, Zhang Ge instructed one of the maidens to help her back up...
Ah, wait.
Another communication request had come in.
It was from an unfamiliar signal, but the identification showed it was from someone in the Adeptus Mechanicus, likely concerning the Titan.
With a slight sense of curiosity, Zhang Ge stopped his intended steps and accepted the communication.
Before he could even inquire about the identity of the caller, a hurried mechanical voice came through the sound array:
"I am a Magos from the Hongbei Sector. It is said that the machine is currently under your command?"
Magos—these were the individuals within the Adeptus Mechanicus who could legitimately be called "Masters," yet the public's understanding of them barely scratched the surface.
As previously mentioned, the internal hierarchy of the Adeptus Mechanicus was so complex that ordinary people couldn't even grasp its basic structure. What a Magos truly represented might only be known by themselves and their immediate followers; these specialists could shift from being an ancillary overseer of a forge one moment to becoming researchers in their respective fields the next.
Magos, Sages, Archmagos, and countless internal ranks among the Magi were like an immense ocean; perhaps only the names of the Custodians could rival their complexity.
However, aside from internal matters, it was certain that their respected status allowed them to mobilize substantial resources.
"Indeed, that's correct."
Yet Zhang Ge had no requests to make of the Adeptus Mechanicus. On the contrary, he held some grievances against these mechanical elders who constantly sent him equipment. Therefore, he only provided the most basic of acknowledgments.
"Get to the machine ASAP."
As soon as he finished this statement, the other party terminated the communication on their own.
Feeling the silence from the sound array, Zhang Ge sighed in resignation.
Old and rude yet still impolite.
But considering the caller was a Magos, even if it were just a minor declarative sentence, the fact that someone of such high rank within the entire Adeptus Mechanicus Sector would personally be communicating with a mere "Astra Militarum Colonel" was perhaps indicative of something urgent.
...
Wait a second, the ruler of the entire sector?
There should be at least two Magi in the Hongbei Sector, right?
Realizing that the high-ranking individuals in the Hongbei Sector might have evacuated, Zhang Ge momentarily felt a bit tense.
"Let's go."
Not pondering too long, he quickly discerned the implications behind this development and spoke to those behind him.
As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone set off, swiftly passing through the encampment in the vehicles parked below until they reached the belly of the Valkyrie, finally heading toward Olivia's location.
During this time, Zhang Ge also inquired through the cross about what was happening on Olivia's side. Although the answers he received indicated no immediate danger, he considered that whoever from the Adeptus Mechanicus wouldn't necessarily divulge their true intentions to Olivia. Hence, Zhang Ge didn't allow himself to dampen his enthusiasm.
To speak honestly, he had already planned out his script for when they landed—wasn't this a classic "give you thirty million, you break up with her" scenario?
After traveling for so long, he finally stumbled upon such a situation. Aside from the brief time he spent at Eagleport or when he first went to the gangster district, he had mostly encountered sensible individuals, and this time, someone who looked like a villain with a sufficiently strong background had finally appeared.
With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Ge halted idle chatter in the cabin just before the Valkyrie was about to touch down, steeling himself and putting on a serious expression.
However, this expression nearly faltered the moment he exited the cabin.
He saw a Magos of size comparable to a tank moving back and forth before a group of High Tech-Priests, brandishing a powerful axe while loudly berating them. His tone and gestures were incredibly exaggerated, and he even occasionally spewed some thick, black liquid from what appeared to be a mouthpart.
The High Tech-Priests sat obediently at his feet, some familiar faces among them—like that Arachnid-Tech Priest he had encountered earlier.
These usually imposing High Tech-Priests were now eerily silent, even when the black goo splattered onto their robes; they didn't dare make a sound, creating a contrasting scene filled with absurdity and humor.
After adapting to this surreal scene for a while, Zhang Ge managed to maintain his serious demeanor and approached the Magos from behind, speaking to announce his arrival.
"Ahem."
"Oh, you finally made it. I had asked these fools who would defile the glory of the machine with such a crude method, yet none could provide an answer. It's a disgrace beyond words."
As a Magos, his command of language was even sharper; aside from the synthetic electronic timbre, he sounded no different from an ordinary person. Upon seeing Zhang Ge, he pointed at Olivia's flight unit with the apex of his axe and smoothly switched to a comprehensible dialect, speaking with indignation.
"Uh... Perhaps, if you ask again, you might get an answer?"
Considering the High Tech-Priest who had followed him from Yarkalan to Eagleport, and the potential consequences for that individual's future and even life, Zhang Ge chose to tell a little white lie for the sake of kindness.
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