In the heart of the ruins of Guelbryn City, a grotesque "celebration" was underway.
Inquisitor Grande was nailed to a makeshift cross, crudely pieced together from armor plates, with thick iron spikes. The Helldivers had firmly lashed this cross to the roof of a chimera transport vehicle, as if it were a triumphant trophy. Amidst the schadenfreude-filled applause and cheers of the surrounding onlookers, the chimera, carrying the dying Inquisitor, began its parade through the ruins of Guelbryn.
Wheel tracks crushed over the rubble, leaving a trail, while Grande's blood splattered along the charred ground, painting a broken crimson path. It was unlikely he would survive this journey. Thinking of this, Ghostface couldn't help but feel a little regret.
Just then, the distinctive roar of vector thrusters grew from a distance. A fiery red figure tore through the swirling dust, landing unceremoniously beside Ghostface like a meteor, kicking up a wave of dust.
"I finally found you, commander of the Helldivers," Farsight's voice emanated from the external loudspeaker of his XV8 battlesuit, calm and clear.
He had expected his arrival to provoke a violent reaction from the black-clad soldiers around him; after all, he was an alien, an enemy with whom they had just been locked in combat. In fact, they did react—they merely glanced at him collectively, then went back to their own business as if nothing had happened.
Farsight couldn't understand this. But from a player's perspective, it was as simple as could be: Farsight had no white border indicating hostility. This meant two things: one, he had no ill intent; two, killing him would yield no merit.
"Yeah, you found me." Even Ghostface himself only gave a perfunctory reply, without lifting his head, "Hello, my Name is Ghostface, nice to meet you. And you?"
"I'm well, thank you," Farsight responded politely, then added, "'Ghostface' is just a codename, isn't it?"
"And your 'Farsight' isn't?" Ghostface retorted.
"My full name is Shas'o…."
"No, no, no," Ghostface quickly waved his hand to interrupt him, "I'm not asking for your real name! My point is, the essence of a name is just a codename. What it's called isn't important; what's most important is that when others hear this codename, they know what it signifies!"
"A true name is necessary," Farsight insisted. "A codename is more of a symbol, a spirit, a banner. A true name represents you, the individual."
"Exactly!" Ghostface exclaimed, as if he had been waiting for this sentence for centuries. He clapped his hands together with an almost operatic tone, saying, "Anyone can be under the Ghostface!"
Having played this game for so long, finally getting the chance to say this line, Ghostface felt a profound sense of relief, like chugging a large gulp of ice-cold cola on a scorching summer day!
But what Ghostface didn't expect was that his playful remark would plunge Farsight into a long silence.
After a long while, Farsight slowly spoke, his voice filled with a dawning realization: "So that's it… Is this the true reason you are fearless in death and so difficult to defeat? You dissolve the 'self' and become a banner, and countless banners converge into an ocean.
Destroying the individual carrying the banner becomes irrelevant, because another will surely pick up the fallen banner and continue forward. Spirit is not as easily destroyed as flesh…."
Farsight's philosophical interpretation left Ghostface dumbfounded. He opened his mouth, wanting to say, 'Bro, you're overthinking it; we just simply revive when we die.' But on second thought, that sentence would definitely be censored by the system, so he could only vaguely say, "Perhaps…."
However, Farsight clearly took Ghostface's ambiguous answer as an affirmation. He said solemnly, "In this campaign, the impression you have left on me is even deeper than that of the genetically engineered super-soldiers. Their power can be understood, and even completely predicted due to their rigid adherence to certain dogmas. But you, I simply cannot comprehend."
"Now, I understand a little more," Farsight stated. "In the next campaign, I will try my best to defeat you, Immortals."
"Hmm… first, the title 'Immortals' is pretty cool, although historically, the elite guard was also called the Ten Thousand Immortals, which might not have the best connotation, but I accept it," Ghostface said. "Secondly, where would we have a next campaign?"
"Neither side got what it wanted, so there is no peace, only a ceasefire," Farsight answered Ghostface's previous question. "A treaty is just a piece of paper. When it is torn up depends not on the date marked on it, but only on which side first feels ready to win the next war."
"You said neither side got what it wanted, and I disagree with that," Ghostface said.
"Are you referring to your human who led the negotiations, Lucian Gritte?" Farsight pondered for a moment. "Although I am not as skilled in diplomatic rhetoric as the Water Caste, I could tell that he secured many commercial terms for himself. Presumably, his wealth and power will increase dozens of times over."
"No, I'm not talking about that rogue trader; I'm talking about me!" Ghostface said.
"You?" Farsight was somewhat puzzled. "Uh, you gained glory?"
"Glory? Who the hell cares about that stuff?" Ghostface looked speechless. "We're here to kill people!"
He cleared his throat and, in a tone about to display a rare treasure, said, "Forget it, I'll reluctantly show you what I gained from this war."
Hearing the words "reluctantly," the surrounding players watching the show gave him scornful looks; clearly, he had shown it off many times before.
Ghostface carefully took out two thick copies of the Codex Astartes from his embrace.
"See?" He displayed the books to Farsight. "This one on the left is personally signed by the current Lord of Macragge, the Ultramarines Chapter Master, Marius Calgar! This one on the right is personally signed by the Overlord of Overlords, the future invincible Second Company captain, Cato Sicarius!"
The next second, Ghostface held up the two Codices and shouted loudly to all the surrounding players: "Did you all see it? Did you? Look at me! This Chapter Master knows you all only have Sicarius' signature; today, I'll open your eyes and show you Calgar's!"
And the other players' response to this was an overwhelming chorus of boos and curses:
"Screw you!"
"I'm reporting you to the game dev right now; wait for him to come steal your collection!"
"If you want to show off so much, why don't you walk around with these two books on your head?!"
Ghostface smugly put away the Codices and looked at Farsight: "See? They're just purely jealous!"
Farsight was silent for a while. His red battlesuit faceplate calmly faced this incomprehensible commander. In the end, he said nothing, merely activated his vector thrusters, choosing to silently distance himself from these individuals whom he might never fully understand.