The Valkyrie's engines hummed, a low, resonating thrum that vibrated through the metal hull. Inside the cabin, the air was still, heavy with the smell of ozone and the faint, coppery tang of old fear. Jessica was asleep in her seat, her head lolled back, her face pale and exhausted.
Nolan, however, was wide awake.
[Salvage countdown: zero]
His cyan wolf eyes, pupils dilated in the dim light, were fixed on the glowing page of the simulator.
[Salvage harvest: Mark of Purity production manual (one volume)]
Annotation: "Produced by the State Religion, a blessing from the Chapter Priests... may be useful, may not be useful, Schrödinger's Mark of Purity."
"The alien blade cannot hurt my brother at all..."
"No enemy within sight will survive a day..."
"My brother's bolter will not cool in the blooming flames..."
"My brother's chainsaw sword will be soaked in the blood of the enemy..."
[Salvage harvest: A copy of "The Word of the Emperor" (incomplete)]
Annotation: Produced by Lorgar Aurelion, one of the traitorous Primarchs, and carried forward by the Imperial State Religion... Report to the Inquisition, this is just an incomplete copy, why bother... BANG (explosion roar)"
"Only death is the way, the torch of the Emperor's will, the destruction of the monsters. If I do not doubt, then the Emperor will bless me. Failure and frustration are the power of the fallen emperor... Uh, maybe He really said... BANG (bomb boom)"
[Salvaged harvest: "Imperial Truth" manuscript (incomplete)]
Note: Produced by the Emperor, violators must be punished... However, how many people are left who offer their loyalty and faith?
[Salvaged harvest: C'tan Phase Sword (one)]
Note: Produced by the Necrons... Human in front, you are indeed destined for ribs... Have you heard of the savior of the galaxy, the only nemesis of the hive will, the Silent King?
Nolan's cyan wolf eyes swept over the salvaged items one by one. His gaze stayed on the items of high value, skipping past the worthless lines of text and standard ammunition.
Among them, the C'tan Phase Sword was the most valuable. Its simple, elegant, and lethal design resonated with him. It also suited Nolan's preferences perfectly.
The volume of the Pure Mark of Purity Production Manual was also partially useful. Even if it was just used to decorate the armor, as a psychological tool, it was a fine thing.
But as for the incomplete "Emperor's Word" and "Imperial Truth," Nolan narrowed his eyes, and a faint sneer touched his lips. He didn't even give them a second look.
He chose to close the simulator's salvage page. The light vanished, plunging the cabin back into near darkness.
He closed his eyes slightly.
For a moment, Nolan's mind was full of thoughts.
"Now, the many thoughts on the earth are already chaotic enough. Incomplete scriptures can't change anything."
Finally, Nolan seemed to make a low murmur, a quiet growl beneath the engine's roar. The beating of Leman Russ's heart, a heavy thump-thump in his chest, seemed to echo in the vibrating cabin.
How to relieve the worry?
A few hours later, the Valkyrie's ramp whined open into the humid stillness of the underground base. The team, having returned, dispersed on the spot.
David needed to maintain and repair the Valkyrie transporter. The nighttime dogfight had squeezed a lot of function out of the engines, which caused the machine spirit to be unhappy, and it needed to be comforted with rites of oil and calibration.
Jessica, who took off her combat armor with movements that were slow and pained, seemed to have overdrawn a lot of energy. Her hands were still trembling. She was exhausted and had to go back to her room to rest.
Nolan, still sleepless, his energy undimmed, began to wipe down the blood-spattered Hunting Lord and his combat gear with an alcohol-soaked cloth. The sharp, sterile smell filled the air.
Then, he entered the equipment room with the large number of weapons and equipment. He carefully racked the Gauss blaster.
He suddenly remembered the hard disk and crystal ball mixed in his ammunition bag.
Nolan looked down at the neatly arranged spoils on the workbench. He scratched his chin with a fingertip, his nail clicking on the rough skin. He fell into deep thought.
The hard disk was easy to deal with. It could be handed over to David to crack.
But what about the dull, lifeless crystal ball?
The killing had been too fast. He hadn't even given Agger a chance to speak, let alone explain. There was no time to ask the Minotaur how to use this thing.
However, the bull-headed monster seemed to use it to control some unknown energy. Maybe it was a special magic product?
"Forget it. I'd better find a chance to ask a professional who knows the business."
Nolan narrowed his wolf eyes and chose to give up temporarily. He casually threw the crystal ball onto the weapon rack, where it clattered against a spare magazine and settled.
He turned and walked out of the equipment room.
Nolan, still not sleepy, quickly washed up. He put on his sunglasses and a baseball cap. He planned to go to Gao's Chamber of Commerce to retrieve some firearms. He also intended to go check on his aunt's situation.
However, just as Nolan was about to leave the base, he unexpectedly ran into Connors, who had also clearly been up all night.
At this time, the teacher, his face drawn with worry and his eyes bloodshot, was pacing back and forth in the corridor. He occasionally moved his one arm in a frantic, gesturing motion.
Connors looked up inadvertently and saw Nolan's tall figure approaching.
He opened his eyes wide and hurriedly ran up to say, his voice a hoarse, urgent whisper:
"Nolan, I stayed up late last night checking documents and materials related to the compound. You need to stop them from mass-producing it as soon as possible!"
"Based on my own knowledge and the vague records in the materials, this compound is probably only effective for humans in childhood. Adults are basically dead after injection! If it's leaked accidentally, it won't be a good thing, whether it's abused by drug addicts or causes a trend of imitating superheroes!"
Nolan took off his sunglasses, looking down at the anxious teacher Connors.
He subconsciously showed his fangs, a smile that was both amused and tired.
He said helplessly, "Uh, teacher, Roxxon Industries has basically been removed from the list. Their CEO and the board of directors have been wiped out. I can't even help... there are only some preliminary and final tasks left for David to handle."
He put a hand on Connors' shoulder.
"We will find ways to obtain more information about the compound for you, to help your next research. I only ask for one thing. Whether it's the compound or your amputated limb regeneration potion, any human-body-related experimental projects are prohibited until we are completely sure."
"I understand. I'm not a mad scientist."
A visibly relieved Connors smiled coyly. The tension flooded out of him, leaving him looking even more exhausted.
He used his one arm to tidy up his loose, unkempt blond hair.
He turned and walked back towards the unfinished laboratory, his posture already less frantic.
Nolan put on his sunglasses again and shook his head slightly.
He went deep into the passage.
Suddenly, the entire base fell into a long, humming silence. Only bright, cold lights illuminated every dark corner.
Just in the empty equipment room, a sudden wrongness.
A wisp of black mist, as thick as a single hair, suddenly rose from the bolter.
It quickly, like a striking snake, rushed towards the dim crystal ball on the weapon rack.
Accompanied by a slight, sharp cracking sound, as well as the disembodied howls of animals, or perhaps the faint, soul-destroying screams of agony, the now-thicker, oily black mist slowly floated back.
It sank back into the bolter. It slowly hid its figure.
And the crystal ball, unaware of what had happened, completely turned into a pile of fine, gray powder, slightly reflecting a dreamlike, colorful luster before settling into dust.
Half a day later, Nolan returned to the base with a box of takeout in his hand. The smell of garlic and soy sauce filled the small space of the elevator.
He had given up on visiting his aunt.
He turned around and walked into his own lounge.
Nolan sat cross-legged on the metal bed.
After thinking about it, he reopened the simulator.
Nolan stared at the inflated cooldown time shown. He couldn't help but grin and show his fangs.
The remaining one thousand and seventy-nine hours, plus the fifteen hundred hours just extracted from the Roxxon mission.
A total of 2,579 hours of resources.
Nolan took a deep breath.
He did not hesitate to erase the remaining 770 hours of cooldown time.
He decided to do the next simulation.
"The Emperor's blessing be upon me."