"According to the intelligence gathered, the former Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Iltutmish Hitmoen, and the former Pope, Baldo Slatra, have been confirmed to be involved; they are the masterminds behind the rebels and cults."
"Whether Yola Rama, the Navigator representative dismissed by the Regent, is involved is still under investigation."
Inquisitor Galen reported all the intelligence he had gathered to Alex, then asked,
"Should we take immediate action?"
Alex hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
"The enemy hasn't fully revealed themselves yet. Let's wait a little longer."
Galen looked worried. "If we drag this out, once news of the food shortage spreads, the consequences will be unimaginable."
"Many people will join the traitors, and then the scale of the rebellion will be extremely exaggerated."
"If we fear sacrifice, then we cannot solve the problem." There was a hint of coldness in Alex's voice as he opened the projection interface.
It displayed Terra's transportation routes and daily trade.
"For thousands of years, Terra has become increasingly reliant on external supplies. Once the routes are cut off, Terra will collapse."
"This situation is too dangerous; it must change. And this incident might be the best opportunity."
"As long as we succeed, Terra will be reborn, the Human Empire will be reborn, and everything will shed its rotten appearance and regain vitality."
"You are planning something grand," Galen said. "It makes me feel a bit uneasy."
"The eve of change is always like this." Alex stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the city buildings.
"After this transformation, Terra will revert to its state when life first began. It will become a Reality, no longer a bloated, hive-like Hive City world."
"Are you going to kill everyone on Terra?" Galen's eyes widened as he asked incredulously.
Alex: "..."
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"Inquisitor, I must remind you, your thoughts are too insane."
"How could I slaughter so many people!! I just want to move the population of Terra away; leaving the Imperial Palace and the Astronomican is enough."
"This unrest is the best excuse. Once the rebellion ends, I will gradually migrate the population to space and build space cities."
"Let all those demons and monsters surface this time. Let's deal with them all at once."
Galen gazed at the Saint's back, then also looked out the window.
It was imaginable that an unimaginable storm of slaughter would sweep across all of Terra, and even the Sol System.
...
Mars is the most important planet in the Human Empire after Terra.
It is the territory, headquarters, and primary Forge World of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Mars is the Human Empire's largest repository of technical knowledge and the home of the Human Empire's most powerful fleet, the Solar Fleet.
After receiving the mission from the Guide,
Old Bird and Wu Mou, along with members of the East Asia Research Institute, set off for Mars to find the Akashic Reader.
Their spaceship traversed the vast void, flying towards the red planet.
"Is this Mars?"
A Player leaned against the window, examining Mars with a surprised expression.
Mars had undergone Terraforming, but after the Horus Heresy, the hard-won achievements were destroyed.
Since then, Mars has not restarted Terraforming and has remained red.
A gigantic ring belt named the Iron Ring is wrapped around Mars's equator.
It is composed of colossal space stations, void ports, large shipyards, and other void structures, making it an undeniable megastructure.
The planet's surface is covered by fire and metal, while the atmosphere is replaced by striped pollution clouds.
Industrial zones cover the entire continent.
Countless towering smelting furnaces are spewing black smoke and red light.
The port tower connected to the Iron Ring is located in the center of the industrial city, busily transporting various materials.
"As expected of the Adeptus Mechanicus's territory. As far as the eye can see, it's either an industrial city or an industrial city."
The void port is very bustling, with delegations from various Forge Worlds across the galaxy, as well as fleets transporting minerals, metals, food, and other supplies, all moored here.
Large numbers of Skitarii in red robes shuttle through the crowds, maintaining order.
Huge Servitors scan the passing crowds with their crimson eyes, checking for threats.
Just as the Mechanical Priest at the port was checking Old Bird and the others' documents and bio-stamps,
The massive Cawl, fitted with numerous bionic limbs, appeared before the Players.
Behind him stood a tall Primaris Space Marine and several Mechanical Skitarii.
The nearby Priests and Servitors all saluted him.
"They are my responsibility. You may attend to your own duties."
Mars has a strict hierarchy, and Cawl, as an Archmagos, possesses power second only to the Fabricator-General.
The consequences of disobeying him were not something these ordinary Priests and servants could bear.
The Priest in charge of inspection bowed respectfully and then withdrew.
"Archmagos." Old Bird walked up to Cawl.
"Welcome to Mars, God Chosen." Cawl's vocalizer emitted a mechanical sound. "Next, I will take you to the Molten Rock City ruins."
Old Bird looked at Cawl, who had appeared before him, with a surprised expression.
"The mission didn't say we would receive your help, Archmagos."
"Because I was not part of the Saint's plan to begin with," Cawl said.
"I looked into the so-called Akashic Reader and found it to be very helpful to me, so I came."
"..."
While Old Bird and Cawl were conversing,
Wu Mou looked at the Primaris Space Marine behind Cawl.
The other party was an Astartes warrior.
He was strong and tall, his face covered in scars.
He had a pair of dark eyes, with a hint of white around his large pupils.
He wore power armor without any Warband insignia.
Standing there, he exuded a strong sense of oppression.
"Is this the Primaris?" Wu Mou tentatively asked.
"Yes, I am the Primaris." The tall warrior nodded.
Old Bird glanced at the Primaris, then turned his gaze back to Cawl.
"In principle..."
Old Bird had only said half his sentence when Cawl spoke first.
"I will give you an additional mission. Haven't you always wanted the micro-nuclear fusion technology?"
"How about this as a reward for the mission? A complete set of micro-nuclear fusion technology. Although it's not cold nuclear fusion, it can still be installed on small spacecraft."
"There are no issues in principle, Archmagos." Old Bird's attitude changed, and his tone became fawning.
He had originally intended to refuse.
After all, if they didn't bring the other party along, their group could slowly explore the Molten Rock City ruins and search for technology that could be used in Reality.
The problem was, Cawl offered too much.
A complete set of micro-nuclear fusion technology—let alone entering the Molten Rock City ruins with him, even wearing a purple dress and dancing for the Archmagos wouldn't be out of the question.
With this technology, East Asia Research Institute wouldn't need to take any detours and could go straight to the interstellar age.
As for why a purple dress, it's because purple has a certain charm.
After reaching a consensus, the group took a transport shuttle to their destination.
The ruins of Molten Rock City are located on the edge of the Daedalus Plain, south of the Arsia Mons mountain range.
During the Horus Heresy, Molten Rock City, built around a giant volcano, was one of the largest Forge Worlds.
Its production efficiency ranked among the top Forge Worlds on Mars.
Kollya Jersey, the administrator of Molten Rock City, was a female Archmagos who did not believe in the Lord of Myriad Machines, but was loyal to the Emperor and had a fanatical pursuit of knowledge.
She secretly carried out a clandestine plan: to use the Akashic Reader to read knowledge from the Warp.
Unfortunately, this plan consistently failed.
Until the appearance of a genius girl—Dahlia Cecila.
This genius girl had different insights into machinery and numbers than other Mechanical Priests, and was not bound by the rigid thinking of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
With her assistance, Kollya Jersey successfully activated the Akashic Reader, but it was not stable enough.
It was at this time that an ambassador sent by Horus, who had been seduced by the Chaos Gods / The Four Gods, arrived on Mars.
In exchange for abandoning the restrictive clauses of the Mars Protocol and opening the Moravic Vault, he gained the support of Karbor Hal, the Fabricator-General of Mars at the time.
Large numbers of Adeptus Mechanicus members joined the rebel faction, becoming the Dark Mechanicum.
Karbor Hal opened the Moravic Vault, releasing the cursed creations within.
Virus-corrupted code imbued with Warp energy infected the entire network of Mars, causing countless deaths and the shutdown of numerous Forge Worlds.
Subsequently, Karbor initiated a war in the name of the Fabricator-General, purging the loyalists, which led to the outbreak of the Mars Civil War.
Molten Rock City was also targeted by the rebels, and the Akashic Reader project failed due to the civil war.
When the city fell, Kollya Jersey chose to detonate Molten Rock City's reactor to prevent the enemy from gaining control of Molten Rock City and the Akashic Reader.
The terrifying explosion engulfed everything, turning Molten Rock City into a radioactive wasteland.
Meanwhile, the genius girl Dahlia Cecila unexpectedly received the Emperor's blessing, entered an ancient ruin, and became the jailer of the Void Dragon, a C'tan.
Old Bird and his group's transport ship slowly landed in a desolate, charred ruin.
After the Horus Heresy, Molten Rock City, having become a wasteland, was not rebuilt and remained abandoned here, forgotten by the world.
Stepping out of the hatch, the first sight that met their eyes was rusted, dilapidated buildings.
"Is this the Molten Rock City ruins?"
Wu Mou showed a surprised expression, surveying everything around him.
Old Bird also activated his scanning mode, "I wonder if there are any terrifying monsters inside?"
"Do you even need to ask that question? Which instance doesn't have a Boss?" Wu Mou rolled his eyes at Old Bird.
"Let's go." Cawl took heavy steps, walking towards the Molten Rock City ruins, desolate for ten thousand years and covered in rust.
The Primaris Space Marine followed Cawl closely, looking around with extreme vigilance.
He could feel some malicious gazes lurking in the shadows, spying on them.
But he couldn't find where the enemies were hiding!
The Players also followed, beginning to explore the new instance.
...
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The archaeological party moved quickly.
The echo of their boots reverberated through the empty buildings.
No trace of civilization could be seen in Molten Rock City anymore.
Everywhere were rusted buildings and giant mechanical arms.
Huge vehicles lay overturned on both sides of the abandoned roads.
The Players moved through the desolate city, quickly approaching the still active volcano.
Based on the information provided by Cortana and the analysis of the restored model, the Players learned that...
The core control room of the former Molten Rock City was inside the volcano.
Under Cortana's guidance, they found a tunnel leading into the volcano.
Not long after entering, the data intelligence transmitted by several scout servitor skulls flying ahead caught Old Bird's attention.
An anomalous signal was moving towards their location.
"Something's happening, prepare for battle."
Old Bird told everyone to stop.
The abnormal data was forwarded to everyone else's data, including Cawl and the Primaris Space Marine.
"Is it finally time to grind monsters?"
"I thought this was a parkour map! We walked so far without a single monster, turns out they're all here."
"Get ready, protect the two scholars."
"..."
The Players who were carrying out this mission with Old Bird and Wu Mou...
Were all top-tier elites in Reality.
As soon as Old Bird gave the order, they spread out in tactical formation...
Hiding behind cover...
Forming crossfire points.
These Players had all uniformly booked the game after receiving orders from their superiors.
After obtaining the internal test qualification, they joined the East Asia Research Institute upon entering the game.
Although the current East Asia Research Institute was not well-known among the Players...
It was small but complete in every aspect.
It was highly likely to become the first Player faction to develop comprehensively without any weaknesses.
The sounds from the darkness grew louder and louder.
Soon, the first enemy appeared before the Players.
It was a pathetic servitor, a mixture of machinery and flesh.
The modifications on its body were clearly failed experiments; its flesh was rotten from radiation, looking particularly grotesque and terrifying.
"Wild servitors?" Cawl was momentarily stunned. "How did they appear here?"
Servitor surgery had a high success rate, but there were also failures.
Those servitors with irreparable damage or experimental subjects with failed modification surgeries would be abandoned and thrown into the wilderness.
The wilderness of Mars was full of toxins and ashes.
Most abandoned servitors would die, but some would survive.
Without food and energy, they would instinctively gather together...
Attacking Adeptus Mechanicus strongholds, workers, and sustaining themselves by devouring corpses and absorbing electricity.
One wild servitor walked out of the darkness.
Followed by a second, a third, and so on.
Their numbers were incredibly exaggerated, like a tide, filling the entire passage.
"Deal with them!" Old Bird shouted.
The Players hiding in various places opened fire, and dense gunfire formed a web of firepower, instantly tearing apart the bodies of those servitors.
Before long, the corridor was covered with broken bodies and metal prosthetics.
Cawl walked up and scanned the wreckage, looking for clues.
Soon, he noticed something amiss.
"The condition of these servitors is a bit strange, they seem to have been modified!"
"There must be something deep within the ruins attracting them from all over the world, then modifying them and using them as tools."
Unfortunately, the dead remains could not provide more clues.
They could only continue to explore deeper.
Along the way, they experienced several more fierce battles.
The enemies they encountered were still servitors, but the Players could clearly feel that the deeper they went, the stronger those servitors became, and the better their weapons were.
After another battle, they reached the core underground area of the former Molten Rock City.
And at this moment...
A group of soulless automatons appeared, blocking their path.
This surprised Cawl and the Players.
How could there be robots in the Molten Rock City ruins??
At this moment, an intelligent robot walked out and spoke.
"You have trespassed into our territory, organics."