Chapter 134: Khan, Take Me With You, Khan!

Zhou Yun turned his head blankly toward the direction from which the motorcycle's roar came.

Several speeding motorcycles appeared at the far end of this bizarre tubular world.

But strangely, these motorcycles did not ride on the ground—they hovered in midair, hurtling forward at thunderous speed.

The lead motorcycle was so fast that even Zhou Yun's enhanced reflexes struggled to track it.

The thunderous roar of motorcycles echoed beside his ears as the convoy slashed past him like a gale.

The convoy consisted of Space Marines clad in white powered armor, moving like the wind and striking like thunder.

The lead warrior was taller, broader, stronger, and faster still.

He wore Eastern-style powered armor, a power-knife shaped like a saber strapped at his waist; silver scales and dark-gold carapace glinted blindingly, while his crimson, flowing cloak billowed like a raging wildfire.

In a fleeting instant, the lead warrior turned his head—and Zhou Yun followed his gaze; their eyes met.

It was an Eastern face, bearded and long-haired, with a stripe of crimson paint drawn across his forehead like a lightning bolt.

The lead warrior's eyes were as sharp as a sky-eagle's; he noticed Zhou Yun following his gaze and showed a flicker of surprise.

Then he glanced at Zhou Yun's portal behind him, as if seeing through it to Asi, to the Empire.

"Fuck!" the lead warrior cursed in Low Gothic thick with Chinese.

Then he slammed the throttle—and vanished in a blink, taking his Astartes with him.

"Huh?" the winged figure in white light let out a confused cry: "What the hell was that?"

Zhou Yun's mouth twitched sharply.

He stared at the bizarre tubular world and rubbed his temples.

This was the Webway. An ancient path built by the Old Ones within the Warp, a faster-than-light travel method that shielded against Warp corruption—and the Emperor's long-sought technology.

The portal could open a gate to any destination within a ten-light-year radius.

But without prior map input or a specified destination, the portal might randomly open to anywhere.

For instance, the one just opened led to the Webway.

This segment of the Webway likely lay within the Acheron System and its corresponding Warp region within ten light-years, which the portal had registered as within range.

But that was not why the winged figure in white light and Zhou Yun were stunned.

The presence of a Webway near the Acheron System was perfectly normal.

Long ago, the Acheron System was frequently attacked by Eldar, indicating a Webway gate likely existed nearby.

What truly stunned Zhou Yun and the winged figure was that the lead warrior on the motorcycle just now was—

"Chagatai Khan," Zhou Yun muttered.

Chagatai Khan, Primarch of the Fifth Legion, the White Scars, the Hawk of Chogoris, the Space Mongol, a 40k ghost-fire enthusiast, the most lucid Primarch, and one of the few who could be called free.

It was said that at some point in the past, this Great Khan vanished into the Webway—perhaps hunting Dark Eldar, perhaps chasing something else.

Either way, this most unique Primarch simply vanished from the Empire's sight, inexplicably.

Yet the instant Zhou Yun opened the portal, he had nearly brushed past him.

His fingers flew over the portal, locking in the coordinates.

"Let the Khan go," said the winged figure in white light.

"Huh?" Zhou Yun raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"You're worried the Khan will steal your title of First Returnee?" Zhou Yun asked.

"..." The winged figure drew a sharp breath, as if holding back a curse: "The Empire needs a Primarch's return—but not just any Primarch can be the first. Even disregarding what the Emperor once saw in the future, and what I now see in fate—"

"From a purely rational standpoint, among my brothers who might yet return to the Empire, who do you think is best suited to be the first?"

"Horus," Zhou Yun said without hesitation.

"That's not an option!"

The winged figure growled:

"Me, Guilliman, Leman Russ, Khan, Lion, Vulkan, Rogal Dorn, Corvus Corax. Pick one."

Zhou Yun listened to the winged figure's words, blinked,

If he could choose, he'd first bring back the Lion and Russ together,

or Guilliman, the Lion, and Sanguinius together—

that would certainly be fun. But from the Empire's perspective,

if the Lion and Russ returned first, the Empire might not adapt—and the Khan, long an outsider, would be the same.

Corvus Corax's case was even more complicated; if he returned first, the Empire wouldn't know how to face him.

The remaining options were Sanguinius, Guilliman, Vulkan, and Dorn.

After careful consideration, Zhou Yun had to admit:

The Primarch best suited to return first was Guilliman, followed by Sanguinius.

"And one more thing—the first returning Primarch will inevitably bear a task."

"Go to Terra, confirm the Emperor's condition, see whether the figure on the Throne is still our father, and whether we should still pledge loyalty to Him."

The winged figure said:

"If the result is no, he will face five enemies. Thus, the First Returnee must possess the strength to gather at least enough to defend himself."

"The White Scars no longer have such strength. Russ and the Lion may make unpredictable choices. Dorn is too rigid. In the end, the best choice is still that one who's been suspected of treason for ten thousand years."

"To be honest, I've always thought if the Emperor truly has problems, Guilliman would be the one to act most decisively."

Hearing the winged figure's analysis, Zhou Yun's mouth twitched slightly.

So you think Guilliman is the best first returnee because... you think he's disloyal.

"Besides, I know the Khan. His reaction speed is far faster than mine. If he wanted to leave, he wouldn't have brushed past you."

"He clearly isn't ready to return to the Empire yet."

The winged figure explained.

"You mean?" Zhou Yun raised an eyebrow. Indeed, when the Khan saw Zhou Yun, he'd slammed the throttle.

"I trust Chagatai Khan."

The winged figure said:

"On the day of the Siege of Terra, Dorn urged us to hold fast."

"But the Khan found me and asked: 'In your vision, if I leave, how many can I save?'"

"Countless," the winged figure said. "That was my answer to the Khan."

"Then I shall ride out." He repeated the Khan's words from that day.

"I don't know what the Khan plans, or what he's doing now."

"But I know the hawk sees farther than any hunter on the ground, and knows better the direction of its prey."

"His refusal to return must have a reason. He can't truly be lost."

Zhou Yun nodded slightly, seemingly agreeing with the winged figure's words.

Then: "But I never said I wanted to drag the Khan back into this shitheap of an Empire."

!. Read

"Huh?" The winged figure blinked.

"I want to chase after him, shout: 'Khan, take me with you! Khan, I want to learn how to ride a motorcycle!'"

"It's far more fun than struggling to resurrect you in this Empire shitheap."

Zhou Yun smiled faintly and returned from the portal to Asi, but he still recorded the coordinates.

Knowing the location of a Webway would prove useful someday.

The spire bearing the Viceroy's palace was beginning to collapse—he had to leave immediately.

Thinking this, Zhou Yun input the map data he'd received from General Droste into the portal.

Then he pulled a simple gourd from his fourth-dimensional pocket, opened the portal, and vanished.

"Khan, what was that just now?" A White Scar rider, riding beside Chagatai Khan, asked.

"Do I know? Death? Blue lynx? Machine God? Or another contender for the Throne of the Dark Art?"

Chagatai Khan replied with a guarded expression:

"I only know our exploration is not over."

"The final war—the Wolf's Hour, as Russ calls it—another Great Crusade has not yet come, nor have the winds even met in the material realm."

"The day of return has not come, my children. The hawk and the hunter must both wait with patience."

"The ancient masters of war first made themselves invincible, then waited for the enemy to become vulnerable."

Chagatai Khan's gaze, sharp as a hawk, gazed into the depths of the Webway:

"Besides, we have a hunt still unfinished."

"Tell me, child. Where are our prey—the Bloodthirsters of the Path of Heaven, the Eldar aliens, and their leaping jesters—headed now?"

"Baal," said the White Scar warrior beside him.

"Baal, my brother's crimson wasteland."

The Khan chuckled softly:

"I once received his aid on Terra. Now is the time to repay him with a hunt."

A glint flashed in his eyes, as if reflecting Zhou Yun's figure.

In his pupils, Zhou Yun's back seemed to hover a winged figure shrouded in white light.

That figure was being stained, dissolved by the blue radiance emanating from Zhou Yun.

"I hope you know what you're doing... 'Sanguinius.'"

The Khan couldn't help laughing aloud; if things truly unfolded as he suspected, it would be most intriguing!

He decided to go to Yu Baer and see what this divinity, born from his brother's faith, intended to do,

"If it could draw my other brother here, all the better."

(End of Chapter)