Chapter 17: First, I Have No Secrets

“Did you find the information you were looking for?”

Zhou Yun regarded Malgiet and Mengge, who held a parchment scroll and a data plate in their hands.

Malgiet nodded, seemingly sizing up Zhou Yun in return.

Mengge, standing beside him, voiced their shared doubt: “Where’s the weapon you wanted?”

Zhou Yun’s person carried not even a single automatic pistol, let alone a warehouse full of weapons.

“I’ve moved it all,” Zhou Yun said, a smile tugging at his lips.

His haul from the PDF warehouse had been rich indeed.

The star system where Asford was located was known as the “Shield of the Underworld.”

This system itself existed as a shield, guarding the Bal system where the Blood Angels’ homeworld lay.

Over long centuries, the Shield of the Underworld had intercepted Eldar, Chaos rebels, and Ork hordes.

The PDF here had long been honed into a combat-ready force, its equipment far superior to that of ordinary PDF units.

Zhou Yun had found not only five hundred Agrippina Mk.3 automatic rifles, but also two hundred M40 Armageddon models and U90 assault cannons.

Even fifty Cadian Shock Troops-issue Catrell Mk.36 laser rifles.

This made Zhou Yun blink in surprise—Cadian Shock Troops were among the elite of the Imperial Guard, far beyond anything a PDF could match.

For an ordinary PDF outpost in Asford to possess fifty of their standard laser rifles—Zhou Yun’s smile nearly split his face.

Mengge stared, startled by Zhou Yun’s barely contained grin, then strode quickly toward the PDF warehouse. Moments later, he returned, stunned.

“Empty! The PDF warehouse is empty?!”

Mengge drew a deep breath and couldn’t help asking:

“You really moved an entire warehouse’s worth of weapons? Where did you put them?”

Then he shook his head, muttering to himself: “Never mind. I won’t ask about your business.”

Zhou Yun gave Mengge a strange look.

He had the feeling the kid had misunderstood something.

“I don’t have many secrets,” Zhou Yun said, scratching his head.

“Neither does the First Legion,” said the winged figure within the white light, its voice hollow.

Mengge did not pick up on Zhou Yun’s remark; instead, he handed over the data plate.

“This is the map of Old Sector Eight. Just as I promised you.”

Zhou Yun took the map and saw every street of Old Sector Eight clearly laid out.

He easily located the position of the Corpse Guild.

According to the information from Old One-Eye, the notebook belonging to Ignis Kalkas should be inside the Corpse Guild.

Zhou Yun’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.

Coming into Old Sector Eight had been worth it—his gains were abundant.

He opened a tunnel with his Anywhere Ring, leading behind the PDF garrison.

That area was the urban district of Old Sector Eight; previously, it had been inaccessible due to the mountain of collapsed rubble, neither scavengers nor gang members having entered.

The streets here were far wider than those in the Underhive, enough to accommodate three or four vehicles side by side.

Along the roads stood neatly aligned high-rises, stretching endlessly into the distance, swallowed by darkness.

The entire city was silent and dark, sending a chill down the spine.

Malgiet gave Zhou Yun a slight nod, then turned with Mengge toward the darkened streets, their figures vanishing into the distance.

Watching their disappearing forms, Zhou Yun couldn’t help shaking his head.

No matter what they intended, they would almost certainly fail.

Even without Zhou Yun, the two would eventually find a way into the PDF garrison, locate the information they sought, and retrieve what they wanted.

But in Zhou Yun’s memory, Asford had never experienced a large-scale Chaos invasion before its destruction.

That meant, no matter what plan Mengge and Malgiet had, it would almost certainly end in failure.

Even if they succeeded,

Zhou Yun considered the near future,

where the Blood Angels, Sisters of Battle, Imperial Guard, Necrons, and Tyranid Leviathan fleets would clash across the Shield of the Underworld,

and it wouldn’t matter if Chaos added one more—Mengge and Malgiet, two pathetic cultists, couldn’t summon many Nurgle troops anyway.

Moreover, to the Great Devourer, Chaos was inedible trash, a predator stealing its food.

To Chaos, the Great Devourer was much the same—an empty husk, a beast stealing its meal.

Their meeting would almost certainly end in battle.

At that point, Chaos guarding the gates and the Tyranids devouring the empire wouldn’t be impossible.

“Forget it,” Zhou Yun shook his head. None of this was his concern.

He likely wouldn’t have any further dealings with those two cultists.

Zhou Yun collected his thoughts and turned his attention to the vast arsenal in his fourth-dimensional pocket.

[Item Name: Agrippina Mk.3 Infantry Automatic Rifle]

[Origin: Cadia Sector – Agrippina System – Agrippina]

[Description: A common infantry automatic rifle produced on Agrippina, equipped only with basic iron sights, heavy recoil and weight.]

“Evaluation: The weight of an infantry automatic rifle is reassuring.”

[Production Date: 765.M41]

[Condition: PDF-issue, nine-tenths new]

[Value: 2500 credits]

[Item Name: M40 Armageddon Automatic Rifle]

[Origin: Armageddon System – Armageddon]

[Description: A common infantry automatic rifle produced on Armageddon, loud, simple, and lethal, inflicting greater damage on Orks.]

“Evaluation: Soldiers under the legendary Commissar Yarik carried this weapon. Orks think this infantry rifle packs a punch.”

[Production Date: 865.M41]

[Condition: PDF-issue, nine-tenths new]

[Value: 3000 credits]

[Name: U90 Assault Cannon.]

[Price: 3000 credits.]

[Name: Catrell Mk.36 Laser Rifle.]

[Price: 5000 credits]

Zhou Yun calculated quickly: excluding the two hundred Agrippina Mk.3 rifles sold to the Lag Gang, the remaining weapons could fetch a total of 1.6 million credits in his fourth-dimensional pocket.

A fortune!

Zhou Yun couldn’t help licking his lips—if he raided seven or eight more PDF outposts, he could gather enough to buy the Anywhere Gate.

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

It wasn’t fear—he could easily use his 1.6 million credits to acquire new items, use his Clay Body to conceal his identity, and his Superpower Hat to teleport away; stealing gear from PDF outposts was still feasible.

The main issue was that the current Viceroy, Augustus Wanli Flax, paid little attention to the PDF; it was uncertain how much decent equipment they still had left. The risk didn’t match the reward.

Most importantly, even if Augustus Flax was slacking off, if Zhou Yun raided seven or eight PDF outposts at once, he’d definitely draw the Viceroy’s attention.

In Zhou Yun’s memory, the man had secretly assembled a squad of psyker bodyguards—

not just one psyker, but a fully organized unit of psykers; a group of psykers was far more formidable than the PDF.

Zhou Yun strongly suspected the Viceroy’s method of assembling these psykers was far from loyal.

“So, what’s your next move?” said the winged figure in the white light.

“First, I’ll go to the Corpse Guild and find the notebook Old One-Eye wants.”

(End of Chapter)