Chapter 220: I Am the Emperor! I Am Lord of Mankind!

She Chi Fortress, She Chi and Claws Restaurant,

The restaurant owner was waving his three arms, wiping already clean plates,

His eyes held a hollow emptiness, as if he merely sought something to occupy himself.

The restaurant's old door suddenly swung open; the owner snapped his head up, glaring with sharp suspicion at the newcomer,

One of his arms subtly slipped beneath the table, whispering a low hiss:

"I have no interest in playing along with your schemes or entertaining your delusions—I only wish to run this restaurant."

"Get out! Or even if I die, I'll tear off a few of your heads."

"Don't be tense, boss."

Yet the voice from behind the door carried no madness—only reason and calmness:

"Do you remember me? I've eaten here before!"

The restaurant owner saw the face of the newcomer and paused, momentarily stunned.

"Ah, you—I remember. No one forgets someone who ate an entire fire scorpion."

The restaurant owner lowered his weapon slightly as he watched the figure step inside.

Zhou Yun slowly entered, his face reshaped by body clay into a sly, cunning visage, wearing a baseball cap atop his head.

Beside him walked a towering figure clad in chitinous armor—an Ogryn,

That was Mephiston,

Last time, Mephiston had used cognitive distortion to infiltrate She Chi Fortress, only to be exposed at the last moment by Neuro-Licat,

This time, to prevent mishaps, Zhou Yun had used body clay to give him physical disguise.

Mephiston's frame was too large, and hiding his power armor beneath body clay forced Zhou Yun to mold him into an oversized Ogryn,

Yet Mephiston, as the Chief Librarian, had absorbed too much knowledge—he could never mimic the pure, simple innocence of a true Ogryn.

The restaurant owner scrutinized Zhou Yun warily, then asked hesitantly: "You're not mad either?"

"What do you mean 'not mad'? After the Grand Council ended, I left She Chi Fortress."

Zhou Yun's lips curled into a faint smile as he sat at the table, frowning in confusion:

"What's happened to She Chi Fortress? On my way here, I met people—all of them insane."

"Muttering nonsense about the Emperor, Terra, the Throne—complete gibberish."

Zhou Yun had indeed witnessed the chaos within She Chi Fortress,

Nearly every Gargoyle had slipped into some kind of madness; since the death of their chieftain, their cognitive distortions hadn't weakened—they'd grown stronger.

From their fragmented speech, Zhou Yun pieced together fragments:

Some Gargoyles believed She Chi Fortress was sacred Terra, their chitinous shells were power armor, the plague-spreading madmen and tech-priests saw themselves as Mechanicus tech-priests, and the strangest of all—they muttered about the Imperial Truth, as if still living in the 30th Millennium.

Other Gargoyles spun their own delusions: some claimed to be Sons of Horus, Death Guard, Thousand Sons, or other Legions.

Zhou Yun even saw one Gargoyle screaming he'd invented a spell to cure his brothers' flesh mutations,

And shortly after, Zhou Yun watched several Gargoyles turn to sand.

Another massive Gargoyle chased others, shouting he'd emulate his father's "ten kill, one spared" decree.

This She Chi Fortress was utterly insane.

"You… still believe we're descendants of She Chi Saint Guilliman?" The restaurant owner stared, startled by Zhou Yun's sane expression.

"Forget that for now, boss—give me two dishes. I'm starving." Zhou Yun waved his hand at the owner.

With his funds slightly improved, Zhou Yun had exchanged for the Gourmet Tablecloth,

But to his surprise, the basic version could produce food—but the food itself cost money; some rare dishes were as expensive as a single feather of Saint Guilliman.

The true Gourmet Tablecloth that conjured food from nothing was even more costly—Zhou Yun only winced at the price.

Besides, the Gourmet Tablecloth couldn't replicate the unique delicacies exclusive to the 40K era, and even identical dishes tasted nearly identical. Zhou Yun still missed the chef's craftsmanship here

The owner sighed faintly, then smiled slightly: "It's been a long time since anyone came here for an honest meal."

With that, the restaurant owner turned and vanished into the kitchen, returning shortly with a tray.

"The She Chi Saint Guilliman cult has collapsed. No one brings food anymore. I've little left."

"Bloodgrass root starch balls stir-fried with fire scorpion meat. Make do."

Zhou Yun stared at the food before him—it looked far from appetizing.

Bloodgrass was a desert plant native to Bar, its root rich in starch; fermented, it made sweet drinks or candies; unfermented, it could be processed into starch.

The thumbnail-sized starch balls before him were a Bar specialty, stir-fried with mildly spicy fire scorpion meat, appearing sticky and unappealing.

Yet after one bite, Zhou Yun couldn't help but admire the Gargoyle's culinary skill,

The satisfaction of starch, fat, and protein danced on his tongue—he finished the entire plate in minutes.

"What exactly went wrong with the She Chi Saint Guilliman cult? How did I miss all this?" Zhou Yun brushed his fingers across the Hot Performance Board & Robot Director, voice thick with confusion, feigning utter ignorance.

"There is no She Chi Saint Guilliman. No pure descendants of Saint Guilliman. All of it—lies and illusions."

The restaurant owner took a breath, pulled a Bar cigarette from his pocket, hesitated, then offered another to Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun waved it off—he drank, but never smoked.

Mainly because the Chaodou Lho cigarette tech and horrors were too extreme; too many went blind after one puff.

Even pure natural Bar cigarettes now terrified him—what horrors might be hidden inside?

The restaurant owner snorted, lit his own cigarette, and drew a deep drag.

"Lately, the chieftain led a group to welcome the so-called Living Saint, Guillimel—and never returned."

"But one night, everyone's eyes suddenly grew clearer. Many things we'd never understood, never seen, now became obvious."

"We looked around—where were the pure descendants of Guilliman? Only a horde of mutated, corrupted monsters."

"The gene-thieves were ourselves. The desecrators were ourselves."

The restaurant owner laughed bitterly:

"All lies and illusions—we're just Kelian worms manipulated by Tyranids."

"Some killed themselves. Others went mad. The entire She Chi Fortress fell apart."

"I noticed signs long ago. I prepared myself mentally—I didn't fully break."

As he spoke, the restaurant owner drew a deep breath, then fixed his gaze on Zhou Yun, watching his reaction.

". h, I've also noticed signs. I've prepared myself too." Zhou Yun's expression didn't change; under the Daoju 's enhancement, his voice sounded utterly convincing.

The restaurant owner blinked slightly, then slowly nodded.

"And then what happened?" Zhou Yun pushed down the brim of his cap, asking the owner.

". hen they fully broke. Many slipped into new delusions."

"Some believed they were Ecclesiarchy members. Others thought they were from the old Great Crusade fleet. Some still believe She Chi Fortress is Terra. In short—it's chaos. These madmen with conflicting worldviews now devour each other here. Ha. Better to drown together in the She Chi Saint Guilliman illusion."

"Now the largest faction is… those who believe She Chi Fortress is Terra. They worship a specific individual and call him the Emperor. They now control most of the lower levels of She Chi Fortress."

"They've seized the propaganda equipment… oh, judging by the time, they should be coming soon."

The restaurant owner lifted his eyes slightly, glancing at the wall clock,

The time was frozen at 14: 3 Terra Standard.

"They believe this is Terra. They insist on using Terra's calendar and timekeeping."

As he spoke, the restaurant owner flipped the wall speaker switch—a sound of insect screeches blared out.

"I am the Emperor of Mankind!"

A grotesque, terrifying, yet strangely compelling voice echoed in Zhou Yun's ears:

"I am unyielding. I led my people through the storm-wracked ages of the Warp, endured the cruelties of the Age of Conflict. I shall forever defend humanity's firm rule and righteous law—this is my divine duty as Lord of Mankind!"

"In the ancient dark night, I guarded the flame of human civilization, unextinguished! I have preserved Terra, humanity's ancestral home, intact to this day!"

"I am delighted—the fractured age has ended. My grand blueprint to rebuild our domain has begun!"

"O orphans scattered across the galaxy! Fragments of human civilization! I shall gather you all into my embrace!"

"I shall bring you truth, shatter delusion and superstition, and reveal humanity's destined path!"

"The Human Empire shall once again rule the stars—this is the manifest destiny of our race!"

"Swear fealty to me! I am the Emperor! I am Lord of Mankind!"

Mephiston, disguised as an Ogryn beside Zhou Yun, stood frozen, his face showing for the first time the pure, vacant innocence of an Ogryn.

Zhou Yun couldn't help but clap.

What an infectious speech! What stirring lines! What a confident ruler!

Far more believable than that decades-old, socially-awkward, failed-parent, reclusive-scientist-dog!

(End of Chapter)