Chapter 42: Holy Number 13

District Nine, Residential Area Eighteen, Street Nine, Room Thirteen of the Blood of Baer Inn

The streetlights dimmed, signaling that night had fallen

The wide street unfurled like silk between the towering hive structures, dotted with countless small stalls

Many residents of the Upper Hive did not return home after dark, instead wandering lazily along the streets

Some walked alone, others with lovers, or couples holding their children by the hand

They occasionally bought food, trinkets, or small crafts from vendors beside the road

More still headed toward churches, devoutly praying to the Emperor, thanking Him for another day of protection

Zhou Yun stood at the window of Room Thirteen, gazing at a sight impossible to see in the Underhive

Lately, numbers had been tormenting him

When choosing a room, he deliberately picked Room Thirteen

Thirteen—what a beautiful number

The Emperor—no, the Horned Rat’s Holy Number

Demonic filth! Die die die!

Tzeentch’s abomination! Finished! Finished!

Horned Rat! Yes! Yes!

Zhou Yun devoutly prayed to the Horned Rat

The Horned Rat’s power shall punish Tzeentch! Rodent, yes! yes!

“What kind of bizarre faith is this? Wait—why is the Emperor the Horned Rat?”

As Zhou Yun prayed devoutly, the noisy warp heretic within Bai Guang denied the truth that the Emperor and the Horned Rat were one

“No, I can assure you, there is no god called the Horned Rat in the galaxy,” said the winged figure within Bai Guang

“Isn’t he sitting on the Golden Throne?” Zhou Yun replied with a laugh

At that moment, he saw Leina outside the window

Leina seemed to be holding something, panting as she ran into the inn

Zhou Yun, curious, walked to the door and opened Room Thirteen’s sign-hung entrance

Leina burst in from the corridor, face flushed, eyes sparkling with energy, nearly colliding with Zhou Yun

Zhou Yun stared at Leina, seeing joy, delight, and euphoria in her eyes

“Guess what I found?” Leina exhaled heavily, her voice rendered melodic by delight

Now, the usual dullness in Leina’s demeanor seemed diluted by her joy

To be honest, she looked somewhat alluring

Oh god, is Leina the dumbass corrupted? That was Zhou Yun’s first thought

His fingers subtly brushed the tornado in his pocket

“Guess!” Leina widened her eyes, staring at Zhou Yun

Zhou Yun could even smell her faint scent, see the sweat-dampened strands of her hair

It’s Slaanesh! Slaanesh’s corrupting influence wants to taint this healthy, upward Imperial youth

Zhou Yun’s eyes instantly flashed with murderous intent

“Wait wait!”

Zhou Yun’s murderous gaze startled Leina; she quickly stepped back and pulled something from her clothing

A model?

A starship model?

Zhou Yun stared at the crudely painted plastic starship model in her hand, stunned

“Fine, don’t guess then—why did you almost attack me?” Leina said, still shaken

Zhou Yun carefully examined the crudely painted plastic starship model

It was a golden vessel, sleek and beautiful, with a massive crimson eye-stone at its prow and golden wings adorning both ends

“What is this?” Zhou Yun asked, bewildered

“It’s the Red Tear!” Leina said

“It’s the Red Tear!” said the winged figure within Bai Guang

Zhou Yun blinked, confused

“It’s the flagship of the Archangels—the glorious Queen of Glory-class battleship, the Red Tear!”

Leina raised the model triumphantly, exclaiming:

“I made this with my mother when I was a child!”

“I buried it beneath a steel plate in District Nine—I never thought it would still be here!”

Ah, so it was a model of the Queen of Glory-class battleship Red Tear, once commanded by Saint Guilliman

Seeing the usual dim-witted aura return to Leina, Zhou Yun exhaled softly

Apparently, this idiot hadn’t been corrupted

“Did you find anything following Nama Kar?”

“Mrs. Nama Kar was exactly as she was yesterday—normal in every way,”

Leina shook her head and said:

“Oh, but I confirmed her routine”

“Her factory is working overtime to ship a batch of weapons tomorrow; she’s responsible for the calculations. No one will be home at her house tomorrow night.”

“Are you planning to act tomorrow?”

Zhou Yun frowned and handed her the dossier he’d obtained from Augustus Flax:

“Take a look at this.”

Leina blinked, taking the dossier from Zhou Yun’s hand

She opened it and gasped:

“Mrs. Nama’s dossier? So detailed? Where did you get this?”

“I have my sources. Study it carefully,” Zhou Yun told Leina

Then he turned to look at the wall

A calendar hung on the wall

It bore both the local Asford calendar and the Terra calendar

Some Imperial holidays were set according to the Terra calendar

For example, the Feast of Guilliman fell in December on the Terra calendar

Zhou Yun knew the Terra calendar well—it was the same as the old solar calendar from long ago

According to the Terra calendar, tomorrow was October 9

A nine, but not the extreme date of September 9

If it were September 9, Zhou Yun would probably recite “Recalling Battle Brothers on September 9” and cancel all action tomorrow

But October 9… it made Zhou Yun feel his nerves tightening

For convenience, the calendar also noted the day number of the year under the Terra calendar

“October 9—the 282nd day of the year.”

“Seems unremarkable.”

Zhou Yun rubbed his chin

Among these numbers, only one was a nine, and 282 wasn’t a multiple of nine

387, 420, 489, 6,561 blood coins, 4153 prayers, October 9, 282 days…

These numbers intertwined, echoing endlessly in Zhou Yun’s mind

Yet he could find no pattern

Some were multiples of nine, some contained nine, others had nothing to do with nine at all

Nine was Tzeentch’s Holy Number

If He truly used mathematics to spread corruption, He would use nine

Other numbers might point to other Chaos Gods, causing interference

Zhou Yun even considered writing sevens—Nurgle’s number—on his body to counteract Tzeentch

“Hmm, this dossier doesn’t seem problematic,” Leina said, pointing to the file

“I see a woman so devout she’d drain most of her savings, a wife whose husband died for the Empire, a kind-hearted lady”

“She does have a peculiar interest in mathematics—but that hardly suggests corruption?”

Zhou Yun listened to Leina, silent for a long moment

Leina the dumbass couldn’t possibly be corrupted by Tzeentch—her IQ was too low. What she said was likely true

Had he simply become too paranoid?

Zhou Yun glanced at the winged figure in Bai Guang’s corner: “What do you think?”

“No signs of corruption—at least not yet,”

whispered the winged figure within Bai Guang

“But corruption is always subtle and hidden”

“Before the Horus Heresy began, who could have imagined so many Primarchs and Astartes had been corrupted?”

Join the group, join the group; at 8:30 we’ll draw a Spirit Devourer.

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(End of chapter)