Chapter 88: The Emperor

“The subspace engine you wanted—the one corrupted by the Plague God—I’ve brought it back for you.”

Zhou Yun smiled brightly, ignoring Lena’s terrified expression, and patted her shoulder:

“Mission accomplished. You asked me to retrieve the ‘subspace engine’—I’ve done it.”

Lena had requested that the subspace engine be retrieved,

and Zhou Yun had indeed brought back the subspace engine.

“Don’t worry—it’s fully functional.”

“It’s just corrupted, not broken. It can still be activated normally.”

Zhou Yun’s tone was utterly sincere,

but where it would fly after activation—that’s another matter entirely.

As for whether Lena, after taking it, might open a new subspace rift,

Zhou Yun could only think: Is that even possible?

Watching Zhou Yun’s expression—sincere yet tinged with greed—Lena shrank back slightly,

using her psychic energy to amplify her senses, searching for fluctuations in his expression and tone,

trying to determine whether his bizarre claims were true or false,

Zhou Yun’s expression was open and genuine, his voice steady and sincere,

and her own psychic intuition told her he was telling the truth,

he had truly brought back the subspace engine corrupted by the Plague God!

Is he insane?

Seeing Zhou Yun’s air of complete control, Lena’s expression nearly cracked,

“No, no!”

She waved her hands frantically, her voice laced with fear:

“Can the subspace engine be destroyed? Can the rift be sealed?”

“The rift has already been sealed.”

Lena looked at Zhou Yun with fearful eyes; he sighed and shook his head:

“As for destruction—that’s a separate price.”

“I’ll pay more,” Lena gritted her teeth.

But then she slumped slightly,

“Never mind. Money’s not the issue.”

Without a subspace engine, they couldn’t leave the Underworld System; building a starship would be meaningless.

Lena’s expression wavered slightly,

she had always believed building a starship was the Emperor’s mandate to her, the only path to saving Asford,

but now it had all failed—Lena felt utterly lost, as if everything she’d done before had no meaning.

Zhou Yun noticed Lena’s hollow gaze,

and a strange suspicion formed in his mind,

on his way back, he had already been pondering this question.

In the original timeline, the Underworld System had seen no Nurglite invasion, no Tyranid beasts created by Gene-Stealers, not even a Tzeentch incursion.

Could all of this truly have happened only because of the butterfly effect caused by Zhou Yun’s arrival?

No—before Zhou Yun’s arrival,

Tzeentch’s follower Nama Kar, Nurglite brothers Mong and Malkit, and the Underworld Worm Titus Augustus had already existed.

The only explanation is:

the Emperor had prevented these events by using certain “tools” He had chosen.

“Everyone is the Emperor’s tool—only their uses differ.”

Zhou Yun looked at Lena and repeated the words Na Na had once told him.

“Huh?” Lena blinked, bewildered.

“If I hadn’t come, how would things have unfolded in Asford?”

Zhou Yun asked Lena, and before she could answer, he began answering himself:

“First, Nama Kar—don’t you find it suspicious?”

You just happened to be her neighbor, once studied under her, and just happened to need the flight log from her home.

And your psychic power, untrained yet so strong, came from some entity’s infusion.

Zhou Yun did not voice this—it was what the winged figure in Bai Guang had told him.

“Moreover, you were just slow-witted enough to effectively resist the Changer’s corruption—you’re almost like a tool designed specifically to counter Nama Kar.”

“This…” Lena’s expression turned stunned; only now did she realize how many coincidences surrounded Nama Kar’s case.

No—it wasn’t coincidence. It was deliberate guidance. A struggle between the Emperor and the Changer.

The Emperor had outmaneuvered the Changer.

“But if that’s true, then to purge the Changer’s corruption, I must…”

“Just kill the corrupted children—you’ll find a way.”

Lena’s eyes widened; she had indeed thought of several methods,

but all of them would drown the Ninth District in blood—many innocents would die, yet Tzeentch’s corruption would be purged.

Many lower districts relied on the Ninth District for food shipments; the entire Underworld might face famine.

And she herself would likely expose her illegal psychic status—she’d almost certainly be burned alive.

Zhou Yun said softly:

I remember you’ve loved starships since childhood; your plan to save Asford by building one—perhaps that too was the Emperor’s deliberate guidance, meant to lead you straight into Nama Kar’s home to find that flight log.

Lena fell silent, staring at Zhou Yun with wide eyes.

Not only Lena and Nama Kar—the Underworld’s situation was also intriguing.

Malkit and Mong’s presence limited the Gene-Stealers’ expansion,

while the Gene-Stealers entrenched in the First District prevented the two from accessing the subspace engine.

Mong’s planned attack on the Gene-Stealer bishop would have inevitably failed; they’d have tried to summon Iron Plague and forcibly storm the First District.

They would have precisely destroyed the Gene-Stealer chieftain’s plan to breed Tyranid lifeforms,

and when they opened the subspace rift,

not only would Nurglite power be amplified in the material universe, but the Emperor’s power would also be strengthened to some degree,

allowing Him to manifest through Na Na and seal the rift.

Thus,

the Gene-Stealers would be crippled, the Nurglite invasion resolved, and the Empire would win without a sound.

Of course, Na Na would die from being unable to withstand the Emperor’s power.

But in the Emperor’s plan, individual lives were surely expendable currency.

Malkit was wrong about only one thing:

the Emperor had not ignored Asford—he had been watching it all along.

Zhou Yun even began to suspect the Emperor might be doing similar things across many planets in the galaxy,

using mortals as tools and the material universe as a chessboard, battling the Chaos Gods.

Many crises may have never erupted, quietly suppressed or redirected into favorable outcomes for the Empire.

He truly protects humanity.

But why does this yellow-skinned bastard smell so much like Tzeentch?

Zhou Yun couldn’t help muttering inwardly.

And Zhou Yun himself—was likely an unforeseen variable in the Emperor’s plan.

As Na Na and the winged figure in Bai Guang had said, predicting one’s own future is extremely difficult.

The Emperor’s original plan probably didn’t include Zhou Yun at all.

But now that Zhou Yun had interfered, things had become strangely altered:

the Ninth District suffered no major damage, the Underworld avoided famine, Lena and Na Na remained unharmed—

all of which were supposed to be “currency” consumed in the Emperor’s plan.

“I saved him money—I should get paid per head,” Zhou Yun muttered under his breath.

“What did you say?” Lena heard his muttering and paused: “What yellow-skinned thing?”

“Nothing. Just a legend from my hometown. Supposedly, there’s a psychic creature called a Huangpizi that stands by the roadside and stops people, asking: ‘Am I human or god?’ If you say it’s a god, it stubbornly replies: ‘I’m not a god.’”

Zhou Yun waved his hand, brushing it off.

“Where exactly is your hometown? Why do you have so many strange legends?”

Lena frowned slightly, her eyes still uncertain.

“Even if everything you say is true—that it’s all the Emperor’s design—”

“what about my Ark Guild? I promised to build a starship to save them.”

Lena’s body trembled slightly:

“What should I lead them to do now? Disband on the spot?”

Hearing Lena’s question, Zhou Yun’s lips twitched slightly.

This was likely part of the Emperor’s design as well.

The Underworld Galaxy and Baer both lie within a region known as the Crimson Scar.

This area is shrouded in a blood-red glow.

It is said that this is the wound carved into the material universe by the Sword of the Blood God, evidenced by the crime rate in the Crimson Scar being far higher than on ordinary planets.

People born here are generally more violent, bloodthirsty, and impulsive.

Yet when the Leviathan Hive Fleet descended,

the gangs of Asi were somehow united, spontaneously cooperating with the Imperial Guard, replacing the PDF and fighting alongside the Cadian Shock Troops through the hive city’s alleys.

A group of lawless gangs had somehow formed a combat-effective force under the Leviathan Hive Fleet’s assault.

Zhou Yun suspected that the gang fighting alongside the Imperial Guard in the future might be Leina’s Ark Gang.

Under Leina’s discipline, this gang was fiercely loyal to the Emperor, had long prepared for Asi’s “doom,” and possessed far superior discipline compared to other gangs.

Precisely because of the local gangs’ cooperation, the Imperial Guard was able to escort large numbers of civilians to safety, preventing them from becoming biomass for the hive fleet.

Though the Ark Gang had not built a single starship, it had undeniably saved more people from Asi.

Zhou Yun told Leina his suspicion; her gaze grew even more vacant, as if her mind could not process his words.

“Without the Ark Gang, and with the Viceroy having taken all PDF forces into the Undercrypt, the Imperial Guard would have been forced to fight the Tyranid swarm—guided by gene-thieves—in completely unfamiliar hive streets, and evacuating the local populace would have been extremely difficult.”

“This is very likely the Emperor’s entire arrangement for you. Do you find this arrangement good? Do you accept it?”

Zhou Yun looked at Leina, asking with keen interest.

In Zhou Yun’s words, Leina was the one expendable in the Emperor’s design.

Leina lowered her head slightly and made a quiet prayer gesture.

The scripture tattoo on her face, illuminated by nearby lights, seemed to glow faintly:

“If this truly is the Emperor’s design, then it is the best arrangement.”

“We shall save Asi, and even in death, we shall return to the Golden Throne.”

“If only there were more signs to prove this is truly the Emperor’s will.”

Zhou Yun couldn’t help shrugging. To die sacrificing oneself to save more humans under the Emperor’s will was, to devout Imperial citizens, nothing less than a fast-track ticket to the Golden Throne.

Leina had no trouble accepting this possibility—she simply felt uncertain.

Life is the Emperor’s currency.

Sacrificing to save more humans and return to the Golden Throne is a profit beyond measure.

Meaningless sacrifice and death are a waste of the Emperor’s currency.

“I actually have a way to prove it,” Zhou Yun smiled. “You just need to spend a little money.”

Leina blinked. “What miraculous tech artifact are you pulling out now?”

Zhou Yun chuckled, slipped his hand beneath his clothing into his fourth-dimensional pocket,

and pulled out a red circle and a blue cross.

[Item Name: True/False Divination Device]

[Origin: 22nd Century Earth — Future Department Store]

[Manufacture Date: 231.m2]

[Function: A device that answers questions with true or false, with 100% accuracy.]

[Rental Price: 1,500,000 / 10 uses]

[Status: Used 4 times]

“Ta-da! The True/False Divination Device,” Zhou Yun held it up.

The True/False Divination Device was a simple yet astonishing item.

It could determine whether a question was true or false, with absolute accuracy.

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Yet the device was not without limitations.

First, the wording of the question must be precise; otherwise, the answer might not be what you intended.

Second, the question itself must have a true or false answer—questions without such a distinction yield no response.

Zhou Yun had previously used this device to precisely avoid dangers in the Undercity’s pipes and return swiftly to the Lower City.

Zhou Yun explained the device’s function to Leina.

“Just these two small things can judge the truth of any question?” Leina stared, dumbfounded.

“You can test its function with one question. Of course, there’s a fee.”

Zhou Yun gestured a price to Leina.

The price, converted into bloodstones, equaled nine hundred thousand—effectively making Leina reimburse him for the four questions he’d already used.

“So expensive,” Leina muttered.

This was only for two questions; the Ark Gang’s finances had recently been tight.

“Opportunities to judge the truth of any question are rare,” Zhou Yun smiled.

Leina clenched her teeth and nodded sharply.

“Fine.”

She took a deep breath, staring at the red circle and blue cross Zhou Yun had placed on the table.

“My final math test score at Nama Kar’s was thirteen.”

As Leina spoke, the red circle leapt up, flashing several times in midair.

This meant correct!

“You only scored thirteen? A hundred-point test?” Zhou Yun stared at her in disbelief.

“One hundred and fifty points,” Leina muttered, turning her head away in embarrassment.

Though embarrassing, this did prove the device’s function.

She hesitated, then rephrased her question:

“Will the Ark Gang fight alongside the Imperial Guard against the Tyranid swarm—is this the Emperor’s design?”

The moment she finished, the red circle rose again, confirming her statement was true.

Indeed, Zhou Yun thought inwardly.

Just as he had suspected—the Emperor, even seated upon the Throne, still protected humanity in another way.

Leina’s eyes shimmered with a mixture of joy and devotion; she bowed her head and whispered a prayer.

After confirming that the Ark Gang’s existence was the Emperor’s design, Leina became noticeably more spirited.

She thanked Zhou Yun and said she needed time to verify her ledgers; she would pay him in a few days.

Zhou Yun informed Old One-Eye of the information regarding gene-thieves in the Undercity, then returned home alone.

After confirming that Ranna was still sleeping peacefully and showed no physical abnormalities, Zhou Yun began calculating the gains from his trip to the Undercity.

Old One-Eye would deliver the information Zhou Yun brought back to Viceroy Augustus Flax.

This was part of their agreement.

Zhou Yun did a quick calculation:

Leina’s payment, Augustus Flax’s payment, and Ranna’s payment.

Combined, the three payments would bring his savings close to eight million.

Add to that the warp engine he had just acquired.

Zhou Yun glanced at the warp engine inside his fourth-dimensional pocket.

He had never properly examined its details or price before.

Hmm?

[Item Name: Warp Engine]

[Origin: Liming Star — Old CNSA Interstellar Colony Shipyard]

[Manufacture Date: 899.m27]

[Description: A relatively outdated FTL engine powered by the warp. This was the last warp engine manufactured on Liming Star before the Old Night, and after many turns, it was eventually lost on Asi. ]

[Status: Corrupted by Nurgle]

[Price: 800,000]

As the description popped up from his fourth-dimensional pocket, Zhou Yun’s eyes flickered with surprise.

Liming Star.

CNSA?!!

Zhou Yun now noticed a faded emblem engraved on the warp engine:

An arrow shot through three concentric rings, surrounded by two sheaves of twenty-one grains of wheat.

Zhou Yun knew this was the emblem of Liming Star during the 30k era.

But in an earlier age—in his own era—this emblem had another meaning.

The twenty-one grains of wheat symbolized the 21st century he had once lived in.

The arrow within the three rings symbolized breaking through the three cosmic velocity thresholds, departing Earth, and venturing into the starry sea.

This emblem belonged to CNSA; in the Warhammer 40k universe, they had indeed broken beyond the Solar System and established numerous interstellar colonies.

Liming Star was one of CNSA’s interstellar colonies; this warp engine was manufactured there and eventually came into use by Asi’s colonial vessel, remaining on this planet.

Zhou Yun’s eyes softened with nostalgia.

This emblem was the echo of his era, reverberating through the 40th millennium of humanity.

Zhou Yun thought for a moment, but ultimately couldn’t bring himself to sell the subspace engine.

Eighty thousand wasn’t indispensable to him now.

Unless he truly couldn’t afford the teleporter without those eighty thousand, he planned to keep it as a collectible.

“Collecting is a hobby, but don’t go overboard,” came the faint voice of the winged figure within the white light. “Don’t emulate that Space Marine.”

“Oh? And you, a bird-man who maintains an improper friendship with the Silent King of the Necrons, dare say that?”

Zhou Yun shot back with sarcasm.

As he spoke, Zhou Yun pulled the Truth-or-Lie Diviner from his fourth-dimensional pocket.

He hadn’t acquired this item merely to crawl out of the sewers.

He wanted to confirm a few questions.

“Can I ask one too?” the winged figure in the white light spoke. “Don’t worry—I’ll pay you when you reach Baer.”

“I’m not even sure I’m going to Baer,” Zhou Yun glanced at him.

“But my question concerns the entire Empire—you must be curious.”

The winged figure in the white light pressed on.

“I want to know: Is the being now seated upon the Golden Throne still my father?”

Zhou Yun blinked slightly.

This question was indeed valuable.

He remembered what Jeanne had said before falling into slumber.

Only to the Death God, only sacrifice death—this prayer was the Emperor’s reward to Zhou Yun.

Unholy. The Emperor had grown unholy.

Is the current Emperor still the same Emperor of old?

Four questions remained. He could reserve one for this.

Zhou Yun considered, refined his phrasing, and asked the Truth-or-Lie Diviner before him:

“The being now called the God-Emperor and seated upon the Golden Throne is the same entity who ruled the Empire during the thirtieth millennium of humanity.”

This question had been carefully constructed to eliminate nearly all possible ambiguities Zhou Yun could foresee.

But after a moment, the Truth-or-Lie Diviner before him showed no reaction at all.

Zhou Yun froze.

No reaction? The Truth-or-Lie Diviner gave no response?

Did that mean this question had no truth or falsehood?

Why no truth or falsehood?

Was the God-Emperor now on the Golden Throne both the Emperor and not the Emperor?

“Both and not both—ambiguous,” the winged figure in the white light hesitated, then nodded as if receiving an answer.

Zhou Yun glanced at him and dropped the question—it was too grand to dwell on.

He had more practical questions to ask.

“Can I obtain the teleporter on Asford before the Helheim System is destroyed, without suffering serious harm to my life or soul?”

Zhou Yun asked tentatively.

This question concerned the future.

He wasn’t certain whether the device could judge events yet to occur.

The red ring sprang up, flashing several times in midair.

Stable! All stable!

Joy flickered in Zhou Yun’s eyes.

The Truth-or-Lie Diviner’s accuracy was one hundred percent.

That meant whatever it deemed correct would inevitably come to pass.

It meant Zhou Yun could obtain the teleporter before Helheim’s destruction, and suffer no serious harm to his life or soul until that moment.

“You can use it like that? Impressive—you’re using it to predict the future,” the winged figure in the white light murmured in astonishment.

Zhou Yun gave a light laugh and settled his mind.

Two questions remained.

Zhou Yun glanced at the winged figure in the white light.

“You still don’t believe me?” the winged figure chuckled. “Go ahead—use the device to confirm it.”

The winged figure in the white light seemed utterly confident.

Zhou Yun nodded slightly.

Based on his observations over this time, he already believed at least seventy percent that the figure was Sanguinius.

Now he merely used the Truth-or-Lie Diviner to verify it.

After a moment’s pause, he spoke slowly, word by word:

“From the beginning to now, the winged figure speaking within the white light in my mind is Sanguinius, the Primarch of the Ninth Legion, created by the Emperor during the thirtieth millennium of humanity, who perished aboard the Vengeful Spirit.”

As he finished, both Zhou Yun and the winged figure in the white light stared at the red ring and blue cross on the table.

“Huh? Huh??” The winged figure in the white light’s head sprouted a giant question mark.

This chapter combines two parts—six thousand words. The Li Ming Star and CNSA segments are adapted from Magnus the Red’s biography: The Battle of Li Ming Star—a fun read. Little Magnus even encountered a collective of ten thousand psykers aboard a CNSA colony ship (so familiar—isn’t that the Old Lore Emperor?).

(End of Chapter)