Chapter 229

"My lord, according to the intelligence I have learned, the planet Davin, which you personally conquered and appointed a Governor for, has betrayed the Human Empire."

Loken held his breath; not only him, but all the warriors in the Vengeful Spirit hall stopped breathing, gazing at Erebus in disbelief.

A world personally conquered by the Warmaster had fallen into rebellion? This had never happened before!

The Luna Wolves and their Primarch always took pride in the efficiency with which they reclaimed planets; what Erebus said was undoubtedly splashing dirty water on the honor of the entire Legion.

However, Erebus looked calm... perhaps one shouldn't say "looked."

Under the impact of Zhou Yun's force just now, Erebus's face was swollen, almost unrecognizable as human.

"Of course." Erebus said with a little apology: "This matter should be discussed in private..."

"Speak!" Horus said in a low voice: "There is nothing that can be hidden among the Luna Wolves!"

"I personally conquered Davin and made my trusted Commander Temba the local Governor; he is a capable commander, loyal and trustworthy!"

"I even left enough soldiers for him; Davin was just a primitive planet that believed in sorcerers and was full of tribes and societies; how could they defeat Temba and his army!"

"My lord, I must beg for your forgiveness." Erebus bowed with an apology, saying in a low voice: "I must hope you can forgive what I am about to say."

"Speak!" Horus's voice carried some anger.

Erebus spoke of other things, never getting to the point, clearly having made the Warmaster feel impatient.

"Eugan Temba has betrayed." Erebus said in a tone that was just right, his tone carrying a clever sense of unwillingness and anger.

The Luna Wolves were dumbfounded.

The Warmaster had just praised Temba, expressing his trust in that commander.

Erebus actually turned around and claimed that Eugan Temba had betrayed? This was simply deliberately provoking the Warmaster.

"Whew—" A light, winding whistle suddenly sounded, breaking the silence.

Loken was bewildered, turning his head in unison with the other Luna Wolves, only to see that Sanguinary Guard member Deki Dante standing with his arms crossed, examining Erebus with great interest, as if watching a good show.

In an instant, the faces of all the Luna Wolf warriors seemed to be covered in dust.

"Impossible!!!"

Horus shouted:

"I know Temba's character and therefore chose him to bear that responsibility; he will never betray!"

Loken heard a slight wavering in the Warmaster's last sentence.

He had heard of Temba's reaction when the Warmaster appointed him Governor back then.

That commander wept and begged the Warmaster not to abandon him on this planet, not to let him leave the Great Crusade fleet.

Loken could understand him; most warriors... whether mortal or Astartes, could understand.

How could the power and honor brought by a Governor compare to the honor and dignity brought by the Great Crusade?

Other warriors were fighting among the stars, while he could only sit on a primitive planet...

But the Warmaster had always been like this, not easily changing his decisions.

Loken guessed that if what Erebus said was true, Temba might have betrayed because of this.

"I hope it is truly so, but his betrayal actually has a reason."

"Primitive beliefs are prevalent among the local tribes of Davin; they might have used some kind of sorcery to distort the thinking of the Imperial soldiers..."

"... Some kind of sorcery?" Horus's anger was mixed with disbelief.

The vast majority of the Luna Wolves only took this as an explanation Erebus had come up with on the spot.

"Temba now calls himself the master of Davin, has believed in those local beliefs; he has completely betrayed the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang and calls you..."

Erebus's voice hesitated for a moment, then said with hatred:

"Calls you the running dog of a fallen god."

In an instant, the hall was filled with angry roars; the warriors roared and beat their chests, swearing to the Warmaster one after another to take Temba's head.

Loken was also heartbroken and furious; someone actually dared to humiliate the Warmaster like this, calling the Warmaster a god's running dog.

"Enough!!!"

Horus's roar was like thunder, shaking the entire Vengeful Spirit.

In an instant, everything fell into silence, and even the sound of breathing became clearly visible.

"I will definitely make him pay the price!!!!"

Horus roared:

"I will personally cut off his head and bring the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's punishment upon him; I swear by my own honor!"

"My lord... allow me to offer you advice; acting rashly is foolish. Please be sure to hand this matter over to the warriors under your command to handle."

Horus stared fixedly at Erebus, finally laughing cruelly: "Are you asking me to be like a coward, letting others remove the stain on my honor?"

"I have no such intention————" Erebus bowed respectfully, his body trembling slightly as he felt Horus's anger.

"Assemble a spearhead force." Horus ordered his warriors in a low voice: "Immediately."

"Who will lead... my lord?" Abaddon stepped out and asked with his head lowered.

"Me!" Horus growled and turned to leave the hall.

Zhou Yun crossed his arms, feeling as if he had watched a great show.

These Genestealers were truly excellent actors.

Just at this moment, that Genestealer Loken walked toward Zhou Yun.

"You are a bit too indifferent to the honor of the brother Legion."

Loken said straight to the point, his tone containing both condemnation and advice:

"I shouldn't accuse you so bluntly, but you are easily causing the disgust and even hatred of the entire Luna Wolf Legion."

"For the sake of that bottle of Baal red wine, I believe there should be some friendship between us... Can you listen to my advice?"

Zhou Yun looked at Loken, unable to help but sigh in his heart that this Captain Loken was truly an honest man.

"You misunderstood; I am not mocking the Luna Wolves; I found what Erebus said interesting."

He chuckled and said:

"Look, how thick his skin is; even after being beaten like this by me, he can still perform a wonderful show without blushing or skipping a beat."

"Performance?" Hearing this, the Genestealer Loken was slightly taken aback.

"Performance." Zhou Yun smiled; Erebus's performance just now was indeed exquisite.

Relying on the Hot-Acting Clapperboard & Robot Director gadget, Zhou Yun himself was the best actor among humans.

But Erebus's acting...

"Even those most professional actors wouldn't have a performance as vivid as Erebus's today."

"Look, how perfectly he guided you, guided the Warmaster?"

Zhou Yun laughed and looked at Erebus, who was leaving the hall, saying to Loken:

"He cleverly turned the Davin rebellion into an insult to the Warmaster's honor, into the Warmaster's personal vendetta."

"Horus won't let others restore his honor... The matter is ruined on this point."

Performance, deception, just-right anger.

Erebus.

Liar.

Loken stood frozen as if struck by lightning; reason told him that what this Blood Angel before him said was completely true.

Erebus, First Chaplain of the Word Bearers, was trying to manipulate the Warmaster.

Why?!

But before Loken could say this sentence, that Blood Angel smiled slightly, cast a glance at Loken, and turned to leave.

Loken's eyes widened slightly.

That glance of his carried something eerie, as if he wasn't looking at Loken, but at something else... That was a look of watching a drama.

Loken felt strange about this.

"Loken." A claw was placed on Loken's shoulder.

But before Loken could react, that claw turned into an Astartes' broad palm.

Abaddon was standing behind him.

"Loken, prepare yourself." Abaddon said: "We are going to Davin's moon."

Loken nodded slightly, quickly pulling his thoughts out and entering a state of combat preparation.

He returned to his room from the hall; the decoration of Loken's room was relatively simple, just a bed, a table, and nothing else.

It was said that the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's Children and the Blood Angels would decorate their rooms with many luxurious ornaments, but Horus's sons only had simplicity.

He sat on his bed somewhat bewildered.

Pre-war preparation, what should he prepare?

The power sword was always gripped in his hand, the power armor was always worn on his body.

Is this right?

Loken looked at himself with some confusion; his memory also seemed to be somewhat chaotic.

Loken felt impatient; he looked at the bottle of Baal red wine he had placed on the table.

He suddenly noticed the wine label was somewhat strange.

990. M41, the 990th year of the 41st millennium of humanity?

Loken was slightly astonished; how could the Blood Angels use this kind of label?

Was it a mistake? How could time be ten thousand years longer for no reason?

Loken picked up the red wine with a strange expression; he hesitated for a moment and pulled out the oak cork sealing the bottle.

A little alcohol wouldn't have any effect on an Astartes; they could avoid most of the toxins in the world.

He picked up the wine bottle and poured it into his mouth————

Bitterness, a strong sense of bitterness exploded on Loken's tongue.

The violent tannin taste rushed directly into Loken's brain, stirring violently within it; a sense of unbearable dizziness attacked Loken's brain.

Damn it, how could the alcohol brewed by the Blood Angels be so bitter...

The wine bottle slipped from Loken's hand, smashing into pieces on the ground; the bright red wine spread on the ground like Loken's own blood.

Reflected in it was Loken's face; it wasn't a human's, but the alien face Loken often saw in hallucinations...

Loken was slightly stunned, unable to help but reach out to touch his face gently.

The scenes in his eyes constantly changed and intertwined, making it impossible to tell truth from falsehood.

But suddenly, Loken remembered the look that Blood Angel had cast at him when he left.

That strange look, as if watching a drama.

Loken vaguely saw his own reflection in his eyes.

A reflection of a monster.

In his eyes, was he an alien monster??

(End of chapter)