Chapter 1134: Information Control

Silence descended upon the Bridge.

The Ultramarines waited for orders, the Fengqi officers waited for death.

Then, Guilliman smiled and spoke slowly.

"Admiral Olaf, you are an interesting man. You used the final moments of your life trying to plant seeds of doubt in my heart.

You tried to hurt me with words, just as your soldiers tried to hurt my body with weapons."

He took a step forward, raising his Power Sword, the tip pointing at Olaf's chest.

"But do you know? You are wrong. I am not angry because I was underestimated; I am disappointed because I was misunderstood. I did not board this ship to prove anything; I did it to make you and your subordinates understand a simple truth."

The tip of the sword pressed against Olaf's chest Armor.

"In the face of an absolute disparity in strength, courage, determination, pride... are all worthless. Everything you have done today—the rebellion, the resistance, the final stand—is merely meaningless noise in the long river of history.

Because you are the losers, and losers have no right to write history."

Olaf looked straight into Guilliman's eyes.

"But losers can decide how they fail."

"Indeed."

Guilliman nodded.

"And you chose the most futile way."

The Energy Force Field of the Power Sword deactivated, and it pierced straight in.

Olaf did not dodge.

He stood straight, his Third Eye staring directly at the Primarch, until the tip of the sword penetrated his chest Armor, pierced his heart, and emerged from his back.

Purple blood gushed from the corners of his mouth.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but only blood foam welled up.

Guilliman withdrew the sword.

Olaf's corpse fell forward, collapsing onto the floor of the Bridge.

The light in his Third Eye slowly extinguished.

"Admiral!"

The Adjutant screamed and opened fire.

The Energy Beam struck Guilliman's Power Armor, leaving only a shallow mark.

Guilliman did not look at him.

With a casual swing of his sword, the Adjutant was decapitated.

The remaining Fengqi officers all opened fire.

Energy Beams crisscrossed the Bridge, striking the Ultramarines' Armor and sparking, but to no effect.

The Ultramarines returned fire.

Amidst the roar of Bolters, one Fengqi officer after another fell.

Someone tried to detonate a Hand Grenade, but was struck by a bolter round before the explosion.

Someone rushed toward the Control Console to initiate self-destruction, but was cut down by a Power Sword.

Thirty seconds later, the Bridge returned to silence.

Only Guilliman and the Ultramarines remained standing.

The corpses of the Fengqi officers were scattered across the floor, their purple blood pooling into small streams flowing toward the drains.

Guilliman looked down at Olaf's corpse and issued an order.

"Clear the Bridge. Ensure all resistance has ceased. As for those corpses... throw them into space."

Guilliman turned and walked toward the door.

"They are worthless Aliens, unworthy of burial.

Let their corpses drift in the void, serving as a warning to any civilization that dares to resist the Star Alliance."

Guilliman stopped at the door and took one last look at the Bridge.

"Also, record today's battle. Record it in detail. Include Olaf's remarks and my response. Let everyone know what happened."

"For... legitimacy, Archon?"

Donatus's voice came through the communication channel; he had been watching the entire process through the camera on Guilliman's Armor.

"For education."

Guilliman corrected.

"Let everyone see the fate of those who attack the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance. Let all Aliens understand how ridiculous so-called 'dignity' and 'pride' are in the face of true power."

Guilliman left the Bridge, the sound of his Power Armor's footsteps echoing in the blood-stained corridor.

Meanwhile, in a distant escape pod, Kalaier looked through the observation window and saw the fall of the Oathkeeper.

Olaf was dead.

The Oathkeeper fleet was completely annihilated.

The Feng Qi Xing Alliance had lost this battle.

And on the Feng Qi Xing Alliance's network, Olaf's final speech had begun to spread.

It was recorded before the boarding began and sent automatically via an encrypted channel.

"Fellow Fengqi, if you are hearing this recording, then I and the Oathkeeper fleet have died in battle.

We have failed. But we have proven with our failure: the Fengqi will not submit, will not kneel, and will not bow their heads before the invaders.

Remember this day, remember every soldier who died in battle. Then, continue to fight.

Not for victory—victory may never come—but to prove that some things are more precious than life."

Recording ended.

Core star sector of the Feng Qi Xing Alliance, Intelligence Monitoring Center.

On the holographic platform in the center of the room, General Olaf's final speech was spreading across the Fengqi Network in hundreds of formats: encrypted channels, underground forums, private communications, and even public broadcasts in some remote star sectors.

"Fellow citizens of Fengqi, if you are hearing this recording..."

Olaf's voice echoed in the monitoring center.

Analysis Director Kailanisi stared at the propagation curve graph, the purple line rising exponentially like a virus.

"Propagation speed is 300% above expectations."

Her deputy reported.

"The encryption method is professional, military-grade multi-layer frequency hopping. There are at least one thousand sources, and they are still increasing; someone has implemented distributed storage and automated publishing programs."

All three of Kailanisi's eyes narrowed.

This level of information warfare could not be achieved by a few remnants.

Olaf had prepared before the operation, and there might even be an entire team continuing to execute the plan after his death.

"Can it all be deleted?"

"Impossible."

The deputy shook his head.

"We have blocked 87 major nodes, but new nodes are appearing at a rate of three per second.

Furthermore... the public has already begun to spread it spontaneously.

On three planets in the Seventh Star Sector, people have turned the recording into street graffiti; in the core star sector, university students are copying it between dormitories using physical storage devices; and even in some military communication channels..."

"The military?"

Kailanisi's voice turned abruptly cold.

"Lower-ranking officers and soldiers. Primarily frontline troops and the Reserve."

The deputy pulled up the data.

"Sentiment analysis shows: anger accounts for 42%, despair for 18%, and determination to resist for 31%. Olaf's speech... is taking effect."

Kailanisi closed her eyes.

Morale is a double-edged sword.

The fire Olaf ignited with his death could burn the enemy, or it could burn their own people.

If handled improperly, this sentiment of "preferring death to submission" could evolve into large-scale dissatisfaction with the Council's delaying policies, or even mutiny.

"Report to the Council. Recommendation: immediately initiate the highest-level information control contingency plan. At the same time... prepare an official narrative."

"An official narrative?"

"General Olaf was a hero, but he was a misguided hero."

Kailanisi said.

"He sacrificed himself for Fengqi, and his spirit is commendable, but his actions were induced by the enemy.

The Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance set a trap, exploiting his patriotism to lure him into launching an attack destined for failure.

In this way, we can absorb the public's emotions while shifting the blame onto the enemy."