Chapter 691: Criminals (1)

Just at this moment, a communication request from the Outer City headquarters lit up in front of Horus's desk.

Horus saw that it was a communication request sent by Angron; he answered the communication while whispering a sentence to himself.

"Strange, why would Angron send a communication request at this time? Shouldn't he be busy dealing with the documents that have piled up in the Outer City recently?"

As the communication connected, Angron's shiny bald head appeared before Horus's eyes.

"Hey! Brother, I reckon Vulkan's team should be about to push into the defense zone occupied by the Demon Alien."

Horus raised an eyebrow, looked at the untimely smile on Angron's face, and responded with a smile.

"So, Angron, is there something you need from me?"

Angron rubbed his nose with his right hand and said with a smile.

"Hahaha, I was thinking that when you prepare to attack the Second Defense Zone, I want to lead a team into the Second Defense Zone to wipe out the Demon Alien."

"But, you know, the War Hounds Space Marines are all stationed over at the Third Defense Zone, guarding against attacks from the Cyberk Alien; it's impossible to let you go to the Second Defense Zone alone, right? That would be too reckless. Furthermore, Father already has candidates for the raid on the Second Defense Zone's Demon Alien."

After hearing Horus's explanation, the smile on Angron's face stiffened; after thinking for a few seconds, he said to Horus.

"Alright then, I will contact Father again."

Horus wanted to say something more, but he discovered that Angron's communication had already been hung up.

Lu Zhenda, who was to the side, saw this and said to Horus with the corners of his mouth turned up.

"It seems Angron is very eager to participate in this battle against the demons."

"Mm, I can roughly guess his thoughts, but Father's deployments always have their deep meaning. I hope he..."

Angron had just finished his call with Horus, his shiny bald head reflecting a faint light under the lamps.

Without a moment's hesitation, Angron sent a communication request directly to the 6th Military Base.

After a short wait, the communication was connected.

When Yingzhou's face appeared before Angron, Angron heard Yingzhou's inquiry.

"Angron, what happened? Why are you contacting me so urgently?"

Angron took a deep breath, making his tone become much more solemn.

"Father! Horus told me that Brother Vulkan's team is about to arrive at the Second Defense Zone where the demons are entrenched! Vulkan speculates that there are still survivors in the Second Defense Zone! Those who are being tortured by demons, waiting to be saved!"

Angron paused to organize his subsequent words.

"Let me go, Father! Let the War Hounds... no, even if it is just me alone! I must wipe out those blasphemous aliens! Bring out the people trapped there! Every minute and every second is agony for them!"

The other end of the communication was silent for a moment; finally, Yingzhou's voice sounded again, still calm.

"Angron."

Yingzhou's voice softened slightly, and he said to Angron with a smile.

"I approve your request; when the time comes, I will let you conduct the operation targeting the Second Defense Zone."

After Angron heard Yingzhou approve his request, a smile appeared on his face, and he immediately nodded and said.

"Yes! Father!"

As the communication hung up, Angron repeated Yingzhou's words from just a moment ago in a low voice.

"Wait for it, you demon bastards. You will see. I will smash you... along with that damn Black Fog of yours... into pieces! Not just for the sake of Humans! But even more for the sake of family!"

Angron turned abruptly and walked toward the mountain of documents, whispering to himself.

"Must finish the documents piled up during this time before setting off!"

Ninth Defense Zone Inner City.

A Mordian squad brought over a hundred Humans wearing gray and white striped clothes to the outside of a building that had been modified by a Tech-Priest.

As the gate slowly opened, the leading Mordian Sergeant saw a Tech-Priest and a dozen servitors walking out from the gate and handed the list in his hand to the other party.

"These are the criminals found this time; their behavior has already deviated from the environment the Emperor expects. 90% of the people in here are corrupt, and other types of criminals are also not suitable to be drafted into the Punishment Battalion and sent to the front line."

This Tech-Priest extended his mechanically modified arm, took the Mordian Sergeant's list, and after letting the servitors following him take over this batch of prisoners, the Tech-Priest spoke.

"Mm, they will burn out their final value for the Omnissiah."

As a dozen combat servitors holding weapons escorted these prisoners into the building full of the smell of machine oil, these prisoners saw that there were modified servitors working everywhere inside.

"No! I don't want to become like this! I just wanted to make my own life a little better."

A middle-aged man looked around in terror, muttering incessantly.

Soon, they were brought near the surgery area by the Tech-Priest.

The middle-aged man who had just spoken was the first to be grabbed onto the operating table, fixed in place by thick metal restraint straps like livestock waiting to be slaughtered.

This middle-aged man was already scared senseless at this moment, his teeth chattering, his body shaking violently from fear.

He looked around in a panic; everywhere were Tech-Priests wearing deep red robes that covered their entire bodies like shrouds.

Their faces were mostly hidden deep within hoods or behind metal masks inlaid with cold eyepieces, with only a few revealing fragments of withered, sallow human skin covered in implanted pipelines.

They exuded an inhuman, cold aura mixed with machine oil, ozone, and antiseptic.

"No... please... I only used my position to take a few more supplies..."

The middle-aged man struggled on the operating table, tears and snot streaming down his face, begging incoherently.

On the platform next to him, a burly man with a scar on his face cursed with all his might, his voice hoarse, trying to break free from the restraints, but the alloy straps did not budge.

More prisoners just trembled silently, staring at the glaring light source overhead with hollow eyes, or despairingly closing their eyes tight.

The emotion of regret permeated the air like a tangible plague.

"I was wrong! I was truly wrong! I shouldn't have forced that woman! Let me go back to prison! Even for a lifetime is fine!"

A prisoner cried out hysterically.

"If I had known... if I had known this would be the outcome..." another voice whispered, filled with late, bone-deep remorse, "I would rather have died on the battlefield..."

However, the Tech-Priests turned a deaf ear to these wails and confessions.

A Tech-Priest holding a cutter engraved with Binary Rune walked toward the first middle-aged man who was begging.

Beneath the cold metal mask, an electronically modulated, emotionless voice rang out.

"Identification: Organic unit G-643. Modification procedure: Basic labor servitor. Objective: Purge redundant emotional modules, implant Obedience Protocol, reinforce basic structure. Praise the Machine God."