Chapter 864: Attacking Kamirat Outpost (4)

The red lenses on their helmets scanned the survivors within the Command Center.

Resistance? It had lost all meaning.

A young Fengqi Military officer, who seemed to have been scared out of his mind, hysterically raised the Energy Pistol in his hand and fired at the leading White Scars Space Marine.

The energy beam from the pistol left a charred mark on that chest plate.

That White Scars Space Marine did not even look at him, merely raising his Bolter casually.

"Bang!"

After the gunshot, the young officer's upper body vanished, and blood and gore splattered across the Control Console behind him.

This gunshot completely shattered the final psychological defenses of everyone in the Command Center.

"We surrender! Surrender!"

It was unclear who shouted first, but immediately after, the surviving operators, officers, and guards threw down whatever was in their hands, raised their hands high, and knelt on the ground, their bodies trembling uncontrollably, not even daring to lift their heads.

Travis sat in his chair, not moving.

It was not that he did not want to surrender, but that all the strength in his body had been drained away.

He stared blankly at the leading White Scars Space Marine, who, judging by the honor markings on his Armor, was clearly a high-ranking officer, walking toward him step by step.

This White Scars Space Marine stopped in front of him, his massive shadow completely engulfing Travis.

"…In the name of the Emperor,"

A majestic voice, processed through an amplifier, rang out.

"This place has been liberated. You, the person in charge, stand up."

Travis's body trembled; he slid off the chair with difficulty, collapsed onto his knees, and raised his hands.

He did not even dare to look at the other's helmet.

Soon, two other Space Marines stepped forward, roughly frisked Travis, removed all potential weapons, and then used magnetic shackles to cuff his hands behind his back.

He was forcibly lifted from the ground.

Only then did he dare to lift his eyelids slightly to look at the Space Marine officer who had issued the order.

"Take him to the 'Fengchi'. Company Commander Bahan will interrogate him personally."

The officer said to the warriors guarding Travis.

"Yes, Sergeant."

Travis was escorted by two White Scars Space Marines, one on each side, stumbling through the chaotic Command Center, stepping over the corpses of his comrades and shattered instruments, toward the breached gate.

Outside the door, the corridor walls were riddled with bullet holes and blast marks, and the ground was covered in the corpses of soldiers from both sides; the blood had almost pooled into a stream.

White giants and tan-clad soldiers were clearing the battlefield, checking corpses, and guarding prisoners.

Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion, efficient to the point of suffocation.

He was escorted through corridor after corridor that had been rendered unrecognizable, and finally shoved into a transport craft.

The engines roared, pulling away from the outpost and flying toward the White Scars Cruiser in the distance, which was painted with the Golden Double-Headed Eagle Emblem.

Through the porthole, he took one last look at the 'Watchtower' outpost.

At this moment, the surface of the outpost was scarred, and black smoke was still rising from multiple locations.

Not far away, the occasional flashes of explosions in the starry sky indicated that the fate of the other outposts was likely no different from this one.

Despair. Utter despair.

He had gone from the shock that anyone would dare to attack a Fengqi Outpost, to the realization that the patrol fleet and the outpost garrison were so vulnerable, and now to complete despair and resignation.

He could not understand what kind of force would dare to launch an attack of this scale within the territory of the Feng Qi Xing Alliance, and possess such terrifying strength?

That "Emperor"… who was he?

The transport craft docked and stabilized.

The hatch opened, and he was roughly shoved out, entering the interior of the 'Fengchi' Cruiser.

The corridor was clean, bright, and filled with an efficient, militarized atmosphere.

He was brought into an Interrogation Room.

The style was completely different from his own Command Center; it was more minimalist, without any unnecessary decorations, only cold metal walls.

He was pressed into a fixed metal chair, and the magnetic shackles were locked onto the armrests.

Then, came the waiting.

Every minute and every second of waiting tortured his already collapsed nerves.

It was unknown how much time had passed when the airtight door slid open.

A tall figure walked in.

He was also wearing white Power Armor; he was not wearing a helmet, revealing a face that possessed both Mongoloid features and superhuman majesty, his gaze seemingly able to look directly into his soul.

Company Commander Bahan.

Bahan did not speak, merely scanning Travis with his eyes.

He walked to the opposite side of Travis, crossed his arms over his chest, and stood in Silence.

This oppressive Silence was more unbearable to Travis than any torture.

"Na… name."

Travis finally could not take it anymore; his voice was dry and hoarse as he took the initiative to speak, breaking the Silence.

The corners of Bahan's mouth seemed to curl into an imperceptible arc.

"Your name, rank, and unit."

Bahan's voice was calm.

"Tra… Travis… person in charge of the 'Watchtower' at Kamilate No. 1 Main Outpost… affiliated with the Seventh Patrol Zone of the Feng Qi Xing Alliance Southern Theater Border Defense Force…"

Travis answered almost subconsciously, not daring to hide a single thing.

"Very good."

Bahan nodded.

"Now, Person-in-Charge Travis, tell me everything you know about the Feng Qi Xing Alliance—military deployments, spheres of influence, key bases, logistics lines, high-level information—everything, tell me all of it."

"Remember,"

Bahan leaned forward slightly, his eyes locking onto Travis's three eyes.

"The degree of your cooperation will determine your fate, as well as the fate of your captured subordinates. We have ways to verify the truth."

Travis looked into Bahan's eyes, which were devoid of any emotional fluctuation, and recalled the garrison in the outpost that had been ruthlessly crushed, and the desperate distress signal from Fengrao Starport... his last shred of wishful thinking completely dissipated.

Travis slumped in the chair and closed his eyes.

"... I'll talk..."

He said hoarsely.

"... Whatever you want to know... I'll tell you all..."

After an interrogation, Bahan combined the information with previous interrogations of space pirates and some data from the database; once he confirmed there were no issues, he waved his hand, letting two navy soldiers escort Travis to the bottom-level confinement area.

Seeing that he was about to be taken away again, Travis, filled with confusion about his future, spoke up.

"I... what will happen to me?"

Bahan glanced at Travis and said in a cold tone.

"Your fate was already sealed, but you still have a certain value. The Emperor once said, 'Be frugal; before doing anything, maximize the benefits of the items obtained, including some Aliens and Heretics.' You will be the dirt on the path of the Emperor's great ideal."

Hearing these words, Travis roughly guessed his own ending.

Heh, how ridiculous; never did I expect that a Fengqi would one day hear such words applied to himself; it is truly ironic!