Chapter 163: Holn

Losel space orbit, Sword of Redemption, Conqueror-class cruiser.

The assassination at the Planetary Governor's mansion was undoubtedly a provocation, and it was declaring war on the great Valerius!

Although the assassin was completely melted by plasma, some residual minced meat was quickly transported to the space orbit. Although this matter was suppressed on the surface, Holn, as the head of the family, needed to find out who wanted to exterminate the bloodline of Valerius!

The moment Alvin was assassinated, Holn had many suspects in his heart.

Among them were some High Lords of the Empire, or Planetary Generals, and even the mysterious and unpredictable 'Officio Assassinorum' that influenced the direction of many events in the dark!

But the range of suspicion was really too large.

There were far more forces coveting the treasure of the 'Valerius' Rogue Trader Dynasty than the above-mentioned ones, and there was another Rogue Trader force that was also very likely.

After all, the withering of the direct bloodline of the Valerius family was essentially related to that Rogue Trader Dynasty.

For so many years, the contradictions between each other had accumulated day by day, until this generation, it had long become an unsolvable death feud. Now it was nothing more than the two forces stopping open fighting under the mediation of the Empire and turning to secret competition.

Holn rubbed the mechanical armrest, his eyes uncertain, and a storm seemed to be brewing around him.

"Mr. Holn, according to your request, the genetic sequence analysis results have come out."

At this time, an Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-Priest, who looked like an elderly man with a hunched body but had multiple mechanical modifications, walked in from outside the door.

"It's you, Carol." Holn looked at the Tech-Priest, his furrowed brows relaxed a little, his tone gentle: "I'm very sorry, I shouldn't have disturbed your research, but this matter is of great importance, and I can only trust you."

Carol held a gear staff, his whole person almost completely losing the appearance of a human, more like a precision machine!

That rusty red robe could only barely cover part of his body. The exposed part behind could see the green medicinal liquid boiling in the transparent container. The mechanical mask on his face was connected to his chest with a breathing device, multiple prosthetic limbs were installed on his shoulders, and even a servo-skull.

"There is a piece of good news, it should be considered good news."

Carol's voice was very low, with a hoarse sound like electric current. The face covered by the mechanical mask looked at Holn with two scarlet electronic instrument eyes: "From a biological point of view, that assassin is far from reaching the level of the 'Officio Assassinorum'."

"So it can be excluded that it was the Empire's intention."

This news was indeed good news for Valerius today, at least Holn thought so.

He couldn't help but smile self-deprecatingly, feeling that he was completely overthinking.

If it were really the 'Officio Assassinorum', let alone in the banquet hall, even if Alvin were hiding on his own Sword of Redemption, he would still not escape death!

The Officio Assassinorum rarely misses; once they are identified as an assassination target, it is almost impossible to survive.

"Then... what about the bad news?" Holn turned his gaze, looking at Carol: "Since there is good news, there must be bad news, right?"

Carol leaned on the gear staff and said in a low voice: "The bad news is... in the assassin's residual flesh and blood, I detected the residue of a 'demon'."

"Demon?!"

Holn's pupils shrank, and he was suddenly terrified.

He had guessed many possibilities, but he had never thought about Chaos or heretics.

"Yes, it is a delicate biological modification, even I am very surprised." The gear staff hit the ground, Carol walked slowly, and handed the data information board to Holn: "Someone cleverly stuffed a warp demon into the shell of a 'Pariah'."

Holn looked at the biological analysis results on the data board, his brows suddenly wrinkled into a 'chuan' shape: "Combined with the characteristics of a Pariah, it can disguise itself as an ordinary human at will, and at the same time use the Pariah field to restrain psychics when needed... Is this really possible?"

"I checked the research materials of Archmagos Belisarius Cawl, and he had discovered similar 'assassins'."

Carol said meaningfully: "The difficulty of modifying this kind of demon-parasitized assassin is extremely high, and the conditions are very harsh, and the success rate is also very low. It is generally only used to assassinate high-value strategic targets, such as Astartes Chapter Masters, Planetary General Lords, Knight High Kings, and Fabricator Archmagos."

Astartes Chapter Masters, Planetary General Lords, Knight High Kings, Fabricator Archmagos... those are all big figures with overwhelming power in the Empire!

In comparison, even if the Valerius Rogue Trader Dynasty has a long history, if the assassination target was Holn, it would be reasonable. But Chaos put the target on a direct bloodline who had just inherited the 'qualification', which is a bit intriguing.

In other words, in the eyes of Chaos forces, Alvin's value... is completely equal to those big figures!

But, like Astartes Chapter Masters, Planetary General Lords, Knight High Kings, and Fabricator Archmagos, they are all figures who call the wind and rain, feudal lords, and everyone's life and death is enough to determine a big figure who changes the direction of the Empire. What about Alvin?

At most, he is an heir to a Rogue Trader Dynasty. It is no exaggeration to say that even if the assassination is successful, besides changing the fate of Valerius, what else can it change?

In Carol's view, even if the assassination is successful, Chaos still cannot change anything.

Unless in the eyes of the destructive powers of Chaos, the threat of Alvin's future after he grows up is far greater than those figures!

"Doesn't this just show how amazing my grandson is?"

Holn smiled very gratified after listening, as if he were showing off, saying: "You probably don't know, my grandson is not simple!"

"I have been researching, I don't have time to understand him." Carol seemed to be hooked by a bit of interest, asked curiously: "Looking at you, he seems to have done something amazing."

Speaking of this, Holn suddenly became energetic: "My grandson, killed a Chosen of Khorne head-on, is he amazing or not?!"

"... Head-on, killed, a Chosen of Khorne?" Even Carol, who was well-informed, was startled: "Are you sure he wasn't blessed by Khorne?"

"What are you talking about? How could it be Khorne's blessing?"

Holn stared at him with wide eyes, angrily: "Even if it is a blessing, it should be the Emperor's blessing!"

Realizing he had spoken out of turn, Carol awkwardly changed the subject: "Omnissiah above, it must be the Emperor's blessing."

Then, Holn, as if he had witnessed it with his own eyes, told the intelligence he had collected one after another about Alvin's deeds on Losel.

Leading a small team, being forcibly conscripted to the front line, resisting the cult invasion, and then killing all sides, forcing the Chaos cult to retreat steadily...

Or, breaking into the underhive cult with an Inquisitor, and finally returning miraculously...

Single-handedly killing a Chosen of Khorne, being abducted into the warp by a Greater Daemon of Tzeentch and returning again, etc.

The more Carol listened, the more outrageous he felt. Is this really an ordinary person?

In his original impression, Alvin should be struggling to survive in the underhive, finally waiting for the family.

But now, after listening to Holn's description, Carol suddenly understood why Chaos was willing to use a demon assassin to assassinate this little young master!

Omnissiah above, this is completely a living 'Emperor's Chosen'!

Killing a Chosen of Khorne, surviving the underhive ravaged by cults, and being abducted into the warp by a Greater Daemon of Tzeentch, yet still returning alive!

Just taking any one of these deeds out, you could go to the Administratum to exchange for a hero medal!

But putting them together is easy to be found by the Inquisition.

This kid's experience is too strange, but if he weren't the heir of Valerius, he would have been dragged to the Astronomican to be burned!

Not to mention anything else, just from the fact that he was abducted into the warp by a Greater Daemon of Tzeentch, the Inquisition would not let him go. The best result is to reward him with a bolt round, so as not to cause any trouble in the future!

"Your grandson is quite amazing."

Carol wiped his sweat, suddenly a bit worried about the future of the Valerius family.

With such a restless master around, it is unlikely to be peaceful.

"Cough... cough..."

However, Holn, who was just speaking excitedly, suddenly coughed violently.

He covered his mouth, and black blood spilled from his fingers. His whole person's aura suddenly became sluggish.

Seeing this scene, Carol leaned on the gear staff and walked quickly to the mechanical throne, inserting the syringe filled with medicinal liquid directly into Holn's vein with his prosthetic limb, while opening his mouth in a grave tone: "Don't be too excited, control your emotions and calm down a little!"

"It's okay, cough... it's all old injuries."

Accompanied by the injection of the medicinal liquid, Holn's complexion improved a lot, leaning weakly on the seat, the light in his eyes dimmed: "How is... my situation?"

Hearing this, Carol was silent for a moment, looking at the weak Holn, his emotions were a bit low for a moment, his voice hoarse: "Not very good, the toxin has invaded very deeply."

In the face of life and death, Holn didn't seem to care, his complexion didn't change at all, and he asked indifferently: "Carol, tell me, how long can I hold on?"

"Three months at the fastest, one year... at the slowest."

Carol's tone was a bit complex, saying softly: "If you are willing to lie in the stasis field, perhaps..."

"No need."

Holn interrupted him directly, his tone carrying a bit of determination: "I will try my best to train him into a qualified heir before I die. As for later... I hope you can help him more, just like you helped me at the beginning. I leave it to you, Carol."

The last sentence, the old man carried a bit of begging.

"I will, Holn."

Carol's tone was low, gripping the gear staff: "I swear by the Omnissiah, I will assist that child just like I assisted you."

"Go, I want to rest for a while..."

Holn waved his hand tiredly, and after watching Carol leave, he slowly closed his eyes.

He must hold on, at least hold on until Alvin is trained into a qualified heir, so he can leave with peace of mind.

"My time... is running out." ===== CHAPTER 164 =====