Chapter 148: Orcs Are Really Delicious

Erlin, Company Captain of the Second Company of the Faceless, stepped toward Joffer, who was clad in black armor, and began to chat according to the planned topic.

"Joffer, I learned from the captain of the supply ship that Lord Ninglu received a warm welcome on Terra."

The Lieutenant of the Tenth Battle Company was already accustomed to the Faceless' habit of chatting after battle.

They were relatively quiet before and during combat, and the orders on the command channel were very concise; only after the battle did they become talkative.

They liked to find the Order Shadows to chat at these times.

"Yes, Lord Ninglu enjoyed the same cheers on Terra as Lord Horus..."

Joffer straightened his chest, a smile on his face, and said proudly.

Just as the Faceless and the Order Shadows were chatting happily, First Captain Suarez squatted beside the corpse of the Ork Warboss he had slain and used his chainsword to cut off a thick arm.

He looked back, then lowered his head as if inspecting the enemy corpse, then opened his mouth, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth characteristic of the Faceless, and bit into the Ork's arm.

At the moment Suarez bit down, his pupils dilated slightly, and his eyebrows twitched along with it.

It was delicious!

The tip of his tongue touched what was clearly the salty freshness of ham, while his teeth sank into the crisp tenderness of a mushroom.

The meat fibers unfurled like silk dissolving in a spring breeze, and suddenly, emerald-like veins bloomed within the texture, sweet juices bursting through the charred, crispy shell like dew rolling over morning pine needles.

A half-sigh escaped his throat, hanging in the air as if its path had been cut off by a sudden, sweet chill.

At the same time, the other Faceless also wore expressions of enjoyment; before tasting an Ork arm for the first time, they had all been worried that the thick, filthy arms mixed with strangely foul-smelling blood would taste terrible.

But they now discovered that the more powerful the Xenos, the better they tasted.

This was the gift of the Faceless.

Suarez opened his large mouth, swiftly swallowed one of the Ork's arms into his belly, and smacked his lips in satisfaction.

The First Captain of the Faceless swallowed both of the Ork's arms into his belly, just like eating strips of ham wrapped in fresh, tender mushrooms.

He felt his body, exhausted from the fierce battle, now filled with strength.

Suarez swung his arm forcefully, carefully discerning.

【Hmm, my strength hasn't increased yet; I haven't eaten enough.】

After several attempts at eating, the Faceless had summarized a pattern: the enhancements they gained from eating usually required consuming a sufficient quantity.

Moreover, the stronger a Faceless was before eating, the more they needed to eat to gain enhancement.

He hadn't eaten enough yet, but he was already full and couldn't eat any more.

Suarez took a lingering look at the fresh meat on the ground and walked toward Joffer, who was chatting, and asked according to the topic he had in mind.

"Your two Chapters are also patrolling in this direction."

"According to the Gene-Father's orders, they are searching for a lost colony."

Joffer frowned slightly, his black eyes sweeping imperceptibly over Suarez's abdomen.

The Order Shadow keenly sensed that it was slightly distended, and he had a familiar feeling.

After the battle, one Company Captain would come to talk to him, and after a while, another would come.

When the latter Company Captain appeared, he always seemed as if he were full.

【A special nutrient pack for the Faceless?】

Joffer guessed to himself, while also noticing that, as before, the Company Captain who had spoken to him first would silently leave.

As the Order Shadow pondered, the First Captain of the Faceless asked.

"What is the result? Is there anything the Faceless need to do?"

Suarez asked; the days spent under Ninglu's command were more comfortable than hiding carefully under Horus's command before, and the Warrior of the Second Legion hoped this situation would continue.

"The Third Legion discovered Sepra Mundi; after their discovery of the Daxos Binary System, this is another major find."

"The Dark Lord seems to be very good at exploration."

A smile appeared on Joffer's face; he had heard that it was a planet with great potential for development, not only possessing an industrial base like Vostonia but also being the intersection of numerous Warp Routes, with several stable Mandeville Points in the vicinity.

"That is truly good news," the Faceless said with a smile, then turned to say, "Our Techmarine captured some round, rolling monsters covered in sharp teeth."

"They seem to be creatures kept by those Orcs; perhaps the Primarch would like this kind of creature."

"Oh?"

Joffer's attention was completely captured by what Suarez said, forgetting the slight strangeness he had felt just now.

He followed the First Captain of the Faceless to a cage.

The Order Shadow keenly sensed that this cage was wrapped in an energy field.

Joffer's black eyes cast into the cage, where more than a dozen red spherical monsters were rolling, hissing, and chasing each other; they had sharp teeth similar to those in their mouths.

Their faces were ferocious, and their eyes were wide open.

After Joffer examined them for a while, he spoke.

"Lord Ninglu might indeed be interested in these little red monsters."

The Order Shadow thought of the data sent to friendly forces after various expedition fleets encountered the green-skinned Orcs, and he reminded him.

"Suarez, I have heard that the Orcs encountered by the expedition fleet have strange reproductive abilities; will there be any accidents during the transport process?"

"Joffer, don't worry; when we found them, they were kept separately, and I think they are different from those Orcs."

The Faceless curled his lip and said dismissively.

"Besides, they look like they could be crushed with one hand; even if they were to proliferate, they wouldn't be a threat."

After staring at the cage for a moment, the Order Shadow cautiously offered a suggestion.

"Prepare a dedicated Transport Ship to carry them; if an accident occurs, it will be easier to handle."

"Good."

Suarez enjoyed the time spent fighting side-by-side with the Order Shadow and agreed to his cautious suggestion without any aversion.

Cage after cage of Squigs, bound in cages by the Techmarine, were sent onto the Transport Ship, and the Transport Ship then returned toward Vostonia.

At the same moment, having completed the conquest of the Spider Alliance, Ninglu awarded medals to the warriors who had performed with distinction during this campaign.

The Primarch personally pinned the medal onto Kion's chest and patted the shoulder of Kion, who had just been officially promoted to Company Captain of the Fourth Legion's Di 5 Rian, in encouragement.

The medals were designed by the Legion's Techmarine according to Ninglu's instructions, and their production by thralls and servitors was overseen on the Casting Deck of the Shadow of Sovereignty.

Therefore, the back of the medal was branded with the High Gothic abbreviation "SC·FD," while the top was branded with the corresponding "Araneus" for the spiders.

The medal was a black circle in its entirety, with a red eight-legged spider in the center of the obverse, symbolizing the conquest of the Spider Alliance.

Every person who participated in this operation and made a contribution would receive a medal, whether they were an Astartes, an Auxilia soldier, a ship Commander, an Artillery Supervisor, or others.

However, among them, only those who had performed with distinction were personally awarded by the Primarch.

The Leaders and Company Captains of each Chapter were among them, as were outstanding Captains and Junluanzhanshi.

Of course, there were also mortal commanders such as Diana Polin.

Those not personally awarded by the Primarch received grey badges, which were presented by their direct superiors.

After the award ceremony concluded, the Seventh Legion and the Twelfth Legion set sail under Ninglu's orders, heading toward Tanis in the Segmentum Pacificus according to the Star Map submitted by the Talawa.

Their responsibility was to annihilate the Xenos entrenched in the area and secure Tanis.

Ninglu subsequently led the "Sleepless" and "Hunter" units of the Honor Guard to the Underhive to hunt.

(End of chapter)