Before Fu Qinghai was a cruel tableau: collapsed ruins, twisted metal skybridges, and corpses strewn everywhere. A little giant clad in grimy white power armor sat slumped before the rubble. A carpet of dried blood scabs and semi-dried fresh gore formed a dark red expanse before him. His entire lower body was pinned beneath a massive metal pipe; his legs were visibly deformed, his shattered leg armor mixed with bone and flesh.
Yet, he seemed to feel no pain. This broad-faced man sported a flattop haircut reminiscent of Ronaldo’s, which, if Fu Qinghai were familiar with Chogoris culture, he would know was called a *zhuìjì* (topknot).
The flattop little giant looked at Fu Qinghai, who held a shock lance, with confusion, as if observing an ant brandishing a toothpick.
“So… you prepared for so long just to use this thing against me?” he finally spoke, his voice a rough, grating sound.
“It is for self-preservation, my lord,” Fu Qinghai replied calmly, not advancing further but beginning to observe.
Although his power armor was covered in scorch marks from lasers and various cutting scratches, blurring the Legion insignia, Fu Qinghai still recognized it from the bone-white base color, the blood-red trim accented with light blonde lines, and the decorative rope adorning the pauldron.
White Scars, the Vth Legion.
“You are a Chogoris native?” the broad-faced little giant frowned, scrutinizing Fu Qinghai’s distinctly Oriental features.
“No, I am from the Levianthan Hive City,” Fu Qinghai responded while observing the Space Marine’s hands.
Empty. Neither a bolter nor a power sword.
“From the same place as them,” Fu Qinghai tilted his chin toward the pile of mangled corpses on the ground, adding.
He had already identified them: those torn bodies belonged to Cedric and his group.
The Space Marine followed Fu Qinghai’s gaze downward and laughed: “Hahaha, so you, like them, intend to get something from me, a warrior whose feet are trapped and who is unarmed?”
“No, I just want to talk with you.”
Fu Qinghai was certainly not foolish. An unarmed Space Marine was still a Space Marine; one could casually tear a Hive City thug like Cedric into two pieces—literally into two halves—with bare hands.
Furthermore, Fu Qinghai judged this Space Marine to be cunning. Trapped by his legs and lacking mobility, theoretically, Cedric and the others shouldn't have been in danger unless they approached him. Their annihilation suggested he feigned weakness to lure them close before tearing them apart one by one.
This was also why Lazlo managed to retreat to the stronghold before succumbing to his injuries when facing a Space Marine.
“You are a White Scar warrior,” Fu Qinghai inquired while examining the Space Marine’s legs, crushed beneath the metal pipe.
A normal Human would have bled out from the severed major arteries long ago facing such injuries. Fu Qinghai had to marvel at the tenacity of Space Marine vitality, though this was partly due to the power armor’s life support system performing some repairs. Fu Qinghai could see solidified hemostatic gel at the breaks in the leg armor, but it couldn't stop some blood and tissue fluid from flowing onto the floor, mixing with the semi-dried gore before him.
“You know quite a bit,” the Space Marine observed Fu Qinghai with interest.
“How should I address you?” Fu Qinghai lowered the tip of his shock lance slightly, relaxing a bit, and took a small step forward, though he dared not drop his guard.
“Ogedai, Wo Kuotai Mangnut. If you were a soldier of our Legion, you could also call me Ogedai Nayan Khan,” the broad-faced brute replied, maintaining his relaxed expression, a slight curve even appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Oh, an Officer, a Captain.
The Imperial Space Marine Legions naturally had fixed combat organizations, with squad-level fighting units and company/platoon-level fighting companies. However, each Legion had different subdivisions and nomenclature based on the tactical habits and cultural customs of their respective Primarchs.
For instance, the combat companies of the White Scars Legion were called Brotherhoods, and Captains were addressed as "Nayan Khan."
These names originated from the native culture and customs of Chogoris, the White Scars’ homeworld and primary recruitment planet.
Although Fu Qinghai knew the White Scars were a Loyalist Legion siding with the Emperor during the Horus Heresy, he still dared not let down his guard.
Because he also knew that in the early stages of the Horus Rebellion, nearly half of the White Scars Space Marines had quietly chosen to side with the Warmaster, intending to stage a coup and seize actual control of the Legion fleet when Primarch Chaghatai Khan landed on the surface of Prospero.
Although they ultimately failed, it showed that the White Scars were not united internally; there were many turncoats who refused the Primarch’s command. Who knew if the White Scar warrior before him was a rebel?
Fu Qinghai took another small step forward and spoke:
“Uh, respected Ogedai Nayan Khan, as I said before, I am an ordinary, legitimate citizen of the Imperial Cheslatan Planet Colonial Outpost. I bear no ill will. I noticed your current predicament and hope to help you escape this difficulty.”
“However,” before Ogedai could speak, Fu Qinghai continued, “before that, I have one last question.”
Fu Qinghai took a deep breath, looked directly into Ogedai’s eyes, and said in a deep voice:
“Are you loyal?”
Upon hearing this, the White Scar warrior’s previously indifferent expression changed drastically. His brow instantly furrowed, his sharp gaze piercing Fu Qinghai’s eyes, and a low voice was squeezed out from his throat and between his teeth, word by word:
“Boy, I have fought for the Imperium and the Khan for two hundred years! I don't need a ridiculous mortal like you to question my loyalty!”
By the last sentence, he was practically roaring.
This statement seemed to touch a raw nerve. He continued to shout: “We fought from Ulano to Prospero! We hunted down every ship and every person belonging to the traitors! The corpses of my brothers are still floating in space above your head!”
“You! You pathetic, lowly mortal, daring to doubt me with a lighter in your hand? To judge me?”
The White Scar warrior, enraged, grabbed a severed arm nearby and prepared to hurl it at Fu Qinghai.
“I…” Before Ogedai could finish his curse, Fu Qinghai violently plunged the tip of his shock lance into the semi-dried gore in front of him.
“Crack!” The powerful voltage from the ship’s energy instantly penetrated the gore, directly connecting to Ogedai’s lower body, which was oozing blood, tissue fluid, and gel.
“Aaaaaaaah!” The Space Marine screamed unexpectedly, his voice trembling.
Of course, he had seen the shock lance Fu Qinghai held, but its slender shaft led the White Scar warrior to judge that its power would, at most, make a Space Marine’s body twitch slightly, incapable of causing any real harm.
This thing was indeed just a civilian beast-catching device, theoretically not even considered a weapon.
He had let down his guard.
“Hiss~” A puff of white smoke emerged from the tail end of the shaft. After one discharge, the shock lance burned out as expected.
Ogedai stopped trembling. He sat stunned on the ground, his eyes somewhat vacant.
The severed arm he had raised fell to the ground with a soft *thud*.
“Hoo…” Fu Qinghai let out a breath. From Ogedai’s tone, he had roughly judged that this Space Marine belonged to the Loyalist faction. However, his small frame could not withstand a bitter throw from a Space Marine, so he could only calm him down first.
A few seconds later, Ogedai blinked, finally recovering.
Regaining his senses, he glared at Fu Qinghai: “You brat…”
“Stop, stop, calm down, Khan! I just wanted to calm you down!” Fu Qinghai quickly raised both hands, tossing the shock lance onto the ground to signal he was unarmed.
“I am a loyal citizen of the Imperium! I am on your side! I also hate Horus, and I revere the Emperor as I revere my own father!” Fu Qinghai spoke rapidly.
“Please calm down. Your current condition is very poor. To prove my sincerity, I will find a way to rescue you now,” Fu Qinghai said while backing away.
“You…” Ogedai was slightly stunned, watching Fu Qinghai turn and sprint out of the gate.
A moment later, he heard the roar of a jetbike engine.
Ogedai saw Fu Qinghai drag in a long iron chain. Fu Qinghai walked to one end of the metal pipe and squatted down, figuring out how to tie the chain securely around the heavy pipe.
Ogedai understood what he intended to do.
At this moment, a girl’s head peeked around the edge of the gate. She glanced at the corpses and gore inside, covered her mouth, gagged briefly, and quickly pulled back.
After securing the chain, Fu Qinghai tugged hard to confirm it was firm, then walked up to Ogedai and said, “Endure this.”
“Hmph,” Ogedai scoffed dismissively: “I am an Astartes. Am I afraid of pain?”
You’re afraid you forgot how miserably you screamed just now… Fu Qinghai muttered inwardly but said nothing more, turning and walking out of the gate.
The roar of the engine sounded again, and the iron chain instantly pulled taut.
The straight chain turned the corner at the gate entrance. As the jetbike pulled from outside, the iron links were dragged out of the gate section by section with a *clack, clack* sound.
The metal pipe also began to move slowly, grinding outward like a millstone over the Space Marine’s legs.
“Hiss…” Although the flesh in his legs was already necrotic, the strain on the nerves near his upper thigh caused Ogedai to hiss in pain from the torment.
The metal pipe was finally pulled away.
Ogedai’s forehead was covered in cold sweat. The sedatives and painkillers built into his power armor had long been depleted in the previous fight; he was enduring the pain purely through willpower.
“Ha…” Ogedai gasped for breath, looking at his legs, which were now ground to pulp, and thought: *I might be sent to a Dreadnought...*
Fu Qinghai walked back in.
【 You saved the life of the White Scar Space Marine Wo Kuotai Mangnut, achieving a Milestone Event! 】
That familiar, cold voice sounded once more.
【 Calculating Assimilation Points... 209 points 】
Perfect! Fu Qinghai, having successfully earned Assimilation Points, praised inwardly.
Ogedai, staring at his own legs, looked up at Fu Qinghai and said, “I cannot stand or walk.”
“It’s fine, I’ll fashion a metal plate to drag you along,” Fu Qinghai stated his idea.
Ogedai pondered for a moment and said, “That works, but you must do me a favor first. Behind that wall behind me, there should be a few corpses of Sons of Horus. Move one over here, and if you find a power weapon, bring that too.”
Fu Qinghai obeyed, moving toward the wall behind Ogedai. Behind it, two Space Marine corpses in greenish-gray armor lay there, both wearing helmets. One was already half-buried under collapsed ruins.
Fu Qinghai felt greatly relieved. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The Sons of Horus were almost all staunch supporters of the Warmaster, with very few remaining loyal to the Emperor. The White Scars fighting the Sons of Horus were almost certainly Loyalists.
Fu Qinghai found a power sword lying quietly near the hand of one of the Sons of Horus.
Based on its design, it was a broad-bladed longsword with a curved crossguard. The hilt was long enough for Fu Qinghai to grip with both hands, but judging by the size of a Space Marine’s hand and the proportion of the hilt to the blade, this should have been a one-handed sword.
The hilt and crossguard had only simple decorative patterns. The runes inscribed in low Gothic script indicated the name of the Forge World that produced it; it was not a master-crafted weapon, meaning its owner was not an Officer.
Fu Qinghai lifted the power sword with some effort; it was so heavy it was difficult for him to swing, as it was designed for a Space Marine after all.
Fu Qinghai was reluctant to put the sword down. The moment he saw it, his sea of consciousness began to fluctuate. Fu Qinghai gently pressed a button on the hilt.
“Zzz…” A faint hum sounded, and the entire blade was instantly enveloped in a hazy, ethereal blue field. wisps of white electric arc flickered around it, and the blue light emitted by the blade slightly illuminated the dark compartment.
This sword’s Melta Field Generator was still operational.
“Boy, be careful. Don’t touch that blue light, or you might lop off your own head,” Ogedai’s hoarse voice came from behind him.
Ogedai heard the activation sound of the power sword; that sound was all too familiar to a Space Marine.
Fu Qinghai was certainly not foolish enough to touch that blue energy field with his hand.
The Melta Field, the core of a power weapon, can directly disrupt the molecular bonds of any solid matter it contacts, capable of disintegrating almost all solid materials. Power weapons are standard issue for Space Marines and are also equipped by some high-ranking mortal Officers, but this is not common technology. At least many Xenos races lack the technology to manufacture power weapons, and even many human Forge Worlds in the 40th millennium no longer possess the capability to produce them.
This standard power sword would fetch a high price in the Levianthan Hive City where Fu Qinghai originally came from.
Fu Qinghai deactivated the Melta Field Generator, carried the power sword back to Ogedai, placed it near him, and then returned behind the wall, exerting all his strength to drag a Son of Horus corpse over to Ogedai.
Ogedai picked up the power sword and skillfully swung it twice before instructing Fu Qinghai: “In the storage compartment of the Life Support System in the power pack on the corpse’s back, look for… ah, damn it, his armor is a mix of MK5. I recall it being on the side, try to find…”
“Is this it?” Before he could finish speaking, Fu Qinghai pulled out a cartridge filled with various unknown liquids from the side of the power pack.
“Eh? You brat… have you had contact with power armor before?” Ogedai looked Fu Qinghai up and down in surprise.
His torso to his limbs were intact flesh and blood, not like a Tech-Priest of the Adeptus Mechanicus…
“First time. You can consider it talent,” Fu Qinghai explained casually.
Fu Qinghai took this life support cartridge to Ogedai’s side, found the corresponding compartment, and pulled it out. The liquid tube inside was empty. Fu Qinghai inserted the cartridge taken from the Son of Horus.
“Whir…” Ogedai’s power pack shuddered slightly. The two spherical exhaust vents behind his shoulders puffed out hot air, and the motors in the power pack began to operate.
Immediately, Ogedai sighed, a look of comfortable relaxation spreading across his face.
Fu Qinghai guessed that painkillers, potions, and hormones were now being injected into Ogedai’s body via the power armor.
Starting from the Second Generation MKII Crusade pattern power armor, the massive power pack on the back of Space Marine armor integrated devices such as a micro-plasma reactor, life support system, automated medical equipment, air filtration system, and liquid circulation system.
“You could apply to be an Apothecary for the Legion,” Ogedai joked, slightly relieved from the continuous pain.
Of course, it was just a joke. Setting aside the medical skill of a Legion Apothecary, there was one point: a Space Marine Apothecary was still a Space Marine.
“Next up, it’s just you,” Ogedai said, activating the power sword’s Melta Field and looking down at his shattered legs.
Damn, you’re not going to… Seeing this, Fu Qinghai’s heart jumped.
Ogedai held the power sword, gestured with it over his legs a few times, and then swung it down fiercely.
The ethereal blue Melta Field sliced Ogedai’s legs, still attached to their broken leg armor, in half without resistance, like a hot knife through butter.
Ogedai grunted, and blood sprayed out. The wound was immediately covered by the hemostatic gel from the armor’s life support system. Blood coagulated visibly at Ogedai’s upper thigh, forming scabs—this was the Ramanur cells secreted by the Ramanur organ in the Space Marine’s chest cavity rapidly acting within his blood vessels.
Performing an amputation on himself—are all Space Marines this ruthless? Fu Qinghai thought to himself.
At this moment, Fu Qinghai’s peripheral vision suddenly noticed strange marks on the arm of one of the corpses belonging to Cedric and his group scattered on the ground.
Fu Qinghai suppressed his curiosity and squatted down to observe.
It was the mark of gnawing.
Fu Qinghai’s eyes widened, and he abruptly looked up at Ogedai, subtly taking two steps back with his feet.
“You eat people?” Fu Qinghai asked in a deep voice.
Ogedai looked up, his gaze calmly meeting Fu Qinghai’s eyes, and he replied, “The nutrient paste in the life support device is only enough for me to survive for three days, and my stomach can digest many types of organic matter to provide necessary energy for my body, including enemy corpses.”
Enemy corpses… Ogedai’s frankness left Fu Qinghai momentarily unsure how to respond. The moral concepts in the Warhammer 40,000 Universe differed greatly from those on his previous Earth. Fu Qinghai initially found it hard to adapt to the practice of excising the brain lobes of living humans to create Servitors, yet the people here were accustomed to it.
Fu Qinghai could only nod and say, “Understood.”
Indeed, a mature Space Marine couldn't just starve to death; that would be too pathetic.
In the time that followed, Fu Qinghai began selecting materials from the safe areas within the ship wreckage to construct a sled that could be towed behind the jetbike. Since Ogedai had lost his legs, his physical dimensions as a Space Marine still far exceeded those of an ordinary person, making it impossible for him to sit on the jetbike.
This sled had no wheels; it was simply a piece of steel plate with a slight curvature placed on the ground.
During the construction of this sled, Fu Qinghai had to admit that the indestructible power sword was an excellent cutting tool. Even when not used for combat, it was highly efficient as a manufacturing tool.
After finding some usable weapons and supplies in the ruins, the three prepared to depart for the colonial outpost.
Ogedai braced himself with his hands, positioning himself onto the sled Fu Qinghai had built, gripping the edges of the sled tightly with both hands, his gaze toward Fu Qinghai filled with suspicion.
Fu Qinghai reassured him, “Don’t worry, I’ll have Feiyi drive slowly.”
“Rumble…” The girl twisted the throttle, and the jetbike started up.
With his legs gone, Ogedai sat in the sled, feeling somewhat tense. For some reason, he recalled his first time participating in ship boarding actions, his first time in an orbital drop…
…………