“Father…” Horus closed his eyes.
His chest, broader and more imposing than a thunderclap, heaved with emotion.
Clang.
The scrap of metal fell to the ground, its sharp echo ringing out.
When those eyes opened again, the dull grayness had receded.
There was no trace of his former pride.
He spoke, his voice raspy and deep.
“You are right, Karen.” “I, Lupercal, will never fail the expectations of the Emperor of Mankind.
I will never…
fail.” “I am his fierce and beloved son.” The Wolf Shepherd God looked up at the mortal before him.
This time, he studied the man seriously.
In that moment, he felt that Karen was very much like his favorite son.
The Tenth Captain of the Luna Wolves Legion, a handsome young man named Garviel Loken.
In his memories, Loken would also step in to stop him when he made mistakes, offering counsel with reasonable and appropriate words.
“Karen, do you know what happened to Loken in the end?
I know he is dead, but…
I want to know.” “After you died in the final battle with the Emperor, he stayed on the Vengeful Spirit to watch over your body.
Later, he tried to persuade Abaddon to surrender, but he was killed in a sneak attack by Erebus.” When mentioning the name Erebus, Karen’s tone grew heavy.
When it comes to the most despicable scumbags in the Warhammer universe, Erebus takes the prize.
That piece of trash!
A traitor to humanity!
“Erebus?
That Chaplain!” Horus raised his voice.
“I should have killed him long ago!
Ever since he joined my Legion, he’s been spreading those bullshit dogmas!” “Where is that damned bastard now?” “He and many of the traitors fled into the Eye of Terror.
I don’t even know which sector this planet we’re on belongs to.” Karen sighed and shrugged helplessly.
Hearing this, the fire in Horus’s heart briefly flickered out.
Just then.
“Wooo—Wooo—!” An incredibly piercing mechanical alarm exploded through the ventilation ducts overhead.
Red emergency lights flashed erratically, bathing the corridor in a blood-red glow.
The sound of disorganized footsteps, accompanied by the echo of metal combat boots stomping on the floor, rapidly approached, interspersed with the vocal-cord-shredding barks of Mechanical Hounds.
“Reinforcements from the Iron Skull Gang.” Karen picked up a wrench from the floor, his expression changing.
The sense of smell of those Mechanical Hounds was a hundred times more sensitive than that of mutant rats.
The scent of blood left behind by the massacre just now was the best possible roadmap in this enclosed lower level.
“We have to evacuate.” Karen quickly identified an escape route.
He glanced back.
Horus, wearing his iconic Lunar-white Terminator Armor, was as conspicuous as a walking giant lightbulb in the dark ruins of the Hive City.
Not to mention his exaggerated size; there wasn’t a single ventilation duct he could crawl through.
“That shell of yours is too eye-catching.” “I can take it off.” Horus reached out to unlatch the neural connection nodes at his neck, preparing to tear open the air valves with his bare hands.
“Wait!
Fight those cyborgs naked?
Your wounds haven’t fully healed yet!” Karen hurriedly stopped him.
Karen immediately pulled up his system panel, his eyes scanning the 99,900 points that had just been credited.
He clicked on [Equipment and Items].
[Stealth Cloak]: Legacy technology from the Raven Guard Legion.
Can shield thermal, sonic, and optical detection.
Automatically adjusts to the wearer’s size.
Price: 5,000 points.
Buy.
Two dusty, oversized cloaks that looked like nothing more than ragged burlap sacks appeared in his hands.
“Put it on!” Karen tossed one of the cloaks over.
Horus caught it with one hand.
The moment the cloak touched the Terminator armor, the edge nanofibers rapidly extended, completely enveloping his massive frame.
Murky shadows covered the lunar-white armor, muffling his heavy breathing and the hum of the servo motors.
His entire being melted into the darkness of the corridor.
“Let’s go!” Karen donned his cloak and led the way toward the security door on the other side.
Passing through several abandoned pipes filled with trash and mutant fungi, they entered the true bottom of the Planet Reis Hive City.
The air was a foul mixture of engine oil, excrement, and the rancid stench of rotting corpses.
Sewage dripped down the rusted walls.
The people living in the corrugated iron shacks were less like humans and more like walking corpses barely maintaining a human shape.
Karen led Horus through many twists and turns, eventually ducking into an abandoned underground water treatment station.
After confirming they had completely lost their pursuers, Karen slumped down beside a rusted turbine, panting heavily.
Horus pulled back his hood, surveying the ruins that even a dog wouldn’t live in.
“This is the bottom of the Hive City you spoke of?” The Wolf Shepherd God’s tone was very bitter.
“Is this the kind of life humanity lives in the galaxy we fought so hard for during the Great Crusade?” “Get used to it.
The High Lords and Planetary Governors of the Empire don’t have the time to care about the life and death of the Underhive.” Karen pulled out a piece of compressed dry rations that looked no different from a brick and took a strained bite.
“This place is safe for now, but it’s not peaceful.
Genestealers are active in this area, and Chaos Cults are doing their underground preaching all day.
We’re currently in a hell-mode starting position.” “Is the Defense Force blind?” Horus frowned.
“And those Genestealers, what kind of new xenos are they?” “The Defense Force can’t even clean up the Planetary Governor’s own mess.
You expect them to help?” Karen gave a cold laugh before explaining.
“As for the Genestealers, they are the vanguard of the Tyranids.
Right now, these Interstellar Locusts are invading the Galaxy.” “It’s actually quite funny.
Ten thousand years ago, your good brother Guilliman accidentally lit a beacon similar to the Astronomican, directly drawing all the bugs from beyond the void here.” Horus listened silently, his deep gaze falling upon this young mortal.
“You are no ordinary scavenger, Karen.” How could a scavenger from the bottom of the Underhive casually pull out divine medicine capable of healing a Primarch, possess secrets spanning ten thousand years of history, and conjure high-tech equipment out of thin air?
Karen’s chewing paused for a moment.
He met the Wolf Shepherd God’s inquisitive gaze but did not answer directly.
“Everyone has secrets.
I’ll chat with you about that slowly when there’s a chance in the future.” “In the past, I was always alone, but I’m not lonely anymore.
I have a Primarch to accompany me.” “I feel honored, Wolf God.” Karen said with a smile.
“Since you want to save humanity and the Empire, then I will do everything in my power to help you.” The two looked at each other.
In this foul-smelling underground water treatment station, the gears of fate began to grind together with a coarse but powerful force.
Horus looked at him, a warm current welling up in his heart.
Brother, friend.
During the Great Crusade, he had only felt this kind of bond with Sanguinius.
But The Great Angel was too perfect, so perfect that there was always an invisible pressure when they were together.
But Karen was different; he was like a true friend.
“Thank you, Karen.” The Wolf Shepherd God returned the smile, one that was pure and heartfelt.
He reached out a massive hand, one capable of tearing an armored vehicle apart.
In the era of the Great Crusade, even the highest-ranking generals of the Empire would not have been worthy of such an honor.
“From now on, we are friends.” “Hello, my friend.” Karen smiled and reached out his hand, grasping a finger that was thicker than his own thigh, and gave it two firm shakes.
This was the ancient Terra Handshake.
“So, what do we do next?” Horus asked in a low voice, clearly ready to get to work.
“Sleep and stay alive.” Karen gave a wide yawn and found a relatively flat piece of iron to lie down on.
“I don’t care if you’re a Primarch with a super-brain; a wounded man needs to have the awareness of a wounded man.
Tomorrow’s troubles are for tomorrow’s us to worry about.” As night deepened, the circulating exhaust fans of the Planet Reis Hive City emitted a dull, low roar.
Karen rolled over, wrapping his cloak tightly around him as he muttered, “When I have plenty of points one day, I’m definitely getting myself a Super Invincible Supreme Simmons mattress…” In less than a minute, a light snoring sound began.
Horus did not sleep.
He sat cross-legged on the oil-stained ground like an unshakable statue.
He stood watch for this mortal who had the courage to point at his nose and scold him, yet also the courage to entrust his life to him.
He glanced down at the scabbed wound on his chest.
Then, the Wolf Shepherd God slowly raised his head.
Through a dilapidated gap above the exhaust fan, he saw the dark and murky starry sky outside the Hive City.
The sea of stars remained the same, but this time, he would never repeat the same mistakes.