The War Hounds.Time passed minute by minute, each tick of the indicators felt so heavy in the eyes of the World Eaters."It's here, the Custodes' message is here! They estimate they'll exit the Mandeville Point in about an hour." The Chief Astropath quickly handed the decoded information to Khârn.Generally, Warp travel cannot be precise to the hour, but the Emperor's flagship fleet is naturally different. Its Navigators and Astropaths are the best in the Imperium, and they also have the assistance of the Emperor's psychic power."Good, this is great." The World Eaters' officers immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Even the heavy, almost dripping air was now filled with a relaxed atmosphere."Everyone return to your posts and prepare to welcome His Majesty. The fleet is to enter the highest level of alert." Khârn began ordering everyone back to their warships.The galaxy is not a peaceful place; xenos fleets can appear at any time. The Emperor's loyal War Hounds need to ensure that the nearby star systems are absolutely safe when the Emperor's fleet exits the Warp.Time flowed, and the atmosphere inside the War Hounds warship inevitably grew tense again."Navigator, constantly monitor the Warp situation, and notify me immediately if anything happens!""Apothecary, if Father comes out first, we must first soothe Father's emotions and wait for His Majesty's arrival." Khârn led the Apothecary to the location of the warship's stasis field, beginning to unify their story."Yes, Captain." The Apothecary responded shamefully. This would be a stain on his career that could never be washed away."Tick, tock..." The countdown set on the stasis field constantly reminded Khârn and the others of the time their gene-father would awaken.The golden fleet in the Warp also began preparing to exit. The War Hounds' Navigator had already observed the Emperor's fleet's arrival and alerted all warships."Boom..." The moment the countdown hit zero and the stasis field failed, a huge bulletproof steel plate was directly blown away, incidentally sending the War Hounds' Apothecary flying."Roar..." A furious beast's roar, filled with endless murderous intent, echoed through the stasis field chamber. The timer inside the Butcher's Nails on Angron's head recalibrated, and realizing it had been deceived, the Butcher's Nails immediately entered berserk mode."Go... hurry and go... you'll die... you'll die..." Angron painfully clutched the Butcher's Nails on his head, shouting at these Sons he had only just met."Father, how can we help you?" Khârn asked anxiously."Go... Ah!!!" Angron's eyes grew increasingly bloodshot. Soon, the Butcher's Nails would forcibly control him to unleash a bloody massacre, just like a hungry glutton desperately needing a hearty meal after a good rest."Anesthetic! Give the Primarch the maximum dose of Neptune Anesthetic!!" Khârn shouted anxiously."Roar..." Completely controlled by the Butcher's Nails' murderous desires, Angron at this moment transformed into an irrational beast, charging towards this group of Sons clad in MK2 Power Armor.Unlike the open gladiatorial arenas, the confined spaces of the warship provided excellent convenience for the beast's agile movements. The incoming Neptune Anesthetic was instinctively dodged."Father..." Khârn watched in despair as Angron was about to charge into the ranks. His vision, enhanced by the visual controller, could clearly see the writhing daemon on Angron's head.At this moment, even Khârn didn't know how to react—should he save his comrades or fire his Bolter at his gene-father?The next moment, golden light exploded everywhere, and a tall, golden figure, teleporting through psychic power, arrived beside his loyal War Hounds at the last possible second."Quiet, Angron!" The Emperor's powerful psychic energy directly bound Angron."Destroy all Butcher's Nails and Neptune Anesthetic. Angron is with me." The Emperor's majestic voice fell, and then golden light flashed again. The Emperor and Angron were no longer present, and the Neptune Anesthetic in the Apothecary's room also vanished."Yes, Your Majesty." Khârn and the other Astartes of the War Hounds replied to the spot where the Emperor had disappeared."Dig out the Apothecary!" Khârn immediately ordered someone to retrieve the Apothecary who had been sent flying by the bulletproof steel plate. Fortunately, Astartes are usually armored, so the Apothecary wasn't directly smashed into a pulp by the plate."Notify the brothers stationed on the Primarch's homeworld to destroy the STC for the Butcher's Nails and all data on Neptune Anesthetic, leaving not a single drop. This is His Majesty's highest command!" Khârn transmitted the Emperor's order to the Astropath via the communication channel. The brothers on Nuceria would execute the Emperor's order thoroughly. If destruction was commanded, all data and production personnel related to these two items on Nuceria would disappear completely.As for whether innocents would be harmed? That was not something the Emperor's War Hounds needed to consider. Strict military discipline was not because the War Hounds loved the people, but quite the opposite; strict military discipline existed to prohibit the War Hounds from going on rampages, after all, not all Legions were called Salamanders.Emperors Dream, Operating Room."Quiet, Angron!" The Emperor's voice, like a booming bell, awakened Angron from his berserk state. The absolute genetic suppression brought the maddened Angron to his senses.Angron followed the golden light and saw a handsome man enveloped in golden light, with green olive branches on his head, as fresh and vibrant as if just picked from a tree in the morning."That's a woman!" This was Angron's first thought. What sane person wears green olive branches on their head? Of course, Angron only dared to grumble softly in his mind. He could clearly feel the terrifying, inhuman power of the man before him; that vast psychic energy, like a golden ocean, was no joke.Following the olive branches, Angron met the Emperor's gaze. Disgust. This was Angron's first reaction to the man's gaze upon him.Soon, Angron realized that the look of disgust was not directed at him, but at the Butcher's Nails on his head. The Butcher's Nails, which had been going mad, now dared not act out in the slightest before the Emperor."Angron, I am your father, the Lord of the Imperium of Man, the Emperor. I will first examine the condition of your Butcher's Nails; we can discuss other matters later." After speaking, the Emperor led Angron into the already prepared medical room, where various medical personnel were already awaiting Angron's arrival."My Lord, the Butcher's Nails have already pierced Angron's skull, taken control of the subcutaneous structure, and are advancing towards the cerebral cortex. Parts of the parietal and posterior frontal lobes have already been consumed by the Butcher's Nails. This is truly an evil thing!" Imperial Chief Biologist Amar projected Angron's examination results.Under the blue projection, the condition of Angron's brain tissue was revealed to everyone. About a quarter of the top of his normally healthy brain was now enveloped by the Butcher's Nails, meaning many functions of this brain region were already controlled by the Butcher's Nails.When this daemon desires to feed, it transmits electrical signals, disrupting the functions of these areas, amplifying the desire for slaughter to the extreme, and continuously growing deeper into the brain to control more regions. The more it slaughters, the more the Butcher's Nails' desire is satisfied, and the slower it grows."Drinking poison to quench thirst." This was the most apt idiom that came to the Emperor's mind."What is the success rate of the surgery?" the Emperor inquired."The surgery itself is not the problem, but this evil device will resist. During the operation, it will continuously grow inward. This is the most difficult part of removing this device." Amar explained the highest risk to the Emperor.With current medical technology, excising a quarter of the upper brain region is a very simple matter. The difficulty lies in who is faster: the Butcher's Nails, or your excision.Unlike the background lore where Angron's Butcher's Nails had already deeply penetrated his brain when he was found—at which point removing so much brain tissue would have left Angron a gibbering idiot—Angron at this moment was not yet beyond redemption."Angron, it might hurt for a while. Bear with it." The Emperor expressed his concern to Angron."As long as this soul-reaping fiend can be pulled from my brain, I don't care if I die. I will never submit to the Butcher's Nails." Angron's expression was exceptionally firm. If his so-called Sons hadn't intervened this time, he would have found a way to deal with this fiend constantly screaming for slaughter in his mind himself."Your Majesty, I will prepare for the surgery. Please, Your Majesty, suppress the Butcher's Nails' activity." Amar requested of the Emperor."I will perform the surgery myself. Afterward, you will check Angron's brain for any remaining fragments and prepare for Angron's subsequent comprehensive surgery." The Emperor stopped him from preparing for the surgery."Angron, do you trust me?" The Emperor turned to look at his Son."Although this is our first meeting, I can feel your disgust for the Butcher's Nails. Go ahead." Angron said."Stand still. No matter what happens, don't move, or don't blame me if you die." The Emperor earnestly instructed, because if Angron moved, he really would die.Clang... The sound of a blade being drawn erupted before Angron could even react, and a fatal sense of dread struck Angron's soul.Run!!!!Angron's body instinctively urged him to frantically flee from this terrifying man. The Butcher's Nails on Angron's head roared with extreme displeasure; fear was the emotion it detested most. For this, it decided to severely punish this durable toy, continuing to grow deeper into the toy's mind.Angron, with immense willpower, desperately restrained his physical impulses. In truth, Angron couldn't move even if he wanted to; before the sword's clang, the Emperor's golden light had already firmly bound him in place.The Emperor had held back a move.
