In her nightmare, Farida held the gun stiffly.
Her slender hand trembled, wanting to pull the trigger.
Suddenly, a warm force wiped away the tear streaks on her face and took the gun from her.
It pulled her out of the nightmare.
Farida abruptly opened her eyes, gasping for breath.
Her hair disheveled, she stared blankly ahead.
Her eyes quickly scanned left and right.
Yes, this was her bedroom.
Her startled gaze fell upon the bed.
Black and red bloodstains on the bedding, torn black stockings on her legs… it was a mess.
Despite it being her first time, under that terrible nightmare, her pale face had no color at all.
Let alone a blush.
She rolled out of bed, stumbled towards the window, enduring the stiffness and soreness of her body.
When Horatio started the hovercar provided to him by the Navy Department, a beautiful silhouette of a young woman appeared behind him.
The young man in his crisp uniform slowly drove away, gradually disappearing from her sight.
She saw the letter he left behind, her eyes cold, and bit her lip, conflicted and reluctant.
It was raining heavily, the raindrops large and dense, as if weeping for her tragic fate.
Knock knock knock!
Suddenly, her door was knocked.
The young woman, no.
The woman turned around in a panic, instinctively reaching for fabric to cover her naked body.
"What is it?" Her hoarse voice revealed the mature, mellow quality of a woman.
"Several adults wish to see you, Miss."
"I'm not seeing anyone! Also, please refer to me as Ms. Hood from now on." Farida resolutely refused.
"But, Miss, no, Madam, they said if you don't see them, they will come in on their own."
"How audacious!"
Farida roared, her eyes like an enraged lioness:
"Who gave these guys the guts?! Just because my father isn't here, they think they can do whatever they want, is that it?"
The butler's voice was somewhat pale and weak, which was a rare occurrence.
"Among these adults, there is an Inquisitor and several Naval Military Supervisory members. They said they came to investigate your father's incident."
—
A heavy downpour drenched the car. Horatio drove his hovercar carefully through the dense traffic of the metropolis.
Lest the wipers fail to clear the dirty raindrops from the windshield, leading to a car accident.
In the distance, gunshots and explosions could still be faintly heard. This had been going on since last night.
Khorne's followers would not give up on causing destruction on the ground just because of the void war's failure.
The Imperial Army was still engaged in Eliminate operations against these chaos-makers. The battle had been going on for a day and a night without stopping.
The encirclement forces had been replaced several times, but the path to attacking the Lower Hive was fraught with difficulties.
Those forbidden places were never the Imperial Army's home ground.
Horatio pondered the subsequent implications of this matter.
Apart from Vice Admiral Hood's uncertain fate, the Imperial Navy generally managed to keep losses to a minimum.
The Retribution-class Battleship only suffered damage to its command bridge.
With Abyss Port's largest void dock production capacity, it could be repaired within a year at most, and the Sacred Will's equipment could be refurbished.
The Gothic Fleet did not lose this valuable capital ship.
At the same time, this incident was like a fire burning on their eyebrows.
What was originally just Vice Admiral Hood's individual effort had now become the fleet's top priority—eradicating hidden dangers and threats.
At the same time, public opinion and pressure from superiors also weighed down the fleet, making it unable to raise its head.
The fleet needed to provide an explanation to both its superiors and subordinates; the subsequent negative impact was far more severe than direct losses.
This was no longer just a matter of severely damaged prestige, but also involved the entire fleet's future.
In the hazy rain and mist, Horatio looked at the huge electronic screen on the building and listened to the amplified speeches.
"Yesterday, terrorist attacks on churches occurred in various parts of Abyss Port. The Imperial Navy, Imperial Guard, Battle Sister Hood, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ecclesiarchy… with unwavering determination and fearless spirit, defended the sacred faith of each and every one of us. They thwarted the enemy's conspiracy!"
"It is reported that the Sacred Will battlecruiser, due to a malfunction after setting sail, has returned to port for inspection. But the expedition will continue! Baron Bridges Rodney will personally lead the fleet to reinforce the Bastion Fleet! Victory belongs to the Imperium, and the God-Emperor protects His Navy!"
Abyss Port's propaganda machine spared no effort in disseminating official news to gloss over yesterday's tragedy.
But not all narratives were consistent, because Imperial citizens were not blind.