Deep within the Citadel, in a rarely visited, dim hall, sat a massive and ancient machine.
It was placed in the center of the hall, like a prisoner confined to a jail.
Strange energy flowed within the machine's core, emitting a nitrogen-box-like glow.
A decaying human corpse stood beside the machine, connected to it by a thick cable.
The puppet looked at Hong Zhong, who had invaded the area, with an intrigued expression.
"What an interesting human."
"I cannot see your lifelines, nor the glow of your soul. You don't seem to be an existence from this universe, but rather from a higher cosmic layer."
Hong Zhong showed a surprised expression when he saw the puppet speak.
"As expected of the creations of the Old Ones, they have also broken the fourth wall."
The puppet showed a curious gaze.
"The fourth wall? Does that refer to different cosmic layers? So you are indeed an existence from a higher dimension. I am very curious, how do you view us?" The puppet tilted its head and looked at Hong Zhong.
"Are we characters in a game, or stories on paper?"
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"Or is this a grand stage, and we, the natives, are all actors on it?"
Hong Zhong immediately activated the recording function.
He recorded the puppet's words.
The Warhammer 0L game was too well-made; he had to share this with the guys who spent all their time on the forums.
Of course, when sharing, he wouldn't use his own ID.
Otherwise, those guys would know that the Tuchulcha Engine was in his hands.
"I can't help but marvel at your wisdom." Hong Zhong said sincerely, "To see through my secret at a glance, you know many people don't know we come from a higher dimensional universe."
"No, this isn't my wisdom, but the wisdom of my creators." The Tuchulcha Engine said, "My creators once tried to peek into higher dimensions. They sent probes beyond the universe and received some strange messages."
Hearing the words of the Tuchulcha Engine, Hong Zhong gasped.
Could this be a hidden storyline?
Similar to the Stellaris Votaum, a story that breaks the fourth wall.
Good heavens, how much has the game official sewed together?
Could it be that everything available on the market has been stitched together?
Don't tell me it will end with the light of the Old Orion, scattering corpses everywhere.
By the way, could it be that some Old Ones didn't die but were just stuck in some special spaces while trying to explore other universes or higher dimensions?
Just like Ant-Man being trapped in the quantum realm when he shrinks.
Hong Zhong had many speculations in his mind, and then he looked at the puppet controlled by the Tuchulcha Engine and asked curiously.
"What else do you know?"
"What do you want to know?" The puppet tilted its head and retorted, "I understand most of the secrets of this universe."
"Can I ask anything?" Hong Zhong became interested.
"Anything." The puppet showed a confident expression.
"I want to pursue several girlfriends who are fair-skinned, beautiful, have long legs, just turned eighteen, are obedient to me, aloof and cold outside but give me whatever I want, and can also give me gold coins. I want to ask how to achieve this."
The puppet controlled by the Tuchulcha Engine widened its eyes, showing an incredulous expression.
He once doubted if he had heard wrong.
But after careful recollection and review, he confirmed that he had not heard wrong.
The puppet's body began to twitch.
Many metal components of the Tuchulcha Engine's main body also roared in response.
I represent the wisdom and knowledge of the Old Ones.
Even if you ask how to conquer the Warp, how to conquer destiny, I can explain it.
You're asking me how to pick up girls and live off them??
And you want to pursue several??
Damn it!!
The puppet's face twitched slightly, and with great effort, it managed to hold back from swearing.
"Is your face twitching?" Hong Zhong stared intently at the puppet, whose veins were bulging and face was twitching slightly. "If you can't do it, you can't. Why such a big reaction?"
Tuqiu Cha: "...."
Meeting someone like you is truly my blessing!!
"Alright, let's change the question." Hong Zhong shook his head.
The puppet's expression softened slightly, waiting for the human in front of him to ask.
"I want several fair-skinned and beautiful rich second-generation girls to chase me, be obedient to me, be aloof and cold outside but give me whatever I want, and can also give me gold coins. How can I achieve this?"
The puppet laughed, looking quite sinister!!
Any intelligent creature, when faced with an extremely speechless situation, will laugh.
Even a creation of the Old Ones, a cold creation engine,
at this moment, laughed through its vocal component (the puppet).
So, you're determined to live off women, aren't you!!
"You can't answer this, and you can't answer that, yet you're so arrogant!!"
"In the future, if you can't do something, don't boast so much. It's truly exasperating."
Hong Zhong shook his head in disappointment.
This made the puppet twitch again, barely suppressing the urge to curse.
"Alright, let's talk about something serious." Hong Zhong no longer had a cynical look. "Do you want to leave here?"
"What do you want to do?" the puppet asked.
"Of course, I'm taking you to find the Heart of Plague and Ouroboros!" Hong Zhong said.
"You can take me out of here? Just you alone?" The puppet showed a skeptical expression.
"I naturally have a way." Hong Zhong was full of confidence.
"As long as you can take me away, it's up to you. Whether here or there, it makes little difference to me."
Upon receiving this reply from the Tuchulcha Engine, Hong Zhong immediately opened the dimensional space and took the other party in.
The puppet controlled by the Tuchulcha Engine looked around in shock.
The space here was not large, barely enough to accommodate it, and at the edge of the space was a void.
Clearly, this was a dimensional space opened up with special power.
"This human truly has many tricks up his sleeve!!"
The puppet muttered to itself.
In its heart, its evaluation of the human race increased significantly.
Previously, it had only thought that humans were an incorrigible race, mad, prejudiced, short-lived, and too short-sighted, destined to be destroyed before long.
Now it seemed there were some redeeming qualities.
With the disappearance of the Tuchulcha Engine, a piercing alarm sounded.
Hong Zhong smiled slightly, then turned and disappeared into the darkness.
The Tuchulcha Engine was already in hand; next were the Heart of Plague and Ouroboros.
The Heart of Plague was on a world at the edge of the galaxy, which would take time to find.
Ouroboros was easier; it was in the fragments of the Caliban world.
Just go look for it, and it would be found.
"The eagle medal belongs to me."
Hong Zhong muttered to himself while moving quickly through the darkness.
As long as he gathered the three artifacts, he could get the golden eagle medal and become a member of the Hall of Fame.
By the time Azrael, the Grand Master, and the guarding sentries arrived, the hall was already empty.
"Tuchulcha Engine!!"
Azrael immediately suspected a Chaos incursion.
Last time, when investigating the Space Wolves on Fenris, a changeling had used shapeshifting to bypass inspection and enter the depths of the Citadel.
Lion El'Jonson looked around, saw the fleeting figure of the robed midget, and remembered the God Chosen who had not been caught.
He immediately guessed the whole story.
"There's no need to investigate this matter." Lion El'Jonson said.
Azrael's eyes widened, "The Tuchulcha Engine is a very strange creation, possessing all sorts of mysterious knowledge. Are we really just letting it go?"
Lion El'Jonson nodded, "Do not pursue it any further."
After dismissing Azrael and his sons, Lion El'Jonson walked to the edge of the hall. "Come out."
As his voice fell, several small figures, completely enveloped in long robes, emerged.
"It's been a long time, Lion El'Jonson."
The leading robed midget spoke, his voice hoarse.
"Indeed, it has been a long time. Why didn't you stop that God Chosen?" Lion El'Jonson asked, "It's impossible that you didn't detect his presence."
"We saw him, and we watched him take the Tuchulcha Engine." The leading robed midget's tone was frank, without any concealment or deceit.
"Why?" Lion El'Jonson repeated his question, "Why did you let him take that thing?"
"We hope for more variables." The robed midget said, "The End Times have arrived. The more variables there are, the more uncertain the future becomes, and the greater our probability of victory."
"You think humanity will lose?" Lion El'Jonson heard the hidden meaning in the other party's words.
"Most prophecies and deductions point to the defeat of humanity, with the galaxy either completely enslaved by the gods or devoured by The Great Devourer."
The robed midget raised his head, and a pair of glowing eyes appeared within the dark hood.
Lion El'Jonson stared into the robed midget's eyes, "I hope your decision is correct."
The robed midget bowed to Lion El'Jonson, then retreated into the darkness.
Lion El'Jonson stood in the darkness, gazing for a long time at where the robed midget had disappeared, then turned and left as well.
The disappearance of the Tuchulcha Engine caused quite a stir.
Desert and other Players were heartbroken. They had been hoping to find the three artifacts, combine them into the Harmonious Engine, and exchange them for the eagle medal with the Guide!
But now, it was just gone, like water!
This kind of thing was truly absurd!
However, their attention was quickly drawn to other matters.
That was Lion El'Jonson's announcement to Crusade against the Night Lords led by Talos. He learned from the Saint that these guys were trying to establish their own kingdom in the dark corners of the Imperium, and such a thing was naturally intolerable.
Lion El'Jonson decided to strike at this prominent target first, as a warning to those Chaos traitors that the Imperium was not a piece of dough to be kneaded at will.
Hearing that there was going to be a war, the Players cheered excitedly.
This left Azrael and the other Dark Angels stunned, calling these God Chosen incomprehensible.
They spent their own money on equipment and still pledged loyalty to the Emperor. Such loyalty made even them feel ashamed!
Zabriel even complained to the other Fallen Angels.
Even Orks didn't love war as much as these God Chosen.
These guys completely treated war as entertainment and had no fear of death.
Under Lion El'Jonson's will, the fleet was meticulously prepared.
A week later, all supplies were procured, and Lion El'Jonson set off with half the fleet he had obtained from Dante.
He went to Crusade against the Night Lords led by Talos.
He was ready to let these traitors know why he, the Primarch of the First Legion, was called the Lion.
And to let these guys feel what those human civilizations that were annihilated during the Great Crusade felt when facing the Imperium of Man!
Meanwhile, on the other side of the galaxy,
Alex was also leading the Imperial fleet supporting Signus, crusading everywhere to suppress traitors and xenos.
Considering there were no strong enemies, he split the fleet,
allowing them to carry out different missions.
Even the Players were given full autonomy.
The God Chosen Little Alpaca also led his Battle Group, responding to a distress call from a world plagued by Orks.
Upon arrival, he encountered a truly bizarre situation.
"You mean, not only did you not bring the supplies they needed, but you also want to confiscate all their supplies, simply because they need to pay the tithe?"
Little Alpaca looked at the Kasrkin squad in charge of tax collection, repeating the question word for word.
The industrial facilities of this planet had been largely destroyed by the Orks' invasion.
Now, even the defensive artillery on the city walls had ceased fire due to lack of ammunition.
Ground troops, apart from essential artillery, did not fire their cannons at other times, purely filling trenches with lives.
Now, a group of guys suddenly came and said they wanted to collect the tithe.
"Yes, Sister." Sergeant Piya, the squad leader, looked at the well-equipped, armed-to-the-teeth Battle Sisters in front of him, feeling uneasy but still sticking to his duty.
"No, until the Orks are repelled and production is restored, this planet will not hand over even a single bullet."
Little Alpaca said decisively.
"This is the rule. If Planet Damiton II is unwilling to pay the tithe, it will be considered treason against the Imperium." Sergeant Piya said, "This is no joke."
And behind this captain,
the well-trained Kasrkin soldiers had their hands on their gun hilts.
Their weaponry, equipment, and tactical proficiency were far superior to those of ordinary troops, making them rare elites of the Imperium.
"No wonder you sent elites to collect taxes. So you upstairs knew about the situation on Planet Damiton II and were afraid of local resistance, which is why you sent them over."
"The people upstairs didn't even consider the soldiers and people of this planet. This is allowing innocent people to be massacred by xenos."
Little Alpaca glanced at the reactions of those Kasrkin soldiers and immediately laughed.
"That's not something you should be thinking about." Sergeant Piya said.
"Then what should I consider?" Little Alpaca retorted, "You're letting the Emperor's subjects die, and you won't even allow others to question it?"
"This war is more important than this planet." A man dressed as a commissar walked out and confronted Little Alpaca. "We have no choice. Either choose loyalty or be treated as traitors."
"The Emperor does not allow others to waste the lives of his subjects wantonly." Little Alpaca looked at the man, "If we can't even protect one planet, what's the point of winning this war?"
"Lose one planet today, another tomorrow, even if we win, what do we gain?"
"Achieve ultimate victory. Execute orders, otherwise you will spend the rest of your lives meeting the Emperor as traitors." The commissar said.
Hearing this, Little Alpaca immediately laughed.
"Are you trying to say I'll become a traitor??"