"Hello, Mr. Yuki. I am Hopper."
It wasn't the Yuki she had once known. Hopper felt a twinge of disappointment. Even though so much time had passed, she still remembered that young man's appearance—a clean face, regular features, and eyes always filled with a certain determination and fury, burning with passion for everything around him.
The man before her felt entirely different. He seemed indifferent to his surroundings, as if something far more important occupied his mind.
Yuki frowned slightly.
This is Hopper? Sensing her presence, it was indeed her, but why had she changed so much? Her previous abhuman traits had been erased, and her features had become much more refined—she didn't look like someone who belonged among the Battle Sisters at all.
It seemed she didn't recognize him, but that was normal. Over the years, this body of his had undergone constant, subtle changes. Accumulated over a decade, he looked like a completely different person compared to his former self. Even if his past self were to see him now, recognition would be impossible.
"Hello. Sister Steff and I are old acquaintances, but she never mentioned that the Battle Sisters allowed such beautiful people to join their ranks."
"I don't recall telling you much of anything," Steff retorted.
"Fine, let's skip the small talk. You certainly didn't come here to reminisce. What kind of trouble is it this time?"
Steff explained the possibility of Chaos contamination in the Underhive. Yuki found it somewhat hard to believe.
"Is there even a possibility that the Underhive isn't contaminated by Chaos?"
Over the years, to minimize losses and prevent Chaos cultists from causing trouble when the Hive Fleet arrived, Yuki had been quietly purging them. The result was that they were impossible to clean out completely. No matter how many he killed, they seemed to respawn every day. Eventually, Yuki resigned himself to it—as long as they didn't operate on too large a scale, he would look the other way.
"No, Yuki. This comes from the traitor. This must exceed a typical Chaos threat. I expect your cooperation."
Seeing Steff's finger resting on her trigger and Elia and her brother tensing up for a fight, Yuki sighed.
"You haven't changed a bit in that regard. Did I say I wouldn't help? Come on, where exactly do you want to investigate?"
The destination was Gake's territory. Yuki had Elia and Ilya head out first to notify Gake, then he boarded the transport with the Battle Sisters.
"Yuki, you've hardly aged at all. In fact, you've grown... even more handsome."
"Underhive technology. Miraculous, isn't it?" Yuki joked before pivoting to another question. "Steff, why are you still in this sector? By all accounts, shouldn't you have been sent on a crusade by now?"
"Don't poke at sore spots. I want to go out and fight, but I'm apparently not 'outstanding' enough yet."
Yuki had recently learned the Hive Fleet's route from Yuno. If nothing changed, the Order of the Dying Rose would be among the first victims. If he could help those he cared about escape ahead of time, Yuki was willing to do so. But if that proved impossible, Yuki would have to be the one to kill them. He had been mentally preparing himself for this for years.
When the Hive Fleet arrived, the game of pretending to be human would have to end.
"We're here."
Gake's district was now dominated by massive, blocky factories. Some were dedicated to agricultural production, others to industrial manufacturing. Countless Underhivers labored within. The high-intensity work meant deaths occurred daily, but compared to the time before Gake took over, this place was practically a paradise.
"Go ahead. Look at whatever you need to see. Gake never opposes my orders. Right, Gake?"
Gake had already come out to meet them. He greeted Elia and Ilya with a smile, then instantly shifted his expression to one of humble obedience as he moved behind Yuki.
"Yes. As the Boss says, I have full confidence in my management. There may be those harbor resentment here, but they would never dare show it."
In the context of Warhammer, such a statement was practically the mark of a benevolent ruler.
Steff didn't stand on ceremony, ordering her subordinates to begin the investigation. Gake looked relaxed, even taking a moment to chat with Ilya.
"Ilya, you haven't put on weight lately, have you? I noticed your sister's back is bending a bit more."
"I have not! It's... it's just that my sister has been busy lately. She's tired."
"It doesn't matter. No matter how tired I am, I will never abandon my brother," Elia interjected.
Gake rested his chin in his hand and suddenly said, "If things get too bad, go find that follower of the Omnissiah. That guy knows a lot about human anatomy; maybe he can help."
Elia grumbled, "I don't trust that guy who only speaks in ones and zeros."
The group seemed to be on good terms, while Yuki watched from a short distance away. The Hive Fleet is coming. What should I do with these people? He could arrange a ship to send away those he was close to—Hermit, Eleven, and these few. With such a group, they could likely build a new life for themselves even on another planet.
After a long moment, Yuki snapped back to reality.
Wait... a sense of hostility?
He saw the Battle Sisters returning, their faces contorted with expressions that were hard to describe.
"What is it?"
"We found it. The factory that is likely contaminated by Chaos."
"It actually exists?"
Steff turned her gaze toward Gake. "It's your 'Breeding Factory.'"
Hearing the name, Yuki froze for a second before looking at Gake. Breeding Factory. That name didn't sound like a pleasant place.
"Eh? Is that so? Maybe there are too many people mating every day and they accidentally attracted something they shouldn't have. But I'll keep it under strict control. You saw the factory, didn't you?"
"Yes," Steff replied. "We didn't just see it; Hopper threw up several times."
Yuki felt a growing sense of unease. He needed to see for himself exactly what this so-called factory was.
The factory entrance led to a corridor lined with cells that looked like a prison. The only difference was that every single inhabitant was a pregnant woman.
"Boss, this is a special facility built to increase the population," Gake explained. "I have twenty thousand women of childbearing age in here conceiving and giving birth. The children are taken away to be raised, and once a woman's body can no longer handle it, she is rotated out. It's extremely efficient."
Gake then added, "I even requested new technology from the Omnissiah follower. Now we can remove the fetuses in the seventh month. The efficiency is even higher! I'm planning to roll this out to other districts too!"
Yuki found it hard to believe. How did Gake come up with this? Does he truly have the potential to fall to Chaos? Or did his tragic childhood leave such a deep scar?
The Battle Sisters followed behind, each of them wearing a look of pure disgust.
"There is a very high risk of Chaos contamination here," Steff said. "It needs to be burned down."
"Sister Steff, don't be so rigid," Gake said triumphantly. "I've already planted a large amount of explosives here. If any problem arises, I'll be the first to destroy it."
Yuki said nothing. Only the Battle Sisters' eyes burned with obvious resentment.