Chapter 212 The actual situation

of the symbiote.

The other party used the symbiote that parasitized mortals to reveal his identity - a reincarnation.

The codes used by reincarnationists to describe their identities are varied, but they all follow a core logic:

By taking out something that does not exist in this universe, you can prove that you are a reincarnation.

The Warhammer 40K universe is so large, and it is not easy to meet a Reincarnator who is also an Astartes. Fu Qinghai decided to meet the other party and see where he came from.

The three men, armed with weapons, followed the man dressed as a refugee along the rugged and narrow mountain path to a slum camp hidden in the canyon.

This was a dirty and messy makeshift camp, with crisscrossing ruts, potholes, livestock feces and messy footprints mixed together. The air was filled with the smell of volatile low-quality promethium, the roaring of Grox beasts and the crying of children. Everything was a mess.

The man led them through the curious gazes of the mortals to a temporary building in the center, a building constructed with scrap iron sheets, plastic felt and fresh wood.

Without waiting for the man to lift the door curtain, the active and passive perspectives in the helmets of Fu Qinghai and the other two had already outlined the contours of the armor of the Space Marines behind the curtain. Qiao Shida quietly clenched the power claw on his right hand, and Camille's finger lightly rested on the trigger of the grenade launcher.

The man pulled open the door curtain, and the Space Marine inside opened his arms and said loudly:

"Welcome, my three brothers."

The familiar cobalt blue color came into view, the metal relief of the three-headed sea snake on the shoulder armor, the dragon's head crown on the top of the helmet, and the black cape on the shoulders...

Fine arcs of electricity flickered on the sharp claws.

Qiao Shida gritted his teeth and said,

"Alpha!"

"Relax, relax, man."

The Alpha Warrior quickly raised his arms to indicate that he had no weapons in his hands, trying to calm Joe Star's tense fighting spirit.

"Hold on."

Fu Qinghai gently pressed Qiao Shida's shoulder:

"Listen to what he has to say."

The Alpha Warrior turned to look at Fu Qinghai and took off his helmet, revealing the face of a bald man, smooth gray skin without beard, peacock blue eyes, and a black dragon scale tattoo on the side of his face. He smiled and clenched his fist and saluted:

"It's not easy to become a technical sergeant of a company commander. Salute to you, Khan of the White Scars."

"A smooth talker!"

Qiao Shida snorted angrily.

Fu Qinghai asked,

"Are you the one who killed the three Iron Warriors on the space station?"

"That's right."

The Alpha Warrior nodded and said:

"They began to doubt my identity, so I had to take the initiative. There were only some personnel left on the space station. There was also half a company of Iron Warriors hiding in the castle, reinforcing the defense of the warlord's castle. I'm sure you saw it just now."

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Fifty-Six. You can call me Fifty-Six, or just Alpha."

56. A reincarnation pseudonym that lacks sincerity even more than "Jack" and "Quentin".

Number 56 gave Fu Qinghai a deep look:

"As you can see, I am the same as you, brother."

"We are completely different from traitors."

Qiao Shida immediately retorted.

Little did people know that what No. 56 meant by "the same" did not refer to the same camp, but to the same identity, the identity of a reincarnation.

Fu Qinghai ignored the hint in his words and asked directly:

"What exactly is going on with all this happening to Malzan now?"

Alpha Warrior No. 56 said,

"The Iron Warriors arrived here before you. They have controlled the local warlord and are digging up the sealed ancient STCs under the castle. I had been blending in with them, but those three idiots on the space station actually began to doubt my identity. I had no choice but to develop my informants and intelligence network among the opposition after being exposed."

As the most adept at espionage and intelligence warfare among the 18 legions, they are experts at infiltrating the enemy, establishing intelligence networks, and developing secret agents and spies.

Fu Qinghai was concerned about another question:

This guy revealed the fact that there was an STC hidden under the castle right away. How did he know that we were also here for the STC?

As if guessing what Fu Qinghai was thinking, No. 56 smiled and said:

"Our auspex detected the Goliath-class forge in orbit. Even the Martian ship is coming here. If it's not for the STC, what else could it be for? There's no need for us to play dumb, right?"

Fu Qinghai narrowed his eyes slightly and said nothing.

The Alpha Warrior continued:

"That techno-barbarian warlord, Bancroft Kellogg, came to power through assassination and mutiny. He was not popular in Malzan and had many opponents. I integrated these opposing forces together, gradually encroaching on the territory of the ruling party and occupying the areas outside the warlord's castle. If the warlord had not chosen to compromise with the Iron Warriors and seek their protection, I would have taken down the castle long ago."

There was no lack of pride and complacency in No. 56's words. It was indeed an amazing achievement that one person integrated the scattered opposition together and forced the people in power to retreat to the castle and defend it. This was not something that could be achieved simply by relying on personal force.

Number 56 said bluntly,

"To be honest, everyone, it's not that I wanted to contact you. It's really... anyway, even if you didn't come, I would have taken down that castle sooner or later. It's just a matter of time. It's better to say that I was forced to contact you rather than that I took the initiative to contact you."

Number 56 looked calm as usual, but he said the most pretentious words:

"I hope you won't mess around. Even if you can't provide support or help, don't get in the way. Do you understand?"

Qiao Shida glared:

"How dare you!"

Qiao Shida stepped forward, with the explosive bullet in his power claw already loaded.

"Boom…"

Outside the building, the noise of a tank engine was heard. Fu Qinghai used the Force to sense that the building was now surrounded by mortal soldiers armed with guns.

"Three 'Hellhound' flamethrower tanks, two hundred and thirty-seven mortal soldiers, including two heavy firepower teams equipped with plasma weapons."

Camille, wearing a helmet, only took a quick glance and immediately reported the number of enemy soldiers and vehicle models.

The Alpha warrior, who had originally had a calm expression, raised his eyebrows and looked slightly surprised when he heard this.

Hearing the sound of the tank engine, the experienced Astartes veterans might be able to determine that it was the chassis of a Chimera, but how did they know the model and strength?

A reconnaissance servo skull floating outside?

This is one possibility that No. 56 can think of.

Fu Qinghai chuckled, breaking the tense atmosphere in the room, and said,

"I have two final questions."

"One, how did you determine that we belong to the loyal camp?"

"Second, how do you prove that you also belong to the loyal camp?"

It is not difficult to judge that Fu Qinghai is a reincarnation. His special power armor is a good sign. The key is that this reincarnation from the Alpha Legion determined that Fu Qinghai and the other two belonged to the loyal camp as soon as he opened his mouth. The conversation was based on this major premise, and the meaning of his words was: Although we belong to the same camp, don't come to make trouble.

Seeing Qiao Shida standing back next to Fu Qinghai, No. 56 whispered a few words to the communication channel inside the neck armor. The mortal soldiers with weapons outside the building also put down their raised guns, and the tense atmosphere relaxed a little.

The Alpha Warrior then explained:

"The White Scars who rebelled were accepted by the Alpha Legion. I know every one of them. None of them are wearing armor like yours. You are not one of them."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Shida asked in surprise on the communication channel:

"There are traitors in the Fifth Legion as well?"

Fu Qinghai raised his eyebrows.

I thought, it is just as the rumors said, a group of White Scars surrendered to Alpha in the battle of the Condax system.

"As for your second question."

Number 56 paused for a moment, then said in a playful tone,

"I feel that in this situation, I am not the one who is surrounded, and I am not the one who needs to prove my loyalty, right?"

At this moment, the man who had led Fu Qinghai and the other two to the camp just now, rolled and crawled, pushed open the door curtain and rushed into the house. He fell in front of the Alpha Warrior and shouted:

"Sir, there are many people outside the camp. I saw rusty red robes. It's them... Yes, they are the radiation infantry!"

Radiant Infantry, this is a derogatory term used by ignorant mortals to refer to the Crusaders.

The man took a breath and added:

"Also, there are terrifying monsters whose upper bodies are mechanical servants and whose lower bodies are crawler tracks."

The lower body of the heavy cavalry-class combat servants was replaced with a tank-like tracked chassis.

Fu Qinghai said with a smile:

"Now, can you prove your loyalty, No. 56?"

What the three people present didn't expect was that this guy was very single. He immediately raised his hands and said with an awkward smile:

"I'm just kidding you guys. Haha. We are all brothers in the same camp. How could I kill innocent people indiscriminately, right?"

After saying that, he shouted out the door again:

"It's over, it's over, everyone is gone, go do what you need to do."

He is very smooth and natural when pretending to be cool, and acts as if nothing happened after being slapped in the face.

I've never seen anyone so thick-skinned.

Number Fifty-Six said:

"It's just a small misunderstanding. I've said so much before. Isn't it enough to prove my alignment? Which traitor would be so obsessed with making an accomplice like me?"

Fu Qinghai shook his head gently:

"Not enough, you are Alpha."

Fu Qinghai clearly remembered that there were not only two camps in the reincarnation world. In the previous major plot event "Secret Empire", a third camp "Leviathan" appeared. The enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend.

What's more, the traitors are not united. The number of Chaos Space Marines killed in the Eye of Terror due to infighting in the warband is much greater than those annihilated by the Empire. Perhaps the 56th's attack on the Iron Warriors is just because the Alpha Legion also wants the STC?

In the Space Marine circle, Alpha is synonymous with deceit and deception. No matter what, you still have to find a way to show your loyalty.

Fu Qinghai refused to budge, and Wushiliu was helpless. Finally, he gritted his teeth and stomped his feet, as if he had activated some skill. Fu Qinghai and Camille saw a line of small words appear above his head:

[Reincarnation of the Emperor's Camp]

Then both of them received a prompt at the same time in the depths of their minds:

[This reincarnation used the flip hand]

Fu Qinghai patted Qiao Shida's arm and said:

"Put your weapons away so we can sit down and have a good chat."

Poor old Joe, his face was filled with shock and bewilderment:

"Ah? So you believe him? No, he's Alpha, can you trust what he says?"

…

Three "Hellhound" flamethrower tanks and more than two hundred mortal soldiers were no match for Fu Qinghai and his two companions. Fu Qinghai's flying backpack was still above the clouds on standby. As long as the signal link was not blocked, he could be called over at any time.

Of course, the entire temporary camp must have more than just these few soldiers, but with the skills of Fu Qinghai and the other two, it would not be difficult for them to escape, and they could also take the Alpha Warriors as hostages, right?

Before a real fight, others would not know how powerful the new alien space warriors were. In comparison, eighty skitarians and thirty armed servitors were more convincing.

On the outskirts of the temporary camp, Fu Qinghai and Wushiliu had a frank and detailed talk.

"Since you are a reincarnation of the Alpha Legion, then tell me, what exactly does Alpharius want to do?"

This is the question that Fu Qinghai is most curious about.

Number 56 shrugged and said,

"To be honest, I don't know either."

"I am a new recruit who joined the Legion in the middle of the Horus Heresy. I am not qualified to enter the Inner Circle. The Primarch told us that our actions are for the future of all mankind and are truly loyal to the Emperor's great ideals."

"After the death of the Primarch, the senior members told us to fight according to our own understanding of loyalty. As an Averricen, I did not act with the main force of the Legion. I stole the rank and file of a member of the Fourth Legion and learned the goal of this company's operation - to discover the STC hidden underground in the feudal world of Malzan."

"And then I just followed along."

Averricen, also known as "Headhunters", refers to those members of the Alpha Legion who are responsible for infiltrating other legions. Only very elite Space Marines can take on this responsibility, and their status within the legion is equivalent to that of a veteran of the 1st Company.

The Alpha Legion is very funny. Many low-ranking members don't know what their Primarch is thinking, so that many Alpha warriors later became Chaos warbands wandering around the Eye of Terror and the Maelstrom, still claiming to be loyal to the Emperor.

For example, in the 41K era, there was an Alpha warband called "The Expungers" who believed that their rebellious behavior was helping the Empire eliminate the weak and indirect loyalty, similar to predators in the ecological chain, eliminating the old, weak, sick and disabled hyenas. The leader of the warband was named "Occam", the Occam of the Occam's razor principle.

"With half a company of Iron Warriors helping him, that warlord still can't defeat these guerrillas outside the castle?"

Fu Qinghai found it a little unbelievable.

Number Fifty-Six said:

"That group of Iron Warriors is just a small team. The Warmaster is dead and the rebels have collapsed. They don't care who rules this planet or who the planet is loyal to. They only care about whether they can successfully dig out the STC and take it away. If you hadn't suddenly appeared in the space orbit, they wouldn't bother to help the warlord strengthen the city's defenses."

"Then I won't be trapped in the castle by you and dare not come out."

Fu Qinghai said.

He observed the soldiers in the temporary camp. They were sloppy and untidy. They were obviously a group of armed civilians who had collected some weapons and equipment left over from the mortal auxiliary army. They were still far from being the regular army of the empire.

Number 56 honestly admitted,

"Actually, I have a helper."

"Satfaran, one of the Raven Guards captured by the Iron Warriors while exploring a space wreck, is a veteran who experienced the massacre at the landing site. He was originally imprisoned in the prison in the lower hold, but I found an opportunity to release him. He is not a reincarnation, but a local native, just like the grumpy old man next to you."

Number 56 glanced at Qiao Shida.

Qiao Shida looked confused.

What is "reincarnation" and what is "local natives"? I don't understand.

No. 56 continued:

"The camp is full of old, weak, sick and disabled people. The main force is in the hands of Sarte Faran. He is the one who leads the opposition to fight guerrilla warfare. He has ambushed the supply lines of the warlords five times in a row. This has forced them to shrink their defenses and hide in the castle."

No wonder, it turns out there are Raven Guards.

The Raven Guard, masters of guerrilla warfare, experts in fighting behind enemy lines, experts in stealth and assault, the guerrillas led by the veterans of the Raven Guard will indeed give every ruler a headache.

Fu Qinghai said,

"You keep saying that you can break into the castle without us. I guess you have an insider in the castle, right?"

The corner of No. 56's mouth curled up into a smile:

"That's right, as an Alpha Space Marine, how can you be without some skills?"

"I have three mortal servants, all of whom are Sparatus who have been trained by the Legion for many years. They are all lurking in the warlord's castle now, and will be able to enter key positions soon. They and their self-developed subordinates have already mastered a lot of key information."

Sparatus, also known as "Sowers", is different from other legions that treat mortals merely as servants and recruit candidates. The Alpha Legion has a large number of specially trained mortal agents with biochemical and prosthetic modifications. These mortal agents are called "Sparatus", and they are lurking in various industries and positions in the Human Empire, waiting for the order from the Primarch to unleash tremendous power.

In the early days of the Horus Heresy, these mortal agents caused a great deal of trouble for the Imperial Fists' defense of the capital, nearly bankrupting Rogal Dorn's plans to hold out.

"But."

Camille, who had been listening for a long time, pointed out the loopholes in Plan 56:

"Even if you have an insider in the castle, and even if the guerrillas have tied down the warlord's mobile forces, your frontal strength is still inferior to that of the Iron Warriors. You still can't stop them from digging up the STC and leaving here."

"Um..."

Number 56 hesitated for a moment, then spread his hands carelessly:

"You are right."

Camille immediately asked back:

"Then why do you say that you can take down the castle without us? Why do you say that we should not interfere?"

Number 56 shrugged:

"I'm just bragging, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Shida was so angry that his nostrils flared and he clenched his fists. He wished he could punch the Alpha Warrior hard on that sloppy and cynical face.

Fu Qinghai smiled and didn't care.

Although this guy is a reincarnation, he is still deeply influenced by his gene seeds, or maybe he has this kind of personality, which is why he can stand out from the legion.

The memoirs of Alpharius were revealed in the original novel. As the youngest Primarch of the Hydra, the Lord of Hydra was also arrogant, conceited, and cynical. He completely looked down on the other 17 legions, believing that their tactics were more or less flawed and that their Primarchs all had character flaws.

Even though he had been beaten badly by the White Scars, the Ultramarines and the Imperial Fists, he still remained stubborn.

During the Great Crusade, during the Battle of Telstra, the Alpha Legion used clever and ingenious means to conquer the capital of this unwilling human nation. However, due to the heavy civilian casualties, they were criticized by the Ultramarines who were fighting together. When Roboute Guilliman questioned Alpharius why he did not cooperate with the Ultramarines, Alpharius retorted:

"Your tactics are too simple and childish."

The future regent was so angry that he reported it to Warmaster Horus and said that he would never fight with the Alpha Legion again.

Maybe No. 56 is really bragging, or maybe he has some hidden tricks that he hasn't revealed. Any of these is possible.

At this moment, the dirty man ran up to everyone, panting, and said to the Alpha Warrior:

"Sir, an armored vehicle drove out of the castle."

Armored vehicle?

Everyone present was stunned.

Number 56 asked:

"Just one?"

"Yes."

The man nodded and added:

"He's heading our way."

"What the hell are these guys up to..."

Number 56 muttered something under his breath, then stood up and said,

"Let's go take a look."

He stretched out his hand and placed it on the man's shoulder. A cobalt blue gelatinous substance twisted and emerged from the man's body, wrapped around the Alpha warrior's hand armor, climbed up his shoulder, and suddenly drilled in through the gap in the neck armor.

...

　This chapter was finished a long time ago, and I polished it over and over again for a long time, but I'm still not very satisfied with it. It's a bit of a test of the writing skills of a new author to properly integrate the characters set by the book friends with the character of the legion itself, so please be gentle with your criticism.

　　I always emphasize how grand the worldview of Warhammer 40K is. The 18 legions have 18 different internal cultures, organizational structures, and tactical playing styles. I have read so many LEX translations and original novels, but have only touched the tip of the iceberg. This grand worldview is so attractive. From my personal reading taste, it is far more fascinating than questions like the technological level of the Human Empire.

(End of this chapter)