Chapter 437 Mechanical Dream
Atar Medien Forge World.
The highest command center of the Iron Belt War Zone.
A white-haired old man in military uniform sat alone at his desk and read the copy of the brief in his hand, a biochemical parchment handed over by the Star Language Choir. The text was very brief, but the information it conveyed was shocking:
The battle in the Ni-Drina sub-sector has ended, and the Imperial Army has won a glorious victory! The Dark Mechanicus has been completely annihilated, and part of the Chaos fleet has escaped. The rebel forces have been completely expelled from the area, and thirteen industrial worlds, two fleet anchorages and one hive world have returned to Imperial control. The Ulesh Grenadiers, the Imperial Navy Fleet and the Dawn Star Titan Legion suffered heavy losses, but they still retain their organization. No one from the Draconis family survived, and the losses of the Iron Pagoda Chapter are unknown.
The white-haired old man read the battle report over and over again.
The expression on his face was still one of disbelief.
He put down the Star Language briefing, raised his hand and rubbed his eyelids which were swollen and congested due to staying up late for a long time, then picked up the briefing again to read it to make sure he had not read it wrong.
What was going on?
Marshal Hexu Luo had a huge question in his mind.
The situation in the Ni-Drina sub-sector was very bad, all the worlds had fallen, and the remnants of the Empire were retreating to defend. He had already given up on that sub-sector, and only symbolically sent an Astartes regiment and a knight family there, and ordered Qingshan Khan to make his own decision - he had not given up any hope in the first place, and was mentally prepared to wait for the news of failure, but... could this turn the tide?
Marshal Hexu Luo's greatest expectation for Qingshan Khan was not to defeat the rebels - the gap in military strength was too great, but to expect him to rescue some imperial troops. Even if he couldn't bring back the Titan Legion and the Imperial Guard, it would be good to bring back those naval warships. However, the marshal never thought that Qingshan Khan was not satisfied with rescuing the imperial army in the hive world, and he recovered the entire secondary star zone!
This victory was too great.
It completely exceeded his expectations.
"How did he do that?"
Marshal Hexu Luo muttered to himself.
He had also commanded the Astartes Chapter, and he was well aware of the combat effectiveness of the Space Marines - there were four other Chapters in the Iron Belt War Zone, but why was the gap between the Chapters so big? What was so special about the Iron Pagoda Chapter that it could achieve such an exaggerated result?
Thinking of this, Marshal Hexu Luo turned his head and looked at the servo skull lying quietly on the table.
This servoskull came from a detailed post-war summary report of his direct unit, the Ulesh Grenadiers.
Grand Marshal Hexu Luo picked up the servo skull and pressed the start button. A faint light bloomed in the eye sockets of the skull, and it automatically floated in the air. The marshal pulled down a thin metal cable and inserted the plug at the end into the implant on the side of his forehead. After blinking to verify his identity, a text message automatically appeared in Grand Marshal Hexu Luo's mind.
…
Date: 2.16.133.M31
Document: Imperial Guard Post-Battle Summary Report
Name: Battle of Ni Deline Subsector
Dear Grand Marshal Hexu Luo:
It was a fierce battle. We faced the heavy bombardment of two Titan legions. The fortifications built in advance were useless and soon turned into ruins. There was no way to stop the advance of the rebel Titans, and the Ulesh Grenadiers suffered heavy losses.
Fortunately, thanks to the Emperor, I am still alive.
This allowed me to witness a battle I will never forget.
And report this battle to you.
As soon as the traitor Titans successfully landed on the surface, the planetary governor and his family had already evacuated to the airport, abandoning the No. 1 Hive City and the planetary defense forces. In desperation, I could only take over the command of the planetary defense forces. However, this did not help the defense of the Hive City. The large Titans of Kurisatai and the Untamed Lords began to advance steadily and soon broke through the outer defense line. The Kurisatai Titans had accurate and sophisticated firepower. They eliminated the defense facilities of the Hive City at a fixed point, and soon our carefully constructed turrets and fortresses were reduced to nothing.
This group of crazy traitors, after they destroyed the defense facilities of the nest city, the city gates were already open to them, but they still aimed at the residential areas of the city and continued to bombard them, they wanted to create a complete massacre and extermination!
Until the Titan fell from the sky.
A Titan I had never seen before, painted in dark black and dark gold, with the legion emblem not clearly visible, it had four arms, with the head above the shoulders, and each of the four arms holding a different weapon. This Titan fell from the sky and landed in the middle of the traitor Titan formation. As soon as it landed, it killed two traitor Titans, just like shooting two fart monsters.
The plasma reactor explosion did not harm it, for reasons that were shocking and even unbelievable... On the throne, I will never forget that scene - the four-armed Titan flipped backwards, avoiding the explosion of the Titan energy core. A behemoth over 90 meters tall flipped in front of me! Everyone who witnessed this scene felt their scalps tingling, and many of our young soldiers could not do such a move.
The four-armed Titan massacred the entire Titan Legion.
Its movements are indescribable.
Elegant, deadly, and violent.
The Kurissatai Titan began to launch indiscriminate attacks. Many small Titans died in the large Titan's indiscriminate firepower, but the four-armed Titan was still standing. The strength of its shield was no less than that of other large Titans. It could fight against two legions with one Titan and not be at a disadvantage. The Dawnbreak Titan also rushed over to join the battle, and the battle began to develop in a direction that was favorable to us... What I didn't expect was that the last large Titan of the traitor died in the mouth of a black beast.
(What is the black monster?)
(Grand Marshal Hexu Luo could not help but frown when he read this. There was the "four-armed Titan" and the "black behemoth". He felt that this battle report was getting more and more outrageous, just like a space adventure novel written by a third-rate writer. If the colonel had not attached a photo, he would have thought that the other party was making it up.)
(Continue reading.)
A black behemoth shaped like a giant Grox beast, with flaky black thorns on its back, standing on two feet and a long tail. This behemoth opened its mouth and sprayed out a blue energy jet, which killed a Warmaster-class Titan with one blow, which was shocking.
This black monster did not appear out of thin air. It crawled out of the transport cruiser of the Iron Pagoda. I am very sure that it is following the command of Qingshan Khan. I have seen it with my own eyes. Qingshan Khan used a jetpack to fly in front of the monster and then communicated with it using sign language... I am confused that an Astartes regiment raises a space giant monster for combat. I don't know whether this behavior violates the "Astartes Codex" and I don't know whether the Alien Inquisition allows this to happen. I have forbidden my soldiers to talk about this publicly, and I have not mentioned it to anyone except you. I just report everything I have witnessed to you truthfully.
That's all, sir.
Best regards.
Document Author: Colonel Bertram Kuss
Document Number: KB-281-27-1
Recording Device: Servo-Skull #3
Revision Date: [DATA EXPUNGED]
Recording Location: Hive World Exilos II
+ Dissemination of this document will result in immediate termination +
…
The light in his eyes went out.
The servoskull slowly dropped down.
Marshal Hexu Luo sat upright in his seat.
There was no speech for a long time.
Colonel Bertram knew how to protect himself. When faced with things he could not understand, he did not speculate or comment, and did not allow his subordinates to discuss them. He only reported truthfully to his direct superior, and then waited for his superior to give orders.
He also did not report it to the anti-foreign religious orders.
To be honest, Grand Marshal Hexu Luo neither knew nor cared about what happened to the black and gold four-armed Titan, because that was a headache for the Mechanicus.
As for the black giant, hating aliens is the basic national policy and consensus of the human empire. The Alien Inquisition is specifically responsible for dealing with this. However, the concept of "alien" generally refers to a large-scale, threatening alien race or civilization that can cause damage to human survival. Is a single cosmic giant monster considered an "alien"?
Marshal Hexu Luo is not sure.
It all depends on how the Inquisition defines it.
Marshal Hexu Luo thought back to the photo. The black giant beast did look a little bit like Groxmon. They were both black-skinned reptiles, but... damn, how could there be a Groxmon that big?
It was taller than a Titan when it stood up.
Groxmon is the most widely raised meat livestock in the human empire. Although it has a bad temper and is aggressive, it is adaptable and has a high meat production rate. Every citizen of the empire knows this creature, and its name often appears in dirty greetings in Low Gothic, such as: as stupid as a Groxmon, as smelly as a Groxmon, and even saying that he/she is a Groxmon's little lover. It can even be used as a compliment - you are as strong or tough as a Groxmon.
After reading his subordinates' post-war summary report, Grand Marshal Hexu Luo picked up another secret report with the cover marked with the clearance level: Vermillion. This was a top-secret report from the Order of the Holy Hammer, which came through secret channels from Grand Inquisitor Sid Nora, who was far away at the front line of the Ni Deline Secondary Sector.
Open the envelope and turn over the stack of letters.
The first thing that catches your eye is a few photos.
From a high altitude, there is a temporary landing site on the ground, but this landing site is strangely built into an eight-pointed star shape, and there are many unknown decorations and objects around it. The Grand Inquisitor marked and interpreted them one by one according to his knowledge of demonology and the secrets of the warp, and told Grand Marshal Hexu Luo what this pattern represents and what purpose the Dark Mechanicus wants to achieve by using this ritual altar.
A confession is attached at the end.
From the captured black oil man.
The confession clearly stated that Black Oiler wanted to use all the residents of Hive City No. 1 and the eight loyal Titans to complete an Eightfold Path Sacrifice Ritual, open a subspace portal, and escape the galaxy.
With the two pieces of evidence supporting each other, Sid Nora put forward his own conjecture - the Dark Mechanicus did not want to occupy the Iron Ring, but wanted to plunder resources and bring them back to the Eye of Terror. The existing battle plan had major problems and must be revised.
Marshal Hexu Luo fell into deep thought.
......
The Solemnity, living deck.
A standard personal cabin for a Space Marine.
Zofia was lying alone in bed.
I tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Her consciousness had been separated from the control system of the "Po Jun Jin Jia", but the Titan's automatic perception and detection unit was still running wild in her mind, and now this impression was overwhelmed by her natural five senses. The girl's whole body was sore, and a sense of alienation was fading in her heart. The memory of the numb metal shell gradually disappeared. This feeling seemed more real than her natural body. Even though it had been so long, even though she had left the neural impulse unit and the Pons bridge device, her connection with the "Po Jun Jin Jia" still seemed like a dream, like a drug-induced hallucination.
Zofia couldn't help but lean her head against the cold metal wall and rubbed her greasy hair. The touch slightly relieved her pain until her fingers brushed across the input port under her skull. The headache surged into her brain again, and a wave of cold waves radiated from her occipital bone. Her nails hooked onto something around the implant port, a scab. The girl scratched the scar, and a subtle and sharp stinging pain overwhelmed the migraine. Zofia looked at her fingers, which were already stained with a thin layer of blood.
The living deck of the Rectification maintained a constant temperature, but the excessive warmth occasionally made people feel uncomfortable. The thin sheets were soaked with sweat and stuck to her naked thighs. Zofia had long felt insomnia, and she should have closed her eyes again, but this would only make the pain around her neural interface worse. In addition to physical pain, even mental hallucinations came to the door. The girl felt extremely small, as if the body she traveled through in the mortal world was just an absurd pocket model, and she felt that she was shrinking and no longer her original height, as if it was a punishment from the gods.
"It's a waste of time."
She murmured to herself and began to moan again:
"You don't want to sleep, Zofia."
The room was completely silent.
She didn't like the feeling of being alone and ignored. Her sweaty feet landed on the floor with a dull sound. Zofia went to the bathroom and turned on the faucet. The warm water smelled of motor oil, but she still rinsed her mouth with water, then scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on her face, rubbing it hard, which made her feel a little better.
Look at yourself in the mirror.
Weak, haggard, tired, sick...
Zofia suddenly realized what she wanted.
A strong impulse arose in her mind.
"I want to find him."
After washing up, I put on my clothes and went straight to the captain's room.
…
"What's going on?"
Fu Qinghai asked curiously.
He was sitting behind his desk doing official business.
"I don't know. I feel so bad."
Zofia said dejectedly.
"But Camille told me that there is nothing wrong with your body and you don't have any hidden injuries."
Fu Qinghai said doubtfully.
Zofia pursed her lips and said nothing.
Fu Qinghai looked at Zofia carefully. Her face looked bad and her legs were shaking uncontrollably. She seemed to be trying to stop herself from shaking, but this only made her feel worse. The girl covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. Her facial features were still delicate, but her hair was a little greasy and messy.
Why does it look like... I just took drugs.
Fu Qinghai has seen drug addicts. Whether it is a documentary about domestic drug rehabilitation centers or news reports about foreign drug rehabilitation centers, the people in the pictures are very similar to the girl's current condition, feeling uncomfortable all over as if ants are crawling on their skin.
But he knew Zofia never took drugs.
Fu Qinghai pressed the desktop intercom:
"Ask Xiao Fei to come to the captain's room."
…
"That's normal."
After listening to Zofia's description, Xiao Fei said,
"We usually call it 'mechanical dream'."
"Mechanical Dream?"
Fu Qinghai got a new term.
"Yes, I once served as a holy relic guardian in the Firebee Legion. I am very familiar with this situation."
Xiao Fei talks freely:
"For Titan captains, doing nothing is the worst state. They yearn for battle, they certainly desire to kill enemies and make achievements, and they will naturally pursue glory. However, beyond this, they have a deeper desire."
"After the captain has connected with the Titan dozens or hundreds of times, glory, duty, victory, and all the good qualities of war will become secondary factors. The only thing that will always linger is the deep physiological needs - they long to escape from their fragile flesh. Once they experience the excitement of becoming a divine machine, how could they not be reluctant to leave?"
"This symptom cannot be diagnosed as any physical disease, but more of a neurological and cognitive decline - so Camille would say Zofia is healthy. According to my experience, usually after the pilot crew leaves the Titan, they may show symptoms such as whole body chills, bone aches, nausea, fatigue, and even severe migraines. A variety of symptoms will follow one after another."
Xiao Fei counted this painful list.
Long ago, the Firebee Corps Tech-Priests informed the consequences and costs of becoming a Titan pilot.
Xiao Fei knew many crew members who were just like Zofia now. They lay in bed in the dead of night, struggling fiercely with the withdrawal reaction from being separated from the divine machine.
The Pons bridge device can only be used for humanoid Titans. The "Pojun Golden Armor" is not a pure humanoid Titan. It has many mechanical structures that are completely different from the human body structure, so the "Pojun Golden Armor" also uses a mental pulse unit. Xiao Fei combined two different control methods to create the control system of the "Pojun Golden Armor", which is one of the reasons why it surpasses ordinary Titans.
"Then why didn't I react?"
Fu Qinghai asked curiously.
He also drove the "Pojun Golden Armor" and was the main pilot. According to the description in the Titan Order, he was the "captain" and Zofia was only the co-pilot.
"You have the brain of M.O.D.O.K."
Xiao Fei nodded his head.
"Um..."
Fu Qinghai fell into deep thought.
He is a Space Marine, and his physical strength is different from that of ordinary people. This is the truth, but is there no other way? How do other Titan crews do it?
Seemed to guess what Fu Qinghai was thinking.
Xiao Fei said directly:
"It's a pity that there is almost no solution to this symptom, and the more talented the captain is, the more likely he is to fall into this symptom. On the contrary, those captains with mediocre talents who are often rejected by the Titan machine spirit will not have this symptom. In the end, they are completely unable to leave the Titan and are completely immersed in the amniotic fluid tank, and then..."
Xiao Fei shrugged:
"You know."
Fu Qinghai frowned slightly.
"But that will happen a long, long time in the future. If they are not killed in battle, Titan crews usually have a long service life. With life extension surgery, it is possible to serve for one or two hundred years. Many Titan legions even use stasis fields to 'freeze' Titan captains who have extremely rich combat experience and unparalleled kill records, and then wake them up when war breaks out."
Xiao Fei said another good news which was not really good news, but it was not very helpful for the current situation.
Things seem to be at a stalemate.
Both of them were at a loss.
"I don't think it's that troublesome."
Zofia suddenly spoke up.
They both looked at her.
"I know my body best."
Zofia said to herself:
"The situation is not as terrible as Xiao Fei described. I just feel lonely and isolated..."
"But I am..."
Fu Qinghai was about to speak, but Zofia raised her hand to interrupt him, staring into his eyes and said:
"I want a synaesthesia link, with you, now."
Fu Qinghai stared blankly at Zofia's gray-green eyes, and suddenly understood. He nodded and said:
"Indeed, that's right. It's not that serious at all. The control system of 'Pojun Jinjia' is not a pure mental pulse unit, but also has a Pons bridge device. This problem is actually easy to solve. I know what you want."
Xiao Fei looked at Zofia and then at the captain.
I was wondering what the two of you were doing here.
Are you showing off in front of me?
......
(End of this chapter)