Chapter 121: The Simulated Illusion

"If you dare to sign that order, I'll gladly carry it out!" 

Reyna stood up resolutely, her expression fearless and unwavering. 

"We are in a standoff." 

"The so-called Lord of Talon dares to slaughter those I send, dares to dismiss our words, but would he dare destroy our battleships or kill any of us?" 

"If he dares, then I'd rather die, because once that happens, the Empire will deem the entire system heretical. Then the Astra Militarum and the Adeptus Astartes will cleanse this system." 

As her words fell, a heavy silence filled the bridge. 

Reyna gazed intently at her two "useless teammates," her determination unshaken. 

Yet, after a brief pause, one of the other Inquisitors shook his head, while the other couldn't suppress a chuckle. 

"I mean hypothetically, what if the Mechanicus discovers an STC in the Talon system, and their Forge Lords agree, sending someone to claim it for themselves?" 

"Then your death would be in vain. You'd be dead, but who would care?" 

"No matter how many of you there are, none of you would matter if compared to an STC. You'd be discarded without hesitation."

Reyna had no rebuttal to this, sitting back down in silence. Yet, inwardly, she clung to her belief: if they did not act against the heresy festering in the Talon system, it would lead to a catastrophe for the entire Empire. 

Reyna felt a sense of mission. 

A mission to save the Empire. 

Her loathing for this system wasn't baseless, she was convinced of it. Perhaps, it was a sign from some ancient sage. 

If they delayed any longer, not just the Empire, but humanity itself would face ruin. 

"We can't afford to wait any longer," Reyna pressed, still trying to persuade the others. 

"We must provoke a larger conflict, a war, that will cleanse this system of every heretic, erasing even the memory of their existence." 

"We must fight." 

With these words, Reyna turned her gaze to the first Inquisitor, but he remained silent. 

Then, she looked at the second, who merely smiled. 

Finally, her eyes fell on the last empty chair, though someone sat there, unseen to her—Qin Mo, present by some mysterious means. 

"You can try, wretch," Qin Mo's voice rang out. 

Reyna did not see him, only the empty seat. She asked the other two, "Is the Mechanicus advisor not here?" 

"No, he's conducting his inspection." 

"Just the inspection—he's the only one among us who's been granted permission to enter the Hive World. Reyna, don't make things worse. If they revoke his permit, we'll be completely blind." 

Reluctantly, Reyna acknowledged the wisdom in their caution, though it wasn't what she wanted to hear. 

Their companion on this investigation was a Tech-Priest from the Mechanicus, serving as their technical advisor, analyzing the weapons and technology found within the Talon system. His findings were vital for their mission. 

Though she didn't know how he'd secured his entry, Reyna realized that without his access, they'd be left in the dark. 

"Where did this priest come from?" Reyna asked the two Inquisitors. 

"We don't know." 

"I'm not sure either, but I suspect he might be from the more radical factions within the Mechanicus."

One of them guessed. 

"Radicals…" Reyna pondered the term. 

Within the Inquisition, radicals were those willing to use heretical or alien tools to combat threats. It stood to reason that a radical within the Mechanicus might be equally unyielding in their quest for knowledge, using any means necessary. 

"No wonder he's able to work so well with the Talonites," Reyna mused, the pieces falling into place. 

...

Meanwhile. 

Qin Mo observed the scene from within the illusion crafted by the simulacrum. 

The illusion presented a perfect replica of the Inquisition's ship, including the three Inquisitors discussing their plans. Every word they uttered reached Qin Mo as though he were a true participant. 

Thanks to the simulacrum's abilities, Qin Mo could even see the faces of each individual, though this was merely an illusion. 

He couldn't punch the Inquisitor named Reyna, despite her standing right before him. 

Nor could she see him. 

"Can you read their thoughts? Or probe them in some way?" Qin Mo asked the simulacrum beside him. 

At that moment, the simulacrum had taken on Reyna's appearance, sitting at the table opposite him. 

"Do you think I have such power? If I did, I would've already read your mind to see if you truly intend to help me. Instead, I'm just sitting here playing back their words like a recorder," the simulacrum replied with a smile. 

"You can mimic her form, but not her speech," Qin Mo remarked, pointing at Reyna. 

The simulacrum nodded in agreement. 

"Speaking of which, don't you have prophetic abilities? Tell me, what will she cause in the future?" Qin Mo asked again. 

The simulacrum complied immediately. 

After a moment of silence, it revealed, "She will orchestrate an assassination attempt against you. Many who oppose you will join her. It will be a large-scale effort, with shape-shifting assassins and those capable of suppressing psychic powers among them." 

"And the outcome?" Qin Mo inquired. 

"For a more distant prophecy, you'd need to reset me. I can't see that far right now. But what do you think the result will be?" the simulacrum countered. 

After a brief contemplation, Qin Mo concluded that the assassination would undoubtedly fail, though it wouldn't be the only challenge ahead. 

In the worst-case scenario, the Talon system could be declared rebellious, leading to an Imperial military campaign against them. 

Had this been in the early days of the Talon system's stabilization, Qin Mo might have considered compromise. But now, he saw no need. 

The massive warp gates encircling the star were nearly complete. 

The space fortress was almost finished. 

Within the system, they had over ten million troops ready for deployment, with another twenty million in training. And that was without even fully ramping up conscription efforts. In a time of crisis, it wouldn't be hard to mobilize a billion soldiers from the system's population of nearly ten billion. 

Moreover, these were not peaceful times. Wars were erupting across various sectors, many too significant for the Empire's leadership to ignore. 

All things considered, Qin Mo deemed a large-scale conflict unlikely—unless Reyna stirred up more trouble. 

"I need to eliminate her," Qin Mo muttered, his gaze locking onto Reyna. 

"How? Have your fleet blow up their ship, or teleport aboard and kill her yourself?" the simulacrum asked. 

Qin Mo thought for a moment, then a spark of inspiration flashed in his mind. "I just remembered someone—the Tech-Priest they mentioned. I can approach this through him." 

"Wait… why? Are you going to ask him where Reyna sleeps on the ship? Why not just ask me? You can see what she's doing right now," the simulacrum asked, intrigued. 

Qin Mo offered no explanation, merely exiting the illusion.