Soon, Amilia finished reviewing the contents. Through her and Zhang Ge's recounting, the full picture of the situation erged.
Simply put, this device had been specifically deployed to Yarkalan by the worm-like xenos. It served as both a bio-fabricator and an elixir dispenser. The forr spread the xenos' tendrils across the planet, while the latter bribed the upper nobility.
Since its discovery, the machine had long produced a "rejuvenation elixir." This substance extended the already lengthy lifespans of the nobility by another hundred to two hundred years. These elixirs were regularly and precisely distributed to Yarkalan's aristocrats, demanding no tangible paynt in return.
The underhive? If the underhivers all died, would that even count as a "cost"? It'd just be another convenience.
Of course, neither side was foolish.
The nobility only consud half of the elixirs themselves. While attempting to hide this from the xenos — though unsuccessfully — they traded the other half for vast resources.
These resources were so abundant that they not only marginalized the local chanicus in political struggles but also funded a well-equipped Planetary Defense Force (PDF).
Both sides were confident. The xenos trusted their millennia-spanning sches, while the nobles believed their controlled hive and powerful PDF could handle any contingency.
Yet in the end, neither side's preparations mattered. The xenos' machine was destroyed by a "minor accident," and the nobles' PDF was thrown into the bottomless pit of resisting Chaos. Such ironic twists seed all too common.
Soon, within the tallic chamber, Zhang Ge and Amilia found the next batch of elixirs intended for delivery.
Just as Zhang Ge raised his plasma pistol to destroy them, Amilia tapped his shoulder:
"Wait."
He paused, finger hovering over the trigger, and turned to her.
"These can't be destroyed now. Not yet, at least."
Zhang Ge pondered briefly, then grasped her logic.
Even ignoring the nobles' personal stockpiles, the elixirs sent to larger off-world factions were undoubtedly bound by contracts. If deliveries suddenly ceased, disappointing those powerful patrons would spell doom for the Yarkalan nobility. Even if the hive fell, the aristocrats could flee, but offending greater powers ant their entire bloodlines would be erased. Thus, if these elixirs vanished, the local nobles would stop at nothing to reclaim them — even sparking civil war amidst the Chaos invasion. Which was more hateful? Both, but the xenos were already dead while Chaos battered their gates. The traitorous nobles' reckoning would co later.
Zhang Ge nodded, holstering his pistol.
"Then you take them. Deliver them to the Ecclesiarchy. As long as there's hope of recovering the elixirs through negotiation, they won't resort to desperation." He didn't care either way, so long as none of that life-extending horror ended up in his veins.
Amilia stored the vials in her nearly emptied power armor compartnts.
Shortly after, the high-ranking Tech-Priest arrived with Skitarii vanguards.
The scene before them — roaring flas, a slain leviathan, and the silent Titan — could've been torn from an epic saga. The Tech-Priest nearly wept (or would have, had he still possessed tear ducts). Ignoring the conspicuous chamber, they gathered at the Titan's feet, chanting prayers. At that mont, even gunfire might've failed to interrupt their devotions.
Seeing this, Zhang Ge and Amilia quietly retreated to the elevator. By the ti the second chanicus wave arrived — more priests, Kastelan robots, and Skitarii stampeding toward the Titan as if tardiness ant execution — the pair were already ascending.
The underhive greeted them with tension.
"Standoff" described the situation perfectly.
Skitarii controlled the blockade zone. Heavy vehicles rumbled past as disard enforcers and PDF troops sat detained. Beyond, chanicus forces faced off against noble-backed reinforcents. Without the Chaos threat, bloodshed would've already erupted.
Approaching the fortified gates, they found a noble negotiating with an unmoved Tech-Priest. The aristocrat's face flushed with suppressed fury until he spotted the erging duo.
"Colonel Zhang Ge?" The noble forced a smile, extending a hand. "An honor! We've heard much but never t. Pleasantries can wait — we mobilized reinforcents upon reports of a xenos monstrosity in the underhive, yet..." He gestured at the impasse.
Zhang Ge shook his hand. "No need. The Titan below has slain the creature. The chanicus will withdraw soon."
"What?" The noble's mask slipped — a flicker of terror swiftly masked by feigned delight. As he scrambled for words, Zhang Ge continued: "Within the beast, we recovered xenos artifacts. They're being transported to the Ecclesiarchy to assess contamination risks."
"Ah! In that case, let our n escort you!"
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Update recovery in progress, fellow cultivators. Could you spare so energy stones to speed it up!!
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