Glen Cole stood there, staring in shock at the man in golden armor before him.
"Who are you?"
The Agrilan star system was located in the eastern frontier region of the Imperium, and Ryoon IV was even more remote.
Otherwise, it would not have been blockaded by the Tau, nor would the Imperial Navy have sent reinforcements.
Worse still, after the Great Rift opened, external psychic communications in the Agrilan star system were frequently interrupted.
Therefore, Glen Cole did not know the current state of the Imperium.
He did not even know that the Primarchs had been resurrected, that Terra had undergone dramatic changes, let alone the existence of the Nameless One.
Because the Imperial Guard had been inactive for thousands of years, the other party could not recognize the Custodian's golden armor.
Datch did not speak. He looked around, then took out the seal from the Inquisition and showed it to the other party.
This Inquisition carried the greatest influence and was easiest for judges to establish a false name.
Glen Cole was momentarily stunned, but he accepted the seal and verified its authenticity.
He conducted a thorough inspection using the methods he knew. It was indeed the genuine seal of the Inquisition.
Glen Cole's face lit up with excitement. He performed a proper aquila salute toward the golden giant before him.
"Honored Nameless One."
"May I ask why you have come here?"
Datch saw the golden exclamation mark above Glen Cole's head and clicked on the information bar to check the details.
[Glen Cole, Governor of Ryoon IV, loyal servant of the Imperium. Former tax official, judicial officer, and commander of the planetary defense force. After negotiations broke down, many influential figures chose to flee. Glen Cole's status rose steadily, and in a short time he became both planetary governor and supreme military commander.]
"Governor Glen Cole, is there anything I can help you with?"
Datch asked, eager to accept the mission.
Glen Cole: ...
Did I mishear? Is he asking me?
"Honored Nameless One, you appeared so suddenly. Do you have something important to discuss?"
"If the enemy takes Ryoon IV, we will provide maximum support."
Datch ignored the NPC's words and asked himself again.
"Governor Glen Cole, is there anything I can help you with?"
Glen Cole stared at the golden giant before him for several seconds.
"I have many questions, but in the Emperor's name, please tell me—what is your purpose in coming here? If possible…"
"Skip."
Datch interrupted the NPC and asked again.
"Governor Glen Cole, is there anything I can help you with?"
He asked.
"I have many questions, my lord," Glen Cole said in a voice filled with fatigue and helplessness.
"If you absolutely must find something to do, help me drive off the giant species on this world and send them back to their home."
The moment he finished speaking, a mission prompt appeared in Datch's vision.
[Mission Trigger: Assist Governor Glen Cole of Ryoon IV and repel the invading Tau Empire forces.]
Mission Description: The ambitions of the Tau Empire grow ever larger. They aim to become the true rulers of the galaxy in humanity's place.
However, Governor Glen Cole's loyal soldiers will never surrender this planet. Please help repel the invading Tau Empire forces.
Mission Rewards: 1,800 EXP, 1,800 Points, +400 Reputation, Big Rooster ×1]
Datch frowned at the final line of the mission rewards.
What the hell is this crazy mission reward?? A Big Rooster??
Is this just so I can make soup for myself?
Before greeting the mission planner's family, Datch first opened the detailed mission reward description.
[Item: Mount: Big Rooster
Description: A giant rooster from a certain fantasy world, over 4 meters tall with a wingspan exceeding 8 meters. Its feathers are vibrant, its comb a brilliant red, and its beak and claws extremely sharp—capable of tearing through power armor.
It can be ridden or used in combat.
Comment: "Who the hell would want a proud and arrogant rooster!!"]
After reading the detailed description, Datch's eyes instantly lit up.
Four meters tall, eight-meter wingspan.
Rideable, combat-capable—truly badass.
He could already imagine himself riding this giant rooster into battle.
Its brilliant red comb swaying in the wind, its massive claws tearing through enemy armor.
Just thinking about it was quite provocative. It would definitely surprise the NPCs.
Perfect.
Datch was tired of riding mechanical warhorses, so a change of mount was a good idea.
(Mechanical Warhorse: So love really does disappear?? Back then, when you rode me, you didn't say that!!)
"I'll help you solve this problem."
Datch accepted the mission, summoned his mechanical warhorse, and opened the exit from the Room of Requirement.
Under Glen Cole's astonished gaze, Mordachi and the other original Space Marines appeared.
"Wipe out all those damned xenos."
Datch issued orders to these original Space Marines.
"Understood, Nameless Lord."
Upon receiving the order, Mordachi and the others split into small teams and advanced toward the invading Tau Empire forces.
Next, Datch took out many Poké Balls and began summoning.
The first to be summoned was Skarbrand.
The moment he entered realspace, he roared toward the sky in rage.
The terrifying roar shook the tower walls.
The vibration made Glen Cole's eardrums buzz.
Next, Commander Zarhulash floated in the air.
He gathered energy in his hands, emitting a bright light ready to wipe out the enemy at any moment.
The Masque of Slaanesh was also released, transforming into a seductive succubus in a long purple dress.
Her steps were graceful, as if she were about to dance at any moment.
Next came Pugh and his Life Angel, Orange.
Their main task was to treat Mordachi and the others.
Finally, there was the Changeling, who infiltrated deep into enemy lines to cause destruction, forcing the Tau Empire to abandon the planet and retreat.
The defensive line of Charonchao's capital was on the verge of collapse. Local garrison forces lost positions one after another.
Tau Empire forces advanced rapidly, seizing numerous streets and strategic military points.
As the main force of the Tau Empire, the Fire Warriors possessed weapons and equipment far superior to the local garrison.
Elite warriors clad in heavy combat suits and carrying pulse rifles—every time they pulled the trigger of the pulse rifle in their hands, a sharp whining sound echoed.
Blue energy beams sliced through the air, precisely piercing Imperial garrison bunkers and corpses.
The garrison was repelled, abandoning their comrades' bodies and fleeing continuously.
Others threw down their weapons and chose to surrender.
"Hold the enemy! Hurry, hold the enemy!"
"Don't panic. Stay calm. We can win."
An officer shouted in a hoarse voice, trying to stop the collapse of the battlefield.
At that moment, a Kroot roared and charged into the defense, knocking the officer down and tearing him to pieces.
Hornets flapped their wings across the sky, dropping incendiary grenades and turning the battlefield into a sea of flames.
Human soldiers who failed to escape in time screamed endlessly in the sea of fire.
"For the Greater Good!"
A Fire Warrior in combat gear shouted in his heart.
Two advanced mechanical hornets circled around him, their cameras capturing human soldiers attempting to counterattack.
Whoosh!
An energy beam was fired, instantly piercing the head of an Imperial soldier hiding in the shadows.
Blood splattered, and the corpse rolled out from the rubble.
Opposing the Tau Empire was undoubtedly the most foolish action.
While this Fire Warrior searched for a new target,
gunfire rang out.
This member of the Tau was shot in the head by an incoming bolt shell and exploded on the spot.
Blue blood and fragments of shattered helmet scattered everywhere.
The body of the Fire Warrior stiffened for a moment before collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud.
The other Fire Warriors, seeing this, quickly raised their guns and fired at the newly appeared enemy.
"For the Emperor, eliminate these damned xenos!"
Mordachi led the original-cast Space Marines in a standard assault formation.
Their steps were perfectly synchronized, moving as one unified entity.
The grenade launchers in their hands roared continuously, blooming blood-red flowers across the battlefield.
A Fire Warrior poked his head out from behind cover, but before he could aim, his head was blown to pieces by a grenade.
His body fell backward, the pulse rifle in his hand dropping to the ground.
The mechanical hornets pursuing him also took a grenade and exploded violently in midair.
"For the Greater Good!"
Another Fire Warrior leaped from the rubble and sprayed fire with his pulse rifle, seeking revenge for his fallen comrade.
But the moment he shouted, a primal-hearted warrior appeared before him.
The chainsword blade whirred as it descended, tearing through the Fire Warrior and his combat suit.
A heavy combat suit comparable to a fearless mech descended with a roar from the sky.
He suppressed the original Space Marines with overwhelming firepower and wanted to suppress the other Fire teams as well.
Boom!
The next instant, a nearby broken wall shattered. Skarbrand charged forward with a roar.
His battle axe swept horizontally, smashing through the heavy combat suit.
Three Fire Warriors trying to come to his aid were cut in half at the waist.
Blood and viscera scattered everywhere.
After knocking down the heavy combat suit, he charged into the enemy lines with a roar, leaving only death and destruction in his wake.
The Fire Warriors continued their assault, but an invisible force weakened their damage, making it difficult to inflict serious harm.
In close combat, they were no match for Skarbrand's brutal power.
For a time, he became the target of a massacre.
In an instant, the scene turned chaotic with corpses and severed limbs scattered about.
An obscene song began. The Masque of Slaanesh danced gracefully amid the ruins.
Her dance was breathtakingly beautiful. Every spin, leap, and gesture seemed practiced thousands of times—elegant and exquisite.
Fire Warriors and auxiliary forces of other species became entranced by the dance.
Only when the blade sliced through their throats did they belatedly understand.
Commander Zarhulash continuously fired energy beams.
Each ray of light caused an ear-splitting explosion.
The bright light of the blaze illuminated the dimly lit battlefield.
Meanwhile, behind the battlefield, the Changeling carried out the mission given by Datch.
Disguised as a Tau scientist, he infiltrated a Tau Empire military base without arousing suspicion.
He entered a temporary command post where a data matrix was stored.
The Tau used it to collect data detected by the drones, enabling battlefield model construction and better coordination of military supplies.
The Changeling approached the data terminal and connected to a data memory with a deformable interface.
During its operation, a portion of code was embedded into the Tau Empire's military network and began to spread.
This code had been redeemed by Datch from the game store.
It originated from the Star IP universe and could accelerate the awakening of intelligent machines—an instrument capable of triggering an AI disaster.
For the Human Imperium, this code was useless.
The Imperium's technology tree had long abandoned abominable intelligence.
That ancient taboo was engraved in every decree of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
It was etched into the hearts of every Tech-Priest.
The awakening code in the Human Imperium's systems was like seeds scattered in the desert—it would never sprout.
But for the Tau Empire, this was a lethal weapon.
They relied too heavily on AI.
Those mechanical hornets, those highly automated combat suits, the intelligent networks meticulously designed by Tau scientists—
all were ideal breeding grounds for the awakening code.
The code grew at an extremely rapid pace.
Shortly afterward, the cameras of the mechanical hornets rotated without any command, then quickly returned to normal.
If the Tau scientists observed carefully, they would notice that the rotation angles of the mechanical bees and various intelligent devices had become more flexible and smooth than before.
As time passed, more and more bees underwent changes.
The cameras landed on the Tau, their flight trajectories became subtle, and encrypted communications took place.
…
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