"Any physical laws, along with concepts such as time and space, hold no meaning within the Warp. In fact, everything within the Warp is utter chaos," Samuel Young emphasized, particularly on the word "chaos." He continued, "The Warp was originally meant to be the final resting place for souls, best described as a sea of souls.
However, all emotions and thoughts generated by living beings create projections within the Warp, even giving birth to psychic entities corresponding to those emotions and thoughts."
Psychic entities?
Hearing this, Sanguinius's expression shifted from confusion to shock. After a brief pause, he expressed his speculation, "Father, if what you're saying is true, that the emotions and thoughts of living beings can project into the Warp and form these so-called psychic entities, then could it be that the gods, especially those worshipped devoutly by various religious sects, truly exist within the Warp?"
Although Ryan did not voice his thoughts, it was clear he shared a similar idea.
"Yes," Samuel Young confirmed.
"In that case, why don't gods walk among us in the material universe?" Sanguinius inquired.
"There could be many reasons," Samuel Young continued to enlighten his sons, "but the most crucial point is that the Warp is not bound by the rules of the material universe. Conversely, the Warp cannot easily interfere with the operations of the material universe.
Psychic entities need an 'anchor' to connect with the material universe. If they wish to manifest in reality, they usually do so by possessing the bodies of believers, resulting in something akin to demonic possession.
Alternatively, they might use specific sacrificial rituals to summon themselves into reality.
But achieving this requires extremely stringent conditions. Often, the bodies of believers cannot withstand their power and quickly deteriorate and perish.
Moreover, the beings in the Warp need the intelligent life in the material universe to recognize their existence as real and not merely as intangible fantasies. Only then can they establish a 'foundation' in the material universe."
"Father, what about you and us…?" Sanguinius immediately became alert.
It was evident from his father's tone that the Warp and its inhabitants were far from benevolent.
"Relax." Samuel Young raised his left hand slightly, signaling his son to remain calm. "Because of the unique nature of my psychic abilities, they are unaware of our conversation."
"Father, are all psychic entities our enemies? What do they truly desire?" Ryan, who had been silent for some time, posed his question.
"From the standpoint of humanity's desire to thrive and prosper, most psychic entities are indeed our enemies," Samuel Young continued.
"The word 'chaos,' which I mentioned earlier, accurately describes the nature of the Warp. This chaotic characteristic drives everything towards extremes.
The pursuit of glory and the desire for power will lead to brutality and bloodlust. The pursuit of peace and tranquility will lead to decay and rot. Even if the thoughts and emotions have the best of intentions, once things spiral into extremes, they lose their balance and fall into endless chaos.
These entities are born from emotions, so they naturally follow their instincts and crave extreme emotional stimulation.
The Warp lacks concepts of good and evil, but to us humans, these psychic entities represent evil, corruption, and decay. They are chaos; they are demons.
There might be rare exceptions, entities that, from a human perspective, could be considered 'good.' However, these entities are anomalies within the Warp, isolated and despised, and their fate is usually dire."
After Samuel Young finished speaking, Sanguinius's gaze hardened, and he declared, "Then we will kill them all."
"Agreed," Ryan nodded.
"They can't all be killed," Samuel Young chuckled, raising his hands to pat his sons on their shoulders. "Moreover, demons are incredibly difficult to destroy.
The chaotic nature of the Warp not only drives everything to extremes but also eliminates the boundaries of space and time. There is either 'existence' or 'non-existence,' but no 'beginning' or 'end.'
This means that once a psychic entity is born at any moment, it simultaneously exists in both the past and the future.
When demons find a way to enter the material universe, their true strength is suppressed by its laws. Even if we grind their physical forms into dust, we are merely banishing them back to the Warp."
"Unable to die..." Sanguinius muttered.
For some reason, his father's explanation made demons seem like players in the games he, Robert (Guilliman), and Ryan played together. It was as if death in the game was not the end; one just had to wait for a respawn to continue the fight and enjoy the game.
Wait a minute?
Enjoyment!!
At the mention of games, Sanguinius suddenly realized that demons, due to their immortality and craving for extreme emotions, would constantly invade the material universe to obtain "food" and "pleasure!"
"Father," Ryan interjected with his insight, "Could we apply the phenomena we observed in Minova to demons, chaos, and the Warp? If our human brethren who succumb to corruption fall into decay, then wouldn't those who choose to serve demons also fall into corruption and willingly serve them?"
"Exactly."
Sensing that his sons had grasped the threat of the Warp, Samuel Young's expression grew solemn.
"My psychic abilities are indeed unique, and my sensory range also has a shielding effect, greatly reducing the chances of being noticed by the Warp. But someday, we will face demons and chaos directly.
Until we achieve absolute technological and military superiority, humanity's chances of victory are slim.
You, Robert, who is in Universe Zero-One, and my other sons, are my closest and most trusted allies. But to demons, you are a delectable 'feast.'
They will likely use sweet lies, false promises, and every possible method to tempt and corrupt you, to destroy everything we have built and defended together."
Samuel Young chose to be straightforward with his sons, without hiding anything or leaving them to guess and fill in the gaps.
Corruption?!
Betrayal of their father?!
Upon learning that they were likely targets for demonic corruption, Sanguinius and Ryan immediately responded in unison, "That is absolutely impossible, Father!"
"I know, I have always believed in you," Samuel Young said with a rare, comforting smile. "I'm just informing you of the enemy's nature and reminding you to be prepared, just as I've always taught you: 'Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat.'"
"Understood, Father," Sanguinius responded with a hearty laugh.
"Yes," Ryan nodded in agreement, displaying what he considered a smile.
However, just as Samuel Young was about to offer some advice and further teach his sons how to better use their psychic powers, a cold voice, which had been silent for over a year, suddenly echoed in his mind:
"Two Descendants... have descended upon the remains of Minova..."
Two Descendants…
Samuel Young was not particularly surprised. He simply put away his earlier smile, retrieved a black coat from a nearby rack, draped it over his left arm, and said to his sons, "You now have two more brothers. Come with me."
Two more brothers?
"Yes."
"Understood."
Sanguinius and Ryan were slightly surprised but said no more, as they seemed to have grown accustomed to this situation.
However, there was a hint of undisguised... anticipation in Ryan's eyes. Perhaps because Sanguinius and Robert were the same age, there was no clear distinction between them, but Ryan was undoubtedly the third. Now that he finally had younger brothers, he no longer had to feel like the last in line, and this brought him some joy.
Through the already unlocked automatic door sensors, the three of them entered the semi-open corridor outside.
A dozen Hunters quickly gathered around, maintaining a certain distance to ensure protection. Samuel Young then instructed Arthur, who had approached them:
"Notify the crew of Shadow Swift 001 to prepare; we are heading to the ruins of Minova."
"Yes, Boss." Arthur, using his in-ear communication device, relayed the order to the crew and ground personnel, as well as the tower at the frontline base. He then smiled and added, "If we had left a little earlier, we might have caught up with Dr. Wang and the core team from the research department. They're currently investigating the Ark's teleportation gate."
"No need to disturb them; we have a different mission."
"Understood." Arthur ceased his small talk with Samuel Young and instead approached Ryan, speaking softly, "Hey, kid, have you given any thought to the favor I asked you about a few days ago?"
Ryan turned to look at his rather lively uncle, Arthur, and after a brief moment of thought, replied, "Uncle Morgan, I really have no reason to ask Father for permission to use that 1911."
"Tsk, you brat!"
Arthur quickly backed away, glaring at Ryan, as if to silently express, "You really can't keep your mouth shut, can you?"
Ryan returned to his usual expressionless demeanor, but it always gave the impression that he was smiling.
In truth, Ryan and Arthur had a good relationship.
After all, Sanguinius and Robert had more in common, being the same age, and treated Ryan more like a younger brother, as their father had hoped, with respect and harmony.
Ryan didn't mind this brotherly bond and respected his older brothers. However, Arthur, as Samuel Young's bodyguard and assistant, often teased and played pranks on the quiet Ryan.
At first, Ryan might have been a little annoyed, but he gradually understood that this playful behavior was another form of care from an elder to a younger one.
Arthur's "favor" was simple: he wanted Ryan to get the 1911 from their boss to try it out.
It was mostly out of
curiosity. After all, it was just a regular 1911, so why was it so powerful?
On the surface, Arthur had "lost a bit of face" in front of the boss, but in reality, it was all part of Arthur's playful "scheme," simply to tease Ryan.
Noticing the commotion behind him, Samuel Young couldn't help but shake his head slightly.
As for the Ark teleportation gate.
When the frontline forces breached Minova and initiated the cleansing operation, Arthur led two joint special operations teams directly to the teleportation facility located 100 meters underground in the central area.
Before the UAC command could begin their teleportation, they were all eliminated, and control of the Ark was successfully seized.
Later, Atlas established an outpost on the surface of the facility.
This outpost served to guard the facility while also allowing the research department's team to conduct on-site studies and attempt to reverse-engineer the Ark teleportation gate.
However, the technology behind this point-to-point rapid transmission was too complex, prompting Wang Zhaofeng, the research department's head, to lead the core research team for an on-site investigation.
If the working principles of the Ark could be cracked, it would fill Atlas's gap in "faster-than-light" technology.
But due to the nature of point-to-point transmission, Samuel Young believed that Ark technology could not be used as a faster-than-light engine for spacecraft.
However, in other areas, Ark technology could greatly benefit humanity in the prime universe by facilitating colonization activities within the solar system.
For instance, constructing an endpoint in the Akra district or the Kenyan base, then using an adventure-class transport ship to travel to Mars, where the engineering department could build a corresponding endpoint on the Martian surface, would significantly improve the efficiency of transporting resources and personnel.
Furthermore, after Atlas completed the construction of a civilian outpost on the lunar surface, they could even promote space tourism with slogans like "One-day trip to the moon" or "Want to see Earth's true form? One ticket is all you need," gradually expanding into space mining and colonization activities.
All of this hinged on the research team successfully reverse-engineering the technology and ensuring its safety and stability.
Otherwise, there could be accidents like those seen in the movie *Doom*, where someone's upper and lower halves arrived at their destination at different times.
As for the biological plasma weapons, the 24th chromosome pair, and genetic engineering technologies, UAC had already achieved considerable progress. Various departments only needed to absorb and improve upon this existing knowledge.
Upon returning, Samuel Young would take the opportunity to inquire about the ongoing research on the 24th chromosome pair, especially since the two newly arrived sons would need to undergo examination and care by the biological department.
At this moment.
Samuel Young and his party had already boarded the Shadow Swift assault craft, en route to Minova.
It didn't take long for the massive craft to reach the designated airspace, switch to magnetic levitation mode, and slowly descend onto a flat desert area.
As the hatch opened.
Arthur and the Hunters, armed with AWMS submachine guns, were the first to exit, forming a fan-shaped perimeter and maintaining vigilance. Then, Samuel Young, Sanguinius, and Ryan disembarked.
Afterward, Samuel Young used his psychic senses to guide them toward a nearby ruin.
The closer they got, the stronger the sensation.
When they finally reached the edge of the ruins, they saw two "children" playing together. Samuel Young also observed the children's appearances clearly.
Both were rather handsome, with one having black hair, though it was somewhat sparse, and the other's hair… was distinctly reddish.
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