"Left hand, fire with your left hand!"
"No, no, it's the right hand! Fire with the right!"
The commander walked over to the Ogryns, slapping their left hands until one of them, who insisted he wasn't dim-witted, finally clenched his right hand, and the first volley commenced.
The twin heavy cannons mounted on the Ogryn's back unleashed their firepower, comparable to that of the elite Guard armor, but with a longer range and a wider area of effect. With each charged shot, a building in the settlement vaporized in a blaze of light, and the heretics hidden within had no time to react, being obliterated along with the structure.
After the second volley, some enemies, sensing imminent doom, fled towards the outskirts of the settlement, but their bodies were so decayed that some lost their legs after a few steps, while others ran only to have their heads explode like festering boils. As for those who could still walk, they were swiftly gunned down by the Lethrin soldiers with their precision laser rifles.
The Lethrin suits marked each target's outline within their field of vision, enlarging the details. The aiming reticle and muzzle direction were displayed in real-time inside their helmets. With their already sharp shooting skills, they now hit every target with flawless accuracy.
As the Lethrin picked off the fleeing enemies, Foros stood nearby, delivering finishing shots to the corpses. His actions quickly puzzled the Lethrin around him.
"Why waste explosive rounds on a corpse, sir?" one Lethrin soldier paused, raising his head in confusion to question Foros.
The height difference between them was so vast that the soldier had to crane his neck to see Foros' face.
Foros crouched down in front of the Lethrin and pointed to a corpse that had been shot but not hit with an explosive round. The body twitched twice on the ground, and then, to everyone's surprise, it began to rise.
The reanimated corpse, fearless and undeterred, began shambling toward the Ogryns and Lethrin, who were still engaged in combat. Though it displayed no hint of fear, its movement was sluggish, emitting nonsensical, mournful moans as it advanced.
"Uuuh... Oooo..."
"A plague walker," Foros explained, pointing at the creature. "The dead rising again isn't common, but it does happen. I've seen similar things in previous battles."
One of the Lethrin quickly raised his rifle, firing a shot through the plague walker's heart, but the laser merely passed through, failing to bring it down.
It wasn't until Foros calmly lifted his weapon and shattered the creature's upper body with a single shot that it finally collapsed to the ground.
"You need to use more powerful weapons. Ideally, a flamethrower to burn them clean," Foros advised.
By this time, Grey had returned, carrying a sample of biological tissue in his hand. "Mission complete. Once we've wiped out the rest of the enemy here, we can head back."
"One sample is enough?" Foros pointed at the tissue, questioning, "There could be mutated strains of the plague in their bodies."
Grey didn't respond, but turned and opened a small compartment in his pack, revealing a collection of biological tissue samples.
Foros couldn't help but feel curious, wondering when Grey had managed to gather so many samples.
The settlement was soon reduced to ruins by the Ogryns' bombardment, and the experimental data from the Ogryn and Lethrin armor was safely stored in the power armor's database. With the mission accomplished, the team boarded their transport and returned to the ship.
...
One hour later.
Upon receiving the biological samples, Qin Mo immediately began his research. Grey stood quietly nearby, watching as Qin Mo utilized the equipment to analyze the samples taken from the mission.
The samples emitted a foul stench, only slightly less repulsive than the smell in the Ogryn-packed cabin they had visited earlier.
Apart from Qin Mo and Grey, two others were present: Vic, the tech-priest from the Mechanicum, and Chuck, the unofficial inquisitor. Vic stood by Qin Mo's side, silently observing the experiment, while Chuck lingered at a distance, covering his nose and frowning at the sight of the biological matter being handled.
As the research reached a phase requiring waiting, Qin Mo stood impassively before the equipment, his eyes focused on the screen. Footage of the recent battle, showing the Lethrin and Ogryns in their power armor, played across the display. This was what truly held Qin Mo's interest.
"Your governor is a ruthless one," Chuck suddenly whispered to Grey. "To be able to stomach researching something so filthy, I can hardly bear to watch."
"If you can't handle it, why are you still here?" Grey asked. He found Chuck's presence unnecessary, even unwelcome, given that only Vic had been granted permission to enter the Hive World.
"This plague came too suddenly, too strangely. We need to investigate its source. But I don't need to enter the plague-ridden areas myself. I just need your governor to share his research data with me," Chuck replied.
"So, someone else is going to handle the deeper investigation?" Grey pressed.
As an inquisitor, Chuck surprised Grey with his honesty. He didn't hesitate to admit, "Yes, someone else will investigate further—Lord Horst."
Grey had no idea who Horst was and looked at Chuck, baffled.
"Lord Horst… the Deathless Inquisitor. I've heard he's coming to deal with the plague, but personally, I believe he's also here to address matters related to the Tyron system," Chuck said, as though leaking the information deliberately. His gaze shifted towards Qin Mo, clearly directing these words at him as well.
Grey still didn't know who Horst was, but Qin Mo did. He turned towards Chuck. "Is there only one person in your Inquisition named Horst?"
"Don't speak his name so casually, Governor," Chuck replied, shaking his head with exaggerated concern, then nodded slightly. "Yes, there's only one, and it seems you already know who he is."
Qin Mo nodded, his gaze shifting to Vic, who met his eyes with a silent, mechanical stare.
Qin Mo recalled that Chuck had come with Vic's guarantee, ensuring that this inquisitor bore no ill will toward the Tyron system and was willing to provide critical intelligence. The arrival of Horst was certainly one such piece of vital information.
Frowning, Qin Mo searched his memory for any details about Horst.
Horst, originally named Arland Brandt, was a senior inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus, once active during the Gothic War. He was one of the very few in the Inquisition aware of the existence of the Black Hand device, a living repository of secret knowledge.
Having lived for over a thousand years, Horst was likely to continue his life indefinitely. In fact, when the Primarch Guilliman eventually returned, Horst would still be there, ready to confer with him on how to close the Eye of Terror.
"Horst... now there's a formidable character," Qin Mo murmured to himself.