40k: Midnight Blade

Chapter 141 3. Between Friends·Chess Pieces

The emperor of mankind took off the laurel crown from his forehead with a slight tiredness. He seemed to be always like this, always tired and always had endless things to do.

In such a position, it would be strange not to be tired.

Khalil smiled: "How about it? How does it feel to face them without pretending once in a while?"

"This actually makes me more tired." Nios said.

He sat down, leaned on the back of the armchair, and began to take off his wrist guards.

They had an elaborate deployment mechanism at the base of his wrist, and the craftsman who designed them had cleverly concealed an extended piece of metal beneath the surface.

Neos pulled away the metal piece, then easily took off the wrist guards and placed them on a small table nearby. The room was empty, with only two chairs and a small table, and nothing else.

Khalil saw their surfaces sparkle.

He shook his head.

"I don't like them either, too tight, too luxurious," Nios said. "But I have to wear it."

"Display your identity?"

"No, it's because I swore to the person who presented them that I would wear them on every occasion that doesn't require me to wear armor."

"Swear." Khalil sighed. "That does need to be taken seriously, but why are you taking it off now?"

"Because I am not the Emperor now."

Khalil chuckled softly: "This is a room on the Macragge's Glory. You stand here and say that you are not the Emperor?"

"At least for two hours, I don't have to be," Nios said. "Of course, I can be, too, if you want to talk about something more serious."

"I thought you were the one who decided what we talked about." Khalil spread his hands. "And based on the results of our last conversation, you should be Emperor by now."

The emperor looked at him quietly without saying a word, stretched out his hand, and put on the wrist guard again. He doesn't break his promise.

"They are ready to move." The Lord of Humanity spoke seriously and slowly, his voice becoming full of threats, like a sharp blade about to be unsheathed. "This is definitely not good for humanity."

Khalil nodded noncommittally: "Their existence itself is a threat to mankind."

"But I'm actually more worried about other things." The emperor raised his head and stared at the ceiling in silence for a while. He frowned, his dark eyes changing shape worriedly.

"What?"

"The future," said the Emperor. "The future has been obscured. It no longer reveals possible paths and details to me. Something has tampered with it, and I worry that I will fail."

"Who did you let down?"

"You are such a perseverant person."

Khalil raised the corners of his mouth and pretended that he did not hear the emperor's little sarcasm. He just shook his head quietly: "Let down those who died for you?"

"more than."

The Emperor lowered his head, no longer looking at the ceiling, but began to stare ahead into nothingness.

"I worry that I will live up to every drop of blood and every sacrifice that was shed for me. I separated parents from their children, separated lovers, and turned like-minded brothers against each other. I made countless people become My accomplice, and if I fail"

Khalil did not say "You will not fail". Such words are too self-deceptive - if there are ten million ways in the future, then the Emperor will probably fail 9.99 million times.

His chances of success were so pitiful that no sane person would commit himself to such a terrible undertaking.

But here's the problem.

What would have happened if he had not fought this war?

"And you still won't stop," Khalil spoke softly. "Humans don't have a second choice, do they?"

"Yes, but I don't want to."

The Emperor smiled, a most arrogant smile.

"Being a slave for eternity under the enslavement of aliens, living an extremely humble life, or becoming the food and playthings of those monsters and monsters. I will not allow human beings to become like this."

Khalil sighed.

"After all, it ended up being the same thing." He chuckled. "You didn't come here specifically to complain to me, right?"

"is it not OK?"

"Of course not. My time is very precious. In fact, I prefer you to leave as soon as possible. There are not many people in the Eighth Legion, because your arrival has temporarily put aside a lot of work."

The Emperor couldn't help but smile, and for a brief moment, he returned to Neos' state. However, it was only for a moment. The next moment, he returned to his expressionless look.

"Project Webway," he said slowly. "My ultimate goal, everything I do is set up for it. From the fabricated identity of the Emperor, to the establishment of the Empire, even my sons and even the Great Crusade itself. In fact, it is just for this. It’s just a plan.”

"I talked about this with that Machado."

"Then you already know its importance." The emperor looked over, his eyes dark and his expression serious.

"Makado has his own ideas, so he still doesn't trust you, so I'm surprised that he would tell you about this together."

"He doesn't trust me, but he trusts Khalil Lohars," said the pale giant. "In other words, I showed him who I am."

The Emperor frowned.

".He offended you?"

"No." Khalil smiled. "I just don't plan to hide anything from him. The covenant has been made. I don't think there is any benefit in hiding my own situation from him."

"Judging from his character, he will probably regard your behavior as a provocation." The emperor frowned. "Let's get back to the point - how much do you know about the Webway?"

"Makado told me everything he knew." Khalil answered frankly. "He didn't lie to me, it was difficult for him but he did it."

"Then you should know how important it is," the Emperor said seriously. "It is the hope of mankind, allowing all mankind to evolve simultaneously at a faster speed."

"If humans can reach a certain node in this way, then the threats in subspace will never pose too great a threat to humanity as a whole. Not to mention the huge benefits brought by eliminating subspace navigation. It can allow Humanity is always united.”

Kalil did not immediately answer the emperor's words. He was thinking. He heard an obvious desire and expectation from the emperor's words - the Lord of Mankind has a special desire for this plan. If possible, He would probably want this plan to be completed immediately.

It sounds wonderful - no, in fact, if it can really proceed in the way the Emperor expects, it must be the best plan.

But the problem is.

"What's the success rate?" Khalil asked simply.

"I cannot answer your question immediately," the Emperor said. His expression was worried about what was going to happen next, he was always looking into the distance, and he was always lost in conversation.

Khalil waited patiently. After a while, the Lord of Humanity finally spoke again.

"The Webway is not anyone's creation. It belongs to a great race that has long since disappeared. It is an independent realm carefully crafted by them in the gap between subspace and the material world. Even to me, it is An unknown mystery that requires all my concentration to solve."

"And that means you will return to Terra at some point?"

"Yes."

"In other words, you will let someone lead the Great Crusade in your place?"

"Yes."

Khalil couldn't help but sigh: "You don't need me to tell you, you should know what this means, right?"

"The replacement of commanders, the most favored one will be decided, the political storm, the insects that are ready to move in the darkness." The emperor replied indifferently. "What else could it mean? But it is necessary. The Webway Project needs me."

"And your sons are being coveted by them."

"Always," the Emperor said calmly. "They have been targeted by them from the moment they were born, otherwise they would not have been separated from me. But they definitely did not expect your existence."

"I?"

"You are the breaking point." The Emperor turned his head and stared closely at Khalil Lohars.

He looked at him, dark eyes and completely black eyes staring at each other. They began to wrestle again, and the two men with sharp knives began to dig into each other's hearts again until everything was bloody.

"What do you want me to do?" Khalil asked softly.

"Do whatever you want," the Emperor replied solemnly.

He flipped his wrist, and an extremely delicate chess piece appeared in the palm of his right hand. It was pitch black and made to look like a wandering ghost, with its arms tucked into its cuffs, its face made of pale bones, and its skull's eye sockets sparkling.

"What's this?"

"A chess piece in a chess game that can be used to deduce the future, used to represent you." The emperor said. "But this chess game cannot be started yet. In fact, I hope Malcador and I never start it."

"Backup plan?"

"It's a backup plan if you have to do it."

The emperor said as he placed the chess pieces on the small table. It began to change rapidly, its robes swelled, as if it had come to life automatically and without wind, and its eyes lit up with a cold blue light.

Khalil looked at it thoughtfully, without saying a word, but just reached out and picked it up. He had no reaction to the emperor's words about 'chess pieces'. He was neither angry nor surprised, as if he had already accepted it.

After a moment, he put it down and nodded toward the Emperor.

"I wish you had more of a backup plan," Khalil Lohars said calmly. "Because there will always be one more of them than you."

"I know." The Emperor replied solemnly.

Today's update of Ten Thousand is completed. In this volume, the Eighth Legion will get their names.

Asking for votes.

By the way, I would like to recommend the new keyboard that just arrived today. It is really easy to use. The Black Canyon Y9 Ice Cream Switch feels even better than my Ningzhi.