40k: Midnight Blade

Chapter 174 35. The twentieth surgery

The corridors of Nightfall are quiet, like every cemetery, with a quiet atmosphere. You can't hear loud conversations or anything, and laughter is a rarity here.

There was supposed to be a funeral here - but no.

There was no funeral.

The dead had been buried long ago, and the Night Blades saw with their own eyes their corpses vanishing into nothingness in the embrace of the black flames.

They were not sad deep down, and for some reason they felt that this would not be the last time they saw their brother. Their hunch was correct, but it has yet to be proven.

Siani from Terra was walking towards an office wearing one of his brand-new uniforms. His expression looked serious, but in fact it was just his usual thinking expression.

Everyone has different habits, and the movements we make when we think are one of them. Some people like to tap on the table or lower their heads in thought when thinking.

Siani, for his part, would put on a serious face to let everyone know he was thinking - in other words, it meant 'don't disturb me'.

Of course, not everyone is willing to give him a chance to think carefully, at least not Richter.

The sword master of the Eighth Company came from across the corridor with a thick stack of documents in his hand. This encounter should have been dramatic. After all, it is rare to see these two people appearing at the same time outside of the training ground.

But Richter seemed unwilling to extend this drama. He bluntly shattered Siani's meditation and his serious expression with one sentence.

"You actually look like you're thinking."

"."

Siani raised his head wordlessly and expressed his emotions at the moment with a traditional ancient Terran gesture - but in response, Richter just smiled faintly. He was still holding the document, his expression calm, as if he had just No taunting was directed at his brother.

"Where are you going?" he asked. "It's really rare to dress so formally. In my impression, you wear training clothes most of the time."

"I'm going to the instructor's office." Siani glanced at Richter with a lack of interest, and stars flashed past the porthole window.

"He has a mission for us, and my company commander is with the Primarch right now. What's going on with the documents you have, Richter? Do you work part-time as a servitor?"

Richtnar took a deep breath.

".This is a good reply, Siani, but my wish is different from yours. These documents also come from the instructor. He and the original body seem to have new ideas for us, and these-"

Richter raised his arm slightly so that the document covered his face: "——This is the specific situation imagined."

"In other words, this is a reform?"

"It's normal for the original body to have other requirements for us. As for the word reform, I don't know." Richter shook his head and walked away.

The last words he threw to Siani was an invitation: "See you at the training ground tonight."

Siani decided to take this sentence as a provocation, and he planned to face Richter with full anger, just like when he faced those things on Harkossus One—— Thinking of this, his expression couldn't help but become more gloomy.

Six minutes later, he arrived at Khalil Lohars' office.

The door was open, as if she had known he was coming and was ready. Siani walked inside, and his leather boots deliberately collided with the metal floor, making a dull echo as a reminder.

Khalil Lohars was sitting behind the gloomy iron table as always, writing text with a quill. A chair that fit the figure of an Astartes was placed opposite the table. He heard the reminder, but he didn't raise his head and just spoke calmly.

"Sit down, Siani, you came quickly."

"But it's not fast enough." Siani sat down, straightening her back, but her tone seemed a little brisk. "Who am I here, instructor?"

"the second."

"In other words, that bastard is the first again?"

"."

Khalil finally raised his head with a complicated expression: "I remember that the relationship between you is not bad, Siani. Why do you call Richter that?"

"Because of some historical reasons." Siani said seriously - by the way, he was not thinking at this time.

"You don't know this, instructor, but Richtnar is very arrogant most of the time. I mean, he's just an arrogant bastard with eyes on the top of his head."

"I don't see the arrogance in him."

"Of course you can't tell." Siani snorted. "He behaves very politely in front of you."

Khalil did not answer this sentence. He lowered his head again so that his current expression would not be seen by Siani. He began to continue writing, and after more than ten seconds, he took out the piece of paper and handed it to Siani.

"Take a look," Khalil said. "At least I hope you can read this summary here - it will help you understand what happens next, Siani."

What happens next?

Siani felt slightly uneasy about this statement. He reached out and took the hard document. It felt quite uncomfortable to hold it in his hand, and this was the intention of those who made it.

They deliberately made the paper hard, thick, and rough so that they could be sold at a higher price - the empire usually priced paper by weight, and few of the families responsible for making them Don't be tempted by profit.

But this was not the most important thing for Siani to consider right now. He started to read, and the first line of words that caught his eye made him confused.

‘Detailed discussions regarding future recruitment matters. ’

Siani quickly raised his head and looked at Khalil - "Instructor, are we going to start recruiting troops?"

"Of course." Khalil said. "But not now, at least wait until we return to Nostramo before making any plans, Siani."

Siani did as he was told. A few minutes later, when he raised his head again, his expression had become quite strange: "The twentieth operation?"

Khalil nodded calmly.

"Yes, the twentieth operation, but it actually has nothing to do with surgery. It is just a ritual. However, in order to deceive others, we will declare it to be the twentieth operation - of course, usually, We don’t mention it.”

He gestured thoughtfully to Siani with a rather meaningful look in his eyes: ".Unless someone asks about it."

"And we're just going to say it's the twentieth surgery?"

"No, we don't bring it up," Khalil said. "Because the twentieth operation doesn't exist unless someone asks about it."

Siani nodded with a complicated expression, lowered his head and continued reading.

‘. Please note that the twentieth surgery itself will not have any substantial impact or change on the recipient’s body. It is a ritual, which can also be called a trial. ’

‘The twentieth operation should be performed before any transformation begins, not after the nineteenth operation. When the twentieth procedure begins, the subject enters a sleep-like state, but they are not actually asleep. ’

'They may dream, they may sleepwalk, or even enter an abnormal state of rage. This is all normal and is one of the possible side effects of the twentieth surgery. ’

'The duration of the operation is currently uncertain, but only if the recipient passes this operation can they truly become a reserve for the Midnight Blade and undergo subsequent transformation operations. ’

Siani put down the document and let out a sigh of relief: ".Instructor."

"Um?"

"Can I ask what the twentieth operation is?" Siani asked seriously. "I know this kind of thing should be kept secret, and no details should be revealed too much, but... a trial? I don't understand, instructor."

"It's just a more alternative selection method." Khalil replied softly.

He stood up, walked slowly, and reached the porthole of the office.

The eight company flags were still fluttering on the wall, and the air was as cold as ever. There were stars twinkling outside the porthole window. Khalil stared at them calmly through the glass, and saw his own shadow on the glass, as well as Siani's waiting figure.

He continued.

"Siani, you have seen what happened on Harkossus One, you have also heard the oath Conrad Curze swore in the face of those things, and you yourself have also sworn the same oath"

He turned his head, and there was a half-smile on the side of his face that he showed to Siani. The latter's heart trembled and he nodded heavily.

"So you have a good idea of ​​what kind of enemies we might face down the road, but those potential reserves are different."

He turned completely around and leaned against the wall, his expression calm.

"They may have excellent qualities and strong will, and they will become truly outstanding warriors through the flames of war in the years to come - but we have to face more than just war, Siani."

"Those things cannot be resisted by pure willpower, so they also need to make an oath. A ceremony, a trial, a blood oath. They will know what they are going to face, and they will also know their possible ending. , and we just need people who see it all and are still willing to accept it, we need hate.”

Siani nodded silently. His instructor was wearing a thin uniform, and his shadow spread on the ground under the soft light. Siani looked at his shadow, and a subtle feeling swept over him, like a low sigh or an encouraging gaze.

We are still there. the dead spoke in low tones. And we will be here forever, until the hatred ends.

Siani stood up and said hoarsely: "Yes, instructor, we need hatred."

He turned and left - until Khalil said in a fit of laughter and tears: "Siani, now that you are gone, what will happen to these documents from the First Dalian Company?"

"."

Siani from Terra walked back from the corridor again with an expressionless face and took away a pile of documents with rapid footsteps.

There is one more chapter.