40k: Midnight Blade

Chapter 250 21. Interlude: The joint anatomy of Fabius and Jairzinho

Even before the war began, Fulgrim believed that it was impossible for the Lars to match the combined forces of the three legions. His speculation was reasonable and correct, and the facts proved that he was right.

Whether it was the Midnight Blades, the Emperor's Children or the Word Bearers, every city they occupied was quickly transformed into a military base after being emptied. Supplies fell from the sky, giving the Astartes enough confidence. move forward.

The Lars have superb technology and brutal physiques, but they have never fought against enemies like the Legiones Astartes. They cannot understand the enemy's willingness to fight - is it to conquer?

No, that's just a secondary purpose.

The main purpose is extermination.

The Lars cannot understand this, so they are killed, captured, and dissected. This is important because the Lars have extremely complex biology.

They are of various types, except for the snake tails they all have, they are simply a crazy hodgepodge of races. They have strong warriors, have stinging wings, can secrete venom, and even have gills that can breathe freely underwater.

In order to understand the enemy's weaknesses, Fulgrim ordered an anatomy study to be conducted. This study was led by Fabius and Jairzinho Guzman of the Midnight Blade. The location was Aboard the Emperor's Pride.

——

If asked, Jairzinho would say that working with Fabius, the Apothecary of the Emperor's Children, was a pleasure. Yes, he would say that, and he would not hesitate to cite several pieces of evidence.

First, Fabius is a very professional pharmacist, and his knowledge and achievements in biological anatomy are no worse than those of pharmacists like Night Blade, who have a more special approach.

Second, he never complained. Whether he was digging his hands into the slimy guts of the Lars or smelling their rancid body odor, Fabius never made any negative comments. He was so obsessed with his work that he didn't care about anything else.

Thirdly, he can understand Jairzinho's every intention just right, and the cooperation between them can almost be described as perfect - yes, almost, if Fabius doesn't mention something .

"I heard, Doctor Jairzinho, that you once cured Lord Robert Guilliman?" Fabius asked.

He also held a huge scalpel in his hand, and his long white hair fell down on his forehead, but it failed to cover up his sharp facial features and persistent and cold black eyes.

He stared at Jairzinho, his expression looking very hungry for the truth.

"It's just a rumor," Jairzinho replied.

He really didn't want to explain or dwell on this issue too much, so he simply said something cold. At the same time, he still did not forget about work.

His hands cut through the Lar man's internal organs steadily and quickly, taking out the soft mass of gray-black flesh from its abdominal cavity and placing it on a tray.

The cold white light from Fabius's workshop illuminated it, making it look sinister and ominous, like some twisted monster.

"Rumors should not make the Ultramarines often talk about this matter." Fabius lowered his head and took out another ball of internal organs at the same speed and stability, and also placed it on the tray.

His crimson surgical gown was stained with black blood and looked very strange.

"They." Jairzinho raised his head, and his expression behind the isolation helmet became very exciting. "Do you talk about this often?"

"Yes." The Emperor's Son nodded. "Therefore, I don't think this is a rumor. You healed Robert Guilliman, a noble Primarch. I wonder if I can ask about the process? Can you tell a little bit about it?"

Jairzinho looked at those eyes full of curiosity and shook his head slowly but firmly: "I'm sorry, I have no comment on this matter, cousin."

Fabius sighed regretfully.

"I understand," he said. Then he devoted himself to work again and began to analyze the bones, muscles and skin of the Lar people with Jairzinho, trying to find out what made them so powerful despite their different shapes.

Two hours later, they left the body and walked to another. This body is still alive, with slight signs of life remaining. Jairzinho frowned, stretched out the blade, and planned to kill it before dissecting it, but Fabius stopped him.

"Vivisection may allow us to discover something new, Doctor Jairzinho," he said softly.

"Indeed, but -" Jairzinho lowered his head. "—It's dead."

Fabius frowned, but didn't say anything. The autopsy began again. This corpse was a warrior from the Lal people. The muscles are highly developed and extremely strong, without the type characteristics of other creatures.

It's primitive in a way, it's pure Lar form. A snake tail, four arms, a split jaw and eyes with high-speed vision. However, as the dissection progressed, a brand new organ was discovered.

It is a gland located in the chest cavity and emits a pungent odor. This organ was not available in any Laer corpse that had been dissected before. Fabius used a genetic analysis instrument to analyze it for an hour and seventeen minutes.

When the report results were finally presented to the two of them, they were both surprised for a moment.

"This is one" Fabius said slowly. "This is a self-healing organ, Doctor Jairzinho. It can release a compound. According to tests, this compound can react with the skin and muscles of the Lar people, covering their damaged areas."

"It's a self-healing gland," the pharmacist concluded. "Its self-healing ability is even stronger than that of the Astartes. But why can it fall into a dying state? Why doesn't this gland work?"

The Emperor's Son began to pace in his workshop while mumbling something. Jairzinho turned his head and glanced at the corpse. Some of the traces left on it made him chuckle unconsciously.

"Probably because the area that needs to be repaired exceeds the capacity of this gland, Apothecary Fabius."

"Huh? How do you know?"

Jairzinho did not speak, but said another thing: "Not all Lar people have this organ, cousins. This is obviously not the result of natural evolution."

"What do you mean?" Fabius's breathing suddenly became heavy.

He was silent for a few seconds, then quickly returned to the workbench and plunged into the next dissection. From warriors to commoners, from dancers with lithe bodies wearing blood-stained clothes and golden armbands, to workers with thick arms and twisted waists for greater endurance.

When they finished dissecting all the existing specimens of the Lar man, both of them fell into a terrible silence involuntarily.

"The individual differences between them are so great that they cannot be explained by medicine and science," Fabius said.

The apothecary of the Emperor's Children took off his rubber gloves in a serious manner and silently replaced them with a new pair. His surgical clothes had been completely stained black, and some blood was even stained on his white hair, looking weird like stains or dots.

Jairzinho took the words, but it was not a statement, but a question: "Are you thinking what I am thinking, Fabius?"

The pharmacist nodded solemnly, but excitement flashed in his eyes.

A few minutes later, Fulgrim walked in, striding quickly and with a serious attitude: "What is it, Fabius? Is there anything that warrants your urgent call to me, or even makes me leave the tactical deduction table?"

Fabius did not hide anything, but bluntly stated the results of his and Jairzinho's joint work. His tone was very calm, but fine beads of sweat slipped on his forehead.

"The Raals have complete and identical genetic chains, the Primarchs, but the internal structure of these genetic chains has been modified. Just like us, the Primarchs, just like the Astartes—"

"——Watch your words, Fabius!" Fulgrim suddenly reprimanded loudly. He glanced at Jairzinho, and it was obvious what he was thinking.

"How can these alien scum compare to the Emperor's intellect?"

"I am indeed very foolish in my use of words, my primarch, but that is not the point." Fabius lowered his head deeply, his voice already becoming dull.

"Every Ral has been modified. That's the point, Primarch. Their bodies are closely related to their identities."

"What do you mean?" Fulgrim frowned deeply.

"Please follow me." Fabius raised his head and brought his original body to the dissecting table.

"Please look, this is the corpse of a Laer warrior. Please look at its chest area, the original body. Do you see it? These muscles, these thick bones and tough skin. Look at this corpse again, this It’s the corpse of a Laer dancer.”

The pharmacist stretched out his finger and pointed at the exposed bones for his original body like a treasure trove, and then handed over a research report. Fulgrim looked at it silently, lines of data flashing across his eyes quickly. But Fabius continued, not wanting to wait for his original body to finish.

"Look, it has thirty-two more bones and more muscles than the samurai, but the samurai is several times stronger than it. Is this reasonable? Let's look at another samurai again. Look, its structure The skeletal arrangement of the body is exactly the same as the previous one! If you still don’t believe it, we have more results waiting for your review.”

"What exactly do you want to say, Fabius?" the Chemos asked expressionlessly.

"Oh, my Primarch" the Apothecary of the Emperor's Children breathed deeply. "They are perfect, my lord, and each of them is genetically modified at birth to enable them to stride toward their own perfection."

Jairzinho frowned, feeling a sudden discomfort deep in his bones. He didn't like Fabius' tone. There was something frightening buried in the pharmacist's words. It was hidden deep, but Jairzinho smelled it anyway.

"Perfect?" Fulgrim asked softly.

"Perfect!" Fabius nodded repeatedly.

Phoenix smiled, turned his head and gestured to Jairzinho, and the medical officer wisely walked out without staying too long. The door to the workshop closed heavily, and the smile on Fulgrim's face had completely disappeared at this moment: "What nonsense are you talking about, Fabius? You compared a group of aliens to perfection, to Asta Are you crazy, even in front of your cousins?"

"What? No, of course not, the original body -" the pharmacist shook his head hastily.

"——This is just a metaphor. You know that I am not good at words. I just want to say that if the Lar people have a way to improve themselves in some way and make themselves closer to perfection, then can we borrow this way and improve it to your own advantage?”

"Use alien technology?" Fulgrim lowered his head and looked at his pharmacist, his eyes as dark as deep purple gems.

Fabius was one of the only two hundred remaining Sons of the Emperor. Fabius was always pale and haggard, working diligently in his workshop. Living in isolation, more dull and dull than a robot.

As an Astartes, he didn't even care about rank and honor.

Fulgrim could probably guess the reason. He knew what made Fabius become like this, and he knew very well that if he did not intervene, Fabius would remain in this terrible state until his death. that day.

It was he who remade the Emperor's Children's apothecary, but he was not happy about it. Fulgrim once asked why, and he compared Fabius to a spider, saying that he was just spinning his own web in isolation.

Phoenix persuaded him, hoping that Fabius could stay with his brother. However, on that day, the dull pharmacist burst out from the bottom of his heart with a burst of anger that made him look at him.

'My brothers are dead! ’ That day, the pharmacist roared.

"What are you thinking about, Fabius?" Fulgrim asked softly. "Are you trying to persuade me to agree to your use of alien technology to improve something?"

The apothecary nodded, seemingly unaware of the hidden hints and warnings in the Primarch's words. Or maybe he noticed it, but he didn't care.

"Just imagine, original body, if I can use this technology to improve the gene seeds. Even if it is only one in a thousand, one in ten thousand, if I can improve it, then-"

"-The blight or anything like that won't happen again?"

Fulgrim smiled, interrupted Fabius, and continued: "Do you understand what you are talking about, Fabius? You are trying to improve the Emperor's creation, how arrogant. I personally don’t dislike arrogance, but I dislike madness, and how far are you from madness?”

"I'm just following your teachings and pursuing perfection," Fabius said. "Is this sinful, Primarch?"

"No, this is not perfect." Fulgrim shook his head.

"Using alien means and technology to pursue perfection? Using innate skills instead of acquired efforts? A perfect body paired with a weak will that has not been tempered is the most ridiculous empty talk I have ever heard, Fabius. Not to mention you. Whether you can succeed or not, and how blasphemous it is, just look around you, son.”

The pharmacist looked at him blankly.

"Look!" Phoenix roared suddenly, his silver hair flying and his eyes burning.

"This group of aliens failed! They were defeated by us. They will eventually become a fleeting race in the galaxy, not worth mentioning, just like other alien scum that we exterminated! Do you want to start from a group of losers? Looking for perfection?"

"But, the original body -" Fabius's face became increasingly pale, but he still did not give up. He was still trying to argue his case, and he wasn't sure why he was so bold.

Fulgrim was not easily angered and kept his demeanor most of the time. That's why his anger at this moment is so terrifying.

The pharmacist's heart was full of uneasiness, but there was another voice in his heart that was screaming loudly. The cry was not his, but the voices of some of the dead.

It was the wail of the Emperor's Children who died of the blight. Fabius had watched them die one by one, but was unable to do anything.

"No more buts," Fulgrim said firmly. "I don't want to hear you mention anything like this again. You need to understand what you are talking about, Fabius. What you just said is enough for me to kill you on the spot."

Phoenix turned around.

"Now, leave your workshop, go rest, and do whatever you want."

He strode away.

Under the cold light, the Emperor's Children's apothecary clenched his fists little by little.

This chapter costs 5k, and I owe 1k to pay back tomorrow.