51: Don't look back, there are bills all behind you.

【Sol System - Earth-Mars Transfer Orbit - Bridge of the 'sword of truth'】

Outside the window was not the starry sky.

Or rather, it was no longer the tranquil, deep starry sky known to human perception.

The originally pitch-black curtain of the universe had been torn asunder by some invisible force, replaced by swirling, crazed, and multi-colored nebulae.

Purple lightning struck silently in the void; there was no thunder, only a tremor deep within the soul.

With every flash of lightning, it seemed to illuminate those unspeakable, terrifying faces lurking beyond the veil.

They pressed, screamed, and clawed against the outside of the glass, trying to burrow into this fragile iron box.

“Zzz... zzz-zzz...”

The lights on the bridge flickered erratically, the voltage extremely unstable.

The air was thick with a nauseating smell of copper rust and the sweet scent of rotting petals—a precursor to the materialization of psychic pressure, a sign that the veil of reality was thinning.

“Don't look out the window.”

C-19 stood on the command platform, his back to the massive Adamantine observation window.

His voice was as cold as a steel plate dipped in liquid nitrogen, cutting through the chaos on the bridge.

His gaze was fixed intently on the trembling Mortal helmsman before him.

“Stare at the dashboard. Look only at the data.”

“If you dare look outside one more time, I will gouge out your eyes.”

The helmsman's entire body was shaking, sweat soaked his uniform, and his teeth chattered. He nodded frantically, his fingers stiffly pushing and pulling the control levers, trying to keep this multi-million-ton giant ship balanced in the violent Warp currents.

This was the Sol System of the 【Age of Strife】.

Warp storms were like a never-ending hurricane, severing humanity's homeworld and her colonies into unreachable islands.

Without using Warp lanes, flying solely on physical engines, it would take months to reach Mars.

And during those months, the ship could be torn to shreds at any moment by Predators in the void—demons and xenos crawling out from dimensional rifts.

Therefore, they had to take a shortcut.

This was the so-called 'Shallow Warp Jump'.

It was like crossing a piranha-infested river by stepping on wobbly stones; a single misstep meant eternal damnation... 【Holographic Operations Cabin - Mental Pollution Monitoring】

Li Cang looked at the red curve slowly climbing on the screen, his brow furrowed.

【Current Area: Edge of Warp Turbulence】

【Geller Field: Strength 78% (Fluctuating)】

【Crew Mental Stability: Average 65 (Continuing to decline)】

【Warning: Low-level psychic entities detected attempting to invade】

An inexplicable sense of nausea welled up in his heart, as if someone were stroking his cerebral cortex with cold fingers.

Li Cang had to cut off part of his sensory feedback to barely suppress the urge to vomit.

“The quality of this ship is still not good enough.”

Li Cang sighed inwardly.

After all, it was a piece of junk hand-assembled in the wasteland and refitted on Mars. The Geller Field generator was a second-hand unit dug out of some ancient ruin; it was like holding a broken umbrella in a storm—leaks were inevitable.

Just then, a commotion broke out on the bridge.

A Mortal officer in charge of communications suddenly ripped off his headset.

His eyes rolled back, white foam leaked from the corners of his mouth, and his body twisted at a bizarre angle.

He began to scream loudly in a sharp, distorted voice with a non-human metallic echo:

“I hear it... I hear it... Truth is singing... Flesh... Only flesh can...”

He pulled out the pistol at his waist, not aiming it at an enemy, but at his own temple.

Even several surrounding crew members were affected, their eyes becoming glazed as if they were seeing some vision of ultimate bliss.

“Purge.”

C-19 didn't even turn around. He just shifted slightly, and the bolt pistol in his hand cleared its holster instantly, moving as fast as a bolt of black lightning.

Bang!

A loud boom. The crazed officer's head exploded like a rotten watermelon, spraying red and white matter across the control console.

The gunshot startled the dazed crew members awake. They looked in horror at the headless corpse, and that primal fear of death instantly overwhelmed the temptation of the Warp.

“Clean it up.”

C-19 holstered his gun, his tone devoid of any emotion.

“Throw him into the reactor. This is his final contribution to the Emperor.”

No mercy.

In Warp travel, mercy is the deadliest poison.

Any mental wavering becomes a gateway for demonic invasion.

If C-19 had hesitated for even a second just now, that man would have turned into a portal, transforming the entire ship into a hellscape.

“First Legion, take orders.”

C-19 commanded over the channel.

“Astartes, take over key stations.”

“All Mortals, retreat to stasis pods. Mandatory sedative injections.”

“Since their wills are not firm enough, let them sleep through it.”

Li Cang watched this scene and nodded slightly.

“This is why we need the Astartes.”

“Not just because they can fight, but because... they have no superfluous emotions.”

In this mad universe, having no emotions is the strongest defense... 【Flight Time: +12 Hours】

Following a violent jolt, the crazed, twisting colors outside the window finally began to fade.

The true starry sky—the cold, dark, yet incredibly reassuring physical universe—returned to view.

“Exiting the Warp.”

“Position confirmed... We have arrived.”

C-19 turned around and looked out the window.

In that deep darkness, a massive, crimson planet radiated a suffocating sense of pressure.

Mars.

The holy land of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

But this planet was not dilapidated like Terra.

It was completely encased in a massive, grand metal ring shimmering with countless industrial lights.

The 【Ring of Iron】.

It was the largest orbital shipyard in the Sol System and the greatest wonder of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Countless warships were moored there, their massive mechanical arms like the fingers of a god, constructing miracles of steel in the void.

On the red surface below, gargantuan hive factories spewed smoke that covered half the planet, and lava flowed through the trenches of the foundries.

This was not just a planet. It was a planetary-scale gargantuan machine.

`Warning! Warning!`

`Fire control radar lock detected`

`Quantity... Uncountable! Over ten thousand lock-on sources`

The 'sword of truth', having just escaped danger, was instantly held at gunpoint by thousands of orbital defense Lance batteries and Macro-cannons.

`Communication incoming: Mars Orbital Defense Command`

A cold, synthesized voice without any inflection boomed through the bridge:

“Unidentified unit.”

“You have entered the sacred domain of the omnissiah.”

“Halt. Power down. Submit to scanning.”

“Or... be formatted.”

C-19 did not move.

He looked toward the undisplayed 'Commander' channel. He was waiting for Li Cang's orders.

Li Cang looked at the dense array of muzzles on the screen and took a deep breath.

This was the ally he was looking for.

Powerful, xenophobic, and extremely dangerous.

“This is dancing on the edge of a blade.”

But he had the pass in his hand.

“The 'Iron Cloud' ark has jumped out of the Warp right behind us and is transmitting the highest-level escort codes.”

Li Cang quickly issued orders.

“Simultaneously, transmit the second segment of the Noctis Labyrinth key.”

“Tell them...”

A sharp glint flashed in Li Cang's eyes.

“The messenger has arrived.”

“The protocol is being fulfilled.”

“We wish to see the Fabricator-General.”

...After a few seconds of dead silence.

The thousands of red dots locked onto the 'sword of truth' instantly all turned green.

The previously sealed gates of the orbital shipyard slowly slid open to both sides, accompanied by a magnificent mechanical roar.

A flight path marked by navigation beacons led directly to the tallest building on the Martian surface—

The Forge Temple of Olympus Mons. It was the palace of the Fabricator-General and the highest center of power for the Adeptus Mechanicus.

`Identification passed`

`Welcome back... Seeker`

C-19 looked at the flight path leading to the red earth and straightened the cloak on his power armor.

“All ships, advance.”

They had crossed through hell.

Now, they stood on the shoulders of giants.