69: Becoming a father unexpectedly

[Luna - Underground Gene-Vault Seven]

Magos Ul-02's mechanical body finally backed away slowly, almost piously.

His three flickering optical sensors stared intently at the golden infant suspended in the nutrient solution; data streams washed through his logic core like a waterfall, each refresh bringing the impact of a logic paradox.

Analysis: Target exhibits high homology markers with the 'omnissiah' genetic fingerprint... Conclusion: Divine creation. Untouchable. Unanalyzable. Must... protect.

"The Agent."

Ul-02's voice no longer held any threat, leaving only a businesslike, cold fanaticism.

"Mars will dispatch the highest-level 'Sacred Guard' to escort 'His Highness' back to a safe 'cradle' befitting his divine status."

The "cradle" he spoke of naturally referred to the Forge Temples of Mars.

As long as he could get this Gene God-Child back to his own territory, whether to study it or worship it would no longer be up to those barbarians from Terra... Holographic Operations Cabin

"Thinking of moving my strategic assets to your home?"

Li Cang looked at the tin can on the screen whose schemes were practically audible, his eyes cold.

"You're still dreaming."

His fingers moved rapidly across the console.

"C-19."

Li Cang's voice rang out in the First Legion's communication channel, carrying an unquestionable authority.

"The 'Oracle' is as follows."

"First, 'His Highness' is of the Emperor's bloodline; his first stop must be a return to Terra to receive the pilgrimage of his father's subjects. This is a ritual, and a declaration of sovereignty."

This point legally blocked Magos Ul-02's attempt to take the person back to Mars.

Whose home he returned to first represented ownership.

"Second, order the Tech-Priests to use local materials and the equipment in this Gene-Vault to construct a 'Stasis Field Cradle.' I want to ensure 'His Highness' is perfectly safe during the journey."

This was stalling for time and a logical way to 'package' the entire laboratory.

"Third..."

A hint of cunning flashed in Li Cang's eyes.

"Have your adjutant take the Engineering Servitors and move every single 'book' in this Gene-Vault onto the transport ship. Not a single one is to be left behind."

The so-called 'books' naturally referred to the data crystals and biological samples containing thousands of years of research results from the Gene-Cults.

What he wanted wasn't just this Gene God-Child.

He wanted the complete set of instructions and raw materials for creating this Gene God-Child!

...[Luna - Underground Gene-Vault]

Over the next few hours, the scene became exceptionally eerie.

Under the 'pious' gaze of Magos Ul-02 and a group of Tech-Priests.

C-19 personally led a squad of Astartes, guarding the massive cultivation tank like the most loyal Templars, allowing no one to approach.

On the other side of the hall, another Astartes sergeant led the Mortal Auxiliary Army and several Engineering Servitors in a feverish 'moving' mission.

Using melta-cutters, they sliced the rows of cryogenic storage cabinets containing genetic templates—along with their bases—from the floor, then transported them via anti-gravity platforms to the Stormbird gunships on the surface.

Ul-02 watched this scene, his optical sensors flickering.

He knew exactly what was in those cabinets. They were heretical technologies, blasphemous creations.

But... they were also knowledge.

"The Agent."

He couldn't help but speak up.

"According to the protocol, these... contaminated data..."

"They are 'His Highness's' 'dowry'."

Before he could finish, C-19 shut him down using the rhetoric Li Cang had taught him.

"These are all necessary reference materials for studying 'His Highness's' growth process. They must be brought back to Terra together to be purified and interpreted by the 'Emperor' himself."

This reason was flawless. Ul-02's logic core once again fell into a conflict between 'sacredness' and 'interest,' and finally, reverence for the 'Emperor/omnissiah' overrode everything.

He could only watch helplessly as the Imperial forces packed up everything of value in the laboratory and took it away... [Six Hours Later - "Sword of Truth" Main Hangar]

When the 'Stasis Field Cradle,' temporarily modified to look like a giant crystal coffin, was carefully loaded onto the warship, the entire First Legion erupted in excitement.

Although they were strictly forbidden from approaching, every Astartes stopped at a distance and performed the highest aquila salute toward the golden figure.

That was their 'Prince'.

He was the meaning of their struggle, the incarnation of the Imperium's future.

No one noticed that behind this sacred 'Return of the Holy Son' ceremony, a small but eye-twitching red negative number appeared on Li Cang's resource panel.

[New Unit Maintenance Cost:]

[Unit: Gene God-Child (Prototype)]

[Status: Stasis Dormancy]

[Consumption: -500 GP / Hour]

Li Cang watched his already meager GP balance drop at a speed visible to the naked eye, feeling his temples throb.

This rate of resource consumption... was enough to bankrupt a small colony within three days.

"No, I have to get back to Terra and make some money quickly."

Li Cang immediately gave the order.

"C-19, set sail!"

"We're going home!"

...[En Route Back to Terra]

In the medical laboratory of the "Sword of Truth."

Li Cang was looking at the golden infant lying in the stasis field through a sterile observation window.

Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus and Imperial Apothecaries were performing a comprehensive physical examination on him.

"Commander."

C-19's voice came through.

"The preliminary report is out."

A report filled with complex charts and data was displayed before Li Cang.

He skipped directly over the incomprehensible biochemical sections and looked at the final conclusions.

[Conclusion 1: The unit indeed possesses high homology with the 'Blood of the Emperor' samples, but it is not a direct clone. It is more like... the product of 'reverse engineering' and 'completion' of the Emperor's genes using some unknown technology.]

[Conclusion 2: Within his body are... several unique genetic sequence prototypes completely different from existing gene seeds. His genes possess extremely high plasticity, theoretically serving as a 'universal nursery' for all twenty gene seeds.]

[Conclusion 3: He is healthy. But also... very hungry. His body requires massive amounts of specially catalyzed nutrients to complete development. Ordinary nutrient paste is like water to him.]

Li Cang looked at the report and fell into a long silence.

What exactly were the Gene-Cults trying to do?

They weren't cloning the Emperor.

They were... creating a brand new monster that combined the strengths of several Primarchs?

"Commander, there is one more discovery."

C-19's voice rang out again, this time with a hint of solemnity.

"We found an encrypted mental imprint deep within his genetic sequence that does not belong to any known language."

"We cannot decipher it."

"But it feels... very much like the 'Hymn' from Mars that you had us listen to before."

Li Cang's pupils constricted sharply.

He immediately pulled up the mental wave diagram of the golden infant.

Deep within that calm golden ocean, there was indeed a small area emitting an extremely faint green light, homologous to the binary code of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Void Dragon.

The C'tan shard sealed beneath Mars.

Its fragments, or rather its 'virus,' had actually contaminated the lunar Gene-Vault through some means long ago!

The Gene-Cults... without even knowing it, used fragments of a 'god' to water the seed of a 'Gene God-Child'.

What kind of monster had they created?