101: Nirvana

"The orbital defense array of the 'Hermes-3' forge system has been completely suppressed. The energy core of the main Forge Temple is being forcibly linked and taken over by 'worker bee' swarms. Basic ordnance production lines are expected to be restored within twelve standard hours."

"On the edge of the 'Ashen Rift', the 'arbiter-class' battlecruiser 'Indomitable' was ambushed by a 'Iron Warriors' Chaos warband assault fleet. It sustained heavy damage and was forced to self-destruct; most of the crew were killed in action."

"In the 'Pioneer-7' resource system, the newly built 'Zero-Point Energy Resonance Collection Station' has completed its first full-power run. Energy output reached 170% of expectations, but slight 'conceptual overload' ripples appeared in the local spatial structure, requiring parameter adjustments."

"The 'Phantom-Infiltrator' squad has successfully recovered psychic focusing crystal fragments from an Imperial Astropath spire in the ruins of the 'Katarina' system (formerly the 'Ice Thorn Fortress' homeworld). Technical value is pending evaluation."

"The remote 'Concept Stabilization' support from 'custodian-alpha' for 'Newly Occupied Zone-Alpha' (formerly the Imperial agri-world 'Bountiful Granary') continues. The intensity of Chaos whisper influence in the area has dropped by approximately 15%, but the 'custodian' itself is exhibiting periodic flickering of its dark golden light, cause unknown."

Battle reports washed over the 'Ark World' command center like a torrent of ice and fire, day and night. Mixed news of joy and sorrow, interwoven with blood and flame, sketched the most realistic portrait of the 'All-Out Strike' frenzy: expansion and loss coexisting, harvest and danger walking hand in hand.

"The subsequent 'titan-class' vessels, the 'Inquisitor' and the 'Defender', have completed final outfitting and joined the 'Blade' fleet's order of battle." Alpha-01's report carried a tangible sense of growing power. "Currently, three 'titan-class' ships (Arbiter, Inquisitor, Defender) are available, with the fourth, the 'Watcher', expected to come off the line within thirty days. The 'dominator-class' heavy carrier 'Kunpeng-2' is also complete, and its 'Heaven's Wrath-II' drone swarms have passed simulation tests."

More steel behemoths were roaring out of the shipyards of the 'Ark World' and the occupied zones, joining this frantic feast of racing against time. However, the rapid expansion of the fleet also exposed new problems.

"The efficiency attenuation issue of the 'Reality Reconstruction Cannon' against highly ordered physical targets has been further confirmed in multiple engagements with Imperial remnant heavy defense platforms and certain Chaos Iron Warriors units." The Chief Technologist pulled up the analytical data. "Conversely, our prototype tests of a new 'Conceptual Disintegration-Resonance Cannon', optimized with data from 'The Library', show better damage effects against enemies with complex physical structures. It first uses a 'conceptual disintegration' pulse to disrupt the target's energy field and structural integrity, then triggers 'zero-point resonance' within its matter, leading to structural collapse. It possesses dual destructive power against both energy shields and physical armor."

Weapons needed to adapt to different enemies. The psychic constructs of Chaos and the steel fortresses of the Empire required different 'keys' to open.

"Immediately designate the 'Conceptual Disintegration-Resonance Cannon' as a standard secondary weapon option for 'titan-class' and 'arbiter-class' ships, and accelerate production and deployment," Han Zhe ordered. "Simultaneously, research specialized weapons against Chaos psychic entities such as Daemon Engines and Possessed Marines. Utilize the 'Pure Kindling' protocol's 'rejection' characteristic toward Chaos energy to develop 'Psychic Purification Rays' or 'Conceptual Dissipation Fields'."

Technology iterated rapidly in actual combat, like a Blade tempered in blood and fire, becoming increasingly sharp and specialized.

However, the most troublesome and sensitive issue did not come from the enemies on the battlefield, but from the... population of the newly occupied zones.

"Chairman, regarding the handling of Imperial human civilians in the newly occupied zones..." The holographic image of the Minister of Social Integration (promoted from the former medical supervisor) appeared in the meeting, her expression solemn. "Planets like 'Bountiful Granary' and the 'Hermes-4' residential rings contain massive numbers of Imperial civilians who didn't evacuate in time, numbering in the millions. They have been long exposed to Ecclesiarchy propaganda, may have encountered Chaos whispers after the fall of Cadia, and harbor natural fear and hostility toward us. Directly incorporating them into the 'Human Federation' system poses huge social integration risks, potential spy threats, and... the hidden danger of genetic pollution."

Genetic pollution. This was a sharp thorn in the hearts of the Human Federation's high command. The Empire's massive population base, after ten thousand years of evolution, psychic influence, and possible covert genetic adjustments, had a gene pool significantly different from the genetic lineage of the Human Federation, which was optimized based on the STC, 'Pure Kindling', and 'Rebirth' protocols. More importantly, after the fall of Cadia, Warp pollution was pervasive. Who could guarantee these civilians didn't harbor latent Chaos gene-seeds or mental corruption?

"Conventional 'Soul Cleansing' pod purification is too inefficient for a large-scale population and cannot ensure cleanliness at the deep genetic level," the Chief Technologist added. "Furthermore, the 'Soul Cleansing' process might impact their inherent, non-Chaos-polluted spiritual beliefs—their worship of the Emperor—triggering large-scale mental breakdowns or resistance."

Leave them be? No. That would be equivalent to burying countless time bombs within the controlled zones.

Dispose of them all...? How would that be any different from Chaos? It also ran contrary to the 'Human Federation's' self-proclaimed ideal of 'Humanity's Resurgence'.

Absorb and assimilate? The risk was enormous and the process long; what they lacked most right now was time and a stable rear.

Han Zhe remained silent, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the table. This was a dilemma, yet a decision had to be made immediately. The newly occupied zones needed stability and labor, but the foundation of the 'Human Federation' could not be shaken because of it.

"Initiate the 'Genetic Purification and Targeted Adjustment' protocol," Han Zhe said slowly after a long pause, his voice low and firm. "Target: All adult Imperial human civilians in the newly occupied zones."

Silence fell over the meeting room. Everyone understood what those words meant—this was no longer a matter of life and death on the battlefield, but an intervention and reshaping of their own kin at the most fundamental level of life.

"The specific plan?" the Minister of Social Integration's voice was dry.

"The plan is as follows," Han Zhe explained methodically, as if stating an ordinary engineering project, yet every word carried the weight of a mountain.

"1. Mandatory Containment and Preliminary Screening: All civilians will be managed centrally and undergo comprehensive physiological and psychic scans to screen for obvious Chaos pollution or mutated individuals. Those polluted will, depending on the degree of corruption, be subjected to 'Soul Cleansing' pods for attempted purification. If that fails... they will be quarantined and dealt with."

"2. Genetic Mapping and Comparison: For individuals with no obvious pollution, comprehensive genetic sequencing will be performed and compared against the 'Human Federation' standard gene bank to identify points of divergence and potential risk sequences—such as those that might trigger psychic loss of control, sensitivity to specific Chaos frequencies, or gene fragments related to certain 'stigmata' of the Ecclesiarchy."

"3. Targeted Genetic Adjustment: Utilizing our mature gene-editing technology (combined with biological knowledge from 'The Library'), the identified 'undesirable' or 'high-risk' gene sequences will be silenced, corrected, or replaced. Goal: Eliminate potential Chaos affinity and psychic instability factors, and bring their genetic lineage as close as possible to the 'Human Federation' optimization standards to enhance adaptability to environments like zero-point energy fields or specific radiation. This process will be conducted in deep stasis to ensure it is painless and efficient."

"4. Neural Reshaping and Memory Implantation: Following genetic adjustment, gentle neural regulation and memory implantation technology will be used to fade or overwrite their fanatical memories and emotional connections to the Ecclesiarchy and specific Emperor worship. We will implant basic cognition and identification with the 'Human Federation's' core concepts—reason, order, survival, and resurgence—along with necessary survival skills and linguistic abilities. This process must be extremely cautious to avoid personality collapse; the goal is to establish a new 'cognitive baseline'."

"5. Social Integration and Observation Period: Individuals who complete the above steps will be considered 'New Human Federation Citizens' and assigned to production posts or infrastructure teams in the newly occupied zones for long-term observation and adaptation training. Their offspring will reproduce naturally based on the new genetic foundation."

This was a systematic 'purification' and 'reshaping' project spanning from genes to spirit. It was cold, efficient, and carried a strong engineer's mindset of 'shaping the ideal citizen', yet it was also full of ethical gray areas and unpredictable risks.

"This... this is almost 'manufacturing' a new population," the Minister of Social Integration's voice trembled. "Are they still the original 'them'?"

"At the genetic and core memory levels, they are not," Han Zhe admitted frankly. "But their biological basis remains human, and their potential will be guided toward directions beneficial to the 'Human Federation'. What we want is a stable controlled zone, a population base capable of providing us with labor and soldiers, not a group of 'time bombs' full of old-era imprints that could explode at any moment. In the face of survival, some boundaries... must be crossed."

He looked around at everyone. "I know this is cold, even sacrilegious. But think about the path we've walked and what we are facing. The Empire has collapsed, and Chaos is devouring everything. If we don't take decisive measures, the humans in our controlled zones will either slaughter each other in fear and chaos or become breeding grounds for Chaos infiltration. We are giving them a chance to survive and contribute to a new civilization, even if that chance comes with... 'modification'."

"Project Code: 'nirvana'," Han Zhe designated the name. "Immediately establish a special task force to be jointly executed by the Social Integration Department, the Biotechnology Department, and the 'kindling' project team. The first pilot will be conducted in 'Bountiful Granary', with the scale controlled within ten thousand people, and all processes and subsequent impacts closely monitored. Remember, absolute secrecy. Publicly, it will be announced as a 'Large-Scale Quarantine, Psychological Counseling, and Skill Retraining Program'."

The order was given, and an 'engineering' project far more secretive and touching upon the essence of civilization than any battlefield slaughter quietly began in the newly occupied zones. Steel fleets roared under the starlight, while in containment centers and laboratories on the surface, a new kind of 'human' was being calmly and efficiently 'produced'.

"Project 'nirvana'..." Alpha-01 muttered to himself, looking at the newly lit points on the star map representing the occupied zones. "We are not just expanding territory; we are... reshaping the people on the land. If we continue down this path, what will the 'Human Federation' eventually become?"

No one could answer.

But the course was set, and the engines were at full throttle.