March 22nd, deep within the core of 0459;
The artificial star in the core world had dimmed according to its programmed settings, simulating a "full moon night." Clouds passed over jungles, deserts, and oceans as the humidity, temperature, and other finely tuned environmental controls continued to operate autonomously.
Despite the simulated nightfall, the Atlas-built and expanded core base remained in full swing. Engineering teams, various types of robots, and fully automated production lines worked tirelessly. The top-floor office of the command building was still illuminated by the soft light of an old-fashioned desk lamp on the wooden desk.
Samuel Young, wearing custom-tailored short sleeves and pants, sat behind the desk, resting his eyes for a short break. Despite the lack of physical fatigue, his mental exhaustion was more difficult to describe. Although he hadn't needed sleep for the past two years and could work non-stop, the constant demands on his mind were taxing.
Even though Samuel wasn't entirely an "old relic," he did indulge in leisure activities when necessary. For example, during his time in the primary universe, he would log into online games under a regular user account and play a few rounds of 5v5 shooter matches. If he encountered rude opponents or teammates who liked to taunt, Samuel might even engage in some verbal sparring.
Alexia often discussed various topics unrelated to work with him during her free time. Yet, despite these moments of relaxation, the strain of managing multiple universes, especially the vast Halo universe, sometimes made Samuel feel overwhelmed. At times, the temptation to "give up" crossed his mind.
Adding to the stress, he could hear the "prayers" of his employees and residents who had learned the truth about the spatial gates. For instance, elite combat personnel under formal contract would, in dire life-threatening situations, offer absolute devout prayers to him, allowing Samuel to "see" the dangers they were facing.
As their leader, even if he hadn't met some of these employees in person, Samuel couldn't stand idly by. He would consume psychic energy to resolve the threats faced by those praying to him in desperation.
What made him empathize most with the Emperor of Warhammer 40k was that while his challenges were immense, the Emperor's burdens were a thousand, no, ten thousand times heavier. Yet, as Samuel grew accustomed to the unimaginable intensity of this "work," he stopped harboring complaints, finding peace in the process. At the very least, his company and humanity were progressing steadily. The Warp had not caused any large-scale disruptions, and his sons were genuinely filial, helping ease his burdens.
After a brief moment, Samuel opened his eyes and waved his hand, summoning several hardlight screens displaying helmet footage from several young Astartes. Among them, "Gabriel Angelos—Sons of Horus," "Garlan Clovey—Dark Angels," and "Mephisto Lawrence—Blood Angels" stood out in particular.
Gabriel, from the Sons of Horus, had single-handedly destroyed and captured two Scarabs, massive Covenant vehicles resembling land battleships. The footage showed Gabriel leading his squad through a crossroad, about to rendezvous with a besieged Sangheili force when they encountered a Covenant armored battalion. Two Scarabs, nearly 70 meters in length, fired high-energy plasma beams at them.
Despite the squad's quick evasive maneuvers, one member of the Sons of Horus had his left arm melted off by the plasma. To draw fire and give his team some breathing room to deal with the armored units, Gabriel charged forward alone. Displaying superhuman speed and reflexes, he dodged the battalion's suppressive fire.
The helmet camera captured the sound of his Titan armor's magnetic field deflecting plasma bolts as Gabriel came under multi-directional fire. Moments later, he leaped onto the left Scarab, chainsword in hand.
Boom! Boom—!
Shrrk—!
Gabriel swiftly cleared out the crew with his chainsword and powerful punches, each strike backed by over a ton of force. However, as he stepped out onto the outer deck, he saw the other Scarab's main cannon aiming directly at him.
In a critical moment, instead of retreating or dodging, Gabriel instinctively raised his chainsword in his right hand. Then—
Crack!
A bolt of blue lightning surged from his hand through the chainsword, discharging into the Scarab's main cannon, disabling it completely. Shortly after, the helmet camera cut to black, with a red "×" indicating the signal had been lost.
The attached report revealed that after releasing the "lightning," Gabriel had fallen unconscious and was rescued by his squad, then transferred to Xiandel's flagship for treatment.
At this point, Samuel closed the individual helmet feeds, restoring order to his desk.
His expression remained calm as he gazed out at the base's nightscape through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Three Earth days had passed since the Prophet's blunder during the Covenant's High Council meeting, which prematurely triggered an internal war within the Covenant. After Fulgrim, Angron, and Leman decided to "fight fire with fire" by assuming leadership over the Sangheili under the guise of the Restorers, they reported their progress back to the core base through their flagship.
Now, the battle for the city of Benevolence was nearing its end.
With the elite Sangheili in control of the defense fleet, any Jiralhanae or Prophet-led reinforcements attempting to enter the system would face certain death without a fleet of at least ten thousand ships. As a result, the Jiralhanae and Prophets scattered throughout Covenant territory had no choice but to abandon their kin stranded in the city, focusing instead on regrouping for a future confrontation with the Sangheili.
Without external support, the Jiralhanae within the city were systematically hunted down by the combined forces of the Sangheili and the young Astartes. Currently, 80% of the city was under the control of Xiandel and Fulgrim's forces. The remaining 20% was held by veteran Jiralhanae, who used the complex urban terrain for a last-ditch resistance, leading to high-casualty urban warfare.
Still, the overall objective of plunging the Covenant into civil war had been achieved. The next step was for the investigators stationed on Reach and other UNSC colonies to push forward with reforms.
Having played the Halo series, Samuel held a generally positive view of the UNSC, particularly of the witty and sarcastic Marines on the front lines, but he harbored disdain for the corrupt and incompetent high-ranking officials. One such figure was Andrew Del Rio, the original captain of the UNSC Infinity in Halo 4, who had left Samuel baffled during his pre-reincarnation days.
Del Rio's infamous outburst, "I order you... to hand over that AI!!" still echoed in Samuel's mind. Although the UNSC had been shocked by Del Rio's actions and swiftly removed him from command, Del Rio later weaseled his way into becoming a senator. He publicly declared that the Spartan-II soldiers were a liability with outdated equipment and moral failings, going so far as to propose their forced retirement.
And how were the Spartan-IIs created? ONI agents kidnapped children, robbing them of their normal lives to secure humanity's future.
Use them and discard them? How did the regular soldiers feel about that?
While Samuel knew the change in the Halo series came from a shift in development studios, leading to increasingly perplexing character arcs and plotlines, his disdain for such "corruption" remained.
Thus, Samuel knew he had to prepare thoroughly, aiming to overthrow the entrenched elite while minimizing casualties among the rank-and-file soldiers.
Furthermore, the battle for the city of Benevolence had showcased the exceptional talents of many young Astartes, including Gabriel Angelos. When Samuel first saw Gabriel's file, his immediate thought was of the fierce warrior who had stood alongside the Eldar and fought the daemon prince, embodying the very spirit of the Dawn of War series.
Gabriel Angelos was one of the main protagonists of Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War.
This series of games had been Samuel's gateway into the Warhammer 40k universe. At first, he was drawn in by the cover art for the DLC Soulstorm, featuring the Sisters of Battle. The white hair, battle scars, power armor, and alien civilizations perfectly encapsulated his childhood fantasies of futuristic warfare.
But once hooked, Samuel found himself more fascinated by the Blood Ravens, who with their metallic war cries and distinctive "囧"-shaped helmets became iconic to him. As the game progressed, the Blood Ravens' reputation for "taking everything" and their ambiguous lineage became running jokes within the fandom.
By the time Gabriel became the Chapter Master in Dawn of War 3, wearing the Terminator armor of the Deathwatch, he had evolved into something of a "mini-Primarch" figure.
Reflecting on this, Samuel frowned slightly. He realized that while Gabriel Angelos in the city of Benevolence resembled the Blood Ravens Chapter Master in name, appearance, and mannerisms, the two were fundamentally different.
For starters, the gene-seeds implanted in them were entirely distinct. Additionally, the "lightning" Gabriel had unleashed in the city was clearly a psychic attack manifesting in the material world.
It seemed that it wouldn't be long before the Sons of Horus' Astartes awakened more psychic powers within their ranks.
"When the time is right... I'll send them to the Pacific Rim universe and have Magnus personally train them," Samuel murmured to himself
.
With Fulgrim's side reporting successive victories, Samuel shifted his attention away from the Covenant's internal conflict and pulled up a hardlight screen.
He typed out a brief order to the Investigations Division base on Reach:
"All personnel, be advised. In twelve hours, the company will use the Ark to deliver a new smart AI and two adjusted bioweapons to Reach. Afterward, you are to publicize the threats posed by the Covenant and the Flood through news outlets and social media, and proceed to establish the company's official website.
Be mindful, the new AI will assist with maintaining secrecy, but remain vigilant and avoid detection by ONI agents at all costs.
Additionally, the company authorizes the Investigations Division to conduct targeted eliminations of corrupt UNSC and UEG officials to accelerate the dismantling of their rule."
After reviewing the message, Samuel clicked "Send," trusting that Ida, who had risen to Director of the Investigations Division's Operations Section, would be more than capable of managing the local situation and detailing the mission parameters accordingly.
With Lyon, Chris, and Maggie Shaw (Maeve Queen) working alongside the Investigations Division's special operations team and the two humanoid bioweapons, they would be more than equipped to carry out assassinations of corrupt high-ranking officials and military officers.
By publicly eliminating these "parasites," and then using the company's website and media outreach to spread the news, UNSC and UEG credibility would be further eroded, and Atlas could stage the perfect "product promotion." The goal was to spark public outrage and dominate the narrative, making a military takeover seem inevitable.
As for issues like civilian well-being, development, and taxation, these were minor concerns in Atlas' eyes. Atlas would ensure that wealthier universes supported Earth's reconstruction efforts but would never resort to "vampiric" measures.
The rebel forces were never part of Samuel's consideration. Should the rebels stir up trouble while the Investigations Division "cleaned house" within the UNSC, Atlas would have no qualms about crushing them in the process.
Ding-ding-dong—!
At that moment, an old clock on Samuel's desk chimed the hour.
He then shifted his focus back to the documentation for Universe 09 (Cyberpunk 2077). Everything was proceeding as normal at the Division 09 base, which had recruited a large number of locals to serve as employees. However, Celine had recently detected that the true mastermind behind the Tiger Claws gang—Arasaka Corporation—was planning to launch a full-scale suppression of the Division 09 base.
After a brief consideration, Samuel drafted a private email to Dorn, Governor of Terra:
"Wrap up your current tasks within five Earth days and lead your personal forces to the front-line base in Universe 09."
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