Although this Rust Stalker prototype, in Osiris' eyes, was full of compromises and flaws, far from reaching the perfect state a standard Adeptus Mechanicus assassin should possess.
Undeniably, compared to the Militech experimental subject before its modification—which suffered from poor system integration and numerous hidden dangers—Morris's strength had undergone a qualitative leap.
The most significant improvement was in her nervous system.
The standard Adeptus Mechanicus neural net, infused with the efficient logic protocols of a rogue AI, which Osiris implanted, completely replaced the original inferior interfaces that caused severe rejection and signal delays.
Now, every thought of Morris could be transmitted to her extremities with almost no delay.
The intense neural pain, like steel needles constantly piercing her, caused by the overloaded implants, had completely vanished.
She felt her brain clearer than ever, with control over her body as if it were an extension of her arm, as if a heavy shackles had been lifted.
Since undergoing Militech's modifications, her body had never felt so coordinated and light.
Morris did not lose her memory upon waking.
She still remembered her experiences as a Militech Lieutenant, the rigorous training, and the bloody missions.
After Osiris' deep modification, combined with specific pheromones and modulated electrical signal frequencies continuously released by the neural net, Morris's mental state underwent a subtle reshaping.
Her original loyalty to Militech had been completely overturned, now firmly anchored to Osiris, her creator and master.
Osiris' approach here differed from other Tech-Priests.
He did not physically overhaul Morris's brain, nor did he excise so-called "unnecessary" emotional regions, nor did he install behavior control modules that stifle all independent thought and enforce absolute obedience.
Of course, out of basic caution, he embedded several backdoor programs deep within Morris's neural core.
If necessary, he could directly take over her body, control her actions, or forcibly execute specific commands.
But regarding her own autonomous consciousness, thinking ability, and battlefield judgment, Osiris chose to preserve them to the maximum extent.
This was not out of respect for life or special consideration for Morris personally.
In Osiris' value system, efficiency was paramount.
He observed that many of his colleagues in the Warhammer World had an almost obsessive desire for control over their subordinates, wishing to make all their Paladin Corpss as absolutely obedient as Servitors.
To this end, they extensively used behavior control modules, completely depriving soldiers of their autonomy, and even directly micro-managed them during war, turning them into war machines devoid of subjective initiative.
Compared to Servitors and controlled automatons, the only "privilege" these Paladin Corpss had was perhaps that insignificant, limited freedom of action, which could be revoked at any time.
If these colleagues possessed exceptional talent in war command, or at least above-average tactical acumen, Osiris might not have commented much.
But from his observations, the vast majority of his colleagues, including those Dominus who specialized in war command, their command patterns heavily relied on pre-set data analysis and rigid logical models, lacking the spark of improvisation.
Rigid and inflexible command, coupled with soldiers whose subjective initiative was completely stifled, in Osiris' view, was itself a huge waste of resources and inefficiency.
Because of this, although Osiris also widely used Servitors and Paladin Corpss, he preferred to retain a certain degree of autonomous decision-making space for the Paladin Corpss.
He allowed them to make on-the-spot judgments based on actual battlefield conditions and encouraged them to leverage their tactical strengths.
This approach was once considered heretical by some colleagues, who believed it would lead to inconsistent execution standards and increased unnecessary risks.
However, from a long-term and macroscopic perspective, Osiris' forces often had higher mission completion rates, and even in many seemingly desperate battles, those Paladin Corpss with autonomous consciousness could make brilliant responses beyond data models, leading to unexpected outcomes.
He believed this was a more efficient way to utilize "human" resources.
—
After the modification was complete, Osiris conducted a series of basic performance tests on Morris.
The results confirmed that, although limited by materials, her absolute defensive power and some extreme data did not reach design peaks, her speed, agility, neural reaction speed, and the lethality of her new weapon system far exceeded pre-modification levels, and the hidden danger of cyberpsychosis was completely eradicated.
During the testing process, Morris adapted to her new body and power.
She felt the surging power provided by the miniature fusion reactor in her back coursing through her reinforced tendons and alloy skeleton; although there was still energy loss during transmission, it was still powerfully robust beyond imagination.
She experienced the almost silent yet air-distorting death tremor when the Sonic Blade slid from her palm.
After Osiris briefly explained the team's current predicament and the potential ongoing troubles from Militech and Biotechnica, Morris volunteered.
"Master," her voice came through the newly generated synthetic vocalizer, which could simulate almost native speech, carrying a metallic quality but a firm tone, "Companies are essentially hyenas chasing profit; they covet the power and knowledge you possess, like hyenas drooling over fresh meat.
But when they discover that tearing into this meat requires the price of a blade through the throat, or even breaking all their teeth, they will also understand how to weigh the cost and retreat."
As she spoke, she lightly flicked out the Sonic Blade hidden on the inside of her wrist, its invisible, ultra-high-frequency vibrations subtly distorting the surrounding air. "The threat of death, especially precise and undefendable death, is often the most direct way to make them understand that the cost of continued entanglement far exceeds their capacity to bear."
However, Osiris remained reserved about the effectiveness of relying solely on assassination for deterrence.
He calmly analyzed, "Your reasoning has some merit, but it is overly simplistic. For individual company executives, life is precious, but for the vast collective consciousness of a corporation, the loss of one or two executives, compared to the enormous profits that could monopolize the market or even change the landscape, is often just an acceptable 'reasonable loss.'
They will replace the dead like worn-out parts and continue to seek opportunities. Simple killing may not truly make them retreat."
He paused slightly, his crimson optical lenses flickering steadily as he offered a more complex explanation: "But if assassination is used as a clear means of signaling, the situation changes.
By precisely eliminating one or two executives responsible for this matter, who hold a certain position but are not irreplaceable, we can convey the clear message: 'We have the ability to take anyone's life at any time.'
This is not enough to extinguish their greed, but it is enough to force them back to the negotiating table, or at least to conduct a longer, more cautious internal assessment before taking the next step."