Bang!
A deafening gunshot was immediately followed by the dull thud of a human body hitting the carriage wall.
Horatio's heartstrings tightened, and his breathing became rapid and heavy.
"You guys are…ugh, ahhh!!!" The irritable man's furious yell was cut short as two people rushed at him, stabbing him wildly with daggers.
Horatio felt warm, slick liquid splash onto his cheek.
—Blood.
Horatio's blue eyes flickered to the right, where the helmet visor of the escort guard had a bloody hole shot through it by a heavy bullet, a gruesome sight.
To his left, the irritable man who had just been venting his temper at him now had a chest so mangled it was a bloody mess.
"Cough, ugh…" He slumped onto Horatio, his eyes fixed on him, filled with shock and terror, only able to squeeze out gurgling sounds blocked by blood bubbles from his throat.
After the horrifying stare, Horatio couldn't help but shiver. The heavy body pressing on him made him extremely uncomfortable, and he instinctively elbowed the irritable man, who then slumped onto the row of seats.
Soon after, black-red blood flowed onto the ground, staining the soles of his shoes.
"You are rebelling! Let me go! Get lost!" The Female Hunter-Duke, being attacked by several people, screamed.
Just as Horatio thought of getting up to do something, a knife was pressed against his pale neck.
"Behave yourself, or I'll kill you."
A burly man with a scarred face, wearing a Hive City Law Enforcement uniform, pressed Horatio onto the seat with his knee. Horatio could feel the blade at his neck exerting slight pressure.
The blade scratched Horatio's neck. The scarred man smiled maliciously, enjoying the thrill of intimidation.
Horatio pressed his lips together, his molars clenched tight.
The situation was dire, but rushing into conflict without even his handcuffs removed would surely come at a heavy price.
After weighing the pros and cons, Horatio decided to endure for now, so he silently lowered his head, feigning submission.
The scarred man smugly spat on Horatio's face, completely oblivious to the extreme coldness in Horatio's eyes.
Thud! A dull sound interrupted the scarred man's 'enjoyment'.
Though the Female Hunter-Duke was a woman, with her prior warning and superb combat skills, she was at one point no less capable than a man, preventing the Evil Cultists from subduing her for a long time.
With an over-the-shoulder throw, she slammed the Hanzi who had grabbed her arm to the ground, then twisted his arm with a snap.
A shrill scream echoed in the carriage. Seeing that she had some tricks up her sleeve, everyone swarmed the Female Hunter-Duke, determined to overwhelm her with sheer numbers.
The injured man lay in a pool of blood, writhing on the ground, clutching his broken arm, and unknowingly rolled to Horatio's feet.
He looked coldly at the Evil Cultist disguised as a Hive City Law Enforcement officer, his face revealing clear murderous intent.
Not only had he accumulated a belly full of hatred for the scarred man's actions just now, but through the original owner's memories, he remembered every debt these guys owed him.
Rape, plunder, murder, cannibalism, harming children—he had been captured while trying to stop their evil rituals.
The Labor Gang, once seen as a beacon of hope by the port workers, had collapsed after losing its leader, and no one was left to speak for them.
The poor were once again reduced to tools for exploitation, ruthlessly squeezed, without any security, working extremely dangerous two-shift jobs in the port freight area every day.
What made him grit his teeth the most was that he had climbed from the Lower Hive to the Middle Hive with his life on the line.
Just when life was finally getting a little better, in the blink of an eye, all his efforts, every single detail vivid in his memory, were not only ruined, but now even his most basic life was hard to preserve.
And the clues to his identity, which he had painstakingly investigated for five years in the port area and was close to uncovering, were cut off the moment he was imprisoned.
It was all these guys' fault…!
Horatio's molars ground together, making a grating sound. The unstoppable fury made every breath scorching hot.
Taking advantage of everyone's attention being focused on subduing the Female Hunter-Duke, he stomped his foot on the cultist's helmet.
Crack! Thud!—
The shattered edge of the fiberglass visor, like a sharp blade that could peel skin like paper, plunged straight into the man's face under Horatio's powerful stomp.
Before the injured man could cry out, Horatio immediately stomped his foot on his throat.
Snap!—
Like stepping on an egg, the neck beneath his foot instantly turned into dislocated, shattered bone and skin, the entire cervical spine grotesquely stomped into a distorted arc by the powerful brute force.
The speed was so swift that the man died on the spot without a sound, unable to even let out a whimper.
Horatio, who had been holding back his frustration for a long time, finally let out a slight breath. After a while, he belatedly realized he had killed a scoundrel.
He blinked his dry eyes, his mouth slightly agape, his parched throat involuntarily swallowed. His gaze at the corpse shifted from cold to incredulous, his right eyelid twitched incessantly, and his breathing gradually became rapid.
[Is this my instinct?] Horatio felt awe for the killing instinct honed by this body's long-term training in the Lower Hive.
He bit his lip, quickly adjusting his thoughts.
A metallic taste of rust permeated his bitter, bland mouth, awakening some dormant taste buds and helping him calm down quickly.
[These guys are Evil Cultists, doing all sorts of heinous things.]
[The knife is already at my throat, what is there to hesitate about?]
[The ones turning cold on the ground can only be them, not me!]
Horatio constantly worked on his mindset in his mind, using the psychological suggestion methods he learned in his previous life.
This is a world of extreme darkness.
Killing or being killed is the only iron rule of this world.
There is no mercy, no pity, only adaptation.
Soon, Horatio's eyes opened again, with a hint of determination.
Hum—
The ethereal sound rang out again, and Horatio, with a jolt, subtly straightened his posture, discreetly scanning his surroundings with his eyes, realizing that only he seemed to be able to hear it.
Horatio closed his eyes and found a few small sparks floating into that 'experience bar'.
It was at this moment that he realized that the so-called 'experience' was actually Soulfire!
Before he transmigrated, it was around New Year's, and with nothing to do, he had used a pink software to get a general overview of a lot of lore and translation court settings, and even bought a few sets of Blood Angels and Battle Sisters miniatures, so he had a relatively complete understanding of the Warhammer world.
He remembered that in this world, although people's bodies were in the physical universe, their souls had projections like flames in the Warp.
This was 'Soulfire'.
These flames varied in size, and a portion of individuals who could connect to the Warp with their psychic power were called Psykers.
This was both a blessing and a curse.
High-level Psykers could use powerful and terrifying abilities, but the Warp was perilous everywhere.
Once these talents were used, there was a chance of being dominated by the malevolent entities within the Warp, becoming a gateway connecting the Warp to the real world.
However, Horatio was not worried about this problem.
When the original owner entered the orphanage in the Lower Hive back then, he was tested and found not to be a Psyker, so he wasn't worried about being captured by the Black Ship, nor was he worried about being thrown into the Astronomican to be burned as fuel.
'+ Soulfire: 10 / 10 +'
The Soulfire slot slowly filled up, emitting a golden glow that converged onto the talent tree.
'+ Activatable Functions +'
'+ Soulfire: 0 / 20 +'
In an instant, the previously mostly dim talent tree suddenly showed several continuously flickering light circles at its very bottom, as if beckoning Horatio to choose.
Horatio's sharp eyebrows furrowed, then relaxed, as he quickly scanned the skills he could activate.
'+ machine soul Favor: Consumes one energy slot. Any medium or low-level machine soul carrier handled will delight the machine soul. Passive: Gain knowledge acquisition efficiency beyond ordinary people. +'
'+ Psyker Harmonization: Consumes one energy slot. Can manipulate and utilize all medium and low-level psychic powers within a 25-meter radius for a period of time, while increasing (Psykers) or decreasing (Soulless) corruption by two levels. Passive: 'Dark Hand' slowly recharges itself in a psychic environment, 4 hours/slot. +'
'+ Power Fist: Consumes one energy slot. Overloads the prosthetic power system for a period of time. Passive: Activates the prosthetic power system, increasing strength. +'
[I want them all… ]
Horatio couldn't make up his mind, and his thoughts were interrupted by a cry of pain.
"Hiss, ugh, you Evil Cultists, I am a noble! Daughter of a legendary Imperial Navy Lieutenant Commander! I will handcuff you to a ramming prow! I'll have you smashed to dust by meteorites in the void!"
The Female Hunter-Duke was being held tightly from behind, and her customized rifle clattered to the ground.
As she struggled, facing the approaching enemies, she stomped her foot, then leaped up, kicking the scarred man hard in the groin, but she was immediately body-slammed to the ground in turn.
"Ow, ah!" The scarred man covered his groin and hopped back a few steps, but soon, the pain turned into rage.
His eyes red, he ignored the pain and leaped onto the girl.
Slap!
"Ah!" A heavy, crisp slapping sound accompanied by the girl's sharp scream pierced Horatio's eardrums.
The Female Hunter-Duke's headgear was flung off, and her light golden hair cascaded like a waterfall. The alluring scent of night-blooming jasmine instantly wafted, stirring hearts.
She looked very young, perhaps only sixteen or seventeen years old, with delicate and pretty features, a beautiful forehead and eyebrows, and a heartbreaking red mark on her round, fair cheeks.
Her pair of sparkling, emerald-green almond eyes were filled with disbelief, and glistening tears welled at the corners, but she refused to let them fall.
"You little slut, what noble! What daughter of a Lieutenant Commander! Hahahaha, watch me screw you over today!" The scarred man roared, his eyes wide with fury, shamelessly and boldly.
The knife in his hand forcibly pried open the Female Hunter-Duke's armor buckles, tearing open her breastplate, her ample bosom surging forth, almost spilling out after being freed from the tight combat suit.
Beep beep beep—the communicator buzzed.
"How is the situation?"
A deep, greasy voice came from the communicator. Horatio pricked up his ears, trying his best to catch the message amidst the noise and screams.
"Everything is going smoothly, Chief Priest. We have control of the two sacrifices," one of the disguised men replied.
"Very good. Bring him here as soon as possible; he's important ritual material, don't injure him! As for the woman, just keep her alive, but she absolutely cannot be a virgin!"
"Hehehe. Yes, sir!"
The disguised man cackled, his shifty eyes glaring at Horatio. Seeing that Horatio was still sitting obediently in his seat, he turned his gaze, full of lewdness, directly to the Female Hunter-Duke, whose modesty was exposed, completely ignoring his fellow cultist brother lying in the bloodstains.
Beep—communication cut off.
"Did you hear what the Chief Priest said? Line up, one by one!"
Everyone watching swallowed hard. To them, a noble girl was a white swan they could never touch in their lives, let alone such an exquisite beauty, so they all joined in the atrocity.
"…"
Horatio watched the thugs' despicable actions with cold eyes.
Now their guard was down, which was the best moment he had been waiting for to strike back.
[It's time to settle this score… ]
The combined wrath of his true self and his body's instincts was turning into an uncontrollable fire, surging up like erupting magma.
'+ Activating Power Fist… 1% +'
A flowing beam of light slowly spread from the palm of the bionic limb to the entire prosthesis.
The scarred man, astride the Female Hunter-Duke, snorted and laughed like a boar, pulling and tearing relentlessly.
"Get off me! Help! Ah!" The Female Hunter-Duke screamed, fighting back desperately.
But how could she be a match for so many burly men? She was quickly subdued by their brute force, her hands and feet seized, and she was handcuffed behind her back in an extremely humiliating posture, forcibly pressed to the ground.
Her armor was torn apart, and her collar ripped open, revealing large expanses of alabaster-white skin.
'+ Activating Power Fist… 55% +'
The alloy handcuffs on Horatio's bionic limb groaned and began to crack.
"I'll go first!" The scarred man impatiently pushed the others aside.
Her final cry for help received no response.
The Female Hunter-Duke's heart turned to ash, and tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes.
Mother, I'm sorry, I can't avenge you anymore…
Father, I'm sorry, I've failed your expectations…
But I will never be defiled by these scum…
May the Emperor redeem my soul…
She placed her tongue between her pearly teeth.
"I will forever pledge allegiance to the Dark Prince, the Lord of Excess, the Master of Pleasure! Woohoo!" The scarred man yelled like a monkey in heat, intending to commit the atrocity.
Although this young woman was overbearing and harsh, as an enforcer, she was quite diligent.
[I can't wait any longer, I have to help her.]
Horatio saw that his handcuffs were about to come off and decided to move his plan up slightly, otherwise the Female Hunter-Duke would suffer a terrible fate.
"Tsk! How shameless, so many men ganging up on one girl. Even the Dark Prince would be ashamed of you."
Before the scarred man could make another move, he was interrupted by the rebuke, like a bucket of cold water dumped on his head, dampening his mood.
Everyone turned their heads in unison to the source of the voice.
"What the hell are you babbling about, you bastard!" The scarred man roughly flung the Female Hunter-Duke's long leg aside, clenched his fist, and charged straight at Horatio.
"I said…"
Horatio sneered, rising from his seat.
He stretched his somewhat stiff neck, calmly taunting:
"Even your effeminate master, who looks neither human nor ghost, is ashamed of you."
The scarred man, much taller than Horatio, slammed the kneepad he had torn from the Female Hunter-Duke's leg onto the ground. Veins bulged on his forehead, face, and arms.
"I'm going to smash your pretty boy face in today, you bastard!"
The burly man cursed and swung his fist, charging straight for Horatio's face.
'+ Activating Power Fist… 99% +'
The alloy handcuffs on the bionic limb disintegrated, scattering onto the ground…
Warmest congratulations on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Ancient Terra People's Navy!