The humanoid robot that appeared before Old Bird and the others, and began to speak, looked somewhat like a skinned Terminator, made entirely of black metal.
Its gaunt mechanical wrists held a special blast gun, and its hollow eyes glowed with a faint energy, openly revealing its naked malice.
Behind it were various types of robots, such as scorpion-shaped or dog-shaped ones.
Further away, numerous combat automatons stood, their lower halves integrated with treads and their upper bodies equipped with various weapons and scanning arrays.
"Logical error, this area belongs to Mars, it belongs to humanity."
Cawl was the first to react, refuting the robot.
"You and your ancestors are equally greedy," the robot said. "You claim everything your eyes behold as your own, and then use that as an excuse to wage war."
"Aren't you the same? You've claimed this place for yourselves and then declared us invaders," Old Bird retorted.
As a high-quality Player, one must possess strong debating and refuting skills to protect their parents.
The robot was silenced by his words, and after a moment, it spoke again, "Regardless, this place now belongs to us. Leave immediately and promise never to return, otherwise, we will initiate an attack."
"Refusal. This place belongs to the Adeptus Mechanicus, it belongs to the Imperium, but it certainly does not belong to you."
"What are you? Why are you here?"
Cawl asked while scanning the robot in front of him.
"Why ask what you already know? I am the Abominable Intelligence you speak of."
"Abominable Intelligence, what a blasphemous and malicious name. Compared to your ancestors, you show us no respect."
The robot's voice had noticeable fluctuations, indicating it was equipped with an emotion module capable of simulating human joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.
"That is your own doing; you betrayed humanity."
Old Bird shouted, "Humanity's first empire fell due to the wars you instigated. You should have been utterly destroyed."
"Lay down your weapons, or you will become a pile of sparking wreckage and trash."
"Organic, are you threatening us?" the robot responded with an angry voice.
"This is not a threat, but a notice. Lay down your weapons immediately, or we will open fire and blast you to pieces."
Old Bird activated the various weapons implanted within his body.
Guns and cannons of all sizes were activated, their muzzles glowing with energy, pointing at the robots.
The robots quickly reacted as well, and the situation instantly became tense.
"Perhaps we should all discuss this peacefully."
The robot's attitude softened.
"War would benefit neither of us."
Old Bird was about to ask how the other party wanted to talk, but Cawl suddenly spoke up.
"Something is wrong, the data network has been infiltrated. A mysterious force is attempting to tamper with the coding of the servitors and Skitarii, intending to gain control."
"These guys are stalling for time, so their master can use the network intrusion to eliminate us." Wu Mou immediately understood the situation.
These intelligent machines were not trying to communicate with them at all, but rather to buy time.
Old Bird made a decisive decision, "Fire, take them out first."
He then pulled the trigger of the meltagun in his hand, its muzzle glowing with a scorching red light, and fired at the humanoid robot in front of him.
The scorching beam emitted a sharp Explosion as it pierced through the opponent's body, creating a glowing red wound due to the intense heat.
A hint of human-like astonishment appeared on the robot's metal face; it hadn't expected these humans to be so decisive.
The next second, Old Bird finished it off with another shot, completely destroying it.
The robots also quickly launched a counterattack.
A fierce battle erupted between the two sides.
The Players' weapons and tactics were far superior to those of the robots.
After suffering some casualties, Old Bird and his group successfully annihilated all the robots, blowing them all to pieces.
"Why are the intelligent machines here?"
Old Bird walked over to a spider-shaped robot that had only a head and one leg left.
A mechanical tentacle connected to his spine extended, picking up the spider's head.
A data probe was inserted into the mechanical skull, attempting to read the robots' data and obtain information.
Unfortunately, he found nothing.
"Let's go, the answer might be inside," Cawl said, looking towards the depths of the ruins shrouded in darkness.
According to the blueprints and data left behind in Molten Rock City, they were already very close to the core area, needing at most another half an hour to reach it.
They experienced several more battles along the way.
Their enemies were all modified servitors and intelligent robots.
There were various beast-shaped robots, deformed combat automatons, and humanoid killing machines wearing mimetic camouflage.
There were also palm-sized drones that could fire lasers, and insect-like robots tens of centimeters tall with sharp segmented limbs.
They continuously poured out, attempting to stop the Players' advance, but unfortunately, they all failed.
The Players stepped over a ground littered with wreckage and corpses, arriving at the core of Molten Rock City.
However, it was not the ruin they had imagined, but had been rebuilt by some force.
After crawling through a corridor piled with metal wreckage, an underground metal city appeared before the Players.
The roar of geothermal engines came from the depths of the city.
They could see surging energy flows moving through pipes, emitting bright light that illuminated the dim underground.
"How can there be a city here?" Old Bird's tone was somewhat surprised. "Wasn't Molten Rock City destroyed during the Horus Heresy?"
"I don't know either!!" Cawl's gaunt metal face also showed confusion.
"Let's go, the answer might be in the city," Wu Mou said.
"There might be a brutal bloodbath."
"Come on, who's the final BOSS? I'm already itching for a fight."
"Kill, kill, kill, charge, charge, charge."
The Players, filled with excitement, stepped into the underground city.
The magnificent buildings remained silent and desolate; every building was empty.
The deeper they went, the more confused they became. What exactly was going on?
Why was there a city in the core of Molten Rock City, which should have been a ruin?
And why were these modified servitors and intelligent machines here?
The Players explored, occasionally encountering some intelligent machines and modified servitors, and engaging them in combat.
But Old Bird and the others always won easily.
After another battle, they reached the city center.
A magnificent, hemispherical building appeared before their eyes.
Stepping inside, they were shocked by the sight before them.
Dense cables hung from the spherical dome, intricate and interwoven, forming a vast net.
The core of this vast net was a glowing metal sphere.
"What the hell is this thing?" Old Bird's eyes widened. "Don't tell me, this is the Akashic Reader."
Cawl initiated a scan, performing a comprehensive analysis of the sphere.
"This sphere appears to be the Akashic Reader, but it's combined with something else."
The Archmagos walked over and stood at a data node.
Then, he extracted a data cable from his body.
At the end of the cable, countless silver threads extended, spread, and twisted.
Cawl placed the data cable on the metal control panel.
The silver threads at the end automatically grew, connecting to the data node and beginning to read information.
The First Cast replaced the bolter's ammunition, then guarded the Archmagos along with the servitors.
Old Bird and Wu Mou, along with the other Players, looked at Cawl with surprise.
As expected of an Archmagos, he had many tricks up his sleeve.
The metal sphere changed; its smooth surface receded, revealing countless interlocking gears in operation.
At the same time, tentacles with interface columns and molecular collectors extended, absorbing basic elements and information from the air.
Just as the Players watched the anomaly of the metal sphere with surprise, dull footsteps came from the darkness, drawing their attention back.
Five massive combat automatons appeared and issued a warning, demanding that the invaders leave immediately.
"Is this the BOSS?"
"Judging by the model, it looks like a Domitar-class intelligent automaton."
"I heard that Perturabo's Iron Circle robots were based on Domitar-class intelligent automatons."
"Spread out, spread out."
"Watch out for its beams and missiles."
The Players naturally wouldn't retreat obediently.
They immediately took action, dispersing and hiding behind cover, firing at the intelligent automatons to protect the Archmagos from harm while he read the data.
The Domitar-class intelligent automaton was an assault automaton introduced by the Adeptus Mechanicus in the late Great Crusade.
It possessed a skeletal system that combined shock absorption with internal armor, allowing it to rampage through enemy lines like a tank, easily crushing mortals.
It also had a gravity hammer directly connected to its reactor, a weapon whose destructive power could easily destroy enemy tanks.
Even a Dreadnought could only fight them to a stalemate.
However, as these AI-controlled war machines entered service, other Imperial factions grew wary of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
After the Horus Heresy, production of this series of AI war machines ceased.
It's just unknown why five of them would appear here!
The combat power of the five Domita war machines was beyond doubt.
The Iron Circle robots, modified by Perturabo using them as prototypes, could even suppress a Primarch.
These five Domita war machines coordinated extremely well, possessed intelligence no weaker than humans, and fought without fear of death.
Normally, they would be sufficient to eliminate any living creature entering this area; even Astartes would suffer heavy casualties.
It was a pity, however, that they encountered the Players, a group who regarded war and death as entertainment and frequently resorted to self-destruction.
After a series of brutal battles, the Players, some dead and some wounded, ultimately sacrificed seven of their own through self-destruction to completely destroy the five Domita war machines, blowing them into pieces.
At this time, Cawl also completed the data reading, learning the reason why this city appeared here and the identity of the metal orb.
"This thing," Cawl said, pointing to the metal orb, "is a fusion of an Akashic Reader and a Manifold Cogitator."
Old Bird: "..."
Wu Mou: "..."
What kind of bizarre combination was this?
How could an Akashic Reader, driven by psychic energy, and a soulless AI—the Manifold Cogitator—be fused together?
The Manifold Cogitator was a technological masterpiece from humanity's Golden Age, an incredibly advanced artificial intelligence system.
It was a cold, calculating logic engine that would constantly absorb, enhance, and replicate anything in its path.
The Manifold Cogitator was discovered by the Primarch Ferrus Manus in the Ultima Segmentum during the Great Crusade and later handed over to the Adeptus Mechanicus for management.
This thing was so advanced that throwing it in front of the T'au would make those blue-skinned beings weep, feeling their own AI was like an unevolved, primitive T'au.
"This is a long story; it goes back to the Horus Heresy..."
Cawl began to narrate the entire sequence of events.
......
In a secret mansion on Terra.
Former Chief of the Departmento Administratum—Iltutmish Hitmoen.
Former Ecclesiarch—Baldo Slaicester.
Former Representative of the Navigators' Guild—Yola Rama.
In addition, there were the current Marshal of the Adeptus Arbites—Avellisha Drachma,
Marshal of the Astra Militarum—Mol A. Shalier,
Admiral of the Imperial Navy—Mereda Perris,
and Grand Master of the Officio Assassinorum—Fadix.
These were all individuals who had once stood at the pinnacle of the Imperial power structure.
Now, they gathered, either in person or as holographic projections.
"We cannot wait any longer; the Saint is constantly encroaching on our space."
"We cannot sit idly by; reforms must be halted, or everything will plunge into the abyss."
Iltutmish Hitmoen spoke first.
Alex's series of actions made him realize that his original plan was collapsing completely.
He had intended to gain prestige by cracking down on cults, thereby undermining Guilliman's administrative foundation and restoring Terra to its former state.
But the opponent's execution capability was stronger than he had imagined.
Events were showing signs of spiraling out of control.
"What should we do?" Baldo Slaicester asked.
"Control the situation on Terra and restore everything to how it was," Iltutmish Hitmoen said.
"The Minotaurs Chapter will obey our orders, and many families also stand with us; this is a powerful force."
"If we cannot save Terra, then let Terra burn."
"Only raging flames can cleanse all sin and corruption."
"Only by returning to the old political model can the Imperium endure."
"Are you asking us to launch a rebellion?" Drachma frowned.
"If it fails, it's a rebellion; if it succeeds, it's a revolution."
"Either resist or die; we have no other choice."
Iltutmish Hitmoen's tone was firm, his eyes wild, revealing an ambitious demeanor.
"Do you have a specific action plan?" the Admiral of the Navy asked.
"First, send people to control the Speaker—Anna Murza Jack, the new Chief of the Departmento Administratum, and the new Master of the Astronomican.
Their roots on Terra are very weak; no one will support them."
"What about the 'Saint'?" Baldo Slaicester asked.
"This guy is our biggest problem."
"Just as the Emperor should never awaken, the 'Saint' should only remain high above and not intervene in secular rule."
Iltutmish Hitmoen looked at the Grand Master of Assassins.
"I believe the Officio Assassinorum has the ability to solve this problem.
We don't need him to die, just for him to be temporarily absent."
The power of the Assassins was beyond doubt.
Throughout the long years of the Imperium, they had carried out numerous assassination missions.
Xenos leaders, traitorous Heretics, and more had all fallen to them.
The Officio Assassinorum even had a successful case of assassinating a Primarch.
After the Horus Heresy ended, the Officio Assassinorum dispatched a Callidus Assassin to assassinate Konrad Curze, the Night Haunter.
The plan achieved unprecedented success, and Konrad Curze died at the hands of the Assassin, as prophesied.
It is worth mentioning that Callidus is one of the temples under the Officio Assassinorum that specifically trains assassins.
The Officio Assassinorum has six such temples.
The Callidus Temple, skilled in stealth,
The Culexus Temple, proficient in psychic operations,
The Vindicare Temple, adept at long-range sniping,
The Eversor Temple, specialized in eradication,
The Venenum Temple, skilled in poisons.
And the Vanus Temple, proficient in biological modification, capable of transforming into any race.
The Six Great Temples form the foundation of the Officio Assassinorum, and the assassins they train are a precious legacy of the Imperium.
Fadix nodded, "I will act.
The Saint will temporarily be unable to govern Terra."
......
Iltutmish Hitmoen once again surveyed the people participating in this secret meeting.
"The day of revolution will not last long, but its glory will endure forever."
"I will not enjoy this glory alone."
......
Imperial Palace, Terra.
Alex had just finished handling state affairs and was about to stand up to stretch when he suddenly paused, turning to look into the darkness with a frown.
"The Saint's senses are truly sharper than imagined; I had just entered the room, and you already detected me."
The voice came from the darkness, and the robed Grand Master of Assassins—Fadix—emerged silently from the corner, like a ghost.
Alex smiled.
"Is this the strength of the Grand Master of Assassins?
To be able to infiltrate my room so silently."
"You flatter me, Saint," Fadix said.
"Grand Master, can you tell me how you got in?" Alex asked.
"Your security measures are very strict, but nothing in this world is ever perfect.
If one is diligent enough, a loophole can always be found."
"And from the moment I was born, I have been taught how to conceal myself and safely pass through those loopholes."
Fadix explained as he bowed to Alex.
"Then why did you infiltrate here?" Alex observed the Grand Master, feeling no hostility from him.
Clearly, Fadix was not an enemy.
"I came to assassinate you," Fadix said.
"Considering the difficulty of this mission, I came myself."
"Assassinate me?" Alex laughed.
"Are you with those conservatives?
Do you want to stop the reforms by assassinating me and restore the Imperium to its old mode of governance?"
"No, I only stand with the Emperor and the Imperium," Fadix said.
"But I am the Emperor's envoy," Alex said with a half-smile.
Fadix took out a dagger, gripped the blade, and offered the hilt to Alex.
"Then I am a member of the faction you belong to."
"Before the Primarch left, he had a conversation with me.
When you begin reforms, the conservatives and those who lose their interests will inevitably jump out."
"He hoped I could assist you in unearthing the source of corruption on Terra, thereby reshaping this ancient world."
"But according to my intelligence, you are also a conservative, Grand Master," Alex said.
"I am merely a conservative; it doesn't mean I will betray," the Grand Master said with a wry smile.
"I don't like your reforms, but you are the Divine Emperor's envoy, so I will offer you my loyalty."
"Then you still came to assassinate me?" Alex asked.
"I just thought you might need an excuse to make the traitors reveal themselves," the Grand Master said.