"This thing, let's give it as a reward to the Players."
"At this stage, many Players have completed their Primaris upgrade. In a while, they should be able to advance to become the strongest humans, like the Imperial Guard Commander."
Alex looked at the Life Rank Fragment in his hand.
Because of his binding with Cortana,
Alex did not need Life Rank Fragments to enhance his strength.
Leaving them for the Players was the most cost-effective choice.
The Players, as the Fourth Scourge, were Alex's most important card.
Tasks that other Imperial troops could not complete, Players could.
Sacrifices that other Imperial heroes could not make, Players could.
This was the weight of the Fourth Scourge.
The stronger the Players, the more things Alex could have them do.
It was useless for him to be strong alone.
With so many planets in the galaxy, and so many things happening every day, he couldn't keep track of it all.
Even powerful entities like the Chaos Gods needed a host of demons to do their bidding.
He, a mere Living Saint, naturally needed loyal and capable subordinates even more.
Alex put the Life Rank Fragment into his dimensional space.
He planned to take it out after the Players completed their third promotion, as material for their fourth promotion.
By then, after absorbing the Rank Fragment and completing their fourth promotion, the Players' abilities would also be comprehensively upgraded.
Punching Khorne and kicking Tzeentch would no longer be a dream.
After reviewing the rewards, Alex turned his attention back to the current state of the Imperium.
With the popularization of the internet, many government affairs were handled online.
Of course, high-level decisions still required written documents as evidence.
Alex opened his data device, connecting the Imperial government network to his mind.
A torrent of data poured into his mind, and a vast information network unfolded in a unique vision.
From the Imperial Palace extending to the wilderness of the city, and then to the magnificent cities in the void, a unique information network was formed.
It was somewhat like the map in Cyberpunk 2077, where each area had marked light spots, and clicking on them would show what was happening locally.
Alex used his extraordinary mind to simultaneously receive information data submitted by various administrative nodes, thereby quickly grasping the current situation of the Imperium.
The victory of Ghomorra injected a shot in the arm for the populace, with an atmosphere of celebration everywhere, rising consumer economy and cohesion.
Even the production efficiency of factories increased by several percentage points,
which further accelerated the already rapidly growing total Imperial economy.
Of course, the current economic development of the Imperium was no miracle; it was merely returning to the level a stellar civilization should have.
The total industrial output value was also increasing, and the Imperial military strength and living standards were improving at a visible rate.
The speed of development made many people feel as if they had lived through an era.
The Imperium of Man a year ago and the Imperium of Man today could not even be compared.
Just as he finished reviewing the government affairs for this period, Cortana appeared before Alex.
"Master, Roskafle of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Prime Minister Jack are waiting outside. They have requested a meeting."
"Let them in," Alex said without lifting his head.
Soon, Roskaffler and Jack, dressed in formal work attire and wearing golden Aquila necklaces, walked in.
They bowed to Alex, showing their loyalty.
Although they were women, they were among the most powerful individuals in the Imperium.
A single signed document from them could instantly wipe out a powerful family tens of thousands of light-years away.
"Is there something urgent you need to discuss?" Alex didn't look up, still immersed in the data sea.
"It's about the Imperial Bank's loan limit," Roskaffler paused before continuing.
"The first batch of war bonds issued is due in half a month. The interest alone requires forty trillion, plus the principal. The Ministry of Internal Affairs cannot produce this money now."
"No money left?" Alex temporarily interrupted the data flow, looking up at Roskafle, "The Imperium is so vast, can't it even produce this much money?"
"Under such high-pressure anti-corruption efforts, are there still people who dare to commit crimes against the wind?"
Roskaffler hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's not a corruption issue, but rather that all funds already have designated uses. To repay this money, we would have to find a way to cut some projects."
"I have already cut some unnecessary government expenditures, but it is still not enough, so I plan to suspend or postpone some projects."
"Most of the projects are led by you and the Primarch, so we would like to ask which projects you want to cut?"
"The Prime Minister and I suggest suspending the Webway repair project. At this stage, with the guidance of lighthouses, Warp travel is also very safe."
Hearing Roskafle's words, Alex shook his head.
"The Webway repair project absolutely cannot be cut. It is crucial for the Imperium's military operations and trade navigation."
"If the Webway can be activated, the Imperium's travel efficiency will increase by twofold, or even more."
Alex paced back and forth, pondering for a long time before speaking again.
"Have the Imperial Bank issue a new round of war bonds, but this time the interest will only be half of the previous round. Use the borrowed money to repay the maturing bonds from the previous batch first."
Roskafle and Jack exchanged glances.
Then, Jack, as the Prime Minister of the Imperium, stepped forward.
"Saint, if we continue to borrow like this, it will be a huge hidden danger for the future economic situation of the Imperium."
"Cutting some projects and restarting them when the economy is more relaxed later is also a wise choice."
Alex smiled, not agreeing with the Prime Minister of the Imperium.
"The Imperium is still in a period of rapid development. The enormous economic value generated by the application of various new technologies has not yet been fully exploited."
"As the Imperium continuously reclaims lost territories, the total economic and industrial output will further increase, and debt will be diluted as the total economy grows."
"As long as we keep pushing the Imperium forward, this amount of debt is not a problem at all."
They even opened a bank, and they're still short on money?
Isn't that a joke?
Do they really think equipping the Imperial Bank with nuclear-powered money printers is just for show?
To take a step back, if they really can't pay it back, they'll definitely just print money.
What economic inflation, what massive liquidity injection, none of that has even been put into effect yet!!
Short on money? Short on what money??
Hearing the Living Saint's words, Roskafle and Jack exchanged glances and did not discuss the matter further.
Since the Living Saint had decided to continue borrowing, they couldn't sing a different tune.
"The other matter is how to deal with the recovered remains of Imperial heroes?" Jack asked.
Alex pondered for a moment and then made a decision.
"Hold a state funeral of the highest Specification, and designate an area near the Imperial Palace specifically for the interment of heroes' remains, establishing a monument forest of heroes."
Move the populace out and rebuild Terra, turning it into a beautiful paradise world.
At that time, being buried on Terra will be the highest reward for those who died for the nation, which will help further inspire the morale of the soldiers.
Terra will become a true human holy land.
On the official Warhammer OL website in Reality,
the question of how to assassinate the Emperor was at the top of the hot search list.
At first, everyone was just joking and memeing.
For example, recruiting Marbo and telling him that by killing the Emperor, the Emperor could be reborn.
Searching for the brave and invincible Smurf troops in the Five Hundred Worlds.
Borrowing a Anywhere Door from Doraemon.
Having Lu Mingfei fight him one-on-one.
Asking the official to provide a One-Punch Man or Saiyan template to kill the Emperor with one punch.
Until some imaginative individuals entered the scene, seriously discussing how to assassinate the Emperor.
The discussion then took on a more serious tone.
Netizens proposed various wild ideas:
Using Necron phase-shifting technology, jumping in segments directly into the Throne Room.
Referencing the Harlequin Troupe during the War of the Beast, seeking guidance from the Ark Eldar prophet Eldrad.
Carrying a Cyclonic Torpedo and detonating it directly once the Throne Room is confirmed to be within the blast radius.
Asking Trazyn the Infinite for the Stellar Map, then detonating the sun.
Retrieving the Death Feather Quill from the Blood Angels' secret vault and writing the Emperor's true name.
Learning the secret art of curses from the Chaos Gods in the Warp.
Immediately becoming a disciple of Tzeentch to learn psychic great magic, then fighting through Terra. The netizens' ideas were truly imaginative.
Players eligible to participate in the Blood Game scrolled through the comment section.
Although many plans were bizarre and impractical, Players could still gain inspiration.
The ultimate goal of assassinating the Emperor was to make the Emperor die.
As long as this goal was achieved, the process didn't matter.
The method of carrying a Cyclonic Torpedo was also feasible.
The problem was that the Cyclonic Torpedo was too large and would be intercepted before it could be teleported in, and the Imperial Palace's shields were strong enough to withstand planet-killing strikes.
The Players of the Emperor Niuma Battle Group also went through multiple rounds of discussions.
They formulated an assassination plan that involved an overt strategy while secretly doing something else.
And began to procure the corresponding equipment and draw maps of the Terra Imperial Palace.
However, they did not rush to initiate the Blood Game. Instead, they chose to experience a day as Imperial Guard Commanders first,
and used this day to collect as much information about the Imperial Guard Commander as possible.
And Senior General Tura and other Imperial Guard Commanders were also observing them, guessing what methods they would use for the Blood Game.
Even before it officially began, both sides were already clashing on a psychological level, using false information to mislead each other.
The first to initiate the Blood Game was the Hammer and Sickle Battle Group.
Little Fatty, as the leading Player, purchased the latest small mechs developed by Dora Workshop.
Each of these small mechs was over five meters tall.
They possessed incredibly strong energy shields and advanced firepower systems, and could also perform short-range jumps.
Little Fatty and the other Players' assassination method was simple and brutal.
First, they used a spatiotemporal teleportation device to enter the Imperial Palace.
They summoned mechs from their personal storage.
Then, they controlled the mechs to charge wildly towards the Throne Room.
And surprisingly, while simple and brutal, this approach was extremely effective.
The more complex the plan, the more loopholes it had.
The simpler the plan, the smoother it went.
Relying on powerful firepower and shields, Little Fatty and the other Players charged straight through, "killing" many Imperial Guard Commanders along the way.
What was frustrating was that these God Chosen even had backup mechs.
After finally destroying the mechs they controlled, they would immediately summon another one from their inventory.
The Imperial Guard Commanders led by Senior General Tura also had formidable combat power.
As soon as the alarm for Little Fatty and the other Players sounded, they quickly sprang into action.
Under their pursuit and wild firepower, one mech after another was blown up.
Finally, when only a few dozen meters remained from the Throne Room,
Little Fatty's mech was also paralyzed, ultimately failing at the last hurdle.
"Just a little bit more."
When he was dragged out of the mech by the Imperial Guard, Little Fatty's face was filled with regret.
Now he understood how Abaddon must have felt looking at the Imperial Palace, just one last step, yet ultimately failing.
Senior General Tura and the Imperial Guard, led by him, broke out in a cold sweat.
Goodness, it was only a few dozen meters away.
At the speed of the mech, it would have taken less than a second.
Their ability to stop the opponent in time was purely luck.
With even a slight deviation, the God Chosen could have rushed into the Throne Room, declaring their failure.
"Perhaps it's time for the Imperial Guard's combat methods and equipment to change."
A thought of seeking reform appeared in Senior General Tura's mind.
The equipment and technology used by the Imperial Guard were from the 30k era; since the Emperor sat on the Golden Throne, there had been no innovation.
However, these God Chosen had entirely new equipment.
With shields, Warp jumps, and temporal force fields, various powerful functions were dazzling.
If this trend continued,
the Imperial Guard would sooner or later be rubbed into the ground by the God Chosen with their technological equipment.
The Hammer and Sickle Battle Group failed.
Later, several other Battle Groups initiated the Blood Game, and without exception, they all failed.
The Imperial Guard learned new experiences from each Blood Game,
continuously setting up several new defense lines,
and also increasing their anti-mech weaponry; Player groups attempting to replicate the Hammer and Sickle Battle Group's tactics were easily dealt with by the prepared Imperial Guard.
In the end, only the Emperor Niuma Battle Group remained.
Warmaster, Tenjiro, and other Players underwent special training for the Blood Game.
They collected information on every Imperial Guard and used Cortana's computing power to establish a virtual simulation game.
The Players were all dumbfounded,
this game was so real that it could create a game,
but the virtual game created was far less realistic than Warhammer OL, so it seemed the idea of 'box stacking' didn't exist.
Otherwise, if a game created a game, and then a game within that game created another game, after a few iterations, Players might not be able to distinguish between the game and Reality.
After careful consideration, the Players of the Emperor Niuma Battle Group selected thirty elite high-level Players to participate in this Blood Game.
They also purchased various unmass-produced technological equipment from Dora Workshop to comprehensively enhance the strength of the assassination team.
They went through hundreds of rounds of simulation, constantly correcting errors in their plan,
then, they suddenly initiated the Blood Game at a time no one could have anticipated.
At the beginning of the operation, they used temporal Warp devices to enter the outer perimeter of the Imperial Palace,
and quickly advanced through the secret passages they had previously confirmed.
The Imperial Guard detected the anomaly the moment the God Chosen activated their temporal Warp, immediately issued an alarm, and began to pursue and intercept them.
The Players of the Emperor Niuma Battle Group acted swiftly, using various new types of equipment to conceal their tracks, but the Imperial Guard, through years of training,
had already developed a keen intuition for danger.
They formed small teams to pursue and intercept the advancing God Chosen.
The team led by Warmaster encountered the Imperial Guard Commander—Senior General Tura's team.
The two sides met in a spacious hall.
"You lost." Senior General Tura looked at the God Chosen in front of him. "You performed very well, but your methods are too ordinary."
Warmaster slowly drew his sword, pressed the activation button, and bright arcs of electricity covered the blade.
"By the rules, you have to defeat all of us."
"You're asking for trouble. Aside from individual combat power, our numbers are twice yours," Senior General Tura said.
"If it weren't for the rules, twice the number could be solved with just one self-destruct," Warmaster said. "Defeat us, otherwise we won't surrender."
Senior General Tura narrowed his eyes slightly; he knew what the other party said was true.
If it weren't for the Living Saint's rules,
the God Chosen's self-destruct would definitely take out many Imperial Guard.
Senior General Tura's resolve for reform grew stronger.
He needed to add the function of entering dimensional space to the Imperial Guard's armor to evade self-destruct and other tactics.
"Since you are determined to fight, then I will satisfy you."
"Honestly, you should surrender; that way you'll suffer much less."
Senior General Tura assumed a combat stance, and bright arcs also danced on the tip of his sharp halberd.
"I'm naturally stubborn," Warmaster said, gripping his sword with both hands, his gaze suddenly becoming sharp.
He let out a low roar and charged at the Imperial Guard Commander.
Senior General Tura also moved, his speed as swift as a soaring dragon.
The two weapons collided,
producing a deafening crash.
Both contained top-tier technology,
possessing a sharpness that could easily tear through steel.
The terrifying kinetic energy released created visible airwaves,
and the shockwave kicked up a strong gust of wind.
"Such powerful strength."
Warmaster was secretly surprised; his hands were throbbing with pain.
The force of the weapon collision was too great, numbing his tiger's mouth.
Beside them, Tenjiro and others also began to fight the Imperial Guard.
In terms of individual strength, even with skill enhancements, the Players' combat power was far inferior to the Imperial Guard.
Tenjiro and the other Players quickly fell into a disadvantage.
Warmaster ignored them, focusing on fighting Senior General Tura.
His various combat skills had reached master level,
and the duel with Senior General Tura was a rare experience for him.
Clang!
When Senior General Tura's halberd struck down, Warmaster swung his sword to block. At that moment, he felt as if his internal organs had shifted.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
The next second, he forcefully pushed away the halberd, which was imbued with heavy power, and then swung his sword in retaliation.
"You are very resilient," Senior General Tura said. "You should have Dorn's gene-seed."
"You guessed right, but unfortunately, there's no prize," Warmaster chuckled, trying to overpower the other party.
Although he gained no advantage in the exchange, his eyes still burned with a furnace-like fire.
"Fighting you is truly a delightful experience. You will win this battle, but next time, you might not."
"I will always win," Senior General Tura said with a firm tone.
"I will learn and improve, and I will have more advanced equipment to assist me," Warmaster said. "But you have never changed. Mountains are high, but they will eventually be conquered by ants."
"Wordplay is meaningless; Reality will tell you the truth." Senior General Tura made a decision at this moment:
the Imperial Guard must change,
they must keep pace with the times and master the Imperium's most advanced technology.
When Senior General Tura brought down another heavy halberd strike, the brutal force tore open the lock, revealing the scarred flesh beneath.
Immediately after, he delivered another punch.
If Warmaster hadn't pulled back in time, that strike might have killed him.
But the flaw had been exposed, and for a strong individual of this caliber, the outcome was decided.
Senior General Tura seized the opportunity, rushed forward, thrust his halberd, and as the opponent blocked, he punched again, knocking Warmaster to the ground.
Warmaster tried to get up, but the halberd tip, wreathed in bright arcs, was already resting at his throat.
The other Players also fell one by one.
Senior General Tura walked up to Warmaster. "You are very strong, but ultimately, you were still a bit short."
Warmaster looked up, showing no sign of dejection; instead, he smiled, which made Senior General Tura feel subtly uneasy.
"Do you think we only have these means?"
This sentence made Senior General Tura frown slightly.
He looked around, at the defeated God Chosen, and checked the messages sent by other teams.
The Imperial Guard had captured a total of twenty-nine God Chosen.
Senior General Tura recalled the initial alarm message he received.
There were thirty intruders, but they had only caught twenty-nine.
"There's still one, going to the Throne Room." Senior General Tura instantly realized something and immediately led his men to the Throne Room.
The Players had been eliminated, so they gained the right to move freely. They followed Senior General Tura and the Imperial Guard to the Throne Room.
The Imperial Guard moved quickly, like a speeding high-speed train, rumbling through the corridor, kicking up visible white airwaves.
The Players looked surprised.
No wonder they said an Imperial Guard team could conquer a planet.
Running like a high-speed train, they could probably cut through a city in a few minutes.
Ordinary armies, let alone eliminating them, would be lucky to escape.
The Imperial Guard rushed into the Throne Room, only to see the Imperial Guard team originally guarding the area controlled by strange metallic constructs.
Even with all their might, they found it difficult to break free.
A warrior in black armor stood before the Emperor's Throne, seemingly awaiting the arrival of the Imperial Guard Commander.
As the footsteps of the Imperial Guard sounded, the warrior slowly turned his head.
He removed his helmet, revealing a face carved like marble, and a smile.
It was Adrance, a Raven Guard.
As a Raven Guard who had mastered skills like shadow stealth, unnoticed presence, and concealment,
he was designated as the 'hidden blade' for this assassination mission.
After all, veteran Players like Tenjiro and Warmaster were too familiar to the Imperial Guard.
Once they were not present, it would inevitably arouse the Imperial Guard's suspicion immediately.
Adrance, being a second-line Player with multiple stealth skills, became the most suitable candidate.
"Assassinating the Emperor is truly effortless."
Upon hearing this, Senior General Tura and the other Imperial Guard's faces darkened.
For a moment, they were speechless.
If these God Chosen were enemies, the Emperor would probably be dead by now.
"You lost."
Warmaster walked up to Adrance, stood beside him, and looked at Senior General Tura.
"How did you do that?" Senior General Tura asked, looking at the immobilized Imperial Guard.