Marco's words were so startling that it took several moments for everyone present to react.
Luca frowned. "I remember this Lacy Valen. He's the nephew of the Valen Patriarch. He's nearly thirty and still single; he's obsessed with archaeology and has never concerned himself with family affairs."
Selena said in confusion, "Yes, from what I know, that family has always been low-profile and cautious, and the members were quite harmonious. How could this Lacy Valen do something so absurd?"
Marco did not speak immediately. Instead, he displayed photographs of the murdered Valen family members via the projection. Although the victims died in various ways, they all had one thing in common: they were all missing their hearts.
Seeing the photos, Xavier sucked in a cold breath. "Good heavens, this is brutal. He didn't even spare the women or children. This doesn't look like a spur-of-the-moment act; it looks premeditated."
Marco enlarged one of the photos. "Look closely. There are traces of Chaos energy erosion on the edges of the wounds. Lacy Valen has become a heretic. Relying on Chaos sorcery, he managed to kill all twenty-three members of the Valen family in a single night."
Hearing this information, Byrne thought to himself.
A century later, the Valen family had suffered the same fate as the Lainean family—exterminated. However, what was truly lamentable was that this time, it was done by one of their own.
"The Twins of Doomsday and Salvation both lie dormant within the embers of Lainean..."
Combining the information from the Forge Prophecy, if his guess was correct, the Valen family was indeed the descendant of the Lainean family. After thinking for a while, another bold idea surfaced in Byrne's mind.
It was highly likely that Lacy Valen was the "Child of Doomsday." His purpose for killing the other family members was to eliminate the "Child of Salvation." This would provide a rational explanation for his seemingly irrational behavior.
Renee stared at the projection screen. "It's hard to tell from the photos. Which faction of Chaos sorcery is this?"
Marco said in a heavy voice, "It's the Lord of Skulls. In the information sent back yesterday, investigators in Arle extracted residual Chaos energy from the scene. After analysis and comparison, the energy is closest to that of the followers of the Lord of Skulls."
Heh, Khorne. Now all four of the "Chaos Gods" are accounted for.
In Byrne's knowledge, followers of Khorne were fanatical warmongers who believed in "Blood for the Blood God, Skulls for the Skull Throne," and their actions were always brutal and direct.
Hearing Marco's words, Luca sat bolt upright, his expression grim. "A follower of the Lord of Skulls? But his followers usually advocate for face-to-face combat and take pleasure in blood and skulls; it doesn't seem like they would use this kind of sorcery."
Marco agreed. "You're right. That is precisely what's strange about this. Followers of the Lord of Skulls value brute force and consider sneak attacks and deception to be shameful. Yet Lacy Valen did the opposite—not only did he slaughter his entire family in one night, but he also deliberately took everyone's heart. This is definitely not the typical behavior of a pure Khorne follower."
Byrne, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up. "Captain, could it be that followers of the Lord of Change are behind this?"
Renee immediately echoed, "Byrne is right. I think so too. Followers of the Lord of Change are masters of sowing discord and weaving conspiracies. It wouldn't be surprising for them to do something like this."
Xavier furrowed his brows, his fingertips rubbing the weapon at his waist. "But the doctrines of the Lord of Skulls and the Lord of Change are vastly different. Why would the two join forces?"
Marco shook his head. "It's likely not a partnership, but a case of being used or manipulated. Just like the situation at the machine shop—Tzeentch never does anything without profit; there must be an ulterior motive. Regardless, we are only speculating now. The key lies with Lacy Valen."
Xavier asked, "Captain, then what is our mission?"
"Currently, according to Arle, Lacy Valen has fled and is likely hiding in one of the three neighboring cities. The highest probability is Lobo City."
Lobo City?
That name was not unfamiliar to Byrne. Back when he still lived in the lower districts, he had met Keith of the resistance and learned from him the secret of the "Dark-corrosion disease" that had plagued Lobo City ten years ago.
"The nature of this mission is special. The six of us will be divided into three groups to investigate these three cities. It won't just be our squad; there will be other tactical groups coordinating with us. The objective is to find Lacy Valen—bring him back alive, or his corpse if dead."
Having said this, Marco began assigning the personnel.
The final assignments were as follows: Group 1: Marco and Byrne, heading to Lobo City. Group 2: Selena and Renee, heading to Leafy City. Group 3: Luca and Xavier, heading to Gravel City.
After announcing this, Marco changed the projection to topographical maps of the three cities and began introducing them individually. Once the briefing concluded, Xavier squeezed his wrist, an eager expression on his face. "Rest assured, Captain. I've clashed with Khorne followers several times and know their methods. If that boy is in Gravel City, I'll definitely bring him back."
Marco cautioned, "Don't be careless. Lacy Valen isn't an ordinary Khorne follower. He is likely being manipulated by Tzeentch, making his actions even more bizarre. He might even set a trap for you."
Xavier grinned. "Don't worry, Captain. I'll definitely act with caution."
Luca added, "I'll keep an eye on him; I won't let him act recklessly."
Marco let out a light chuckle, then turned his gaze toward Renee. "You and Selena will head to Leafy City. It's a major commercial hub with a complex flow of people. If Lacy Valen is hiding there, he will likely use the black market to forge an identity. Renee, you're skilled in psychic tracking and energy analysis, so you'll be responsible for capturing traces of Chaos energy. This is Selena's first field mission, so you must guide her well."
Renee nodded calmly. "Understood."
Marco nodded and turned to Byrne. "Byrne, you come with me to Lobo City. The situation there is quite unique. The Dark-corrosion disease broke out ten years ago, and the residual Warp energy fluctuations haven't completely dissipated even now. You must stay alert; I won't necessarily be able to protect you at all times."
"Understood, Captain."
"Does everyone understand the mission? If there's anything unclear, ask now." Marco looked around. Seeing no one speak, he nodded. "Very well. Mission assignments are complete. Everyone gather here tomorrow at 8:00 AM to depart."
The others responded and stood up to leave the briefing room. Byrne was the last to leave, but just as he reached the door, Marco called out to him.
"Byrne, wait a moment."
Marco sat in the head seat, tapping the table lightly, watching him with profound eyes.