The gang leader looked bewildered at the red-rusted dagger pressed against his neck.
The blade itself wasn't particularly sharp, but it was covered in dark red bloodstains, iron-rust twisted like runes, and streaks of corrosion, emanating a sinister, eerie aura.
Combined with what the man behind him just said—
Coated in deadly, corrupting poison. Even the slightest scratch would turn you into a puddle of pus. Even your soul would rot, unable to return to the Golden Throne.
The gang leader couldn't help but swallow hard and trembled as he slowly turned his head to look at the man behind him.
Then, his pupils contracted sharply, and his legs nearly gave out.
What a terrifying face. Predatory eyes, grim like a sculpture carved from volcanic stone from the deepest pits of darkness, like a lion lurking in the shadows.
The gang leader was convinced that if he so much as twitched, the dagger would pierce him and he'd melt into pus, cast into the domain of daemons.
Not just him. The nearby gang members and hive workers were all shocked.
Appearing like a ghost, declaring his blade could corrupt souls, and that cold, intimidating lion-like face…
Heretic! He's a heretic!
Everyone's legs grew weak.
In the hive, the most dangerous thing was never the gangs, but those blasphemous heretics.
The gang leader gasped for breath, eyes darting to the dagger at his throat, and hurriedly stammered, "Y-you don't need to rush… anything you want, we can talk about it…"
Seeing the gang members and hive workers frozen in fear, Zhou Yun himself felt a bit speechless.
All he wanted was to take the gang leader hostage and use the opportunity to slip into the PDF base with his Any Ring.
But the effect seemed… a little too good.
He noticed the way everyone was staring at him—it was clearly the way people look at a heretic.
"Don't be afraid. I'm not a heretic," Zhou Yun said warmly. "I just want to enter the PDF base. Please don't stop me."
"Look at this righteous face of mine. Don't I look loyal?"
He even leaned his face closer to the gang leader.
The gang leader's expression twisted, his legs shaking.
R-right… of course you're not a heretic.
After all, a loyal Imperial citizen could absolutely appear like a ghost, with a dagger that corrupts souls…
He sneaked a glance at the crimson dagger pressed to his throat, then, after a long moment, nodded furiously, "Y-yes, you're right!"
"You clearly aren't a heretic. Your face is full of righteousness and loyalty to the Emperor."
"Look at this… this lion-like face. Full of honesty, no secrets at all!"
Zhou Yun nodded approvingly.
This face of his was modeled after the Primarch Lion El'Jonson—how could it not exude loyalty?
"I'm pleased you're cooperative," Zhou Yun said, giving the gang leader's shoulder a pat before waving toward the shadows.
From the darkness emerged Mong and Markit, clad in their brown robes, faces obscured.
The gang members hurried to clear a path for them.
Mong walked up stiffly and nodded at Zhou Yun.
Zhou Yun signaled for Mong to take the dagger and continue holding the gang leader hostage, then led the two of them to the base of the rubble mound.
He reached under his coat, and under its cover pulled the Any Ring from his fourth-dimensional pocket and pressed it to the rubble.
"Crawl through," Zhou Yun gestured at them.
"Crawl through?" Mong repeated blankly.
From the moment this started, he hadn't been able to keep up with Zhou Yun's pace. In a flash he'd taken the gang leader hostage, brought them here, then pulled out a golden ring the size of a man, attached it to the wall, and revealed a pitch-black tunnel.
"Crawl through and you'll be in the PDF base," Zhou Yun said as he stepped through first.
Markit followed behind, and Mong hesitated before shoving the gang leader aside and crawling through too.
As he felt the scene around him swirl and his head popped through the other side of the ring, they were already in a vast open space.
He blinked, realizing they'd passed through the rubble and arrived before the PDF's base.
Before them lay the decrepit PDF camp, with the emblem of the Flax family painted on the walls.
Mong stood there, still dazed, as Zhou Yun tucked the golden ring back into his coat.
He was silent a moment, slowly digesting what just happened, before blurting out, "You're not a heretic, are you?"
Zhou Yun shot him a scornful glance. "You're one to talk."
He scoffed, "Calling me a heretic with your level of skill is practically a compliment."
To think he'd live to hear a heretic call him a heretic… Zhou Yun shook his head.
He might not have any heartfelt loyalty or faith in the Emperor, but at least he hadn't gone off worshiping the things from the Warp, right?
These two Nurgle cultists actually had the gall to accuse him of heresy.
"Who even understands, man, these bottom-barrel cultists," Zhou Yun muttered in a sarcastic tone.
But Mong shook his head, "My brother and I aren't heretics. We're here for all of Asford."
"Even heretics never think they're heretics," Zhou Yun said with a shrug.
"You're the same, aren't you?" Mong shot back.
"Enough," Markit interjected to smooth things over. "If not for the help of… Lain Rusu, we wouldn't have gotten in so easily."
He still sounded awkward saying that name.
Zhou Yun gave him a nod. "My goal is the weapons in the warehouse. If you guys are going to do some blasphemous sorcery, at least wait until I've moved my share first."
"You're going to carry off the whole warehouse by yourself?" Mong asked skeptically. "You're not planning some kind of blasphemous ritual, are you?"
"Hey, you've got me all wrong. We're just here to find some documents," Markit shook his head.
Zhou Yun nodded, "Fine, if you're going through the archives, see if you can help me find an old map of District Eight while you're at it."
"Of course," Markit said with a polite smile.
And with that, the three of them walked toward the PDF base's entrance.
Just before stepping through, Markit deliberately slowed his pace, falling half a step behind Mong and Zhou Yun.
Then, in a whisper barely audible, he intoned a seven-syllable incantation…
(End of Chapter)
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