The Bizarre Adventures of the Oil Man, but Starting with Warhammer 32K

Li Ang made a heart-attack gesture: "Attack their weakest point!"

He opened his eyes and stared intently at Bayreuth.

"We are not traitors, Captain. If you truly understood the current situation, you would know who put Terra in danger and who is trying to save it."

He paused for a moment, and before Bayreuth could continue his ridicule, he interrupted him.

"But do you, the Imperial Guards, really understand the current situation?"

Bayreuth's helmet tilted slightly, as if he had not expected this turn of events.

Kurland did not give him a chance to answer. He concluded for the guards in a resounding voice: "No, you don't know!"

"Since the Great Heresy, you have huddled deep within the Imperial Palace, guarding the Golden Throne and oblivious to the outside world. You possess the finest weapons, the finest armor, the most profound lore—but do you know what decisions the High Lords have made over the years? Do you know why the civilians of Terra revolted? Do you know why the Orcs' Battle Moon remained suspended over Terra for two full months?"

The guardsmen began to murmur, apparently exchanging opinions on Kurland's outrageous remarks, but Bayreuth remained silent.

Kurland moved forward again.

He was a whole head shorter than Bayreuth, but he overwhelmed the other with his imposing manner.

"Or do you have to wait until the Orks bring more battle moons to Terra, and until the xenos' iron hooves crush the steps of the Imperial Palace, before you realize the error of all this?"

"Or even then, will you only revel in the tragic grandeur of 'fighting for the Emperor to the last man', but turn a blind eye to the fall of the Empire?!"

"presumptuous!"

One of the Guardians roared, lowering the Guardian's spear in his hand. The other Guardians also stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

The person who lost his temper was no longer an Astartes but a Custodian.

Bayreuth raised his hand, just like Kurland had just done, to stop his men.

He turned to Kurland, was silent for a long time, and suddenly said: "What do you think we are doing?"

Even without being deliberately displayed, everyone noticed the scorch marks and cracks on the Imperial Guards' armor. These were damages that could not be caused by ordinary patrols, but no one knew where these marks came from.

Only Li Ang seemed to be lost in thought.

It seems that the trouble caused by those elves blowing up the toilet is quite big.

No wonder even Uncle Black was involved in the entire Beast War and Sister Silence made a comeback, but we didn’t see any appearance of these Guards.

But to be honest, Li Ang just felt that they deserved it.

If they hadn't kept their distance from the matter, they wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

At the very least, if they could have saved the Sisters of Silence, who were also Claws of the Emperor, they would not have been directly turned into Muggles by this new Webway War.

Although uninformed, Kurland responded calmly, "I don't know, Captain. But I do know that Terra needs warriors, not just guards hiding in the palace."

These words seemed to throw the Imperial Guards' face to the ground, smashing it to pieces.

The situation has changed from the Custodes questioning the Astartes as traitors to the Custodes needing to prove themselves that they are not incompetent.

They can't prove it.

The Custodes distrusted the Primarchs and the Astartes. They hadn't revealed to Dorn, who had come to them for help, that they were fighting a Webway War, and now facing these Astartes was even less likely.

Bayreuth looked at Kurland in front of him and the Imperial Fists behind him. His intuition told him that the chapter commander in front of him was not someone who could say such words, but he had lived in the deep palace for a long time and could not find the culprit.

He could sense the humiliation and anger of the Custodians behind him—they had made enormous sacrifices in the Webway War, and now they were being harassed by the very Astartes they despised.

They were eager to tear these Astartes into pieces immediately.

But Bayreuth could not do that.

Ordinary imperial guards only need to be angry, but as the captain of the shield guard company, he has a lot to consider.

The Custodes once boasted a strength exceeding ten thousand, but after the Horus Heresy, they were reduced to a mere thousand men, existing in name only. After over a thousand years of recuperation, they had only managed to recover to a mere thousand men. As a result, they were immediately plunged into a new round of the Webway War...

The fifty or so imperial guards who came out to confront him were rotated from the cyber battlefield, and almost all of them were injured.

They were certainly not afraid to sacrifice themselves for the Emperor, but as Captain, Bayreuth had to make their sacrifice count.

They should not and cannot die in an avoidable internal conflict.

Is it really the same now as it was during the Heresy?

Bayreuth examined the Astartes before him and realized that they did not have the bewitching fanaticism of "the false emperor must be killed", but only a kind of determination that was almost exhausted.

Of course, the Astra Militarum troops summoned by Vero could not hold the city walls. Without firm determination, even the strongest walls would be useless.

These Sons of Dorne who breached the walls possessed the same resolve which had stood firm on the walls during the Heresy, facing an endless swarm of traitors.

Bayreuth, or indeed all the Custodians, disliked the Astartes, but they had witnessed the sacrifices of the Imperial Fists. Of all the Astartes, he considered the Imperial Fists to be the most trustworthy.

Do we really understand the current situation?

Bayreuth questioned himself, realizing that for millennia, they had truly only focused on the safety of the Golden Throne, turning a deaf ear to the turmoil in the outside world.

As the Battle Moon hung high over Terra, they watched as others committed dereliction of duty to the Emperor.

As the situation deteriorated rapidly, without the Sisters of Silence to assist them, they were completely consumed by the sudden resumption of the Cyberway War...

But he couldn't show weakness.

"How do you plan to 'save' the Empire?"

He asked coldly, "Disband the High Lords' Council? Massacre the members of the Elders? Or, like Horus, impose a dictatorship on humanity in the name of Astartes?"

"We are mindful of the Emperor's precepts that the Astartes do not participate in politics."

Hayes stepped forward at the opportune moment, replacing Kurland. "As Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army, I will temporarily assume the role of Regent for Guilliman during this period of Imperial Emergency and reorganize the High Lords' Council. The policy of military priority will continue until the Beast Crisis is over, after which a smooth transition of power will be achieved."

Bayreuth's eyes moved between the two of them. He suddenly realized that all this had been planned in advance.

It is not a complete subversion, but a restrained reorganization.

These people's plans were more thorough than he had imagined.

The horrors of the Webway War flashed through his mind. The Custodians who had fallen to the tide of Warp daemons, the gaps in the defenses that needed to be filled... They simply couldn't handle another avoidable civil war.

This idea ultimately outweighed other considerations, but he still needed to wait for final confirmation.

One of the Custodians left, and the scene fell into a silent standoff that lasted for an hour. During this time, the Astra Militarum troops that Vero had previously dispatched arrived here from time to time. They all held their breath when witnessing this standoff, not daring to make any rash moves.

The guard returned and whispered in Bayreuth's ear:

"The Emperor Tarot reading is out, and the interpretation is yes."

Bayreuth nodded and took a step back.

His attitude remained arrogant, as if concession was a kind of charity: "Remember your promise."

Kurland frowned, vaguely catching the words like Tarot cards.

He was dissatisfied that the Imperial Guards also believed in these superstitious methods. However, this was not important. After the Imperial Guards took the initiative to retreat, everyone present focused their attention on him and Hayes.

Whether it was surprise or awe, no one could deny the authority they had won in this turmoil.

Vero realized that the situation was hopeless. He trembled and accused the guards: "You can't...!"

Before he could finish his words, the two soldiers guarding him punched him in the face.

"Bring it up."

Hayes ordered: "Terra needs a trial."

The Astra Militarum troops summoned by Vero now obeyed Hayes' orders.

Hayes looked at Kurland and said, "Let's go, Chapter Master. I need you to accompany me into the Senate. There are people waiting for us there."

Kurland nodded and accompanied Hayes up the steps of the Senate.

The imperial guards stepped aside, clearing the way. Only Bayreuth, still behind him, emphasized:

"Remember your words today, Imperial Fists. If one day we discover you've made a mistake..."

He didn't finish his words, but the threat was clear.

Kurland was not shaken by this threat. Instead, Hayes turned around and invited:

"I think you can personally oversee these issues. If you wish, there will be a place for the Custodes on the new Council of Twelve."

Bayreuth was slightly taken aback, then replied with his usual indifference:

"We'll consider it."

The guards left, and Hayes and Kurland entered the High Lords' Council. At the door of the council, a man had been waiting for them for a long time.

"I thought you were faster."

Wangerlich said, looking at the backs of the guards: "Your confrontation with the guards doesn't look as sure of victory as you said at the beginning."

"But at least we got it done, didn't we? My General Secretary of the Interior Ministry."

Hayes responded, while Wangerich remained noncommittal.

"Every minute you waste could allow this orcish unrest to escalate into something even more dangerous. Come in. We need to put Vero on trial and reorganize the High Lords' Council. The members of the Senate who hold the power to discuss matters also need a thorough... purge."

The door of the Senate closed, and the storm that was about to sweep across Terra began to brew again.

But this has nothing to do with Li Ang for now.

Li Ang just stood leisurely on the terrace outside the Senate, admiring the statue of the emperor on the Emperor's Ascension Square.

The Emperor's statue stood majestically in the center of the square, its towering figure draped in a stone gown, its face solemn and majestic. In its left hand, it held a sword, the tip pointing directly to the ground, symbolizing protection; its right hand, palm upward, seemed to bestow blessings upon all living things.

The base of the statue is engraved with scriptures and prayers, which are the praises of the God-Emperor by believers for thousands of years.

This is undoubtedly a masterpiece.

Neos walked up to Leon and followed his gaze towards the statue: "What are you looking at?"

"history."

Leon replied, his eyes still fixed on the statue, "Do you know what this square was called before?"

Neos thought about it, then shook his head.

Leon squatted down and brushed his fingers across a stone tablet half-buried in the dirt. As the dust was swept away, the blurred words on it gradually emerged.

Imperial Square of Truth

"I liked that name better, but it's rotten now, and all that's left is mold and wild honey."

Neos was silent for a moment. "You seem... not quite agreeing with the current name?"

"There's no point in agreeing or disagreeing. Existence is necessary. I won't deny the power of faith, especially in this desperate galaxy."

"But you do not consider the Emperor a god?"

"Indeed. I have always believed that the Emperor was simply the one who went the furthest toward saving humanity, nothing more."

Leon stood up and patted Neos on the shoulder.

"I know you've seen too many extraordinary things recently, like Lancelot using the sword I gave you to slaughter everyone, or Joan of Arc, who seems like a living saint preaching everywhere. But I hope you can maintain rational and objective thinking. This is what I ask of you."

"But what if there really is a God in this world? Or something is becoming a God?"

"If there is a God, we must acknowledge his existence, but we cannot rely on him. Remember, Neos, the savior of mankind has always been mankind itself."

Neos seemed to have sensed something: "Are you planning to leave Terra?"

"Yes, just as we planned."

The Emperor went far enough, but far does not mean right.

Terra was the birthplace of the Yellow Skinner and his experimental field, but he ultimately failed and became a prisoner on the throne of Terra.

There is no point in tilling a field where failure has taken root and faith has already taken root.

Terra is beyond saving. Faith has taken too deep a root here. I want to go further—"

"for example?"

"For example, I plant the seeds of rationality in a piece of soil uncontaminated by superstition, hoping that it will grow something different. You will become the pioneers of that land and my loyal subjects. This is why I ask you to remain rational."

Neos nodded thoughtfully. "Wouldn't there be an image of the Emperor there?"

“There will still be some, but I don’t think there will be too many.”

"What about Terra? Are we leaving her alone?"

"Someone will work hard for us, although I'm not optimistic about their results."

While Leon and Neos were talking, the doors of the Senate opened again. Hayes's lieutenant came out and announced the first decision passed by the new High Lords' Council.