It's incredibly complex.

Dai Xiaolou locked himself in his office, just using the electronic pager to ask for a cup of strong coffee from his secretary. Pamela apparently knew that he was now busy tracking down the source of the text, and was very kind enough to bring a breakfast. The old woman's revenge was much stronger than she imagined, and Dai Xiaolou took a sip of the coffee that served the meal, and almost didn't vomit it on the spot. The coffee is so strong, God knows how much powder Pamela added to it? It's thick and bitter.

There should be little connection between the 202 Army and the 441 Infantry Division. Dai Xiaolou only regarded the part mentioned in the text as an unimportant sub-item. It took him a whole morning to finally sort out the whole character context related to the lieutenant, and he unexpectedly discovered that there was a great deal of entanglement between the lieutenant and the 174th Army of the Wehrmacht. In particular, the daily exchange of information and the frequency of telecommunications are related to a senior logistics chief of the group army.

It was a colonel. The avatar on the photo looks very fat, with an amiable smile, and he looks like a fat man with excellent popularity.

People who can achieve the position of logistics supervisor will not have ordinary abilities and qualifications. There is a lot of oil and water in this, and it is often a cronie of a high-ranking official, or simply a relative. Dai Xiaolou didn't think that a mere logistics official would be interested in Su Hao. And he doesn't look like the kind of person who likes to get into trouble or has too much sense of justice. If he really is in charge, it's either that the colonel himself has a bad ass, or that there are people in higher positions behind him.

Above the colonel, has entered the rank of general. According to the normal logic of thinking, this is the group that the conspiracy may produce.

"A general? Hehe! Interesting. The Wehrmacht actually began to meddle in the internal affairs of the main corps. If this kind of thing is said to be true, I don't know how many people will lose their official positions because of it, and they may even lose their heads. ”

Dai Xiaolou muttered to himself, his hands and ten fingers quickly sliding on the holographic screen. All the officials above the rank of general of the 174 Group Army were listed by him one by one. Although the real mastermind is not known for the time being, Lieutenant General Wang Hejun, commander of the group army, has been included in the scope of Dai Xiaolou's secret investigation.

Finding secrets is also a pleasure that just takes time.

Dai Xiaolou has time.

……

Although the sky was bright, it was overcast, and the light was even dimmer than usual. The temperature was very low and there was a biting cold.

The Inquisition Chamber is located not far from the headquarters of the Holy See. It seems to have little to do with the religious place, and everywhere is desolate and devastated. The war between the Empire of Man and the Dark World has ruined what was once a bustling city, leaving only collapsed abandoned houses and non-functional high-voltage towers. Twisted steel bars are everywhere, and shards of concrete are making it difficult for the land to survive. Large craters abound after heavy gun blasts, and between the rocks and dirt pits, the remains of humans and dark creatures can be seen from time to time.

After the end of the war, the Inquisition did not include the area in its restoration plan, but left the wasteland in its end-of-war state.

Since the day it was established, the Inquisition Court was not destined to be a place that could be liked by the outside world. It was filled with blood and death, cruelty and suffering. The reason why it existed was to make those who coveted the empire and disloyal to the emperor feel fearful, and it was a punishment institution with extremely strong executive power. In the words of the first Supreme Judge: We never wanted to be liked by the world. Since they are afraid of us, let this fear continue forever, and make them tremble at the mere thought of the word "court."

The most mysterious part of the entire courtroom is a small room of less than 50 square meters. This belongs to the Supreme Presiding Judge Calaway. He himself held two positions, one as a black bishop of the Holy See, and the other as a grand judge of the Inquisition.

The furnishings in the room are simple, a coffee table, and a few chairs. In the middle of the living room stood a beautiful silver rod with a lone candle lit on it. The candlelight flickered dimly and reflected on the faces of several people gathered around the coffee table.

"The Golden Throne has been functioning normally."

Judge Calaway's voice was as old as his appearance, like a piece of cracked wood: "The Emperor's life should last forever. This is good news. The problem is, we don't know when the majesty will wake up? This is important. ”

"So, His Majesty's soul is still there?"

Sitting next to him was the executive officer Hanusk, who was also a grand inquisitor, with a high, pointed nose, a high forehead, and deep-set eye sockets: "Are you sure that the one lying in the Golden Throne now is not an empty shell?" ”

"Of course not."

The Supreme Inquisitor, Calavi, looked at Hanusk with a sharp gaze: "From a biological point of view, His Majesty the Emperor has actually died, but the signs of the connection between his soul and his body are still strong. His Majesty has the ability to foresee the future, and he has long foreseen the dangers that may be encountered. Therefore, he spared no expense to build the Golden Throne. It has played its due role, and for tens of thousands of years, His Majesty has been alive, but the current situation is very worrying. ”

"As long as there is no problem with the soul, it means that His Majesty can still be summoned back by us in other ways."

The third person sitting next to the coffee table, and the only female chief judge in the court, Liu Lingti, said: "His Majesty the Emperor does not need to bear this kind of eternal life that is close to death. There are other ways we can restore consciousness to the Majesty. ”

Hanusk's wrinkled eyes looked directly at Liu Ling: "You mean the last plan?" Recreate a new body as a vessel to carry the soul of the Emperor? ”

"It's by far the best and the most effective."

Liu Ling has smooth and beautiful long hair, although he is old, but against the backdrop of this long hair, it does not make people feel too old: "We almost succeeded." If it weren't for internal strife, things wouldn't have turned out the way they are. ”

"No, it's not advisable to rebuild the body, it's very dangerous to do that."

Before Hanusk could reply, Supreme Judge Calavi was already hoarsely shouting: "There are too many uncertain factors in this. Who knows how souls connect? Even if we have the ability to recreate our bodies, what if the soul we are summoned into is not His Majesty himself? Is it possible to declare in public that this is not our emperor? His Majesty the Emperor has long since died in the last war? This is absolutely not a no-go. His Majesty is the true god and the idol of the entire empire. If the summoned are questioned, it will certainly cause a new round of strife within the empire. The resulting chaos and destruction may even be far greater than what we can bear. ”

"But we have to give it a try."

Although Liu Ling is a woman, her voice is low and powerful: "The resurrection of His Majesty is the only hope for the continuation of the empire. There is only one emperor in the world, and no matter who it is, it is impossible to replace him. ”

Calavi, the presiding judge, did not speak, and the room fell silent for a moment.

Even within the court, they were divided into different factions because of their different views on things.

Calaway belongs to the conservative faction. The specific origin can be traced back to the early days of the empire. The Supreme Inquisitor of the Empire at that time was instilled with part of the strength and personality charm of the Emperor himself with direct genes. They believed that the power of the emperor was all around them, and that even war could not change this situation. The Emperor's plan to need a completely new body as a vessel for the soul was also proposed by conservatives first. They believed that the Golden Throne was only the flesh and blood of the Emperor, but that the Emperor's own soul had long since been freed from its shackles, traveling through the world with his divine will, instilling his power in his subjects. However, these fragile ordinary people could only possess a very small part of the emperor's strength, and eventually they would die of illness or old age. But if you offer the emperor a body that will never fail to die as a permanent container for his soul, all problems will be solved. They will create a new emperor and lead human civilization to continue.

Conservatives have been looking for ways to use the energy of space and ideas to transform and influence each other. Members of all factions, including Supreme Inquisitor Calawi, are studying the secrets of demons and space creatures occupying and manipulating the bodies of outsiders, and trying to explain the relationship between the physical world and the space realm. It is in this environment that the "container" project was born. Every year, a large number of blood samples from the citizens of the Reich were sent to the Inquisition for repeated comparative tests in the most detailed way. Conservatives dream of one day discovering a suitable host that can house the Emperor's great power, guiding the Emperor's soul into a new body through guò prayers and rituals.

This is not a fantasy. Conservatives have reached a very high level in the study of living things in the field of space. The effect of the Emperor's use of his willpower in war is very similar to that of space creatures controlling the target human. Because this theory has a fairly practical basis, the influence of the conservatives has gradually become stronger, and even within the Holy See, there are many believers and high-ranking clergy who support the resurrection of the emperor, and a technical system has been continuously improved.

Grand Adjudicator Liu Ling is a representative of the Black Cross faction. The faction also originated in the early days of the empire, and was founded by a high deacon. He summarized many experiences and comments from nearly a hundred years of service to the Empire, and concluded that the survival of the Emperor's loyal servants in the Overworld, as well as in other spatial realms, is that all other non-human civilizations must be destroyed, leaving only us. This radical argument was not endorsed by many people at the time. However, it was only centuries later that a high-ranking inquisitor pulled the text out of the pile of old papers and vowed to act on the theory, and a similar view was widely noticed by judges at all levels.

The Black Cross had only one simple goal: to permanently and completely destroy the Emperor's enemies.

They cannot tolerate any deviation in their behavior, and it is an unforgivable sin to participate in or conspire or instigate evil. Paganism of any kind, including human anomalies, apostasy, heterossex, and a single consciousness and physical creature that does not conform to their perceived loyalty to the Empire, is all heretical. The Black Cross sect duì the only punishment for evil is death. Because humanity is engaged in a war with the dark world for the survival of the race. The Black Crosses, on the other hand, believe that if they kill enough rebels and dark creatures, they will naturally win.

The Black Cross is very militant and can be said to be an extremely violent organization within the Inquisition and the Holy See. Due to their singular approach and never giving the other side a chance to repent, the Black Crosses were always sent to destroy the enemy in order of mission, always ahead of the other Inquisitors. The Black Crosses are overt groups that use their identities to spread xenophobia, leading fanatical civilian believers to hunt down unclean evil heretics that threaten their future. They showed no mercy, no mercy, were unyielding, and never tolerated any blasphemous words against the emperor. They are usually the youngest of the inquisitors and the most hot-headed. Rampage through the Empire and wake up with nothing but sham. The Black Cross faction was unwavering in its creed, and it was easier for the Black Cross to declare war on the other Inquisitors than any other faction, as long as they expressed even the slightest suspicion of their own practices.

Members of the Black Cross can be found almost everywhere in the Inquisition and within the Holy See. In many cases, they are not affiliated with any full-time tribunal, but see all opponents as a threat to heresy. The Inquisitors of the Black Cross Sect are happy to work with the most martial sect in the Empire. For them, only death is the most correct way to purify.

The executive Hanusk belongs to the ruling faction.

This is a sect with a much milder theme than the Black Cross. They believe that placing any force to threaten the empire is exactly where their sacred duty lies. The Adjudicators strive to maintain the status quo and seek out any restless individuals or organizations inside or outside the Empire. They pay less attention to mutations, demons, and traditional crimes, unless they touch the foundational institutions of the Human Empire. Adjudicators tended to keep hostilities and political strife within the imperial apparatus to a minimum, and adhered to the credo that "unity is strength" among officials at all levels of the Inquisition. Change is one of the most dangerous of the most. Because change is often a harbinger of disaster. Other inquisitors may devote themselves to some major surgeries to violently bring humanity out of chaos and into a new golden age. The adjudicators prefer to be slow and steady. They accused the other inquisitors of being too arrogant, and some of the radical remarks went beyond the will of His Majesty the Emperor. From the very beginning, the Adjudicators followed the Emperor's original practices and plans to keep the empire running. In their minds, the empire is the embodiment of the emperor, and to defend the empire is to defend the emperor himself.

The Adjudicators have long worked to eradicate groups and sects that could weaken and threaten the Empire's institutions, commanders, military leaders, and more. They openly and actively support those who are beneficial to them, giving them considerable funds and protecting them without threatening the status and power of other institutions and individuals. The adjudicators are careful to guard against any form of social change, clinging to the mainstream values of their time and society. They work well with the rest of the Empire and work with the Empire's military to maintain the Empire's security. Because, in doing so, you are also defending the authority of the empire itself.

To be sure, Supreme Judge Callawi disagrees with the aims of Liu Ling and Hanusk's respective factions. Such gatherings are only held in times of emergency. The result of the discussion was similar to Calawayy's previous thoughts: Liu Ling, the Grand Inquisitor of the Black Cross Sect, was still as radical as before, and she demanded to continue the original container rebuilding project, but never considered the threat that the soul transfer might pose to the Emperor. The adjudicator Hanusk was too cautious and suspicious of all issues, preferring to maintain the status quo rather than build on the current basis. In the end, the question was thrown at Calaway himself.

The plan to rebuild the emperor's body, of course, has its merits. The awakening of the emperor is the common wish of all. The Holy See has also paid too much for this. However, the soul transfer even Calavi himself could not guarantee a success rate. He was unable to get support or outright opposition from the other two top members of the court, and the conversation naturally reached an impasse.

A few minutes later, Executive Officer Hanusk first broke the silence. He looked at Calavi with an old gaze and said suspiciously, "It's been a long time since the last real yàn failed. It's strange why you suddenly bring up this topic again? Could it be that there is something special about it? ”

A smile twinked in Calavi's cloudy glasses. He nodded slowly, "Do you remember Sarasmis?" ”

Liu Ling, the president of the first trial, obviously has a special memory of this name. Her eyes lit up, and she asked quite movingly, "Are you talking about that failed product of the Temple of the Battle Sisters?" The genius girl we used for the container project? ”

Calavi nodded continuously: "At the same time, he was also the top bounty killer who later created a series of massacres within the empire. ”

"Isn't Sarasmith already dead?"

Hanusque frowned, he did not approve of the "container" plan from the beginning: "She has undergone intense Transfiguration training at the Temple of the Sisters of Battle, and her body tissues and genes are showing signs of disorder. Although she was successful at that time, she herself took advantage of the chaos to escape from the real yàn room. The genes reserved from her body must rely on a deformation stabilizer to survive. Whether it is the freshness or the speed of division, those cells are far inferior to ordinary people. In this respect, the real yàn has actually failed. ”