"That's where you're going to be, Reserve Sevita."

Sevita nodded silently, he took a deep breath, the filtered air was unusually cold, and there was a little incomprehensible bitterness: "Instructor."

"Huh?" The giant, which was more than four meters tall, lowered its head and looked down at him. "What's the matter?"

"The twentieth operation." Sevita carefully sorted out her words. "I saw something at the end."

"The twentieth operation does not exist, Reserve Sevita." Carlil whispered.

The hallway is silent, and the metal panels that make up the walls take on an unusual gray. A cold mist escaped beneath their feet, high enough to reach Sevita's calves, sending him a chill. The sight at the entrance to the recruits' quarters had nothing to do with what might represent 'home' in the future, and it looked terrifying.

"But."

"It doesn't exist." Carlil smiled. "Remember that, Sevita. We don't talk about it, and we don't talk about anything related to it. ”

"So, it's a secret that needs to be kept together?"

"Yes."

"But, instructor, all the secrets will be cracked." Sevita smirked. "And I don't know if I'll be able to keep it a secret."

"It doesn't matter." Carlil was still smiling, his eyes were pitch black, and there was not a single light in them, like two black holes that devoured everything.

"It doesn't matter if you're conservative or not." He whispered. "But we don't mention it."

Fourteen minutes after the twentieth operation, Yago Sevitarión felt the strange chill again.

This time, it didn't spread from his dream, but from the eyes of his instructor, Karil Lohals. It's real, maybe even a little too real. Just looking at each other made Sevita's teeth tremble.

He couldn't help but look away, and walked into the recruits' quarters, his limbs stiff.

Inside the door is a large space, with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and candles burning silently and dimly lit.

On the far left of the room lay fifteen huge bookshelves, filled with books. Five long tables are lined up one after the other, and eight flags gaze quietly on the walls surrounding the long tables.

Behind the long table is another large door with round arches that look like stone. The same coat of arms that Sevita had seen before appeared on this door again, a sharp blade sharp down in the center of the coat of arms, and blood on the tail, as if it had just pierced someone's heart.

"Common lounge area." His instructor's voice came from behind him. "There are so many books here, you can pick one to read at any break. You can take it back to your room or look at it here, as long as you remember to return it. ”

"Most of the books are written in Nostramo and a few in High Gothic, which can be a little tricky for you to read, but that's okay. When you wake up at five o'clock tomorrow morning, you'll start learning High Gothic. ”

"I still need to learn another language?"

"Of course." Carlil walked over to him. "The galaxy is vast, and Nostramo is not an official language. Come to think of it, Sevita, if you've been saying the word 'emperor' in Nostramo."

He didn't say more, and he didn't need to say more. That was enough to make Sevita laugh, though he quickly realized that laughter wasn't a good thing and quickly shut up. But he had laughed, and that was unmistakable.

Carlil curled the corners of his mouth and poked his forehead with his fingers, lightly but enough to make the boy stunned.

"Jairziño said your forehead poked funny, and I wanted to find out why he said that." Carlil looked down at the boy and said in a sincere tone. "As it stands—"

He reached out and poked again.

"—I haven't found any evidence to prove it."

Sevita jerked up her hands, covered her forehead and took two steps back: "Don't listen to the doctor, he's sick!" ”

"It's not a good thing to talk about the chief behind your back, Reserve Sevita." Carlil withdrew his right hand, put it behind his back and shook his head. "You need to get used to your new identity quickly, kid."

Then you still call me a child? Sevita secretly slandered herself. He lowered his head and rubbed his forehead, although he didn't feel pain, the feeling of being poked was completely different from tapping.

"In short, the beds and the bathhouse or shower with round-the-clock hot water are just behind that door." Carlil spoke again. "You still have eleven hours of free time today, make sure you get eight hours of sleep, Reserve Sevita."

"You're leaving?" Sevita immediately looked up.

"Yes." Carlil gave him a gentle bow. "I have my own business to do."

"So—where's my dinner?"

"No dinner." Carlil replied almost ruthlessly. "You ate three Glocks steaks in a row not long ago, and they haven't digested yet, look at your own stomach, Reserve."

With that, he turned and walked away.

——

Conrad Coates can't remember the last time he was so excited—was it when he got a gift from Carlil?

He bowed his head thoughtfully, and with a slight wave of his right hand, the blade resurfaced from the air, fluctuating like a shadow. He studied it for a moment, and gathered it back before it could turn the room temperature into a low temperature that could freeze the cables and pipes in the walls.

The Lord of Midnight took a deep breath, the air in the room was so cold that even his tongue briefly felt numb.

He lowered his head and began to communicate with Jairziño Guzmán on the databoard. The Chief Medical Officer is probably going to be up all night tonight, and while it is true that the Astartes don't need much sleep, rest is another matter.

His work continued for some time, and after finalizing a full reconstructive surgery and training plan for the Reserve Sevita with the Chief Medical Officer, he put down the datapad and, unsurprisingly, looked up to see Karil Lohals.

"I'm starting to wonder if you've become addicted to this, Carlil." Conrad Coetzes pursed his lips.

"What's the matter?" His uninvited visitor asked softly.

"Ran into my office without saying a word to see me at work."

"I didn't 'say a word,' Legion Commander." Carlil said. "Actually, I didn't even hide the sound of my breathing."

Conrad Coetz took more than a dozen seconds to recall the incident, and finally, he nodded reluctantly: "What about Reserve Sevita?" ”

"Probably wandering around the dormitory." Carlil smiled. The novelty and the desire to explore will soon be forgotten by him, after all, he is the only one in the recruit dormitory now.

Conrad Coetzes narrowed his eyes and shook his head slowly.

"And this thing is going to go on for a long time." He said with a blank face. "The full set of surgeries will be performed carefully and safely under the supervision of Jaylziño, after all, this is the first time we have modified a person who has passed the twentieth operation."

"Based on the time of the day, he will spend three years on surgery and training. And for three years, he had to be alone. Only after confirming that he has passed each operation in its entirety will I begin the conscription of Nostramo as appropriate. ”

"Don't you think that's a little too cruel for him?"

Coates glanced at Carlil, and for a few seconds there was a very obvious 'I don't want to talk' hint on his face. But, after a while, he sighed.

"Are you too embarrassed to say that?" Conrad Coetzes hissed and grumbled. "I didn't complain about the nights you had to leave, or your skeleton, about being cruel."

"You complained." Carlil nodded, and said firmly. "You didn't say it explicitly, but you did complain about it, Conrad."

“.”

"Conrad?"

"Nothing." Coetze's pale lips curved slightly, revealing the teeth behind them. "Nothing, Carlil."

Carlil finally laughed happily, but quickly wiped it out with his own hands. He reverted to his expressionless face and talked about something else.

"So, do you have any words or gifts for your brother Perturabo?"

"Haven't the relevant orders arrived yet?" Conrad Coetzes frowned. "Why are you in such a hurry that fleet is still looking for Nostramo's location on the vague map of the Ghoul Star Zone?"

"Oh" Carlil raised an eyebrow, glancing at the ceiling. "Well, this one."

"I see—psionics?"

"It's pretty much the same."

"Psionic communication?"

"That's right."

"Who?"

"Makado the Palm Print." Carlil smiled. "Real-time communication, real-time communication. I have to say that while I'm not too fond of using psionic energy, it does work well enough. ”

"yes." Coetzes responded with a sneer. "For example, when you leaned back in a chair and treated your broken leg in front of the rain."

"I never said it didn't work, Conrad."

"You're just saying it's dangerous, it's going to attract something, and you've got a scary-sounding countdown of yourself, and you're going to die when the time comes."

Coates clasped his hands and smiled sharply, his overly sharp canine teeth glistening.

"Oh my God, I've been juggled by these words in the past, and it's so confusing to think about it now."

"I didn't lie to you."

"I know, because you think that's the truth - what more can I say?" Coetzes laughed as he winked at Carlil, some unspoken words evident in his eyes.

Yes, I just brought it up on purpose. Who told you to bring up this topic that I don't want to talk about right now? ’

Carlil almost laughed.

Almost.

"Conrad," he said in a low voice, and just these words carried an aria-like mood and atmosphere, and the corners of Conrad Coetze's eyes twitched, and his back involuntarily straightened.

"I don't know if you're going to be like that, but sometimes, I do miss the past. Some people say that they miss the past because they don't have a good time now, and I don't agree with that. I miss that time, but I don't want to go back. I remember every detail of those days. Your gargoyle, you like to crouch on the roof of the shelter and wait for me to come back, your first mission failed because you forgot to close the window."

"I think that's what I miss. They are precious. ”

He paused to narrate, and saw that Conrad Coetze's face had turned a rare red from some emotion, and even trembled slightly. After a few seconds, he spoke again, in a slightly joking tone.

"Yes—" Carlil said with a smile. "—I never forget."

“.”

Conrad Coetzee raised his hand in silence, and he stopped talking, as if he wanted to say something, but could not say anything. In the end, he actually chose a topic that made him feel ashamed of himself.

"Let's talk about my brother Perturabo whom we have never met." He covered his face expressionlessly, and his voice was low.

"But you're not."

"Let's talk about him."

"Okay." Carlil shrugged. "So, what do you think is the right greeting gift?"

Conrad Coetzes took a deep breath.

"I think—"

——

"—Expect to be on board in ten minutes, instructor." Van Cleef said without emotion. "And you're still in your regular clothes."

"Do you have to let me wear that ceremonial armor?" Carlil pulled away from his memories and deliberately sighed at the company commander. "Seriously, Van Cleef. I'm not a primordial. ”

"Yes."

Van Cleeff kept his face expressionless and nodded to Carlil between the rumbling decks.

"You're not a primordial, but you're a legion instructor, and according to the sixteenth edition of the Legion Code, you're equivalent to being a protologist on some important occasions when the primordial isn't there, and that means you have to wear that gorgeous armor."

"It's used too much gold."

"Yes, I know, instructor."

"And the reliefs are just too pompous."

"Yes, instructor."

"So—" Carlil sighed heartily, and something began to emerge in the shadows beneath his feet, and clinging up his ankles, finishing his dress in an instant. The hideous, silent skeleton stood in place with a hood, taking its place.

His voice distorted, "—is that okay, Van Cleef?" ”

"I think it's okay, instructor."

"So, let's confirm the mission one last time." Carlil said calmly. "The mission is to board the Glory Queen-class battleship of the Blood of Steel, and you don't need any reaction or action until I am alone with Perturabo."

"Are you sure you really want to do that?"

"Yes." The skeleton said without emotion. "Sergeant Eltros died without dignity or honor, who do you think is responsible?"

Amid the rumbling of the deck, Van Cleef did not answer.

I'll go out to dinner in the evening. Tomorrow will start to explode the mode.,At the end of the month, I plan to rush the number of updated words this month to 230,000.。

(End of chapter)