As Qin Mo and his warriors moved through the ruined streets of Kato, they were flanked by both militia and PDF soldiers.
More survivors emerged as they passed a bombed-out cathedral, refugees, gaunt and dust-covered, who had taken shelter inside.
Most were wounded. Some limped, some were carried. All wore the same haunted look of people who had seen too much.
But two figures stood out.
One was a middle-aged man bearing the rank insignia of a Regimental Commander, a senior officer of the Planetary Defense Force.
The other was a woman in an official uniform, an Arbites intelligence officer.
"Regimental Commander Laun of the Logistics Corps."
The officer who had fought alongside Qin Mo earlier stepped forward to introduce them.
"And this is Riley, an agent of the Hive's Arbites Division."
Qin Mo wasn't surprised by Laun's presence.
The PDF had been scattered throughout the Underhive since the battle began. It made sense a commander might have survived especially one not on the front lines.
But an Arbites officer? Here?
The Adeptus Arbites rarely concerned themselves with the Underhive.
Their domain was the execution of Imperial Law, not local disputes, let alone the lawless depths of a Hive's underbelly.
The Arbites were not simple enforcers; they were judge, jury, and executioner rolled into one, feared across the Imperium for their absolute authority and brutal efficiency. When the Arbites arrived, it meant someone, somewhere, had committed a crime so vast it was considered a threat to Imperial order itself.
So what was Riley doing in this hellhole?
Had the ruling elite of Tyrone Hive really deployed their enforcers this deep into the abyss?
Laun stepped closer, eyeing Qin Mo's power armor with open curiosity.
"Are you the Marshal's honor guard?" he asked. "I've never seen this pattern before."
"We're not part of the Marshal's forces," Qin Mo said, shaking his head.
Laun frowned. "You arrived too late, soldier," he grumbled, irritation bleeding into his voice. "By the Emperor, we've been fighting street to street for nearly a week! Where have you been?"
Grey, standing just behind Qin Mo, muttered under his breath.
"By the Emperor, I almost thought this entire force was led by a mere Captain." His voice dripped with sarcasm. "Imagine my surprise when our 'missing command structure' finally reveals itself, hiding in a church like cowards."
His meaning was clear.
While everyone else had been fighting and dying in the streets, Laun and Riley had remained inside the cathedral.
There had been no orders.
No coordinated command.
Each unit had fought alone. Blind. Leaderless.
A disgrace.
Laun's expression darkened. For a moment, it seemed like he might lash out.
But seeing the hostility in the surrounding troops' eyes, he held his tongue and changed the subject.
"Are there any higher-ranking officers still alive?"
"No, sir."
Qin Mo's reply was calm. Almost too calm. Indifferent.
Grey was stunned. From the moment Laun had appeared, Qin Mo had acted completely naturally, as if he had no issue surrendering command.
He even addressed Laun as "sir" without hesitation.
It didn't make sense.
What the hell was going on?
Laun smirked. "You came late, but you did well, soldier." He clapped a hand against Qin Mo's armored shoulder, as if bestowing a reward.
Seeing Qin Mo's polite demeanor, Laun's confidence grew.
"From now on, you will follow my orders. Understood?"
"Yes, sir"
Qin Mo nodded, without hesitation.
Grey clenched his fists.
Laun's next words were even more shameless.
"Now take me somewhere safe," he said. "This lady and I require protection."
He gestured toward Riley, who simply smiled at Qin Mo.
That smile wasn't friendly. It was calculating, like a predator watching prey try to guess what kind of trap it had wandered into.
It reminded Grey again who she was. An Arbites wasn't here to survive. She was here to judge.
"Understood."
Qin Mo agreed without hesitation, then turned to Grey, signaling him to summon a transport drone.
Grey wanted to punch him.
He wanted to grab Qin Mo by the collar and shake him.
Did he realize what he was doing?!
He was handing over the army he had united through fire and blood.
But…
Grey held himself back.
He obeyed, but his movements were stiff, reluctant. He activated the vox-unit on his wrist and called in the drone.
Even if he didn't understand, he had faith.
....
Nightfall – The 47th Regiment's Fortress
"Commander!"
"At ease."
Klein waved off the salutes of the corridor guards without slowing. His boots clanged against the steel decking, echoing like war drums through the dim corridor, each step measured, full of restrained fury.
He marched into Qin Mo's quarters without knocking.
Qin Mo turned from his desk, setting aside a half-completed schematic etched with runes and tactical overlays.
Klein raised a hand, cutting him off before he could speak.
"Do you even know what the man you brought back is doing?"
Qin Mo arched an eyebrow. "Laun? What about him?"
Klein laughed bitterly.
"He's been barking orders at my men. Demanding they clear out the largest room for him.
Telling them to find him the best bed or commission a custom-made one, complete with silken hangings and heated coils."
He narrowed his eyes.
"What were you thinking when you brought him here?"
Qin Mo snorted.
"He actually asked your men to make him a custom bed?"
"Oh, he's not stupid," Klein snapped.
"He's an Upper Hive noble. And nobles don't make stupid mistakes.
They make power plays. They don't draw blades—they draw boundaries.
And this?" He pointed angrily toward the corridor. "This is him marking territory."
This was the first time Klein had ever questioned Qin Mo.
Because this time, he couldn't accept it.
"Do you understand what happens next?"
Klein's voice was low and serious.
"Your command will be stripped away. Your true rank—just a common soldier—will be exposed.
And the defense line you built through blood and sweat?
It will become someone else's. You will remain a mere soldier. Perhaps even lower ranked than me."
"Why?" Qin Mo asked.
Klein froze.
"…What?"
"Why would my army become his?" Qin Mo repeated.
"Can he conjure fire and lightning to slaughter his enemies?
Can he forge weapons beyond Imperial understanding?
Does he possess the tactical mind to outmaneuver the heretics?
Can he personally strike down enemy commanders?"
Klein fell silent, words failing him.
He had never thought about it that way.
Qin Mo had built his own legend.
Every soldier in the defensive line had either witnessed his power firsthand, or heard the stories.
And more than that—
They believed they had been betrayed by the Upper Hive.
They no longer trusted the high command.
No amount of political maneuvering could change that.
Unless Laun could bring something greater to the table—
His schemes were meaningless.
Klein sighed, rubbing his head.
"…Then why bring him here at all? Why not leave him in Kato?"
Qin Mo leaned back, glancing at the closed door.
Satisfied, he spoke freely.
"I have a backup plan. We dig.
We will clear the collapsed tunnels, reopening a path to the Lower Hive.
Then, we use Laun and any other nobles we can find—
As bargaining chips.
We negotiate with the high command for permission to evacuate back to the Lower Hive."
Klein's eyes widened.
"…Escape? You're planning to run? I can't believe it."
Qin Mo's gaze hardened.
"This is a contingency plan. I will do everything to achieve victory.
But if we fail, I will not sit and wait to die."
Klein finally understood.
He nodded.
"Should I detain him?"
"No."
"Keep him close. Find out where his family is.
If we must evacuate, it will be useful leverage."
Klein left immediately.
Qin Mo sat in silence.
Everything he had said was a lie.
If the attack on the Underhive was truly an Upper Hive conspiracy—
Then Laun's noble status wouldn't save him.
Qin Mo had no intention of bargaining.
He just needed an excuse to get Laun alone.
He turned back to the schematic, muttering to himself.
"I'll need to arrange an accident…"