One-Eye exited the room behind the pub,
Leaving only Alexander and Lager, who was lying on the bed.
Alexander glanced at the soundly sleeping Lager, not rushing to act, but instead first observed the room.
This was clearly One-Eye's usual living space, leaving behind many of his traces.
The room was kept spotlessly clean, dishes and chopsticks washed and placed in the recycling sink, the few clothes neatly arranged in the wardrobe, and the bed tidily made.
The first impression this room gave Alexander was its cleanliness, so clean it seemed as if it had been professionally trained.
It was hard to imagine anyone in the Lower Nest wasting time on tidying rooms and clothes.
Alexander looked towards the only table in One-Eye's room.
On the table lay a data-slate, its back connected to the wall by several cables, leading to something unknown.
Alexander walked to the table and gently reached out to open the data-slate.
A prompt appeared on the data-slate, requesting a key.
A tidy room, traces of professional training, a data-slate requiring a key...
One-Eye's secrets are not small, huh?
Alexander stroked his chin.
If it weren't for One-Eye's remaining eye being black instead of the purple of a Cadian,
He would have started to suspect One-Eye was a Cadian Shock Trooper stationed in a nearby star system.
Alexander put down the data-slate and turned to look at Lager on the bed.
"Do you think the Ark Gang's leader is an illegal psyker or a Genestealer?" the winged figure of Sanguinius asked.
Alexander lowered his head slightly.
"Their methods are very similar to Gene Stealers, but they actually let Lager invite me to meet their leader..."
"Don't they worry I'll run away? I can't figure it out, I really can't figure it out."
Alexander took out Body Clay from his four-dimensional pocket, placed it on the ground, and said:
"So I plan to see for myself."
Even if he had to escape to the Bottom Nest, he first needed to confirm whether the Ark Gang was truly a GSC front.
If there was a chance, assassinating the Ark Gang's leader, who was suspected to be a GSC, would be even better.
Thinking this, Alexander took the Body Clay from a meter-wide jar and meticulously applied it to his face.
His fingers flew, and in a short while, he had sculpted Lager's grey, ugly face.
Alexander then applied some clay to his body, making his skin as wrinkled as Lager's.
Finally, he pulled off Lager's linen robe and put it on himself.
In an instant, Alexander's appearance looked almost identical to Lager's, only slightly taller.
But...
"Cough, cough, cough," Alexander coughed twice.
His voice was too different from Lager's lewd and deep voice.
Fortunately, Alexander remembered an item that could help him imitate others' voices.
Alexander focused his gaze on his four-dimensional pocket and opened the Future Department Store.
[Item Name: Voice Candy Maker]
[Origin: 22nd Century Earth — Future Department Store]
[Production Time: 257.M2]
[Function: A machine with a microphone. After recording a person's voice, it can remember their voiceprint and produce a voiceprint candy. The person who eats the voiceprint candy will have a voice identical to that person's.]
[Price: 50,000 credits]
The function of this item was not particularly strong; it merely imitated others' voices, and its price was only fifty thousand, significantly cheaper than Body Clay.
However, when combined with Body Clay, it could allow Alexander to transform both his voice and appearance into another person's within thirty minutes, making it very practical.
Alexander purchased the Voice Candy Maker and brought it close to Lager's mouth, which was muttering in his sleep.
"Amasec, strong! Nine out of ten strong!"
The Voice Candy Maker recorded Lager's dream talk.
A moment later, a pale gold candy was produced from it, falling into Alexander's palm.
Alexander didn't rush to eat the candy but instead tucked this candy, which had recorded Lager's voice, into the inner pocket of his robe.
The effect of this voiceprint candy only lasted for thirty minutes; he had to wait until he reached the Ark Gang's stronghold to eat it.
Then Alexander took out the Pocket Tornado from his four-dimensional pocket and hung it on the inside of his robe.
After confirming everything was ready, Alexander pushed open the back door of the pub and walked into the hive city streets.
A few minutes later, One-Eye pushed open the door and entered the room.
He found that Alexander had already left, and Lager was still sound asleep on the bed.
The sedative he had given him was obtained from two cultists in the Bottom Nest.
Its effect was very strong; ordinary people who took it would sleep for at least an entire afternoon.
But One-Eye still squatted down, confirming that Lager was indeed fast asleep.
"You old rascal..." One-Eye shook his head at Lager, then walked to the table.
He noticed that the data-slate on the table had been moved, clearly indicating that Alexander had looked at it.
But One-Eye was not worried.
He dared to leave Alexander alone in this room, unafraid of him discovering his secret.
This device had complex key encryption, and no actual information was stored inside.
Its only purpose was to allow One-Eye to contact the Top hive.
If Alexander didn't know the key, didn't know the password to contact the Top hive,
This data-slate was just a glowing brick.
One-Eye entered the key into the data-slate, unlocked the screen, and entered the communication interface.
He sent a message to the Top hive, the very top of the entire hive city.
"Password," a low, dry voice came from the data-slate.
"Tyranid," "Angel," "Brother," "Binary Star"..
The password, composed of short high gothic words, came out of One-Eye's mouth.
This ancient and solemn language could not be accurately pronounced without training:
..."Mutant," "Parasite," "Fate," and "Governor."
The other end of the data-slate was silent for a moment, then the low, dry voice asked again:
"Tell me, how many arms was the benevolent Emperor born with?"
"The benevolent Emperor has two eyes, two ears, two arms, and two legs," One-Eye replied in a deep voice.
"Tell me, where is our only salvation?" the low, dry voice asked once more.
"Only death, to die for the Emperor, and for the soul to return to the Golden Throne," One-Eye answered.
"Recite the first two lines of the Holy Word Records and swear to the Emperor that you are a pure, uncorrupted human," the low, dry voice said.
One-Eye devoutly bowed his head.
He was not bothered by the cumbersome process; he understood why the one he served was so nervous.
He chanted softly:
"Rejoice, for I bring you glorious tidings."
"Gods walk among us."
These were the first two lines of the Holy Word Records, and One-Eye continued:
"I swear to the Emperor, I am as pure as ever, uncorrupted and undefiled by genes, a true human."
No more sound came from the other side of the data-slate, and One-Eye whispered:
"Ignes. Kalkas' notebook was not found."