Above the boundless industrial clouds of the hive city, at the pinnacle of this city forged from steel and chaos,
Deep within the Governor's ancient spire-palace, Augustus slowly opened his eyes from a soft, red velvet-covered sofa.
A bottle of Quartis's golden dry red lay beside him,
the cork already pulled, and priceless crimson wine flowed from the bottle, soaking into the blood-red velvet sofa.
Augustus let out a drunken burp, looking dazedly at the ceiling adorned with a magnificent crystal chandelier.
A long night's hangover could not dispel the pain brought by the nightmare.
That nightmare was indelible,
Augustus thought blankly.
No amount of fine wine, song, dance, or pleasure could banish that nightmare.
No amount of trickery, scheming, or spies could reveal that nightmare.
No amount of armies, soldiers, or weapons could stop that nightmare.
That nightmare had haunted Augustus since he was a young seventeen-year-old, and continued to torment him to this day.
To drive away the nightmare, he had undertaken massive construction projects, conscripted private soldiers, and even harbored illegal psyker who had escaped the Black Ships.
But as he aged, the shadow of that nightmare grew thicker and thicker.
It lurked in the gloomy streets of the Lower Nest, extending four monstrous claws, waiting for Augustus to fall from the highest point of the hive city, into its hideous maw.
From then on, Augustus almost stopped caring about the Lower Nest, or rather, dared not care about the Lower Nest.
He used all his strength, focusing on protecting his own safety.
The dazzling lights seemed to transport Augustus back to his younger days.
They also reminded him of that brother, Tiberius. Flax, that Hellworm.
"Tiberius, my brother."
"Tiberius, the Hellworm."
Augustus murmured.
When he was a child, he was the sole son and only legal heir of the Flax family.
His family had ruled this planet for a long time, and he too would eventually become the Governor of this planet.
At that time, Augustus was confident he could fulfill the duties of Governor better than any of his ancestors; he was wise enough and diligent enough.
But everything changed when his parents returned from an interstellar trade meeting.
Augustus's mother gave birth to a child for their family.
Tiberius Augustus, his younger brother, his blood kin,
but born with four arms and claws, grotesque like a disgusting mutant.
Yet Augustus's parents turned a blind eye to this, instead showering this deformed mutant with all their affection,
even declaring that he would replace Augustus as the new heir of the family.
But what truly made Augustus unbearable was not jealousy, but fear.
He vaguely realized what kind of monster his blood kin was.
Many times he saw his parents leading guests to visit his newborn brother.
Those guests never reappeared, and even the palace guards and servants frequently went missing.
His parents, however, ignored the monster, and instead began to personally train him to manage the planet's affairs.
Augustus was terrified, fearing that he would disappear like those guests, servants, and guards.
He found a few trustworthy guards, and with their help, garnered the support of the nobles, launching a rebellion against his parents and that monster brother.
Blood flowed in the Governor's palace.
His blade pierced the chests of his corrupted parents.
But his deformed brother, that monster, that beast, that worm, escaped.
It must have fled into the depths of the city, hiding in the shadows of the Lower Nest, or even the Bottom Nest.
Rumors of disappearances and strange occurrences often came from the Lower Nest of Ferdia city.
Augustus's brother, that monster with the same blood as him,
Tiberius Augustus, it acquired a new name: "Hellworm."
Augustus curled his aging body, lying on the damp sofa like an uneasy child.
He whimpered softly, terrified.
Tiberius would surely take revenge on him, soon, very soon.
Just then, a data-slate he had placed on the table beside the sofa suddenly lit up.
He reached out a trembling, withered arm and picked up the data-slate from the table.
After a series of complex passwords, keys, and inquiries, Augustus was convinced that the person on the other side of the data-slate had not been corrupted.
"Ignes. Kalkas's notebook was not found," the person on the other side of the data-slate said.
"Tell me, in detail," Augustus asked in a low, dry voice.
The person on the data-slate then explained the situation in detail to Augustus.
"He lied to you! That scavenger from the Lower Nest lied to you!"
Augustus said in a sharp voice, an uncontrollable anger permeating it.
He judged from just the voice transmitted through the data-slate that the scavenger was lying.
He absolutely found that notebook!
"He found it, but he knows what's in that notebook!"
"I bet he destroyed or hid that notebook!"
After an outburst of anger, Augustus hung his head, saying weakly:
"Tell him I'm willing to pay more, double."
"If he's unwilling to give it, then so be it. I didn't have much hope for that notebook anyway."
"Or rather, I've long since lost hope for everything."
Augustus leaned back on the sofa, closing his eyes tightly,
like an old man waiting for death to arrive at any moment.
He opened his eyes and looked at the data-slate.
"Old friend, you need to be careful."
"Two more of our people have been assassinated by Tiberius's assassins. You might be next soon."
He said dryly to the person on the other side of the data-slate.
"Aren't you the same?" the person on the other side of the data-slate said mercilessly. "We're all close to it. The curse has always been there."
"But the Emperor teaches us to face corruption with faith."
Augustus gave a dry laugh, not minding his old friend's disrespect towards the Governor.
The data-slate then disconnected, and silence returned to Augustus's opulent and spacious room.
Augustus again curled up, hugging his legs, trembling with unease.
Lower Nest, Ark Gang's new stronghold.
The Ark Gang, led by their Prophet, had taken this district.
That Prophet now occupied the former gang's stronghold, gradually beginning to rule the nearby streets.
Many Ark Gang members, dressed in linen robes and with tail-flame spaceships painted on their faces, went in and out.
They were busy and diligent, like a swarm of worker bees.
Alexander, wearing a linen robe and Lager's face, walked into the stronghold.