Tzeentch again!
Hearing Marco's words, Byrne's heart jolted, and he subconsciously clenched his fists. He hadn't expected that in just a few short days, two seemingly unrelated heretical incidents would both point back to Tzeentch.
The hidden energy dissipated quickly after being discovered, but it wasn't just Marco; Byrne, standing not far away, had sensed it as well. Moreover, he faintly realized that the purple energy in this iron cabinet was identical to what he had seen during his psychometry back in the storage room.
If the previous case of Taim's disappearance was intended to wake the Apostle of Lies through that quill pen to find the Child of Prophecy, then what was the goal this time—placing a Slaaneshi artifact in a Nurgle worshipper's home? Surely they weren't doing it just for a bit of fun?
While Byrne was brainstorming, Renee said in disbelief, "Bringing two hostile Chaos energies together... how is that possible?"
Marco sighed. "The Lord of Change is best at making the impossible possible. I've fought these liars several times; I won't mistake it. Through special runes and rituals, they can warp the nature of energy, allowing originally opposing Chaos forces to reach a strange, temporary balance. Like this scratch—it looks like accidental damage, but it's actually the medium for the balancing ritual. Now that the medium is gone, the fragile balance no longer exists. We must recover these two artifacts immediately."
With that, the pale golden psychic energy in Marco's palms surged, forming two fine energy ropes that coiled around the red glass bottle and the black mud mask.
The moment the psychic ropes touched them, the two previously dormant Chaos energies became agitated. The Plague Essence in the red bottle boiled violently, the dark green liquid slamming against the glass as if trying to break free. Meanwhile, the miniature faces on the black mud mask came alive again. A thick, eerie aura mixing extreme pleasure and pain radiated from the mask.
Marco let out a low shout. The golden energy in his palms flared up, and the ropes tightened, firmly binding the thrashing artifacts.
Seeing the restraint take effect, Marco freed one hand to pull two walnut-sized metal cubes from his waist pouch. These cubes were grayish-white, their surfaces engraved with layers of spiral runes that occasionally pulsed with golden light. These were specialized devices used by the Bureau of Heresy Investigation for recovering high-level Chaos artifacts.
Marco pressed both cubes and tossed them onto the floor. Upon landing, the metal cubes transformed like clockwork mechanisms, rapidly unfolding into storage boxes the size of basketballs. As they unfolded, the spiral runes on their surfaces lit up, emitting a low hum. A pale golden psychic barrier expanded from within the boxes, forming an inverted hemispherical field. The runes at the edge of the field spun at high speed, emitting a strong aura of purification.
Next, Marco pulled hard with his psychic ropes, dragging the restless red bottle and the black mud mask toward the boxes. Simultaneously, Byrne and the other two circulated their own psychic power to protect themselves. These two artifacts were unusual; even while firmly bound by Marco, the afterwaves of escaping Chaos energy remained highly corrosive and unsettling to the mind.
Marco's gaze was solemn as he steadily manipulated the psychic ropes to push the artifacts into their respective boxes. Once inside, the boxes shrunken back down, returning to walnut-sized metal cubes. Marco picked them up, checked the runes to ensure no energy leakage, and placed them in his pouch.
Having handled the artifacts, Marco turned to the unconscious shop owner. He took out a syringe and injected a pale blue liquid into the man. This was a potent inhibitor that would temporarily suppress his plague energy and prevent further mutation for a period of time.
After finishing this, Marco handed a purple crystal chip to Renee. "Fortunately, I captured a fragment before the energy dissipated. Renee, you are skilled in psychic tracking. Your next mission is to use the energy signature in this chip to trace the source and find the person behind this."
"Yes, Captain."
Then, Marco turned to Selena. "Selena, you're in charge of organizing the report for this mission. Record every detail clearly. Especially the part about the coexistence of the two Chaos energies and the presence of the Lord of Change's energy. Also, regarding Captain Maurice whom you asked about earlier—I will arrange a meeting once he returns. But for now, focus on the team's missions and don't get distracted."
"Understood, Captain."
Finally, Marco's gaze fell on Byrne. Byrne knew very well that after Renee's investigation during his induction and his feat of taking down a Grade 2 Blood-Rotten alone, this Captain would no longer treat him like an ordinary rookie.
Marco scrutinized Byrne for a few seconds before speaking. "Your performance in this mission exceeded my expectations."
Byrne simply responded with a smile, not saying a word. He knew Marco was just speaking formalities; the real point was coming. Sure enough, Marco paused slightly before shifting the topic. "I assume you also sensed that energy from the Lord of Change earlier."
"I did." Byrne nodded directly without hesitation. There was no need to lie about this.
"Good. You will assist Renee in completing the mission. Remember, stay alert during the tracking. If you find the target, report to me immediately. No unauthorized actions."
"Understood, Captain."
Time flew by, and soon it was near dusk. Outside the southern gate of Blackstone City, a black-armored soldier entered Marcus's tent.
"Reporting, sir. All twenty ore crates have been loaded onto the trucks. We are ready to depart at any time."
Marcus, sitting in his chair, looked down at a photograph. Without raising his head, he said, "Good. Depart as soon as it gets dark and transport them to the designated location."
"Sir, what about the parts that haven't arrived yet..."
Marcus took a puff of his cigarette, flicked the ash, and sneered. "Simple. Bury the ore crates that didn't make it on the spot. Hand the survivors over to the Astra Militarum recruiters. As for the dead ones, take them straight to the grinding factory. These are good ingredients; we can't let them go to waste."
"Yes, sir."
After the soldier left, Marcus took a long drag. Then, he took the cigarette butt and pressed the glowing end onto the photograph.
"Heh... Governor Rick, I hope you like this 'big gift' I've sent you."