Chapter 276– Integration Epilogue! Escort Mission! Return to Night City!
When the preacher's figure appeared before the assembled Astartes warriors, everyone instinctively raised their weapons slightly, but without David's command, no one dared to open fire.
Standing at the very front of the formation, David could clearly see that the Preacher was encased in a massive suit of armor, one that made him appear like an even larger version of their own "tin cans."
However, through his enhanced vision system's scan, David noticed that the armor wasn't a combat-grade power suit, but rather a kind of medical exoskeleton.
It wasn't until the AI precursor unit Passionate Witness 031 explained the situation that David and the others understood the armor's purpose.
Before entering the Tomb of Silence, the Preacher had undergone a "desiccation" process—essentially, he remained in a mummified state throughout his time in the tomb.
The armor he now wore was designed to supply basic electrolytes and nutrient fluids, sustaining him until his body could be revived.
Even after receiving these supplies, the Preacher would still need to soak in nutrient fluid for half a month to fully restore bodily functions.
In other words, in his current state, the Preacher was nothing more than a frail, desiccated husk—absolutely no match for a squad of fully armed Astartes warriors.
"Looks like we came to the right place."
David stepped forward. When he saw the slight rise and fall of breath through the heavy armor, he knew the Preacher had regained consciousness, though he remained incapable of taking any action.
"Take him."
With David's command, the soldiers quickly moved in to carry off the Preacher along with the massive armor—and even packed up the tomb apparatus itself for transport.
Though David had originally been ordered to kill the Preacher, that was contingent on the latter posing a threat.
In his current state, without nutrient fluids to sustain him, the Preacher couldn't even move on his own. Killing him now would be a waste. Better to bring him back and let the Research Division study him.
After all, the Preacher was entangled in a number of Forerunner secrets. Even if they couldn't assimilate or brainwash him, extracting information from his mind was still a worthwhile objective.
…
…
Main Universe – Planetwide Megalopolis – Night City!
As the capital of the Universal Megacorp, Night City had long since become a sprawl of towering arcologies. Within the dense and orderly aerial transit grids, tens of thousands of AI drones and NCPD riot airships buzzed back and forth.
Maglev trains, buses, yachts, and other transit vehicles moved through the city according to a tightly managed public transportation system, maintaining strict speeds and routes.
Naturally, it wasn't just law enforcement or public-use vehicles in the air. A number of private maglev craft and luxury transports also roamed the skies.
At this moment, above the Watson District's acceleration corridor, a sleek airship flanked by flapping drones and AI escorts glided steadily through the sky.
This was a confidential transport vessel personally supervised by Night City's Chief Inspector River, carrying high-level UNSC personnel from the Halo universe.
Looking down at the sprawling mega-medical centers, extravagant dreamclubs, casinos, and massive ports of Watson District, Andrew couldn't help but exclaim in awe, "I never imagined the capital of the Universal Megacorp would look like this. It's insane!"
Colossal cyber-billboards a thousand meters tall, dazzling neon displays, and endless aerial traffic—all of it made Andrew feel like he was dreaming.
In reality, only Watson and Westbrook Districts were this flashy. The corporate headquarters near City Hall maintained a starkly different aesthetic: solemn, austere, and hyper-efficient.
No blinding light pollution. No indulgent establishments. Just rigorously designed mega-structures filled with nonstop work cycles.
UNSC Fleet Marshal Terrence, though composed as always, was still stunned by the scenery below. Compared to this, even Earth's Sydney in the Halo universe felt primitive.
Night City was far more lavish and sophisticated, its cultural diversity almost overwhelming.
If the Halo universe's human civilization wanted to reach this level of development, it would take at least another two centuries.
Unlike Andrew and Terrence, Margaret wasn't paying attention to the scenery. Throughout the journey, her mind had been occupied with a single question—why was Li Ang transferring them to Ideal City?
At this point, she guessed Li Ang intended to assign each of them a new role—an arrangement that aligned with the corporation's best interests.
Over the past few days, Margaret had done everything she could to gather external intel.
She learned that during its integration of the Halo universe, the Universal Megacorp had drained nearly all of its external warfare resources.
Given how many human colonies there were, and how chaotic the Halo universe currently was, an enormous number of enforcers and administrators were needed to maintain order.
That meant not only garrisoning soldiers, but also sending managers to oversee the colonies.
Just managing the UNSC and rebel factions alone required placing corporate supervisors throughout the universe.
But this created a shortage of high-level personnel in the main universe. By relocating high-ranking UNSC members to Ideal City, Li Ang could both supervise them personally and solve the staffing crisis.
Most importantly, he could reshuffle and reassign internal power structures to prevent institutional stagnation—an HR decision perfectly aligned with corporate interest.
"Secretary Lucy," Margaret suddenly asked, looking at the woman escorting them, "I heard you took control of all our UNSC smart AIs three years ago. Is that true?"
Lucy answered honestly with a slight nod. "Yes. Through the AI Council, we gained full control over both your smart AIs and those of the rebels."
"They played a critical role in integrating the Halo universe. Our boss even brought them into the corporate leadership."
"You've heard of the Megacorp Cabinet, right? Most of the members there are smart AIs—and they answer only to the boss. They have clearance to access and command every department."
Lucy's revelation left Terrence, Andrew, and Margaret stunned. They couldn't fathom how the Megacorp had managed to subvert so many AIs simultaneously.
But it did explain why every strategic move by the UNSC or rebels had been anticipated in advance—the traitors were inside the system all along.
Even more shocking was Li Ang 's willingness to treat smart AIs as cabinet ministers.
In the UNSC, AIs were strictly tools—disposable when worn out. Trusting them with strategy or core decision-making? Unthinkable.
After all, tools were tools. They weren't meant to be powerholders.
And what about the risk of an AI uprising? Didn't Li Ang fear that?
To this, Lucy patiently explained the existence of the Matrix.
Upon learning of this advanced construct, the UNSC brass were once again left speechless.
The Megacorp's technological foundation far exceeded their imagination. In some respects, their expertise in AI rivaled the Forerunners' mastery of gravity.
"Looks like I've misjudged the ONI," Terrence muttered with a self-deprecating smile. He glanced at Margaret, whose expression had turned complicated. "With enemies like that, no wonder we lost."
Even if ONI agents had detected the AI betrayal or enemy infiltration, it wouldn't have made any difference.
Given the Megacorp's immense power, their victory over the UNSC was only a matter of time.
Margaret didn't respond to Terrence's mockery. Her mind was spinning, trying to guess what position she might be assigned.
She had assumed Li Ang valued her highly enough to place her in a top-tier decision-making role.
But now it seemed the Megacorp had no shortage of brilliant executives. Her talents might not be so rare after all.
So what position would be given to her…?
"I heard the final war to unify the Covenant is almost here," Andrew sighed, "Wonder if I'll ever get the chance to command a naval fleet again."
"I'd love to see how those Covenant bastards fare against our hardlight cannons!"
As the former captain of a Carthage-class carrier, Andrew missed his time in the fleet. Only there could he prove his worth. He knew he had the skills, but since being captured, he hadn't had a single opportunity to lead a mission.
Now that the Megacorp had seized control of the UNSC and UEG high command, scores of carrier-class captains had been transported to Ideal City.
No one knew what fate awaited them.
Noticing Andrew's anxiety, Lucy chuckled softly and offered some reassurance.
"Don't worry. The boss brought you here to reorganize roles. Some of you will be promoted, others will start fresh."
"But most of you will be reassigned to places where you can shine. One way or another, you'll be safe and begin new lives."
"As for the war to unify the Covenant, the United Megacorp Army is advancing rapidly. You might not be needed yet—but you will be."
From the intel Lucy had gathered in recent days, the Covenant alliance—led by the Prophets and Brutes—was steadily losing ground.
As the Megacorp unearthed more and more Forerunner relic sites, their control over numerous Traveler-class dreadnoughts had given them overwhelming battlefield supremacy.
The Prophets' hope of winning through sheer numbers was already a distant fantasy.
Even though the Covenant held superior population, resources, and industrial zones compared to the Halo humans and even the Megacorp, it was clear the tide had already turned.
But in war—especially interstellar war—the contest often hinges not just on material resources, but far more critically on strategic assets.
And among the most vital strategic resources are weapons and technology. For the Universal Conglomerate, the Wanderer-class dreadnought is precisely that—a strategic-grade weapon.
Thanks to the sheer power of the Wanderer dreadnoughts, the United Fleet of the Conglomerate has consistently achieved astounding results in naval engagements, regularly delivering one-versus-a-hundred or even one-versus-a-thousand kill ratios.
Just two Wanderers working in tandem with a handful of escort ships can form an exceptionally potent main cannon matrix capable of simultaneously obliterating over a hundred CRS-class battleships and CCS-class cruisers.
Even the massive CSO-class carriers—boasting the strongest armor in the Covenant fleet—can, at most, withstand two direct hits from the Wanderer's hardlight main cannon. In practice, though, one shot is usually enough to annihilate the target.
The Wanderer first uses a gravity field distortion to compromise the Covenant carrier's outer hull, then fires its main cannon to finish off the crippled ship in a single strike.
Couple that with the fact that the Sangheili (Elites) are natural masters of naval warfare—far superior in tactical acumen compared to the Prophets or the Brutes—and it's clear why the Covenant forces have been on the back foot.
If not for the Covenant's vast territory spanning over half the Milky Way, giving them significant strategic depth, the Megacorp Fleet would have completed the unification long ago.
At the current pace of conquest, the entire Covenant and the Milky Way galaxy should fall into the Megacorp's hands within the next six months.
That said, during this transition, the Megacorp still requires massive numbers of troops to garrison new holdings and deal with emerging threats. Initially, they had some surplus military manpower.
But once the campaign to unify the Halo universe commenced, the Megacorp's Expansion Division launched an aggressive recruitment drive, which successfully replenished its soldier count.
Fortunately, the Megacorp has access to ample human resources. Coupled with the Ideal City's replicants and clone production facilities running at full capacity, they've had no trouble fielding the required number of troops.
Still, fully integrating and pacifying the Halo universe will take far more than just six months—it'll require a prolonged, sustained military presence and ongoing operations.
After all, the Covenant is still classified as a Tier 2 civilization. While most of their tech was scavenged or stolen, even a dying camel is bigger than a healthy horse.
Even if the Covenant were to collapse completely, its lingering influence could still pose a threat. A resurgence is the last thing Li Ang wants to see.
Thus, the Megacorp must not only annihilate the Covenant's main fleets but do so with overwhelming force—swift, decisive, and brutal enough to cow all other spacefaring civilizations into submission.
They also need to construct Halo Arrays near other civilizations as strategic deterrents.
Anyone bold enough to rebel will face immediate, physical annihilation.
"Secretary Lucy," Terrence said, turning toward her with curiosity in his voice, "I heard the Megacorp discovered an Ark installation outside the Milky Way. Is it true that thing can build Halos?"
As the UNSC's Grand Admiral, Terrence had always been fascinated by weapons and warships. Otherwise, he wouldn't have pushed so hard to develop the New Era- and Carthage-class carriers.
Upon hearing about the Megacorp's search for the Ark, Terrence had been eager to learn more.
"Mm. It's true," Lucy replied with a nod. When it came to high-ranking UNSC personnel, she was fully transparent—after all, before long, they would be colleagues.
"Our engineering teams are currently working on relocating the extragalactic Ark to an orbit just beyond the solar system. The plan is to station it as a permanent ninth planet."
Fortunately, the Ark comes equipped with propulsion systems, allowing it to move. However, the process of repositioning it is slow, given that the thing is ten times the size of Earth.
Based on current progress, it will take at least two to three more years before the Ark can be successfully transferred to the solar system.
Meanwhile, the Megacorp's Research Division hasn't forgotten to study the Ark itself, attempting to reverse-engineer various technologies.
Devices like the Ark and the Forerunner teleportation gates are of critical interest to the Conglomerate's scientists.
After all, a device capable of instantly teleporting a supermassive object to any location in the Milky Way implies an unimaginable level of technological sophistication.
The Milky Way spans nearly 200,000 light-years. The kind of spatial manipulation required for that—calling it "the power of gods" would not be an exaggeration.
Currently, Dr. Catherine Halsey is leading the research team on the Ark, alongside the Forerunner AI known as [Enthusiastic Witness 031], engaging in long-term analysis and decryption.
Thanks to the presence of the Preacher, they now have access to Forerunner databanks, making their research far more efficient.
Upon learning about the Ark and its teleportation tech, the high-ranking UNSC personnel were all visibly stunned and awed.
And beneath their shock, a glimmer of pride remained—for the advancement of human civilization.
Even though they had become prisoners of the Megacorp, that didn't stop them from feeling pride in humanity's revival and progress.
While Terrence and the others were still marveling and exchanging amazed glances, Lucy turned to glance out the porthole at another airship nearby—this one a military-class vessel carrying none other than the Preacher.
As one of the few surviving Forerunners in the Halo universe, the Preacher had become a top-priority research subject for the Megacorp. Even if they couldn't win him over…
They could always resort to AI-based reprogramming tools or enforced Matrix-style neural control. Extracting everything he knew would still make him a valuable asset.
That said, Li Ang still intended to do whatever he could to gain direct control over the Preacher. After all, this guy was a military genius—an alien war god who had once led campaigns to crush ancient humanity.
With credentials that stellar, he was far too valuable to waste.
Just as Lucy was staring out at the airship, a notification tone suddenly rang through the cabin, instantly snapping everyone inside to attention.
They had arrived—at the capital of Ideal City.
Night City Headquarters.
[…]
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