Raynor looked down at Kerry, his expression unreadable behind the mask.
"I ask, you answer." His voice filtered through the vocoder, carrying an unquestionable authority. "As I said, I need resources and food. How many are on this ship? Where are they located?"
Kerry opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously. He tried to recall the manifests, but fear had left his mind a complete blank.
"I... I... that is..." he stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.
Raynor clicked his tongue impatiently. He pulled out a data slate, set a three-minute countdown, and projected the glowing red numbers into the air between them.
2:592:58
The numbers began to tick down.
"If you can't give me an answer before that timer hits zero, you die."
Kerry's eyes were fixed on the fluctuating numbers. Tears began to well up again, and he started to sob softly.
"Crying? Crying counts as time, too."
That cold statement had an immediate effect. Kerry took a deep breath, forcing back his sobs, and spoke in a trembling, nasal voice.
"The Throne Gelt... it's hidden in the safe in the captain's quarters. There's probably around 500 million credits." He glanced at Raynor's reaction; seeing the armored figure simply listening in silence, he hurried on. "The food is in the main cargo hold. Millions of tons of synthetic starch blocks and protein paste. There are also three thousand indentured servants in the main hold."
Kerry spoke faster and faster, as if terrified the seconds would run out. "The armed forces originally consisted of 150 Astra Militarum soldiers and 150 personal guards. There were also about 800 crew members, over 200 of whom had basic combat training. Oh, right! There are over fifty Ogryns—strong laborers—kept in the lower cargo holds!"
His voice trailed off, tinged with bitterness. "But after the attack... I don't know how many are still alive."
As her husband recounted their "family fortune" with such pathetic familiarity, Isud's expression grew increasingly grim. For someone who valued wealth and power above all else, this was worse than death. The light vanished from her eyes, and her body slumped like a punctured balloon, her vitality drained.
As Kerry finished, he couldn't help but steal a glance at Raynor. What exactly was this "thing" in purple armor, with its six eyes and single horn? A variant of the Tyranids? A new breed of Genestealer? Or a monster distorted by the Warp?
Raynor shook his head. "Not enough."
Kerry panicked. "Not enough? Sir, that is everything we have on this ship!"
Raynor didn't bother answering. He simply raised his right hand. The chitinous armor on his forearm rapidly reconfigured and shifted. Seconds later, a thick, spiral-patterned barrel extended from his arm—a symbiotic bio-cannon. The muzzle was aimed directly at Kerry's forehead.
Sweat instantly soaked Kerry's back.
"Wait! Wait! There's more!" Kerry screamed, his voice cracking with pure terror. "Brevis! We're going to Brevis! I am the newly appointed Planetary Governor!"
"If I can take office, I will control the resources of the entire planet! Taxes, minerals, agriculture, the population—I can give you everything!" He had finally played his last card.
"Oh?" Raynor's compound eyes flickered, but the cannon did not move. "Does being a governor guarantee access to such things?"
His tone carried just the right amount of "interest," as if he were considering the prospect for the first time.
Kerry nodded frantically, grasping at this final straw. "Yes! Absolutely! Brevis may be remote, but it is a Hive World with a population of over a billion! There are abundant mineral and agricultural resources. If you spare me and let me take my post, I guarantee I will pay you a monthly tribute—as much as you want!"
He spoke with such desperate sincerity that he could almost see himself on the Governor's throne, directing his subordinates to gather tribute for this alien master. What did it matter if he sold out an entire planet's interests? Survival was all that mattered.
Raynor remained silent for several seconds before slowly retracting the cannon. He seemed to be thinking, the light in his six compound eyes flashing rhythmically. Kerry and Isud stared at him, barely daring to breathe. The only sound was the faint, skittering noise of insects in the corridor.
Finally, Raynor spoke. "Fine."
Kerry was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when Raynor added, "But I'm going to take your place."
The words struck Kerry and Isud like a thunderbolt. Both were stunned, mouths agape, staring at Raynor in disbelief.
Replacement? A monster was going to replace an officially appointed Imperial Planetary Governor and rule a human world? By the Emperor, the idea was utterly absurd.
Kerry's mind was in total chaos. He had imagined a ransom, being taken hostage, or even being turned into a slave. But the idea that the other party wanted his identity was something he had never expected.
"Is there a problem?" Raynor's tone was terrifyingly calm, but the bio-cannon once again leveled at Kerry's head. Inside the muzzle, a purple glow began to hum with gathering energy.
"No! No problem! None at all!" Kerry waved his hands frantically, speaking incoherently. "That works! Theoretically, the people on Brevis don't know what I look like, but..."
He hesitated, afraid to continue.
Raynor moved the barrel closer. "But what?"
Kerry swallowed hard and forced a weak smile. "Sir... you need identification. Without official documents and Imperial verification, you won't be able to enter the Governor's Mansion, let alone take power."
He didn't dare say the obvious: You don't look human at all.
Raynor chuckled at Kerry's transparent hesitation. "Identity verification?" he repeated.
Then, the lights in the six compound eyes on his helmet dimmed. The chitinous helmet split open from the center of the forehead, retracting completely into the neck of the armor.
His face was revealed.
It was the face of a "standard" human male. He had slightly wavy, messy black hair, fair skin, and sharp, well-defined features. What was most striking, however, were his eyes—a deep, swirling purple. There seemed to be starlight dancing in his pupils, giving him an eerie, profound depth.
Between the improved living conditions and the subtle biological changes brought about by the symbiotic armor, Raynor was far more handsome than when he had first transmigrated. While he might not have been a "top-tier" beauty like Kerry, he possessed a unique, wild, and mysterious magnetism.