Raynor looked up and casually dismissed his staff, creating a private space for himself. He remained silent for a moment, his mind racing—why would Solene suddenly leave?
Sarah seemed unaware of his suspicions. Her mood was exceptionally bright now that the annoying observer was gone. Her antennae twitched playfully, and her voice carried a hint of excitement:
"She's gone! Raynor, let's go out and play tonight. The 'tail' is gone, it's safe!"
Raynor looked at the mini Ripper that had somehow crawled onto his palm and felt a wave of helplessness. Ever since her first stroll on the ice plains, Sarah had fallen in love with that sense of unrestrained freedom. She constantly wanted to go out, but due to Solene's surveillance, those outings were rare.
However, the lesson of Necromunda occupied the high ground of his mind once more. In Necromunda, a moment of negligence had led him into an enemy trap, nearly costing Sarah her life. From that day on, he dared not easily trust appearances.
He also believed that as an Imperial Inquisitor, Solene Vimlot's patience far exceeded that of ordinary men. She had trailed him for nearly a month, from the Shattered Canyon to the Forbidden Wall. Wherever he went, she followed like a shadow, never slacking for a second. People like her—or rather, all Inquisitors—were the type who would never give up until they achieved their goal.
How could she just leave so easily? It was too anomalous.
Raynor shook his head and gently tapped Sarah's small head, his tone firm. "We're not going out today. Everything stays normal; proceed according to the original plan."
Sarah's compound eyes blinked, filled with confusion. "Why? She's gone. There's no surveillance."
"It's because she's 'gone' that it's suspicious," Raynor explained softly. He never hid anything from Sarah. "She's watched me for this long; she wouldn't leave for no reason. This is likely a feint to lure me out."
Though Sarah didn't fully understand, she chose to trust Raynor. Her consciousness immediately radiated outward, connecting with a Lictor lurking on the perimeter of the Forbidden Wall. Soon, Sarah's voice rang out again:
"The Lictor is tracking her. Gait is normal, body temperature is normal, and her psionic signature is consistent with the Inquisitor. No anomalies detected."
Even so, Raynor did not lower his guard. While Sarah's perception was keen, the Inquisitor's methods were anything but simple. She undoubtedly possessed various dark technologies capable of shielding herself or forging illusions; it was never wrong to be cautious.
Raynor's suspicion was correct.
On the third level of the Forbidden Wall's temporary command center, within the crawlspace between a servitor maintenance tunnel and a soldier's bunkroom, a slender figure was silhouetted against the dim emergency lights.
The figure wore standard PDF soldier armor. A helmet concealed her face, revealing only a sliver of pale neck. But a closer look beneath the visor would reveal rose-red eyes and silken silver hair.
Solene Vimlot had never left the Forbidden Wall.
The "Solene" seen walking toward the Hive was merely an empty shell—a skin-suit remotely controlled by a spirit-bone frame. That skeleton was one of her "collections," capable of perfectly mimicking her gait, body temperature, and even her psionic fluctuations. It was enough to fool most detection methods, including a Lictor's scan.
Pressed against Solene's chest was a palm-sized Noctilith (Blackstone) tech-talisman. It was this talisman that suppressed her true psionic signature to a level indistinguishable from a common soldier, allowing her to hide perfectly among the ranks. This was her trump card—the capital that allowed her to enter the dragon's den and lurk beside Raynor.
Leaning against the cold wall, Solene's rose-red eyes were full of calculation. She was waiting for a chance—waiting for Raynor to lower his guard again and go out for a "date." To catch this opportunity, she had performed a detailed statistical modeling of Raynor's behavioral patterns.
She discovered that out of Raynor's seven inspection tours, five were conducted during blizzards because such weather obscured vision and facilitated hidden movement. Furthermore, to avoid suspicion, he rotated between specific escort squads. According to her calculations, five specific squads had a 73% probability of being chosen for the next tour.
And she had already infiltrated one of those "high-probability squads": 3rd Platoon, 7th Company of the Guard. Now, she only needed to wait. Patience was a mandatory course for every Imperial Inquisitor—it was their weapon for hunting prey for the God-Damn Emperor in the dark universe.
Solene didn't have to wait long. Late the next night, an encrypted order was issued through the Governor's communication channel to the camp of the 7th Company. The Governor would be traveling to Outpost Seven for a facility inspection, and the 3rd Platoon was ordered to provide escort.
The moment she saw the order, the corner of Solene's mouth curled into a smile of absolute control. Her judgment was never wrong. Raynor had finally fallen into her trap.
Deep in the night on the ice plains, the blizzard raged as three Chimera armored transports rolled out from the Forbidden Wall. They bumped along the pitch-black plains, their headlights cutting through the night to illuminate the rugged path ahead.
Solene sat in the troop compartment of one of the Chimeras, wearing her common soldier's helmet. She huddled with the other soldiers, head down, pretending to rest while keeping a constant watch on the outside.
The armored vehicles traveled through the snow for forty minutes. Just as they were about to reach Outpost Seven, the road ahead was suddenly blocked by a collapsed ice cliff. Massive blocks of ice were piled several meters high in the middle of the path, making it impassable.
The PDF Lieutenant leading the squad poked his head out. Seeing the cliff, he couldn't help but curse. Ice cliff collapses were common on the plains, but for it to happen now was wretched luck. Fearing for the Governor's safety in a potential ambush, he immediately ordered:
"Turn around! The Lord Governor's safety is the priority!"
The Lieutenant hurried to the Chimera carrying Raynor, opened the door, and spoke with an apologetic face: "Lord Governor, the road is blocked. We need to clear the obstacles first. It's too dangerous here; we fear an ambush. Please change into a common soldier's uniform, and I'll have a few brothers escort you back to the wall first."
Raynor nodded without protest. He took the uniform handed over by the Lieutenant, changed quickly, and stepped out of the vehicle. His gaze swept over the surrounding soldiers, seemingly picking out escorts to take him back at random.
He chose a simple-looking soldier to drive the return Chimera. Then, he walked slowly toward the squad where Solene was positioned.
Solene's heart tightened. She immediately suppressed all emotion, pretending to stand up with the other soldiers as if preparing to clear the ice blockage. She had only taken a few steps when a hand suddenly dropped onto her shoulder.
A low voice whispered in her ear:
"Heh... you and I felt like old friends the moment we met, yet now I must leave."
"Comrade... why don't you... see me off?"