Sometimes life is full of ups and downs.
Zhang Ge made eye contact with Atwood, who turned to look at him, seemingly seeing a preliminary trust through the visor.
No, wouldn't it be better if you doubted me a little more?
While he knew that the assurances of certain individuals might be more reliable than instruments, what he meant was that even if one side had a 99% chance, the other side still had 1%, right?
After glancing at Atwood, he cast a pleading look at Amilia.
The latter seemed a bit confused at first, but after a little while, she seemed to understand something, nodding and whispering a few words into her communicator.
Zhang Ge couldn't hear clearly what she said and could only hope that she truly understood his intent.
Soon, the order for the Scan was conveyed through Bansen, and a whole team quickly arrived outside the Meeting Room under his guidance.
Given that this was a Scan involving so many high-ranking lives, it certainly wouldn't just be a simple handheld device sweep.
The instruments used for the Scan were so numerous that they required heavy engineering servitors to transport them. Some servitors had been entirely transformed into devices, and other accompanying personnel numbered over a hundred, including various clerks, priests, tech-priests, and witnesses.
It even included equipment specifically designed to block and monitor psychic energies.
The person at the front was someone Zhang Ge was familiar with—more accurately, someone he had just parted ways with.
It was Canoness Heloise.
Alright, alright, Amilia, what did you interpret my intentions as? Why are you bringing in all these people?
Behind the Canoness was an official holding qualification documents. The parchment, when unrolled, extended for over ten meters and was filled with dense text, including all kinds of statements and information.
Seeing that he seemed poised to read it aloud in a loud voice, Atwood, who had already led the people outside, lightly coughed and interrupted:
"Under the witness of the Canoness, I will undergo the Scan first to prove the effectiveness of these devices."
As the most unique Space Marine veteran underwent the Scan first, there was no one else present with a higher level of uniqueness. Moreover, the head of the Scan team was a Canoness; this position had significant credibility and weight.
Although it was still offensive to some, at least it allowed those nobles to save face.
Meanwhile, Zhang Ge, who had been taught how to use these instruments, held back his resentment and watched Atwood step into the first Scan area.
After activation, the instruments emitted a series of beeping sounds as he passed through one detection zone after another, and results began to emerge.
Finally, halfway through, some "people" couldn't help it.
At least right now, that veteran couldn't move freely. By the time he got out, there would be no opportunity left.
They exchanged furtive glances, confirming this point.
At the same time, they drew their guns and fired simultaneously.
The two Space Marines' bolter gun muzzles emitted dissipating smoke as three bodies, torn open by armor-piercing rounds from their chests, fell to the ground in disarray. The weapons they had just drawn were still barely out of their holsters.
The two intentionally did not aim for the heads, so the Xenos died in a rather undignified manner, with all sorts of entrails and blood flowing from the gaping wounds, creating a putrid smell.
After firing, they merely turned their heads slightly back and forth, their gazes sweeping through the crowd, seemingly confirming whether there were any others with such impulses. They had no intention of taking further action.
So, realizing this event was left to him, Zhang Ge stepped closer and tore away the disguises of the three.
As expected, they were consistent with the characteristics of that Gang Representative.
The atmosphere in the room grew increasingly serious.
If only one had appeared, they could still claim it was a coincidence, but with at least four found among twenty or more people, someone had to take responsibility for this.
At least on the surface, there were no opposing voices left among the crowd.
After all, internal political struggles were one thing, but when so many Xenos had appeared, it was no longer the same matter. Now, those rushing to prove their innocence through the Scan had ironically become the subjects of scrutiny.
After Atwood completed the Scan, others followed suit in order.
Fortunately, the remaining people posed no issues.
However, just as everyone began to breathe a sigh of relief, Atwood did not give them time to recuperate, announcing:
"There isn't time for a detailed examination right now, so summon the manpower of these four to establish defensive lines outside the hive and buy some time for evacuation. Any objections?"
Of course, the remaining people had no objections and expressed their agreement.
After refining various plans, this meeting that had turned into a cleansing session finally concluded, and as they departed, directives were issued from all sides.
Some were sent off with a bolter and then reassigned outside the hive, while the majority concentrated on the tower that had just begun to calm from the fire.
With time still considered sufficient, for the sake of maintaining order, the first to be transported were not soldiers but rather the civilians who boarded the ships first.
Millions of individuals were crammed into an Armed Transport like sardines; without the need to consider long distances, a medium-sized transport vessel could carry away this million in a single round trip.
Ignoring the long haul and comfort, the transport capacity of freighters in the tens of thousands to millions of tons was terrifying, making it far from difficult to evacuate an entire hive's populace.
As time passed, the proportion of military personnel within the hive grew increasingly high.
Under such circumstances, Zhang Ge also had a rare two days' worth of downtime.
Whenever he found himself with nothing to do, he would go to the evacuation zones to show his face, relishing the feeling of being surrounded by the cheers and praises of the crowd, or find some stores where people had left things behind that had not yet been relocated for a zero-cost haul.
During this time, Amilia and the others also took the opportunity to prepare thoroughly. Isis even obtained a set of heavy Power Armour from somewhere; after donning it, he directly surpassed the two-meter mark in height, making him look like a little iron tower.
Finally, after coming to observe the exterior of the hive yet again through optical instruments for an unknown number of times, Zhang Ge saw the distant Chaos forces.
Looking at the disappearing flames, they must have engaged with those which had been dispatched to the outskirts, and judging from the density of the artillery fire, it was evident that those troops were causing some significant trouble for the Chaos.
Even though they were basically pure light infantry, if they could defend with no regard for life and engage in suicidal attacks under such conditions of cover and visibility, they still posed a considerable threat.
Imagining the intensity of such battles, Zhang Ge could only resent not being there.
He could only lament having the intention to kill thieves but lacking the time to turn back.
With a long sigh, he stepped away from the observation equipment and said to Amilia beside him:
"I've taken a last look; let's go."
As they left the exterior, the street that had once been bustling and crowded was now entirely empty. The hive was quiet as a dead city, with only the various aircraft that occasionally swept overhead still indicating the presence of humanity.
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