The Emperor’s Angel of Death

When uttering those “harsh words,” Soroshyan acted like a mad and brutal governor, instantly intimidating everyone.

Of course, he wouldn't actually execute a tenth of the people. In fact, the story about the Emperor unifying Terra was also fabricated by him, but he had to hang a sword over the heads of these lawless dignitaries, letting them know that death was lurking around them, instilling fear into their hearts. Those factory owners were like the blood dripping from the sword, serving as a deterrent—originally, according to his consistent policy of not dwelling on the past, he shouldn't have been so harsh on those factory owners, but now he had to use their blood to "consecrate the sword."

A seemingly impulsive decision, but inherently the most rational analysis and choice.

More importantly, after experiencing the Maelstrom Expedition, Soroshyan understood more than ever what the Astartes should protect. Every Astartes shouts about protecting humanity, but has anyone really understood what that means?

Humanity as a whole is a very abstract concept. When they are fighting against external enemies, preventing those demons and aliens from harming human lives, should they turn a blind eye to human self-harm? No, absolutely not. That's not protection, but domestication.

It's like they build a fence in a sheepfold to prevent wild animals from attacking the sheep inside, but every day there are greedy butchers in sheep's clothing slaughtering in the sheepfold, skewering lambs on racks to roast, then gorging themselves on delicious mutton, and being able to sleep peacefully among the sheep because of the fence's guardians.

If the fence falls, the sheep will be devoured and destroyed by wild animals, so the fence must be guarded, but the butchers are also making the sheep weaker and weaker, and the guardians must accept all of this because this is—

The rules?

Screw that!

Soroshyan is now going to stick some butchers' heads on wooden poles and erect them in the sheepfold, telling other butchers to be careful when eating sheep. Anyone who dares to use a knife without the guardian's permission should be prepared to be knifed!

At the same time, he must teach the sheep how to protect themselves, sharpen their horns, and strengthen their bodies until they no longer need the fence, and even when facing powerful beasts, they can gather together and knock them over with their horns. That's what you call protection.

In the hall, Soroshyan stood in front of the cleaved throne, his gaze constantly sweeping over the hundreds of gorgeously dressed dignitaries, then he stepped down the steps, walked through the red carpet between the pillars, and came all the way to the entrance. He raised his eyes and looked at the sun, which was about to sink into the other end of the planet's curve, casting its last rays here.

After enjoying the sunset for a moment, he turned around.

"You must be cursing in your hearts, damn Soroshyan, you want to be a saint and drag everyone down with you. You're clearly an Astartes who has killed countless people, clearly just an Imperial war machine, but you still have to put on a hypocritical and false show of benevolence."

As he walked past the crowd, everyone lowered their heads and remained silent, seemingly afraid that Soroshyan would see their expressions.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have never been a saint. During the Maelstrom Expedition, I directly and indirectly killed many people, and there were innocent people among them. I have never touted myself as a moral benchmark. A friend of mine once told me that in this turbid galaxy, there is no such thing as being spotless. Everyone has been inhaling dust since they came into this world, so no one can withstand moral condemnation. Yes, I understand that."

When he turned around again, he suddenly raised his voice.

"But! Ladies and gentlemen, this does not prevent us from doing better. Everything I do is not to make your lives worse so that the common people can get better, and I have never intended to rob the rich to help the poor. I hope everyone can become relatively better, without trampling on anyone. Ladies and gentlemen, those under your feet are also your kin, your compatriots. Think about it, when enemies attack, can you protect your homeland by yourselves? They may be born humble, but they should never be trampled to death like ants! The promises I gave you earlier are true, and the bottom line I have drawn now is also true. If I am really favoring anyone, then I am only favoring humanity, the vast majority of humanity."

"Chapter Master."

It was a voice that sounded abruptly. Soroshyan turned his head and saw a young man in a military uniform, about twenty-three or four years old. He should have been standing on the left side behind Governor Veleton XIX, which meant that he was one of the governor's dozen or so sons.

Veleton XIX also turned his head, then frowned and scolded:

"Go back, you have no right to speak here."

However, the young man still stood there with his chest out and his head held high. His brothers behind him all showed various expressions.

"Say what you want to say."

Hearing Soroshyan say this, the young man immediately said loudly:

"Your decision is correct!"

Soroshyan made no expression. If this person only hoped to gain an advantage in future inheritance by expressing his loyalty, then he would soon be forgotten by Soroshyan.

However, he decided to give the other party a chance, so he just looked at him, hoping he could say something more.

Seeing that Soroshyan didn't speak, the young man took a deep breath and then continued loudly:

"Your concern for children is not only out of kindness and benevolence, you are creating a system that incorporates everyone into management. You hope that all children will become excellent soldiers, qualified technicians, high-quality crew members, and adults who can create more value in the future. You hope to fill the gaps in the administrative management of the hive's lower levels from the source! So I think your decision is right! Population is the most valuable resource, and blind squandering can only bring unstable benefits. Precise planning and management can maximize the value of human resources! But this requires a huge investment in the early stage. Just the food alone is likely to be a gap of trillions of tons! Chapter Master! The problem of child labor is not only with the black-hearted factory owners! Nor is it how vicious their parents are! This is a very practical problem, they have no food to eat! Their parents can't afford to feed their children!"

After speaking, the young man's shoulders trembled obviously, obviously this passage had exhausted all his courage. His subtext was also very clear, what Soroshyan did was only treating the symptoms, not the root cause.

Silence permeated the crowd, and many people were looking at Soroshyan's face, trying to figure out some expressions and their meaning.

A dozen seconds later, Soroshyan said slowly:

"What's your name, what is your current position?"

"Report Chapter Master! My name is Kagg-Clayton-Daouletik-Adluto-Vaka! Current Deputy Commander of the 3rd Capital Guards Armored Regiment!"

"I have received your opinion, return to your post."

After the young man returned to his position, Soroshyan looked at Veleton XIX and suddenly chuckled:

"Governor Veleton, you gave birth to a good son."