Free Web NovelChapter 1703: Chapter 965: The Eleven Executions
"...responsible for overseeing the inventory and transfer of assets from the original Dark Spirit Race, coordinating Spirit Race cooperation in municipal reconstruction, ensuring the integration of the Veil Spirit Gate system to Alliance standards..."
"...today, I need to inspect two soul box archives, establish the records; need to supervise the progress of the Blood People’s laboratory takeover..."
"...most of the assigned department officers have not yet arrived, need to meet these people first, see their quality, and then begin arranging work..."
Shang Yanwen was pondering numerous matters, but did not feel overwhelmed, rather invigorated.
Just on the first day of duty, there were already so many things to handle.
He is the overseer, in theory, unless it’s a particularly important task requiring his personal handling, his role primarily involves management tasks: formulating strategies, arranging work, conducting research, reviewing reports.
Otherwise, no matter how capable he is, relying solely on himself to deal with every specific task is impossible.
The current issue lies in the low rate of officer arrivals. Comoros District holds a very high position and is very important in the overall strategy of the Alliance. The entire administrative structure is comprised of elite teams assembled from all over the Alliance.
Shang Yanwen is such a member, and his leader, Governor Xia Xingze is too. He was transferred from the position of Forward Cosmic Domain Chair to serve as the Alliance’s Minister of Central Commerce, considered one of the top figures within the Alliance. It is possible he may enter the Alliance’s highest authority—the Alliance Cabinet—as an executive member.
If Xia Xingze performs well in his position as Governor of Comoros, he will be a strong contender in the next Cabinet election.
The selections for both leadership and those doing the actual work are alike.
However, many of the public officials and administrative officers need to come from across the Universe. For some distant locations, even if approaching from the nearest Veil Spirit Gate, it still takes a significant amount of time.
Before personnel are in place, Shang Yanwen naturally has to handle many tasks personally.
In a way, it is also beneficial.
He has always been accustomed to directly engaging in specific tasks when taking on a new role. Without frontline work experience, it’s tough to lead effectively.
Today, let’s tackle each affair one by one.
The first task is to audit and settle two soul box archives.
...
The soul boxes of the Dark Spirit Race are their secrets to eternal life.
They are akin to their soul archives. They place the soul’s seed there and integrate the soul into a body that fits their soul.
When they face external death, their soul is drawn back into the soul box. After a brief recovery, as long as they have a new body, their soul can be extracted again and placed into the new vessel, completing a resurrection.
Dark Spirit Race can do this, reviving thousands of times, achieving theoretical immortality.
Of course, ultimately there is a day of true death. After all, their technology is not entirely flawless. Not to mention the soul fatigues with each death, and every new body requires a lengthy period of adaptation and weakness. Just one thing—if they die and get cut off from their soul box, it can’t pull their soul back.
The souls of those who cannot return only have one destination: Slaanesh’s divine realm.
From this perspective, the soul box is extremely important to the Dark Spirit Race.
Now, the Spirit Race resistance forces in Comoros, and fleeing Spirits, what they prioritize carrying during escapes might not even be their own life, but their soul box.
Those who surrendered to the Alliance, naturally surrender their soul box for the Alliance to manage.
Shang Yanwen, as the third-ranking officer, centrally manages the surrendering faction of the Dark Spirit Race. Managing their soul box naturally is of utmost importance. He has a department called the ’Resurrection Administration Bureau’, specifically prepared for future Dark Spirit Race resurrection efforts.
The ’Loyalist faction’ Dark Spirit Race must submit an application to the Alliance for resurrection, subject to approval by the Alliance Government.
These soul boxes are currently under the control of the Alliance Army. The soul box archives encompassing entire families are typically guarded by an Alliance Army unit.
Now, Shang Yanwen’s task is to inventory these, then under the army’s protection, transport the soul boxes to a unified management center for preservation. They undergo registration upon entry, and only those Dark Spirit Race members with registered soul boxes have ’basic human rights’ within the Alliance.
Basic rights where one won’t be easily killed without committing errors, similar to the four ground scrubbing slaves he encountered upon entering the government building’s entrance.
However, his first mission encountered a problem.
While leading the team to complete the preliminary inventory of the ’Mingdala’ family’s soul box archive, preparing to transport the materials and soul boxes away, a painful scream rushed from the ventilation ducts!
Shang Yanwen was pushed down behind an alloy counter by his security chief, Execution Angel squad leader Vikas. Three venom-tipped arrows struck where he had stood, hissing as they corroded the ground.
Twelve Spirit Race in shadow camouflage burst through the windows, slicing the chests of two clerks with sharp blades, splattering hot blood on the data screens.
"For Victor!" The resistance leader’s roar was cut short by the chain-saw sword’s thundering slash. Four Execution Angels crashed into their formation, casually firing explosives that blew the upper bodies of the attackers into blood mist, slicing the attackers into fragments with chain-saw swords.
Shang Yanwen noticed the flag-bearing Spirit, seemingly a youth, pinned to a sacrificial pillar by a power sword, his struggling feet leaving blood trails on the silver column; also witnessed the bravest female warrior among the enemies slice off Interstellar Warrior’s arm brace with a scimitar, only to have her neck snapped by a reverse hand move a second later.
The battle concluded swiftly, leaving three captives captured by the Execution Angels.
After a brief interrogation, Vikas issued the order: "Execute."
The Execution Angel Squad Leader announced on the communication channel, his voice seeping coldly through the faceplate’s apertures. As the chain-saw sword plunged into the body of the Spirit Race, it brought out blue-violet organs, the dull grinding sound of the saw teeth shredding the spine mixed with the burnt stench of seared flesh.
This is not merely the annihilation of the flesh.
On the Execution Angels, there are devices that isolate triggers. Within close proximity, the slain Dark Spirit Race will achieve complete ’freedom.’
Wiping the bloodstains off his power armor, Vikas explained to Shang Yanwen, "These aliens blew up the eastern district pipelines, rendering our newly drawn eastern district pipeline map useless. They probably snuck in through those pipelines."
Standing up, Shang Yanwen’s expression barely changed.
He thought for a moment, then slightly shook his head. freёwebnoѵel.com
After a whole squad of human soldiers rushed over, he demanded that all members of the small Mingdala family be brought in.
The family’s governor, Insel, bowed compliantly before Shang Yanwen.
However, at this moment, the civil official appeared extremely heartless: "I believe this attack is not unrelated to you; this is your territory. I suspect there are sympathizers of the rebellion among you."
"Absolutely impossible!" Insel’s body trembled, "You have no evidence to..."
"I only want you to hand over the culprit." Shang Yanwen raised a finger.
"I..." Insel understood his meaning and said with a pale face, "I will give you a satisfying answer and find the culprit for you."
"Not one," said Shang Yanwen, "but a hundred."
Insel’s expression turned even paler.
His family numbered no more than over nine hundred people.
"It was me!" Insel’s son stepped forward, "It has nothing to do with others..."
"Muir!" Insel shouted, but was interrupted by the ’bang’ of an explosive bullet.
It was Vikas who fired.
He had already received an advance order from Shang Yanwen, without any hesitation, shooting Insel’s child dead.
Shang Yanwen continued to say to Insel: "There are still ninety-nine to go."
Insel clenched his fists but finally loosened them powerlessly.
Although he vaguely guessed that perhaps his son had connections with the resistance, providing information, facilitating infiltration, and taking advantage of the opportunity when Shang Yanwen, a high official of the Alliance, arrived to launch an assassination attempt. He was also prepared that if things couldn’t be settled, he would turn them over to save the family, even if it was an inevitable sacrifice.
But his son had voluntarily stepped forward and was dead, and still, this was demanded?
What did Shang Yanwen mean by this?
Eleven more executions?!
But... no matter what is said, eleven executions are better than killing them all.
...
Sitting in the vehicle on the return journey, Shang Yanwen’s expression remained unchanged, but internally, he was somewhat shocked.
If Vikas had been a second slower, he would have really died just now.
But the killings were not just for personal revenge.
A bloody example must be set.
And this time, what the human troops brought back to be kept collectively were not only the soul boxes of all the remaining living members of the ’Mingdala’ family but also their entire clan.
His lunch was held on a terrace overlooking a theater ruin. While Shang Yanwen chewed on synthetic steak, the square below was conducting the surrender ceremony of the Mingdala family. Over eight hundred people, watching closely as ninety-nine of their own kind knelt on the ground after being disarmed. Their soul boxes had already been picked out and lain in front, to be crushed one by one by an Execution Angel.
With every crushed box, a Spirit Race member would silently collapse to the ground.
Their weapons and equipment had long been confiscated, leaving them unable to resist.
In such a desperate atmosphere,
a young Spirit Race suddenly lunged at the Execution Angel, but with a single blow to the head, it was smashed.
All of this was observed by Shang Yanwen. Reflected in the clean metallic cutlery he used to eat was his face, etched deeply with lines of authority.
The boy who scavenged for food in the garbage heaps a hundred years ago now controls the fate of countless Dark Spirit Races.
