Invincible after death, but in Warhammer 40K

In places like the outskirts and the underhive, might makes right, and it was quite obvious that the people in this vehicle had a bit too much might.

Setting aside the Sisters of Battle, even the Astra Militarum dealing with gangs and armed cults at that level was essentially like fishing in a barrel.

Even the most heavily armed "civilian groups" would have to think twice before provoking an Astra Militarum officer, considering whether they could withstand the retaliation of a fully organized Astra Militarum force.

Not to mention the Sisters of Battle. Attacking the Astra Militarum might at most label you as rebels if you weren't asking for trouble, but attacking the Sisters of Battle would instantly elevate you to the status of heretics, and that's a whole different level of treatment.

Those with poor judgment don't last long in the outskirts. How many Throne Gelt are you earning a month to risk your life like this?

So, the guard who had initially planned to stop the vehicle and extort a hefty sum immediately cleared his mind upon seeing the composition of the passengers inside.

Of course, the blame still had to be shifted.

"...By the way, our bishop has always admired the Ecclesiarchy. Could we wait for him to arrive and discuss doctrine with him?"

Zhang Ge looked at the man, not so much considering the question but rather curious that in a place like the outskirts, there could still be people with normal thought processes? And it seemed there were quite a few.

This was unusual, and in the Imperium, unusual often meant dangerous. Zhang Ge liked danger.

After Amilia glanced at Zhang Ge, he pretended to think for a moment and said, "Make it quick."

Closing the car window and watching the man walk away, Zhang Ge explained, "The outskirts are either filled with mutants or lunatics. It's unlikely for such an organization to emerge."

In such a sensitive period, danger meant a factor of instability. As part of the Astra Militarum, investigating this to prevent any unexpected incidents during the hive's defense was only reasonable.

Dominica holstered her grenade launcher and, while attaching a flamethrower underneath, asked curiously:

"Are they also cultists?"

"Hmm... hard to say. It's not uncommon for the lower ranks to use local people who are completely unaware of the situation, while the middle and upper ranks employ specially inserted personnel. So, we can't draw a conclusion until we investigate more thoroughly."

"I... see."

Her tone of response somehow betrayed a hint of guilt.

Soon, the bishop contacted by the Dawn Cult guards arrived. In the distance, Zhang Ge faintly saw a beam of light pointing straight toward the sky approaching, gradually becoming clearer against the dim background.

"Amelia, will you come with me?"

Originally planning to get out of the car and face the situation alone, Zhang Ge suddenly remembered that the guard's initial reason was to discuss doctrine. It might not be appropriate to go without Amelia, so he casually asked.

The latter nodded and decisively got out of the car with Zhang Ge.

Seeing this, Dominica slid into the passenger seat and placed her hand on the vehicle-mounted heavy bolter's weapon control system.

The two quickly approached the barricade, and then, the seemingly pile of garbage that served as the "gate" slowly creaked open to both sides, revealing the scene inside.

Two rows of about thirty to forty people, all dressed in gray-white robes, but different in that they also wore headdresses adorned with small torches on both sides. Their weapons had been upgraded to laser guns, likely the bishop's personal guards.

They were neatly lined up on both sides of the road, and in the center of the road was a hunched old man walking leisurely. He was also in a gray-white robe, but on his back was a backpack with a powerful flashlight pointing toward the sky.

It seems the brighter the light source, the higher the status?

Zhang Ge speculated in his mind and took the initiative to lead Amelia forward, asking:

"What's the matter?"

"Please follow me, don't worry, it's just outside the door."

The bishop's tone was slow, as if deliberately imitating the recitative in a drama, sounding somewhat comical. Combined with the swaying flashlight behind him, the effect was even more striking. However, the setting was indeed serious, making Zhang Ge feel like he was watching an absurd comedy film.

After the three of them passed the bishop's guards and arrived outside the door, the bishop dismissed the guards who wanted to approach before speaking. This time, his voice was normal:

"A few months ago, I gathered a group of PDF deserters, about twenty or thirty people, to train the believers. But now they refuse to leave, and there are too many of them..."

He dragged out the last syllable, as if deliberately emphasizing his predicament, before continuing:

"So, I set up a checkpoint to see if I could encounter someone capable enough. If you can take them away, I don't mind offering some reward."

After finishing, his cloudy eyes beneath the hood seemed to scan the scratches on Zhang Ge's carapace armor... Zhang Ge guessed that the un-repaired bullet marks and the like had led the bishop to misunderstand, probably thinking he was short on money.

Twenty or thirty people is quite a number, roughly the size of an infantry platoon. If a conflict were to arise, the danger at close range would be quite high.

Immediately, Zhang Ge replied:

"Bring them over."

In such an unfamiliar terrain, it's only natural that a normal person wouldn't casually follow someone else.

But the bishop shook his head:

"I can't get them to move now."

?

Damn old man, are you fucking messing with me?

"..."

Zhang Ge remained silent for a moment, then walked back to the car and circled around to the trunk. After opening it, he rummaged through and found the finely crafted bolt pistol that the noble had given him earlier.

He glanced over the bolt pistol and, as expected, found a family crest on the body of the gun. After easily prying it off, Zhang Ge returned to the bishop.

"Have your people take this and call them over."

He handed the crest to the bishop, who, with his usual slow movements, took it and summoned a guard to relay the instructions.

"Before they arrive, tell me about your cult."

"We're just barely managing to keep everyone fed. There's not much to say."

"Recite your doctrine for me."

The bishop seemed slightly surprised but cleared his throat and began, "It starts with our Lord creating the universe..."

"Alright, that's enough."

Zhang Ge interrupted him.

Ever since Dominica had told him about this cult, he had always felt a sense of dissonance. Now, he had finally pinpointed the source of that dissonance.

A group of people who may have never left the ruins in their entire lives, or even seen the sky, probably wouldn't know whether the planet is flat or round—how could they possibly have a concept of the "universe"?

To claim that it originated from within the nest or was passed down from ancient times is even more far-fetched. In the former case, a person with at least a mid-to-upper nest education level, upon arriving in the outskirts, managed to establish a cult that could be described as "widely distributed" in such a short time.

In the latter case, an outskirts cult that has been passed down since before the pollution began—possibly thousands of years ago—seems to have continued without interruption. Yet, despite having such capability, it has remained confined to the outskirts, with little to no reputation.

Even if someone learned from leaked books and had the ability to create their own doctrines and cults, they certainly wouldn't choose a concept that the outskirts people fundamentally cannot understand as the core doctrine.

Just like the major religions of ancient Terra, which explained the world using elements that were intuitively visible on Terra at the time, an abstract concept that is completely incomprehensible would, under normal circumstances, never be accepted by a majority of a low-cultured population.

At first, Zhang Ge thought that Dominica used this term to refer to "the world" or something similar. However, from the words spoken by the other party in the common language, the term "universe" still appeared, which made the situation seem off.

Nevertheless, although Zhang Ge had his suspicions, he wasn't in a hurry. He decided to play along for now.

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