Chapter 123: The Spirit Race and the Enhancementists

The transport elevator arrived at the starport, and the sealed doors slid open. Wang Ming and his Primarch Honor Guard stepped out, making their way toward the docking bay where the *Imperial Truth* was berthed, and boarded the vessel.

"We are expected to reach the starport in a day. Get ready. Notify the other transmigrators still on the ship, and have the mortal Auxilia set up an ambush within the station. Be ready to react at the first sign of trouble."

In the command deck of the *Imperial Truth*, Wang Ming was briefing Captain Leandro Ferreira on the plan for when the Rogue Trader arrived.

"Understood, my Primarch. I shall arrange it immediately." Captain Ferreira nodded and departed to carry out the orders.

With his duties seen to, Wang Ming returned to his quarters aboard the *Imperial Truth* to rest. He had been working day and night for several days, and having his body and soul hijacked by the Emperor twice had left him in desperate need of sleep. No sooner had he laid down than he drifted off, the toll of the Emperor’s possession—especially the psychological strain—proving overwhelming.

"My Primarch! My Primarch!"

Wang Ming heard the calls and blearily opened his eyes to see Jose standing by his bedside.

"What is it?" Wang Ming climbed out of bed and walked toward his power armor rack, questioning Jose as he moved.

"My Primarch, I apologize for disturbing your rest. Those people have arrived, and their ship is currently docking with the starport." Jose apologized before relaying the situation.

"It is fine, Jose. You haven't disturbed me. Go notify the Honor Guard to prepare at the station. I will join you as soon as I have donned my armor."

"Yes, my Primarch. I shall prepare at once." Jose performed an Aquila salute and departed to coordinate the Honor Guard.

"Sigh... why is this machine so slow?" Wang Ming muttered, watching Jose leave and glancing down at the mechanical arms currently fitting his armor.

Once armored, Wang Ming headed to the starport. On his way through the mess hall, he gathered Adwei, Cloias, and the three unlucky Krieg brothers, and even scooped up Wu Xuan, who was busy recharging in a hallway.

By the time Wang Ming reached the starport, all preparations were complete. The Primarch Honor Guard and the mortal Auxilia soldiers were concealed within the shadows surrounding the docking bay, utilizing their smaller stature to remain hidden. The transmigrators stood in plain sight, ready to react to any threat.

"My Primarch, everything is ready. The moment they enter the station, the docking clamps will lock their ship, preventing any escape." Jose reported as Wang Ming arrived.

"Good. Watch my lead. If anything seems amiss, subdue everyone immediately."

"Understood, my Primarch."

With everything in place, they waited for the Rogue Trader’s ship to dock. Whether this trader was a traitor or corrupted by Chaos remained to be seen; it depended on which era the Warmaster was in. If it were the early days of the Great Crusade, Horus would be beyond reproach. But if this were the period of his betrayal, then the "cargo" he ordered transported would undoubtedly be something dangerous—either forbidden weaponry or something warp-tainted.

As Wang Ming pondered, the ship slowly berthed. Once the docking doors opened, three figures emerged. The leader was a man in ornate clothing; he had clearly undergone augmentations, his eyes and one arm replaced by mechanical prosthetics. Though he hid the mechanical arm beneath his lavish robes, Wang Ming spotted it instantly.

Beside him were two attendants, strangely wrapped in long cloaks with only their faces visible. One was clearly a woman, her features too refined, almost Aeldari-like, though her ears were hidden by a hood. The other was a man whose face appeared like a piece of craftsmanship, clearly made of synthetic skin.

"Boss, those two beside him aren't human. One is an Aeldari, and the other is a Tech-Purist, head-to-toe in combat cybernetics," Wu Xuan whispered from behind, having observed them through his tactical visor.

"Understood. A Rogue Trader having a few xenos servants is common enough," Wang Ming replied quietly.

"Great Gene-Primarch, I am Alessandro Keida, head of the Keida family. It is an honor to meet you." The man knelt and performed the Aquila.

"Alessandro Keida, you are acting under the orders of Warmaster Horus to transport "cargo," are you not?" Wang Ming gestured for him to rise.

"Yes, my lord. I received orders from Warmaster Horus to transport the cargo to Terra."

At the mention of the Warmaster, many of the Honor Guard instinctively tightened their grip on their lasguns before remembering their orders and lowering them.

"Do you know what the cargo is?" Wang Ming asked, his voice carrying the inherent majesty of a Primarch.

"My Primarch, I do not. The Warmaster ordered the transport personally, and we dared not ask. Even the loading was handled by the Astartes of the Sons of Horus themselves." Alessandro spoke rapidly, sensing the Primarch’s severe reaction to the name of Horus.

"Very well." Wang Ming signaled Jose, who immediately ordered the hidden Auxilia to move.

Soldiers surged from the shadows—even crawling out of ventilation shafts. Wang Ming stared in disbelief; he hadn't realized they were hiding in the vents.

"My Primarch, what is the meaning of this?" Alessandro asked, shocked by the weapons leveled at him.

Before Wang Ming could respond, the two attendants moved. The Tech-Purist’s robes disintegrated as his combat cybernetics flared to life. He charged at Wang Ming, clearly attempting an assassination. However, Wu Xuan intercepted him instantly, grabbing the Tech-Purist by the waist and crushing him.

*Crunch.*

The combat-automaton’s grip was absolute; the Tech-Purist’s synthetic skin and armor shattered like glass. Even bisected, the creature lunged forward, but Wang Ming delivered a single kick to its head, sending it flying against the wall to splatter in a mess of neural implants and brain matter.

Wang Ming then turned to the Aeldari, who had been using the Tech-Purist as cover. She stood with a shuriken pistol and a chainsword aimed at him. Wang Ming tilted his head, letting the shurikens whistle past, then closed the distance and struck her head with a single blow, obliterating it instantly.

"My lord... I... I did not order this!" Alessandro stammered, terrified.

"They were your servants. Do you expect me to believe you had nothing to do with this?" Wang Ming lifted him off the ground and tossed him toward Adwei and Cloias. "Which of you can read minds?"

"I can't; I'm a telekinetic," Cloias said, shrugging.

"I can try," Adwei replied.

"Wait! My lord, I really have no—" Alessandro began, but Adwei placed a hand on his head, beginning the psychic probe.

"Wu Xuan, take the Krieg brothers and the Auxilia to secure the ship and the crew," Wang Ming ordered.

"Understood, Boss!" Wu Xuan and the trio charged toward the docking bay.

After a moment, Adwei removed her hand. "I could only find so much. He doesn't know what the cargo is, but he knows where it is kept. As for his attendants, they were assigned to him by someone else—though he has no memory of who."