Warhammer: Starting as a Planetary Governor-Chapter 277 - 278: Attack From Stygies No.8

Buzz~

The data cables lit up.

A vast amount of computational power was transmitted from the mechanical nodes protruding from the Forge General's cybernetic brain to the data matrix in the hall.

In the hall's center.

Countless cables intertwined, connecting hundreds of data artisans and 13 Logicians.

The most powerful of the Logicians — the Data Executioner — was situated in the middle of the data matrix.

The Data Executioner's mechanical body was slender, but it had a mechanical head over two meters in diameter attached to it.

It was suspended by several servo-skulls.

"Oh, great and immortal Machine God, heed our prayers..."

The Data Executioner, draped in white robes, knelt on the ground, tightly gripping a mechanical cross pendant, bowing his head slightly as he prayed.

For Logicians, every data exploration or assault was fraught with danger.

Chaotic and corrupt data remnants lurked within the data networks, whispering foul words that could inflict unimaginable harm on those who ventured into them.

Such encounters could even cause total mental collapse.

Even with the massive attacking force and the support of the Forge General, the Data Executioner remained cautious.

In front of the Data Executioner was a pitch-black mechanical sphere, several meters high, with a specially-made "Mechanicus Forum Edition" datapad placed in its center.

That black mechanical sphere was the core of the data matrix.

Following the Forge General's orders, they would use this machine to infiltrate the rebellious platform known as the "Mechanicus Forum."

"We are protected by steel, shielded by your divine messengers of war. We toil tirelessly to recover your lost gifts — those stars within our search range shall return to us.

Machine God, watch over our journey, and protect us with metal and light!"

As the binary hymn reached its peak, all the computational power converged upon the Data Executioner.

Screech—

The data optics on the Data Executioner's mechanical head lit up, and several cables shot out from his body, piercing into the black mechanical sphere.

The attack began!

In an instant, the Data Executioner and the other assisting Logicians plunged into the void of the data network.

Countless data streams rushed past, terrifying whispers enveloping their data consciousness, with dreadful shadows lurking in the darkness.

Sizzle~

Several Logicians convulsed, black arcs of electricity sparking from their mechanical bodies.

Fortunately, the Data Executioner, working with the others, established a data barrier to block the corrupting influence.

The team quickly regained composure, their data consciousness moving along the network.

The Forge General watched this process with satisfaction.

As the core of the Forge World, he was only providing computational support, not directly interfacing with the network.

He wanted to avoid encountering any unpredictable dangers.

Boom.

The massive mechanical body of the Forge General fell heavily onto its mechanical base, waiting patiently.

Once they seized the database, Stygies No.8 would gain an unrivaled competitive advantage!

Inside the data network, the Data Executioner and the Logicians passed through a period of darkness and chaos.

Suddenly, they found themselves in an incredibly clean and serene data network...

What a pure, immaculate network!

The Data Executioner and the Logicians marveled for a moment, but quickly followed their original attack orders.

They began dismantling the data barriers...

...

Urth.

Machine Spirit Fortress, Control Center.

"Why hasn't Stygies No.8's data attack begun yet? They're taking their sweet time..."

Seated comfortably on a sofa chair, Eden glanced at the unchanging data streams, yawning loudly.

Feeling a bit bored.

Before Stygies No.8's attack even began, a mole hidden among their attackers had posted a warning on the forum.

This caused concern among the forum members, and even many Logicians volunteered to help defend the forum.

However, all their requests were rejected by Webby, the mechanical goddess.

In fact, Eden had long anticipated this data assault.

After all, not too long ago...

Under his orders, the Mechanicus Forum went on a membership recruiting frenzy, spreading almost virally.

Nearly every Forge World now had its own members joining the forum.

As more and more Tech-Priests joined, the Mechanicus Forum grew like an infectious virus.

Most Tech-Priests were technology-obsessed fanatics, who could not resist the lure of endless knowledge and online interaction.

Here, they could find like-minded friends, freely express their technological ideas, and collaborate on technical experiments.

All without the risk of Chaos corruption or punishment under strict doctrines!

At worst, they'd face ridicule or blacklisting from other forum members.

They could even post angry replies and flame their critics.

Furthermore, the forum boasted many high-ranking Tech-Priests who generously shared their knowledge.

Helping newcomers with their questions.

Or posting relatively safe, mechanical yet indescribable images for everyone to admire.

Eden could understand this phenomenon.

After all, such things were inevitable in a large community, and there would always be kind souls sharing their private collections.

However, certain inappropriate content was promptly banned.

In short, the Mechanicus Forum provided a safe communication platform, allowing Tech-Priests who had been restricted by doctrine to finally open the door to a new world.

A world they were madly addicted to.

After the forum membership surged once more, Eden introduced community rules, encouraging members to voluntarily comply.

He also enforced bans or mutes on members with malicious intent.

Afterward, he responded to the Tech-Priests' requests by adding a friend system.

And private communities.

Allowing them to connect with friends and form small groups.

Of course, all of this was under Webby's supervision, with risky content removed at any time.

By now, the Mechanicus Forum already had hundreds of millions of members.

Once it reached a certain scale, hiding it was no longer possible.

Soon, someone posted a warning, but before the post was even completed, they were captured.

But before being cut off, that Tech-Priest had uploaded all his knowledge and collections to the forum for free.

This act earned him the admiration of other forum members, who rewarded him with Gear Coins as a tribute.

He was hailed as the true embodiment of the forum's spirit — the light of the Tech-Priests!

At the same time, the forum members grew more vigilant, forming secret communities to protect their safety.

Gradually, the higher-ups of many Forge Worlds discovered the strange platform and began to resist it.

And Stygies No.8 was the first to launch a direct attack.

This was the first time the Mechanicus Forum was facing an external assault.

Eden took this matter very seriously, preparing himself for defense.

He even brought in the Great Archmagos Moss.

The Golden Age intelligent machine disguised as a Tech-Priest, to help Webby defend against Stygies No.8's data assault.

He was also using this opportunity to test the territory's data network's resistance capacity.

"Father, Stygies No.8 is launching their data assault!"

Suddenly, Webby's mechanical girl virtual form appeared on the screen, resembling an anime-style mechanical character from Eden's previous life. (TL: In my mind it's 2B!)

This unique appearance was quite popular among the Tech-Priests.

"Ah, so the attack has finally started?"

Eden looked at the mechanical monitor displaying the data streams, a bit surprised: "Why can't I see any significant changes?"

The great savior knew a little about data systems and could understand the fluctuation of data patterns.

In general, the bigger the fluctuation, the more intense the attack.

However, as for the specific meaning of the data streams, that was beyond his knowledge.

After watching for a while, he finally noticed a faint fluctuation in a corner.

That spot was where the attack from Stygies No.8 was happening.

"Hmm… Isn't this attack a bit too weak? I can't even measure the network's resistance capacity properly!"

Eden was speechless.

He had prepared so much, even putting aside the Psy Network 2.0 development plan to wait for this moment.

And this was all they had?

Indeed, he had underestimated Webby's data capacity.

After all, she was a massive data entity designed to provide services for an entire star sector. With the recent influx of vast amounts of data and the faith from millions of Tech-Priests, her true strength was beyond his expectations.

Through Webby's careful explanation, Eden finally understood the difference between them.

If Webby's computational power and data volume were like an ocean, then Stygies No.8's data assault was like a small river.

It was simply impossible for them to break through her network barrier.

"Let's wait and see. Is there a possibility that this is just the first wave, and the real attack hasn't begun yet?"

Eden rubbed his chin thoughtfully, determined to proceed with caution.

Another hour passed, and the data stream still showed no significant fluctuations.

He lost his patience and stood up: "Looks like this is the full extent of Stygies No.8's attack..."

On the surrounding mechanical screens, Webby's virtual figure folded her hands behind her back and followed Eden's movement, looking rather adorable.

She inquired:

"Yes, but their determination is firm. They are gradually eroding our data barrier. Father, should we proceed with the counterattack as planned?"

"Do it. Completely crush their will!"

Eden turned around and walked out of the control center without looking back.

"Understood!"

Webby puffed out her chest and nodded solemnly, fully embracing her father's command.

"Hehehehe..."

Then, she showed an evil, mischievous grin.

...

Inside the data network.

The Data Executioner and the Logicians continued to struggle in their effort to crack the data barrier, completely unaware of what was about to happen.

"Omnissiah, this data barrier is too strong. I fear our computational power is insufficient to break through."

The Data Executioner sighed.

Among the attacking team, two Logicians were only pretending to contribute computational power.

They secretly transmitted messages to each other:

"Brother, what do you think the forum's counterattack will be like?"

"I have no idea. Let's stay cautious. If things go wrong, we should immediately cut off our data interface and disconnect..."

"I was thinking the same thing. I'm ready to sever the connection at any moment!"

For Logicians, being invaded by massive amounts of redundant data could result in anything from mental confusion to permanent damage to their memories and accumulated knowledge.

If the redundant data stream also contained data viruses or Chaotic information, things could get much worse.

The electronic brain could burn out, the consciousness could be destroyed, or worse, it could be corrupted by Chaos.

However, just as the two Logicians finished their conversation, the data barrier they were attacking shattered.

"Machine God! Did we actually break through the data barrier?"

This sudden change left the Logicians in disbelief.

Considering the complexity of the data, it was impossible for them to have cracked it so easily.

"Terminate the connection immediately!"

Suddenly, the Data Executioner seemed to sense something terrifying and sent out a warning signal to the others.

But it was too late.

A terrifying, irresistible data stream swept through, dragging everyone's data consciousness into the barrier.

Sizzle~

...

Inside the Mechanical Palace Hall.

The black mechanical sphere exploded with violent electric arcs.

A massive stream of data invaded all of the Logicians connected to the network, including the Data Executioner.

Their bodies convulsed, unable to sever the network connection.

"Machine God, what on earth are they encountering?"

The sudden change made the Forge General's mechanical heart thump with fear. He turned to the Biologis Magos standing by: "Immediately check their life signs!"

Fortunately, the Logicians' convulsions soon subsided, only trembling occasionally.

After checking, the Biologis Magos reported that their bodies and cyber-brains were unharmed, but their connection state remained locked.

Their nervous systems appeared to be in a highly excited state.

The Forge General realized that the Logicians must have encountered a trap, but they were still fighting back.

And perhaps... they had successfully infiltrated the platform's data barrier!

With this thought in mind, he activated the Overclock Mode, increasing computational support.

"Logicians, I shall be your backbone!"

Under the Overclock Mode.

The Forge General's body became scalding hot, and torrents of searing black smoke erupted from the conduits on his back, even spewing out sparks.

He hoped the Logicians would seize that precious data.

Just as the Forge General gritted his teeth and persevered.

Inside the data network.

The Logicians found themselves forcibly locked in a particular area, as if they were in a mechanical paradise.

They had completely lost their will to resist.

"Oh my Machine God! Is this the Mechanicus Forum's trap? We hit the jackpot!"

"Yes! So much knowledge unlocked for free within a limited time. Think of how many Gear Coins this would've cost!"

"Stop talking! Keep reading! This opportunity won't last..."

"Praise the Mechanical Goddess, this feels amazing!"

The two mole Logicians excitedly communicated with each other.

Their spiritual euphoria quickly reflected in their physical bodies, causing them to tremble.

The other Logicians were doing the same.

They had long forgotten their original purpose and were frantically absorbing all the knowledge they could.

The Data Executioner, on the other hand, struggled to reject the knowledge data, stubbornly resisting while trying to stop the others.

"Omnissiah, save us!

What's wrong with all of you?

I command you to stop all reading and research immediately, before these vile words corrupt your minds!"

But before the Data Executioner could even finish his despairing thoughts, a data packet signed by the Mechanical Goddess was suddenly slammed onto his consciousness.

"This...?"

As he absorbed the knowledge package, he was utterly stunned:

"What profound data assault knowledge!"

It was a completely new path of data warfare that he had never touched before, and he quickly became addicted.

The Data Executioner hurriedly began studying, following the system's prompt. The limited free access only lasted for thirty minutes.

"Father, you are truly amazing. You handled them so effortlessly!"

On the mechanical screen, Webby happily bounced around, twirling in place with excitement, her admiration for Eden growing even more.

Following the pre-established plan, she used a massive data stream to trap the intruders and then connected them to the Mechanicus Forum's data information section.

She used the knowledge stored there to lure the Logicians.

At the same time, she transmitted the datapad's manufacturing blueprint and how to access the Mechanicus Forum's signal channel to the Logicians' cyber-brains in the form of a data packet.

Making them potential members of the Mechanicus Forum.

After experiencing the benefits of the forum, whether or not they would attack again in the future, they would most likely try to access the forum in secret.

"No Tech-Priest can resist the allure of knowledge and the pleasure of surfing the internet!" said the great savior, Eden.

...

Inside the Mechanical Palace.

Boom—

The Forge General could no longer maintain the Overclock Mode and collapsed back onto the base.

His heavy mechanical body shook the entire hall, and the computational support was abruptly cut off.

Sizzle Sizzle~

This sudden disruption in computational power caused the black mechanical sphere to emit black smoke and shut down.

The Data Executioner and the Logicians were forcibly disconnected from the network.

"I ********"

"***************"

"You *********!"

A stream of enraged binary profanity burst out as the Logicians vented their frustrations.

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They were having such a great time browsing the Mechanicus Forum for a good twenty minutes, only for the connection to be cut off so abruptly.

How could anyone tolerate this?

The Data Executioner and the Logicians' furious eyes turned to the Forge General, their anger clearly visible.

The Forge General was startled by so many angry stares and felt both guilty and remorseful.

After all, the Logicians had risked their lives to infiltrate the rebellious platform, yet he had made a critical mistake at the most crucial moment.

He quickly acknowledged his failure:

"Logicians, under the all-seeing eyes of the Machine God, I admit my calculations were incorrect..."

Hearing this, the Logicians quieted down.

How could they even explain their situation?

They infiltrated the rebellious platform, only to be swayed by its content and indulge themselves in browsing the knowledge like fanatics.

Besides, they had not actually broken through the platform's data barrier; they were deliberately let in.

And they were having such a good time.

Now, the Logicians' cyber-brains contained a considerable amount of information about the Mechanicus Forum, and they couldn't wait to log back into the forum.

When the Forge General demanded that the Logicians attack the platform again, he was met with collective rejection.

They outright stated that it was impossible to break through the platform's data defense matrix. Their survival had only been possible because of the platform's mercy.

As for any other information, the Logicians kept their mouths shut.

Truthfully, the Forge General had anticipated this outcome.

After all, he himself had experienced the terror of the rebellious platform's data stream, which was indeed insurmountable.

Since he couldn't seize or destroy the rebellious platform, his only choice was to ban its dissemination within the Forge World.

And those traitors who dared to leak Stygies No.8's technical knowledge must be punished!

"Search order! Capture all traitors!"

The Forge General activated his Machine Guardians and Automated Combat Units, launching a full-scale search throughout the Forge World.

He swore to root out all the traitors!

Within just a few days, all the traitors were rounded up and brought to the Mechanical Palace to face judgment.

...

Inside the Mechanical Palace.

The Forge General sat upon his mechanical throne, with two Forge Sub-Monitors standing to his left and right.

The three of them were the rulers of Stygies No.8.

"Machine God, just how many traitors are there…"

The Forge General's fury was uncontrollable, and scorching black smoke spewed from the pipes along his back.

In the grand hall.

Hundreds of traitors stood awaiting judgment, including dozens of Tech-Priests of Sage rank.

The number of traitors already exceeded half of Stygies No.8's Tech-Priests.

Such a vast loss of knowledge and technology!

The Forge General glared at the traitors and roared:

"You technological heretics shall all be exiled! I will banish you to Mars!"

Within the Mechanicus.

Using artificial intelligence, researching xeno-tech, or deviating from STC templates could all be deemed technological heresy.

The standards were flexible.

These technological heretics could face imprisonment, exile, or even bodily punishment.

Exiling the traitors to Mars for hard labor was considered a rather severe punishment.

The Red-Robed Sub-Monitor sternly objected:

"Lord Forge General, everyone knows what we're doing here on Stygies No.8. If they are technological heretics, then we won't escape punishment either…"

Hearing this, several traitors in the hall snickered.

Everyone in the Imperium knew that Stygies No.8 was researching xeno-tech. It was just an unspoken truth.

In fact, the Forge General was the biggest technological heretic of them all.

Accusing Stygies No.8's Tech-Priests of technological heresy and sending them to Mars was just plain comedy.

The Forge General glared at the Red-Robed Sub-Monitor angrily:

"Why do you oppose me? Are you in league with these traitors?"

"If that's what you want to hear."

The Red-Robed Sub-Monitor replied with a hint of pride: "Indeed, I am one of the high-ranking members of the Mechanicus Forum!"

A high-ranking member meant that a significant portion of Stygies No.8's knowledge had already leaked.

Faced with the betrayal of the Forge Sub-Monitor, the Forge General completely lost his temper.

"Traitor! Traitor!"

Consumed by rage, his massive mechanical body extended several thermal cannon barrels.

Aimed right at the Red-Robed Sub-Monitor.

The thermal cannons began charging, preparing to fire!

(End of Chapter)

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