dmims Page 113
Page 113
Why did you come to participate in the selection?
"Repay the favor."
"Ok?"
"The orphanage where I used to live."
"That's what the boy said."
"It was destroyed. A gang destroyed it. Later, the angels wiped out that gang. The heads of those gang members were still standing upright in the square with sticks. So I want to participate in the selection. I'm not very good at talking, but the old man in the tavern told me that my behavior is called repaying a debt of gratitude."
The person in charge fell silent, recalling what the boy had said. The orphanage's demise was a tragedy that occurred four years ago in Xiachao. And the gang's downfall happened a year ago.
After that, the security situation in the entire hive city improved a lot, and even in the bottom hive, there were almost no gangs in the open.
"What about your age?"
"I don't know... but I'm not fifteen yet."
"Go to the back."
The person in charge signed his name on the form and then handed it back to the boy.
"They will give you a medical check-up and check your age while they're at it. May the God-King bless your dreams, child."
And similar incidents were happening repeatedly at various information points in Badalut over the course of a month.
This resulted in 30,000 eligible boys passing the "first round" of selection on the last day, the first day of the official recruit selection, despite the incredibly strict physical requirements and medical examination process. They were then assigned by their respective hives to the designated settlements outside the Thorn Royal Court.
Thirty thousand people, not counting their families who accompanied them here. The densely packed heads below the city wall made Leo, who was standing on the top of the wall watching, sigh and look at Casio beside him.
In nearly three years, this former sergeant was promoted to deputy company commander of his unit. He had the qualifications and ability to become a company commander, and all he needed was an opportunity.
“I remember a long time ago, when we were fighting the orcs.”
Casio raised an eyebrow and glanced at his friend.
"Don't tell me you want to do what you did back then, jumping into a crowd with a molten bomb. You were lucky that time you were thrown out by the shockwave and didn't die. This time, you're going to die no matter how lucky you are, or at the very least you'll have to stay inside the Dauntless."
Do you think I'm crazy?
Leo was speechless. That's just how his friend was. Every time he was around, he would say something nonsensical, or even outrageous, in front of him.
However, Leo did not dislike this feeling. In fact, it was precisely because of the other person's way of speaking that the two of them could no longer be just fighting brothers in the same battle group, but true friends.
Leo lowered his head, looking at the dense crowd below. He looked at the parents holding their children, at the boys standing alone in the corners, at the people who were crying or laughing, whose faces were either gloomy or resolute. After a long while, he asked Casio a question.
"Casio...do you still remember your parents?"
"Parents?" Casio frowned slightly upon hearing Leo's question.
However, when asked a question by his friend, although he felt confused and didn't know the purpose of the inquiry, he still answered decisively after carefully recalling the situation.
“I remember a little, but only a little.” Casio turned and leaned against the crenellations of the city wall. “I remember my dad was a bastard. He would beat my mom a lot, and when I was twelve… I think it was around that time, he killed my mom in a drunken rage.”
“When I saw that scene, I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed a knife and stabbed him. After that, I ran away from home and even left the hive city, wandering in the wilderness for a year. Until I was found by my current company commander after I fainted from hunger. He brought me back here, where I underwent reformation and training and became an Astartes.”
Casio finished recounting his remaining memories of his parents. After all, these memories only lasted for a short twelve years, and he was now over two hundred years old. It was quite remarkable that he could remember so much.
"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly asking this?"
Leo did not answer Casio immediately. He simply looked at the crowd below the city walls and, after a long while, let out a soft sigh.
“Lord Lynch made us experience the plight of mortals,” Leo said. “I initially thought that at that time, his body was that of a mortal, so he had some empathy for other mortals.”
Casio's expression changed slightly, clearly realizing that Leo wanted to say something.
“We are Astartes.” Cassio sighed. “Although this is somewhat rebellious, disobeying Lord Lynch’s orders… but Leo, we are different from mortals. We are the Angels of Death, and our duty is to protect the Empire and protect mortals.”
“No.” Leo looked at his friend without the slightest hesitation. “We are no different from mortals. We are just bigger, taller, and stronger. We bleed just like everyone else. We die just like everyone else. We have the same feelings and humanity as mortals.”
Casio remained silent. He could only raise his head, look at the sky above, watch the white clouds drift by, and sigh softly.
Do we really have the same feelings as them?
“Yes,” Leo’s tone became firm. “Because we are human, we will have it.”
He said this, and at that moment, a huge roar resounded.
The gates of the Thorn Royal Court slowly began to open. Amidst the shocked, expectant, fearful, and excited gazes of the mortals, a massive army emerged from the dust raised as the gates opened—it was the Glory Guard and the First Company of the Star Claw. Lin Qi attached great importance to this recruitment drive, so even for this first step, he made the highest-level preparations.
Thirty thousand boys participated in the selection, along with nearly fifty thousand of their relatives. They all nervously watched the angels of death standing in a row before them, awaiting their next move.
“I am Ryan, the reclusive elder of the Star Claws. Once some of you have passed the selection process and joined the Star Claws, you will learn what my specific duties are. But for now, you only need to know that I am in charge of the first step of the formal selection process.”
Ryan looked at the crowd in front of him. His voice wasn't loud, but thanks to the amplification device on the servo skull next to him, he successfully made his voice reach the ears of everyone present.
"Now, let me distribute the items you will need for the upcoming selection process."
As Ryan finished speaking, one after another, Chapter servants emerged from behind Astartes who had just stepped out. Each of them carried a backpack and a bracelet, and they approached each of the boys who had participated in the selection process, handing them the items.
Several restless boys opened the backpack and found a large bottle of water and some food inside.
"You're feeling confused, aren't you?"
Ryan said that he had asked the question that was on the minds of some of the people present.
He took off his helmet, revealing a face beneath it, with a scar running across most of his cheek.
This scar was left a year ago during a boarding battle with the Dark Eldar, when he was struck by a warrior's blade.
A cold smile slowly crept onto Yin Xiuchang's face. He raised his hand, pointed in a direction, and then slowly began to explain the first selection test.
"You've passed the medical exam, that's good, but Star Claws won't take just anyone. Now, get moving, kids, head towards the sunset. In a faraway place you can't see, we've set up camp. Once you get there, you'll truly be qualified to join us."
A group of boys aged twelve to fifteen looked in the direction Leo pointed, where there was an endless desert. Some of the boys' parents saw this scene and their faces turned deathly pale.
These parents were generally familiar with the planet's geography and knew that following Ryan's directions would lead to a vast, desolate desert stretching for two thousand kilometers, inhabited by dangerous beasts.
The selection process for the Angel of Death is clearly not a short journey, but rather a crossing of an entire desert.
However, such a thing is a challenge to the physiological limits even for well-prepared adults, let alone a group of teenagers who have just been stuffed with a backpack full of food and water.
Some parents have already grabbed their children's hands, thinking of getting them to leave with them and withdraw from the selection process.
but.......
“Don’t worry,” Ryan added, allaying the concerns of the parents. “If you want to withdraw now, that’s perfectly fine. We’ll arrange a vehicle to take you back to your hive. If you don’t want to withdraw, then the children can set off. As for the relatives, we will also send them back to their respective hives. We will send a notification after the selection process is over.”
A notification? There should still be the child's body.
Some parents began to hold their children's hands, while others began to plead with them. Cries and wails filled the air, but gradually, some boys started walking, stepping onto the scorching sand, and heading deeper into the desert.
An hour passed, and of the 30,000 participants, 27,482 had chosen to depart. Some parents were devastated, as if they had lost their parents. It was at this moment that Ryan raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
“Those who left probably can’t hear us anymore.” Ryan looked at the remaining people, walked off the stage, and patted the back of a woman with a mournful face. “Alright, stop crying.”
"M-Sir." The woman was clearly startled by Ryan's actions, but thinking of her child, she mustered her courage and asked tremblingly, "When the time comes... could you please tell me the location of my child's body? I want to collect it..."
"Ah."
Ryan gave a cold laugh, which made the woman's body tremble violently.
"Sir... even if you don't tell me the location, I can find it myself..."
"When did I say they would die?"
"what?"
Ryan looked at the woman and shook his head.
"This is the first part of the formal selection process."
Ryan looked calmly at the boys and their parents who were also staring blankly at him.
"The selection process actually began the moment you arrived. According to the policy set by Commander Lynch, passing the physical examination means you are qualified to undergo surgery. However, we do not need people who can pass the surgery; we need warriors. Therefore, we need you to have the strength to face death and the strength to make your own choices."
Some boys, as if waking from a daze, wanted to hurry and leave to catch up with the group, but the warband servant who had just been in charge of them stopped them. They pleaded, but the servant simply shook his head, refused to give way, and took back their backpacks and bracelets.
Within the Thorn Royal Court, hundreds of servant skulls flew out. Hovering in the sky, their cloaking fields activated, making them invisible and unprotected by those participating in the selection process.
“Go back with your parents, children.”
Ryan walked into the middle of the crowd.
“You are not suited for this place. Go back. If you want to serve the God Emperor, then apply to the military academy and join the auxiliary army. You can become heroes and guardians just like him.”
After saying this, Ryan turned around and led his men back into the royal court.
The gates closed, and the boys who hadn't participated in the selection left dejectedly with their parents. They knew they would never have the chance to join again. However, a small number of them clenched their fists and made new decisions in their hearts.
Lin Qi sat in the hall, with a group of Star Claw executives behind him. In front of them were hundreds of screens, the largest of which was flashing with a dense array of light dots, which clearly represented the boys who had set off.
In the name of the Emperor and the Blue Wolf.
Lin Qi looked at the speck of light and thought to himself.
Best wishes to you both.
Chapter 140 New Recruit Selection (End) {The Old Prophet Appears at the End of the Chapter}
In Huron… no, I should say in the era before Lynch, when the Star Claws Chapter Masters were in power, the Star Claws' recruit selection process was extremely brutal.
They crossed the desert just like everyone else, but the chosen boys were given only meager food and water, and no shelter was provided, leaving them to be hunted by the ferocious wild beasts.
During this period, besides advancing, the boys had another task—to hunt down their own companions.
At that time, they believed this was a necessary ritual to cultivate the spirit of the battle group—only by truly facing life and death could one become a qualified henchman of the beast.
Upon learning of this, Lynch immediately modified the rule, even though many elders of Star Claw—such as Bell—strongly opposed it. Their reasoning was simple: rigorous selection was necessary.
Lynch agreed with this point.
However, the selection process is far too demanding. In fact, it's not just Starclaw; in the current human empire, the recruitment process for almost every chapter is incredibly rigorous.
During the Great Crusade, the success rate of Astartes' transformation was generally between 30% and 40%, which doesn't sound very high. However, it's important to know that 10,000 years later, the success rate of transformation for many new recruits in the chapters is often less than 10%.
So what exactly caused all of this?
Those are naturally the most demanding of rituals.
Lynch knew in his heart that some rituals were necessary. The special nature of some warbands meant that they needed these rituals. However, in the Star Claws, with Horus's protection against chaos and Hoffman's powerful computational and logical abilities, he did not need those rituals to select qualified recruits.
However, he still retained some traditions, after all, screening new recruits was necessary.
If it were true that anyone with the right genes could undergo surgery to become an Astartes, and if someone were born with no moral compass, the impact on the chapter would be enormous.