Chapter 981, Gallardo hates liars the most.

Chapter 981, Gallardo hates liars the most.

On the orbit of Holy Terra, at the 'Base Grail' orbital fortress, a different kind of madness pervades.

Prime Minister Gallardo of the Military Affairs Department stared at the tactical star map. Each dot of light represented a ship, divided into two groups. The group that remained stationary was the Solar Fleet stationed in orbit around Holy Terra. On the other side, the expeditionary fleet under Robert's command was steadily approaching.

The information revealed on the tactical star map didn't look exciting at all. The two sides were already so close, yet there were no beams of light from light spears, missiles, or macro cannons; instead, they were practically touching.

He knew why.

Robert used his connections with the naval generals he had recruited during the previous lunar campaign to make contact with many of the commanders of the Solar Fleet.

As Prime Minister of the Military Affairs Department, Gallardo naturally maintains close ties with the military, especially with the Solar Fleet, which he is focusing on developing. Based on the relationships he has built within the Solar Fleet, he possesses considerable information about the Solar Fleet's current contacts with the Expeditionary Force fleet.

In fact, many of the contacts between the two sides were initiated by Gallardo through his naval commanders and generals who obeyed his orders.

And the goal is set today.

"It's not that easy for you to get in."

He let out a cold laugh.

Several people were sitting at his desk.

One of them spoke up and asked, "Prophet, shall we launch it now?"

"Yes, it's time."

One person nodded slightly and left.

Gallardo turned his attention back to the tactical star map.

Changes came quickly.

Suddenly, a group of ships appeared and, under the guise of 'friendly exchanges,' launched an attack on the expeditionary fleet without warning.

Moreover, the number is quite large.

This sudden act of betrayal and abandonment must have been due to the Terra Expeditionary Force's insufficient preparation.

Even though they were well-trained and reacted quickly, launching a counterattack and disengaging, they still suffered considerable losses in an instant.

However, while the direct losses suffered by the expeditionary force were one aspect, the greater impact was that the expeditionary force was unable to immediately identify how many of those in front of them were actually enemies.

Is it a part? Or the whole?
In the moment of launching a counterattack, however, it is particularly difficult to discern who is the enemy and who is the friend. Robert's expeditionary force could not be entirely certain of who was the enemy and who was the friend.

Besides those that were suddenly betrayed, some ships in the Solar Fleet were completely unaware of what had happened. They received all sorts of drastically different and contradictory orders.

Orders have been issued that the ships currently serving as the so-called expeditionary force are traitors, and Robert's identity as the Son of God is a fabrication. This was a meticulously planned ambush, kept secret until now, and the operation has been a resounding success. We must seize this opportunity, press our advantage, and eliminate as much of the enemy's manpower as possible!
The credibility of this order is quite high. It bears the signature of Li Li, the Supreme Marshal of the Imperial Navy, as well as the signatures of two deputy commanders of the Solar Fleet and several squadron commanders.

As a result, many ships followed orders without fully understanding what was happening and opened fire on the expeditionary fleet.

Is it really fair to blame them?

It’s hard to say.

They tried to verify the orders with their superiors, but either they received no response for a long time, or the situation in space was constantly changing, leaving them little time to hesitate. They had to make a decision on their own – it was simply a matter of fighting or not fighting, and there was no third option.

Some of the responses they received were explicitly instructing them to open fire.

Even if one has a thousand questions, one can only obey orders with doubt.

The key to their obedience to orders actually lies not in the signature of the Supreme Marshal, Li Li.

Although he was theoretically the supreme commander of the entire Imperial Navy, the title was simply too grand.

Is my superior's superior my superior?
It’s hard to say.

Moreover, is it normal for someone as high-ranking as Li Li to directly issue combat orders to front-line ship captains?
Moreover, if we're talking about the commander-in-chief's orders, why isn't Song Min, the commander-in-chief of the Solar Fleet, signed?

However, no matter how many signatures are on an order, they cannot compare to the order of the fleet commander.

This is the direct superior of many captains.

For every ship that obeyed the order to fire, there was a ship that questioned the order.

However, among them, those with enough courage to immediately contact the expeditionary force, defect on the spot, and open fire on their former comrades in the same fleet were far too few.

The best they can do is to simultaneously question both sides and express their stance, then go on full alert, fully activate the Void Shield, stay away from the battlefield, and not help either side.

However, some ships, disguised as neutral, suddenly turned against the expeditionary force and unleashed their firepower on the ships.

Some ships, without receiving any orders or orders from their superiors to remain stationary, proactively shut down their communication channels and launched a fierce attack on the expeditionary force without hesitation.

The situation was extremely chaotic for a time.

The expeditionary fleet had no way of distinguishing between enemies, neutrals, and allies.

In less extreme circumstances, they might simply treat all the ships in front of them as enemies.

Even if there are accidental casualties, sacrifices are inevitable if it is for the sake of final victory.

However, even that wasn't enough.

Those traitors chose this crucial moment, this way, to make such a resolute defection. Wasn't their purpose to completely sabotage the negotiations between the expeditionary force and the solar fleet?

At this moment, indiscriminately treating all the ships of the Solar Fleet as enemies and launching attacks would likely lead us into the very situation the enemy desires most.

As a result, the Terran expeditionary force ships had no choice but to prioritize self-preservation, load up all defensive equipment and power engines, and retreat at full speed.

Let's disengage first, then we can discuss what comes next.

……

The chaos was only temporary, and Gallardo himself knew that.

Even if the peace talks between the expeditionary force and the solar fleet were disrupted on the spot, as long as the expeditionary force did not fall into the worst situation of treating all ships as enemies, the misunderstanding could eventually be cleared up.

Unfortunately, Robert arrived too early and too quickly.

If he had more time, perhaps he could have truly brought the entire solar fleet under his control.

In that case, there would be no need for so much trouble. In the lunar war, we could use our superior naval forces to set up a larger trap and completely bury Robert on the moon.

Currently, only slightly more than 20% of the ships in the Solar Fleet have been corrupted.

In the previous chaos, many ships were actually confused and even deceived due to misinformation about orders. Once they sorted things out, it would be very difficult to repeat such a mistake.

Furthermore, the 20% of the solar fleet under his control would gradually be identified due to the events that had transpired. Once exposed, and with the support of Robert's powerful fleet, they might be wiped out very quickly.

But it doesn't matter anymore.

The purpose of all this is simply to buy time.

With the Solar Fleet destined to be taken over by Robert, and the Imperial Guard clearly on the opposite side, it was only natural that Robert would lead his expeditionary force to take over Holy Terra.

What's the point of all the noise and commotion from everyone else?

But this is something Gallardo absolutely does not want to see.

Robert is nothing more than Gu Hang's lackey.

That liar is incredibly skilled at deception. Galardore absolutely refuses to let him easily gain control of Holy Terra!
To talk about this, we have to go back a hundred years.

That was the first time he met Gu Hang.

Their first meeting was far from pleasant. He was a war apostle on the Sun Lord's expedition, robbing people everywhere; Gu Hang was a planetary governor who had not yet fully taken control of his planet. He wanted to get some money from Gu Hang as extra tax revenue.

That was a small amount of money, but it was precisely because of this small amount that Gu Hang harbored such great malice towards him.

When the hive world of Krogar was attacked by Chaos, he fell into the warp and nearly died there.

He was saved by Gu Hang, and he was filled with gratitude towards Gu Hang. He had initially put pressure on Gu Hang, yet Gu Hang ended up saving him!

He wasn't the type to repay favors—he knew himself well. But he made an exception for Gu Hang.

Upon arriving in Holy Terra, as he rose through the ranks, he never forgot to help his little brother in the eastern border of the empire, securing countless benefits for him...

However, when he learned that Gu Hang was involved in the danger of his fall into the subspace back then, he felt disgusted from the bottom of his heart whenever he thought of the help he had given Gu Hang in the past!

That liar tricked him into the subspace; pretending to rescue him, but actually implanting a psychic seed in his heart without his knowledge, controlling and transforming his mind, turning him into that liar's slave!
How despicable!

Galardo remembered all of this suddenly after waking up from a nap ten years after the Cataclysm.

Is this my own awakening?
He guessed it probably wasn't.

Objectively speaking, Gu Hang is a master of psychic abilities, while his own expertise in this area is practically nonexistent. Without external assistance, it would be almost impossible for him to recall the truth on his own.

There must be something, acting as an external force, influencing him.

But he doesn't care.

He was certain that what he remembered was the truth, and not just another fabricated memory.

Because… he knew himself; he was definitely not the kind of person who would repay a debt of gratitude. Even if Gu Hang had truly saved him, given his own character, he was more likely to be ungrateful and would never be so willing to go to such lengths to help Gu Hang in the future.

He hated this deception, hated the past hundred years, and realized that his self-proclaimed glory was actually just being manipulated by that liar Gu Hang!
He absolutely refused to accept this reality; his ultimate goal was revenge.

He is willing to pay a great price to seek revenge.

Moreover, the entire universe is now in chaos! This is a cosmic upheaval that occurs only once every ten thousand years!

In this situation, his greatest ambition is to ride the wave of opportunity, turn the tide, and become a hero!
And this goal is not at all contrary to his desire for revenge.

He looked in the mirror, gazing at his own face, and repeatedly called upon the name of the great being who had awakened him and pulled him out of the deception.

Suddenly, he saw that in the mirror, nine eyes had opened one after another on his forehead, face, neck, chest, and so on.

He heard a sacred voice, which contained supreme truth and boundless knowledge.

Since that day, Gallardo, who had become more 'intelligent', began to devise countless schemes of his own.

For example, those related to Prime Minister Qi Bodu.

He was almost the first person on Holy Terra to know that Zeppeld had been corrupted by Nurgle.

But of course he wouldn't so easily expose the corrupt prime minister who was pursuing immortality.

On the contrary, he secretly provided a great deal of help.

Without Gallardo's help behind the scenes, it wouldn't have been so easy for the Prime Minister to remain hidden. He hid for over a decade before finally being exposed and forced out of the palace, which might have happened even earlier.

Gallardo knew that, under normal circumstances, it would be difficult for him to rise to a higher position and gain more power.

Despite his previous high position, much of his authority came from that swindler as an outsider.

Now that he can't get that help, his situation is very precarious.

He needs to make Holy Terra even more chaotic.

That corrupt prime minister was one of the biggest moves and actions in this regard.

He also knew that Slaanesh's cult of pleasure was very active on Holy Terra.

Hedonism has never been something that the powerful and wealthy on Sacred Terra are unwilling to give up.

He did a small favor, allowing Slaanesh's sect to flourish and drawing much of the Inquisition's attention.

He then lured a group of reckless Khorne followers to Holy Terra.

Although those guys aren't very bright, some of their violent methods—like the Khorne Mental Plague—are extremely effective.

The massive spread of the Khorne spiritual plague within the Sun Legion was thanks to his help as the Prime Minister of the Military Affairs Department; otherwise, how could it have spread so rapidly?

He also contributed to the previous lunar campaign.

He sent the Sun Rebels there, and it was his idea to steal Khorne's sacrificial rituals. He hoped that Magnus's arrival would stop Robert.

However, it didn't work out.

This greatly displeased him. He had already done a very good job, but Magnus was a complete waste.

Now, if he wants to turn the tide, he only has one last move left.

Since Robert's landing on Earth is inevitable, let him take over the worthless Holy Terra, which has been utterly destroyed by a massive conspiracy!

(End of this chapter)