Chapter 465: Experimental Subjects
After the drawing ceremony concluded, the atmosphere within the hall clearly divided into two camps.
The twenty candidates holding red lots could hardly conceal the excitement on their faces. They gripped the thin lots symbolizing their destinies so tightly that their knuckles turned white.
Some exchanged grateful glances in low voices, while others looked up at the Emperor's icon, their lips moving slightly as if expressing gratitude.
The other thirty candidates holding white lots were shrouded in an oppressive silence.
They stood in place, their gazes lowered, or stared blankly at the lot in their hands that announced their failure.
Some repeatedly turned the lot over, as if expecting its color to suddenly change; some clenched it tightly in their palms until their joints paled; and others quietly slipped the lot into their pockets, seemingly wanting to hide this disappointing result.
Alvaro found that he had drawn a red lot.
He forcefully suppressed the cheer that almost blurted out of his mouth, merely taking a deep breath and straightening his back.
He noticed that a companion next to him, from the mid-hive, had drawn a white lot. The young man's shoulders visibly slumped.
Alvaro hesitated for a moment, but ultimately said nothing, simply turning his gaze elsewhere.
Kax also drew a red lot.
He glanced at the color on the lot, then shoved it into his jacket. His facial expression did not change in the slightest, as if this result had been expected all along.
His sharp gaze swept over those holding white lots, as if evaluating their threat level, or perhaps rejoicing that he would not have to associate with them.
Grumm was one of the few red lot recipients whose expression showed no fluctuation.
He looked at the color of the lot, confirmed it was red, and safely tucked it away. Then, he continued to maintain his standard standing posture, as if he had just completed a routine procedure.
Skitarii soldiers stepped forward, signaling the red lot recipients to form up and leave.
They would be taken to a specialized zone to prepare for the upcoming gene-seed implantation.
As he left the hall, Alvaro glanced back at the remaining white lot holders. A trace of complex emotion flashed through his heart, but it was quickly replaced by anticipation for the future.
Once all the red lot recipients had left, only the thirty white lot candidates and the solemnly standing Black Templar warriors remained in the hall.
Disappointment and confusion permeated the air.
These candidates, who had endured numerous trials and persevered to the very end, had thought they were about to welcome a turning point in their destinies, only to be eliminated in such a random manner at the final hurdle.
Sigismund walked down from the observation deck and arrived beside Ryo. His power armor gleamed with a cold, hard luster under the lights.
"These thirty men, how do you intend to dispose of them?" Sigismund asked. His voice transmitted through his helmet's speakers, carrying its characteristic deep resonance.
Ryo's mechanical body turned toward Sigismund, his optical lenses flickering slightly. "They still possess value. The research into improving the gene-seed requires more experimental data. These excellent receptors can serve as experimental subjects."
Sigismund nodded slightly, not surprised by this answer.
In the Imperium's endless conquests, sacrifice was the norm.
For an Adeptus Mechanicus Magos like Ryo to only require a few dozen candidates as research subjects, it was already considered extremely restrained.
He had witnessed experiments on certain Forge Worlds that casually consumed the population of an entire hive city just to verify a single technical hypothesis.
"Experimental subjects..." Sigismund repeated the term, his tone devoid of any emotional fluctuation. "If their sacrifice can contribute strength to the might of the Imperial Fists, then it is worthwhile."
"The improvement of the gene-seed is a systematic project," Ryo's synthesized voice explained steadily. "The current optimization of the cultivation process is merely the initial phase. Truly profound modification at the genetic level requires massive amounts of experimental data to support it."
"These candidates have undergone rigorous screening. Both their physical constitutions and spiritual willpower have met a certain standard. They are ideal research subjects."
Sigismund's gaze swept over the bewildered candidates standing below.
Some of them seemed to realize they were being discussed and shifted their stances uneasily.
"Can they also become Astartes?" Sigismund asked.
"Theoretically, yes," Ryo answered. "But this will be a technical verification process. The gene-seeds they receive will contain various improvement attempts. Some might succeed, while others might... trigger unpredictable consequences. These thirty men will become the pathfinders on the road to gene-seed improvement."
Ryo naturally would not announce these details publicly.
In the official records, these thirty men would only be marked as eliminated during training, and their subsequent fates would not be detailed.
To the Adeptus Mechanicus, attrition during the research process was the most normal thing in the world.
"Since that is the case, they are entrusted to you," Sigismund said finally. "May their sacrifice contribute to the Emperor's cause."
Ryo's mechanical head tilted slightly in acknowledgment. "Their data will greatly advance the research progress. Compared to directly recovering gene-seed from the battlefield, experiments in this controlled environment can provide much more accurate research parameters."
Just then, a small commotion arose among the candidates below.
A young man, seemingly unable to accept such a result, suddenly stepped forward and asked loudly, "Lord Magos! We... we white lot recipients, what will happen to us next?"
The Skitarii soldiers immediately stepped forward, preparing to suppress this abrupt questioning, but Ryo raised his hand to stop them.
His optical lenses turned toward the questioning candidate, and his synthesized voice echoed through the hall: "You will participate in another important mission. The specific details will be explained to you when the time comes."
This answer neither revealed specific information nor extinguished their last shred of hope.
The young man who asked the question opened his mouth, seeming to want to ask something else, but under Ryo's unflinching gaze, he ultimately stepped back.
Sigismund watched this scene without a single ripple in his heart.
In his view, the personal destinies of these candidates were insignificant before the grand interests of the Imperium. If their sacrifice could buy progress in gene-seed technology and strengthen the combat power of the Astartes Brotherhood, then this exchange was completely justified.
"Then, I shall take my leave," Sigismund said to Ryo. "I will personally oversee the implantation ceremony for the initiates."
Ryo's mechanical body turned slightly. "The implantation procedures will commence in forty-eight hours. You are welcome to observe when the time comes."
Sigismund nodded in acknowledgment, then turned and departed, his power armor's servo systems emitting a faint hum.
His figure swiftly vanished at the end of the corridor.
Ryo then turned his attention back to the thirty white lot recipients.
His processing core had already begun assigning them experimental designation numbers and planning the subsequent research workflows.
Each person would receive a different type of gene-seed implantation. Some were stability tests, some were compatibility experiments, and others would attempt to activate sequences within the gene-seed that were typically in a dormant state.
For these candidates, the path they were about to embark on was filled with uncertainty.
They might become the pioneers of a new type of Astartes, or they might endure unimaginable agony during the augmentation process, perhaps even paying with their lives.
But to Ryo, they were merely variables within an experimental process, essential resources driving scientific progress.
On the path of pursuing knowledge and technology, the fate of the individual was never a factor that required priority consideration.
"Take them to Laboratory Two," Ryo issued a command to the Skitarii soldiers. "Classify and situate them according to the predetermined protocol."
The soldiers immediately acted, guiding the thirty candidates out of the hall.
The vast majority of them remained bewildered and uneasy, while a few harbored anticipation for their new mission.
No one knew that they were about to become experimental subjects for gene-seed improvement, and no one knew what kind of future awaited them.
Ryo stood quietly beneath the Emperor's icon, the data streams within his optical lenses continuously flickering.
Within his logical core, these thirty lives had already been reduced to a series of parameters awaiting verification and their possible outcomes.
The mysteries of the gene-seed waited to be uncovered, and on the road to knowledge, someone was always required to pave the way.
The hall returned to silence, leaving only the eternal, ceaseless hum of operating machinery.
(End of Chapter)