Chapter 275: The Ark Celestial Body! Final Verdict! The Missionary Sealed Away for 100,000 Years!
As Alt Cunningham and Halsey turned and walked away, AI Loki once again entered silent standby mode. In truth, it had fully recorded and analyzed the earlier conversation between Li Ang and the executive team.
From an AI's perspective, analyzing who was best suited to be the new interstellar governor of the Halo universe yielded only two true candidates: Morgan Blackhand and Solomon Reed.
Only after those two would Alt Cunningham, Mori Asako, Raleigh, or Song Zhaomei—those towering corporate figures—enter the picture.
After all, based on the data comparison, Morgan Blackhand's experience in handling operations within the human faction clearly showed a veteran's poise.
His calculated and measured decision-making exuded an unshakable confidence, making him an extremely reliable choice for handling the established Halo universe landscape.
Reed was also a formidable candidate. During the effort to sway the Covenant, it was he who led Vadamee in defecting and was the first to detect signs of rebellion among the Sangheili Councillors.
If Blackhand's strength was stability, then Reed's was shrewdness—he was keenly aware of every development and often foresaw threats before they materialized.
Though Reed might seem stiff and unassuming on the surface, in truth, this long-time system veteran was sharper than anyone.
He'd be more than capable of serving as the interstellar governor.
In contrast, Alt Cunningham presented a more complicated case. Her most glaring issue was the complete lack of administrative experience. She was decent at public speaking and promotional work, sure, but charisma alone couldn't make up for her lack of governing chops. Experience and exposure are crucial for an executor-level role.
V, for example, had rapidly risen to the post of interstellar governor because of his solid command background. He knew how to manage subordinates and handle thorny issues.
At its core, both military and political leadership boil down to the same fundamentals: people management. And someone like Alt, who'd spent most of her career as a reclusive executive, inevitably raised some concerns in this area.
More critically, any candidate for governor must be clean—without any blemish on their record. Even though Alt's past mistakes weren't catastrophic, a blemish is still a blemish.
That alone set a hard limit on how far she could go.
Factoring all this in, AI Loki ultimately concluded that Morgan Blackhand and Solomon Reed were the most likely candidates to inherit the title of Governor of Halo Universe 004.
Still, as an internal cabinet AI, it held no decision-making authority—only the right to offer minor suggestions.
Not long after, a Hawk-class shuttle escorted by four tiltrotor drones blasted out of the Endless-class carrier's hangar and flew straight toward the surface teleportation site.
Upon reaching the outskirts of Mombasa, the escort drones held their altitude while the shuttle slowly descended and landed smoothly on the barren plain.
As the hatch opened, Rita, cage, and a dozen Spartan warriors—all clad in power armor—filed out of the shuttle.
Right behind them came Alt Cunningham, Halsey, and the rest of the mega-corp's research personnel.
They wore sealed hazmat suits and exoskeletal engineering rigs to prepare for any unexpected emergencies.
Once everyone had disembarked, the Hawk shuttle lifted off and returned to the carrier while the team continued toward the matrix's inner corridor that led to the teleportation gate.
Looking at the sealed metal gate before her, then glancing at the massive matrix structure looming ahead, Alt Cunningham couldn't help but sigh.
> "The Forerunners really were the dominant civilization of the Halo universe. Even at our current rate of progress, we'd need at least two more centuries to catch up to their tech!"
To Halsey, Alt's comment sounded like pure flexing—textbook humblebrag.
The Forerunners had practically mastered fundamental physics. Even if the mega-corp kept developing for another thousand years, reaching even half their level would be an astronomical achievement.
Still, reflecting on the corporation's meteoric rise, Halsey had to admit—what they'd achieved was a miracle. In just half a century, they'd gone from a run-of-the-mill arms company in Night City's Chinatown to their current galactic stature.
That growth spurt was unprecedented in human history.
Decades ago, the mega-corp was just another cyber-industrial firm, scraping by through gang skirmishes and the ensuing presidential wars—earning their first bucket of gold in the chaos.
From there, it was all expansion: hiring, acquiring talent, and either absorbing or crushing countless cyber enterprises.
Ultimately, Li Ang had transformed a native human civilization—whose tech had barely reached the level of mass drivers and crystalline domes—into an interstellar empire.
Though Halsey didn't know exactly how he did it, she was certain of one thing: their boss, Li Ang , was the key to humanity's evolution—and perhaps even its ascension.
Halsey glanced at Alt and couldn't help but ask:
> "Director Alt, as far as I know, you've been with the company since the early days. You must've witnessed the entire rise of the mega-corp firsthand."
Alt didn't deny it. She nodded and answered frankly,
> "I did. I used to be nothing more than a hacker roaming cyberspace. I dabbled in network tech, that's all. Today's R&D teams are far more capable than I ever was."
Though she spoke humbly, Alt felt no small pride— Li Ang 's visionary leadership had been the cornerstone of their meteoric rise.
His talent for recognizing and empowering the right people was crucial.
> "Sometimes I envy you guys, "You've been at the forefront of this tech surge under Li Ang 's leadership.
Meanwhile, back where I came from, technological advancement has stagnated for a long time."There was frustration in Halsey's voice.
The human rebellion in the Halo universe wasn't just about wealth inequality; it also stemmed from their inability to break through technological bottlenecks and improve quality of life.
It was like living in the agricultural age—at the mercy of weather and disasters. When the industrial era came, famine-related deaths plummeted. Now, in the interstellar age, hunger was no longer humanity's top concern.
The priority was improving life, ensuring prosperity. Political stability within the mega-corp was inseparable from economic prosperity and robust social welfare.
After finishing her thought, Halsey walked toward the matrix's inner corridor.
> "Let's go, Director alt. Time to get down to business."
> "Mm."
Together with the rest of the research staff, they began to inspect the gate's clues and markings.
Then Halsey spotted something—a spherical terminal device on the side of the giant metal door. She stepped forward and touched it.
With a thoom, the metallic sphere lit up with a radiant blue glow. Symbols in the Forerunner language appeared across its surface.
At the same time, the ground beneath them began to tremble violently, and the massive metal doors slowly began to part.
Dust and debris rained down, coating their exosuits in a layer of gritty yellow sand.
A massive tunnel—100 meters in length, width, and height—emerged before them.
But these seasoned researchers, long accustomed to traversing star gates, showed no awe or surprise.
Out of caution, Rita and William cage led the way. Armed with large-caliber explosive rifles and hardlight cannons, they pointed their weapons into the dark tunnel ahead.
Using pulse scanners embedded in their power armor, Rita pulled up a minimap of the interior. Everything appeared normal—no signs of danger.
Still, Rita stayed alert and ordered the recon team to deploy broader-range scanners.
Moments later, two soldiers launched recon drones—spherical devices made of room-temperature superconducting minerals. They scanned and analyzed the environment.
The feedback confirmed the tunnel was empty—no signs of life.
> "We'll go first. Wait for my signal."
Rita's team marched into the depths of the tunnel—and vanished, as if slipping into another dimension.
On the minimap, cage saw them advancing at high speed, clearly having reached the destination.
> [All clear!]
With that confirmation, cage signaled the rest of the Spartans and researchers to proceed.
> "Appreciate it," Alt nodded to him and followed the group into the tunnel.
At the end, they found a vast chamber—and in the center, a prominent terminal device likely tied to the portal's control system.
Halsey, now quite familiar with Forerunner tech, approached confidently and placed her hand on the interface.
If the Forerunners truly regarded humans as Reclaimers, they would've kept things simple. Activating the galactic portal shouldn't be too difficult.
Sure enough, as her hand made contact, a kind of genetic verification triggered. Once successful, the entire chamber roared to life.
Boom—!!
The previously calm hall shook violently as ethereal blue light radiated from the terminal.
Just as Halsey feared the place was collapsing, the device projected a massive starmap—marking every known Forerunner ruin within the galaxy!
Simultaneously, on the surface of Mombasa, a beam of light shot into the sky from the matrix as a result of the device's activation.
At the beam's apex, a swirling vortex several kilometers long materialized—like a rift torn open by a slipspace drive.
It was unmistakable: the gateway to the Milky Way galaxy!
Inside the command center of the Endless-class flagship…
> "Boss, Director Alt's team has successfully activated the portal! All Forerunner ruin coordinates are now marked!"
AI Loki's voice brimmed with excitement. With this intel, the Halo universe was now within the mega-corp's grasp.
> "Good," Li Ang nodded.
With precise coordinates to all Forerunner ruins, fully inheriting their technology—or even unlocking neurophysics—was now just a matter of time.
Sure, Halo physics might not always translate well to other universes. But their tech and weaponry? Absolutely devastating.
The Halo Array, hardlight weapons, the wanderer-class dreadnought… even the legendary Mantle's Approach that might be uncovered next!
> "Order the fleet to pass through the portal."
At Li Ang 's command, AI Loki relayed the order.
Warships—including the Endless-class flagship—began moving in sequence toward the glowing vortex.
As the blue light washed over the observation deck, time and space around the fleet remained undisturbed. When the glow faded, they found themselves at the edge of the Milky Way galaxy.
Clearly, this portal didn't tear through space like conventional slipspace—it tunneled through a dimension that allowed instantaneous travel across hundreds of thousands of light-years.
In mere moments, they had crossed a gap that spanned the stars—proof of the Forerunners' dazzling, unmatched mastery of spatial engineering.
The galaxy's edge looked much like the solar system: dark, vast, and still. But soon, something colossal appeared in their sights.
A construct so massive it rivaled ten Earths in diameter.
The Forerunners' Ark.
Seeing this colossal celestial megastructure—capable of launching the mega-corp to the pinnacle of power in the Halo universe— Li Ang , usually so composed, couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
If they could secure this structure, it would seal their dominance over Universe 004—no more debate.
Li Ang turned to AI Loki and gave his final orders:
> "Dispatch two additional naval fleets here. Send the Iron Hand Legion and our top researchers to the Ark's control room."
> "And tell Halsey and Alt to move through the portal immediately. We must take full control of this Ark."
…
...
Epoch Galaxy—Requiem Star!
At this moment, David, who had received a top-secret mission from Li Ang , was already leading the elite Iron Hand Vanguard into this desolate star system.
That's right—the location where the Preacher was imprisoned was here, on Requiem Star.
But Requiem Star wasn't a naturally formed terrestrial planet. Rather, it was a massive frontline combat base constructed by the Forerunners.
In essence, Requiem Star was a Forerunner military fortress.
Within it lay a formidable "vault" known as the Necrotomb.
The Necrotomb was a type of stasis control apparatus that could place a designated subject into a meditative state. In this suspended condition, the body would become completely inert—devoid of decay and halted in all metabolic function.
Its function was strikingly similar to the "Happy Little Cell" stasis prison devised by the ancient Didact.
However, the Forerunners' Necrotomb had an even more advanced capability—it could link its occupant directly to the Domain.
This meant that the meditating subject could freely access the contents of the Domain—instantly and with seamless clarity.
If the massive Shield World had been like an ancient, dust-covered computer that stuttered and lagged when turned on…
Then the Necrotomb was a ready-at-hand smartphone—always powered on, with full access to the Domain at any time.
Before long, David and his warriors successfully landed on Requiem Star. With the aid of the Forerunner AI Enthusiastic Witness 031, they made their way unimpeded to the Preacher's resting place.
In the heart of Requiem Star, David came face to face with an elliptical stasis pod over ten meters long—this was the very device that sealed away the Preacher!
This was the only known surviving Forerunner in the entire Halo universe. At that moment, David and all the warriors around him instinctively held their breath.
They were about to open the pod and lay eyes on the mighty Forerunner Warlord—the Preacher—who had slumbered for a hundred thousand years!
[Captain David, shall I initiate the Necrotomb's opening sequence?]
The Forerunner AI Enthusiastic Witness 031 prompted him with a calm inquiry.
"Yeah. Do it," David replied with a nod.
Immediately, all surrounding Astartes warriors switched their power armor to maximum defense mode and raised their boltguns, training them on the Necrotomb.
Should anything go wrong, they were ready to open fire and terminate the Preacher without hesitation.
With the AI's assistance, the Necrotomb began to slowly open. The elliptical structure rumbled and cracked with explosive force as brilliant blue light erupted from within.
In that instant, time itself seemed to freeze.
As the Necrotomb opened, the pod split into three segments along its centerline, unfolding like a metallic flower.
And in the heart of that blossom lay the long-sealed figure of the Preacher!
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