Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 921

Chapter 913, Eternal Loyalty

Upon waking, Martins knew he was a completely different person.

He had never heard Gu Hang speak of the Primarch, the Gene-Father, or the Son of God. When he first joined this secret transformation project, he did so out of pure trust in Gu Hang. When Gu Hang announced a top-secret research project requiring his participation, he obliged.

He knew the risks of the experimental surgery; Gu Hang had warned him there was a chance he wouldn’t make it off the operating table.

But he agreed anyway.

First, he knew Gu Hang wouldn’t cheat him.

Second, he hoped to gain even greater power.

While he was now a Chapter Master and considered a “first-time shareholder” of the Alliance, his early arrival gave him a particularly high status within the Alliance. This was especially true within the Alliance’s vast Space Marine Management Association, where his position was exalted and he wielded immense influence over the Alliance’s now-over 250,000 Space Marines.

As a high-ranking figure within the Association, Martins’ status transcended that of an ordinary Chapter Master. He truly could decide the fate of an ordinary Chapter with a single word.

The training and supply of new blood, Chapter supplies, multi-Chapter combat coordination, and loyalty checks… these were all part of his job.

Of course, his greatest responsibility was to lead his Chapter in battle on the front lines. He primarily performed his administrative duties within the Space Marine Governing Association through voting and remote meetings.

By all accounts, he held a high position of authority.

Why would he take such a risk under the circumstances?

Yet, he did. He

undertook the Primaris operation, despite the high mortality rate. He

had to set an example.

Otherwise, if even he, the “original shareholder,” the largest representative of the Alliance-affiliated Space Marines, and the head of the Governing Association, didn’t support the Primaris operation, how could the Primaris be widely promoted?

Of course, this wasn’t mandatory.

No one required Martins to do this. It was simply that he had the political acumen to recognize this and act accordingly.

He had weathered the dangers of the Primaris operation—the overall mortality rate was said to be as high as 30%, but in reality, it wasn’t the same for everyone, closer to one-third. The stronger and more resolute a Space Marine is, the easier it is to survive the transformation. Conversely, the mortality rate is higher.

Beyond the political benefits, the power boost provided by Primaris is also significant.

His combat power level has increased by at least ten percent. Even

a slight improvement from Martins’s original level was already a struggle. His own training and exercise had already had little effect; accumulated combat experience was no longer significant. The fact that

Primaris had increased his power so significantly in one fell swoop was truly astonishing.

Furthermore, there was the special organ known as the ‘Cawl’s Furnace’, which could have miraculous effects that bordered on resuscitation.

And this time, when Gu Hang personally asked him if he was interested in participating in such an experimental procedure, he agreed without hesitation.

He had experienced the battle against the Bone Crusher King.

Even though they were ultimately victorious, the pressure brought by the ultimate individual’s combat power, and its influence on the overall strategic situation, remained vivid in his memory, leaving him deeply shaken. What

if he encountered such an enemy again in the future?

Could he always assemble a team as smoothly as he had last time to siege the Bonebreaker?

If he had already possessed the power of Primaris, would the situation have been better? Could fewer Chapter Champions, the pillars of each Chapter, have been sacrificed?

He didn’t know.

To contribute more to the Alliance, to humanity, and to the Imperium, he was willing to take the risk and undergo this operation.

After the surgery, he truly felt different.

He’d initially assumed it was another procedure similar to Primaris.

However, upon regaining consciousness, he realized the two were completely different!

If the Primaris had only given him a 10% improvement, that was still considered an improvement, then this surgery was a sea change.

He now felt as though he could easily defeat his former self.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t modest, but the truth was, before the surgery, he was already one of the strongest among the 250,000 Space Marines in the entire Alliance. The only three who could consistently defeat him, or even rival him, were the Living Saint of the Saints—Raymond Weiss, the legendary hero—Dante, and the Blood Shark King—Ewing.

And he was now certain that none of these three

could rival him. Could this be achieved with ordinary skill?

He felt a mixture of surprise at the power, and the remaining nine parts were filled with worry and hesitation.

Martins had long understood that power came at a price.

The Primaris transformation carried the risk of death if the operation failed, a price that was undoubtedly high, yet it only brought a 10% improvement.

Now, the improvement was more than doubled. Triple, quintuple, tenfold wouldn’t even begin to describe it! It was a leap in the very essence of life!

What price had he paid for this power?

He didn’t regret participating in the operation, nor did he believe that Gu Hang, who had invited him, would harm him.

He simply worried: Did Mr. Gu know what the price was?

His worries didn’t last long. The operating room door opened, and the first person to enter was Gu Hang.

Gu Hang looked Martins up and down, nodding with satisfaction.

His gentle voice somewhat allayed Martins’s anxieties: “You appear to be in good condition. Your physical indicators are all normal. Everything is as expected.”

“I feel… very different.”

“Yes, you’re completely different from before.”

“So… what was the price? What was the price?” Martins asked bluntly.

Gu Hang simply smiled.

He knew what Martins was worried about. He thought about his words for a moment and said something in a way that the other party could understand: “The price may be that you will never betray me.”

Martins also smiled: “That’s not a price.”

After a pause, he said, “It’s a grace.”

Gu Hang said, “Then it’s nothing. The other price is paid by me. What you have to pay is eternal loyalty to humanity, to the empire, and to me, that’s all.”

————

There is still one chapter before dawn.

(End of this chapter)