Chapter 278: John-117! Resurrection of the Primarch! The Prometheus Company!
"Ahem! I mean… can't you guys talk about something other than work during vacation? Don't we get tired enough on the job?"
David spoke with exasperation. Ever since Senior V stepped off the front lines and into the core executive ranks of the Mega-Corp, most of its key missions and operational planning had been handed over to him.
Just recently, it was David who personally led the team for the operation to abduct the Preacher
The upside? The more you do, the faster you rise.
Now, having just completed the final stage of organ modification surgery, David had become the second Primarch-class warrior within the Mega-Corp. His influence within the Iron Hands legion was growing rapidly.
And right after the surgery, David had taken part in the post-op trial: solo elimination of a thousand experimental monsters. Though he passed, his trial time was a full five minutes longer than V's. He had been so exhausted afterward that he collapsed on the spot, completely drained.
Back then, not only had V cleared the trial, he'd even had energy left to begin a second round. That was when David truly realized the vast talent gap between them.
Still, that didn't stop David from being one of the brightest stars among the new generation of Astartes, and a prime contender for the future Legion Master of the Iron Hands.
"Boss, I really envy you. A Primarch-class warrior—man, that's no small feat for our company. Even your old superiors, Leader Reed and Commander Jack, haven't completed their surgeries yet."
"As for us, well, we've basically hit our ceiling. We're only a little stronger than normal humans."
William Cage let out a sigh, smiling. The limits of a Spartan warrior were clear. Even for augmenters like Rita, the best they could hope for was peak 10th-stage Astartes.
As for himself, an ordinary Spartan warrior, he'd probably top out around 7th or 8th-stage Astartes.
The difference between them and Primarchs like V and David? Vast.
Sure, Cage and Rita had relatively normal human physiques, but their potential had long since been capped. Unless Dr. Halsey initiated a third phase of the Spartan warrior research project, this was as far as they'd go.
That said, Cage wasn't unhappy with the current situation. As the saying goes, the rich rely on tech, the poor rely on mutations. All of their enhancements had been done through high-precision procedures in Mega-Corp labs, performed by top-tier augmenters.
Each round of enhancement burned through a staggering amount of resources, manpower, and materials. Only under these conditions could they safely grow stronger.
It was nothing like those shady "cultivators" who got stronger by popping random drugs, exposing themselves to radiation, or getting infected by unknown viruses.
They followed the legitimate, orthodox path of augmentation. Little to no side effects. And if something did go wrong, they had Mega-Corp's medical insurance to fall back on.
Those rogue "cultivators," on the other hand, might wake up one day and find themselves classified as monsters, hunted down by the Corp's security forces.
"With great power comes great responsibility. Nothing to be jealous of."
David offered a modest response—part sincere, part not.
Becoming a Primarch-class warrior was an incredible experience. He'd become a rising star in the Iron Hands, and his mother could finally hold her head high among the neighbors.
Honor, status, reputation—wasn't that what this life was all about? He didn't mind the grind, as long as it paid off. What he feared was grinding for nothing.
At that moment, Cage—having just finished the noodles in front of him—glanced at the new recruit who'd spent the whole meal silently wolfing down his food, seemingly oblivious to the conversation.
"Boss, what's the deal with that kid? How'd he get dropped into our team from out of nowhere? He looks kinda… out of it. Hasn't said a word since we got here. Is he mute or something?"
Seeing that Cage had finally noticed their low-presence "rookie," David realized he hadn't yet introduced the new member of the Transdimensional Vanguard.
"Almost forgot—this guy's codename is John-117. Yep, no real name—just a designation. You can just call him John."
"John was part of the very first batch of infant test subjects used by Dr. Halsey during the UNSC's Spartan-II program."
"He made it through hell—survived the toughest modification phases, cleared over a dozen test rounds. The higher-ups saw his potential and assigned him to our squad."
David then dropped a bombshell that stunned Cage: "Don't let his 2.1-meter frame fool you—this guy was born in 2511 of the Halo universe."
"Through genetic acceleration and rapid growth stimulation, he was brought to his current state. In other words… John is only eight years old."
As expected, Rita, Cage, and the others all looked up from their plates and gawked at John-117.
Eight… years… old?!
"Isn't this straight-up child labor? Is that even legal…"
Cage twitched as he looked John over. Not that he could spot a single trace of "child" in the guy—his muscles were even more shredded than Cage's.
"So what if he's eight? He gets to retire early. Starting work now means his service time's already counting down. Do 40 years and retire before 50—pension and all. What's not to love?"
David chuckled. "John just finished his surgery recently. He still needs to spend more time acclimating to human society. That's why I brought him along—to broaden his horizons."
"Yeah, I get it. Unlike me—started working late, and I'll be a wrinkly old man by the time I retire." Cage clicked his tongue in mock bitterness.
David glanced at John-117 beside him. Honestly, the kid had a tragic past: orphan, test subject, miracle survivor—stacked with every "protagonist buff" imaginable.
For this genetically fast-tracked Spartan, David mostly felt pity. When Mega-Corp's R&D team first found him in that UNSC lab, John was already past the point of no return.
All they could do was follow through with the procedure and help him complete the modifications. Against all odds, the result was this living "human miracle."
Every other child from John's batch had died from rejection. He was the lone survivor.
Naturally, for future Spartan programs, Mega-Corp would select promising candidates from the academy—train and augment them over the long term.
Because not everyone had John-117's "Nezha" luck. Nezha became divine in three years—John fully developed in eight. Their fates were eerily similar.
And John's legend was just beginning.
Soon after, the group finished their meals. Once darkness fell, David and the rest wrapped up their dinner.
They'd made plans on day one of vacation: eat and shop around on Reach, then take an interstellar cruise to Earth (Halo universe).
So right after dinner, David led Rita and the others to explore various entertainment districts—and maybe even house-hunt.
Thanks to Mega-Corp's transdimensional expansion campaign, housing prices in human territories had dropped to near-cost levels.
Outside of core zones like Night City, a home in most areas cost only about twice the build cost. The stuff of sci-fi dreams—made real here.
Every Mega-Corp employee owned homes across different human civilizations in the multiverse. It was just more convenient that way.
Even though it was their vacation, David and his team stuck strictly to their itinerary—no slacking off.
Because the moment the holiday ended, it'd be straight back to the main universe for intensive training. And when the three-year mark hit… they'd dive into a brand new transdimensional world!
---
Three years and 149 days later.
Main Universe – Mega-City: Night City!
Thanks to the climate-control system, this supermassive city remained as pleasant as ever. Cool artificial breezes swept through the towering skyscrapers and reached the top floors of Mega-Corp's HQ.
At that moment, a holographic mega-screen at the Night City municipal center was broadcasting news about the Quantum Slingshot and Dyson Cloud projects.
[We have completed both of these epic-scale projects: the Quantum Slingshot in the Halo universe, and the Dyson Cloud megastructure in the solar system of the Main Universe!]
[The Light of Creation is a vast curtain that unveils the secrets of the cosmos. It is endless joy, condensed thought, and brilliance—our path to eternity.]
[In the dark, boundless void of space, only the conscious light of truth can banish every shadow that looms over civilization.]
[...]
After more than three years of construction, the fifth-phase Quantum Slingshot megastructure and the sixth-phase Dyson Cloud megastructure were finally completed and officially put into operation.
The strategic launcher known as the Quantum Slingshot was deployed in Universe 004, the Halo universe, as a contingency measure.
Meanwhile, the Dyson Cloud megastructures were put to use in the resource-rich star systems of various celestial sectors across the main universe.
The so-called Dyson Cloud is somewhat similar to a Dyson Sphere, but instead of a single structure, it's a vast interconnected array of orbital satellites designed to drastically boost stellar resource output.
Corporations can deploy Dyson Cloud arrays over resource-rich stars, increasing their yield by fivefold—or even up to thirtyfold at peak efficiency!
If a Dyson Sphere is meant to extract every last drop of energy from a star, then a Dyson Cloud is like a high-frequency extraction engine that rapidly drains stars—or even planets—of their resources.
In simple terms, it's like applying a speed buff to resource mining, significantly accelerating the output of energy and minerals.
What's even more crucial is that Dyson Clouds are relatively cheap to build—among all the megastructures developed so far, they require the least resources!
That's why, three years ago, Li Ang ordered the immediate construction of ten Dyson Cloud megastructures, which also explains his confidence in reopening the Multiverse Expedition three years later.
As long as production strength is secured, Universal Megacorp can stabilize multiple universes while continuing its campaigns into new worlds.
"Unlocking two megastructures at once—the company credit payout from this is beyond anything I imagined!"
Li Ang couldn't help but marvel internally. The Halo universe had generated a phenomenal amount of company credits for him. Even after unlocking blueprints for the two megastructures, he still had a sizable surplus of credits.
Unfortunately, he still lacked enough credits to unlock the next megastructure. That's why he exchanged for nine additional Dyson Clouds—to further ramp up productivity.
After all, the shortfall was too large to bridge with savings alone. It made more sense to boost production now and keep the corporation running smoothly as he prepared to grind through the next instance.
At this moment, Li Ang pulled up a holographic screen to check the star map of the Halo universe.
Under the leadership of Dr. Halsey, the first batch of Halo Arrays had already been deployed to strategic war zones within the galaxy.
The Universal Megacorp Allied Forces, led by Reed and Jack, had completed both major and minor campaigns, leaving only scattered remnants of the Covenant forces.
All that was left was to send out a few destroyers to mop them up completely.
The end of the Covenant War also meant that the various multiversal fronts had reached a state of stability. After three years of preparation, all branches of Universal Megacorp were ready to embark on new expeditions at a moment's notice.
"Loki, switch the live feeds of the Primogenitor and the Preacher to my console. I want to check their current status."
After reviewing the star map, Li Ang gave a command to Loki, the AI that ran his headquarters' operations.
Loki promptly responded: [Understood, Boss.]
A moment later, the Primogenitor and the Preacher—both held in a classified underground chamber of the Multiverse Base headquarters—appeared on the holographic screen.
The Primogenitor, resembling a giant, grotesque flea covered in sticky tendrils, and the Preacher, a hulking figure clad in a black robe, were both confined in separate rooms in a suspended state.
As it turned out, Universal Megacorp's R&D division had fully deciphered the logic code of the Flood Spores two years ago using data extracted from the Datacore.
Using the spore's source code, they had bred controllable forms of Flood-based organisms called Corpsebrain Beasts. Through a kind of "parasitic cultivation," they eventually produced the Corpsebrain Beast King—the ultimate evolved form.
Sure enough, once it achieved its ultimate form, the Corpsebrain Beast King activated the full consciousness, intellect, and memory data of the Primogenitor. Through Megacorp's cultivation efforts, the once-dead alien menace had been brought back—essentially, a form of Edo Tensei-style resurrection!
Naturally, Li Ang immediately integrated the revived Primogenitor into the Matrix system.
With the Matrix's control protocols in place, the Primogenitor had no choice but to assist the R&D department in further decoding the remaining contents of the Forerunner Datacore.
To date, 30.33% of the Datacore's contents had been deciphered—almost a third of its knowledge!
Most of this consisted of anthropological data: the history, cultures, and ceremonial practices of every known civilization in the Halo universe.
That couldn't be helped—this type of data was the easiest to decrypt. As for the more valuable information on Forerunner technology and weaponry, even if decrypted, it would require replication and experimentation, demanding immense manpower and resources.
Meanwhile, the Preacher—also forcibly linked into the Matrix—had been kept around by Li Ang to serve as commander of the alien war cohort.
This old warhound was a rare talent, having once led the Promethean Legion of the Forerunner civilization and crushed countless alien species in battle.
The ancient humans and Prophets were among its many conquests. If converted into Chinese historical terms, the Preacher would be equivalent to a legendary Tang Dynasty general like Li Jing—a true god of war.
Naturally, such a capable figure came with a powerful ego. To ensure the Preacher's loyalty, Li Ang agreed to two conditions that the warrior could not refuse.
The first was to assist the Preacher in locating other surviving Forerunners.
With the vastness of the Halo galaxy, it was possible that some Forerunners had survived in isolated ruins or that genetic samples of their species still existed in hidden locations—enough for Universal Megacorp to attempt a resurrection.
To make that happen, however, the Preacher had to admit that he couldn't do it alone—he needed the corporation's help.
The second condition was job security.
Using tech data from the Datacore, the R&D team replicated Forerunner Reconstitution Machines and mass-produced Forerunner AI robots.
Li Ang then ordered the creation of 3,000 Promethean Knights via the Reconstitution Machines, supplemented by Stalkers and Watchers, forming a complete Forerunner army unit.
This revived Promethean Legion would be entirely under the Preacher's command, serving Universal Megacorp as its alien military division.
With these two promises, Li Ang had simultaneously fulfilled the Preacher's professional and ancestral ambitions. As for its former lover, the Librarian, there was no need to cling to that hope.
During the Flood War, the Librarian had sacrificed herself to activate the Halo Array and safeguard her people's evacuation into Shield Worlds, perishing alongside most of the Flood in the process.
Her death was final.
Thus, the Preacher's only real path forward was to accept the job Li Ang had given him and do what he was born to do—fight wars and stir up chaos.
To the Preacher, death would've been easy. But to find surviving Forerunners and resurrect their kind—those were tasks far more meaningful than a warrior's end.
Though he deeply resented Universal Megacorp for being a reclaimer faction, even the Preacher had to admit: the old grudges needed to be set aside.
His entire race had been wiped out by the Flood. What point was there in clinging to vengeance? It wouldn't bring the dead back to life.
As far as Li Ang was concerned, whether or not the Forerunners were truly extinct didn't matter—the Halo universe was now under Universal Megacorp's control.
And with the Matrix constantly monitoring and controlling the Preacher's every thought and action, Li Ang had nothing to worry about.
One way or another, the Preacher would have no choice but to work for the corporation.
At this point, Li Ang switched the feed to the Preacher's chamber and spoke to him via the comm system:
"Commander, your Promethean Legion is fully assembled. You can begin training your warriors immediately at Drill Field F32 in the Multiverse Base headquarters."
The Promethean Legion Li Ang mentioned consisted of three key units: Knights, Stalkers, and Watchers.
The Knights were mechanized warriors. Forerunner Reconstitution Machines could either extract a person's consciousness and digitize it into a mechanical form, or directly use AI to operate them.
These Knights looked like enormous mantises, with four arms equipped with energy blades.
They were outfitted with the most advanced armor and wielded a wide variety of weapons—plasma swords, spears, firearms—you name it. They were true masters of all forms of combat.
The Stalkers were agile quadruped AI drones that supported the Knights in battle.
They provided suppressive fire and acted as combat companions—essentially battlefield pets, much like the celestial hound that followed Erlang Shen.
The Watchers, on the other hand, were support units.
They could deploy energy shields to protect the Knights, deflect incoming projectiles, and even use repair beams to revive fallen comrades.
You could think of the Watchers as the tank/healer class of the battlefield—providing both defense and healing.
Together, these three units formed a complete Promethean Legion: front-line damage dealers, assassins that flanked the enemy's rear, and support units that tanked and healed.
This three-thousand-strong force was the initial "startup capital" Li Ang had invested in the Preacher. Whether he could grow the Promethean Legion further through compounding success would depend entirely on his capabilities.
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