The Hive City Law Enforcement looked at the golden characters on the cover and instantly felt like his throat was choked. After opening the document, his eyes almost popped out.
"Hey, Captain… this kid…" His legs trembled, his tongue seemed tied, and his voice was as faint as a mosquito, making it difficult for him to speak clearly.
"You motherfucker!! How dare you make me look bad in front of so many people? I'll shoot you right now!"
The Hive City Law Enforcement Captain, injured and disgraced, couldn't be bothered to listen to his subordinate.
He bared his teeth, blood smeared around his mouth, and stumbled free from the grip of others, placing his hand on his holster.
Horatio stepped forward. With the passive attribute enhancement of his prosthetic limb, his reactions were considerably faster than a normal person's.
Bang!
Perhaps because this was a high-risk area, the Hive City Law Enforcement unprofessionally disengaged the safety early. As soon as he pulled out the gun, his finger touched the trigger, causing it to misfire.
Fortunately, the bullet hit the shop wall and no one was injured.
Horatio twisted his hand and took the gun.
Thump, thump, thump — The sound of heavy combat boots running approached. The onlookers quickly moved aside, respectfully saluting one after another.
"What's going on?! Why did you suddenly fire?!" A strong, reprimanding female voice came from beneath a helmet.
Everyone, including Horatio, looked at the newcomers in unison.
"It's over, this kid is in big trouble. Holding a Hive City Law Enforcement's gun, if this isn't assaulting an officer, it will be soon."
"Tsk, tsk, he was clearly robbed, how miserable. He can only blame his bad luck. Ah, poor young man."
The noisy Hive City Law Enforcement were also silent now, leaving only their captain, whose nose was bleeding, wailing and crying.
"Assaulting an officer! This is assaulting an officer!"
Horatio looked up at the newcomers, wisely placed the gun on the ground, stepped on it, and stood still, making no unnecessary movements.
That familiar carapace armor and the distinctive Childer of Loyalty helmet immediately told him who the newcomers were.
Unlike regular Storm Troopers, these individuals had 'Childer of Loyalty Marine Corps' written on the nameplate on the left side of their chest plate, inlaid with the Imperial Navy's rudder emblem.
Their armor also differed from the common sky-blue of the Storm Troopers; it was a darker, void blue, perfectly suited for stealth in the dark.
Having just come from the Naval Loyal Succession Department, Horatio naturally recognized their identities.
Loyalist Academy students in military specialties uniformly belonged to the large organization known as the 'Loyalist Youth Army'.
The administrative organization belonging to the Storm Childer of Loyalty forces was called the 'Youth Storm Regiment'.
Those belonging to the Imperial Navy were precisely this 'Childer of Loyalty Marine Corps' before him, his future schoolmates and classmates.
This was also why Horatio wisely put down the gun.
After the Horus Heresy, the Empire's mortal armed forces were split by the great Second Empire's regent *Bang!*, ah no, by the great Ultramarines' Lord Roboute Guilliman, with a single legal code, just like how the Astartes Legions were broken up, into the Imperial Guard (Astra Militarum) and the Imperial Navy.
The Navy's armed forces, in principle, could not use regimental designations, hence the ambiguous designation of 'Marine Corps'.
And usually, in private, the number of people in this 'corps' was not necessarily smaller than a regiment.
After all, 'centurion corps', 'thousand-man corps', and 'ten-thousand-man corps' are all 'corps', even if, in principle, the number of armed personnel on a ship must be reported and not exceed the '20% of the total crew' stipulated by the law.
But as long as the captain had money, the Empire couldn't control how many private soldiers he wanted to keep, especially with the mutual turning of a blind eye among bureaucrats.
"What's going on? Who fired the shot?!" The leading Female Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer strode forward, looking at both parties and asking.
[Navy Sergeant? A big shot with 5000 academic credits.] Horatio examined the rank insignia on her shoulder plate.
The Hive City Law Enforcement unanimously pointed at Horatio and added, fanning the flames: "He assaulted an officer while we were enforcing the law."
"It was clearly this guy who didn't lock the safety, I was just retrieving my lost item," Horatio said unhurriedly.
The Female Sergeant glanced at both parties. To Horatio's surprise, she didn't swing her shock baton at him, but continued to ask: "The details of the case, you Hive City Law Enforcement speak first."
"No, since when could the Navy come to enforce the law?" The Hive City Law Enforcement's deputy captain said sarcastically.
"We have special intervention rights! In accordance with authorization, the Childer of Loyalty Marine Corps has the right to stabilize regional security and prevent shootings from escalating the situation!"
The Female Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer pressed on with an unyielding and irrefutable stern tone:
"Since a shot was fired, state the process to me! Hive City Law Enforcement!"
The deputy captain wiped away some sweat and stammered: "We caught a petty thief, and then this guy jumped out and claimed the stolen goods were his without any evidence, and he even assaulted an officer. Our captain was beaten up like this by him."
The Female Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer looked at Horatio, and a terrifying red light emanated from the round eyes of her Childer of Loyalty helmet. It was clear that her finger was already on the trigger.
"Do you have anything you wish to say in your defense, suspect of assaulting an officer?"
The Female Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer still gave Horatio a chance to defend himself.
Before Horatio could speak, a girl's voice came from nearby.
"You're lying!"
The Hanzi's daughter bravely stepped forward, pointing at the Hive City Law Enforcement and saying:
"This gentleman just spent one thousand gothic coins here. While I was giving him change, his money was stolen. This banknote can testify; all the thousand-gothic coins this gentleman brought out were like this!"
The girl pulled out the brand new one-thousand gothic coin banknote Horatio had paid her from her bosom.
"Holy cow, who goes out with only one-thousand gothic coin banknotes?"
"Upper Hive people, right?"
"Idiot, even Upper Hive people aren't this extravagant. A hundred banknotes, all one-thousand gothic coins! This must be something only a rich noble from the spire would do!"
"No wonder he dared to hit a Hive City Law Enforcement."
The onlookers present were shocked and discussed, guessing the identity of the black-haired youth.
"And for some reason, all these banknotes are in perfect consecutive order," Horatio added.
"As long as you compare them, the numbers will perfectly match up."
"Where are the stolen goods?" the Female Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer asked the Hive City Law Enforcement.
Her gaze fell upon the Hive City Law Enforcement, who was holding a large wad of banknotes and trembling on the side.
"Give them to me."
The trembling Hive City Law Enforcement stood still, hesitating and refusing to hand over the stolen goods.
"Tsk." The Female Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer walked up impatiently and snatched all the banknotes from his hand.
[Hmm?] Her fingers felt something hard.
"Check them," she said, handing the banknotes to the Navy Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer next to her, while picking up the object herself.
Everyone present was nervous, only Horatio remained composed.
"Thank you," he said with a smile to the girl, reaching out to pull a 100 gothic coins banknote from his change, and said:
"The liquor was very good. The rest is a tip. I wish you smooth sailing in your academy enrollment."
The girl looked at the youth, who smiled gently and warmly, completely unable to understand.
"Aren't you afraid, sir?" the girl asked, blinking her eyes.
"No, I haven't done anything wrong," Horatio replied with a smile.
[Loyalist Academy Student ID…] The Female Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer found it somewhat incredible.
She immediately opened the certificate.
[Horatio Cochrane, Saint Abridal Successor Academy, Sergeant Training School 3810th class student, rank is, a probationary Sergeant with 0 academic credits???]
The Female Sergeant's expression was strange as she repeatedly compared the young man in front of her with the corresponding photo on the certificate; it was indeed him.
"Squad leader, the banknotes match the numbers." A Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer handed the money to the Female Sergeant, who nodded and took it.
"It seems the clues are now completely clear."
Hiss —
The Female Sergeant took off her Childer of Loyalty helmet, revealing a head of soft, flowing, dark blue short hair that reached her neck.
It was a fair and rosy, pretty face. Her bright, sharp, blade-like purple eyes seemed to penetrate people's hearts, like brilliant gems, both beautiful and profound. Her expression was firm and serious, like a pure lake covered in ice, showing not a ripple.
Horatio knew the meaning behind those eyes, like purple amber — it was the unique beauty possessed by the residents of Cadia, the fortress world guarding the Eye of Terror.
Residents living on Cadia can glimpse a corner of the Warp just by looking up, and this rift was named the 'Eye of Terror' by the Empire.
And the unseen power of the Warp is immense.
Children born to parents who have lived on Cadia for a long time will have a pair of beautiful purple eyes; this is a unique benign mutation of Cadians.
"Hello, fellow student. I am Louise Tavira, Navy Sergeant, Ship Assault Department, Sergeant Training School 3810th class student." The Female Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer gave Horatio an aquila salute.
[Ship Assault Department, a warrior trained to become an officer in armed boarding parties, a true fierce warrior.]
"Greetings, Senior. I am Horatio Cochrane of the Fleet Maritime Department, a probationary Sergeant."
Horatio returned a solemn aquila salute.
The Female Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer turned her head to two Voidsmen-at-Arms Officers and nodded, and they both removed their helmets.
"Didn't expect to see a top student from the command track here."
A tall, muscular, stern young man with purple-blue hair was the first to salute: "Ship Engineering Department, Navy Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer, Lydos."
[Shipboard craft maintenance and damage control team leader.]
Another golden-haired youth, who always smiled and was the shortest of everyone but still about 170 cm tall, followed closely, saluting: "Armaments and Gunnery Department, Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer Fidio!"
[Although short, he is responsible for smashing super torpedoes the size of a Hive City, or shells with a cross-section hundreds of square meters wide, at the enemy.]