I am the Emperor of Humanity across the Multiverse

Inside the cabin.

Sitting near the hatch was an elite AECS captain. His left chest plate bore an engraved nameplate with his rank and the name "Jens Thompson."

This veteran, who had participated in the operation to intercept the Reaper mothership and was promoted to lieutenant because of it, was now, after his vacation, following company orders and heading off to fight once again.

Underneath his helmet, Jens' expression was calm, and his eyes even hinted at a trace of anticipation.

He was only 36, still in his prime, and having injected the Inquis serum, he had no thoughts of retiring anytime soon.

However, ever since his old friend, Rod Hoineld, had been wounded and forced to retire, Jens had felt a sense of emptiness inside. Maybe, once the campaign to unify Universe 08 was complete, he could ask the company to help him find a suitable partner and settle down for the second half of his life?

The company's matchmaking service wasn't as unreliable or prone to fraud as those in society.

After all, working for Atlas, especially for employees and soldiers dealing with top-secret information, left little time to manage personal relationships.

That's why the company's human resources department added questions like "What is your current relationship status?" or "If circumstances allowed, would you be willing to seek a partner?" to their quarterly surveys.

If someone answered that they were single or interested, the research department, using quantum models developed through condensed matter technology, and the quantum computers that stemmed from it, would analyze the employee or soldier's habits, forum activity, and various preferences to generate a big data-based match.

If anyone who had responded "single" or "interested" later sought the company's emotional assistance—essentially, "matchmaking"—the HR department would proceed with a more detailed pairing process.

With that in mind, Jens was pretty tempted to let the company lend him a hand.

After all, even those actors and singers signed by the entertainment department were part of the quantum computer's database. Who knows? Maybe he could find a beautiful celebrity to settle down with?

The random encounters at bars and clubs were getting tiresome and felt so fake. They also jeopardized the company's confidentiality measures.

Pulling his drifting thoughts back to the present, Jens refocused on the real-time information displayed on his helmet screen.

"Distance to Shield World 0459 surface: approximately 40 kilometers... 39 kilometers." As the number steadily decreased, Jens cleared his throat and issued orders through the team comms:

"Listen up, everyone. Once the Pelican touches down, immediately set up a defensive perimeter southwest of the landing zone. We need to cover our AI as it enters the Forerunner structure to locate the passage into the Shield World's interior.

Also, maintain your spacing to avoid being infected by the Flood.

Remember, if one of those infection forms pierces your combat suit, you're as good as dead. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," the AECS elites responded in unison.

Hearing their reply, Jens didn't follow with his usual banter or joking insults to lighten the mood.

After all, the Flood wasn't something that could be beaten with morale or sheer grit. They didn't feel fear, nor did they ever retreat.

Even in their wild form, they posed an extreme threat.

The company's intelligence department had provided detailed "guides" on how to deal with the different forms of the Flood, such as the spore/infection form, the combat form, and the Gravemind form, along with countermeasures.

Jens, looking at the minimap on the right side of his helmet, couldn't help but feel both eager for battle and concerned for his team's safety.

However, with two Primarchs and twenty Thunder Warriors alongside them, if they encountered a real emergency, escaping or holding their own shouldn't be too difficult.

Not long after...

"Thirty seconds to landing. All combat personnel, prepare."

The pilot's voice came through the comms. Jens and the sixty AECS elites stood up and activated their magnetic boots, anchoring themselves to the cabin floor.

Thud, thud—landing gear touched the ground.

Shh—the rear hatch opened, letting in a rush of murky air.

"Go! Go! Go!"

Jens led the charge, rushing out of the cabin first.

After running about ten meters, he crouched to survey the surroundings.

The landing zone was a grassy plain, and the southwest, which they were tasked with guarding, was dense with forest. To the north stood a sprawling "city" with many towering buildings.

Despite the lush greenery of the area, the air was filled with fine, visible dust, and the entire sky was shrouded in a dull, grayish hue.

Boom—!

The Pelican that had transported them quickly took off again, climbing to high altitude to provide them with aerial reconnaissance and fire support if needed.

Jens glanced at the top-left corner of his helmet display and saw that they, along with three other reinforced combat platoons from AECS and ODST, had formed a four-corner perimeter around the landing zone.

At the center were the two physical AI units, who were their top priority to protect, along with the Primarchs and Thunder Warriors.

Jens turned his head to look and saw that both Arp and Melissa were wearing sealed protective suits and full-body exoskeletons, though neither of them carried any weapons.

"…"

Well, maybe he'd hold off on the whole matchmaking idea for now.

The company had released information about the creation of synthetic beings before opening the eighth space gate on its internal site and forums.

Now, seeing lifelike artificial intelligences with his own eyes, Jens thought that maybe synthetics could be a better choice?

Though he still wondered how the company planned to handle issues like artificial sperm and eggs.

Returning to the task at hand, Jens saw that the dynamic detection and pulse scans were showing everything as normal. He stood up and reported, "Sector 4, all clear."

"Sector 2, all clear."

"Sector 1, same here."

"Sector 3, too."

Hearing the reports, Vulcan, who stood at the center of the landing zone with his Frosthammer slung across his back, began moving toward the Forerunner city ahead, issuing orders:

"Sectors 3 and 4, hold position and secure the landing zone. Sectors 1 and 2, advance with the Thunder Warriors and Primarch Leman, and begin recon and clearing operations in the target city."

"Yes, sir."

Everyone followed Vulcan's directives.

The AECS, with their balanced abilities, were responsible for defending their retreat, while the ODST, specialized in frontal assaults, would push forward.

"Leave it to me, bro!"

Clad in black with gray-blue and yellow accents, Leman, wielding his custom 1.75cal bolter and a sword crackling with blue lightning, charged into the outskirts of the Forerunner city ahead of the ODST and Thunder Warriors.

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