Chapter 429 The Emperor’s Chosen Knight Attendant
Three Carnage-class conventional cruisers.
Hovering quietly in the void.
This is the capture of Joestar's gang.
Because most of them are redesigned from scratch, there are still very obvious differences in shape and style between Chaos warships and Imperial warships. The two have similar design layouts, including the fins under the hull, the rear bridge, the left and right sides and deck layout, and the weapon array in the bow layout.
But there are obvious differences. The design style of the Chaos Battleship is relatively simple, unlike the Imperial Battleship which is decorated with complicated church elements. Generally speaking, the difference between the two is probably the Gothic style and the Baroque style. The Gnaku is an outwardly protruding triangular shape. The Chaos warship has a sharp and flat bow, but it is not a "Σ" armored bow like the Imperial warship, so it cannot hit enemy ships at will.
In addition to these three Carnage-class cruisers, the Iron Buddha Chapter once captured the Underworld-class heavy cruiser, which is also a type of Chaos warship. Since these Chaos warships are affiliated with the Chaos Space Marines, they have been modified accordingly and have the functions required by the Space Marines - teleportation decks, drop pod launch ports, orbital bombardment capabilities, torpedo tubes or launching assault craft and launchers. The flight deck of the Thunderhawk gunship.
The total space and energy of the battleship are limited, so if you have to give it up, if you install these additional functional facilities to serve the space warriors, other weapon arrays will have to be reduced. Generally speaking, the firepower of a conventional cruiser-sized strike cruiser is only equivalent to that of a light cruiser. Correspondingly, the firepower of a heavy cruiser-sized strike cruiser is only equivalent to that of a conventional cruiser.
However, the armor and speed of strike cruisers will generally not be weakened, and may even be enhanced. This is the key to their ability to perform "strike" missions.
The Jump Gang seized the bridges of three battleships and paralyzed their command center, but if they wanted to completely capture the three battleships, there was still a lot of cleanup work to be done. Control key parts - such as sublight engines and subspace engines. Find and kill all Chaos Space Marines, identify and eliminate all mortal crew members - whether they are Chaos believers or captured slaves, the latter often have a chance of survival, while the former will not be tolerated. Three warships already belong to the battle group, and it is necessary to prevent the enemy from deliberately damaging the key facilities of the warships.
Compared with naval warships, Space Marine warships and Chaos force warships usually use a large number of servitor slaves to replace the mortal crew. This is a good thing. The chapter does not have to worry about killing too many crew members and leaving no one to pilot the warship.
After some clearing, there may be no one to control the weapon array, but it is still no problem to reluctantly drive back to the Marquez King area. Then they will be more deeply cleaned, transformed, and strengthened at the Phaeton Forge World Airport.
After recovering the "Broken Army Golden Armor" and President Ge, leaving behind the slow battle barge, Fu Qinghai personally boarded a strike cruiser, led a company and two imperial transport ships, and went to pursue the escaped transport cruiser. .
…………
Ni Delina sub-sector.
Giro Galaxy.
The transport cruiser of the Draconis family had just arrived here, and it was quickly recognized that there was a rebel naval force in the galaxy - another transport cruiser. And the markings on that battleship were very familiar to them.
"Family Wickstrike."
Viscount Sunderland gritted his teeth and said.
"Do we know them?"
Zofia asked her adoptive mother in a low voice.
Mrs. Janiko explained in a low voice:
"The knights of the Vextrik family are one of the most loyal servants of the renegade Titan Legion Deathskull Legion. They are fanatical believers of the God of Machinery. They are a knight family that followed the expedition fleet to conquer the Iron Ring. They are loyal to the Forge Lord. But it was this unquestioning devotion and supreme obedience that ultimately led them to their deepest depravity.”
Zofia seemed to understand.
In fact, to put it simply, traitors like the Vextrik Knight Family and the Kurisatai Titan Legion are inextricably linked to the Death Skull Legion. The former is a vassal knight family of the Death Skull Legion, and the latter is a vassal knight family of the Death Skull Legion. It was established with the help of the Death Skull Legion's split of some Titans. Are they loyal? They are very loyal, but their loyalty is wrong - the Deathskull Legion is the loyal supporter of Warmaster Horus and Kalbor Harr.
The Draconis family discovered that the transport cruiser of the Vickstrike family was launching a cross-orbital lander towards an industrial world. Not sure if it was an illusion, but they seemed to be in a panic and hurriedly released the lander. The warship then immediately left the orbit and sailed outward.
"They want to take over that industrial world?"
Many knight pilots gathered on the bridge.
A knight from the family asked.
"I have no idea."
Viscount Sunderland narrowed his eyes and said:
"However, now that we have found this shameful fallen family, our first battle in the Ni Delina sub-sector will begin with this group of plundering knights."
The patriarch said in a deep voice:
“Assemble and prepare to ride!”
"Yes, my lord!"
The family knights responded in unison.
…
Viscount Sunderland came to the lower cabin.
Find the long-awaited Sage of Nemonix.
"Dear Sage."
Viscount Sunderland whispered:
"Thank you for helping us."
"You're welcome, Viscount."
Sage Nemonix said with a smile:
"We all belong to the same world of knights. It is our sect's duty to assist the knight family in their battles."
Unlike the Sage who always appears as an electronic ghost in front of the Dominant Sage, the Sage of Nemonix reveals his true face in front of Viscount Sunderland, and is just an ordinary technical priest, like all other technical priests.
During the war in the Ring of Steel, the Nemonix Sage's "Data Supervision" sect had been staying aloof and unwilling to contribute. Just before the Draconis family went on an expedition, they suddenly found the head of the family, Viscount Sunderland, and expressed their willingness to provide help.
He also said that this was the request of the ruling sage.
Viscount Sunderland knew very well: they were trying to please him and wanted to use this method to change his mind. However, these small favors could not change his determination at all. The Draconis family would definitely break away from the Mechanicus.
"We will descend on that industrial world, defeat those fallen knights, and regain the empire's territory."
Viscount Sunderland spoke.
"I wish you success, Viscount."
Sage Nemonix smiled.
Viscount Sunderland nodded and said nothing more.
Lead a group of pilots to ascend the mechanical throne.
…
This is the consistent thinking of Warhammer 40K.
There are also Chaos camps that are part of the Imperial camp.
There are already Chaos Space Marines who correspond to Space Marines, and naturally there are Chaos Knights who correspond to Imperial Knights.
There are three types of Imperial Knights: those loyal to the Terran government and those loyal to the Adeptus Mechanicus, and the Free Blades.
There are also three types of Chaos Knights: the Traitor Family loyal to the Chaos Space Marine Legion and the Infernal Family loyal to the Dark Mechanicus. There are also Wandering Knights among the Chaos Knights, similar to the Empire's Blade of Freedom, called the "Blade of Terror".
Each Chaos Knight is a twisted reflection of an Imperial Knight. Knight mechs were originally created using standard template structures during the Dark Age of Technology. Over the years and centuries, Chaos energy seeped into the war engines, tormenting their machine souls and causing them to undergo profound mutations as machines.
Janiko told Zofia:
Once the Knight's Mech and its pilots were a shining beacon, now the Chaos Knight and its fallen nobles form a symbiotic beast of rage and hatred. Only the most powerful fallen pilots are able to communicate with the Mechanic Throne without going insane in the process. Those who survive will become tortured creatures.
"Thirty-one knights, forming five spear arrays."
The chief knight taught his adopted daughter by words and deeds:
"When the battle begins, you must follow me closely and cover my left flank. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Your Highness Janico."
Zofia nodded.
The two of them climbed into the knight mecha.
This time Zofia was unable to pilot the "Fire Fury". She was stuffed into the cockpit of a squire-class knight. The steed is an agile mecha made of plasteel and adamantium, a broadsword squire named the Bloodhound, with a chainsword at the end of one arm and a sword in the other. A set of thermal spears, a double-barreled melta weapon, and a severing lance on top complete her arsenal. Its machine spirit greeted its new owner with a cautious roar.
There are not as many models of knight squires as there are formal knights. There are only two models in total - broadsword squires and hilt squires. The former is equipped with a thermal spear and a chain sword and can be regarded as a light cavalry specializing in melee combat. The latter is equipped with two guns. The squire autocannon is equivalent to a cavalry that specializes in long-range output.
Zofia's five senses began to expand with a dizzying shock, the external viewfinder and auspicious array began to operate, and the instruments in the cockpit and the images outside the cockpit gradually overlapped. Her vision is panoramic, with increased width and depth, allowing her to see with just a glance what mortals around her would need more effort to see clearly.
At the same time, a large amount of data was refreshed and scrolled on her retina display screen, and her sound array communicator was awakened, sending the information in the open communication channel directly to her ears. For those who are not mentally prepared, such intense sensory input can lead to catastrophic psychological trauma and even death. But for Zofia, she had completed the link with a bigger, stronger, more majestic mecha hunter, and she didn't feel any discomfort at all. The additional effect of adrenaline would only make her feel excited and make her whole body feel excited. All trembling.
The cross-orbit lander deploys.
Each spear formation stepped out of the hatch one after another.
Lady Janiko leads a spear formation.
Viscount Sunderland led a spear formation.
The Draconis family starts riding!
This is an industrial world with complex terrain. Under the city, there are wide tunnels and giant mines left in all directions from the mining industry, which are enough to withstand orbital bombing. In such an environment, the apocalypse was not very sensitive, so the Imperial Knights spread out and carefully expanded the search range.
Scan the surrounding ruins of the dilapidated and deserted city.
This place has already been plundered.
Viscount Sunderland concluded.
Why are they here?
Thinking of the transport cruiser that hurriedly lowered the cross-orbital lander and then quickly left the planet's orbit - the Viscount had ordered the family battleship to pursue it.
What does the enemy seem to be avoiding?
Viscount Sunderland thought to himself.
"Ahead, an energy signal has been detected!"
The voice of the knight's squire interrupted his thoughts.
A group of fallen knights emerged from the tunnel.
"Wirt XI, damn traitor."
The armor was painted half black and gray and half dark green, and the sword pierced the family crest of the black skull wrapped in white gears from top to bottom. After the Viscount of Sunderland confirmed the identity of his opponent, he turned on the loudspeaker and called out the opponent in a cold voice. Name.
"Draconis, why are you?"
The other party looked a little surprised, as if he did not expect to encounter another group of Imperial Knights here.
"Fate has brought us together again. I want to purify you of the ugly things that blaspheme the spirit of chivalry."
Viscount Sunderland said coldly.
"Yeah, fate..."
The other party sighed.
On both sides of the confrontation, the main force of the Draconis family were traveling knights, and only the head of the family, Viscount Sunderland, drove a castle master knight. The main force of the Wickstrike family is the Plunder Knight, and the head of the family, Wilt XI, drives a Tyrant Knight, which can be said to be a well-matched opponent.
The head of the opponent's knight mecha is like a slender metal skull, with its lower jaw hanging out and a mouth with big fangs hanging down. The fallen knight raised his right hand, holding a Space Marine in the thunder fist glove. This Space Marine was wearing a black and gold power armor without a helmet. He lowered his head and seemed to be in a state of suspended animation. Then, the thunder gauntlet squeezed hard, crushing the ceramite and plastic steel, and the superhuman flesh and blood of the Space Marines spurted out from the gaps in the armor. The fallen knight slowly smeared the corpse of the Space Marine on his uneven and spiked armor. The pieces of flesh and armor hung between the gaps between the welded spikes and the skull chain, and some of them dripped down.
Viscount Sunderland watched this scene silently.
Such heinous provocation and blasphemy.
"I thought it would be these guys who came."
The leader of the other party smiled and said:
"I prepared a prisoner in advance. It's so flattering to a blind man. It's a pity, it's a pity..."
Zofia stared closely at the black gold power armor.
Why does it feel...a little familiar?
"Your existence itself is a blasphemy against responsibility and honor! There is no need to try to anger us through such behavior, Wilt XI, today is the day of your death!"
Viscount Sunderland declared loudly, raised his chain sword, switched back to the communication channel, and shouted:
"All knights, follow me... ugh!"
Something happened in the communication channel, and all the knights heard it. The Viscount's voice changed suddenly, and he seemed to be vomiting. The voice was extremely cruel, as if he was about to spit out all his internal organs, and he was still scratching his throat hard.
"I... vomit, vomit, wow -"
The heartbreaking, gurgling sound of vomiting.
All the imperial knights were stunned.
I was a little overwhelmed for a moment.
In the distance, the fallen knights on the edge of the tunnel were also stunned. The leader, Wilt XI, tilted his head. The sensors and detectors on the knight's head kept flashing. He discovered that the main knight of the castle opposite suddenly began to tremble. Thick, putrid pus and mucus seeped out from every gap in the mecha.
Then came the squirming white maggots and the buzzing black flies. The maggots continued to fall, and the mosquitoes rose into a cloud surrounding the flies. Then, the steel began to get sick, and the surface of the armor bulged and sprouted boils. The knight of the castle shivered, the pus flowing on his body began to bubble, and a steady stream of green stench was spewing out from the exhaust port behind him.
"Is this... Nurgle?"
The well-informed King Wilt XI said to himself.
"Buzz——"
A piercing scream accompanied by severe pain swept through the communication channels of all the Imperial Knights. Zofia felt the blood roaring in her temples, and the iron ring on her forehead suddenly became extremely heavy, weighing her down and suffocating her breath.
"It's chaos waste code!"
Janiko screamed:
"Zofia, disconnect the communication link!"
After a long period of continuous training, Zofia didn't think too much. Almost subconsciously, she manually disconnected the communication link. With a "click", the sound in her ears disappeared. The pink-haired girl looked around and was shocked to find that there were many knight mechas that were suffering from the same symptoms as the castle master knight.
"boom--"
The castle master knight suddenly raised his right arm, and the city breaker cannon was aimed at a normal patrolling knight, and fired brazenly. The patrolling knight's ion shield was directed at the chaos knight in front. He did not expect the attack from the side at all, and was caught off guard. Down, a ball of sparks suddenly burst out of the cabin, and he staggered and fell.
Before the two sides could fight.
The Imperial Knights have begun killing each other.
"Boohoo! Boom boom boom!"
The body of the castle master knight began to be covered with rust and patina, and the set of Shieldbreaker missile launchers on his back sprayed missiles indiscriminately around him. Several knight mechas that had also undergone mutations turned their chainsaws and surrounded the "Wrath of Fire". The chief knight was instantly surrounded by three knight mechas!
"Zi Bing - Keng!"
"The Fury of Fire" blocked the jagged edge with one sword.
A loudspeaker shouted:
"Run, Zofia, run!"
Helpless and fear filled her heart, Zofia watched blankly as Mrs. Janiko was surrounded, and the huge castle master knight had turned around and raised his weapon. In the distance, a group of Chaos Knights are flying towards this side with their legs spread...
The chief knight relied on his superb fighting skills to control the "fury of fire" and pierce the mutant knight with one sword.
"Run, Zofia!"
…………
"Ta, ta, ta..."
Raindrops fell from the dark night sky.
The drops fell into puddles among the ruins, creating ripples.
A servant with a broadsword walked alone on the side of the road.
Zofia's face was dull and she walked in a daze.
She almost forgot how she finally escaped from that cruel and chaotic battlefield. Those Imperial knights who suffered from some kind of "infectious mutation" completely forgot the fighting skills they once mastered, and fought entirely with animal-like instincts, waving their weapons without any rules. At the last moment when he escaped from the battlefield, "Bloodhound" looked back and saw the "Wrath of Fire" being overwhelmed by numerous mutant knights... Then he raised his left arm and shot through a mutant knight trying to catch up with him. The mecha's leg joints caused it to fall to the ground.
"Your Highness Janico, Mrs. Janico..."
Zofia murmured quietly.
Suddenly, she closed her eyes.
"Mommy mommy……"
Although her senses are still in sync with the broadsword attendant, and although her body and vision still exist as a knight mecha, the moment she closes her eyes, she can still clearly feel the two lines of heat flowing down her cheeks. slide.
Nights in the industrial world are quieter.
A tiny flame occasionally lit up in the distance, like a will-o'-the-wisp in the darkness, swaying and extinguishing.
Zofia drove the Knight Squire and walked another seven or eight kilometers, moving along an ancient main road. Abandoned freight trucks were scattered around, rusted from prolonged exposure. The factory she had just seen in the distance was now closer, only about a kilometer away. There was no command, no goal, no direction... She didn't know if there were any survivors in the knight family, not to mention a spear array, even if there was only one knight attendant.
She just walked aimlessly.
The factory-like building was so huge that knights squires could even pass underneath it. No one knows what it was built on. Given the size of the factory, it's even possible that Titan components or battleship shells were produced. However, it is only marked on the map as "Abandoned D-26".
"Didi, didi, didi!"
The oriole sounded shrilly.
Threat alerts panicked her.
"what is that?"
Bloodhound turned around cautiously, and the girl's heart immediately sank. A twisted humanoid machine stood in the distance, just at the edge of her auspicious range. It was almost twice her size and about the same size as the Lord's Knight piloted by the Viscount. However, this was not the noble armor of House Draconis. It was painted in bright green and black, with a relief of a black skull pierced by a black sword and located inside a white gear. Bloody chains wrapped around its head. The chain saw weapon on his arm was still dripping with blood.
That was the plundering knight of the Wickstrike family.
Zofia's eyes suddenly widened.
The Fallen Knight began to walk towards her. This kind of approach is slow and easy, moving the legs leisurely, as if a carnivore is not interested in its prey.
"A lonely little hound. Are you afraid of death, dog? Just escaped from your master?"
Every time the giant war machine took a step towards her, the Bloodhound involuntarily took a step back.
"All I'm worried about is failing in my duty. Cowardice is the source of the downfall of heretics like you."
She tried her best to keep her voice ferocious, but it wasn't ideal. At this moment, how she longed for her companion of the broadsword squire, or the Fury of Fire. Although Zofia is extremely talented and trains hard, the enemy in front of her is not an opponent of the same level at all. The huge size difference between the plunder knight and the broadsword squire can erase all differences in pilot quality, and the opponent cannot He's a rookie.
Thermal Spear can destroy it.
Zofia thought in her mind:
However, the range of the melt weapon is too short. If you control the broadsword squire to be within the optimal range, you will face the danger of the enemy closing the distance at an explosive speed.
"Hahahahaha..."
The fallen knight burst into cruel laughter:
"You are so cowardly!"
"Okay, okay, it's always a pleasure to crush a lustful scrap dealer like you."
He tapped his carapace with his glove:
"I am the 'Destroyer of Faith', and I swear in the name of the Wickstrike family." There was a carefully designed mocking etiquette in his words. "So you can know who is your god of death, right, little dog?"
"I am the broadsword squire of the Draconis family, a twisted monster who sold his soul, bah!"
Zofia spat.
At the same time, we are thinking quickly about countermeasures.
"Family Draconis?"
The fallen knight laughed:
"You are probably the last one to fall in your family. A loser, a true loner."
"Shut up, you idiot."
The pink-haired girl thought of her adoptive mother.
He shouted angrily:
"You are just a bunch of rotten maggots."
"You can curse as much as you want, guys who don't know how to respect the gods. You don't need to miss them too much. I will end your pain as soon as possible and give you a decent death."
Without further warning, the Ravager Knight launched a brazen attack, charging down the road toward her, crushing the freight truck with ease with its giant mechanical feet.
The Bloodhound turned and galloped down the road, her desire for revenge imploring her to silence the traitor with arms, but there was no point in dying here, and the Squire of the Broad had no chance of victory. So, she desperately tried to find a way to escape from the marauding knights. She thought the only possibility was to quickly return to the factory and hide somewhere in the factory area.
The good news is that the Knight Squire has a slight advantage in speed. As she ran, she could hear the sound of the traitor's heavy logging gun. The bullets hit her armor with large sparks. She felt the dull sensation like raindrops hitting her back. Zofia, who had always respected science, couldn't help but start asking Wan The God of Machine prayed, praying not to let the bullet get into any gap.
Behind her, a series of small car wrecks and the crash of transport vehicles indicated that the Chaos Knight's impatient desire for destruction was waiting to be unleashed. The Plunder Knight grabbed a small car and threw it in her direction with a wave of his hand. Fortunately, the car was not hit, but rolled and slid on the road, causing a lot of sparks. Being smaller in size, she kept jumping around to avoid obstacles around her to avoid tripping and being overtaken.
The door leading to the factory was in sight, closed from top to bottom. Due to the huge scale of the building, it could accommodate the broadsword attendant. The "Bloodhound" leaned through the gap and entered the dark factory. Her sensor suite and auspicious data immediately supplemented the lack of vision. The shadows of huge machines could be seen everywhere, and her purpose could not be understood. Some machines were as huge as hills, and the gaps between streets and alleys were filled with dust.
There are corpses everywhere here. They fell long ago, leaving only a pile of bones and metal frames. The robes and flesh they wore had long since rotted away. Some production machinery was damaged and walls and columns were destroyed. Even the giant skull and gear symbol that symbolizes the Mechanicus cannot escape this fate. This place has been fought over, not just abandoned.
There was a loud noise behind him.
The Plunder Knight also came in.
The traitor couldn't squeeze in like a bloodhound, but could only crush the path forward, the rotten metal cracking and collapsing under the attack. A moment later, the huge body of the plundering knight emerged from the flying debris, but he suddenly realized that he had lost track of the broadsword attendant.
It was quiet inside the factory.
There was nothing unusual about the auspicious readings.
"Haha, are you playing tricks like this with me?"
The fallen knight smiled and started looking around.
"Come out, come out, little hound." The fallen knight coaxed, and the distorted and inhuman voice seemed particularly harsh in the silence. "I'll let you die a happy death."
The factory is still quiet inside.
"What are you still hiding from?"
shouted the fallen knight.
"Becoming the last link in a series of failures? You can't save the world! But what surprises me is that the steel ring can be maintained for such a long time with such mediocre guarding power. Look at you, and Run and hide, and in the end you can’t even save yourself.”
"You are just a knight's squire. Without your training knight, you don't even know what to do, right? You are just a toy that can only obey orders. Who do you think you are? A pitiful distant descendant? Special. Genetically bred hound? Dirty mud-legged guy who thinks too highly of himself?"
The Fallen Knight continued to hammer at her psychological defenses.
"You are a peasant, I can hear it in your rough low Gothic accent. If you had the courage to face me, the puppy would die with its owner. You think you have a great destiny, that you are destined to To have more? Ridiculous. You were nothing more than a crippled slave who begged your masters for scraps. Now they are dead and you are nothing."
The fallen knight continued.
He thought Zofia was an ordinary squire and wanted to humiliate her and anger her in this way. However, he did not understand the relationship between Zofia and Janico at all, which completely transcended the special relationship between ordinary knights and squire. .
The Plunder Knight strolled across a covered bridge.
Suddenly, a loud shout sounded above his head:
"Death has come, traitor!"
A servant with a broad sword descended from the sky.
Hot molten flames spurted out.
The Chaos Looting Knight, who had been mentally prepared for a long time, moved the ion shield to the top of his head, raised the thunder fist glove and swung it upward, but he did not expect that the target of the melta cannon was not him, but a bunch of weapons with promethium logos printed on them next to him. Giant water tank.
"boom--"
The water tank exploded, breaking the structure of the fixed corridor bridge. The huge impact knocked the two knight mechas to the side. The giant steel corridor bridge above their heads collapsed, hitting the backs of the two knights hard. However, the broad sword The squire was petite, and the corridor bridge hit the back of the plundering knight first, breaking into two parts to form a triangular arch bridge support structure. The "Bloodhound" just happened to lie down in this small gap.
This series of events evolved beyond Zofia's expectations. She had not planned so many steps.
But she reacted quickly. While the predatory knight was still lying on the ground, she immediately kicked out of the corridor with her legs. After standing up with one hand on the ground, she waved the rotating chain sword and stabbed hard into the armor and back of the predatory knight. The gap between the skulls.
"Zizzikakakaka..."
Once, pull out, once, pull out...
Zofia roared angrily:
"Ahhhhh, go to hell!"
Until blood mixed with engine oil gushes out of it.
Blood flowed slowly, covering the entire ground.
Zofia finally gasped and stopped.
"Ha ha……"
There was no movement from the Plunder Knight.
I killed a pillager knight.
These words echoed in Zofia's mind.
Damn... I actually...
Killed a pillager knight?
Although there is an element of luck, no, it is almost all luck, but... if the family is still there, if the mother is still there, with this military exploit, she can directly be promoted to an official knight, and becoming the chief knight is also just around the corner.
After breathing for a long time, Bloodhound straightened up, turned and walked towards the door of the factory.
The knight's squire had just slipped through the breach in the wall.
Suddenly he was shocked.
Outside the factory, six Plunder Knights of the Wickstrike family stood in a semi-encircled circle, waiting for her quietly.
She didn't know that long before the Plunder Knight entered the factory, other Plunder Knights had been notified to come and surround it.
It's over.
This was the only thought in Zofia's mind.
…………