hotmtlnovel Chapter 39, Granary 4
Chapter 39, Granary 4
"But now, this blood vessel is about to dry up."
Luo Wei sharply tapped the pointer in his hand.
It pointed to two dark areas on the map.
"The Fourth Granary, formerly an energy reserve center, possesses the largest cluster of liquid chromium storage tanks on the planet."
"The Ninth Granary is a base for seeds and fertilizers, and also a primary processing center for corpse starch."
The signs in these two areas have been turned off, signifying their complete fall.
"According to the last communications intercepted by the 'Case' server," Rowe pointed to the brain jar on the table, "the Fourth and Ninth granaries fell a day ago. This is our next destination."
"Your Excellency, what are we going there for?" Old John asked tremulously. "It's bound to be full of monsters."
"Precisely because it's full of monsters, that's the richest place," Rowe calmly retorted.
"The plague demons don't drink chromium fuel, and the zombies don't need special drought-resistant seeds."
"Those supplies are now ownerless, lying there quietly, waiting for someone brave enough to take them."
Buck understood.
The light in his single eye sharpened: "You intend to... sustain the war through war?"
"The Mechanicus took our survival supplies, so we went to the dead to steal them."
Luo Wei placed his hands on the table, leaning forward, exuding a strong sense of pressure.
"Our current fuel supply is only enough to last for twelve hours. After twelve hours, if we don't take action, we'll just have to wait to turn into fertilizer."
"Alpha, do the calculations."
The red light in the Tech Priest's eyes flickered.
Several mechanical tentacles danced rapidly on the control panel.
"Logical deduction in progress... Target: Fourth granary."
Distance: 140 kilometers.
"Road conditions: extremely poor, filled with swamps and ruins."
Threat Level: High.
"Expected revenue: enough tungsten fuel to sustain the operation of the seventh grain depot for six months."
"Six months," Luo Wei murmured, savoring the word, "worth risking my life for."
He looked at Buck and asked, "Do you know how to use those two heavy bomb guns?"
"Anyone with hands can use it," Buck grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth. "But I need a vehicle. A regular truck can't handle that kind of recoil."
"Alpha," Lowe turned to the priest, "take down a part of the 'Wall of Gluttony'."
The priest's prosthetic eye contracted sharply, indicating his confusion.
"I want you to transplant it to the front of our Chimera troop carriers and turn it into bio-reactive armor. I want our convoys to be able to directly smash those bulky Oglins."
Alpha paused for two seconds, then replied:
"Yes, sir. This will take time, at least four hours."
"I'll give you three hours." Lowe held up three fingers. "Old John, you go pick people from the refugees. The kind who are brave and fearless."
"Tell them that everyone will come back from this operation with double the amount of synthetic starch blocks, plus real canned meat. Those crates that were buried under the airdrop crates."
Old John swallowed hard and nodded emphatically.
"No problem, they'd bite the devil's ass for canned meat."
The meeting ended within ten minutes.
No nonsense, no mobilization slogans.
Each person is like a gear in a precision machine, rapidly meshing and turning.
This is the rhythm that Loewe wanted.
For the current Seventh Grain Depot, efficiency is life itself.
……
Two hours later, in the repair workshop.
It once displayed its might on the battlefield, devouring the metal wall of the plague Oglin.
It has now been cut into several thick armor plates.
Even when separated from the main body, these metal plates still exhibit a strange vitality.
The purplish-red fleshy buds were wriggling at the fracture point of the steel plate, as if they were still breathing.
Father Alpha directed several servitude workers to weld these living armors onto the front and sides of two Chimera armored personnel carriers.
Whenever the high temperature of the welding torch touches the armor, a layer of viscous grease is secreted on it, making a sizzling sound.
It sounded like a scream, yet also like excitement.
Buck was directing his men to secure two heavy bomb guns to the turret rings on the roof of the vehicle.
"Keep your foot down! The recoil of this thing could shatter your shoulder!" Buck yelled. "Clean the feed port thoroughly, don't let even a grain of sand get stuck!"
Lowe stood on the high corridor, looking down at everything.
His fingers unconsciously rubbed the black ring.
"Keys," he whispered to the air.
A burst of static came through the headphones, followed by a synthesized, emotionless electronic voice.
"I'm here, consultant. The logistics data link is connected."
What are the results of the environmental scan around the fourth grain depot?
"Data fragment reassembly in progress..." The Case server's voice paused for a moment.
"Warning, advisor. In the core area of the ruins of the Fourth Grain Depot, in addition to the signals unique to plague creatures, an unknown, covert high-frequency signal fluctuation has been detected."
Luo Wei frowned slightly and asked, "Is it also chaos?"
"No. The waveform characteristics do not match subspace thermal energy reactions. It is colder and more precise."
Case's brain struggled to search its memory bank from his previous life.
"It's somewhat like a deep-sea scanning wave in a mining area, or a biobeacon of some kind of gene-stealer. Insufficient data to determine."
Luo Wei's heart sank.
If it were just a mindless zombie of Nurgle, with his heavy firepower and living armor, he would be 80% confident of rushing in, grabbing the loot, and running away.
But what if there is a third party involved...?
Gene stealers.
Or perhaps some unknown alien cult.
At this chaotic juncture, any change could be fatal.
"Mark this signal and pass it on to Buck," Rowe ordered. "Tell him that once inside, if the target is uncertain, fire first, then question him."
"Yes, ma'am."
Three hours later.
The rain has subsided a little.
However, the sky remained overcast.
The north gate of the seventh granary slowly opened, and the rusty gears made a grinding sound.
A strange convoy drove out of the defensive line.
Leading the way were two heavily modified Chimera troop carriers.
Their front ends were covered in bio-armor, which was still pulsating slightly.
The狰狞 face of the swallowed Oglin can still be vaguely discerned on it.
The heavy bomb gun on the roof stood proudly, its dark muzzle pointing into the distance.
Five transport vehicles, converted from civilian trucks, followed behind.
Giant empty oil tanks were welded into the truck bed, surrounded by sandbags, on which dozens of fully armed "new recruits" lay.
They were wearing ill-fitting armor.
He was clutching the brand-new laser rifle tightly in his hand.
The movements were still a bit stiff.
His eyes gleamed with fear of the unknown.
At least they are no longer refugees at the mercy of others.
Lo Wei sat in the command seat of the first Chimera.
He peered through the narrow observation window at the desolate wasteland outside.
What should have been golden wheat fields have now turned into patches of gray-black swamp.
The withered crops stretched towards the sky like ghostly hands.
Occasionally, you can see a few mutated crows pecking at the corpses by the roadside.
"This is the lifeblood of the empire," Rowe murmured to himself.
It was already necrotic.
It was oozing pus.
Yet they will still be squeezed dry of every last drop of value.
"Attention all units"
Lowe pressed the communicator, his voice calm and steady, transmitted through the electrical current to every car.
"Keep a safe distance, 40 km/h. We're not going to our deaths, we're going to pick up goods."
"Buck, watch your fingers, don't run out of ammo before you see the enemy."
"Roger that, Advisor." Buck's voice sounded a little muffled, probably from wearing a breathing mask. "I think I see a big guy up ahead!"
Luo Wei squinted.
About 500 meters ahead, a huge shadow loomed in the mist.
A harvester that had tipped over was as tall as a three-story building.
However, at this moment, it is completely covered by some kind of fleshy fungal carpet.
Countless flies swirled around it, forming a black whirlwind.
Beneath that whirlwind, something seemed to be watching them.
Luo Wei touched his chest.
The fragments of the grime-collecting amulet beneath the lead plate began to heat up slightly.
However, he did not order the car to stop.
"That's a road sign," Rowe said coldly. "Run over it."
The engine roared, and the tracks kicked up mud.
A chimera covered in armor with the Wall of Gluttony.
Like a maddened steel beast, it roared and charged into the mist.