This is the bonus chapter for reaching 150 Powerstones.
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"Why didn't you go to Red Town or the nearby Hive Cities?" Zeke asked. "Isn't there a settlement there?"
"I went and asked," Aska smiled bitterly. "The town won't take us."
"There are too many of us, and they're afraid we're carrying contamination from the industrial zone. They think we're unclean."
"What about the other scavenger camps?"
"The nearby camps all rejected us."
"They said the Aru Group workers are cursed. Anyone who takes us in will be retaliated against by the Consortium."
"We don't dare go to the big cities. Going there is just throwing ourselves into the net; we'd be captured again and sent to other mines or factories."
"We don't want to... be slaves... again..."
Aska's voice grew lower and lower. "We tried trading our belongings for food... but when we escaped, we only brought a few personal items. They were traded away in days."
Zeke remained silent.
He looked deep into the quarry.
The workers had built crude hovels out of scrap ore and tattered canvas, barely enough to block the wind.
But it was the dry season on Aurelian IV. Daytime temperatures could reach forty degrees Celsius, and plummet below freezing at night.
In this environment, without medicine and without enough food, people died like weeds.
"What are your plans now?" Blood Angel walked over and asked.
He had just performed basic first aid on over a dozen critically injured people using medkits. His hands were still stained with blood.
"I don't know." Aska shook his head. "We live one day at a time... At least here we're far from the industrial zone. Those daemons probably won't come this way."
As he spoke, his eyes involuntarily darted toward the industrial zone.
The sky there was still shrouded by the Chaos barrier, occasional flashes of lightning tearing through the clouds.
Zeke suddenly spoke up, "Do you know about the crash of Sector 7?"
Aska trembled.
"...I know," he said after a long silence. "That was eighty years ago."
"My grandfather's generation saw it with their own eyes. Giant men of steel descended from the sky and burned Dawn City to glass within seven days."
"The members of House Blaec were hung from the wreckage for public display. The Psykers of House Alar were taken away by the Black Ships... Millions died in the orbital bombardment."
"Billions died in the ensuing unrest. It was during that time that our family went from living a relatively decent life to what we are now."
"My grandfather said chaos bred in those times. Various monsters and demons played their games, and in the end, the current Four Great Factions snatched everything left by the Houses: the land, the wealth, the people."
"And then it became like this..."
Aska smiled bitterly. "People like us just changed masters. We went from working for the Houses to mining and selling our labor to the Consortium."
[Have You Been Loyal Today?] listened from the side and couldn't help interjecting, "Then did you never think about... rebelling?"
He regretted the words the moment they left his mouth. They were too flippant.
But Aska didn't get angry.
He just looked at [Have You Been Loyal Today?] and said softly, "Young man, you might not understand... in a Hive City, just staying alive takes everything you have."
"Rebel? What do we rebel with?"
"People who have never even touched a lasgun going up against corporations with tanks and mechas?"
He paused, then added, "Moreover... the Imperium doesn't allow it."
"House Blaec rebelled eighty years ago. And the result?"
"The entire population of the Dawn City administrative district was erased."
"All subordinate forces belonging to House Blaec and its ally, House Alar, suffered devastating blows. And back then, Sector 7 sat at the very top of what is now Aru City."
"It was the family seat of House Alar! A mysterious family possessing powerful, bizarre abilities!"
"But in the end, Sector 7 was still blown out of the sky and crashed into the Redblaze Wasteland."
"This is information passed down through generations in my family. It's precisely because I know this that I despair all the more."
"The Imperium will not tolerate any disobedience. Especially from mortals like us."
The atmosphere grew heavy.
Just then, [I'm Not the Regent, I'm Just Passing By Guilliman] returned from scouting the perimeter, his face grim.
"Boss, I found fresh tire tracks two kilometers to the east."
"Judging by the tread... it's a scout vehicle."
"Someone was here?" Zeke frowned. "Could it be the Great Factions?"
"Probably." [Passing By Guilliman] lowered his voice. "But they didn't enter the quarry. They just observed from a distance for a while and left. I suspect... these factions might know the location of these workers. They might not have time to deal with them, or they're intentionally leaving them alone."
[Blood Angels' Second Emperor] spoke coldly, "Leaving the workers to fend for themselves on the wasteland. If they die, it saves trouble. If they survive and happen to develop into Psykers or mutants, they can capture them to use as experimental subjects."
Zeke recalled the experiments he had seen in the underground detention center in Aru City.
The Psy-Suppressant Type-7, the genetic testing labs, the organ dissections...
He suddenly stood up and walked over to the workers who were still queuing for food.
"Listen up, everyone." His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough. "We are the Crimson Dawn. Our base is deep in the Redblaze Wasteland, about a hundred and ten kilometers from here."
The workers raised their heads, looking at him blankly.
"If you are willing, you can come with us to our base," Zeke said. "We have a water filtration system, an agricultural zone currently being reclaimed, walls, and weapons."
"I can't say it's great, but at least... your children won't starve to death in the mud."
Dead silence.
Then, an explosion.
"Is... is that true?"
"There are so many of us, can you afford to feed us?"
"Won't we drag you down..."
Aska grabbed Zeke's hand. Those hands were so thin they were nothing but bone, yet he gripped tightly. "Why? We're just a bunch of useless workers, we can't help you with anything..."
Zeke looked into his eyes.
At that moment, a phrase from his past life surfaced in his mind:
"What is a true bastion of iron? It is the masses, the millions upon millions of people who genuinely and sincerely support the revolution. That is the real iron bastion which no force can smash, no force whatsoever."
Big Golden Mek, you have been isolated from your subjects for too long.
(P.S. This is a Warhammer Alternate Universe! Please do not connect it to reality!)
But the words that actually left his mouth were different.
"Because you are human too," Zeke said. "And in this world, there are very few people willing to treat ordinary humans as humans... But luckily, I'm not one of them. I am willing to treat you as equals... No one should be abandoned."
"The Emperor and the Imperium abandoned you to become slaves to the slavelords in the factories, but I am willing to give you a new life."
Hearing these words, Aska and the young people behind him were deeply shaken...
Zeke then turned and issued orders to the players:
"Crimson Strike, organize the workers into formations. The elderly, weak, women, and children get on the vehicles. Able-bodied adults walk."
"Crimson Wind, advance recon. Clear any threats along the route."
"Crimson Spirit, continue medical support. Focus on the critically wounded."
"Crimson Machina, check the status of all vehicles. Make sure they can make it to the base."
He looked at the system interface. Even after the recent purchases, he still had a decent amount of Imperial Coins left.
Gritting his teeth, he purchased another three hundred tubes of nutrient paste and five large barrels of water.
"Move out," Zeke said. "We need to be back at the base before noon tomorrow."
–
As the sun set, a procession of nearly two thousand five hundred people moved slowly across the wasteland.
The four transport vehicles were packed with children, the elderly, and the wounded. Even the roofs of the vehicles were full.
The vast majority of the workers walked behind the vehicles, supporting each other. Their steps were exhausted but resolute.
Zeke walked at the very front of the procession.
He glanced back toward the industrial zone. Under the setting sun, the Chaos barrier glowed with an eerie purple light.
Further away, the joint forces of the Four Factions were likely still fighting a bitter battle, while the direction of Red Town remained silent.
"Boss." [Have You Been Loyal Today?] walked up beside him, handing him half a tube of nutrient paste. "You haven't eaten all day either."
Zeke took it and took a bite.
The taste of synthetic protein and grains dissolved in his mouth. It couldn't be called delicious, but it filled the stomach.
"Do you think I did the right thing?" he suddenly asked.
[Have You Been Loyal Today?] grinned. "How should I know? But I think... it's better than those idiots who watch people starve to death while spouting nonsense about the glory of the Imperium."
[Blood Angels' Second Emperor] caught up from behind. His psychic perception remained active, guarding their surroundings. "Actually, from a utilitarian perspective, taking in these workers isn't a loss."
"They are familiar with mining, smelting, and mechanical operation... As long as we provide enough nutrition and tools, they'll become an excellent workforce."
"Furthermore," he paused, "they are familiar with the local situation on Aurelian IV. They know how the Four Great Factions operate, and might even know some secrets regarding Sector 7... That's all valuable intel."
Zeke smiled. "Your logic is giving Schrödinger Bro a run for his money. Is this how all you Psykers get after awakening?"
"Is logic a bad thing?" [Blood Angels' Second Emperor] replied. "This is a world modeled after the Warhammer universe. You can't survive long on hot-blooded passion alone."
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Next Goal = 300 Powerstones.