In recent times, Nolan's keen senses once again detected a low, intermittent vibration. It was not a sound, but a deep thrum he felt through the soles of his feet, coming from far underground.
Today, the underground base, through the relentless, twenty-four-hour labor of countless automatic servo robots and under David's efficient construction guidance, was more like an upside-down honeycomb or pyramid.
The first floor, the one he was on, had the largest area. With the base hall as the center, the reinforced tunnels and storage spaces extended in all directions like a huge web woven by a spider. The air was cool and tasted of cured concrete and machine oil.
The second floor, ten meters below, was a vast, empty cavern specially excavated by David as spare space for future expansion.
Continuing vertically downward for fifty meters, one would find the foundry workshop belonging to the Servo Skull, Raditus. Even from the upper levels, one could sometimes feel the waves of intense heat and hear the distant, rhythmic clang of its machinery. A large, roaring furnace stood in its center, and production lines for various weapons and equipment were arrayed in huge spaces surrounding it. There was a production line for forging plasteel and ceramite parts, and another, newer one for laser weapons.
As for the underground location deeper than the foundry workshop, even Nolan had only heard David mention it. It was all the servo-skull's private space.
Adhering to trust and respect, Nolan did not have the desire to explore Raditus's many little secrets. He never asked, and David never offered. Even if the other party didn't say, he could barely guess. It was either some kind of artificial intelligence research, or it was related to the basic creations of the Mechanicum.
This was especially true after Nolan vaguely realized that the number of automatic servo robots far exceeded the thousand-plus that Raditus had claimed. He wasn't too angry, but it did make him press his lips together in mild annoyance. It simply meant the Servo Skull's next proposal, whatever it was, would not pass the roundtable for a long, long time.
Therefore, Nolan made up his mind and continued to replenish supplies through the simulator's salvage function, while also continuing to immerse himself in reading and studying.
He could now read simple High Gothic texts, the letters sharp and angular on his screen. But he was still unable to adapt to writing or speaking it. Even if it was a very familiar word, it took a long time to understand its meaning after hearing it spoken by the simulator's archives. After all, it was not his native language. He still had a lot of time, so he was not in a hurry.
As for Nolan's luck in salvage, it didn't seem to be good.
He had spent more than seven hundred hours, and in return, had obtained a generous amount of promethium, ordinary ammunition, and food supplies. Crates upon crates, but nothing advanced. The most valuable salvage items of all were just five beat-up las-shotguns, illegally modified by some nameless hive city, and one old, long-las sniper rifle.
Nolan temporarily stopped the random salvaging. He held a belief that luck is conserved. Since he had been having bad luck recently, maybe it was just building up for something better on the next designated salvage.
Half an hour later, Nolan finished sorting out the simulator. Just as he was starting to move crates of supplies into the material storage warehouse, a high-pitched, metallic shout from the servo-skull Raditus interrupted his work.
When Nolan walked out of the material storage warehouse, Raditus was hovering by its anti-gravity engine, commanding several automatic servo robots. Two of the robots stepped forward, mechanical arms extending. Two brand-new laser firearms were held out to him.
Nolan blinked, staring at the firearms. They had different shapes and structures. He then looked up at Raditus, raising an eyebrow.
At this time, red light flashed rapidly in the optical lenses of the Servo Skull. It zipped back and forth in the air, waving its mechanical clamps excitedly, its voice a high-pitched, reverent static.
"Lord Primarch, this is a laser weapon! Produced by the laser weapon production line that has just been built! Its basic structure follows the Standard Template Construct pattern of the Triplex Phall Mark III lasgun! The overall structure is sturdy and durable, unafraid of environmental factors. The power cell, containing part of the liquid metal, can support eighty rounds of ordinary laser discharge, or thirty at high-power!"
Raditus seemed to droop slightly in the air. "However, due to limitations in producing the power cells, which have the highest technical content, we can only produce one per day..."
Nolan casually took the brand-new lasgun from the mechanical tentacles of the automatic servo robot. It was heavy, solid. The grip felt good in his hand. He raised it, sighting down the barrel a few times.
Then, he waved his palm towards Raditus, a simple "come on" gesture, and started walking towards the training ground.
Raditus zipped on its anti-gravity engine, following Nolan and continuing its report. "The prototype of the second laser weapon comes from the Hydra energy gun you obtained. After my slight modification, its power can barely reach one-half the power of an ordinary lasgun. The most important thing is, although I do not comprehend the nature of the blue energy it uses, I can replicate this energy through some special means. Therefore, the production efficiency has been greatly improved. We can currently produce fifty pieces per day!"
The Servo Skull just finished speaking.
Nolan had already reached the edge of the training ground. Without hesitation, he braced the standard lasgun in both hands and pulled the trigger on a metal dummy.
A sharp crack-snap echoed in the range, followed by the acrid smell of ozone. A red, scorching beam lanced out. He fired again, and again. The metal dummy was continuously penetrated, leaving dark red, molten holes emitting scorching heat.
"The power is okay." Nolan lowered the weapon, his voice echoing slightly. "But the amount of ammunition is a little less, and the interval between shots is a bit long. Do these self-produced power cells support emergency charging? I mean, throwing them into a fire."
Hearing the question from the Primarch, the Tech-Priest Raditus hurriedly drove its anti-gravity engine to float forward. It shook its two mechanical clamps slightly and said:
"You can rest assured! The quality of the power cell has been... bravely tested... by countless automatic servo robots. It can be charged at will. Moreover, it is the same as the ordinary laser weapons of the Imperium. Only an overload in extreme cases will cause a terrible explosion. According to the intensity of battle on this home battlefield, that is actually difficult to achieve!"
Nolan nodded slightly.
He lowered his head, staring at the standard lasgun in his palm again. A small smile touched his lips.
"Then name it the Terra Mark I Lasgun. Future improved models will be deduced according to the digital numbering. Simple and easy to remember."
The next moment, Raditus, who did not get to name it, was not disappointed. It once again commanded the automatic servo robot to show Nolan the other weapon.
Nolan picked up the modified Hydra energy gun. It was significantly smaller and lighter. He continued to pull the trigger at the metal dummy on the training ground.
Pew. Pew. Pew.
One after another, blue energy beams, with a much smaller, softer firing sound but significantly reduced power, instantly ejected from the muzzle. It took a precise, concentrated burst to completely penetrate the solid body of the metal dummy.
"The power is indeed small, but the sound is also smaller." Nolan mused, looking at the weapon. "And there are not many protective measures on Earth... Raditus, this kind of weapon may be suitable for lurking assassination missions. If you have time, you can try to make some pistols or special-shaped weapons, such as a laser arm guard that can be fired at any time?"
Nolan couldn't help but blink, turning his head to Raditus.
"Uh..." The servo-skull's voice was hesitant. "Machine God, Lord Primarch, I can try it."
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