Nolan and Raditus concluded their cordial and enthusiastic exchange about the effectiveness of the new laser weapons, the scent of ozone still sharp in the air of the training ground.
In the end, Raditus, clearly overexcited, insisted on taking Nolan deep underground to see the forge itself.
However, when Nolan once again saw the ventilation and cooling ducts, which had been modified several times and snaked across the ceiling, and the massive, high-temperature forge that almost filled the entire cavern, roaring violently, even his Leman Russ Heart and Primal Heart couldn't help but skip a beat. The heat was a physical presence, and the low, shuddering roar of the furnace vibrated in his chest.
Perhaps his biggest mistake had been allowing Raditus to build the foundry underground in the first place.
Perhaps sensing Nolan's concern, the Servo Skull Raditus hurriedly drove its anti-gravity engine, flying back and forth in agitated loops. It repeatedly swore in the name of the Machine God, and on its dignity as a Tech-Priest, that the foundry's safety systems were far more robust than the messy, industrial scene the Primarch saw on the surface.
Nolan kept a calm, fixed smile on his face as he watched the skull, while secretly deciding to have David reinforce the entire base's supporting structure later.
Then, as if to divert Nolan's attention, the servo-skull quickly led him to visit the other underground spaces.
To Nolan's surprise, the situation on the weapons and equipment production line was much better than he had imagined. It was cooler here, the air filled with the rhythmic clack-hiss of automated assembly. The automatic servo-robots, stationed at various production nodes, assembled plasteel and ordinary steel gun parts at a dazzling speed. The slowly rotating transmission belt seemed to be engraved with prayers of blessing. Even the air was filled with the pungent, chemical smell of various holy oils.
Nolan, who had a particularly sensitive sense of smell, took a few quick glances, his nose wrinkling slightly, and immediately left the weapons production line.
However, when Raditus suggested they go see the laser cannon prototype that was still being manufactured, Nolan, squinting his eyes, suddenly stopped.
He lowered his head and thought for a moment, his mind accessing old, buried memories.
He began to describe an alien race called the Chitauri to Raditus. Nolan briefly described the living, bio-mechanical monsters of the Chitauri from his memory, as well as the offensive methods of their flying airships and infantry.
The frenzied Servo Skull Raditus immediately waved its mechanical pliers, its red eye flashing as it proposed solutions to Nolan. Automatic servo robots equipped with logging guns or laser weapons would be enough to deal with a large number of alien infantry. If time permitted, the powerful laser cannon could easily handle the aliens' living monsters. Even if the weapon quality wasn't good enough, the quantity would make up for it. Under the simultaneous firing of thousands of cannons, even Chaos Demons would be sent back to where they came from.
As for the fast-moving alien units, Raditus mentioned carefully to Nolan, its voice dropping to a more conspiratorial whir, if the Primarch allowed it, it could create an automatic robot called the "Vulture." This automatic robot, equipped with two main engines and four auxiliary engines, could be fitted with various heavy weapons. Its extremely powerful flying ability would be enough to crush any alien flying unit.
At this, Nolan, a half-smile on his face, turned his eyes. He stared at Raditus, whose mechanical voice had grown increasingly quiet, and asked softly, "How many have you made?"
"Uh... How dare I make them without your permission? Don't you think so, Lord Primarch?"
The servo-skull Raditus gave an awkward, high-pitched mechanical laugh.
However, Nolan's unmoving gaze made it tell the truth.
"...Only thirty-six were made. The material production could not keep up."
Nolan, squinting his eyes, took a deep breath. He thought carefully.
Suddenly, he gave an order to Raditus, his voice flat and cold.
"Just maintain basic production of the Terra I lasguns; use them as weapons for the elites in the combat team. Increase the production of the lasguns, so that everyone can have one."
"I remember that it is not difficult for you to make a logging gun, so increase the reserve of physical ammunition. Also, speed up the research progress on the laser cannons and try to increase production."
"As for the number of automatic mechas..." Nolan paused, letting the silence hang. "I will only say this once: 150 is the last red line I am drawing for you. If you violate it again... Raditus, I would rather waste all our production progress and kill you. Do you understand?"
"My Lord Primarch! I understand! I understand everything! Are we going to start preparing to conquer this planet?"
With red lights flashing brightly in its eyes, Raditus shook its short mechanical clamps excitedly. It drove its anti-gravity engine to circle back and forth around Nolan's tall body.
"It should be autumn now, right?" Nolan said, looking past the skull. "There is only half a year left before an alien invasion. I am just preparing in advance. Tech-Priest Raditus... the future of this earth depends on you."
As soon as the words fell, Nolan, a faint smile on his face, put his hands behind his back and walked slowly towards the passage.
Right behind him, the servo-skull, as if it had been injected with stimulant, began to roar excitedly at the automatic servo-robots walking back and forth.
"You! It's you! Number 88! Go and lift up my servo mechanical arm! I, Raditus, want to save Terra!"
Soon after, leaving the servo-skull to its hard work, Nolan once again entered a leisurely learning state.
He checked on Connors' progress extracting the super soldier serum from time to time. He also hesitated about whether to capture some of the murderers wandering the city for human experimentation, or to "leave it up to luck for the gang dogs to redeem themselves."
After all, even if the injection failed, the corpses could be thrown to Raditus and transformed into fighter servitors.
"Let's conduct a few human experiments first... It will be a good time to see how well Reditus is making fighter servitors."
Nolan blinked a few times, finally making a decision.
However, just as he was about to summon David to screen the network data for a few unlucky criminals...
Clack-clack-clack-clack...
David, his metal back slightly stooped, accelerated his pace, running quickly towards the base hall. The sound of his metal feet on the floor was unusually urgent.
"My Lord! There is a situation at the entrance to the underground passage connecting the outside world! There is only one target! But the traces are suspicious!"
In an instant, Nolan jumped up from the metal seat. He picked up a Terra I lasgun from the metal round table, the weapon's weight familiar in his hand.
Stern-faced, Nolan asked David, "How armed is the target?"
"The other party is wearing a dark green robe. Judging from the exposed skin, he appears to be black. The boots on his feet and the stick at his waist... they have an energy wave that I have never seen before."
Before the words were finished, David's eyes reflected streaks of blue light, projecting a holographic image for Nolan of the outside world.
At that moment, a tall figure, hands clasped together in the sleeves of a dark green robe, appeared clearly in front of him.