Ding! New irregular mission received: deliver an unlimited number of PDF dog tags to Lieutenant Rudson.
Lieutenant Rudson might not be the most by-the-book officer, but he had a strong sense of loyalty and humanity. Plus, he seemed well-connected with his superiors—he had even managed to secure a Chimera armoured transport for his company.Keeping him on your side could yield unexpected benefits in the future.
As Alex checked his mission log, Rudson said, "I've marked your auspex signature as friendly. As long as you don't attack the PDF or fall to Chaos, if you report my name in the Northern Warzone, my comrades will assist you whenever possible."
Alex tightened the straps on the seven rifles across his chest."Understood. I'll dive into rebel territory and recover your comrades' dog tags. Make sure you come through for me when the time comes."
He waved and departed.
About ten minutes later, he arrived at a forest near a ventilation shaft. Nearby was a small farm, its yard littered with wooden planks.
Alex hoisted the wood onto his back, reaching the red-overweight threshold. He panted heavily, each step a struggle under the 50+ kg load.
Carefully, he moved step by step to the ventilation shaft entrance. Countdown complete. Extraction initiated. Mission success. Loot value: 15,000 Fertilizer Credits.
At the hideout, Alex collapsed onto his bed, spent from the exertion. He slept deeply until hunger roused him.
"Crap… no cookies left. No water either," he muttered, grumbling.Fine—he'd head to the market later.
He set to work, picking up the planks. Using a saw and nails, he built a shrine, placing the Imperial Wood Carving inside for veneration.
Ding! Imperial Shrine Lv.1 constructed.Your hideout is now blessed by the Emperor. Chaos cannot corrupt this location, and your hideout will slowly cleanse internal corruption over time.
He checked the shrine's output. Only one slot was available—one item at a time. By inserting a candle and a bottle of water, or a candle and a bottle of oil, the shrine could produce holy water or holy oil.
Lighting a candle invoked the Emperor's power into the fluids.Holy Water: 6 hours to produce.Holy Oil: 12 hours.
"Crap… no candles either. Guess I need to get some," Alex muttered. He grabbed his backpack, loaded the ten rifles inside along with the newly acquired wood, and struggled toward the Fertilizer Gang's base.
Half an hour later, he arrived, exhausted, at the gang's checkpoint. The two guards spotted him from a distance and hurried forward.
Alex dropped the bundle of rifles with a groan. "Damn… over fifty kilos. Guys, help me get these to Boss Nepal!"
A few minutes later, inside the junk shop, Nepal, the black-market arms dealer, whistled in delight at the seven rebel autoguns and three PDF-issued rifles.
"By the Emperor! My benevolent patron brings me fortune! I shall repay you with friendship… and coin!"
He handed over a stack of high-denomination Fertilizer Credits.
Ding! Mission complete.Reward: 33,000 Fertilizer Credits.Black Market Reputation: Lv.1.New items unlocked:
Pipe Pistol, Pipe Rifle, Large-Caliber Pipe Shotgun, Ammo
Canvas Suppression Armour (Lv.2), Canvas Suppression Helmet (Lv.2)
Industrial Gas Mask, Handcrafted Smoke Grenades, Homemade Detonators
Various tools and materials
Mission complete. Contact reputation increased, unlocking cheap, disposable weapons. Cheap is the key word here.
Alex pocketed the credits, smiling. "Any more work for me?"
Nepal waved dismissively, a fake smile fixed in place."My benevolent patron, your firearms have greatly strengthened the Fertilizer Gang. We now face the Chemical Gang with far more confidence!
"But that isn't enough. My boss wants to weaken their power before open conflict.
"If you want to earn some easy credits, head to the reactor site and hunt the scum of the Chemical Gang. Three hundred Fertilizer Credits per target… and of course, my friendship."
Alex thought for a moment. "How do I prove I killed someone?"
"The Chemical Gang marks their scum with tattoos of the periodic table on their shoulders. Cut them off—proof enough."
Alex nodded. "Understood. I'll check it out when I have time."
He departed the Fertilizer Gang base and headed toward the public sector.
Though the underhive was lawless, with gangs and criminal syndicates everywhere, many ordinary citizens lived there as well. They worked in gang-run factories or scavenged for survival. These citizens formed the "safe zones" of the underhive.
Safe zones were typically near the Great Elevator, the underhive's only vertical connection to the middle hive. Upper-hive lords dumped waste through outlets near the elevator—trash which the underhive population relied on for survival.
The elevator also occasionally delivered criminals from the upper hives—tens of billions of people crammed together in a massive hive city. Daily, convicts would be dumped below, explaining the underhive's harsh living conditions and extreme density.
To keep the scavengers compliant, upper-hive lords occasionally granted minor benevolence.
Near the Great Elevator were government-run shops selling essentials:
Water Guild: clean water
Relief Bureau: food starches
Basic water purification tablets, low-grade medicine, clothing, tools
These allowed underhive life to remain miserable but sustainable—enough that the inhabitants wouldn't revolt.
Alex joined a long line of hundreds, all waiting quietly at the Water Guild to buy water.