"The auspex can't work constantly, unless we're in combat and need to acquire targets," the junior lieutenant explained.
"In marching mode, it's turned on for a couple of minutes, then turned off, they wait for the battery to charge, and then it's turned on again briefly to scan the area."
"If the engine is damaged, charging will stop, and after a few minutes, the auspex will turn off by itself."
"In such a situation, the driver usually turns off the device in advance, otherwise, this thing will drain all the charge from the batteries, and the turret will simply stop rotating."
After giving Li Qingyu a brief lecture on the "Chimera's" systems, Junior Lieutenant Rudolson led him to his driver to find out from the expert how best to disable the engine.
The driver in the tank helmet was already quite drunk. When he heard the company commander's question about how to break the "Chimera's" engine, he howled and burst into tears.
He walked to the middle of the camp, hugged the transport's armor, and wailed:
"Natasha! You've gotten too old! The company commander is disgusted with you, he wants to scrap you!"
"Waaah, I couldn't protect you! Forgive me, Natasha!"
Watching the drunkard rage, Li Qingyu couldn't help but snicker, but Junior Lieutenant Rudolson's face darkened.
"I'm not talking about your wife! But someone else's!" the officer barked. "Can something be poured into someone else's 'Chimera' so that nothing is noticeable at first, but after a few dozen kilometers, the engine stalls?"
"About forty kilometers," Li Qingyu clarified. "It needs to travel a little over forty kilometers and then stop."
From the PDF camp to Old Man Sen's position was just over forty kilometers.
The drunk driver hiccuped and kissed the "Chimera's" front armor.
"Damn it, I thought you were after my Natasha. Even though she's an old maid, she's still got it!"
"You want the engine to die after forty kilometers? Easier than a steamed turnip. Take a piece of ceramite, grind it into powder – just don't overdo it, about half a fist is enough – and pour it into the tank with the fuel. With that dose, it's guaranteed to stop at the fortieth to forty-fifth kilometer."
Li Qingyu doubted the accuracy of the drunkard's information and expressed his skepticism, but the driver immediately bristled with indignation.
"I've been driving 'Chimeras' since I was in my mother's womb! I've been at the controls for twenty-five years, I even married my Natasha! And you dare doubt my knowledge?!"
Spittle nearly flew into Li Qingyu's face, forcing him to step back. Rudolson leaned towards him and whispered:
"Sergeant Nie Guojin loves three things more than anything: frozen fish, vodka, and 'Chimeras'. He actually had a wedding and registered his marriage with our BMP."
Sergeant Nie Guojin immediately chimed in: "Commander, you must call her Madam Natasha! Otherwise, you are showing disrespect to my wife!"
"Yes, yes, of course, Madam Natasha, Madam Natasha..."
Rudolson's face showed hopelessness – arguing with such a character in the company was useless.
However, it had to be admitted: Sergeant Nie Guojin was a divine driver of the "Chimera."
Remembering something, the sergeant added with a slurred tongue: "Ah yes, if you intend to do something nasty to someone else's machine, you can piss in its tank. It'll get offended."
"But if anyone dares to piss in my baby's tank, I'll rip their balls off!"
With a final "You're drunk, go sleep it off," Rudolson led Li Qingyu away, but the driver's last words stuck in the guy's head.
"This Nie Guojin isn't as simple as he seems. Does he sense the Machine Spirit?"
The Machine Spirit, as the name suggests, is the soul of a mechanism. Usually, the larger and more complex the technology, the higher the probability of it having a mind.
Machine Spirits have different personalities. Depending on their creation time, operating conditions, and how they are treated, they can exhibit different abilities.
For example, a lasgun's Spirit might be weak. If the owner handles the weapon roughly, the chance of a misfire sharply increases, and accuracy decreases.
But if the Spirit is pleased, if the owner takes care of the weapon and puts their soul into it, the mechanism can repay them on the battlefield. The barrel suddenly becomes incredibly accurate, a shot penetrates armor it shouldn't, or the rifle continues to fire when the magazine is already empty – as if the Machine Spirit is tossing in ammunition directly from the Warp.
Applied to heavy machinery, this could look like this: the fuel ran out, but the tank drives for tens of kilometers more. The driver is already killed by concussion, but the faithful Machine Spirit continues to control the hull, showering the enemy with fire.
In short, the Machine Spirit in the Warhammer 40k universe is a metaphysical phenomenon. Its existence adds an element of uncertainty, sometimes giving rise to tragic and touching moments.
Later, as Junior Lieutenant Rudolson drove Li Qingyu to the Mid-Hive, he said: "Soon I'll also start an offensive against the rebels to compete with Lieutenant Winchester. There will be many wounded. I need you to take them and their families."
Li Qingyu nodded. "I need labor right now. I'll take as many as you have, don't worry."
Rudolson was silent for a moment and asked: "And those magical green syringes... Can you sell me a large batch?"
Li Qingyu shook his head. "I barely have any left myself. You've seen the effect – it's too powerful a thing to be mass-produced."
"If they were put up for sale, the price would skyrocket to over half a million talons each."
Judging by the regeneration that the "green needle" provided – everything that wasn't completely torn off grew back – Li Qingyu believed that with such a product, he could obtain a high position in the Cult of Rejuvenation.
But, as they say, his current status was too low for such ambitions. Any valuable item he showed to the world would only lead to him being devoured alive.
It was a classic situation: sitting on a chest of gold, but unable to spend it. He had to develop slowly, step by step. And that infuriated him.
This was precisely why Li Qingyu was in such a hurry to destroy Lieutenant Winchester and promote Rudolson.
People who started their cooperation from the bottom and rose together are bound much tighter.
"I'll sell you the green stimulants for a hundred thousand each. One piece per month," Li Qingyu stated. "Don't be offended, brother, that's all I can do."
Li Qingyu had no intention of playing charity. Rudolson wanted to save his soldiers, but Li couldn't possibly supply a company of one hundred and twenty men. Even in a small skirmish, a dozen wounded was a common occurrence. He couldn't divert all the medical station's resources to producing stimulants. The medical station needed to be upgraded, new medicines discovered. He couldn't sacrifice all development for Rudolson's whims.