Li Qinwu opened the door.
Xiao Dao set down two large containers of processed food starch and bowed slightly.
"Boss, this is today's haul from the safe zone. Do you need anything else?"
Xiao Dao had already become one of Li Qinwu's subordinates. Tasks like scavenging food and running errands were now his responsibility. Every few days, he returned with supplies—reliable, obedient, useful.
Li Qinwu stroked his chin, glancing along the narrow passage outside his hideout.
Sales channels? Secured.
Supply chain? In progress.
Production site?
Not yet.
"Time to build a brewery," he muttered.
---
He began immediately.
Using the passage as a base, he marked out territory—then ordered walls constructed on both ends, sealing off a 100-meter stretch as his private domain.
"Xiao Dao," he said, "I need workers. We're building reinforced walls. Pay them daily."
"Boss… 100 coupons is too much," Xiao Dao said quickly. "These people will work for 10."
"Fine. Pay 10. But make sure the materials are solid."
He paused, then added:
"If the job's done well, I'll give you an automatic rifle."
Xiao Dao froze.
Then his eyes lit up with raw greed.
"I'll handle it!"
---
Within hours, he returned—with over thirty workers.
All members of the Fertilizer Gang.
Rough. Dangerous-looking.
But in front of Li Qinwu, they lowered their heads.
"Boss Li."
Money talked.
---
Construction began.
Steel reinforcement bars were drilled deep into the passage walls—anchoring the new structure into the hive's original framework. Without that, any wall here would collapse under pressure.
Layer by layer:
Ceramic-steel composite mortar
Reinforced plating
Embedded metal sheets
Li Qinwu's requirement was simple:
Half a meter thick.
Enough to stop small arms fire—and most conventional threats in the underhive.
Anything stronger?
Then resistance was meaningless anyway.
---
By the next day, both walls were complete.
An iron gate sealed the entrance.
A track-compatible doorway was left open—aligned with the old rail system embedded in the passage floor.
The result:
A 100-meter enclosed industrial zone.
Private. Defensible. Expandable.
---
Li Qinwu looked at it and nodded.
"Now… production."
---
Brewing & Transport
With territory secured, Li Qinwu began constructing the brewery.
He actually knew the process.
Simple in principle:
1. Crush grain
2. Boil
3. Ferment
4. Distill
But scaling it required structure.
---
A large heating vat was built first.
Using salvaged materials:
Polymer-lined basin
Internal metal plating
Welded industrial shell
Workers assembled it under Xiao Dao's direction.
The result was crude—but functional.
Capable of processing tons of grain at once.
---
For heat, Li Qinwu used something far more valuable:
A salvaged promethium energy cell.
Improvised into a submersible heating unit.
When activated, it could boil hundreds of liters of liquid in minutes.
Dangerous.
Efficient.
Very Imperial.
---
Next came:
Distillation apparatus
Fermentation tanks (wooden, low-grade but workable)
Ventilation systems
The hygiene was questionable.
But in the Imperium?
Survival mattered more than purity.
---
"Xiao Dao," Li Qinwu said, "the transport system?"
Xiao Dao nodded eagerly.
"Boss, we found a train. Salvaged. Ten carriages."
"The engine?"
"Fixed. Burns anything—oil, fat, alcohol. Needs filtering though."
Li Qinwu's eyes sharpened.
"Speed?"
"Up to 80 km/h on proper fuel."
Good.
Very good.
---
They went to inspect it.
The small industrial train sat on the tracks—compact, rugged, built for harsh conditions.
Perfect for underhive logistics.
---
Li Qinwu circled it once, then nodded.
"Good enough."
---
Back at the base, he rewarded Xiao Dao with an automatic rifle.
Then he paid the workers—generously.
Their expressions changed instantly.
Respect deepened.
Fear followed.
---
Then Li Qinwu spoke:
"I need people for a run. Exploration. Dangerous route."
"Round trip: 40 kilometers."
"Anyone who comes back alive gets 100 coupons."
---
No hesitation.
They climbed aboard.
---
The train began moving.
Slowly.
Carefully.
The underhive rails were unstable—clogged with debris, warped by time.
Workers dismounted frequently to clear obstructions.
The headlamp cut through darkness.
The tunnel stretched endlessly ahead.
---
Time passed.
The path sloped upward.
Good.
They were getting closer to the surface.
---
Then—
"Stop."
Li Qinwu raised his hand.
The train halted.
Tracks ahead were damaged.
Workers moved to repair them.
---
Li Qinwu sat on the engine hood, lighting a cigarette.
Then—
He paused.
His expression changed.
His senses—enhanced by Warp exposure—reacted instantly.
Something was coming.
From the darkness ahead.
---
Silence fell over the tunnel.
And the air… shifted.