The so-called Gloom Crystal Ore is not the crystal ore found in some real-time strategy games; rather, it's not a natural ore at all, but a type of fungal deposit.
It originated from the initial organic re-composition of the Hive City, and over thousands of years, through continuous iteration and transmutation of fungal strains, it eventually became a fungal mineral that recycled and accumulated a large amount of human recombinant protein.
This fungus is also known as Gloom.
After professional extraction and purification, the resulting agents can greatly enhance the probability of an unawakened psyker awakening their psychic powers, or even directly connect them to the Warp, granting them unimaginably powerful abilities.
The Escher family of the famous Hive World Nekromunda made a fortune through this business, known as the "Gloom Trade."
The effect of this agent is also very potent; after the Great Rift opened, it could even allow an Ogryn to awaken psychic powers.
Gloom is not exclusive to Nekromunda; it is produced in some of the ancient Hive Worlds of the Imperium.
It's just that the Escher family of Nekromunda is most adept at refining and synthesizing this substance, and their Gloom agents are simply the most effective.
Although the Hive City of the Mariupol Sector Capital is not as ancient, several hundred years ago, a gang leader with great strategic foresight spent a large sum of money to acquire Gloom fungal strains and began cultivating this fungus in the Bottom Nest.
Although this gang leader did not get rich from this business and become the second Escher family.
However, he opened up a new industry for the Bottom Nest, and also provided many people with an additional means of livelihood.
The Bloodfinger Gang was originally just a small smuggling gang, and this kind of business would not have normally fallen to them.
But the previous generation's gang leader was very shrewd; in addition to smuggling, he collaborated with a Mutants settlement, having this Mutants settlement cultivate Gloom fungus, and then exchanging it for smuggled daily necessities and food.
As for the subsequent processing and purification, that was handled by their financial backer.
Thus, the Bloodfinger Gang earned a lot of money and gradually grew stronger, even successfully passing into Grosse's hands, becoming a gang with a certain degree of influence in the Bottom Nest.
"So, who is your financial backer?" 32 showed a slightly curious expression.
Grosse looked a bit awkward and, after glancing at the Legal Department Special Agent beside him, explained with some difficulty, "The previous gang boss had a younger brother. He didn't let this brother join the gang; instead, he sent him to study, and then he joined the Adeptus Arbites… "
Grosse did not continue, but 32 already understood that the financial backer behind the Bloodfinger Gang was the Adeptus Arbites.
Otherwise, the Adeptus Arbites's secret elevator wouldn't be located within the Bloodfinger Gang's territory, and Grosse wouldn't have eagerly cooperated the moment the Special Agent spoke.
Although this was partly due to the special status of the Mechanical Sage and the Astartes themselves, for such Hive gangs, the first reaction upon encountering important figures should be to quickly send them away to avoid trouble.
And this eager-to-please attitude could only mean that either Grosse wanted to gamble big, or he had connections with the Adeptus Arbites.
"We received news from the Pale Guild that their recent recycling business has been greatly affected, with the number of bodies decreasing by 5%. Have you heard anything?" Now that it was known that the Bloodfinger Gang was supported by the Adeptus Arbites, some questions could naturally be asked directly.
Grosse's expression changed at this question, and then he replied, "The Bloodfinger Gang hasn't received any news, and the Pale Guild's main area of activity is in the Lower Hive. Sir, why are you investigating the Bottom Nest… "
"The Lower Hive is being investigated by the Adeptus Arbites and the Inquisition. I am more concerned with the Bottom Nest." 32 directly interrupted Grosse and pressed a mechanical tentacle against his neck: "To speak like that, it seems you know something."
If he didn't know, he wouldn't know. How could a gang member eager to curry favor with important figures ask, "Why are you investigating the Bottom Nest?"
"Sir! I… " Grosse was lifted directly by his neck.
Although it was only a seemingly slender mechanical tentacle that held him, a mechanical tentacle attached to a Mechanical Sage could even lift an Astartes if serious, so a mere Hive gang member was certainly nothing.
"Will you confess now, or shall I transform you into a Servitor before you speak?" The robot cats around 32 all revealed their sharp claws and various small tools installed on their bodies, even their eyes glowed red: "Don't think you can keep a secret. The Adeptus Mechanicus has plenty of ways to extract information and data from your brain tissue.
If you speak now, I'll save some effort, and you'll have a quick end.
But if you don't speak, then I might have to let you experience how the Adeptus Mechanicus version of the pain engine is made."
Suspended by the neck by 32, Grosse quickly turned purple. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, 32 released him, let him catch his breath, and then immediately hoisted him up again.
And the robot cats around her had already begun to wield various curious small tools, fixing Grosse's limbs, then drawing lines and preparing for cutting.
Grosse was still struggling, but 32 did not hesitate or waver. The robot cats immediately shaved all his hair, then drew the cutting lines on his pale scalp, and a delicate, small circular bone saw rotated at high speed, buzzing as it approached Grosse's scalp.
"Ah! Ah! I'll tell you! I'll tell you! Get it away!" Grosse struggled to speak, indicating his willingness to cooperate.
But 32 still didn't stop, only letting the robot cats not saw open his skull, but instead start cutting and processing his limbs first.
Cutting open fingers and toes without anesthesia is an unbearable pain for a normal person.
Although Hive gangs are often brave and fierce, and many times not afraid of death, their tolerance for pain is actually not high.
At least in 32's opinion, it wasn't high. She only cut open three of Grosse's fingers, and had the robot cats use delicate small tweezers and sharp small blades to separate his finger bones, nerves, and flesh, and he screamed as miserably as if he had been anally penetrated by a boar.
But under 32's precise control, he neither lost consciousness from the pain nor was he unable to speak from the pain.
So, in order to suffer less, he quickly spilled everything he knew like pouring beans from a bamboo tube.
"Sounds like a lot of trouble!" After extracting the confession, 32 was too lazy to torment this gang member. After confirming with the Legal Department Special Agent that they could still control the Bloodfinger Gang even if he was killed, she decisively had the robot cats perform a prefrontal lobotomy on him.
The reason for not directly killing him was because Grosse confessed that the mastermind secretly controlling all of this could control their souls. No matter who died, the other party would know immediately and take away the deceased's soul.
To prevent leakage of information, 32 did not directly kill Grosse.
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