Li Qingyu leisurely walked to the outer perimeter of the hydro-monitoring station. He didn't rush to enter: he took out a plate with poison, stuck it to the inside of his teeth, and only then, whistling a false melody, headed inside.
"Haji-mei-lo, south-north, green beans..." he sang out of tune. "A-shi-ga, and dragon pants..."
*Whoosh!* – a shadow jumped down from the seventh floor and landed softly right in front of him. Blood-drenched eyes stared at Li Qingyu.
It was the Silent One. They hadn't seen each other for two days, and his condition had noticeably worsened.
He extended a withered hand, aiming for Li Qingyu's throat.
"The voices of demons... have returned! Give me... the Holy Oil... give!"
As the clawed palm almost touched his neck, Li Qingyu smiled and pulled a vial from his chest.
...
A few minutes later, loud singing echoed through the seventh floor. The Silent One sobbed uncontrollably, pausing only to take a sip from the bottle of Holy Oil. The sight was, to put it mildly, nauseating.
"W-w-wah, I thought you wouldn't come back! You *whoosh* and disappeared, and my heart sank to my heels! W-w-wah, glug-glug!"
The psyker howled and whimpered like a small child: he'd whine a bit, gulp some oil – and start again. Half of the 150-milliliter bottle had already gone down his throat.
Li Qingyu winced. Watching this guy guzzle oil was physically unpleasant.
"Hush, hush. I said I'd come back – and I did. Now it's all yours."
He placed two more bottles in front of the Silent One. He immediately clutched them to his chest as if someone was about to try and take them away.
"Alright," Li Qingyu said. "Stop fooling around. You got the oil – now it's your turn to pay."
Having swallowed the Holy Oil, the Silent One felt a sacred power coursing through his body. The whispers of demons subsided.
He twisted the cap of the vial, raised his eyes, and rasped:
"Not enough. I want more!"
Li Qingyu wagged his finger.
"To receive, you must give. Honesty is the foundation of a profitable partnership. Let's get one job done first, and then, who knows – there'll be a sea of joint projects."
"And then there will be endless Holy Oil?" the Silent One asked.
Li Qingyu nodded with a smirk.
"So much that you'll get fatty liver and cholecystitis."
The Silent One froze, studying him. Remembering how Li Qingyu suddenly disappeared, he decided not to anger him.
"But I don't know how to teach you to use warp-power. I've had it since birth."
Warp-power, or psionics, is the art of transferring Warp energy into the real world. The psyker serves as a conduit. The stronger the psyker's spirit and body, the wider the channel, and the more power they can channel. The weak have a narrow, almost closed channel.
Theoretically, any person can be a psyker. It's just that for most, the channel is so narrow that channeling Warp energy is impossible without forced rupture. But if an ordinary person tries to do so, they will die or become distorted and turn into a monster.
Li Qingyu was not worried about this. If he got infected with corruption, he'd kill himself and be reborn.
"I have an idea," he said. "Use your power on me. Just don't kill me immediately. Do it slowly."
He couldn't think of another way to teach: to let a psyker douse himself with a wave of warp energy.
His "Loot, Fight, Run" system worked simply: you do something, you grow. The more you act, the higher your skill.
Warp-power is contagious. If you get close, you'll get dirty. Like standing near a sewer drain: even a little bit, and splashes will get on you.
The main thing is to reach the threshold to cast at least one spell. After that, you can grind.
"Are you sure?" the Silent One asked. "The power of demons is dangerous. They might notice you. And you could die from a warp-power strike!"
Li Qingyu stepped closer.
"Come on, stop talking. Start!"
Seeing his determination, the Silent One obeyed. He raised his hand and began to release pure Warp energy – formless, spell-less, just a stream.
Being hit by warp energy... Li Qingyu felt as if he had drowned in a roaring torrent, but it was not his flesh that was drowning, but his soul. He felt the rage and weight of this power, saw mountains of corpses and seas of blood before his inner eye. Rot, pain, suffering – all the darkness of living beings descended at once, and Li Qingyu's face contorted in pain.
The Warp is a reflection of the emotions of sentient beings. If humanity were happy – it would be a quiet ocean with kind gods. But life is full of suffering, and the Warp has turned into a boiling sea of lava, filled with Evil Gods.
The world of Warhammer 40k clearly demonstrates which type it belongs to.
Li Qingyu tensed to the limit, exhaling loudly. The longer he held on, the closer he got to understanding the power. Another minute, and he would shout "stop" before he broke.
But suddenly a voice sounded in his head:
"Hmm? A curious little soul. I haven't tasted one like this before..."
He felt someone's power tearing his soul from his body.
Screaming, Li Qingyu kicked the Silent One so hard that he flew back, squealing "Mommy!", and clutching his stomach, rolled on the floor. Li Qingyu himself collapsed, convulsing.
Just a little more – and the demon would have ripped out his soul.
Fortunately, he managed to break the flow. Otherwise, the system would have registered his death and sent him to be reborn in the sanctuary. And Lieutenant Rudoson was waiting there... Going through everything again was no fun.
The Silent One looked reproachfully.
"If you wanted to stop, you should have said so. Is it that hard?"
Li Qingyu lay there, feeling dizzy – not physically, but spiritually.
"Fuck... a demon almost gutted me!"
The Silent One winced, rubbing his stomach.
"I warned you. The Warp is full of creatures. If you use its power, they come for souls."
Li Qingyu glanced at the system interface and grinned with satisfaction. It was worth it.
The "Spirit" characteristic grew to 16 (+3). Warp Resistance — 20, Psionics — 21, Psionics Mastery — 21. Everything jumped up by a dozen points.
He realized: the spark of his soul in the Warp had become brighter and stronger.
After catching his breath for a bit, he asked, "Listen, do you absolutely have to live here? Maybe you could move?"
The Silent One shook his head.
"I used to live in a remote village, but a demon forced me to kill. So I came here – here people come to me themselves. After every 888 kills, the demon gives me a break, a little peace... sigh."
"Eight," Li Qingyu thought. "Looks like the Silent One belongs to Khorne."
Khorne is one of the Chaos Gods, who loves blood and battle. His number is 8. And his demons are the same – joyfully bathing in blood.
"Then listen," Li Qingyu said. "Remember the ventilation shaft I took you to? There's an underground repair room there. Live there. It's a bit damp, but safe. My home is nearby – I can bring you Holy Oil. So, Little Silent One, will you be my neighbor?"
Hearing about being neighbors, the psyker livened up, nodding like a windmill.
"I want to, I want to! Just to be close to you, watashi! Watashi!!"
He got overexcited, and Li Qingyu stepped back.
"Hey, calm down. Come on, pack up, let's go."
The Silent One nodded and hastily gathered his belongings.
Li Qingyu was pleased. Contact with a psyker promised huge benefits for the development of his own abilities.
While he was packing, Li Qingyu went downstairs and found a massive ceramite door – the only entrance to the station's underground. It only opened with a mechanical key.
The door was sooty, with traces of explosions nearby. It was clear that the rebels had tried to break it open, but the charge was too weak against such protection.
Li Qingyu took out the key he had received from the water merchant Reynolds, inserted it into the lock, and turned. Motors hummed, gears ground – the door swung open.
Light burned inside. The corridor was flooded with bright lamps.
Li Qingyu entered, anticipating the loot.
As is known, in an "extraction shooter," the fattest supplies are in the locked rooms. Gold, documents, electronics, the heart of the office, key cards – everything is here.
He searched everything meticulously. Every drawer, every cabinet, every corner.
Minus first floor – living quarters. Ten rooms, with six bunk beds each, tables, cabinets. The staff rested here.
After searching everything from top to bottom, Li Qingyu found 1500 fertilizer coupons, a pair of watches, and five bottles of alcohol.
In the medical bay – eight hemostatic bandages, five small first-aid kits, three cans of painkillers, and one large surgical kit.
Bandage: durability 1/1, stops bleeding from one limb. Small first-aid kit: 120/120, heals a damaged body part. Painkiller: 3/3, relieves pain for two hours. Kit: 8/8, restores lost limbs, except for the head and chest.
Li Qingyu whistled. For the first time – and so much medicine at once!
For ordinary people – just medicine, for him – means of restoring HP. If a mine blows off his leg – the kit, minus one durability point, and the leg will grow back. Imba!
He carefully put the medications into his backpack as a life insurance policy and headed to the last room on the floor.
The chief's room. Spacious, one bed, decent furniture. A search – and here's the "small gold" haul: a ring (3500 talons), a crystal statuette (2500), a book in a gold binding (4500), a bottle of perfume (1500).
Happily twitching his legs, he went down.
Minus second floor – control area. Few rooms, mostly a huge hall. Instruments, screens – old, but reliable.
Nothing much to take. On the console, he found a palm-sized box, like a hard drive.
As soon as he picked it up, the System issued: "Quest item received: Memory Panel."
It stored data about the underground water veins of the Hive. For Li Qingyu – a hundred thousand in value!
Hiding the Panel, he descended to the minus third floor. Huge machines hummed there, embedded in the walls and extending underwater – the core of the station.
He found several transformers, a coil of cable about thirty meters long, searchlights, and a fully charged promethium battery.
Loading everything into his backpack, he breathed heavily. The weight drove him into "red overload," his legs trembling from fatigue.
Reaching the first floor, he saw the Silent One, loaded with sacks.
"My acquaintances from the Public Safety Service will be here soon," Li Qingyu said. "Don't pay attention to them. Go around them and head for the ventilation. I'll find you later. We'll continue studying warp-power, and I'll bring so much oil that the demon won't dare to move."
The Silent One frowned, clutching the vials to his chest.
"Promise. Before it runs out..."
Li Qingyu chuckled.
"Don't be funny. Is there any other psyker here besides you? Relax. You have enough for a long time. I'll come within three days."
The Silent One lowered his head.
"Agreed. We agreed..."
He soared into the air and disappeared into the forest.
When he was gone, Li Qingyu took out his pistol and fired three times into the air.