"Li Qingyu, having established contact with the rebels, decided it was time to return."
First, he was given a ride on a pack beast, externally similar to a horse, but in reality – a biochemically modified creature. The rebels took him to the border of the combat zone, and from there, to the camp of Second Lieutenant Rudolfson, he had to walk.
Upon arriving and finding Rudolfson, Li Qingyu dragged him into the tent and lowered his voice:
"It's all good. I've established relations with the rebels. Now, for every SIT automatic rifle, they'll give three tons of provisions."
He took a breath.
"I need to return to the Underhive urgently. Give me a ride."
All the trophies from the last sortie and the materials bought at the 'Two Snakes' clinic for improving the shelter were still with the lieutenant. This stuff needed to be picked up.
The items were piled up in Rudolfson's tent in an untouched heap. Li Qingyu gathered them and slung them over his shoulders while the lieutenant prepared an open military all-terrain vehicle, ready to take the guest back to the hive.
"Don't go into the hive itself," Li Qingyu stopped him. "Drop me off outside. There's a ventilation shaft, I'll enter through it."
He didn't want to show up with such a load on the main elevator – it could attract the attention of property hunters. Getting to the evacuation point at the ventilation and teleporting from there was faster and safer.
Rudolfson was surprised but didn't object. They left the SIT camp and headed for a hidden ventilation opening outside the hive.
Upon arrival, Li Qingyu unloaded the bundles. Rudolfson handed him a device resembling a radio.
"This is a powerful augur vox-transmitter. Even if you go twenty kilometers underground, communication won't be lost. If anything, I'll contact you through it. Our encrypted channel is 350234kmyy."
Li Qingyu nodded, pressing the transmitter to his chest.
"Keep track of Lieutenant Winchester's movements. If there's a chance – signal me. I'll deal with him."
Rudolfson nodded and turned the all-terrain vehicle around. Li Qingyu watched it until the vehicle disappeared from view, then slowly headed towards the maw of the ventilation shaft.
However, he didn't go directly to the reinforced steel teleportation platform. He dropped off his belongings and turned towards the forest, where the underground repair station was hidden.
The iron door of the station was ajar. Li Qingyu knocked and pushed the leaf. A thick smell of blood hit his nostrils.
The Silent One, whom he hadn't seen for several days, sat on the floor with his legs crossed. In front of him, a circle was drawn with white chalk, containing some eerie symbols – an exact parody of a magical ritual.
In the center of the circle lay the carcass of an alien beast the size of a cat. Its belly was slit, and its entrails were pulled out. The Silent One stared unblinkingly at the intestines, as if trying to read the secrets of the Universe in them.
Li Qingyu clicked his tongue and looked around.
He had already searched this place once and taken many tools from it. Back then, despite the dampness, the room looked tidy. Now, after the Silent One's appearance, the interior was transformed beyond recognition: the walls and floor were covered with mad scribbles that sent shivers down his spine.
The corpses of small animals lay everywhere... apparently, consumables for divination. The air hung heavy with the smell of blood and rot.
Li Qingyu clapped the Silent One on the shoulder.
"Hey! What are you doing here?"
He slowly raised his head and looked at the guest with a grim gaze.
"I will learn the secrets of the world. I peer into the future. I perform psychic divination.
Psychic power is an amazing force. It allows not only to unleash destructive spells but also to peer into the future. Some powerful psykers do indeed see visions of the future – however, the reliability of such visions is very conditional.
Li Qingyu kicked the carcass of the animal away and, hugging the Silent One by the neck, grinned:
"Oh, come on… Can't you be a little more optimistic? The world is beautiful, and you're spoiling the picture – sitting here like an evil Chaos sorcerer. Aren't you afraid that the 'warriors of light' will soon catch up with you, who, with their slogans of good and justice, will turn you into mince meat?"
He shook his head.
"Seriously. A little sun in your soul won't hurt anyone. You didn't give away all your inner light when you cheered for the Ultramarines against the Tyranids, did you? Where does all this darkness come from? We are for all that is good and bright, right?"
The Silent One looked at him naively. The scars on his face had crusted over, and combined with the basement, graffiti, and stench of rot, he looked like a child who had accidentally become a maniac.
Li Qingyu sighed – useless.
He pulled the Silent One outside, into the fresh air, and poured all the food he had prepared in front of him.
"Here. Food that protects from the corruption of the warp. As promised."
The Silent One's eyes lit up. He carefully gathered the wafers and pressed them to his chest like a priceless treasure.
"I'll be back in a couple of days, I'll bring more. And now – work. Hit me with warp energy, I need to build up resistance."
The Silent One nodded and sat down on the ground.
"Prepare yourself. If it becomes unbearable or a demon reaches for your soul – scream, and I'll stop."
He raised his hand over Li Qingyu and began to slowly release warp energy.
Li Qingyu again felt that familiar pain, as if his soul was being rinsed in acid. A tiny crack opened before him, leading into the Sea of Souls. The warp pressure grew, and with it, his strength and resilience grew.
And suddenly, from the depths of his soul, the familiar voice of the demon echoed again.
"Oh? That same soul… You've returned?"
Li Qingyu felt a clawed paw reaching for the spark of his soul in the higher dimensions.
"Ke-ke-ke, strange soul, you often tread in the Empyrean… Do you crave power? Don't you want to serve my Lord? You will gain power that mortals only dream of!"
The demon whispered tempting words, but Li Qingyu replied mentally, "Who are you?"
"Ke-ke-ke! I am the blade of the Blood God! Glory to my Lord – in battle, blood, and mountains of skulls! I have been favored by His gaze, and the flame on my blade burns twice as fiercely!"
Li Qingyu snorted.
"Ah, a Bloodletter… I thought it was someone important, but it's just a regular pawn."
A Bloodletter is a demon of Khorne, one of the four Chaos Gods. Red skin, a burning sword, a thirst for close combat, and a single goal – to kill in Khorne's name.
If his blade burns twice as bright, it means the Blood God has granted a blessing. Doubled flame – a buff from Khorne, a reward for slaughter.
But even an enhanced pawn remains a pawn.
The offended Bloodletter flared with rage for a moment, but Li Qingyu's strange soul made him restrain himself.
"Come to me, seeker of power! Stand under the banners of the Blood God! Hack, spill blood, collect skulls – and you will ascend as a demon to eternally enjoy the slaughter!"
"Paradise, you say?" Li Qingyu responded. "I don't believe the first person I meet. I'd rather listen to what the Daemonette on my right shoulder has to say."
Daemonettes are the devils of Slaanesh, Khorne's sworn enemy. Mentioning one of them in front of a Bloodletter is like spitting in his face. The demon's face contorted with rage.
"Insolent worm! I will destroy you!"
He howled, and his paw lunged at Li Qingyu's soul, trying to clench it into a fist.
Li Qingyu screamed, "Light, illuminate me!" and popped the wafer he had been holding into his mouth. Holy mode activated.
Instantly, Li Qingyu's body and soul were enveloped in golden energy of purity – the protection of the Emperor of Mankind. For warp spawn, it is as deadly as fire to ice.
As soon as the Bloodletter's paw touched the golden flame, it ignited and charred. The demon howled and disappeared, retreating into the depths of the warp. His presence instantly dissipated.
The Silent One stopped the energy flow, recoiled, drenched in sweat, and stared at Li Qingyu in shock. This guy just drove away a demon! Were the wafers that powerful?
Gradually, Li Qingyu came to his senses. His vision doubled: his physical eyes saw the world, and his soul saw the abyss of the warp. The layers of being superimposed, causing dizziness, but soon everything normalized.
He opened the system panel – and froze.
Energy: 20. Warp Resistance: 30. Psychic Resilience: 30. Psykic Mastery: 30.
The world had changed!
His mind became sharper, his perception wider. Now he felt not only the materium but also – with the slightest concentration – warp emanations.
And most importantly – he saw his own soul, shimmering in the ocean of the Empyrean!
It was as if a person realized for the first time that they had a soul. In the world of cultivators, this is a step towards immortality, and here – it is the birth of a psyker.
With an effort of will, he could move his spark. His heart overflowed with elation.
The next step is to strengthen this flame, to draw energy from the warp and manifest it into reality. He will become a true psyker.
Li Qingyu stood up. His face was pale from fatigue, but his eyes burned with delight.
He clapped the Silent One on the shoulder:
"Alright, I'm going. I'll be back in a couple of days. Clean this place up, don't make a dump – I plan to bring people here, it would be inconvenient if they saw this horror."
The Silent One nodded silently and watched him go, until Li Qingyu, laden with sacks, stood on the ventilation platform and dissolved into the air.
A shadow of doubt flickered in the Silent One's eyes. While teaching Li Qingyu, he had hidden much. He could have taught specific techniques, but he didn't – he understood that, besides knowledge of psychic power, he had nothing else to offer. This was his only leverage, a means to keep Li Qingyu, who brought food that saved him from demons. Therefore, he doled out knowledge little by little, fearing to become unnecessary.
But now… After two "warp washings," Li Qingyu had already managed to drive away a demon, and the flame of his soul was growing rapidly. Soon this light would surpass his own!
Looking at the empty platform, the Silent One frowned.
His last trump card was melting away. What to do next?
Meanwhile, Li Qingyu safely teleported to his hideout, dropped his load, and began building the medbay.
Chemical purification equipment, a thermoregulator, a mixer-settler – all three key elements were assembled.
He rolled up his sleeves and got to work – disassembling, assembling, hammering, twisting, connecting power.
*Ding!* The hideout has been upgraded. Medbay: Level 1.
Li Qingyu immediately began to study its functionality. The thing turned out to be worthwhile: at the first level, eight production slots are available – eight items can be crafted simultaneously.
This was made possible by the mixer-settler, which had eight flasks for parallel processing and purification.
The list of recipes for the first-level medbay looked like this:
Input: Poisoned Needle ×1. Output: Low-grade medical raw material ×1. Time: 20 minutes.
Input: "Fury" preparation ×1. Output: High-grade medical raw material ×1. Time: 30 minutes.
These two points are the foundation. Materials were obtained by processing trophy syringes.
Next are the crafting options:
Minor Strength Stimulant: +5 Strength for 24 hours. Side effect – accelerated metabolism (hunger sets in quickly). Requires: Low-grade raw material ×2. Time: 20 minutes.
Minor Endurance Stimulant: +5 Endurance for 24 hours. Requires: Low-grade raw material ×2. Time: 20 minutes.
Universal Injector (hemostatic, analgesic, antibiotic): Effect – 6 hours. Requires: Low-grade raw material ×1, High-grade raw material ×1. Time: 30 minutes.
Minor Regenerator: "Void Blood Pump." If the patient does not die instantly, one injection will fuse flesh and connect bones right before your eyes. Effect – 20 minutes. Requires: High-grade raw material ×3. Time: 24 hours.
Minor First Aid Kit: Requires: Low-grade raw material ×1.
Minor Surgical Kit: Requires: Low-grade raw material ×1.
Purified Antiseptic Powder: Requires: Low-grade raw material ×5. Time: 20 minutes.
Heat-resistant chemical poison: Requires: Poisoned Needle ×3. Time: 20 minutes.