Warhammer Survival Guide

Chapter 33 Accomplices

The priest's body convulsed violently the moment the medicine touched his skin.

He let out a piercing scream.

It's like a running program encountering a serious logical conflict.

The red light in his eyes began to flash wildly, at a speed that was dazzling.

"Warning, logic error... Core reboot..."

Intermittent electronic sounds squeezed out of his throat.

Luo Wei breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that the physical disconnection from the internet, combined with chemical stimulation, worked.

however.

Just as Luo Wei was about to let go and check the water tank...

A servo-controlled robotic arm, its tip flashing with eerie blue arcs of electricity, emerged from beneath the priest's wide red robe.

It did not tremble in the slightest, nor did it hesitate at all.

Like a venomous snake poised to strike.

"Buzz".

The nozzle of the plasma cutter was pressed directly against Luo Wei's throat.

It was less than two millimeters away from the skin.

Luo Wei could feel the intense heat, enough to instantly vaporize flesh and blood, scorching his Adam's apple.

He froze.

Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

Such a rapid reaction speed, such precise control.

This is definitely not something a mechanical priest who has just woken up from madness and whose logic is incoherent could do.

"Logic gate check...passed."

Father Alpha's voice suddenly changed.

The hazy, feverish tone vanished without a trace.

It reverted to its emotionless, mechanical indifference.

Although the half of his face still had traces of the medicine, the eerie "happy smile" had disappeared.

"Target: Rowe Dane"

Status: Reason remains intact. No signs of deep corruption detected.

"Threat level: downgraded to 'stable and controllable'."

The servo robotic arm did not move, but steadily pointed at Luo Wei's vitals.

The priest slowly turned around.

The red prosthetic eye was crystal clear at that moment.

Like two burning rubies, they scrutinized the mortal before them.

"Just now, my organic body was indeed affected by the 'bliss' of the plague. It was an undeniable pleasure, and it was also the power of the plague code against flesh and blood."

The priest explained calmly.

"However, at the core of my logic, a separate 'final defense protocol' has been running in the background."

Luo Wei suddenly realized and asked, "So, you were testing me?"

"Obviously, consultant."

The priest's mechanical tentacles twitched slightly, as if he were performing some kind of data archiving.

"I await your choice. Until you witness my madness, until you see these blasphemous technologies unleash their astonishing power on the battlefield..."

"If you hadn't chosen to awaken me, but instead revealed a greedy look, trying to exploit my madness to continue your in-depth research into chaos technology..."

"Or perhaps you also showed a 'happy' smile..."

The priest raised his other mechanical hand and pointed to the mechanical clock on the wall that was still ticking.

"A technology recovery team from the Martian Cult will arrive in this system in four standard Terras."

"Before that, in order to ensure the purity of Om Messiah, I will initiate the self-destruct procedure."

"I'll first use this cutting knife to cut you into thirty-six standard pieces, and then I'll detonate the power furnace in the basement."

The priest's voice was completely flat.

It was as bland as saying, "I need to change the engine oil."

"For the Cult of Mechanics, the death of a fallen priest and a corrupted mortal advisor in an 'experimental accident' is a perfectly acceptable loss. It is a necessary sacrifice."

Rowe stared at the buzzing plasma blade in the priest's hand.

He did not feel angry.

On the contrary, a sense of relief at surviving the ordeal, along with a completely new understanding, welled up in my heart.

He always thought he was using the priest.

They thought they were the players in control of the game.

They thought they were saving this corrupt and pathetic creature.

Actually, he had just narrowly escaped death.

If only there had been a single second of hesitation...

There was a sliver of a desire to control the insane priest and continue researching even more powerful and blasphemous chaos weapons...

Then he would be nothing but a pile of minced meat by now.

This seemingly rigid and fanatical technical priest was not as easy to fool as Rowe had imagined.

At the core of his logic, there is always an ultimate firewall called "loyalty".

That is absolute rationality at the cost of self-destruction.

Loewe suppressed the violent beating of his heart.

He extended a finger and gently pushed away the blade pressed against his throat.

"It seems your core logic is not only capable of calculation, but also of entrapment, Father."

Luo Wei straightened his collar and gave a self-deprecating sneer.

"Now that I've passed your 'Turing Test,' are we now considered accomplices?"

Upon hearing this, Father Alpha remained silent for two seconds.

The deadly mechanical arm slowly retracted beneath the robe.

A red light flickered in his eyes, as he made some kind of complex weighing and definition.

"Yes, consultant."

"We are walking on the edge of the abyss... a necessary heresy. As long as the result is pure, the data of the process can be corrected."

After saying this, the priest turned around and began cleaning the ashes from the water tank.

The movements regained their former precision and efficiency.

As Loewy surveyed the priest's hunched back supported by his mechanical prosthetics, the coldness in his eyes lessened slightly.

In this desperate universe filled with madmen, monsters, and charlatans.

To meet a smart person who also understands "flexibility" and "boundaries," even if that person is a half-human, half-ghost motor enthusiast...

This is a truly rare kind of luck.

Cleaning a basement is a meticulous and time-consuming task.

With the help of Father Alpha, Lowe sealed the ash of the warp core, which represented blasphemy and madness, along with the remains of six completely twisted and melted heavy logging guns, into a lead recycling bin.

Then, after affixing the "Level 3 Industrial Waste" seal, he pushed open the heavy, airtight door and stepped out of the underground bunker.

The horizon outside was already tinged with a sickly glow.

The crimson sky was oppressive.

However, much of the suffocating fog has dissipated.

Luo Wei felt somewhat tired.

This exhaustion stems not only from the physical, but also from the mental pressure of dancing on the edge of a knife.

"Aaaaaah!"

A piercing scream came from the trench ahead, shattering the tranquility of dawn.

Then came more cries and screams, one after another.

The "happiness" effect of the spiced green soup completely wore off.

The laborers who, oblivious to pain and smiling as they lost their hands and feet in battle, were soon met with the harsh reality of their fate.

The excruciating pain overwhelmed them like a tidal wave.

Someone broke down in tears looking at their empty sleeves;

Someone was rolling around in the mud, clutching their festering wound;

Some people, unable to cope with the psychological gap, began to frantically bang their heads against the wall.

Buck was standing by the trench with several soldiers.

There was little joy of victory on the face of the one-eyed commander.

He was simply given a "wake-up call" beforehand.

Therefore, he experienced the pain of regaining consciousness earlier than anyone else.

Upon seeing Rowe approaching, Buck immediately saluted respectfully.

"Advisor," Buck said, pointing to the wounded, and began his report, "Many are seriously injured, and some are starting to develop age spots."

Luo Wei stopped walking.

He gazed at the group of human figures struggling in the mud.

Just now in the basement, the priest gave him a lesson:

In this damned universe, only absolute rationality and ruthlessness can survive.

"Divert traffic."

Luo Wei calmly gave the order.

"Those who are seriously injured, especially those whose wounds are starting to show signs of mutation and who are mentally broken and unable to work, should be given an overdose of painkillers. This will allow them to die with some dignity."

Buck trembled slightly before asking, "And then?"

"Then send it into fermentation tank number three." Luo Wei adjusted his gloves. "We've consumed too much fertilizer; we'll need raw materials for next quarter's production."

"As for the lightly wounded, bandage them up and give them double the rations. We need them to keep working."

"Yes, advisor."

This is cruel.

But that's fair.

Things that have no value must be transformed into things that have value.

Lowe returned to his office in the command tower.

He connected to the "Case" server.

On the monitor screen, densely packed green characters were flashing.

"Gather intelligence on the surrounding area," Luo Wei ordered.

A synthesized electronic voice soon rang out.

"Large-scale heat source movement detected... The main force of the plague has bypassed the Seventh Grain Depot defense perimeter..."

"Shift your attack to the fourth and ninth grain depot defense zones... contact expected in two hours..."

Lo Wei nodded.

Just as he expected.

The Plague Gardener, hiding behind the scenes, is a shrewd businessman.

After suffering heavy losses at the Seventh Grain Depot, it chose to cut its losses and go on to reap other, easier-to-obtain fruits.

This is exactly what Rowe wanted.

He didn't want to be a savior.

He only wanted to be a clerk who guarded his own little plot of land and balanced the accounts.