Chapter 22: Lino, Fire, Blazing, Get It? |
Passing pedestrians stopped to watch the spectacle, forming a crowd dozens deep.
Just as Lino raised the iron ruler, about to bring it down hard on the foreman, someone in the crowd shouted.
"The Enforcers are here!"
Lino paused, glared at the pale-faced foreman, then turned, stepped back through his doorway, and tossed the iron ruler under his bed.
A sharp whistle pierced the air.
Two Enforcers with lasguns slung over their backs pushed their way through the throng.
"Stop right there!"
"Break it up, break it up! Nothing to see here, disperse!"
One Enforcer stepped between Lino and the dockworkers, while the other waved his arms to drive the crowd away.
Clutching their injuries, the dockworkers were the first to complain.
"Officers, we were just coming to visit him. Who knew he'd attack us like a madman?"
"Yeah, we didn't even do anything! We just came to say hello, and he started chasing us and beating us like a psycho!"
Smelling the reek of alcohol on the workers, the Enforcers had a pretty good idea of what was really going on. They maintained a healthy skepticism toward the accusations.
An Enforcer pulled out a Dataslate and brought up the footage from the nearby security cameras.
This action sobered up the dockworkers.
They exchanged panicked glances and hastily changed their tune.
"Officer, it's a misunderstanding, a total misunderstanding! We just took a tumble, there was no fight."
"That's right, sir. We were just passing by."
"Passing by? Do you normally enjoy smashing people's doors when you're just passing by?" The Enforcer shoved the Dataslate screen into their faces.
The footage clearly showed the dockworkers crowding around the door, pounding on it, and attempting to force their way inside.
According to the laws of the Lower Hive, ganging up on someone, disturbing the peace, and trespassing were more than enough to earn these workers a hefty fine and a stint in confinement.
The Imperium of Man revered martial prowess and endorsed justified self-defense, meaning Lino's armed resistance wouldn't be an issue.
"Go on, get out of here. We're done for today. Try this again and you'll be punished for this incident too. Scram!"
The Enforcer waved them off dismissively.
Clutching his stomach, the foreman was helped away by his companions, shooting Lino one last venomous glare before leaving.
Lino glared right back, his eyes so cold the man flinched.
The two Enforcers stepped up to Lino.
One of them paused.
"Eh? Aren't you Lino?"
The other Enforcer asked, "Lino? You know him?"
"You could say that. The last time the Kram Cigarette Factory recruited apprentices, they specifically asked for him. I was the one who passed on the message."
"Oh, I see."
"Thank you for delivering that message, by the way. I was accepted into the factory and am currently in the pre-employment training phase."
Lino smiled and gave a slight bow.
"And thank you both for getting me out of this mess."
The two Enforcers were a contrasting pair: one tall, the other plump.
The one who recognized Lino was tall and thin with fair skin and blue eyes—features that clearly marked him as an off-worlder.
The other was slightly shorter and stout, also bearing an off-worlder's face.
They were transfers from the Imperial Law Enforcement Department, born on the capital world of the Imperium of Man—Terra.
Hive-Epimet was located in the Segmentum Solar, which meant all local Enforcers were dispatched directly by the Imperial Law Enforcement Department rather than appointed by the planetary governor.
"Let's properly introduce ourselves. I'm Elliott." The taller Enforcer pointed to his partner.
"This is Pimont. The two of us just happened to be on patrol tonight. Didn't expect to be bailing you out again."
"I really appreciate it. I have some mushrooms here, would you two like some?" Lino offered with a smile.
"No thanks, we can't eat while on patrol." Elliott waved a hand and lit a Kram Cigarette, placing it between his lips.
"You've got some good luck on your side, Lino. I heard the Kram Family recently launched a product called Ghost Serum. It's selling like crazy in the upper hive; people are lining up and still can't get their hands on it. In a little while, they'll be rolling out a Ghost Cigarette too. Once that hits the market, your wages and commissions at the factory might just double."
"He really is a lucky kid." Pimont rested his hands on his hips, pushing his large stomach out, and let out a good-natured chuckle.
"Word is that the Ghost Serum can help people awaken psionic energy; it's just a bit unstable right now. I'm planning to buy a bottle and test it out once they perfect the formula."
"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Come on, let's keep patrolling. See you around, Lino. Try to find a new place to live soon so you don't have to keep dealing with that gang."
Elliott waved, signaling his partner to follow.
Lino was left dumbfounded by their casual chatter.
Wait a minute.
They were already selling the Ghost Serum in the upper hive?
And the Enforcers actually wanted to buy a bottle to experience psionic energy for themselves?
Did they not know that psionic energy came from The Warp?
Hold on.
They probably really didn't know.
Lino realized the drawback of being a transmigrator.
When looking at the history of the Imperium, a transmigrator viewed it from an omniscient perspective.
All they had to do was flip through a rulebook or watch a short video to understand the connection between psionic energy and The Warp.
But!
In the historical timeline of Warhammer 40k, it wasn't until after the Council of Nikaea that The Emperor finally educated the Imperial high command about the true nature of The Warp and urged all factions to prevent the abuse of psionic energy.
At this current point in time, it was completely understandable that mere Enforcers had no idea about the terrible price of wielding such power.
The Ecclesiarchy and the Inquisition hadn't even been established yet, but shouldn't the Adeptus Astra Telepathica step in to regulate this Ghost Serum?
"Officers, wait a moment!" Lino jogged forward to catch up with them.
"From what you're saying, this Ghost Serum can turn ordinary people into Psykers? Doesn't the League of Black Ships have a problem with that?"
"You sure overthink things, don't you?" Elliott teased good-naturedly. He stopped and patiently explained.
"Lino, do you know how to make a fire burn brighter?
"The first step is adding more fuel to the flames. The more Psykers there are, the more fuel the League of Black Ships can deliver to the Court of the Astronomican, and naturally, the brighter the Astronomican will shine.
"Once the Ghost Serum becomes widespread, the Astronomican will have an abundance of kindling. Its light will extend to reaches even further than the Eastern Fringe. This is a monumental blessing for the entire Imperium of Man. Nobody would reject it.
"You've been to school, so you should understand what I mean, right?"
Elliott patted Lino on the shoulder. "Work hard, kid. A job at the cigarette factory is a dream gig for countless people. Even I'm a little jealous."
Pimont nodded in agreement.
The two Enforcers walked away, leaving Lino standing rooted to the spot.
Lino eventually snapped out of his daze and returned home.
He locked the door behind him and switched on the Promethium Lamp.
Its blue-white glow illuminated his speechless expression.
It seemed that aside from himself, the sole transmigrator, no one cared about the Ghost Serum's horrific side effects.
This damned Warhammer universe was absolutely insane.
But honestly, the Ghost Serum really did have a vast market potential, and it could be incredibly useful in conquering the galaxy.
However, the grand fate of the cosmos wasn't something a mere teenager from the Lower Hive could dictate.
He was better off preparing the mushrooms for tomorrow's trade.
Lino activated his simulation function.
...
The next day.
He spent the daylight hours digging out root systems.
After his first injection of the enhancement serum, his digging efficiency had skyrocketed.
To reach the same 10% excavation progress, it only took Lino three hours today—cutting his time by a full two-thirds compared to yesterday.
The progress of the other apprentices was just as obvious.
Everyone managed to complete their daily digging quota by the end of the morning.
In the afternoon, Robnos scheduled a combat training course for the group.
Lino changed into a specialized training suit.
The suit's inner lining was wired to deliver electrical shocks, using currents to stimulate the wearer's muscles and help correct their combat forms.
Defeating a training dummy would earn them a Scorecard. The shorter the time it took, the higher the points awarded on the Scorecard.
The underage body of a Lower Hiver was ultimately still too weak.
Lino was at a severe disadvantage when it came to height and reach.
He was knocked flat several times by the mechanical dummy and its heavy boxing gloves, leaving him bruised and battered before he finally managed to complete the training exercise right before mealtime.
His final score was a measly 1 point, cementing his place at the absolute bottom of the class.
At a little past six in the evening.
Inside the rest hall, the apprentices apprehensively awaited their second injection of the enhancement serum.
This particular shot came with an 11.1% chance of death.
While the fatality rate was significantly lower, its enhancement effects were also notably weaker.
No one complained. The potency of the enhancement didn't matter in the grand scheme of things; the only thing that mattered was staying alive.
Before receiving the needle, everyone prayed.
Some dropped to their knees and kowtowed to Robnos, others bowed toward wherever their parents lived, and a few desperately smashed their foreheads against the floor in the direction of the Lower Hive's municipal hall.
Lino was different.
He mentally ran through and prayed to every deity he could think of: the Jade Emperor, Zeus, Odin, Indra, Buddha, The Fool, Belisarius Cawl, Mephiston...
He didn't miss a single one of them.
When the needle pierced his skin, he squeezed his eyes shut and fought back the hallucinations with everything he had.
Thank goodness. Two people died that night, but he wasn't one of them.
Riding the wave of his survival, Lino cemented his resolve to use his Fungal Ability to combat the hallucinations.
He might not be so lucky tomorrow.
Additionally, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that the reduced enhancement effects did not impact his ability to earn skill points.
As of right now, he had amassed 2 usable skill points.
Someone else also awakened their psionic energy tonight.
It was a young man in his early twenties named MacTonson.
His psionic energy was the exact same as Marzachs's: accelerated healing.
The two of them engaged in an ecstatic conversation.
During their chat, Marzachs inadvertently revealed something that left the entire group reeling.
He hadn't heard any maddening whispers today, nor had he experienced a single hallucination, yet his body had still received the enhancement!
Furthermore, he felt absolutely no pain after his injection. Instead, it was an incredibly soothing sensation, like washing up under a hot shower.
This revelation utterly shocked everyone present.
Right then, Robnos stepped up to the front, flashing a deceptively warm smile, and validated Marzachs's claims.
"Gentlemen, I will tell you the truth. An Artificial Psyker is entirely immune to the lethal factors of the enhancement serum. So, strive to become the first person to finish all the daily training tasks! Imagine what an honor—what incredible fortune—that will be!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the grim shadow cast by the two previous deaths vanished.
The atmosphere in the room skyrocketed from rock bottom straight to its peak!
Lino saw right through it. Robnos had intentionally held back this piece of information until today, just to constantly fuel the apprentices' motivation.
When more people inevitably died tomorrow, Robnos would probably pull out another perfectly timed excuse to keep them going.
Heh, it sure was tough for a department supervisor to rack his brains trying to encourage a bunch of Lower Hive trash like them.
It seemed he was genuinely desperate for manpower. Otherwise, he never would have shown such patience.
The group finished their dinner in a harmonious, joyous mood before dispersing to head back to their respective homes.
After stepping out of the factory gates, Lino deliberately avoided the sight of others and made his way to a street at the edge of the Ruins Zone to meet up with Lai Ya.
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