Warhammer: Rebuilding the Golden Age Starting with Farming

Sisyphus is back.

He hadn't changed out of his white coat yet, which was covered in black oil stains and dust, making him look a bit disheveled, but he was in a very high spirits.

The old man was followed by two Storm Squad soldiers, each carrying two heavy boxes.

"Andy! Good news!"

Sisyphus placed the tactical backpack on the table in the workshop.

"That old bastard Father Zor may say it's unrelated, but his actions tell a different story."

He opened his backpack and pulled out a data board as thick as a brick.

"This is a static diagram of the underground pipe network in the Ninth District restricted area. Although it's an old diagram from fifty years ago, the terrain structure shouldn't have changed much."

Then he pulled out a strange device from another box.

This thing looks like a polyhedral metal nodule, covered with various types of interfaces, some of which are even those old-fashioned ribbon cable slots.

"And this, the general-purpose network access point you requested."

Sisyphus wiped his sweat.

"Father Zor said that this thing was taken from a communication base station in Shangchao. He modified the protocol and it can simulate the handshake signals of most civilian and security networks."

"But he told me to tell you that if you get caught using this to do something bad, don't betray him."

Andy took the heavy metal lump and weighed it in his hand.

Although the current timeline is the 41st millennium, the Warhammer universe's frustrating network environment remains unchanged.

Many people believe that in the interstellar era there must be a super internet that covers the entire universe, allowing everyone to watch videos and search for information anytime, anywhere.

Think more.

In this dark universe, human communication technology has long since degenerated into fragments.

Every planet, every hive, and even every enterprise uses its own independent intranet. These networks are physically isolated from each other, their protocols are incompatible, and most of them are controlled by the Cult of Mechanics or administrative departments.

Do ordinary people want to go online?

nonexistent.

If you want to get information, you either have to physically deliver the message or use an access point with a physical interface.

"Well done."

Andy gave a compliment.

He sent Sisyphus away and locked himself in his inner workshop.

Andy plugged the universal access point into his console.

Then, he extended his finger, and the data probe was inserted directly into the core interface of the access point.

"Buzz—"

The indicator light came on, and a green data stream began to scroll across the holographic screen.

Andy immediately activated the long-dormant "ghost backdoor".

It was that little program he casually wrote into the bottom layer of Helios's internal network when he blew up the security hard drive at the Helios factory.

The program was disguised as an inconspicuous temperature sensor data packet, mixed in with Helios's massive data stream.

Now, Andy has given the signal to shake hands.

The ghost backdoor has awakened.

It began sending data back to Andy continuously.

On Andy's left side of the screen is the static old map that Sisyphus brought back.

On the right side of the screen is real-time security data captured by the ghost backdoor.

The two images overlapped, aligned, and merged in Andy's mind.

The previously pitch-black Ninth District restricted area instantly became transparent in Andy's eyes.

Helios divided the restricted area into four sections, each with its own mining task.

Andy began analyzing Helios's layout as if he were playing a real-time strategy game with a full map cheat.

"Area A..."

Andy found a huge hole at the edge of the map.

Real-time data shows that twelve heavy engineering mechs codenamed "Rock Fortress" are operating here.

Although Andy didn't recognize the specific model, judging from the name, the mech was probably used to transport spaceship components weighing hundreds of tons.

The fact that they can gather here means that something big is buried in area A.

Given its location and structure, that should be the engine room of the crashed starship.

Helios wants to dig out that subspace engine?

Hmm... it's hard to say about Andy.

"Sector B..."

After a simple estimation, Andy concluded that Zone B was located in the middle of the wreckage.

Dynamic data shows that the population density here is extremely high, and most of them are technical personnel and armed security guards.

The patrols spawn three times more frequently than in other areas.

This indicates that this is a core value area, most likely the bridge or cargo hold.

Only high-value goods or data warrant such a large security investment.

"Area C..."

Zone C, which forms the outer perimeter, is equipped with a large number of automatic sentry turrets and an infrared monitoring network.

Clearly, Zone C should be the entrance and exit of the restricted area, which Helios used as a defensive line.

"Everything seems normal..."

It must be said that the Helios Group has a clear division of labor and is systematically dismantling and excavating this shipwreck from hundreds of years ago.

At this rate, they may have even cut the shell open.

Andy is preparing to devise an infiltration route.

Suddenly, his gaze stopped.

In the low-level system logs that were transmitted back, a long string of red data caught his attention.

List of materials consumed by the security network.

Typically, nobody looks at this kind of data because it's too trivial.

But Andy is an engineer by training, and he has an exceptional sensitivity to numbers.

[Sector D - 4th Elite Security Unit: Bomb Depletion Warning!]

[Sector D - 7th Tactical Squad: Laser Battery Recharge Request (Urgent!!!)]

[Sector D - Logistics Department: Requesting the allocation of three boxes of fragmentation grenades and two boxes of molten metal explosives...]

Andy frowned:

"Everything's normal so far... what a load of rubbish!"

This consumption rate is clearly wrong!

If it's just a normal excavation operation, why consume so much ammunition?

Even if they encounter mutated creatures causing trouble inside the restricted area, a few laser guns will take care of it.

But at the current rate of ammunition consumption, Andy estimates that hundreds of explosive rounds are being fired every minute.

This level of firepower is equivalent to engaging in a small-scale skirmish.

Moreover, all of these consumptions are concentrated in Zone D.

Andy looked at area D on the map.

It is located deep within the starship wreckage and is marked as "Unknown Structure" on a static map.

Instead of deploying engineering mechs in this area, the Helios Group filled it with its most elite armed forces.

"Who are they hitting?"

Andy pulled up a deeper device status log.

A newly updated alarm record caused Andy's electronic eye to slightly narrow.

[WARNING: Sector D - Heavy Plasma Cannon Unit 3 overheats and requires forced cooling.]

[WARNING: Sector D - Heavy Plasma Cannon Unit 7 overheats and requires forced cooling.]

[Warning: Fighter Servant-772 has lost signal.]

Good guy.

They've even used heavy plasma cannons?

Those are heavy weapons specifically designed to destroy large equipment!

And it even reached the point of overheating and forced cooling!

This indicates that the enemies in Sector D are either very tough or very numerous, so numerous that even Helios's elite troops are struggling.

Are they gene thieves?

Not too possible.

If some cunning individual had infiltrated the group, Helios would have collapsed completely long ago, and it would be impossible for him to be digging for engines so methodically.

Are they green-skinned orcs?

Less likely.

If there were any green-skinned creatures in there, the entire Zhongchao should have heard WAAAGH's shouts by now.

Since it wasn't an invasion by foreign enemies...

Then there's only one possibility.

The enemy came from within, not from within the group, but from inside that starship that had been dormant for hundreds of years.

Countless possibilities flashed through Andy's mind.

The ships of wandering merchants are famously known as "blind boxes".

They roam freely on the edge of the Milky Way and in subspace year-round; who knows what contraband they carry in their cargo holds?

Andy thought of the chicken thief in his cold storage... perhaps it was a sealed alien creature sample?

Or... the crew members turned into some kind of indescribable thing?

"I don't understand..." Andy closed the alarm pop-up.

After looking at it this way, it's clear that the Helios Group has unearthed something incredible, and they're now entangled in it.

They kept the news under wraps, enduring a fierce attack from some unknown entity while greedily trying to dismantle the ship.

This is a huge opportunity for Andy.

If that's a monster that even a heavy plasma cannon can't kill, Andy and his men would just be throwing their lives away.

But if we can take advantage of the chaos...

"It seems we'll need to bring some heavy firepower for the upcoming infiltration operations!"