The Bizarre Adventures of the Oil Man, but Starting with Warhammer 32K

Although Maxim was only a third-level forge world, its principles were the same as Riza's. However, Maxim's flagship product wasn't a high-end product like plasma weapons, but rather a laser rifle for use by the Astra Militarum.

After all, it is just a casting world that undertakes the low-end industry of Mars' external transfer... Leon's expectations for it have never been too high.

As a third-level forging world, it is actually difficult for the priests who complete the production of laser guns on Maxim's assembly line to learn anything from these low-end manufacturing processes.

If the priests working on other forge worlds were like graduate students, gaining knowledge from experiments and perhaps even stealing a few untold secrets if they pleased their sage mentors, then the priests on Maxim were more like screwdrivers, repetitively toiling on an assembly line. Their devotion to the God of All Machines could hardly be transformed into personal wealth.

This made it difficult for the priests on Maxim to have opportunities for advancement. But it was also because of this that the sages of Maxim simply abandoned this place.

Because there are so few sages, the production lines privately owned by sages are also scarce.

On some ancient forging worlds, the combined share of production lines owned by sages could even exceed 50%, but on Maxim, that figure was less than 10%.

Thanks to this, even if the transportation capacity is limited, those sages who have already planned to evacuate can easily take away all their wealth.

No wonder the other sages sat on the spaceship watching the fight unfold while the Deputy Foundry Supervisor descended upon them. Their wealth was already on the transport ship, and the Warlord-class Titans trapped on the ground by Leon were beyond their reach. Naturally, they didn't bother to even glance at Maxim.

This situation was actually within Li Ang's expectations. He was confident that other sages would not interfere, so he was able to confront the Deputy Foundry Supervisor with such confidence.

However, he did not expect that the sages could clean up this forging world so thoroughly. The difficulties Maxim was currently facing were a little more than Leon had imagined.

Maximus has one main hive and two secondary hives. The main hive is the planet's primary laser weapon production line, where numerous slaves and priests gather. They are the key to Maximus's annual production of nearly ten million laser guns.

Sub-hives are home to a number of industries supporting laser guns. Factories producing energy batteries, the promethium needed to produce them, pharmaceuticals produced as a byproduct of promethium, and other essential products like protein bars are all clustered in these sub-hives. Because these factories occupy a relatively small area, the sages' private production lines are mostly concentrated in these sub-hives.

Leon looked up the historical production data on Maxim and found that weapons such as grenade launchers, ion or thermal weapons were originally produced in small quantities on Maxim, but these outputs all relied on the private production lines of the sages in the sub-hive.

All these private facilities were packed up and taken away by the sage, and those that could not be taken away were blown up. It would take some time for Leon to restore production capacity on this pile of ruins.

The only major production facility left on Maxim today is the large laser gun production line that they cannot take away.

But the main nest for producing laser guns happened to be the place where Leon had previously fought a war with the deputy supervisor of foundry.

Leon's battle with the Skitarii caused irreversible damage to much of the infrastructure that maintained production in the main hive. Subsequent exchanges with some high-ranking priests who thought they could seize the production line further damaged the integrity of the production line.

Leon asked Lifar to do the statistics, and the estimated results in the final report showed that Maxim's production capacity of laser guns had dropped sharply from nearly 10 million per year to less than 1 million.

The good news is that the infrastructure and supporting industries in the sub-hive were not affected. Although the remaining production lines had been taken away by the sages long ago, Leon's previous action of preventing the Foundry Council from detonating the production lines that they could not take away paid off at this moment.

The result of this reward is that things like energy batteries, promethium, and protein bars can still be produced in the sub-hive at the same rate as Maxim's previous production.

Considering the extent of damage to the main hive and the subsequent defense plan, Leon simply abandoned the main hive and moved all the intact production equipment in the main hive to the secondary hive.

After the migration was completed, the final production data evaluation showed that Maxim was still capable of maintaining the basic supplies of the three million Astra Militarum troops that arrived on the planet.

But just maintaining supplies is not enough.

Three million Astra Militarum troops were no match for the Greenskins, numbering in the tens of millions. Only by expanding his army could Maxim retain hope of defeating the Greenskins.

So after investigating the situation, the first thing Leon had to do was to reorganize the production on Maxim.

The good news is that Leon is actually quite good at this.

Although he had never been involved in the management of a Forge World, his title was still Biology Sage. But that was simply because he had nothing when he started. Biology, which involved many opportunities for illegal work such as servitor modification and life extension surgery, was considered the best way for Leon to get started.

But now Leon has a low-level casting world in his hands. As he disassembles the production equipment and casting molds in depth, the knowledge in his mind quickly points him in a clear direction.

"Solid-state holographic mold?"

Looking at the production technology provided by Li Ang, Lifar was a little confused: "What kind of technology is this? Why haven't I heard of it?"

"That's right, I haven't heard of it."

Li Ang knocked his head and said, "It's freshly baked and still hot."

Lifar's eyes widened. He looked at Leon and became hesitant. "So it hasn't undergone any reliability tests...?"

This is the difficulty of working with technology in Warhammer. You never know whether your "breakthrough idea" comes from the evil suggestion of the Warp.

Warhammer technology wasn't without advancements, but each advancement required centuries of technical and reliability verification. Coupled with the rigors of the academic clique, the birth of new technology was always a difficult process.

As for what new technology can be thought of on the spur of the moment?

Lifar felt that the person who came up with the new technology should go to the Eye of Terror, as he and the Dark Mechanicus would definitely have a lot in common.

But he didn't dare tell Li Ang this. He could only hint at it indirectly, hoping that Li Ang would give up this dangerous idea. But Li Ang could guarantee that the technology he provided was fine, so he just waved his hand.

"What are you afraid of? Just use it."

Solid Holographic Molding, a production technology from Stellaris, accelerates alloy production and unlocks the first-level Giant Alloy Foundry. It's considered a core technology essential for players to master early on.

But Leon's golden finger requires him to study the corresponding technology before he can unlock the relevant technology.

As a sage of unfortunate fate, Leon's work on large-scale mechanical manufacturing had previously been a separate pursuit. Trying to dismantle the production line for research was an act of blasphemy against the Ohm Messiah, and even Leon didn't dare risk such a blasphemous act.

After more than a hundred years of twists and turns, Leon finally mastered the entry-level technology of the Fourth Disaster after controlling a forging planet.

Although Leon doesn't need to build a giant alloy foundry now, the principles of some technologies are universal.

After all, the core of this technology is to provide a universal template for the rapid production of corresponding metal parts. By simply pouring into the template, the corresponding metal parts can be produced in large quantities. In this way, any weapon that requires the assembly of metal parts can greatly speed up the production process.

The effects of this technology weren't exactly exceptional in the Warhammer world. As far as Leon knew, many Forge Worlds had their own unique methods for accelerating production efficiency. And if one had a complete STC production line, one enhanced by Dark Age technology, they could completely outperform this first-level technology from the stars.

But this technology represents a new system.

The lack of sages and production equipment in Maxim certainly makes it difficult for Leon to move forward, but Maxim, which has not been harmed by too many sages, is also a blank slate for him to paint freely.

This white board symbolizes a future that no one knows when it will come, but which Leon can foresee.

Under his coercion, the technology was quickly implemented. With the help of this technology, the annual production of laser guns, which had originally been less than one million, barely rebounded to two million. This output was enough to replace the weapons lost by the three million defenders while also generating some surplus for military expansion.

But laser guns alone are not enough. Facing the overwhelming number of greenskins, Leon must also have enough heavy weapons.

The Astra Militarum forces Admiral Hayes brought with him were fairly standard—three million Astra Militarum troops, all composed primarily of infantry regiments, supplemented by a small number of mechanized and armored regiments. While they weren't familiar Astra Militarum regiments, and lacked weapons like the Emperor's Bane Blade, they were equipped with all the usual weapons, including rifles and heavy artillery.

But weapons wear out. Squad heavy machine guns like the Timber Gun are easy to come by; even Hive Worlds can readily produce these, and even low-level Forge Worlds can readily create corresponding production lines and ammunition. But beyond machine guns, Leon must find alternatives for the Astra Militarum's supporting firepower, such as heavy artillery.

In this regard, Li Ang plans to start with the electromagnetic weapons he is good at.

To survive in the Adeptus Mechanicus, one needed some unique skills. The CMC Power Armor and electromagnetic rifle Leon had previously mastered were both derived from pre-existing Forge World technology. The CMC Power Armor, the force-feedback power armor used by the elite Storm Heirs of the Astra Militarum, laid the foundation for Leon's development, while the electromagnetic rifle was the principle Leon mastered through the macrocannons aboard Imperial warships.

Compared with high-speed light kinetic energy killing, the Empire, which has deviated from the style, prefers to launch large artillery shells to smash and explode, so they only use electromagnetic acceleration on the macro cannons of battleships or orbital bombardment to launch super-large solid ammunition.

For the Empire, electromagnetic acceleration was more of a launch method than a means of killing. This approach ran counter to the electromagnetic rifle's penetrating power. Therefore, despite mastering the relevant technology, the Empire never attempted to miniaturize electromagnetic weapons.

Leon had previously used the electromagnetic rifle to fill the gap in miniaturization of electromagnetic weapons, making this technology his signature. But now, he planned to reverse course and learn from the Empire's idea of ​​using electromagnetic weapons to launch large ammunition.

Hayes, who was invited to Leon's military laboratory, was filled with doubts as he looked at the strange-looking Leman Russ tank with its flat turret.

He turned to look at Li Ang and asked doubtfully, "Is this the heavy support firepower you are going to provide?"

Chapter 83 Siege Tank?

The Leman Russ tank, named after the Primarch of the Sixth Legion, was the most common tank in the Imperium of Man. Hayes was no stranger to these tanks, known as the anvils of the Guard.

Simple to produce, easy to manufacture, and more importantly, with minimal logistical strain, the company-based Leman Russ tank is the backbone of the Astra Militarum's armored forces. To meet the Astra Militarum's operational needs, the Leman Russ tank has no fewer than a hundred variants.

But even Admiral Hayes, who had experienced many battles and seen a lot, had never seen such a "Leman Russ" before.

The rectangular turret protrudes with two 90mm main guns. Although this is one more main gun than the usual Leman Russ, as a price, the fixed weapons on the Leman Russ hull are removed.

This clearly weakened the tank's overall firepower, and Admiral Hayes was not satisfied. He looked at Leon, confused as to why Leon had said this tank would be a supplement to their army's firepower. But Leon simply waved his hand, signaling Hayes to continue watching.

The Leman Russ drove out of Leon's laboratory and stopped at the test site. Then, in front of Hayes's astonished eyes, the Leman Russ suddenly turned its turret 180 degrees.

The two 90mm guns were retracted into the turret during the rotation, and the original rear of the turret was expanded and extended accordingly. When it rotated to the front, a 200mm railgun had been assembled, with its muzzle raised high, and a 180mm high-explosive bomb slid into its acceleration track.

Electromagnetic arcs flashed, and the shell was launched in the blink of an eye. Hayes hurriedly took out his telescope, and in a moment, he saw the fireworks exploding thirty kilometers away.

Hayes suddenly became excited.

"Yes, this is what I want to see!"

The Leman Russ's typical direct-fire main gun is 120mm, while the Empire's most common indirect-fire basilisk cannon is 132mm. This caliber pales in comparison to the 180mm railgun, so it's no wonder Hayes is so excited about this cannon.

"This is a new variant I developed. I'm tentatively naming it Leman Russ-Siegebreaker."

Li Ang explained: "The two 90mm guns are its direct firepower when it moves with the army. Of course, its main task is to use this 180mm railgun to launch shells from a distance."

This is actually the Terran siege tank in StarCraft, except that Leon only captured the siege gun of the siege tank.

A perfect siege tank would certainly be better, but Leon's research on tanks in the Warhammer world was not deep enough to create a complete siege tank. However, the piercing concussion cannon used by the siege tank was also a branch of electromagnetic weaponry, so he first developed the siege tank's main gun.

As a tank that can be produced in the industrial areas of the hive planet, Maxim also has a Leman Russ production line, and it is also one of the variants of the Leman Russ, the "Leman Russ Eraser".

Perhaps because the Leman Russ hull was too common, the sages did not take away the production line of the Leman Russ hull at all, but instead took away the production line of the Eraser Nova Cannon installed on the Leman Russ.

You have a body and I have a gun. How could such a coincidence happen in the world?

While the Empire's weapons, like Germany's in those days, had a beauty of wasting tonnage, the Leman Russ's weight of seventy tons meant it could use heavy piercing concussion cannons in siege mode without requiring a stable chassis.

Although its towering body and slow movement speed could hardly guarantee its survivability on the battlefield, having a ready-made production line was more important than anything else at this time.

At least Leon only needs to create a production line for the penetrating shock cannon to continuously produce this kind of basic siege tank.

"Great! With such firepower as support, I am confident that I can stop the orcs' attack."

Although it was an electromagnetic weapon, the caliber of firepower it delivered clearly conformed to the Warhammer aesthetic of bigger being better. Hayes was delighted with this weapon: "How many of these can you make?"

"The monthly output is about 200, and it will increase further in the future."

Hayes was clearly not satisfied with this output. However, this was already the limit of the production line. Li Ang had no better solution.

"Does this tank have any shortcomings?"

"Yes, the railgun it uses is powered independently of the Leman Russ's engine system. Because it's an electromagnetic weapon, the only way to solve this problem is to use external energy batteries."

"It's a logistical challenge..."

Hayes's frown deepened.

The prevalence of gunpowder weapons and laser guns in Warhammer is largely due to the Empire's poor logistics, but poor logistics are closely related to the faster-than-light travel method of this groove in the Warhammer universe.

When the Empire decides to launch a campaign, the soldiers on the front lines never know whether their supplies will arrive early, late, or even at all. In this situation, single-shot, high-powered ammunition and, in extreme cases, laser rifles that can be recharged by sunlight become the fundamental and irreplaceable options for the Imperial Army.

As for the electromagnetic rifles that require a huge amount of small physical ammunition, and the magnetic rail weapons that require a lot of energy support?

It can only be said that some weapons simply do not conform to the underlying logic of the Warhammer world. However, now with a Forge World behind them, the logistics are dozens of kilometers behind the soldiers when fighting, so the logistics of these weapons are not a concern at least in this battle.

As for the future, Leon has some plans to improve these weapons, but these plans can only be put into practice after the Green Tide ends.

Just adjusting and re-starting the production line took nearly two weeks, leaving Li Ang with little time to invest in further improvements. Producing as much as possible was the top priority.

The reconnaissance fleet sent to Diamond Star reported that the orcs on Diamond Star already had three fleets led by battleships, and they were no longer anchored above Diamond Star, but began to sail within the star system.

This meant the Orc fleet was complete. Based on the Empire's past experience, an Orc fleet with battleships should have around 10 million Orcs. This meant that Maxim would soon face an Orc force of around 30 million.

In this case, Leon could certainly understand Admiral Hayes's concerns.

But he still patted Hayes' shoulder comfortingly.

"Of course I'm still researching some killer weapons. But it will take some time."

Leon glanced at the Titan wreckage he had collected in the laboratory, "And before that..."

Before Leon could finish his words, a robot servant entered the laboratory. He reported to Leon in a mechanical voice:

"Report: Spaceport Message 1919, the Fists of Exemplar Chapter has arrived at Maxim Spaceport."

Li Ang nodded slightly.

"It seems our support has arrived. Let's go and meet them."

Chapter 84: The Arrival of the Paragon Fist.

Leon and Hayes rushed to the entrance of the sub-hive and met Kurland who was already waiting there.

The production equipment of the main hive has been transferred to the sub-hive under Leon's order. From now on, the sub-hive will be their main base.

But the space elevator of the spaceport is still in the main hive, so if you want to transport something from the spaceport, you still have to go through the main hive for the time being.

At least that would be the case until the Orks destroyed the spaceport with their overwhelming fleet.

Leon stepped forward and noticed that Kurland's face looked worried rather than happy.

"Director Lifar has already gone to the spaceport to greet the Fist of Exemplar."

Noticing the arrival of Leon and Hayes, Kurland explained briefly: "We just need to wait here for the arrival of the Fist of Exemplar."

"Finally, the first reinforcements from High Wall have arrived. Why do you still look so unhappy?"

Leon asked.

Kurland sighed and said, "Because the name of this chapter is the Fist of Exemplary."