Reorganization

Lycaeus, south of the Tower

The miners swung the shovels in their hands, scooping sand from the carts beside them and covering the bright red blood. Even after a whole night and a layer of sand, the thick stench of blood could not be concealed.

Through the dust filling the air, Korax could still see that the camp's population had been reduced by nearly a tenth.

"The Eleventh Purge!!!" Korax became incomparably furious at the sight before him. He knew casualties were unavoidable, but this scene still deeply stabbed at the Primarch's sensitive heart.

"Korax, remember: mercy does not command armies! These sacrifices are not worth mentioning compared to the victory we have won." Giovanni set down his shovel and comforted the Primarch, who stood far taller than him.

"I understand, but I cannot accept it," Korax said flatly.

"Prepare to relocate. Abandon these smaller camps. Leave only one or two large camps in each district to deal with the Tower's possible retaliation." Korax gave the order as he looked at the blood on the ground, now dark red.

At this moment, Korax's identity had begun shifting toward that of a ruler. In the past, he had mostly acted as an intermediary connecting the various camps. Now, he understood.

"Yes, Lord Korax." Giovanni's form of address showed both his stance and his support for the Primarch.

"You could be considered my teacher. You do not need to address me like that." Korax gave Giovanni a wry smile.

"Korax, an organization must have a corresponding hierarchy. It is essential to an organization's healthy development, and it is not subject to human will." Giovanni once again impressed upon Korax the lessons he had taught this exceptionally gifted child in the past.

"I understand, Teacher. Brothers and sisters of the organization, relocate your camps." Korax then vanished from the place once more.

Over the next stretch of time, Korax traveled through the mining camps around every district of the Tower as quickly as possible, delivering his orders to camps large and small.

Just as Sandman had expected, Korax's proposal received the approval of everyone in the Lycaeus region.

In the time that followed, the miners lived their days mining while relocating, finally completing Korax's plan two months later.

"The camps on Lycaeus have finally been consolidated. Next, we can draw the able-bodied workers from the camps and form our army." Sandman looked at the new situation map hanging on the wall.

The large and small camps that had once been scattered like interlocking canine teeth had now been reduced to only several major gathering points, along with the western region, which still appeared chaotic.

Korax had no mood to concern himself with the lives of those criminals from Kiavahr. As long as they did not come and raid the camps under his command, that was enough.

It was foreseeable that after the camps were consolidated, those criminals would soon be driven into a corner. By then, new internal turmoil would inevitably arise. The criminals in the west were now like a poison pit cut off by the eastern, southern, and northern districts. If they wanted to survive as long as possible, only the strongest would remain.

It was cruel, but it was reality.

Not a single mining camp would accept those people steeped in sin, even if the new resource exchange rates were enough to ensure their bare minimum survival.

But Lycaeus did not feed idlers.

The criminals' fate would depend on what decision their leader made after the West District determined its final victor. Survival or death rested on a single thought.

Either he would lead those criminals into accepting reorganization, or he would lead them in raiding the miners who had relocated to the large camps. The former still offered some hope of survival. For the latter, Korax would not hesitate to lead his people in completely destroying that place which had bred countless evils.

"Nearly half a year remaining should be enough. Have every camp turn in everything except the necessary amount of ore to the Tower. What do you think?" Sandman asked Korax for his opinion.

"It is indeed enough. I have already obtained the deployment maps for every key node in the Tower. As soon as we get the weapons, we can launch the uprising at any time," Korax said.

The greatest problem facing the miners now was weapons. The forces they faced were not merely those armed overseers, a rabble without discipline. There were also Kiavahr's regular troops stationed in the Tower, as well as the Lord of the High Tower's private army.

"Weapons are easy enough. We can just take them directly from those armed overseers. Protective gear, though, is something we have no way to deal with," Sandman said.

In the Warhammer Universe, firearms always dealt excessive damage. Take the Short-barreled Laser Gun mainly used on Lycaeus, for example. It could easily tear through the armor of ordinary soldiers on Kiavahr.

Not to mention the Neural-linked Power Armor used by the Astartes and the Force-feedback Power Armor used by mortals—even the Solar-pattern Void Armor of the Solar Auxilia was exceedingly precious.

Making up roughly twenty percent of the Imperium's military forces, the Solar Auxilia were the Imperium of Man's most elite mortal troops. They could adapt to all kinds of battlefields and excelled at void warfare. The equipment they received was also the best available outside the Space Marine Legions.

The Solar Auxilia assigned to the Raven Guard was a powerful Solar Auxilia regiment known as the Beastmen Infantry Regiment.

But how could such equipment possibly be issued to ordinary Planetary Defence Force troops? Not to mention whether Kiavahr could produce the armor used by the elite among the Solar Auxilia, even if it could, it would never manufacture such things. This place had known peace for far too long.

Aside from protective gear, the miners also lacked firepower. An army would not have only Laser Guns. Frag Grenades, Melta Bombs, Plasma Weapons—key Defense Nodes were also equipped with Heavy Logging Guns or Twin-linked Lascannons.

Without Boarding Shields or Astartes, a single burst from those devastating weapons could wipe out all the infantry in an entire passageway.

"Then it will depend on Shadow Kill." Sandman smiled at that. This had been the objective behind cultivating Shadow Kill from the very beginning.

Every Primarch would push what he excelled at to the extreme, and the planet Korax had landed on happened to be capable of bringing out his greatest strengths.

Sandman had laid the groundwork in advance, while Korax's instruction made them even more outstanding in concealment, lurking, and infiltration. Some members who had awakened Psychic Power were especially absurd.

Among the entire human race, aside from a very few people, no one could surpass a Primarch in the use of Psychic Power. With a Primarch personally teaching them, passing the Imperium's psychic screening would be simplicity itself.