150 units of energy?!
If reason hadn't reined in his emotions in time, Alvin might have shouted in excitement.
The Deflection Field Generator was the real deal. He wasn't sure how strong its defenses were, but it could at least stop bullets without a problem.
He'd actually struck gold. The Emperor Lord had answered his prayers!
Though his heart was racing, Alvin kept his distasteful expression, looking helpless as he said, "Everything you've got here is basically junk."
"Obviously. If it weren't junk, why would I be selling it?" The stall owner sneered dismissively. "You want it or not? If not, I'll trade it all for Nutrient Paste."
"Forget it. I couldn't eat that much Nutrient Paste."
Alvin shook his head, then pretended to hesitate before finally picking out the old Laser gun and some used batteries. He mixed in the copper plate and put on a disappointed expression. "I'll take these, plus three portions of Nutrient Paste."
The stall owner had seen the copper plate, but didn't care. Things like that were everywhere. Who knew what it had fallen off of? "A portion of Nutrient Paste goes for about ten crowns on the market. I'll take a bit of a loss on the rest. If you find anything good next time, remember to come back to me."
Take a loss?
That was pretty funny.
Everyone knew scavengers would eat dog shit off the roadside, but they'd never take a loss.
But Alvin couldn't be bothered to call him out. He just smiled and nodded. "Sure. If I find anything good, I'll definitely come back."
After packing up the goods, he turned and left the Black Market.
The stall owner held the Gas Mask in one hand, his gaze fixed on the direction Alvin had gone. He looked thoughtful.
After leaving the Black Market, Alvin didn't hurry home.
Instead, he deliberately took a long detour. Once he was sure no one was following him, he tossed the clothes aside in an empty corner and burned them to ashes.
Only after that was done did he let out a relieved breath. "That should make me safe now."
Never underestimate anyone, especially the scum of the Underhive.
The other man had a metal Prosthetic limb, so he clearly wasn't an ordinary Underhive dweller. That was why Alvin couldn't be sure whether his little trick had fooled him.
But burning the clothes would completely erase his scent. Even if the man figured it out afterward, he'd never be able to find Alvin.
Those clothes were the last of his "possessions," but Alvin thought it was necessary to eliminate the danger for the sake of his safety. Only the cautious could survive in the wasteland.
With that loose end taken care of, Alvin followed the familiar little paths back to the home of the body he'd taken over.
Calling it a "home" was generous. It was really just a doghouse cobbled together from a completely abandoned garbage dump that even scavengers wouldn't touch. The place reeked, and filth was everywhere.
Even so, Alvin inexplicably felt a sense of peace.
The crude shack made of sheet metal was his home—the place where he'd grown up.
Back in the sheet-metal shack, Alvin was already ravenous. He immediately tore open a bag of Nutrient Paste and gulped it down.
The first taste of Nutrient Paste nearly made him throw up. It was a thick, flavorless sludge.
By any measure, the stuff was practically "vomit." In the end, hunger won out over reason.
Alvin shut his eyes, steeled himself, and drank the whole bag.
His hunger finally eased. He could now understand why a portion of Nutrient Paste was so sought after in the Underhive.
No matter how disgusting it tasted, at least it kept people alive.
He wanted nothing more than to sleep, but reason told Alvin he had to hurry and reactivate the "dial."
The Blood Axe Gang's threat came second.
With the help of his "Golden Finger," Alvin was brimming with confidence. What truly concerned him was the man in black robes who'd spoken with the Iron Hammer Gang in his memories.
If his guess was right, that mysterious man in black was very likely a Psyker!
Psychic powers drew energy from the Warp and could unleash extraordinary destructive power. That made every Psyker incredibly dangerous.
Everyone knew that once the Warp was involved, things were bound to get serious!
What was more, the black-robed Psyker had mentioned words like "skulls" and "sacrifice," making Alvin even more uneasy.
The Warp, psychic powers, skulls, sacrifice.
Put those four words together, and the message was clear: the enemy was preparing to summon Khorne Daemons.
Khorne. Daemons. If they appeared in the Warhammer Universe, the outcome was either death or a fate worse than death.
Should he go find an Inquisitor?
The thought lasted less than half a second in Alvin's mind before he rejected it outright.
For one thing, as a piece of Underhive trash, there was no way he'd ever get to see an Inquisitor. Most likely, they'd shoot him on sight and label him a criminal.
Even if he really did manage to see an Inquisitor and report that the Underhive might be harboring "cultist" lunatics, he wouldn't be rewarded with a medal. He'd get a bullet instead.
Then the Inquisitor would assess the cult's strength and decide whether to issue an "Extermination Order."
Even in the best-case scenario, the Inquisitors—an utterly fanatical bunch—would simply level the entire Underhive, claiming it was necessary to prevent the cult's corruption from spreading.
In the Warhammer Universe, human lives were the most worthless thing there was.
But if he didn't report it and the cult's blood sacrifice succeeded, the Grey Knights might show up!
Alvin's face twisted with bitterness. If the Grey Knights really arrived, they might level the entire planet.
"Reactivate the dial as soon as possible, then find a way to stop those lunatics."
He wasn't doing it for some bullshit idea of justice. He simply didn't want to get caught up in it.
If things really got out of hand, there'd be nowhere to run from an Extermination Order. He'd have no choice but to pray for the Emperor's blessing beneath a Macrocannon barrage and hope he'd wake up in an ecchi world in his next life.
The threat posed by the cult made Alvin cast aside his distractions. He laid out everything he'd bought at the Black Market in front of him.
Forcing down his excitement, he picked up the copper plate. "I've got the energy, but how do I transfer it into the 'dial'?"
As he pondered, the "dial" against his chest seemed to sense the energy and began to vibrate faintly.
Alvin took it out, thought for a moment, then picked up the copper plate and pressed it against the "dial."
A barely visible glimmer flashed. The mechanical voice sounded again.
[Rechargeable energy: 150 units]
Alvin was secretly delighted. It really worked.
But as he looked at the copper plate, he hesitated before asking, "Can I recharge it with only a hundred units?"
The Deflection Field Generator was a top-tier defensive item. If he weren't short on energy units, he couldn't bear to use them for recharging.
[Recharging energy: 100 units]
The "dial" really understood him. It left him with 50 units. If he used the Deflection Field Generator sparingly, it could block several fatal attacks for him at a critical moment.
After recharging, the "dial" merged directly into his wrist, like a tattoo.
Alvin was pleased with the change. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about losing it or someone discovering it.
[Navigator: Alvin] [Species: Human] [Profession: Scavenger] [Anchored World: None] [Remaining Energy: 100 units] [Respected Navigator, would you like to travel to a new world?]
Alvin picked up the old Laser gun and tucked the copper plate into his shirt. Once he was ready, he confirmed, "Yes. Take me to a new world!"
Suddenly, it was as if a black hole had opened right in front of him.
The immense suction swallowed the bewildered Alvin whole, and then he vanished without a trace.
When Alvin opened his eyes again, he found himself in an alley.
"Why is it always somewhere like this? Am I somehow fated to end up in these crappy places?" Alvin grumbled helplessly, then looked up at the night sky.
The moon shone bright among the sparse stars, and the night was as soft as gauze.
Even the cool summer breeze made him feel nostalgic and drunk with delight.
People only realized how precious what they had once possessed was after they'd lost it.
After being transported to the Warhammer Universe, even taking a breath of twenty-first-century air felt like the height of luxury to Alvin.
"Now this is what it means to be alive!"
Alvin spread his arms and took a deep breath, as if he'd been given a new lease on life.
Across the street, a video was playing on the LED screen of a commercial building.
A handsome young man in a tight-fitting dark blue suit and a star-spangled cape, looking every bit like a god descending to earth, was being interviewed. His sunny smile made him look like a pure-hearted boy.
"The Seven, under Vought International, have successfully foiled the resistance group's plot and saved hundreds of civilians, led by Homelander."
The sight of the man in the video left Alvin stunned.
Wasn't that... Homelander?!
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