The Simple Folk of the Bottom Nest

Two days later.

Qin Mo raised both hands to craft the sixth set of Power Armor while simultaneously using telekinesis to maneuver a spoon, feeding himself from a meal ration.

He realized he had held a bias against this food, and that starving for two days had been entirely unnecessary; the rations tasted far better and were much easier to stomach than he had imagined.

As he ate, Qin Mo also gained insight into how this sustenance was manufactured.

First, it was made from biological remains found on the battlefield or the corpses of horrific creatures from the depths of the Underhive, such as giant spiders.

Then, the Logistics Machines tasked with food supply by the Master Control Intelligence would purify the remains, extracting nutrients and biological tissues to combine them.

These rations were originally flavorless, but the Master Control Intelligence taught the Logistics Machines how to synthesize flavor factors, using harmless chemicals to create delicious additives for the food.

"According to the statistics from three Logistics Machines, the approval rating for this food has reached one hundred percent. Over seventy percent of the soldiers reported feeling more energetic or experiencing faster wound recovery after consumption."

"This data has been integrated into the Data Core to serve as a reference for optimizing future food supply processes."

The voice of the Master Control Intelligence came through the Communicator in Qin Mo's ear.

This was a routine report; after all, while Qin Mo wanted the Master Control Intelligence to exercise its own initiative, he still needed to know what it had been doing.

"How is the intelligence gathering going?" Qin Mo asked.

"The completed drones have been deployed. As of this moment, forty-two positions have been identified as still standing. Eighteen of these are facing fierce assaults from the Rebels, and three are on the verge of being overrun."

"Including the garrison at your current position, a total of 357,231 personnel remain alive."

"If you wish to support these positions, I will calculate the optimal support plan for you."

Qin Mo was astonished to hear that over 357,000 people were still alive.

According to the information he had previously obtained from Klein, the Marshal had only detached 50,000 men to establish a defensive line before realizing the situation had turned dire.

Where had the other 300,000 of these 357,000 survivors come from?

"There is a settlement in the Underhive called Kato," the Master Control Intelligence said, relaying what it had learned.

"Oh, that explains it." Qin Mo had a sudden realization and picked up the Power Armor helmet to put it on. "Calculate the optimal rescue plan for me."

A 3D map immediately appeared on the HUD inside his faceplate, with all existing positions displayed intuitively and color-coded based on their current status.

Positions in less critical condition were green, those in critical condition but with large numbers of survivors capable of holding out for a while were orange, and positions that were both critical and low on manpower were red.

The Master Control Intelligence plotted a route through the red positions; by following this path, he could provide support to each location as quickly as possible.

"Two of these red positions can be relieved by Fire Support Drones. Only the Kato settlement, located one thousand kilometers to the west, requires your personal intervention," the Master Control Intelligence said. "I require your authorization to call in the Fire Support Drones, if you consent."

"I consent," Qin Mo nodded.

Subsequently, on the map he was viewing, four Fire Support Drones took off from the 47th Regiment's base and sped toward the two red positions other than the Kato settlement.

"It is time for me to depart as well." Qin Mo stood up and looked down at the sixth set of Power Armor he had just finished crafting, only to suddenly feel a sense of emptiness. In his eyes, this armor was no longer such a perfect masterpiece.

During this recent period of research and manufacturing, Qin Mo had discovered that he wasn't being driven by conviction or necessity, but that he genuinely enjoyed the work.

When he broke through technical barriers that ordinary people would spend a lifetime trying to overcome, and when creations that even the most advanced engineering could not produce were born in his hands, Qin Mo felt genuine joy and satisfaction.

But once the technical barriers were thoroughly shattered and manufacturing became as easy as eating or drinking, that joy vanished.

Qin Mo felt an urgent desire to create even more advanced and powerful artifacts, and this craving helped him understand that the power he wielded originated from a Star God who loved to create.

"There are more important things to do now." Qin Mo suppressed his thirst for creation and knowledge, and commanded Grey through the Communicator: "Call Tor over; his Power Armor is finished."

"Are we heading out to fight?" Grey asked.

"Of course," Qin Mo nodded. "We need to reach a settlement called Kato immediately."

The Kato settlement was a small city in the Underhive.

Bounty hunters in the city would search for ancient relics in the desolate corners of the Underhive, gang members built "factories" within the city to produce weapons or other contraband, and civilians provided services to the former two in exchange for money and food.

Qin Mo had heard a little about this settlement; he had assumed it had fallen long ago.

When he arrived at the main thoroughfare where the fighting was most intense, he found two thousand Planetary Defense Force soldiers holding the road.

"It's one of our own!"

When the soldiers saw the Aquila Scepter in Qin Mo's hand, they immediately realized he had come to help.

"Hold the line." Qin Mo issued orders to the other soldiers, then looked at the officer in a nearby trench. "As far as I know, you have two thousand men, but you are almost all stationed on the main road. Who is fighting in the other parts of the city?"

The officer answered immediately: "It is..."

Before the officer could finish the word, a vehicle suddenly roared from behind the lines and pulled up in front of Qin Mo, drawing his attention.

Qin Mo turned to look and saw it was a vehicle resembling a pickup truck, with a black cloth covering the cargo bed.

When the vehicle stopped, five civilians stepped out.

It was a family—a husband and wife with three small children.

"This is the front line. What are you doing here?" Qin Mo asked.

"Coming to support this bunch of losers." The man glanced at the soldiers, then jumped onto the truck bed and tore off the black cloth.

Beneath the black cloth lay a quad-linked heavy Stubber.

The man began adjusting the Stubber's firing angle, aiming it toward the Rebels far ahead on the main road, while his wife and children retrieved ammunition crates, skillfully loading the feed belts into the weapon.

Once preparations were complete, the man immediately operated the Stubber to strafe the Rebels, while his wife and children ran back to the vehicle to retrieve laser rifles equipped with scopes, joining the fray.

The youngest girl was only a head taller than her rifle, yet she was already capable of skillfully sniping enemies.

"As you can see," the soldier said with a helpless shrug, "most of the fighting in the city is handled by the Militia."

"The people of the Underhive are truly as rugged as they say." Qin Mo now understood why this city had not fallen.

In the Underhive, those without the strength to fend for themselves had long since been culled by the environment.