Disappearance

For some time afterward, the various positions along the defensive line continued receiving a steady stream of weapons and equipment. Duncan and Albert also received enough Power Armor to equip everyone.

Yet the Power Armor and other weapons and equipment kept arriving without end.

Outside the fortress, Albert sat on a piece of metal, silently watching the Logistics Machines search the positions for materials.

The materials they searched for were the old weapons and equipment the soldiers had replaced earlier.

Those black spherical constructs floated up to the weapons and equipment, scanned them first, and after confirming they were not weapons or equipment Qin Mo had improved or independently manufactured, projected beams that broke them down.

The weapons and equipment on the ground gradually vanished. Albert could not see where the dismantled materials went, and he guessed they might have gone into the bellies of those black spheres.

Because those black spheres immediately gathered together, lined up in a long row, and projected beams at the empty ground. Then, within the beams, brand-new weapons and equipment gradually came into being.

"Fabrication printing technology." Albert murmured as he observed and analyzed. He tried to determine through speculation how the materials were broken down, and how those materials were then projected by the beams into reality and reassembled.

But there was no way to speculate, because there was not even a basis for speculation. The Logistics Machines' dismantling and manufacturing process looked so abstract, like sorcery or magic.

"You're sitting here spacing out again?"

His friend's voice came from behind him. Albert turned around and saw Duncan.

"This is two hundred meters from the fortress. Rebels could appear nearby at any time. It's dangerous for you to keep spacing out here." Duncan sat beside Albert and reminded him with a frown.

Albert raised his head and looked up at the sky. All he could see was endless darkness and enormous winding, twisted pipes. "If the rebels show up, I'll fight them until I'm freed from this gloomy, pitch-black shithole."

Duncan said nothing.

He knew his friend had always had mild self-destructive tendencies, and that those tendencies had grown worse in such desperate circumstances. They were only being suppressed by Albert's duty as a Regimental Commander to be responsible for his soldiers.

Now, no one on any of the defensive lines longed more than Albert for Qin Mo to launch a counterattack, because once it began, he could die in battle with perfect justification.

"While you were spacing out, I contacted the 47th Regiment through the communicator." Duncan changed the subject.

Life returned to Albert's deep, numb eyes, and he immediately asked, "Has the counterattack begun?"

"No. The organization of us survivors is going to be expanded." Duncan then relayed what he had heard through the communicator.

Every existing regiment would be expanded to ten thousand men. Each regiment had to have ten thousand combat-capable soldiers.

In addition, all of their regiments would be reorganized into a single legion, and Qin Mo would naturally be the Legion Commander.

Duncan also reminded Albert that they had previously called Qin Mo by name because he had held no military rank. Now that he had declared himself Legion Commander and received everyone's recognition, they had to address him by his rank.

Albert was puzzled by the decision. "Weapons and equipment can be manufactured easily enough, but how do you make people? Our two regiments combined don't even have ten thousand men. Where are we supposed to find recruits?"

Duncan was about to answer when Albert suddenly remembered that there were still more than three hundred thousand people in Kato. "I get it. We're going to recruit soldiers in Kato, right?"

"Yes." Duncan nodded. "I just learned that the plan to build a new city in Kato is being drafted. After learning about the construction plan for New Kato, the civilians decided to repay the Legion Commander through action. They have already been enlisted and will soon head to the various positions."

"I see." Albert nodded thoughtfully.

He had never been to Kato or participated in the battle to defend Kato, but the civilians of the lower hive definitely had fighting power. They had food and weapons, though earning their loyalty was no easy task. But as long as their loyalty could be gained, it would be like having an army that came with its own rations.

"Excellent." Albert looked into the distance. "I have a feeling that all of this is preparation for the counterattack. After months of preparation, we're finally going to launch it!"

"Yes." Duncan thought the same.

After that, neither of them spoke. They simply watched the metallic wilderness ahead.

Until Albert suddenly turned back toward the Logistics Machines, pointed at them, and said, "If that thing turns me into an ash block, could you tell the Legi... Legion Commander to throw my ash block into the world outside the Hive City?"

"But we're in the lower hive. How could he possibly..."

"He can perform fabrication magic and has all kinds of advanced technology. Can't he make a slingshot and launch my ash block out?"

"All right. If you die in battle, I will."

Duncan agreed to his friend's request.

Late at night.

Duncan was shaken awake from his sleep. He stared blankly at the two soldiers standing beside his bed.

One soldier was his guard, while the other was Albert's guard.

"Do you know where our Regimental Commander went?" Albert's guard asked.

Duncan rubbed his face to wake himself up, then asked in return, "I remember Albert was still spacing out outside the fortress during dinner. Didn't you go look for him?"

"I did, but I couldn't find him. Everyone in our regiment put on Power Armor and searched within five hundred meters of the fortress. We couldn't find even a trace of him." The guard answered tremblingly.

Duncan instantly sobered up. He quickly got dressed, rushed out of the room, and headed straight for the armory where the Power Armor was stored.

Seeing how tense he was, Albert's guard guessed the likely outcome, but he could not believe it. "You don't think our Regimental Commander was taken by the enemy, do you?"

"Of course not. The fortress's firing positions are manned at all times. If rebels appeared nearby, they would definitely be seen." Duncan spoke as he walked.

The guard let out a long breath of relief, but Duncan's next words made him even more worried.

"Albert probably left the position on his own."

"As for why... there are Psykers among the rebels. Anything could happen outside the range covered by the Psy-Suppressors within the fortress."

"I warned that bastard long ago not to go spacing out in secluded places. Damn it..."

As he spoke, Duncan entered the armory, walked to the rack where Power Armor hung, and began putting it on himself.

"I'll go look with you," the guard said.

"Were you trained as a scout?" Duncan asked. "You'd only slow me down."

After putting on the Power Armor, Duncan immediately left the armory, rushed out of the fortress alone, moved through the shadows, and activated Bio-Scan.

Bio-Scan had a radius of five hundred meters. Once the scan was complete, he could only see a dense mass of red dots inside the fortress.

Duncan continued moving forward, occasionally changing direction and running to another location, scanning continuously all the while.