Methods for Entering and Exiting the Underhive

"Whatever this place was originally for, the structures built by the ancients have now become our problem."

"From what I know, there are ancient self-destruct mechanisms embedded within the metal above and around the passage."

Klein squatted on the ground, his fingers tracing lines on the blueprint he had drawn.

"These self-destruct mechanisms aren't some fancy high-tech stuff, but they're reliable and effective enough."

"In short, they're bombs placed inside the metal walls, connected to a self-repairing detonator button."

"When the button is pressed, the bombs inside the walls detonate. The giant metal fragments that break off are enough to block the passage, but what's more deadly is that there's a second ring of bombs within the walls. This second ring of bombs functions like a meltagun."

"First, the metal fragments break off, then a torrent of molten metal floods every crevice, fusing these fragments into a single mass, blocking the entire nine-hundred-kilometer passage."

"Emperor above, I truly can't imagine what the designer was thinking."

With that, Klein handed the blueprint to Anreda.

"You know quite a bit about the passage's self-destruct mechanisms?" Qin Mo asked, surprised.

"Of course. My family is the oldest Engineer family on this planet," Klein said with unconcealed pride. "The stories of my family's rise are all tied to these self-destruct mechanisms."

"About seventeen hundred years ago, my ancestor took on a secret project commissioned by the governor at the time. It took thirty years to extract a single meltabomb from the walls."

"At that time, Hive Terra was engulfed in war, with rebels organized by an unknown cult clashing fiercely with the Planetary Defense Force."

"Just when everyone thought the governor would use the bomb for military purposes, he used it to destroy the area where another noble family resided, turning a large number of buildings into molten iron."

After listening to Klein's story, Qin Mo sighed, "It seems this is a skill passed down through generations of governors."

"The skills passed down through their family aren't just about playing with bombs," Klein said.

The three stood together, gazing at the obstruction in the passage.

Once their idle chat concluded, Qin Mo raised his hand, attempting to see if he could quickly clear the obstruction with his abilities.

Klein, however, held little hope. After all, he had been present when Qin Mo built the fortress. The fortress's outer walls were constructed piece by piece, and compared to the obstruction blocking the entire passage, the fortress was like a small house.

But one had to try.

As Qin Mo focused and channeled the power of the Star God, the metal before them began to flow, like liquid down a slope, before Qin Mo controlled it to adhere to the surrounding passage walls.

The giant wall, formed by solidified metal fragments, was rapidly being restored.

At this moment, Qin Mo recalled what Mimic had said and realized his power was indeed gradually recovering.

If he were constructing a fortress instead of excavating this massive passage, it would only take a second to raise the fortress from the ground.

Half an hour later, Qin Mo gave up. "It's like trying to fill the ocean with stones."

Anreda didn't understand what an ocean was, but Klein did, so he understood Qin Mo's meaning.

"Are these obstructions completely sealed shut inside?" Qin Mo had a sudden thought. "If we could enter the obstructions, and fill the gaps with meltabombs..."

As he spoke, Qin Mo walked towards the obstruction, distorting the physical laws in a large radius around his body, allowing the metal to be penetrated as if it were air.

Klein and Anreda watched Qin Mo pass through the wall and enter, already accustomed to it.

After waiting for ten minutes, Qin Mo returned and explained the situation to them: "It's completely sealed shut with molten iron inside. There's no fixing it."

"What if we don't dig through it?" Klein asked. "Like how you went inside the metal, have others travel around you, entering the metal together. Every kilometer, we dig out a large hole for rest. Would that work?"

"You don't think I'm available on demand like him, do you? What will you do when I'm not around?" Qin Mo pointed at Anreda.

"That's true..." Klein was completely out of ideas.

Qin Mo began to ponder ways to excavate the passage.

It was actually quite simple: use engineering machinery to excavate. Research small-scale engineering machinery and efficient metal excavation devices, or build giant engineering machinery equipped with energy beams to melt through the obstructing metal bit by bit.

However, just as he started contemplating what kind of engineering machinery to build, Qin Mo suddenly had another idea.

Since they would eventually create a method of interstellar travel not based on the Warp, why not start researching it now?

Begin with related technologies, create some fundamental components, and gradually expand the entire tech tree until they could use it proficiently.

Qin Mo himself didn't know what this technology would be, but he felt that this passage was like the distance between galaxies – there was always a way to traverse it.

Qin Mo looked at Klein. "Not only will I not dig through this blocked passage, but I will reinforce it, making it impossible to breach or destroy."

"Are we going to stay in the Underhive forever?" Klein suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

"No, we can still come and go, we just won't need to use this passage anymore," Qin Mo walked towards the train. "Everyone else, don't waste any more time on this passage. If the various regiments can't find any rebels to attack, then conduct training and exercises."

After returning to the fortress, Qin Mo decided to undertake long-term research. Before that, however, he had to settle all affairs.

If, as Mimic had said, there was a larger conspiracy on this planet and it was being corrupted, then they had to prepare for a long-term stay in the Underhive, rather than everyone leaving the Underhive and never returning.

The establishment of New Kato City was urgent.

Qin Mo instructed the Master Control Intelligence to deploy logistics machinery to build a new city. This city was to be constructed like a fortress, ensuring that power and water could reach every corner, and it would be equipped with numerous armories and turrets.

Civilians would reside beneath the various turrets within the city. During peacetime, they would be workers in the armories, and during wartime, they would operate the turrets as family units to participate in defense.

The city center would feature a sanctuary. During wartime, it would serve as a children's shelter, but in normal times, it would be a school.

The school would not teach physical education or art, as these were too luxurious. Students would only learn how to identify enemies and how to fight them.

Qin Mo did not delude himself into thinking he could create a utopian city, but he would ensure that the people in this city would easily obtain things for which they would normally have to pay a price – that is, food and fresh water.

After arranging everything, Qin Mo dedicated himself entirely to his research. He quickly figured out the direction his research should take.

It was to create traversable shortcuts in alternating space and dimensions – a human application of Necron Phase Shift Technology.