First Census of the Underhive

Time slowly passed, and the Super-large Starch Factory gradually neared completion, initiating pre-production processes.

As a super-large starch factory that integrated the production lines of hundreds of starch plants, it could produce over two hundred million tons of starch daily, barely enough to sustain the rations of the fifty billion people on Planet Badab.

As a factory, it naturally required raw materials. Carbon sources, hydrogen sources, and oxygen sources all needed specialized planning, or they could not satisfy the appetite of this massive plant.

Thus, instead of disbanding the two hundred million laborers, they expanded recruitment further with the addition of a second batch of four million Auxilia, intending to raise the workforce to two billion and continue expanding various large-scale engineering facilities.

After about half a year of observation, Huron also discovered that the system's civilian factories improved efficiency by covertly coordinating everyone's minds rather than conjuring things out of thin air.

Therefore, he simultaneously initiated three major projects: the Super-large Water Purification and Circulation System, the Integrated Air Circulation and Purification System, and the Large Plasma Reactor, assigning three civilian factories to each project to accelerate progress and reduce accidents.

Not long after the three projects began, a third batch of eight million Auxilia completed training and became ready for deployment.

With an abundant workforce, a starch factory capable of winning hearts, and thirty billion units of vitamin pills all prepared, Huron intended to further tighten his control over the Underhive.

The first step, naturally, was a thorough census.

Although the Underhive was not as completely out of control as the Deep Hive, the nobles maintained little control over it, let alone conducting a detailed census.

The population figures for the entirety of Palatos Hive and even Planet Badab were mere estimates, with actual populations likely much higher—this was the norm in the Imperium of Man.

Palatos nominally held twenty billion people, with the Underhive claiming the vast majority of that population. Conservatively estimated, the Underhive should house over sixteen billion people, perhaps even more, easily exceeding twenty billion.

Population was the foundation of the future. To say nothing else, the Badab System contained several habitable planets, but their development level was extremely low, with only a few hundred million people per planet, which was a terrible waste.

Aside from sorting out the population, another purpose of the census was to clearly demarcate the boundaries of the Deep Hive so that subsequent disposition plans could be decided.

As for how to divide the Deep Hive and the Underhive...

Those who refused to assist in executing the census orders, or even obstructed them, would naturally be treated as Deep Hive zones.

As the orders came down, millions of Auxilia entered the Underhive, registering the Underhiver residents hiding in every corner with the assistance of local gangs.

To build public trust and prevent common diseases from attracting Nurgle Damaons, Huron ordered that every person be issued one unit of vitamin pills and five kilograms of starch, on the condition that they collected it in person.

With the half-year baseline of starch infrastructure projects setting an example—especially those two hundred million increasingly robust, rosy-cheeked laborers constantly showing off and bragging—a substantial number of Underhivers chose to believe and grew very enthusiastic.

Yet a large portion of people still resisted registration, distrustful of good things falling from the sky. Others refused registration for various other reasons.

Even if this population accounted for only one percent, that still amounted to hundreds of millions.

However, for Huron now, he possessed sufficient manpower to deal with these stubborn cases. If anyone stubbornly refused to register, they would be treated as Deep Hive residents and subjected to direct military administration.

Underhive, Carter District.

Led by the local gang boss, a team of registrars arrived at a blocked-off abandoned pipe.

"My lords, this should be the last one." The gang boss walked up to the pipe wall and pounded on the door.

He knocked and shouted, "Liam, open up! The lords have business with you!"

The pipe, blocked by old Plasteel, opened a gap. A delicate and charming face appeared at the opening, looked around, noticed the distinguished-looking registrar following behind the gang boss, brightened, and quickly pushed open the Plasteel block.

"My lord, are you here to try it too? I promise—"

"No." The registrar, momentarily stunned by his beauty, interrupted him. "We are here for the Underhive population census. The people behind you need to be registered too."

As a registrar who had consumed gene-seed three times, he already heard faint noises in the passage behind Liam, sounding like... children?

Liam's face stiffened, then he quickly recovered that soft, alluring expression. "My lord, you jest. It's just me here, this gentleman can vouch for it."

As he spoke, he looked toward the gang boss.

The gang boss turned pale. "No, no, don't call me lord. But my lord, there really is only Liam here. Uh, me and those customers can all vouch for it, for years no one else has been seen here."

The registrar raised an eyebrow. Initially, he thought this person was a madam controlling a stable of young prostitutes, but now it didn't seem to be the case.

"This is an order jointly issued by the God-Emperor's Lord Angel and the Planetary Governor." He pulled out a data-slate, opened the registration form, and said, "No one can refuse. Call everyone out and register them one by one. Those who register get five kilograms of starch and a vitamin pill each."

"Otherwise, next time won't be as easy-going as us."

"My lord, I..." As an Underhiver, Liam had heard plenty of horrifying stories about Upperhivers, which was why he didn't want the children to come out. Heaven knew how these people would treat them.

"Ahem." The gang boss chimed in at this point. "Liam, these lords are servants of the Lord Angel, serving the Lord Angel, and they are trustworthy. You know those workers who went to build the starch factory recently, right?"

Liam nodded. Those workers had frequently patronized his business lately, spending more lavishly than ever before, and each of them looked rosy-cheeked, carrying an indescribable vigor and vitality.

"Those people are all ordinary Underhivers, and you know what they looked like before." The gang boss smacked his lips. "The Lord Angel actually gives out starch and vitamin pills."

Liam was silent for a moment before shouting into the passage, "Ramsey, bring everyone out."

Rustling sounds echoed from the dark passage, and soon, a pale older child led a group of pale younger children flooding out from the pipe.

"Big brother, who are they?" Ramsey, the one in the lead, looked vigilant. One of his arms had been severed, and he held a homemade machete in the other hand.

"It's fine, they're here to distribute food. Everyone go and get registered, answer whatever they ask." Liam wore a reassuring smile.

"Name, age, can you read and write..." Ramsey and the children answered questions under the questioning of several registrars.

The lead registrar looked at Liam. "Also, a reminder. Within a year at most, the new Badab Codex will be published, and the work you're currently doing falls under the category of a severe crackdown. Find some other work as soon as possible; the new code won't retroactively prosecute this kind of work."

Liam's expression shifted. "My lord, I... what else can I do..."

"Get a job, obviously." The registrar said it as a matter of course. "Right now the whole hive is engaged in massive construction, and it will expand to the entire planet later. Labor is needed everywhere. Can you read? Can you do math?"

"I... a little bit." He answered instinctively, then smiled bitterly. "My lord, with my physique, I can't carry heavy things."

"If you can't be a porter, you can do something else." The registrar pulled a flyer from his backpack. "If it's writing, go join the registrar training, or do clerical work at a construction site."

"If you perform well, you can also be selected for the Chapter Auxilia. Then you can support these children without doing this work. As for now, the Chapter can foster these children on your behalf, covering food, lodging, and education."

The registrar didn't harbor any particular prejudice against Liam; when he was an Underhiver, he hadn't patronized this kind of business any less. In the Underhive, this counted as relatively high-morals entertainment, certainly more normal than absorbing various chemical substances and torturing Underhivers to death.

Moreover, this person was raising such a bunch of children; he had to admit he fell short of that kind of compassion.

Auxilia currently viewed this kind of mindset very favorably, and as long as this person didn't go crazy and start acting wild later, they would sooner or later become a member of the Auxilia.

After the registration was completed, before leaving, the registrar advised Liam, "Think it over carefully. In five days, go to the Carter Gang's old lair to collect food; we've already converted it into a plaza."

A little girl hugged Liam's thigh, saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth, "Brother Liam, did the person just now say they'll give us food? Is that true?"

Liam forced a smile. "It's true, in a few days we'll have it."

And none of them doubted why Liam, a delicate and weak person, could protect himself and these children in the Underhive.

Because he was a Theta-class psyker. Even without using his psychic powers, he could make others more focused, prevent them from pondering other matters, and keep them physically and mentally pleasant.

The registration team had also been affected by this, overlooking the abnormality.