Time passed slowly. A few more months went by, and the Underhive and Mid-hive of Palatus Hive became increasingly different.
As two batches of sixteen million and thirty-two million Auxilia personnel were deployed into administration one after another, the Astral Claws' control over the Underhive and Mid-hive grew ever stronger. With sufficient Starch supplies guaranteed, crime rates throughout the Underhive and Mid-hive gradually declined.
The Underhive in particular saw its death rate plummet by an order of magnitude as large numbers of anti-human gangs were gunned down, countless gang leaders were killed, and the remaining gang members were absorbed as peripheral personnel.
Several major projects were also gradually bearing fruit. Water purification and circulation systems, as well as Air Purification and Circulation Systems, had been completed in many areas and were entering trial operation, removing toxic and harmful substances from the water and air.
Though the pollution remained severe, this was already an unimaginable luxury for the Underhivers in those areas.
When they breathed, there was no burning sensation, suffocation, drowning sensation, dizziness, or nausea—only choking irritation!
After drinking water, there was no burning from mouth to stomach, no knife-twisting pain in their bellies, no full-body convulsions. It was merely a little harsh on the throat!
For Underhivers, this was no different from a dream. No, even in their dreams they could not imagine such a blessing, because they had never experienced anything like it and could not even conceive of it.
All these measures greatly increased the Underhivers' trust in the Astral Claws, which in turn accelerated the progress of every project.
As manpower gradually became plentiful, more projects began: surveillance network construction, ruin clearance, road maintenance, and so on.
Aside from a small number of delicate tasks, most of these projects were simple manual labor. They only needed people to move things.
After all, without Civilian Factories, and with most Underhivers being illiterate, making them undertake complicated major projects would probably result in rather high casualties.
Though their enthusiasm would not diminish even if people died, Huron was no demon. He was not pressed for a year or two, so naturally he first had them do simple work to gain experience.
The Engineering Teams had now expanded somewhat, reaching a scale of six billion people and basically covering every Underhive household. This was also an important reason for the Underhive's soaring stability.
They had food to eat, work to do, and living conditions that were steadily improving. Naturally, they settled down.
As premium stock rigorously selected by the Empire over ten thousand years, most Underhivers belonged to the sort who behaved once they were fed. Those who dared cause trouble, whatever their reasons, had basically been killed off by ten thousand years of slaughter.
As for the natural-born scum who enjoyed tormenting and abusing others?
It was not as though Huron lacked an army. Several million Auxilia had not become administrative personnel, instead serving as Armed Police to maintain stability in the Underhive.
With the support of the Boarding Assault Divisions and Astartes Companies as well, anyone who dared stir up trouble was sent straight to the heavens!
That was right. Aside from conventional all-infantry divisions, Huron had already trained several Special Operations Divisions of ten thousand men each. They conducted exercises while grinding experience against ordinary enemies such as gangs and Mutated Creatures, striving to reach Training Level 3 as quickly as possible.
Moreover, after several months of production, the military industry had produced over a hundred sets of Cataphractii Terminator armor. Including the Terminators originally possessed by the Chapter, the veteran Companies of two Great Companies finally had Terminator Armor for every man, becoming true "Terminator Companies."
Such equipment normally would not be deployed, since it was far too precious. But Huron did not care. With a wave of his hand, he had the veteran Companies patrol directly in Terminator armor to speed up their growth in proficiency.
After all, one set of Terminator armor was now produced each day. Even if an accident damaged one, it could simply be replaced with a new set.
This left all manner of monsters and freaks in the Underhive groaning in misery. Being hunted by Space Marines had been bad enough—how had Terminators started showing up too?
What had they done to deserve being gang-beaten by so many Terminators?
Under the combined daily extermination efforts of the large-scale Armed Police, elite Special Operations Divisions, Astartes Great Companies, and Terminator Companies, accidental death rates in the Underhive also dropped sharply. Some areas that had once been dangerous were brought under Astral Claws control.
In the lounge of the Astral Claws Monastery, Huron watched the steadily rising stability in the system and could not help humming softly.
The buffs granted by stability above 50% were quite good. Approval rose by 5%, Factory and Shipyard output rose by 5%, the engineering speed bonus from civilian laborers increased, military industrial output improved, and frigate repair times were reduced by nearly twenty days.
More importantly, high stability put him in a good mood.
If stability was terrible before I came, and still terrible after I came, then didn't I come for fucking nothing?
After transmigrating into the cesspit that was Warhammer 40,000, and into Lufgt Huron, the Astartes who would rebel in the future, his mental pressure had never been low.
Even with the system, he was not sure how powerful it truly was. What if it was some useless cat-type system that only knew how to turn into a person and wait to be beaten with a stick?
Then the two losers would be stuck in prison together.
Fortunately, the system's functions were reliable. In less than a year, he had accomplished so much.
Huron tossed several grape-like alien fruits into his mouth, chewing as he admired the data on the System Panel.
More than six hundred Armed Police divisions, six Special Operations Divisions, two Astartes Great Companies, more than two hundred sets of Mk7 Power Armour in storage, and six sets of Terminator armor.
"Us common folk, ah, are really happy today..."
He had only hummed two off-key lines when the lounge door was knocked upon.
Huron's face immediately turned into a mask of pain, then returned to expressionless calm. "Come in."
Odinson pushed open the door, his expression somewhat strange. "Chapter Master, former planetary governor Valen Watt has invited you to a banquet."
"?" Huron was somewhat surprised. "Inviting me now? Did he say why?"
"He said he hoped to discuss how to deal with those unruly nobles."
"Unruly? Isn't he the most unruly noble of them all?"
Huron was somewhat speechless. Valen, who held meetings with nobles every day, actually had the nerve to call other nobles unruly. It nearly made him laugh, and that was also why Odinson's expression was so strange.
"Then, Chapter Master, are you going to this banquet?"
Huron considered it. "I'll go. Why wouldn't I? I want to see what he's up to. But we need to make preparations first."
Huron accepted the invitation Odinson had brought, checked the time, and then ordered, "Arrange for Corian to bring his First Company with me. Have all units prepare themselves and be ready to deploy at any time."
"Yes, Chapter Master." Odinson gave the Aquila and then left to make the necessary arrangements.
Huron rubbed the elaborate golden patterns on the invitation, curious about what the man intended to do.
"I hope he behaves himself."
Before you continue