Ding! You provided Second Lieutenant Rudosen with 38 PDF dog tags. Favorability Lv. 0 has increased to Lv. 1. Unlocked products: PDF Semi-Automatic Pistol, 800 Fertilizer Coupons; PDF Automatic Gun, 3,200 Fertilizer Coupons; PDF Ballistic Armor (Level 3), 1,500 Fertilizer Coupons; PDF Ballistic Helmet (Level 3), 1,000 Fertilizer Coupons. Special product: Middle Hive Identity Registration, 100,000 Fertilizer Coupons. Hint: Hive City registration is strictly controlled. Every gate has a genetic scanner. Without a matching identity, you cannot enter this area.
Second Lieutenant Rudosen seemed to have some connections. He could enter Li Qinwu's identity into the Hive City genetic system and upgrade him to a Middle Hive citizen, but it would cost a large sum of money.
Li Qinwu's breathing grew heavier. A Middle Hive identity—it was actually a Middle Hive identity!
Ever since arriving in this world, he had only operated in the Lower Hive and on the surface. He had never been to the Middle Hive.
What was in the Middle Hive?
As far as he knew, those who could live in the Middle Hive were this planet's high-quality population. They all had citizen identities and earned more than 2,000 Fertilizer Coupons a month.
Li Qinwu really wanted to take a look around the Middle Hive. Maybe he could buy some Hideout upgrade items there.
But that price... it was far too expensive. One hundred thousand! He only had forty thousand in savings, not even half of it.
He had to find a way to make more money!
After taking the dog tags, Second Lieutenant Rudosen switched on a desk lamp, sat down beside the field table, opened his notebook, and began recording the names on the tags. He would report them so the planetary governor could issue compensation.
Li Qinwu used his dagger to turn the potatoes on the electric stove, making sure they heated evenly.
"Say, Old Sen, I've run into a little trouble lately. I need to get hold of some useful hardware. Can you make an exception for me?"
Rudosen paused, then continued writing down the names.
"Tell me."
Li Qinwu picked up a potato and scraped off its skin with his dagger.
"The Chemical Gang and Fertilizer Gang in the Lower Hive are about to go to war. Nipall from the Fertilizer Gang gave me five thousand to work as muscle, and I decided to take the job.
"But the Chemical Gang has these Augmented Humans with iron plates bolted onto their bodies. Ordinary bullets can't penetrate them. Do you have any spare armor-piercing weapons you can give me?"
Rudosen turned around and studied Li Qinwu seriously, seemingly judging whether his words were true.
Li Qinwu used his dagger to lift up a roasted potato and handed it to him.
They looked at each other for several seconds. Second Lieutenant Rudosen took the potato and bit into it, then retrieved a weapon case from the corner of the tent. Opening it, he revealed a rifle with a long barrel.
As he inspected the rifle, Second Lieutenant Rudosen said, "PDF Semi-Automatic Combat Rifle. It fires standard 8.9×55mm rounds. This weapon uses a heavy long barrel, and with High-Pressure Armor-Piercing Rounds, it can penetrate fifteen millimeters of armor within three hundred meters."
Li Qinwu whistled and reached for the gun, but Rudosen pulled it back.
"I'm repaying the favor I owe you."
Li Qinwu nodded.
"Paid."
Only then did Second Lieutenant Rudosen hand him the rifle.
Li Qinwu took the weapon and stroked it fondly.
The rifle had a black polymer stock and handguard, as well as a long barrel. It looked somewhat like the American M14 Rifle from the 3K Era, except its exterior was more angular.
He hurriedly used the system to inspect the weapon's attributes.
Name: PDF Semi-Automatic Combat Rifle Reference Value: 4,500 Fertilizer Coupons Weight: 5.5 kg Vertical Recoil Control: 71 Horizontal Recoil Control: 61 Ergonomics: 51 Weapon Stability: 51 Accuracy: 89 Hip-Fire Stability: 42 Effective Range: 800 m Muzzle Velocity: 1,550 Fire Mode: Semi-Automatic Rate of Fire: 450 Ammunition Caliber: 8.9×55mm Firing Power: High
Li Qinwu asked, "What about ammunition?"
Rudosen handed over three fifteen-round magazines and two boxes of bullets, fifty rounds per box, for a total of one hundred rounds.
"These are High-Pressure Heavy Armor-Piercing Rounds, also called AP Rounds. They can only be fired from a Semi-Automatic Combat Rifle. If you use them in an Autogun, it'll jam.
"But the Semi-Automatic Combat Rifle can fire standard ammunition too. It won't be affected."
Li Qinwu took the ammunition and checked it with the system.
Name: 8.9×55mm High-Pressure Heavy Armor-Piercing Round (AP Round) Reference Value: Approximately 200 Armor-Piercing Level: 5 Hint: Among the PDF series, AP Rounds are relatively valuable high-penetration ammunition and can pierce most light armor. However, this ammunition has excessively high chamber pressure and cannot be fired from Autoguns. It requires a dedicated heavy-barrel Semi-Automatic Rifle, so it is not particularly popular among PDF infantry.
Li Qinwu smiled as he put away the rifle and ammunition. Now things were secure. The Chemical Pigs only had a layer of iron plating over their bodies, and it definitely wasn't more than ten millimeters thick. AP Rounds would punch right through it.
Afterward, the two squatted beside the electric stove, eating roasted potatoes and chatting.
Li Qinwu asked, "How much compensation does the planetary governor give?"
Second Lieutenant Rudosen's gaze dimmed.
"Fifteen hundred Fertilizer Vouchers."
Li Qinwu sucked in a breath, stunned. That was all?
A farmer on Agri-World 496b earned two hundred Fertilizer Coupons a month, while a Middle Hive citizen earned two thousand. Damn, the person was already dead, yet the compensation for their family wasn't even equal to a citizen's monthly income?
People said the PDF were the planetary governor's lapdogs, but he hadn't expected the planetary governor to really treat everyone like dogs!
No wonder PDF discipline was so poor. No wonder the rebels had managed to seize all the land outside the Hive City.
After they finished all the roasted potatoes, Second Lieutenant Rudosen pulled a folding cot from the corner, unfolded it, lay down, and prepared to sleep.
"Tomorrow morning, I'll have one of my men take you into the Middle Hive. Don't wander around. Once you're inside, go straight to the Great Elevator and head down to the Lower Hive. Don't cause trouble for me."
Li Qinwu lay down as well, propping up his chin as he asked, "Do you have any more work for me?"
Rudosen thought for a moment. "My regiment commander gave me an assignment. In a while, I'm supposed to sweep Water Supply Lake to the west. There's a rebel camp there.
Before the war, Water Supply Lake was an important water source for the surrounding lands, with plenty of pumping equipment. The rebels control it now, and it's said that nearly a thousand rebels are stationed there.
"I heard that two companies of PDF infantry died there. Considering the rebels' combat strength, that should have been nearly impossible. There seems to be something there.
"I need you to investigate Water Supply Lake within half a month and find out what's there."
Li Qinwu thought for a while, then asked, "Any other information?"
Rudosen continued, "Yes. A soldier who escaped said he heard twisted screams. Um... and the ground was frozen."
Li Qinwu's pupils contracted. Twisted screams—was it Chaos Corruption? Frozen ground—was there a Psyker?
He remembered that some weaker Psykers could not control all of their Psychic Power, and the leaking energy would cause freezing.
Combined with the deaths of two PDF infantry companies, it looked like there might be a Chaos Wizard near Water Supply Lake!
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