Early the next morning, Second Lieutenant Rudosen said he was going out on patrol and told him to find a sentry named Little Joel at the camp gate. He would take him to the Great Elevator.
Li Qinwu gave a grunt and roasted four potatoes on the electric stove for breakfast.
PDF discipline was truly terrible. Second Lieutenant Rudosen had actually let him stay in the main tent just because they had crossed paths a few times. What if he were a spy? Wouldn't Rudosen be finished?
After finishing the potatoes, Li Qinwu naturally stuffed the electric stove into his backpack, filling it until it bulged as though the thing had belonged to him all along.
When he left the main tent, he spotted a young PDF infantryman standing guard in the camp.
"Little Joel?"
Li Qinwu asked.
The young soldier shouted, "Yes, sir!"
Li Qinwu hurriedly waved his hand.
"I'm not an officer."
Little Joel was clearly a raw recruit. He scratched his head, unable to understand how someone coming out of the company commander's tent could possibly not be an officer.
Li Qinwu did not bother explaining further.
"Rudosen told you already, right?"
Little Joel nodded.
"Sir, please follow me. I'll take you into the Hive City."
He led the way, and Li Qinwu could not be bothered correcting him anymore. He simply followed Little Joel onto a railcar.
There were quite a few wounded soldiers on the railcar, being transported into the Hive City. Li Qinwu looked at the Hive City towering into the atmosphere. No matter how many times he saw it, it still felt awe-inspiring!
People in Warhammer 40,000 could casually build structures dozens of kilometers tall. What kind of technological power was that?
And yet, even so, the Imperium of Man had been beaten half to death by aliens, Daemons, and all manner of bizarre threats. It was utterly ridiculous.
More than ten minutes later, the railcar stopped. They had arrived near the Middle Hive Great Elevator.
There was a checkpoint here with genetic testing. Nothing happened when others passed through, but the instant Li Qinwu did, red lights flashed and a piercing alarm sounded. Then Arbites carrying shock batons came over.
Every time, Little Joel had to step forward to explain and show his PDF identification before he could take Li Qinwu through the Middle Hive.
Li Qinwu curiously looked around the Middle Hive. To be honest, he was a little disappointed. He had thought it would be similar to the 3K Era, with neon lights and greenery lining the streets.
But there was none of that. Everything was gray and drab, with gray Ceramite buildings everywhere. The people coming and going were all Factory workers, and none of them looked particularly lively.
Thinking about it, that made sense. This was the world of Warhammer 40,000. Other than the powerful elites in the Spire, how could anyone possibly live comfortably?
Little Joel led Li Qinwu toward the Great Elevator. As Li Qinwu looked around, he asked, "Joel, does your family live in the Middle Hive?"
Little Joel nodded.
"Yes, in the Middle Hive Military District. Families of PDF soldiers like me are assigned housing. Praise the Planetary Governor."
Li Qinwu asked again, "Joel, is your family's income enough to live on?"
Little Joel's face immediately filled with sorrow.
"My monthly military pay is 1,000 Fertilizer Coupons. My father works at the Chemical Plant and earns 2,100 Fertilizer Coupons. My mother makes handwoven goods at home, earning 120 Fertilizer Coupons a month.
"There are four people in my family: my father, mother, younger brother, and me. We spend around 2,500 a month, and we also have to pay 500 Fertilizer Coupons in taxes every month. We can save about 200.
"But my younger brother will be coming of age soon, and he'll need to pay tuition. The money we save is just enough to cover his tuition so he can get an elementary school education. Then he can go work at the Chemical Plant."
Li Qinwu clicked his tongue. Sure enough, this was the Warhammer World.
To farmers growing crops outside, Middle Hive residents earning over 2,000 a month made five times as much as they did. It must have seemed like paradise.
But the Hive City's living conditions had been designed so that those earning 2,000 had a 2,000-income way of life. They ate, drank, and paid taxes. After struggling to save a little money, their children's education, illness and medical care, or job hunting would drain every last bit of it.
Middle Hive families were incredibly fragile. A serious illness could make it impossible for a family to continue, breaking their finances and leaving them unable to pay taxes. Then they would be stripped of their Middle Hive citizen status and driven down to the Lower Hive.
Otherwise, why were there so many people in the Lower Hive? This was simply a hallmark of Warhammer 40,000. Agri-World 496b truly was a merciful world.
After walking for more than twenty minutes, the two arrived at the Great Elevator. Some elevators went up toward heaven, while others went down toward hell. This one was clearly headed downward.
At this time, over a thousand people were waiting near the Great Elevator. Some worked in the Lower Hive Safe Zone and traveled up and down by the elevator every day, their expressions indifferent. But most were pitiful people who had been stripped of their citizenship.
These people wore Ceramite shackles on their hands, usually families of three or four. They cried and begged loudly, but the only response they received was the Arbites' shock batons.
These pitiful people had been crushed by the high-pressure society and could no longer pay their taxes. Every time a thousand were gathered, they would be sent down to the Lower Hive by the Great Elevator.
Drawing his gaze back, Li Qinwu spotted a distinctive symbol on a shop along the street: two red snakes intertwined around a red cross.
Li Qinwu grabbed Little Joel and asked, "What does that shop do?"
Little Joel glanced at the shop. "Oh, that's the Two-Snake School, a shop in the medical industry. There's a Two-Snake Doctor inside. He can treat almost any illness, and you can buy anything related to health from him."
Then his expression fell.
"But their stuff is expensive. Far too expensive..."
Li Qinwu stroked his chin, staring fixedly at the Two-Snake School sign. Could they have something inside that could upgrade the Medical Station?
Upgrading the Medical Station required three key components: Chemical Purification Equipment, a Temperature Controller, and a Mixing Precipitator. He already had leads on the first two, but he still had no idea where to find a Mixing Precipitator.
Could he buy one at the Two-Snake School's shop?
"Sir, the Great Elevator is here."
As Li Qinwu was lost in thought, Little Joel reminded him.
"Oh, right. You should head back."
He placed two potatoes in Little Joel's hands, waved, and strode into the elevator.
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