Obtaining Middle Hive Citizenship

After three shots, Li Qinwu sat quietly on the steps outside the Hydrological Monitoring Station, waiting. While he was at it, he picked the poison out from between his teeth and threw it away.

Before long, the roar of engines came from afar. Lieutenant Rudosen arrived at the scene with his soldiers.

Lieutenant Rudosen was extremely alert. The Chimera Transport's cannon barrel kept sweeping around, while the soldiers held their guns at the ready and aimed randomly at the surrounding area.

They were afraid that a Psyker might suddenly rush out and use some strange witchcraft to kill them all.

Li Qinwu waved at Lieutenant Rudosen. "Don't be nervous. That Psyker has already left and won't be coming back. This place is yours now. You, Lieutenant Rudosen, bravely led your troops and captured it."

As he spoke, Li Qinwu led him into the nearby woods and pointed at the Rebel corpses scattered all over the ground.

"These are the evil Rebels you, Lieutenant Rudosen, led your troops to kill. All the credit is yours now!"

The corpses on the ground had already begun to rot. Any experienced veteran could tell at a glance that this was claiming false credit.

But it did not matter. The PDF on this planet had lax discipline and would not investigate too thoroughly.

Besides, Lieutenant Rudosen's regiment commander was related to him. The reason he had not been promoted was because he had already received a promotion recently. Consecutive promotions would look bad. As long as he had a title to attach to it, the merit would be recorded.

Besides, was there not a pile of Rebel-made guns on the ground? Bringing these back to claim merit was more convincing than bringing back Rebel heads.

The Rebels' industrial output was low. People were worth less than guns. It was normal for a single homemade gun to be tied to three or four Rebels.

Lieutenant Rudosen glanced over the corpses and waved to his soldiers. The soldiers immediately fired into the woods, while the Chimera Transport's autocannon also fired several shells at the battlefield.

After making a fuss for quite a while and creating enough commotion, Lieutenant Rudosen finally had his soldiers enter the area and collect the homemade guns from the ground. They would take these things back and claim merit from their superiors.

Then they gathered all the corpses together and burned them. Now, even if the credit had not been his before, it was his now.

After that, Lieutenant Rudosen sent men into the Hydrological Monitoring Station to establish a defensive line and prevent the Rebels from attacking again.

He handed Li Qinwu a cigarette.

"I owe you another favor. There's nothing more to say. If you need something in the future, come find me. As long as it isn't too troublesome, I'll handle it for you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the system issued a notification. Lieutenant Rudosen's favorability had risen from lv1 to lv2, unlocking the following items:

Military Grenade: 300 Fertilizer Vouchers; Concussion Flashbang: 200 Fertilizer Vouchers; AP Rounds: 50 Fertilizer Vouchers per round; Remote-Controlled Bomb: 2,000 Fertilizer Vouchers; 2x–7x Scope: 5,000 Fertilizer Vouchers; Light Carapace Armor (Level 4, purchase limit 1/1): 10,000 Fertilizer Vouchers; Ceramite Military Helmet (Level 4, purchase limit 1/1): 5,000 Fertilizer Vouchers; Sound Pickup Noise-Reduction Headset: 1,000 Fertilizer Vouchers.

Lieutenant Rudosen's favorability reaching lv2 had directly unlocked a whole pile of high-end military supplies for Li Qinwu. Of course, that was not the only good news.

Lieutenant Rudosen said, "If you see vehicles from our company outside in the future, you can have them give you a ride. I'll tell the soldiers under me about it."

Li Qinwu whistled. That would make evacuating much easier in the future. If he happened to run into a vehicle from Rudosen's company, he could call out and have them transport him and a heap of scavenged supplies straight back to the Hive City. That was fantastic!

Afterward, Lieutenant Rudosen had the soldiers set up the heavy weapons they had brought and construct some simple fortifications. Then he drove a military truck toward the camp to report the news and claim credit.

On the way, Li Qinwu asked Lieutenant Rudosen about something he cared deeply about.

"Do you have any way for me to obtain Middle Hive citizenship?"

Li Qinwu had always wanted to unlock the right to move freely through the Middle Hive. He felt that there should be quite a few contacts waiting to be unlocked there, and some important Hideout upgrade items could probably only be found in the Middle Hive.

The system had stated it clearly: Lieutenant Rudosen had a way to get him Middle Hive citizenship, but it would cost 100,000 Fertilizer Vouchers to grease the right palms.

Li Qinwu wanted to ask exactly how he could get Middle Hive citizenship. He was nearly done saving up 100,000 Fertilizer Vouchers anyway. When the time came, he could pay up and unlock a new map.

When Lieutenant Rudosen heard that this was what Li Qinwu was asking about, he answered casually.

"I have a relative over at the Genetic Archive. As long as you pay around 100,000 Fertilizer Vouchers to grease the right palms, then give some blood and have your genetic information recorded, you'll be able to freely enter and leave the Middle Hive."

Li Qinwu asked curiously, "Are there any hidden risks? Could it be found out later?"

Lieutenant Rudosen snorted with laughter.

"Risks? What risks? The officials in the Spire would love to have more Middle Hive citizens paying them more taxes.

"If you can afford 100,000 Fertilizer Vouchers to buy citizenship, that proves you have the means to pay taxes.

"So as long as you keep paying taxes and don't break the law—or if you do break the law, don't get caught by the Arbites—no one will care about you."

Li Qinwu clicked his tongue. As expected of Warhammer 40,000. Corruption ran deep to the roots.

Lieutenant Rudosen asked in confusion, "What, does a freedom-loving scavenger like you want to become a Middle Hive citizen?"

Li Qinwu shook his head.

"Not really. I just want the freedom to enter and leave the Middle Hive so it'll be easier to get things done."

As he spoke, he lowered his head and silently smoked while thinking things over. The military truck slowly bumped along the uneven road toward the PDF camp.

Lieutenant Rudosen watched Li Qinwu from the corner of his eye. Hesitation flashed across his face. After a long while, he spoke in an uncertain tone.

"How about you help me with something, and I'll give you this Middle Hive citizenship for free?"

Li Qinwu immediately perked up. There was such a good deal? He could get Middle Hive citizenship just by doing a task? That was far better than spending 100,000 Fertilizer Vouchers!

He eagerly shouted, "Sure, sure! Just tell me what it is. Do you need someone killed? Even if you want me to take out your regiment commander, I'd dare to do it!"

Lieutenant Rudosen shot Li Qinwu a speechless look and cursed inwardly. What a lawless bastard. Then he said, "I'm not asking you to kill anyone. It concerns Little Joel."

Li Qinwu asked in confusion, "Wasn't Little Joel beaten into lower-body paralysis?"

Lieutenant Rudosen sighed, a trace of grief flashing through his eyes.

"Yes. He was paralyzed, and the compensation from the planetary governor isn't even enough to keep his family going until next month.

"Without the salary he earned from enlisting, and with the whole family having to support an invalid like him, it won't be long before Little Joel's entire family is driven down to the Lower Hive for failing to pay their taxes."

Li Qinwu understood.

"You want me to look after Little Joel's family in the Lower Hive?"

"Not just Little Joel's family. There could be wounded soldiers in the future too.

"These wounded soldiers have lost their ability to work. Their endings will be the same as Little Joel's. Their entire families will be driven down to the Lower Hive."

Li Qinwu frowned. He did not want to become a nanny for disabled old veterans.

Life in the Lower Hive was already difficult. The moment disabled people, women, children, and the elderly descended through the Great Elevator, their lives entered a countdown. Even among healthy adult men, only a small number survived.

Li Qinwu considered himself ruthless. He had managed to gain a foothold in the Lower Hive and was doing quite well there, but he truly had no confidence in leading a group of old, weak, sick, and disabled people to survival.

Besides, he had nowhere to house that many people. His Hideout was large, but it was his home. He did not want to share it with others.

He could leave them with the black market dealer. His favorability with the dealer had reached lv2, so the man would probably do him that favor. But that was not a long-term solution either.

These people could not possibly do no work at all and rely on Li Qinwu to support them, could they? What kind of arrangement was that?

Now he understood why work was so important in the Lower Hive. Without work, even living with dignity was difficult.

Li Qinwu fell silent. Rudosen's expression darkened as well. Could even this man do nothing?

He knew how terrible conditions in the Lower Hive were and did not want his comrades or their families to suffer. But he was only a lowly company commander. What could he do?

Seeing Li Qinwu's troubled expression, his heart sank again and again.

Even someone as fierce as him can't protect my comrades in the Lower Hive... How much suffering will my comrades and their families endure once they go down there?

After nearly five minutes of silence, Li Qinwu finally spoke with some difficulty. "I'm afraid you don't understand what the Lower Hive is really like."

He told him that the survival rate for criminals sent down to the Lower Hive by the Great Elevator was less than ten percent. He told him of the brutal fighting between the Chemical Gang and the Fertilizer Gang. He told him everything about the survival of the fittest at the bottom.

As Lieutenant Rudosen listened, his face darkened until it seemed water might drip from it. He thought Li Qinwu was rejecting him indirectly, but then Li Qinwu changed tack.

"What I'm telling you is this: if you hand your comrades and their families over to me, then out of responsibility for agreeing to help you, I'll definitely do everything I can to protect them. But I may not be able to keep them safe.

"I'm only a lone wolf in the Lower Hive. I have no faction. I know some people who can speak with authority, but I don't have enough influence to dominate one area.

"If you can accept my failures and allow them to die because of my failures, then you can hand them over to me.

"I'll do my best to find them somewhere to settle down. At the very least, if they are being tortured and humiliated, I'll put a bullet through their heads and let them die with dignity. What do you think?"

Li Qinwu had made up his mind. Was it not just taking in a few people? A few more mouths to feed? Fine, he would take them.

He had previously wanted to form a small faction and find people to handle odd jobs for him. Were there not people being delivered right to his doorstep now?

As Lieutenant Rudosen listened to Li Qinwu, he heard plenty of unreliable conditions, but Li Qinwu was clearly agreeing.

He had never gone down to the Lower Hive himself, but he had heard some things about how people lived there. Someone could be walking down the road when several people suddenly jumped out and stabbed them to death. That was nothing unusual.

He did not expect his comrades and their families to live like Middle Hive citizens in the Lower Hive. He only hoped they would have even the slightest bit of security, even if it was only a little.

"Ah... I'll thank you on behalf of my brothers. Even if something happens, if you can at least let them die quickly, I'll remember this favor."

The mood afterward was somewhat oppressive. Neither man spoke again as the military truck drove all the way back to the PDF camp.

Lieutenant Rudosen called over a medic, had a tube of Li Qinwu's blood drawn, and slipped it into his pocket.

"Don't leave for the next two days. Stay in my camp while I arrange your Middle Hive citizenship. It'll be done before nightfall tomorrow."

Li Qinwu nodded in agreement. Lieutenant Rudosen hurried off, while Li Qinwu wandered aimlessly around the camp.

This time, he gained a new understanding of how lax PDF discipline was. He saw soldiers snoring away in the watchtowers, while a Logging Gun had been set up by the wall and its three-man crew completely ignored it as they played cards.

If the Rebels on the other side were not just as pathetic as they were, this camp would have been taken long ago.

He sighed that Warhammer 40,000 truly was a world where everyone competed to be worse, then shook his head and entered Lieutenant Rudosen's tent. He lay down on the cot and slept like the dead.

Early the next morning, someone woke him. He looked up and saw Lieutenant Rudosen.

With a gloomy expression, he said, "Your Middle Hive citizenship has been arranged. From now on, you can freely enter and leave the Middle Hive. Hurry and come with me!"

Without paying any attention to the still-groggy Li Qinwu, he dragged him straight off the cot and onto an open-top military vehicle. At his command, the driver headed toward the Hive City.

Seeing how urgent he was, Li Qinwu knew something had happened and asked what was wrong.

"Little Joel's family couldn't pay their medical bills and owed money to the Two-Snake School. The Arbites arrested them yesterday.

"Today, they're going down to the Lower Hive with the first batch of prisoners on the Great Elevator. Hurry over and meet them, or they're dead for sure!"

Upon hearing that, Li Qinwu merely said, "Leave my things with you for now," and did not waste any more words.

The open-top military vehicle drove all the way to the station. Li Qinwu jumped down, taking the driver's PDF Automatic Gun with him.

"Hey, hey! That's my gun!"

The driver tried to snatch it back, but Lieutenant Rudosen stopped him.

Lieutenant Rudosen pulled three full magazines from the driver's chest rig and stuffed them into Li Qinwu's hands. After thinking it over and deciding that was not enough, he took the semiautomatic pistol from his own waist and tucked it into Li Qinwu's waistband.

"You must protect Little Joel. Little Joel had his spine shattered by a Rebel bullet because he saved his comrades."

Li Qinwu checked the condition of both guns and boarded the train. Lieutenant Rudosen followed him aboard.

"Don't worry. I, scavenger Li Qinwu, keep my word. Little Joel's family is under my protection!"

The rail train's doors closed, carrying a trainload of people deeper into the Hive City.

When it stopped, Li Qinwu and Lieutenant Rudosen had arrived inside the Hive City.

Because Lieutenant Rudosen was dressed in uniform, no one came over to question Li Qinwu despite the gun on his back.

And now that he had Middle Hive citizenship, the genetic screening gate did not sound when he passed through it. The Arbites on duty merely glanced at him and paid him no further attention.

The two hurried toward the Great Elevator. Lieutenant Rudosen checked his watch from time to time, looking extremely anxious.

Finally, when the Great Elevator entered their field of vision, its doors had only just opened. The first batch of prisoners was slowly filing inside. They had made it in time.

Lieutenant Rudosen had sharp eyes. At a glance, he found Little Joel's family among the thousand-plus prisoners.

"Quick! Little Joel's family is over there. I'm placing their lives in your hands!"