Rounding Up Means Going Home

Lin En pulled a piece of dry rations from his backpack, broke it in half, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Ugh, a little dry.

After finishing half the ration, he drank some water.

The water in the canteen had been sitting there for quite some time and had a metallic taste, but fortunately, it was still drinkable.

After drinking, Lin En tightened the canteen cap, put it back in his backpack, and placed the backpack at the very back of the cave.

Sigh, I wonder how many days these remaining supplies will last.

Whatever. Just keep hiding.

The king of hiding lives forever.

The sky outside the cave entrance had darkened somewhat.

The days on Istvaan III were very short. Daytime was gray and hazy, while nighttime was pitch-black.

There were cultists searching for him outside, and the crevice had no door. Lin En did not dare turn on his flashlight, so he could only lie on the ground and remain in the darkness, feeling his way around. He planned to rest for a while.

After staying in the darkness for a long time, his eyesight surprisingly recovered somewhat, allowing him to see in the dark.

There were some dark-red patterns on the stone walls. They were traces of Warp radiation, flickering faintly in the darkness.

Lin En suddenly sat bolt upright as if on his deathbed!

What the hell? The Warp radiation on this planet is so intense that even the rocks have been mutated by it. I've been here for so many days—could I have mutated too?

Lin En hurriedly felt himself from head to toe.

There did not seem to be anything abnormal.

Still worried, he summoned the system again. "Hello? Big Bro System, are you there?"

[Here.] The system responded lazily.

"Have I mutated anywhere? The Warp radiation here won't affect me, will it?"

[No. You do not actually belong to this world, so this world's Warp radiation cannot affect you.] The system lazily explained.

After saying that, it added: [In other words, you are what is commonly called immune to the Warp. If you were capable enough, you could also become someone like Malum Caedo or Titus.]

"Heh, thanks for thinking so highly of me." Lin En lay back down.

I'm doomed. You want me to become Malum Caedo or Titus?

If I had that kind of ability, would I still be running around here?

Shouldn't the ones running around be those cultists?

Ah, sometimes I really hate being a tiny weakling who can't fight.

But looking on the bright side, he was still quite impressive for an ordinary human.

The legendary survivor of Istvaan III.

The Sister and Iron Hammer had gone to find reinforcements.

All he had to do was survive thirty days. Perhaps after those thirty days, he could survive another thirty, and then another thirty after that.

There was plenty to look forward to. He could draw once every fifteen days, so if he lasted sixty days, he would be able to draw four more times.

Maybe one of those draws would give him a Long Aotian card. Then he would not have to wait for the Sister and the others to bring reinforcements. He could transform directly into Titus or Kaido, unleash his full power, and wipe out all the cultists on the entire planet.

...Ugh, can't I at least daydream?

Lin En wrapped his leather armor tightly around himself, rested his head against the stone wall, and closed his eyes.

There was no use thinking too much. He might as well sleep for a while.

He had to make the most of the time and get some rest.

His Danger Sense was a passive skill that was always active. If any cultists approached, Danger Sense would naturally wake him.

Only by resting well could he run faster. Only by running faster could he stay alive under the cultists' pursuit. Only by staying alive could he leave this planet and continue drawing cards after Cecilia and the others returned with reinforcements...

Throne Liberation sparkled brightly...

Speaking of which, what would they do after leaving this planet?

He also had no idea how much an Adeptus Mechanicus apprentice earned in a month...

But judging from the enthusiasm Iron Hammer showed when pulling Greenskin Ork teeth, Iron Hammer was probably very poor...

As he aimlessly thought about all sorts of random things, Lin En's thoughts soon sank into sleep.

The sky outside the cave was pitch-black. The wind continued to blow with a mournful whine, like a lullaby.

In Lin En's dream, there was silver Power Armor, dark-red robes, blue Power Swords, and clinking tool bags.

They'll definitely come back. I'll wait here...

**********

He dreamed that on Monday morning, the teacher called attendance, noticed that he was absent, and asked his roommate, "Where did Lin En go?"

His roommate said, "I don't know. I haven't seen him since Sunday."

The sky outside the cave changed from black to dark gray, and Lin En suddenly woke up.

When he woke and discovered that he was still in the giant cesspit known as Warhammer, his face fell again.

He did not know how long he had slept. Without a watch or phone, he had no idea what date or time it was. It could have been several hours, or it could have been an entire day.

Ugh.

Don't lose heart. Get up first.

Lying on the rocks had made his back ache all over, and even his bones were creaking.

The light outside the cave was extremely faint.

The sky was gray and hazy, with dark clouds pressing down from above.

Lin En crawled to the cave entrance and looked outside.

The wasteland was still gray. There were no white specks in the distance, and the cultists had not found this place.

He retreated into the cave, pulled out half a ration from his backpack and chewed it, drank some water, then crouched at the entrance again, staring at the vast gray wasteland outside where there was absolutely nothing.

His current situation was not looking good, brothers.

If it were only food, then with the energy bars, protein blocks, and compressed rations, he would have no trouble lasting a month or two.

But water was a major problem.

A person could survive for quite a long time without food, but in an extremely dry environment like this, someone who did not drink water would become dehydrated within a few days at most and turn into dried meat.

There were not even any cacti here. He could not even imitate Bear Grylls by chewing on plant roots for moisture. There was nothing on the surface at all. "Not a blade of grass grows here" was not a figure of speech—it was an objective statement of fact.

Back when the Horus Heresy took place, he had forgotten whether the Imperium or Horus's side had issued Exterminatus against this planet. Orbital bombardment had burned across the entire surface.

All the liquid water on Istvaan III had evaporated completely. Even the atmosphere had been stripped away by a layer, turning it into a dead planet.

With its drought and strong winds, the planet's surface was like the inside of a giant dryer. The only water source left was the underground river system deep beneath the ground, which had been unaffected by Exterminatus.

...The underground water source was all below ground.

And the only underground entrance to the underground water source that Lin En knew of was that...

The cultists' underground lair they had just escaped from.

Lin En: "..."

...Damn.

So I have to go back?

All the Greenskin Orks at that entrance had been killed by them, but he had no idea whether new ambushers would be lying in wait there now.

Lin En lowered his hand and stared at the patterns in the rock overhead, trying to view the matter with an optimistic and positive attitude.

When a human being did not drink water in a dry environment, they could last three to five days at most before dehydration began, followed by organ failure, and then there was no "after that."

Thirty Days could protect him from being beaten to death, but it could not protect him from dying of thirst.

The description clearly stated that it only worked in battle. Dehydration did not count as an enemy. The system was extremely strict about nitpicking wording in this regard, so there was no way to exploit a loophole.

Therefore, the conclusion was obvious.

...He had to return to that cave.

Avoid all the cultists.

Find the underground river.

Fill his canteen.

Then slip back out. Or he could simply continue hiding in that cave and wait for Cecilia and Iron Hammer to return with reinforcements.

...Sad.

********

Lin En waited another day after that, drinking an entire canteen dry.

The main reason was that there had still been some water left in the canteen, and he wanted to keep hiding a little longer before he completely ran out of supplies.

What if?

What if Heaven took pity on him and suddenly sent down sweet rain?

What if Cecilia and Iron Hammer had not actually gone far and suddenly came back with a surprise attack?

What if the cultists developed a conscience and took the initiative to bring him water?????

However, after waiting another day, Lin En confirmed three things: