Searching the Storage Room Really Is Fun

Lin En felt his way through the darkness for about twenty minutes, but still hadn't seen the narrow gap he'd used to escape. He began to wonder if he'd taken a wrong turn.

The cave was so dark that Flashlight could only illuminate about three meters ahead. Anything beyond that was completely invisible.

He should have taken less than twenty minutes to get here, but all he could see now was rock wall after rock wall after rock wall. He couldn't find that narrow gap anywhere.

Every so often, his feet stepped on loose gravel. The resulting crack echoed a long way through the empty cave.

Whenever he made a sound, he would stop, crouch to the side, hold his breath, and listen for any sign of the cultists. He was afraid a horde of monsters would suddenly spring out of the dark cavern.

"...Big Bro System, did I take a wrong turn? Why does it feel like I'm getting farther and farther off course?"

[The direction is correct. You took about the same amount of time to run from the cultist camp to that abandoned Hive City before, but you were fleeing for your life then and moving faster. Walking slowly through the darkness feels different. Keep going and you should see the light soon.]

"Won't they see Flashlight?"

[You'll need to put Flashlight away after walking a little farther. Their camp has light sources, so they'll be visible from a long way off.]

"Oh." Lin En continued forward.

After walking for another ten minutes or so, he finally saw the narrow gap.

Lin En put away Flashlight, squeezed through the gap, and walked around for a while before seeing a blurry red glow in the distance.

The red halo seemed like a thin layer of mist, flickering faintly at the end of the distant passage like a half-closed eye in the darkness.

Heretics, didn't expect this, did you? Your daddy's back!

Lin En's heartbeat quickened. He lightened his steps, pressed himself against the rock wall, and crept closer bit by bit.

The Chaos Cultists still seemed to be in the cavern where they had performed the ritual. Chaos Spawn kept flickering into existence aimlessly around the area, occasionally blocking the red light.

There was a passage outside the cavern. At the end of it was a turn, and the light spilled around the corner, dyeing half the edge of the rock wall dark red while leaving the rest in pitch-black darkness.

It was very quiet over there. There didn't seem to be anyone around, nor any Chaos Spawn.

Without alerting the Chaos Spawn outside, Lin En took a wide detour around them from the side.

Behind the turn was a wider passage. Several branching paths opened on both sides, and the ground of one of them was much smoother than the surrounding floor. It looked like people went in and out of there often.

A strip of torn cloth hung over the entrance to that branch, looking like part of a curtain.

If he hadn't guessed wrong, it might be the cultists' storeroom or resting area. Wow... It looked like he'd found the cavern where the heretics stored their living supplies.

Were they currently active or resting? He wasn't sure. He didn't know the cultists' daily routine.

Like a cat, Lin En hid in the darkness and cautiously observed the area for five minutes.

No one.

He waited another five minutes.

Still no one.

Still not entirely at ease, he confirmed it with the system. "Big Bro System, is there anyone inside?"

[Judging by the airflow, there probably isn't anyone inside.]

"Then should I go in and take a look?"

[Be careful.]

Lin En took a deep breath and advanced with his back hunched.

He tried to make his footsteps as light as possible, ensuring they made no sound.

He darted to the entrance, lifted the curtain, and slipped inside.

Success!

After looking around and seeing no one, Lin En straightened up and excitedly examined the things inside the cavern.

It was a cavern.

A storage space that had been organized!

The cavern wasn't large, only around ten-odd square meters. A dark red lamp hung from the ceiling—the same uncomfortable dark red kind used by the cultists.

Although it wasn't very bright, it was enough. He could see the entire cavern clearly.

A wooden crate was piled against the wall on the left side of the cavern.

There were rough scorch marks on the surface of the crate. He couldn't make out the pattern, but he could smell food—a dry scent like grain mixed with preservatives.

When he opened the crate, it indeed contained a cloth bag filled with military rations, compressed biscuits, and protein bars.

Several pieces of clothing hung on the right side of the cavern: green protective gear, shoulder guards, knee pads, a bulletproof vest, and a helmet.

The items hung from iron hooks on the wall and looked like they had been there for quite some time. They had probably belonged to some unlucky Astra Militarum soldier.

Lin En hurriedly pulled everything down and put it on.

It was a little heavy, but he could accept it. His original clothes had been burned into tatters by those heretics.

He pressed his palms together.

Big brother, don't blame me. I'm doing this for the Emperor.

Let me borrow your clothes. I'll wear them back to the Imperium for you.

Although Astra Militarum armor was barely better than nothing, it was still better than wearing nothing at all.

With first-level armor equipped, Lin En finally felt a little safer. He continued examining the other items.

A rough wooden table stood in the middle of the cavern. Several plates sat on it, each holding half-eaten food.

Dry rations, protein bars, some black, sticky paste, and several chunks of something he couldn't identify.

Beside the table was a chair. A cultist's robe had been draped over it, with dark red stains on the fabric.

Lin En stood in the cavern and chuckled.

He'd hit the jackpot.

This was obviously their storeroom, or else the private storage room of some minor cultist leader.

There were more than enough supplies for one person, enough to keep him fed for many, many days.

A storeroom raid! He was raiding a storeroom!

At the very back of the cavern, against the rock wall, sat a metal water barrel. It was about the size of a modern water drum, cylindrical like a small fuel barrel. A valve was fitted to its side, and twisting it open allowed him to drink the water.

Good stuff!

Lin En's eyes lit up as he picked it up.

There wasn't much water left inside, but that was fine. With this barrel, he could fetch water from the underground river himself.

The compressed rations in the crate were as hard as bricks and grated against his teeth when he bit into them, but they were edible and filling. They had been packed into the bag in neat rows, one after another.

Lin En picked up one and weighed it in his hand. It was heavy, and a single piece of compressed rations would be enough to feed him for a day.

There were also protein bars beside them.

They didn't look very appetizing. Each one had been vacuum-sealed in foil, resembling a pile of ham, and they were stacked inside the crate.

Lin En picked one up, tore open the wrapper, and took a bite. His eyes lit up.

It tasted like ham sausage.

He finished the bar in two or three bites.

It was a little salty, but very fragrant.

Being salty was fine. Salt was an important nutrient for humans.

Lin En poured all the compressed rations and protein bars into a bag, then slung the heavy bag over his back.

They were all his. He was taking everything!

Wow! His luck had finally turned!

At last, even an unlucky little fellow like him had gotten his turn at good fortune. What a huge haul!

A small box sat on top of the large crate. He lifted the lid and took a look inside as well.

He had never seen the contents before. They were some kind of gray powder.

He opened the box and sniffed. It had a faint, indescribable fishy smell.

"Big Bro System, what is this?" he asked the system.

[I don't know.]

"Should I take it with me?"

[Not recommended. The cultists might use these things for heretical purposes.]

Got it.

Lin En tipped the box over. The powder drifted out in a cloud and scattered all over the ground, impossible to sweep back up.

It was useless to him, but he could scatter it for them.

Whatever he couldn't carry, he would scatter all over the place for them.