New Power Armor

A week passed in the blink of an eye, and a vast complex of base structures stretching to the horizon appeared on Mustafar's surface.

Dense magnetic storm coils and high-energy prism towers covered every corner of the base. Those constantly rotating towers also bore the critical task of refracting and transmitting energy, but when necessary, their concentrated beams of light could kill anything that dared covet the place.

On the metal-covered ground, busy automated robots moved along predetermined tracks, transporting all kinds of materials and equipment to their designated locations under the Cogitator's control.

The former death world had now become a temperate, habitable world with gentle breezes and pleasant warmth.

Under the regulation of artificial intelligence, this world had been designed into an environment suitable for human life.

Temperature, humidity, atmospheric composition, radiation levels, and even gravity were all under control.

The dark clouds that had once blanketed the sky had long since dispersed. Under the weather control system's monitoring, clouds were now sparse, allowing the sunlight of the Macragge star to shine upon the planet's surface without restraint.

Magnetic field generators operating at the planet's poles created an invisible barrier within Mustafar's atmosphere, shielding it from dangerous cosmic rays and solar winds.

Thousands upon thousands of giant mining vehicles had long since penetrated deep into the planet's mantle, directly extracting precious molten minerals. After being transmitted through beacons, they were gathered at the ore refining center, where they were continuously smelted into the required basic materials.

Not only that, large numbers of mining ships had also been constructed in the vehicle factory. These ships were no more than five hundred meters long, yet they were likewise equipped with disintegration fields and fracture rays. They plunged into the asteroid belt at the edge of the planet, using fracture rays to shatter solid asteroids and meteoroids.

In terms of efficiency, directly obtaining resources from the asteroid belt was far superior to digging them out from beneath a planet's surface.

"Regarding the new power armor, I've already calculated an initial model. It will be enlarged based on the Mk IV Maximus pattern, and will look slightly smaller overall than Cataphractii-pattern power armor."

Lox displayed the holographic projection for Hill, Nykona, and the others to inspect.

"This doesn't seem quite the same as Mk IV, does it? You reinforced the armor around the neck, elbow joints, knee joints, and other areas? And this helmet seems different too."

Hill immediately began offering his assessment. He lacked the dull, stern air of other Astartes, and his train of thought was highly erratic.

Lox nodded. Based on his experiences on Calth, most Astartes had been killed only after their weak points were struck. It was not that the designers had not wanted to eliminate those weaknesses, but that they had been forced to retain them in order to balance mobility and functionality.

"No, I haven't increased the armor's thickness. On the contrary, I've reduced it substantially. What you're seeing is merely the exterior."

The holographic projection cut open the new power armor to reveal its interior. A vast amount of empty space could be seen within, and this design of reducing rather than increasing left Wayland of the Iron Hands deeply puzzled.

The Iron Father spoke up in challenge. "Then how will you guarantee the armor's defensive capability? Armor this thin cannot be deployed onto a battlefield unless you abandon ceramite."

Wayland's doubts were well-founded. Indeed, Lox had discarded the outdated material known as ceramite and chosen another, far more formidable metal.

Adamantium.

That was right—the super-material used to manufacture starship keel armor and the internal core frameworks of power armor.

Among the materials used by the Imperium of Man, adamantium was one of the most widespread and hardest. Only materials such as the auramite used by the Custodes, along with certain other exceptionally rare and outrageously expensive special materials, could surpass it.

This material was nearly perfect in terms of strength, hardness, toughness, and corrosion resistance. Once adamantium had been smelted and cast, it was almost impossible to deform it a second time. Even temperatures like those of the sun could not melt it.

However, its shortcomings were equally obvious. Setting aside its exorbitant cost, adamantium possessed an astonishing density, which made it exceptionally heavy and required greater power to drive machinery made from it.

Furthermore, because adamantium was too hard, manufacturing and processing it was extraordinarily difficult. The forge worlds of the Adeptus Mechanicus typically melted adamantium ore in environments comparable to the interior of a star, then cast it into shape within an extremely short time.

As a result, common applications of adamantium were generally limited to situations with lower processing complexity, such as starship keels and power armor frames.

When the Iron Father learned that Lox intended to replace ceramite with adamantium, the aged Space Marine wore an expression of understanding.

Of course, someone had considered it before. Power armor made of adamantium would be almost impossible to destroy by cutting, and the Astartes inside would possess an absurdly high chance of survival.

It might even be possible for a single man in a single suit of armor to slaughter his way through an enemy force.

Conventional weapons would not even be able to breach its defenses. Power swords, chainswords, plasma, and even melta weapons could not destroy adamantium. Such a Space Marine, seemingly possessed of an indestructible body, would be every enemy's nightmare.

Lox naturally saw the Iron Father's distrust. He curled his lips and said casually, "Processing adamantium isn't difficult for me. My matter reconstruction equipment can render the raw materials produced by the ore refining center malleable, then reshape them at the atomic level under artificial intelligence control."

"From the outside, adamantium armor can be produced as though it were printed from hard light. A suit can be completed in just a few hours."

The sound of someone swallowing seemed to echo through the room. Lox turned his head in confusion and looked around, but could not tell who had secretly gulped.

What was there to be so surprised about?

"Then how will you solve the power supply issue? A suit of adamantium power armor will weigh at least two to three times as much as ceramite. Our power packs cannot provide that much energy." Wayland was agitated, and his Iron Hands nearly landed on Lox's shoulders.

"Iron Father, remain calm." Nykona stepped in to stop him.

"Power? That counts as a problem?"

The source of an Astartes' power armor came from the power pack on his back. This miniature cold nuclear fusion pack could supply the armor with electricity for a long time, driving the electronic muscle bundles inside to respond.

"Cold nuclear fusion is a decent energy source, but it isn't enough. I've integrated antimatter furnaces throughout the power armor. By distributing them, I can eliminate such a bulky component as the power pack."

Part of the surplus space inside the adamantium armor had been reserved for antimatter furnaces. The Imperium was not unfamiliar with this type of energy source, but it existed only in certain exceptionally rare, perhaps even irreproducible relic weapons.

The Imperium's equipment might appear crude and barbaric, but the technology contained within was by no means weak.

"As for the electronic muscle bundles, I'll replace them with ultra-fine adamantium polymers. Their tensile strength can withstand the energy output of antimatter furnaces, and Astartes equipped with this new power source will utterly crush current warriors in terms of strength."

The new power armor Lox had conceived surpassed the old patterns in nearly every respect.

Adamantium's near-indestructible protection and power three to four times greater than older armor would create a new kind of warrior that surpassed traditional Astartes.

Wayland and the others looked at one another. They realized that this new armor, which currently existed only on blueprints, was not as distant as they had imagined.

Though they did not know whether mass production would be possible, a certain number of experimental models could certainly be built.

"Besides these standard features, the new power armor will also be fitted with comprehensive shock-absorption components, heat-insulation components, more powerful scanning equipment, and communications equipment. Of course, I also added the deflection field equipped by Cataphractii Terminator armor. The energy shield will protect its wearer from energy weapons as well."

Adamantium armor was difficult to destroy, but that did not mean it would not transmit harm from impacts and extreme heat. The power armor might be fine, while the warrior's flesh inside could be destroyed by the shockwaves of battle.

Nykona and the others were nearly numb. Lox had considered virtually every common battlefield condition. Even a recruit wearing adamantium armor could almost survive on an Apocalypse-class battlefield.

Not to mention those battle-hardened veterans with extraordinary martial prowess. Combined with adamantium armor, they would become the deadliest class of warriors.

"I assume we'll be given priority in receiving this equipment, my lord?"

Hill shook his head, then lightly tapped Nykona's power armor with a finger. "That's right. Your power armor really is trash."

"Besides that, I've also designed a more advanced suit of power armor, benchmarked against the Cataphractii Terminator armor used by Astartes warriors. Only the strongest warriors will be able to use it. Beyond fighting infantry, it will contend with all ground vehicles, even Titan war machines."

There was even more explosive equipment to come? The Iron Hands felt as though their repeatedly shocked nerves had gone numb. What kind of armor could surpass adamantium power armor?

Beside the original adamantium armor, an even larger suit revealed its true form.

It borrowed the appearance of Cataphractii power armor, but stood four meters tall. It lacked sharp contours, instead possessing a smooth, streamlined simplicity entirely unlike the style of the Imperium's equipment.

"Unlike the adamantium armor, this suit operates on a technological level several tiers higher. I've used strong-force material. Every atom is firmly pinned in its designated position. Aside from areas such as the joints, which use deformable materials, most of the armor will be made from this truly indestructible material."

"This strong-force power armor is not particularly heavy, so I've equipped it with an anti-gravity engine and a jet pack for atmospheric use. An Astartes warrior will be able to use it to completely leave the ground, something jump packs cannot achieve."

"The weapons it carries will also possess even more terrifying destructive power. The specifics can be decided according to the situation."

After Lox finished his extensive introduction, everyone looked at one another and immediately felt that the power armor they wore no longer seemed impressive.

They also began to understand why Lox had always looked at them as if they were garbage. Compared with technological creations like these, their power armor truly was little different from children's toys.

Lox led the Space Marines into the laboratory of the vehicle factory. Next, these creations that currently existed only on blueprints would truly descend into this world.

The ore refining center delivered a batch of formed adamantium materials. They had been cast into gold-brick shapes for easier storage and transportation, and these precious materials, far stronger than gold, were about to be sent into the matter reconstruction equipment for further processing.

Under the illumination of the machine's beams, chunks of adamantium melted into liquid and flowed through pipes into the casting equipment.

The Cogitator controlled the hard-light printer's parameters, moving the adamantium into predetermined positions according to the entered data.

Before everyone's eyes, shimmering golden adamantium began taking shape, starting from the power armor's magnetic boots. The printing speed was not particularly fast. After roughly an hour, the power armor had only barely formed up to the knees.

Although even its rough outline had yet to be completed, the results achieved so far were still enough to set hearts racing.

This was adamantium armor, armor that would be nearly invincible on the battlefield.

The loyalists equipped with it would easily drown the traitors in their own blood.

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