While all of Hope Star was swept up in a frenzy of construction and war preparations, an urgent report from a remote mining district shattered the picture of burgeoning prosperity.
The report came from the excavation crew at "Deep Shaft Number 7."
To supply his ever-expanding industrial system with energy and raw materials, Liu Zhipeng had ordered mineral exploration and extraction across the planet. Deep Shaft Number 7 was the deepest of these mines, intended to survey rare metal deposits far underground.
The report was strange. With his limited vocabulary, the Gretchin foreman in charge described it this way: "Big Boss, we... we dug through a layer of really weird black stone. It... it doesn't look like stone. It's too smooth, too regular. When we drill it, no chips come off. It just glows. And... and ever since we broke through, there've been these... these really strange sounds coming from deep in the mine, like someone whispering. A few of the cowardly Gretchin have already gone mad from fear."
Any report that combined "strange stones," "deep underground," and "whispering" instantly put Liu Zhipeng, a longtime Warhammer fan, on edge.
He immediately ordered all work at Deep Shaft Number 7 halted, then personally led a squad of Enforcement Squad veterans equipped with the finest weapons to the site aboard a high-speed transport aircraft.
Deep Shaft Number 7 lay in a desolate stretch of the Gobi Desert, its enormous mouth like a scar leading into hell. Around the mine, thousands of Gretchin miners had been ordered to retreat to a safe distance, terror written across every face.
Without wasting words, Liu Zhipeng stepped straight into the lift leading underground.
As the lift slowly descended, the light rapidly dimmed and the air grew colder. An ominous atmosphere of deathly silence settled over them