Warhammer Survival Guide

Chapter 18 Industrial Alchemy

This is comparable to an industrial alchemy.

Under the influence of chemical agents and high temperature and pressure, decay is transformed into nutrients, and corpses become food.

There was no magic, no miracles.

Only the cold chemical reaction equations are faithfully running.

Loewe put away his pocket watch and turned to walk toward the control panel.

There was a beaker there, filled with a dark green liquid that had just been collected from the sampling port.

It was as thick as the secretions of some kind of slug.

A layer of suspicious grayish-brown grease also floated on the surface.

After high-temperature sterilization, the nauseating fishy smell has been masked by the scent of chemical fragrances.

"This is a mixed protein formula."

Luo Wei picked up the beaker and gently swirled it.

Buck, standing to the side, turned pale.

The ruthless commander of the defense forces had a twitching eye.

"Advisor...are we really going to feed them this?" Buck asked with difficulty. "This stuff looks like sewer sludge."

"Technically speaking, it does indeed originate from the sewers."

Luo Wei's tone was flat.

"However, in terms of chemical composition, it contains abundant protein, calcium, salt, and enough calories to sustain heavy physical labor."

He held the beaker up to his eyes.

Observe the refraction of light through the murky liquid.

"Buck, do you know what hunger is?"

Without waiting for a reply, Luo Wei continued speaking to himself:

"Hunger is not when your stomach rumbles, but when your body begins to break down your muscles; your brain begins to stop thinking; and your sense of morality melts away like ice and snow."

"When a person is extremely hungry, he will find this drink sweeter than the holy oil bestowed by the emperor."

"But..." Buck wanted to say something more.

"No buts." Luo Wei waved his hand.

"Our food reserves will only last three days. If we don't implement this plan, these 50,000 people will turn into wild beasts in three days."

"At that time, we'll either kill them all or be eaten by them."

After saying that, Rowe made a gesture that left Buck speechless.

He raised the beaker to his lips and took a big gulp without hesitation.

Warm and viscous.

It has a strange salty taste, similar to the texture of low-quality synthetic meat.

It tastes bad, but it doesn't make you feel nauseous.

Luo Wei swallowed it without changing his expression.

After he finished, he even smacked his lips as if he were tasting wine.

"The texture is slightly astringent, the bone meal isn't ground finely enough."

He put down the beaker, took out a handkerchief, and wiped his mouth.

"Have Father Alpha install a filter on the second grinder."

"Oh, and add a little thickener extracted from red algae to make it look more like 'porridge' than 'soup'."

Having witnessed everything, Buck's initial surprise in his one eye quickly transformed into a complex expression of fear and awe.

In this world where class distinctions are like insurmountable trenches, those in positions of power typically have only two attitudes towards the food of those in lower classes:

Ignore it, or avoid it like the plague.

However, Lo Wei not only touched it, but also drank it.

Moreover, he considered how to improve the taste of this muddy drink, just as he would when tasting Amasek wine.

This cannot be explained simply by saying "coming from a humble background".

Buck has lived for so many years and has seen too many guys who have climbed up from the bottom.

Once those people have power, they are often more ruthless than the born nobles.

They were even more eager to use whips and exploitation to wash away their poverty and squalor.

It's as if by trampling their former kind into the mud, they can become a little more noble.

But Lowell is different.

When he drank that drink, there was no condescending condescension in his eyes, nor any affected reminiscence of past hardships.

There was only a chilling calm.

That calmness seemed to say:

As long as it's for survival, for this ultimate goal, whether it's turning people into fertilizer or rats into food, there's no essential difference to him.

This was more frightening to Buck than mere brutality.

Because brutality often stems from emotions.

This extreme rationality stems from a powerful will that Buck cannot comprehend, yet instinctively desires to submit to.

"Go ahead, Buck." Rowe straightened his collar. "Notify the cafeteria to have extra food tonight."

"Let me tell you, this is a specially prepared 'high-energy nutritional supplement' to celebrate our victory over the heretics."

"Yes, advisor!"

Buck straightened his back and gave a standard military salute.

This time, his actions showed no hesitation, only obedience.

……

Night falls.

In the square of the Seventh Grain Depot, beams of searchlight pierced the darkness.

Fifty thousand laborers held various kinds of containers in their hands.

Some were deformed lunchboxes, and some were half a plastic bucket.

Some people were carrying rusty helmets.

They formed a long queue.

Large stainless steel insulated containers were carried out.

The steaming, dark green, viscous liquid was spooned out one spoonful at a time.

Just as Rowe had predicted, no one complained about what the ingredients were.

For these people at the bottom of society who are constantly in a state of semi-starvation.

Being able to eat this kind of thick, warm food with a salty and oily aroma is simply a luxury.

The sounds of slurping and swallowing rose and fell.

Luo Wei stood in the shadows of the administration building, watching this scene through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

He did not go out to receive the cheers.

For a competent manager, maintaining an air of mystery and distance is more effective than being approachable in such situations.

"Data shows that the public's mood index has increased by 30%."

Father Alpha appeared behind him without him noticing.

Several mechanical tentacles deftly manipulated the data panel in their hands.

"The rate of fighting has dropped to zero in the past hour. It seems that carbohydrates and protein are indeed the best tranquilizers for maintaining order."

"This is just a stopgap measure."

Lo Wei turned around.

They did not let their guard down because of the current peace and stability.

"When you're full, you'll have energy, and when you have energy, you'll have ideas."

He walked to the desk.

Picking up a newly delivered report on the consumption of supplies, he thought, "We need to find an outlet for this extra energy."

He drew several lines on the back of the report with a quill pen.

"Starting tomorrow, we'll increase the intensity of the trench digging work. We'll change the original three-shift rotation system to two-shift rotation. Since we're eating well, we'll naturally work even harder."

"The logic is sound." Father Alpha's prosthetic eye flickered. "However, Your Excellency, I noticed your instruction to add a trace amount of antibiotics to the formula just now..."

"It's a precautionary measure."

Luo Wei walked to the map on the wall.

That was a detailed structural map of the Seventh Grain Depot and the surrounding area.

Several key nodes are marked in red above.

"We burned the poisoners and cleaned the irrigation canals, but the Lord of Plague... I mean, the contamination left by those heretics may be more stubborn than we thought."

Lowe pointed to the eastern section, at the location of a drainage outlet.

"When I was observing the food distribution just now, I noticed that several workers had slight red spots on their arms."

"The color is very light, and it looks like a common allergy or eczema. But the location is suspicious; they are all near the lymph nodes."

Father Alpha's mechanical body stiffened slightly, and he asked solemnly:

"You suspect you were infected by the Chaos virus?"

"I have no doubts; I only prepare for the worst."

Luo Wei's voice lowered.

"Alpha, I need you to find those people, make up any reason, like 'adverse reactions caused by overnutrition'. Isolate them in separate medical tents."

"and then?"

"Then use your industrial UV lamp to give them a thorough 'treatment'."

Luo Wei's eyes were as cold as ice.

"If the redness subsides, put it back. If it starts to ulcerate or ooze pus..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

He simply made a throat-slitting gesture.

Kindness is cruelty to the majority.

To save the lives of these 50,000 people, sacrificing a few potential sources of infection is a necessary mathematical problem to solve.

Just then, the communicator on the table rang, interrupting the tense conversation between the two.

It is an encrypted line for the command channel.

Luo Wei walked over quickly and pressed the answer button.

"This is the Seventh Grain Depot, and I am Luo Wei."

Buck's voice came through the communicator, urgent yet excited:

"Advisor, a convoy has arrived. It's not part of the defense force; judging by the paint scheme... it's the Governor's Black Armor Guard!"

Luo Wei's grip on the communicator tightened slightly, but his tone remained steady: "Who's leading the team?"

"Captain Lilith has come to inspect the area on the orders of the Governor."

Rowe and Father Alpha exchanged a glance.

coming.

It was faster and more direct than expected.

"Let them in," Lowe quickly ordered. "Don't stop them, don't check them, take them directly to the plaza downstairs in the administration building. I'll wait for her there."

Hang up the communication.

Luo Wei straightened his slightly worn military overcoat.

He touched the cold lead plate on his chest again.

This is the first real political test he will face since he transmigrated.

Previously, when facing Manager Case, it was an intellectual crushing victory;

Facing tax official Márquez was a game within the rules.

Now, they face the governor's envoy, representing the highest authority on this agricultural planet.

Even the slightest mistake.

All of these could render all his previous efforts futile.

"Alpha." Rowe walked to the door, then suddenly stopped. "Tell those engineering bots to turn the volume up."

"I want to show His Excellency the Chief of the Guard that this is a fortress operating at full speed, not a refugee camp waiting for aid."

"As you wish, advisor."

……

Ten minutes later.

Accompanied by the deep roar of the engine.

Three Chimera armored personnel carriers, painted with a matte dark black paint, rolled over the newly paved gravel road and stopped in the square in front of the administration building.

The car door opened.

A squad of fully armed soldiers in black armor quickly jumped off the vehicle.

They skillfully seized the high ground on all sides.

Their movements were efficient and ruthless, and they exuded a murderous aura that only true elites who had seen blood could possess.

Compared to them, Buck's group of defense soldiers, dressed in patchwork armor, looked like a bunch of farmers in uniform.

Finally, the hatch of the middle car slowly opened.

A foot encased in a black metal combat boot stepped onto the ground.

Lilith, the head guard, came out.