37: Chapter 37 Topographic Map of the Old Pumping Station

Under the lights of the manufacturing area, Lin Qiming spread out the map of the Old Pump Station that had been digitally corrected by Hephaestus. The rough lines had become neat, and the hypothesized pipe entrances were marked with dotted lines; the entire structure resembled a steel behemoth crouching within the rock strata.

"A typical early-stage secondary pressurization Pump Station in the Hive City." He traced his finger over the markings for the main pump room, settling tank, filtration tank, and control room. "It uses geothermal or residual power to draw water from the deep aquifer, and after simple processing, it distributes it through a pipe network to various distribution points in the East District. Looking at this scale, at its peak, it could supply daily water for tens of thousands of people."

[Based on its structure, this Pump Station was built approximately three hundred years ago and belongs to the mid-expansion period of the 'Iron-Hard City' Hive City.] Hephaestus added, [Its technical level is Imperium standard civilian grade. Its maintenance status is unknown, but considering the control of the Iron Tooth Gang, it is highly probable that it only maintains minimal operation to ensure a constant water source—this is the source of their power.]

Lin Qiming nodded. On the map, Old Cole had marked several peripheral guard posts with red crosses and drawn approximate patrol routes with wavy lines. They were all very rough, but combined with the construction of the Pump Station itself, he could infer more.

"The main entrance is here, with a heavy blast door, easy to defend and hard to attack. But this maintenance tunnel on the side..." He pointed to an inconspicuous mark in the bottom left corner of the map, "According to the general design of such Imperium facilities, it should lead to the inspection shafts and some pipe network valves beneath the Pump Station. If it hasn't been completely sealed off, it might be a weak point."

[Analysis is correct.] Hephaestus called up several structural diagrams (generic templates from the STC database), [Maintenance tunnels are usually for Tech-Priests or servitors to enter. The interior is narrow, but it can directly access some key pipelines and primary filtration systems. If one infiltrates from here, there is an opportunity to contaminate the water or create chaos, but the risk is extremely high—there may be alarms or guards inside the tunnel.]

"That is not our target for now." Lin Qiming shifted his gaze to the main body of the Pump Station, "The key is the control room. It's here, up three flights of stairs, a separately isolated room. Controlling this means mastering the switches for the water pumps, the adjustment of the valves, and potentially the water quality monitoring data. The people of the Iron Tooth Gang may not know how to operate all the instruments, but they definitely know which lever is for 'on' and which is for 'off'."

Water is power. This saying is not a metaphor in the Hive Bottom; it is a naked reality. Without water, no stronghold can survive long-term. Relying on the Pump Station, the Iron Tooth Gang can not only ensure water for their own people but also sell water at high prices to other retail customers and small gangs in the East District, or threaten them with water cutoffs to force obedience. This is a more effective tool of rule than swords and blades.

"Both the Ashen Gang and the Deep Well Gang are eyeing this place." Lin Qiming recalled Old Cole's words, "The Ashen Gang mainly deals in waste recycling and black market trading; they have a need for water, but it is not their lifeline. The Deep Well Gang... their name has 'Well' in it, and it is said they control a few shallow underground wells, but the water volume and quality are both unstable. The Pump Station is a huge temptation for them, and also a threat."

A three-way standoff, but the balance is fragile. The Iron Tooth Gang occupies the advantage of the water source and has the strongest influence. The Ashen Gang has material channels, and the Deep Well Gang has the advantage of terrain (it is said their stronghold is near an ancient sewage Deep Well, with complex terrain). They are wary of each other and covet each other.

"So, Old Cole giving me this map is not just fulfilling the intelligence-sharing commission." Lin Qiming said thoughtfully, "He is also hinting that if I want to make a move in the Hive Bottom, the Pump Station is the key. The Ashen Gang might be happy to see someone cause trouble for the Iron Tooth Gang, and might even provide some 'convenience' at a critical moment—of course, the price would be negotiated separately."

A pragmatic consideration. There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. In the Hive Bottom, this rule operates even more directly and cruelly.

He carefully put the map away. At this stage, he would not touch the Pump Station; that would be tantamount to suicide. But this map, and the logic of power behind it, must be learned by heart. One day in the future, when the players descend and the balance of power shifts, this place will be a strategic point that must be captured.

"By the way, Hephaestus," Lin Qiming suddenly thought, "The Pump Station's water source comes from a deep aquifer. According to geological data, such aquifers often connect to older underground water systems and may even pass through some buried ruin areas. Does the geological structure of Zone B-9 have any relation to this aquifer?"

[Cross-referencing geological scan data (from the Old One crystal) with the Pump Station's location...] Hephaestus calculated for a moment, [There is a connection. Zone B-9 is located downstream of the hypothesized ancient underground waterway, and there are many geological faults in that area. Theoretically, the deep water drawn by the Pump Station may flow through the strata near Zone B-9. If there are large underground cavities or ruins in Zone B-9, there may be water accumulation or seepage inside.]

"The water veins are connected..." Lin Qiming's eyes flickered, "Then, the decay battery fragments appearing in Zone B-9, is it possible... that they were washed over by the water flow? Or, was that 'isolation facility' itself built near the water vein, perhaps even utilizing hydraulic power?"

[The possibility exists. Field investigation is required for verification.] Hephaestus replied, [But this correlation suggests that when exploring Zone B-9, special attention must be paid to hydrological signs and potential water-borne contamination (radioactive, biological, or... Warp-related).]

There was one more clue. Lin Qiming felt that the invisible net was tightening, and subtle connections were beginning to form between the various clue points. Pump Station, water veins, Zone B-9, decay battery, Old One signal, Necron traces, Adeptus Mechanicus, Chaos mutants...

"This puzzle is getting more and more complex." He rubbed his temples, "That's fine, at least it shows I haven't picked the wrong direction. Places where these troubles pile up are either the entrance to hell or where the treasure is buried deepest."

He set the map aside for the moment and returned to his immediate tasks. The workshop upgrade only lacked energy, and Old Cole's commission was imminent. He needed to further improve his reconnaissance capabilities to prepare for the trip to Zone B-9.

Further upgrades to the modified probe were put on the agenda. This time, he intended to combine his understanding of precision structures from [Basic Mechanical Identification] with the limited precision of the workbench to try and add a simple "spectrum analysis" module to the probe—not actual spectrum analysis, but using multiple micro-crystals with different resonant frequencies (salvaged from discarded electronic equipment) to allow the probe to produce slightly different vibration feedback for signals of different natures, thereby roughly distinguishing between "Old One signals," "strong energy sources," and "abnormal disturbances."

The idea was rough, and the implementation was even rougher. But this was R&D in the Hive Bottom: using parts scavenged from trash heaps to realize the ideas of a genius (or a madman), with results usually falling somewhere between "useful" and "will explode."

Lin Qiming began another round of tinkering. Welding, debugging, and being teased by Hephaestus, "Is the design inspiration for this filter circuit from Ork rock music?"

Outside the window (though there were no windows), the eternal dimness of the Hive City seemed to have solidified. And in this small patch of bright workshop, one man and one AI were trying to use their hands and minds to forge eyes that could peer into the darkness from the ruins.