46: Chapter 46 Pipeline Exploration

Under the force of Lin Qiming's custom hydraulic shears (modified from a discarded jack and gear set), the rusted grate at the entrance of the drainage pipe let out a teeth-grinding groan before finally bending inward, revealing a gap barely wide enough for a person to squeeze through sideways.

A wave of damp, cold air, thick with the stench of rust, decaying organic matter, and an indescribable metallic tang, rushed out to meet him.

Even through his improved filter mask, it made his stomach churn.

"Welcome to the intestines of the Hive City," Lin Qiming muttered to himself.

He adjusted his headlamp (strengthened with outpost batteries and a lens set), took a deep breath, and squeezed inside.

The inside of the pipe was wider than he had imagined, about one and a half meters in diameter, but the bottom half was filled with sewage of varying depths, with oil slicks and unidentified flocculent matter floating on the surface.

The walls were lined with heavy alloy, covered in rust and mineral deposits.

The simple map projected by Hephaestus at the edge of his vision was filling in bit by bit as he advanced, based on sonar feedback from the micro-beacons he tossed.

[Environmental monitoring: Temperature 12 degrees Celsius, humidity 98%. Air composition: Hypoxic, with excessive hydrogen sulfide, methane, and various organic volatiles. The filter mask can maintain approximately 45 minutes of safe operation. Water contamination level: High, containing strong radioactive isotopes and unknown biochemical toxins. Avoid direct contact.]

Hephaestus reported in real-time, [Signal strength: Continuously increasing. Direction: Directly ahead and slightly below. Distance: Approximately 80 meters.]

Lin Qiming waded through the knee-deep sewage, moving carefully.

The water was cold and the resistance was significant.

He held a fine dagger in his left hand and a waterproofed crossbow in his right, his spirit highly focused, senses amplified to the limit.

The intuition of the Hive Survivor pulsed slightly, warning of the unknown in the darkness.

"I'm basically a human stirring rod, churning through thousands of years of aged soup in the Empire's sewers," he grumbled internally, dodging a drop of viscous, foul-smelling liquid falling from overhead.

"If the Adeptus Mechanicus knew I was getting this 'intimate' with the Omnissiah's excretion system, they'd probably brand me a heretic immediately for the crime of 'desecrating the sanctity of the pipes'."

[Correction: There is no concept of 'sanctity of the pipes' in the doctrine of the Adeptus Mechanicus.]

Hephaestus corrected him seriously, [They would more likely accuse you of 'illegal contact and potential defilement of a sacred fluid transport conduit.' The sentencing result is the same: exhibition as a Servo-skull or immediate dismantling into parts.]

"Thanks, that's so comforting."

After proceeding about fifty meters, the pipe took a steep downward turn where the water formed a small whirlpool.

The signal source was at the bottom of the slope.

Lin Qiming threw down an illumination beacon, its light revealing a scene of utter devastation—

At the bottom of the slope was a slightly larger pipe junction where sewage had pooled into a small pond.

On the edge of the pond, half-buried in sludge and debris, were several huge, metallic remains flickering with an eerie green light.

It was a form Lin Qiming had only seen in Warhammer concept art and the nightmares of his past life: streamlined carapaces, multi-jointed leg structures, and heads with compound eye-style optical sensor arrays.

Despite being severely damaged, one could still see their unnatural, geometrically beautiful, and hideous nature.

Their shells were a dull silver-gray, but at the fractures and within their cavities, faint green fluorescence flickered like breathing.

Necrons! Scarabs!

And not just one, but three!

They were piled together in twisted poses, as if they had gone through a brutal slaughter or explosion.

Their carapaces were covered in massive tears and melt-through marks, with some internal lines dangling out, occasionally sparking with a point or two of green electricity.

[Confirmation: Necron basic combat unit — "Scarabs" scan/assault type, completely inactive.]

Hephaestus's voice carried a rare gravity, [Damage analysis: Primary trauma from high-energy particle weapons or plasma blasts, consistent with common attack methods of ancient one fragment technology.]

[Some scars indicate they attacked each other before death. Time of death: Estimated based on corrosion levels and environmental factors, approximately 1500-3000 years ago.]

[Warning: Their energy cores (Gauss weapons and power sources) may still contain trace amounts of unstable energy. Do not make direct contact with the fractured green fluorescent parts.]

Lin Qiming's heart pounded wildly.

It was really the Necrons!

The "green light" and "metallic scraping sounds" described by Old Cole's men had their source right here!

These metal skeleton remains had somehow been washed deep into the drainage pipe.

Their battle with the ancient one fragment facilities was now presenting itself before him in this form, thousands of years later.

He forced himself to calm down and swept his gaze over the surroundings of the remains.

Between the sludge and the Scarab fragments, he saw something else—several crystals and metal shards of varying sizes, emitting a soft blue glow.

They were embedded in the sludge or pressed beneath the remains.

Although the light was faint, it was steady and pure, completely different from the unsettling green light of the Necrons.

ancient one fragment! And quite a few of them!

[High-purity ancient one fragment technology relic fragments (combat remains/facility fragments) detected. Signal source confirmed!]

Hephaestus reported, [Energy readings are strong and have a significant resonance with the stc core. Safe to absorb.]

Opportunity was right before his eyes, but danger was equally within reach.

Lin Qiming did not rush forward rashly.

He first tentatively poked the nearest Scarab remain with a crossbow bolt, confirming there was no reaction.

Then, he carefully bypassed the glowing green fractures and used a long hook (self-made) to fish several larger ancient one fragment pieces out of the sludge, pulling them onto the relatively clean ramp.

The fragments felt warm in his hand, with the blue light inside flowing as if it were alive.

Just by being close, the stc core in his chest began to heat up, and the repair percentage numbers began to stir.

But he didn't absorb them immediately.

His gaze was drawn to something deep within the Scarab remains.

In the chest cavity of one of the relatively intact remains, beneath the shattered carapace, a complex, small device was vaguely visible.

It wasn't the green of the Necron style, but a dull gold, with extremely fine geometric patterns on its surface, containing nearly extinguished blue light particles within the grooves.

That thing... it looked like an ancient one fragment creation core component that this Scarab had captured or tried to consume during battle, but failed to digest completely?

[Anomalous object detected: Suspected ancient one fragment information state stabilizer or communication node micro-core, partially encased/eroded by the Necron unit.]

Hephaestus analyzed, [It is in an extremely unstable state, with Necron energy and ancient one fragment energy deadlocked within it.]

[Direct contact or absorption carries extremely high risk and may trigger an energy detonation or information contamination.]

High risk, but potentially high value.

Lin Qiming hesitated.

Should he safely collect the scattered fragments, or risk trying to acquire that core component which might contain even more secrets?

"This multiple-choice question is like asking someone who is starving to death whether to eat the clean bread right in front of them, or to pick at the breadcrumbs in the mouth of the corpse next door that might contain a gold tooth," he whispered to Hephaestus.

"Although a gold tooth is more valuable, there's a high probability the corpse will jump up and bite you first."

[The metaphor is vivid and accurate.]

Hephaestus agreed, [I suggest choosing the bread. Your survival priority is higher than curiosity and potential gains.]

Just then, the compound eye sensor on the head of the Scarab remain containing the foreign object suddenly flashed a very faint green light!

Lin Qiming's hair stood on end, and he retreated instantly!

But the green light extinguished immediately, and the remains showed no further movement.

[Weak energy fluctuation detected... it has vanished.]

Hephaestus scanned quickly, [It may have been an accidental discharge from residual capacitance, or a nerve reflex from the unit that hasn't completely ceased. But the risk cannot be ignored.]

"The breadcrumbs bite, confirmed."

Lin Qiming spat and hesitated no longer.

He quickly collected the five ancient one fragment pieces (three large, two small) he had hooked onto the ramp, stuffed them into his waterproof backpack, and then turned around without hesitation, retreating quickly along the path he came.

Not until he climbed back up the steep slope and returned to a relatively safe section of the pipe did he lean against the cold wall, panting heavily (through the filter mask) to calm his pounding heart.

In his backpack, the ancient one fragment pieces radiated a reassuring glow through the fabric.

Behind him at the bottom of the slope, the pile of Necron remains and the uncollected secrets were like silent beasts in the darkness, reminding him of the terrifying past hidden in this underground world.

The exploration had only just begun, and it was already so heart-pounding.

But the harvest was firmly in his hands.

[Exploration Report] Location: Deep junction of the Pump Station main drainage pipe.

Findings: Necron remains: Three Scarabs (scan/assault type), inactive. Damage indicates it was caused by ancient one fragment weapons and internal fighting. Time of death: Over a thousand years.

ancient one fragment: Several scattered high-purity relic fragments (combat remains/facility fragments).

Anomalous object: One ancient one fragment micro-core component (suspected information state stabilizer/communication node) partially eroded/encased by a Scarab, in an unstable state, not collected.

Encounter: Suspected extremely weak activity reaction from Scarab remains (possibly residual discharge).

Action: Withdrew quickly after collecting five safe ancient one fragment pieces.

Harvest: Physical evidence confirms a battle between the ancient one fragment and the Necrons in this area; acquired high-value ancient one fragment pieces that can be directly absorbed.

Risks: Confirmed existence of Necron units (though deceased); extreme pipe environment; unstable core component poses a potential threat.

System Note: Congratulations, you not only found the treasure, but also received the treasure's fierce guardians (even if they are corpses) as a bonus.

In the Warhammer universe, grave robbing is a shortcut to getting rich, and also the fastest lane to the morgue.

You chose the relatively safer path today, wise.

But that core you didn't take... it seemed to be winking at you (though it might have been an electrical leak).