In the corridors of the Dagger-class Frigate.
Ogedai and Taral walked side by side.
Ogedai’s brow was deeply furrowed, as if contemplating a difficult Choice.
After thinking for a long time, Ogedai, seated in his wheelchair, looked up at his old friend.
“Taral, I think the time has come.”
“What time has come?” Taral, who knew exactly what Ogedai had been thinking about lately, asked knowingly.
“Locke’s learning speed exceeds our imagination; he is growing stronger day by day, moving closer to becoming a true Astartes, while I am almost ready to be put into a Tin Can.”
Taral sighed.
Ogedai had tried at the beginning; fighting with only his upper body without legs resulted in combat effectiveness far inferior to when he was whole.
The White Scars were not those mechanical augmentation fanatics of the Iron Hands, and Master Kunto Anastasio, a leading expert in the biological field, could not install Prosthetic Limbs on Ogedai that could fully replace the function of his legs.
It must be known that Ogedai’s requirement for Prosthetic Limbs was not just the ability to walk or run, but also the ability to withstand the high-intensity combat expected of a Space Marine.
Only the people of the Iron Hands could achieve that.
And to enter a Dreadnought, on a personal emotional level, Taral was unwilling.
When the Adeptus Mechanicus designed the early Dreadnoughts, their thinking was pragmatic: to allow those Space Marines whose limbs were too severely damaged for repair value to contribute their last bit of usefulness, as the vast combat knowledge and near-reflexive combat skills stored in their brains were an inestimable asset.
Therefore, the early models of the Dreadnought completely disregarded the physiological comfort of the pilot inside. Space Marines, having had their limbs severed, retaining only their torso and Head, were imprisoned within, submerged in the Nutrient Paste in the Cabin. Various Neural Interfaces were plugged into their bodies, transmitting countless pieces of Information directly as intense electrical signals to their Flesh and Blood. While the pilot was in slumbering Dormancy, during combat, they experienced almost constant agonizing Pain.
After a high-intensity battle, this iron coffin often contained only a charred Corpse, ready for the next maimed Space Marine to be installed.
Ogedai’s hands were still intact now, but to enter a Dreadnought, his hands would also have to be severed.
Taral said, “It is too early to discuss this, Ogedai. The Dagger does not carry a Dreadnought for you; your iron coffin is not here.”
Ogedai nodded, then changed the subject: “Have you noticed that Locke has been visiting Kunto quite frequently lately?”
“I noticed too. Kunto’s attitude toward Locke is clearly different from how he treats the rest of our Legion. I wonder what kind of mischief a Tech-Priest is planning.”
Ogedai pondered for a moment, recalling some of Fu Qinghai’s strange behavior on Cheslatan, and a vague answer began to form in his mind.
…………
Time rewound two weeks.
Fu Qinghai carried a Briefcase and entered Kunto’s Laboratory aboard the Starship with practiced ease.
As soon as he entered, he saw a massive Iron Cabinet standing next to the Workbench.
Inside the cabinet, a giant Greenskin monster was fixed in a spread-eagle position.
It was an Ork, long dead.
Surprisingly, the muscles and Organs beneath its thick Skin seemed to have been corroded and hollowed out by something, leaving only a complete set of Skin hanging on the Skeleton.
Literally Skin and Bones, the kind with not an extra shred of flesh.
It looked exceptionally bizarre.
The short Master Kunto emerged silently from the shadow of the Equipment like a Ghost.
Seeing Fu Qinghai looking up at the Skin and Bones of the Greenskin hanging in the Iron Cabinet.
Kunto let out a hoarse laugh and said, “Experiment 1923 is over. Unit 37, dispose of this material; it might frighten our little friend.”
Servitor 37, standing by, immediately rushed forward with a few others to push the Iron Cabinet away.
Fu Qinghai shrugged, offering no explanation. Having watched so many Wildly Imaginative Hollywood gore films in his past life, how could he be scared by the Skin and Bones of an Ork? Moreover, Ogedai’s Armory contained even stranger Xenos biological Materials.
Fu Qinghai walked to a machining tool, placed the Briefcase on it, opened it, revealing a standard Imperial Standard Space Marine Bolter.
Fu Qinghai seemed to have a Draft already prepared in his mind. He silently took out the Bolter, removed the Magazine, disassembled the Bolt, and began skillfully operating the machine tool.
Fu Qinghai had long noticed that, unlike the Businesslike courtesy and occasional Impatience he showed Ogedai and Taral, Kunto was exceptionally patient with him.
Not only did Kunto allow him free access to the Laboratory, but when Fu Qinghai showed Curiosity about the Laboratory’s apparatus and Equipment, Kunto even allowed him to try operating them.
This was very rare for a Tech-Priest.
Fu Qinghai certainly didn't believe he shared any special familial bond with Kunto.
Fu Qinghai felt that Kunto’s patience with him was more like the patience one shows a rare experimental subject.
Whenever Fu Qinghai came to the Laboratory, Kunto would always stand quietly to the side with his hands behind his back, meticulously observing Fu Qinghai’s every move, much like a researcher in his previous life observing the behavior of a white mouse.
To every question Fu Qinghai posed, Kunto did not hesitate to answer with great patience.
At this moment.
Kunto silently reappeared beside Fu Qinghai, hands behind his back, looking down at Fu Qinghai’s skillful and busy operation, and asked curiously:
“What are you doing?”
“See, I plan to widen the Magazine interface for modification, and then make a new Magazine to insert,” Fu Qinghai pointed to the lower end of the gun body.
He then added, “A Drum Magazine.”
A Drum Magazine… Kunto understood, then asked, “Where are your blueprints?”
Fu Qinghai tapped his head: “They are here.”
Are you kidding me… That was Kunto’s first reaction.
Then he stared intently at Fu Qinghai’s hands, noticing him operating the machine tool’s rotary blades, Drills, Welder, and various processing tools, meticulously handling the Materials in his hands.
Kunto’s eerie green Cybernetic Eye slowly rotated, and the more he watched, the more unnerved he became.
When describing a steady hand, people usually say, ‘hands like a surgeon.’
But Fu Qinghai’s hands at this moment were beyond description as merely surgical.
His hands were practically two precision Mechanical Arms with errors down to the micrometer.
According to the readings provided by the Cybernetic Eye, without blueprints or modeling, and operating purely by hand, the components Fu Qinghai fabricated showed no deviation whatsoever. Readings for aperture, hole position, shaft diameter, cylindricity, runout, size… all parameters were perfectly aligned.
Kunto subtly glanced at Fu Qinghai’s hands.
Long, slender fingers, flexible and strong—they were indeed Flesh and Blood hands.
He looked up again at Fu Qinghai’s eyes.
His black eyes were focused intently on the work in his hands, without the slightest distraction.
They were also normal eyes.
Kunto looked down in disbelief at the Mechanical Tentacles slowly extending from beneath his robes.
So, where exactly did the problem lie?
Master Kunto was unaware of the existence of Tony Stark’s electronic Backup in Fu Qinghai’s mind, which allowed for automatic modeling processes in his head, coupled with the White Scars’ unique Meditation methods and enhanced training that deepened his control over his Superman physique.
Thus, he was completely baffled.
The Tech-Priest quietly regulated his breathing, making a mental note:
Experiment Log: 17-6. The test subject exhibits superhuman hand-eye coordination and limb control abilities, suspected to be related to the Mutation brought by Kunto’s Blood.
Regardless of the turmoil in Kunto’s mind, Fu Qinghai had already methodically completed the Magazine modification.
He held the gun in one hand, gently supporting it with the other.
“Click!”
With a crisp sound, the cylindrical Drum Magazine slotted cleanly and neatly into the gun body.
The Bolter Shells had already filled the Drum Magazine. Fu Qinghai rotated his Wrist, testing the gun’s center of gravity and balance, attempted to cycle the Bolt to load a round, and aimed, but did not pull the Trigger.
This was Kunto’s Laboratory, not a firing range, after all.
Kunto understood Fu Qinghai’s intention: replacing the curved Magazine with a Drum Magazine was to enhance the sustainability of his firepower.
He spoke up to remind him, “This is an Imperial Standard Bolter produced by the Agrippina Forge World. The barrel has a rated service life. Installing a Drum Magazine might shorten the barrel’s lifespan.”
Fu Qinghai replied, “Of course, I know, Master, but I believe that compared to a breakthrough in burst firepower, a mere service life is not a major issue.”
Fu Qinghai had thought carefully: although the Bolter has a long range, and there are sniper variants with Extended Barrels, its primary combat scenario is line-of-sight engagement, or more precisely, short-range firefights.
For short-range engagements, firepower volume and sustainability are far more important than accuracy.
Theoretically, unauthorized modification of Imperial Standard armaments is forbidden.
The Imperium’s Forge Worlds design armaments considering factors like deployment cost, logistics, maintenance, and upkeep. Fu Qinghai’s style of converting a curved Magazine to a Drum Magazine is actually more similar to the later Chaos Space Marines. The military-industrial complex considers overall cost, while the warrior considers their own battlefield Survival; neither is wrong.
As a Tech-Priest, Kunto should have stopped this behavior and reported it upon seeing it.
However, the Space Marine Legions possess immense autonomy within the entire Imperial Army structure. Never mind modifying a gun, they have done far more egregious things.
Compared to model Legions like the Lunar Wolves, Ultramarines, and Emperor’s Children, Chaghatai Khan and his White Scars were known among the twenty Space Marine Legions for being Unconventional and undisciplined.
But even for the Unconventional, personal modification of one’s Weapon was something more commonly seen among the Chaos Space Marines who would later inhabit the Eye of Terror, especially this Drum Magazine conversion, which was a favorite among many Chaos Space Marines.
Ogedai and the others couldn't care less how Fu Qinghai personalized his firearm.
Kunto also couldn't be bothered. Compared to a Bolter, he was more curious why his prized experimental subject wanted to modify a weapon.
And the near-instinctive, powerful learning ability Fu Qinghai had displayed recently.
Fu Qinghai ejected a Bolter Shell from the Drum Magazine, held it in his hand, turning it over, his thoughts drifting.
The Bolter is a very classic Weapon.
It is the standard ranged Weapon for Space Marines, as classic as Power Armor. Depending on size and model, there are derivatives like the Bolter Pistol and Bolter Carbine.
In appearance, the Bolter’s receiver is blocky, and the entire gun body is short, thick, and heavy, filled with the unique violent aesthetic style of Warhammer 40,000. Compared to the massive Physique of a Space Marine in armor, holding it feels more like a miniature submachine gun, and some Astartes Adeptus with powerful arm strength can indeed fire it one-handed.
In principle, like many firearms from his previous life, the projectile is the core technology of the Bolter. The core principle of the Bolter lies in its two-stage propulsion: there are two stages of propellant behind the projectile. One stage ignites upon firing, providing the Bolter with initial velocity to push the projectile out of the barrel, just like a regular firearm. The second stage of propellant continues to burn inside the casing, causing the projectile to be continuously propelled and accelerated after exiting the muzzle.
Therefore, every projectile is essentially a small rocket.
This two-stage propulsion principle is not particularly Black Technology; Fu Qinghai estimated that military giants on Earth in his previous life might have been able to develop it if they had pursued it without regard for cost.
However, there was no need for it. As a personal light weapon, the Bolter’s manufacturing cost was too high for the armies of Earth in his previous life, and its power was severely excessive.
The targets for personal light weapons were also Humans. For the fragile bodies of Humans, a projectile capable of piercing body armor and then tumbling inside to create a wound cavity was sufficient power.
There was no need to blow people to pieces.
But against the various shelled Xenos Races and technological barbarians clad in shields in the Warhammer Universe, the Bolter’s power was barely adequate.
Fu Qinghai, pleased with his new gun, was about to leave.
However, Kunto called out to Fu Qinghai.
“Little Locke, I sense you have great talent. Are you interested in becoming a Tech-Sergeant?”
“Tech-Sergeant?” Fu Qinghai was stunned.
After thinking it over, he nodded: “I am very willing, Master.”
…………
In the Training Cage.
“So, Kunto actively asked you if you wanted to become a Tech-Sergeant?” Ogedai asked in a deep voice.
“Yes,” Fu Qinghai replied simply.
“Hmm…” Taral stroked his chin, “I think this is a good thing. What do you think, Ogedai?”
Ogedai smiled. He had long anticipated this moment. Fu Qinghai’s near-instinctive, powerful learning ability regarding machinery and technology displayed on Cheslatan was still fresh in his memory.
A triumphant gleam shone in his eyes as he said, “Of course, this was all within my expectations.”
…………
The Tech-Sergeant, like the Apothecary and the Chief Librarian, is a special troop type within the Astartes Legions.
These special troop types are first and foremost Space Marines, possessing the abilities and traits common to all Space Marines, yet each has its own specialty.
The Apothecary and Chief Librarian have been introduced previously.
Tech-Sergeants are Space Marines selected from within the Space Marine Legion and sent to Forge Worlds like Mars for study and advanced training. They generally paint the Adeptus Mechanicus gear symbol on their Pauldrons, in addition to their Legion’s insignia, to signify their status or express their Faith in the Omnissiah.
The Lunar Wolves, Ultramarines, and Emperor’s Children are relatively balanced large Legions, possessing all troop types.
But other Legions are not so balanced. Take the magical ponies, Magnus’s Thousand Sons Legion; almost everyone is a Psyker. Although the total number of the Legion is small, with a Chief Librarian for every member, their combat strength is actually greater.
Similarly, the White Scars and Blood Angels are Legions that produce many Chief Librarians. These Legions’ Genes are naturally more sensitive to the Warp and Aether, and coupled with the tradition of researching mysterious phenomena or practicing Feudal Superstition on their home worlds, it is easy for Legion Librariums to emerge.
But some Legions have more Materialistic, science-oriented individuals, such as the Iron Hands, Iron Warriors, and Salamanders.
These Legions are rich in Tech-Sergeants; one could even say everyone is a Tech-Sergeant, such as the Iron Hands who excel at Cybernetic Augmentation, and the Salamanders who are all master smiths.
In the White Scars, Chief Librarians are not rare, but Tech-Sergeants are extremely rare.
Rarity makes things precious. For the White Scars, a Tech-Sergeant is not just a curiosity for the Legion members, but a valuable, rare troop type for the Legion.
Fu Qinghai arrived at the familiar Laboratory, bowed slightly to Kunto, and said:
“Master, the Legion has agreed.”
Kunto’s hoarse chuckle came from beneath the shadow of his Hood: “Heh heh, of course they agreed. The White Scars is not a Legion that produces Tech-Sergeants.”
Normally, a Tech-Sergeant would undergo three to five years of advanced study on Mars, but with Mars likely having become a war zone, Fu Qinghai would naturally study under Kunto.
Learning from a Tech-Priest of the caliber of a Biological Sage was a privilege not afforded to many ordinary Tech-Sergeants.
Fu Qinghai detected the faint disdain in the Tech-Priest’s tone toward the White Scars, but he said nothing, merely following Kunto to a massive bookcase filled with Books.
Fu Qinghai looked up and saw classic Imperial parchment Books. Some people in the Imperium of Man believed that Books and documents made of this material possessed a special property that immunized them against the electronic magical interference of certain Chaos Daemons.
Parchment was made from special sheepskin produced in the biochemical factories of Agri-Worlds, tough and resistant to decay.
The large bookshelf also contained paper Books surviving from ancient times. Every one of these Books was a precious and fragile artifact.
These ancient Books might have originated from the Terra era on Earth, or they might have been Captured items from other Human colonies recovered by the Imperial Expeditionary Fleet government.
Collecting the scattered knowledge of Humanity across the Galaxy was also an undeniable responsibility of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
However, whether or not to share this knowledge was another matter entirely.
Sealing away certain Black Technology, or researching it in secret, had always been a tradition of the Adeptus Mechanicus. This massive organization, originating from Mars, was not always aligned with the Imperium of Man.
Under Master Kunto’s dark red robes, various models of Mechanical Arms, Mechanical Tentacles, and Mechanical Tentacles were always extending, making Fu Qinghai wonder how much of the old man’s frail Flesh and Blood had been replaced by Components and Gears.
Several Mechanical Tentacles respectively pulled several Books from the bookshelf and placed them in front of Fu Qinghai.
They were all thick, large volumes.
Mostly parchment Books.
Fu Qinghai’s expression turned solemn as he watched the mountain of Books pile higher and higher before him.
Finally, he could binge-read to his heart’s content!
With the anticipation of his Curiosity and thirst for knowledge about to be fully satisfied, Fu Qinghai sat down with a solemn attitude.
When he opened the first page of the first Book, Fu Qinghai suddenly couldn't help but think:
If I had this kind of mindset and perseverance during my postgraduate entrance exams, would I have gotten into Tsinghua already?
…………