Heavy Factory Warp Deployment A blazing crimson glow gathered deep within the ventilation shaft.
At the center of the underground hall, the brilliant blue warp column had fully pierced the darkness.
The shrill grind of metal drowned out the rushing water flowing through the sewer channels.
Within the pillar of light, the Heavy Factory’s fusion core was the first component to materialize.
A brilliant azure energy sphere spun continuously, radiating a steady hum of power.
Moments later, massive titanium-alloy support beams extended across the ground.
Steel girders locked together one after another with mechanical precision.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The thunderous pounding of heavy hydraulic pile drivers shook dust from the ceiling.
Automated foundation anchors slammed deep into the bedrock below.
The SCV rolled into the blue light.
Its left arm raised the plasma welding torch, sealing the final seams between the armor plates.
The entire process flowed with flawless efficiency, as though it had been rehearsed countless times before.
Rufus remained kneeling in the muddy water, too stunned to stand.
His mechanical eye frantically scanned the massive steel structure before him.
A second later, it froze completely.
A wisp of black smoke curled out of the damaged optic.
According to Imperial Guard logistical records, constructing even the simplest ammunition depot in the Underhive required thousands of laborers.
First they had to clear the foundation.
Then submit endless paperwork.
Wait for the Tech-Priests.
Burn sacred incense.
Recite endless hymns to soothe the Machine Spirit.
Only then could they slowly lift the very first support pillar into place.
Yet now…
In only a few minutes…
A colossal military-industrial complex had literally grown out of blue light.
Massive exposed gear assemblies meshed together, turning with deafening force.
Twin exhaust chimneys nearly scraped the underground ceiling.
At the front of the factory, a half-meter-thick armored blast door slowly rose, revealing a fully automated armored vehicle production line stretching deep inside.
This wasn’t construction.
To Rufus…
It was nothing less than a miracle wrought in steel.
The deputy beside him collapsed to the ground, his voice trembling.
“Impossible…” “Even the Governor’s Palace doesn’t possess technology like this…” Rufus spun around and slapped him across the face.
“Shut up, you idiot!” He looked back at Leon Drake, standing beneath the enormous shadow of the Heavy Factory.
Every trace of greed vanished beneath overwhelming awe.
If everything before him couldn’t be explained by the Imperium…
Then only one answer remained.
This man possessed relics from humanity’s Golden Age, treasures the Adeptus Mechanicus had sought for ten thousand years.
Following the Planetary Governor…
He could spend his life skimming credits in the Underhive.
Following this man…
He might stand beside history itself.
Rufus pressed his forehead against the filthy ground and performed a full Mechanicus prayer of reverence toward the Heavy Factory.
Seeing their commander kneel, all sixty Enforcers immediately dropped to the floor as well, repeatedly bowing toward the towering steel complex.
Helena stood beside the two remaining Taurus Armored Personnel Carriers.
Her eyes moved from the newly risen fortress of steel to the Enforcers who had surrendered completely.
She had once believed that Imperial law and the authority of the Inquisition were the only forces capable of maintaining order.
Now…
She had witnessed something even more absolute.
Industrial production.
When an entire military factory materializes before your eyes…
Words become unnecessary.
Leon stood beneath the Heavy Factory’s massive shadow.
A green notification appeared across his retinal HUD.
[Structure Complete: Heavy Factory.] [Current Resource Inventory Verified.] [Vespene Gas: 890.] [Minerals: 0.] Leon closed the display.
His economy was completely unbalanced.
He had an absurd surplus of gas…
But constructing the Heavy Factory had drained every last mineral.
Without minerals, the factory was nothing more than an empty shell.
He opened the production menu.
Hellion.
Cost: 100 Minerals.
Fast.
Highly mobile.
Perfect for roasting swarms of sewer-dwelling monsters.
Siege Tank.
Cost: 150 Minerals, 125 Vespene Gas.
Once deployed into Siege Mode…
It became pure long-range destruction.
Leon stared at the list with undisguised longing.
Too bad.
Not enough minerals.
He turned toward the Enforcers, who were still bowing their heads.
“If you’re done worshipping…” “Get back to work.” Leon kicked Rufus squarely in the chest plate.
“Open that tungsten blast door.” “You have ten minutes.” “I want every piece of machinery inside.” Rufus practically sprang to his feet.
His mechanical eye glowed with fanatical crimson light.
“My lord…
that door is far too thick.” “Our cutting tools don’t have enough power.” “It’ll take at least three hours…” “I don’t have time for excuses.” Leon cut him off.
“Ada.” “Send the SCV over.” “Cut through the door.” “If necessary…” “Cut through the wall with it.” [Command Confirmed.] [SCV workflow updated: Demolition and Resource Recovery.] Having just completed construction, the SCV immediately turned toward the warehouse.
Its heavy treads crushed loose stone as it rumbled forward.
The high-frequency plasma welder erupted into brilliant blue light, slicing directly into the military-grade tungsten blast door that could withstand rocket impacts.
Leon needed metal.
An enormous amount of metal.
The instant the plasma torch touched the door…
The surrounding temperature skyrocketed.
Hidden high above within the shadows…
The Primus clung to the ventilation shaft.
All four powerful arms locked the modified Imperial heavy mining laser cutter firmly in place.
Originally designed to slice through layers of bedrock…
Its cooling pipes had already turned cherry red from overheating.
The Hive Mind screamed inside its consciousness.
That steel structure…
Could not be consumed.
The biped commanding everything…
Possessed a completely sealed genetic code.
If assimilation was impossible…
Then destruction would suffice.
The Primus lashed out with one massive limb, shattering the ventilation grate.
Its thick fingers squeezed the trigger.
[Critical Energy Source Detected.] [Coordinates: Forty-five degrees overhead.] Ada’s warning exploded inside Leon’s mind.
Leon instinctively looked up.
A crimson plasma beam as thick as a man’s thigh tore through the darkness overhead.
Its heat was powerful enough to melt ceramite armor.
Its target…
The Heavy Factory’s fusion core.
It came too fast.
There was almost no chance to dodge.
BOOM!
Blinding light engulfed the underground hall.
The shockwave hurled more than a dozen nearby Enforcers through the air before smashing them into the rock walls.
Every drop of moisture instantly vaporized.
The air filled with the acrid smell of scorched metal.
Helena instinctively threw herself to the ground.
The blast wave sent her sliding several meters across the floor.
As the light began to fade…
Leon was still standing.
Two Firebats had reacted in an instant.
They stepped in front of him, crossing their alloy shields to form an impenetrable barrier.
Leon pushed the shields aside and immediately looked toward the Heavy Factory.
The mining plasma cannon had struck the building’s upper armor squarely.
The intense heat melted a one-meter-wide hole through the NeoSteel plating.
Molten metal flowed down the outer wall like glowing lava.
But…
That was all.
[Damage Report.] [Heavy Factory Armor Integrity Reduced by 15%.] [Fusion Core Undamaged.] [Internal Production Lines Operating Normally.] Rufus lay sprawled on the floor.
He stared at the enormous steel factory that had survived a direct hit without even collapsing.
His mouth hung open for several long seconds.
Suspended from the broken ventilation shaft, the Primus’ compound eyes widened with unmistakably human shock.
It couldn’t comprehend what it had just witnessed.
The factory had absorbed a direct blast from a mining plasma cannon…
Yet it hadn’t detonated.
Leon fixed his gaze on the four-armed monster above.
“Found you.” He rolled one shoulder and cracked his wrist.
“So you finally decided to show yourself.” [Warning.] [Enemy energy weapon recharging.] “Don’t give it another shot.” Leon issued the order.
The SCV, which had been cutting through the warehouse door, reacted without the slightest hesitation.
It immediately spun around.
Its treads roared as it accelerated toward the damaged section of the Heavy Factory.
The high-frequency welding torch pressed against the molten breach and began repairing it immediately.
Ssssssss…
Before the stunned eyes of every Imperial native in the hall…
The massive wound visibly healed.
Fresh metal filled the cavity.
The molten edges cooled.
New armor plating sealed the breach as if it had never existed.
At the same time…
The Marines waiting below raised their C-14 Gauss Rifles in perfect unison.
Six crimson laser aiming beams converged in midair.
Every one of them locked onto the Primus’ oversized head.
The fire-control radar completed its targeting solution.
Triggers were squeezed.
The electromagnetic accelerator inside each rifle screamed to life…
Launching 8mm gauss spikes straight toward their target.