69novels Chapter 23 Speed of Life and Death
Chapter 23 Speed of Life and Death
However, the next second, a cataclysmic tremor suddenly swept across the entire underground cavity.
The glowing crystals on the cave ceiling shattered in pieces, and the rubble fell like a torrential rain, causing the thick rock layers to groan under the weight.
The metal hull of the ship was smashed with a loud clang.
Everyone staggered and grabbed the wall for support, except for Peturabo and Levi, who stood firmly in place. Peturabo's communicator instantly exploded with static.
"Report! Primarch! Core activity has suddenly intensified!" The communications officer's roar pierced through the static. "Geological models have been recalculated; Dawn Star will completely collapse in at most twenty hours! All deep mining areas have begun to crumble, and half of the surface evacuation points have been destroyed!"
Peturabo's face instantly turned ashen.
He quickly brought up the tactical terminal, where glaring red data flashed on the screen: mined refined gold veins, high-purity chromium reserves, and rare alloy ingots were piled up in Warehouse No. 3 on the surface.
Another cold, dark number is the number of civilians stranded on the planet—2.37 million.
"Order all transport ships to immediately turn towards Surface Warehouse No. 3." Without the slightest hesitation, he coldly said into the communicator, "Prioritize loading all strategic resources that have already been mined, and abandon all civilian evacuation points. Siege guards, follow me to the warehouse to reinforce the loading platforms. Complete the first wave of loading within one hour."
"Petulabo!" Levi, who had been listening silently, suddenly stepped forward, his voice rising abruptly, "You dare abandon over two million people?!"
"This is the most rational choice." Peturabo turned his head, his eyes as cold as ice. "My transport ships can only carry a maximum of 300,000 people, and can make a maximum of three trips in 20 hours, evacuating a maximum of 900,000 people."
"The remaining 1.47 million will still die, and all resources will be lost. Which is more worthwhile? Is there even a need to calculate?"
"A good deal?" Li Wei laughed angrily. "In your eyes, human lives are just numbers that can be measured in ore? These are all subjects of the Empire! Don't worry about these resources, my Thousand Sons Legion will compensate you. How much do you want? I'll give it to you!"
These words were like a poisoned dagger, precisely piercing Peturabo's deepest wound.
He froze abruptly, the color draining from his face instantly, his eyes blazing with fury and a hint of pain almost overflowing.
He would never forget the bitter days when his children cried to him about the lack of ammunition.
Before he was found by the Emperor, the Fourth Legion fought under Horus, without Primarch support, and without anyone's attention. They were cannon fodder for the Empire, stones to fill trenches.
Other legions had the best equipment and the most abundant supplies, while his Fourth Legion could only scavenge the scraps left by others and use their flesh and blood to block the muzzles of alien guns.
Many soldiers did not die from enemy gunfire, but from lack of ammunition and medicine, and damaged equipment.
Horus would always say "The Fourth Legion can hold on," but he would never give them an extra bullet or a piece of ore.
Now, this psionicist from the Thousand Children, this person who was born with the Primarch's protection, is actually standing here, casually saying, "I'll compensate you."
It's as if the sacrificed soldiers and the dried blood could be measured in tons of ore.
"You'll compensate?" Peturabo's voice was extremely low, every word laced with anger. "What will you use to compensate? Your Thousand Sons Legion's priority supply quota within the Empire? Or supplies that Magnus can conjure with a flick of his finger?"
He suddenly closed in on Li Wei, and the huge shadow completely enveloped Li Wei.
Peturabo's face was contorted with extreme rage:
"Let me tell you, Livy! Back when my sons were under Horus's command, gnawing on dry, synthetic nutrient paste and charging into battle with expendable bomb guns, no one said, 'I'll pay you back'! And you don't deserve it either!"
Li Wei was also stunned. He hadn't expected his words to provoke such a strong reaction, and quickly explained:
"That's not what I meant. I just wanted to save people first!"
"Saving people is your business, protecting what my soldiers deserve is my business." Peturabo turned away coldly. "From now on, let's each do our own thing. If you're so capable, then save those two million people yourself."
After saying that, he picked up the engineering hammer and, without looking back, led the Iron Warriors out of the cabin, leaving only Levi and Apophis standing in the empty cabin.
"Chief..." Apophis stepped forward, his voice filled with worry, "What do we do now?"
Li Wei watched Peturabo's disappearing figure, his heart filled with complex emotions.
He took a deep breath, and his state of mind instantly entered the sixth level. A calm and undisturbed state quickly enveloped his entire body, and all the chaotic emotions were suppressed to the bottom of his heart.
But now there are only twenty hours left, and they have to save more than two million people. Even Li Wei, who is at the sixth level of mental cultivation, almost lost his composure.
His gaze was somewhat unfocused, unconsciously falling on the silver-white giant ship beneath his feet.
"Wait a minute." Levi snapped back to reality, immediately recalling the warship's appearance and internal structure. "This ship should be a colony ship from the Golden Age... This means..."
His eyes grew brighter and brighter: "At full capacity, it can definitely hold over two million people. These citizens of the empire are saved!"
"But its propulsion system is broken! Peturabo mentioned it before, and given the Steel Lord's shrewdness, he didn't mention repairing the warship to transport people or cargo, which is enough to show that this ship cannot be repaired in a short time."
Apophis immediately frowned and poured a bucket of cold water on him.
"This ship can't be repaired in a short time." Li Wei nodded, his eyes firm. "But we have the Mandala Spirit Gathering Array created by Lord Magnus."
"By combining the psionic energy of our two thousand Thousand Sons warriors, we can create a tremendous thrust, enough to push this ship out of the atmosphere and into near-Earth orbit, escaping the gravity of Dawn Star. This will save these citizens of the Empire."
But as soon as he finished speaking, his face darkened, and he immediately summoned a Thousand Sons' technical sergeant to investigate the specific situation of the warship.
Li Wei soon received the report, and it was exactly as he had expected.
"Life support systems, and gravity systems... these systems that ensure life can survive in space have all been tested and adjusted over tens of thousands of years before they can be used."
Li Wei took off his helmet and rubbed his temples. "The legion only assigned a mere twenty technical sergeants to our advance team. Twenty people simply cannot complete simple repairs and adjustments within twenty hours."
Li Wei felt a throbbing pain in his temples; he estimated that even doubling the number of people would be difficult.
The twenty technical soldiers under Li Wei's command were specifically assigned because they were part of the advance team for the expedition.