In the central square of Fort Horizon.
Jayton and Kolber were conducting a routine inspection of the incoming cargo.
The heavy lifting of the inspection fell on Jayton. Back when he was a "Rat King" in the Under-Hives, his primary trade was dealing in all kinds of shady, illicit contraband and who-knows-how-many-hands-pre-owned industrial scrap. His eyes were incredibly sharp; with a single touch, he could roughly gauge how much something was worth and where it came from.
At that moment, Jayton was crouching in front of the trunk of the first vehicle, holding a black cube tightly wrapped in anti-static cloth. He carefully peeled back a corner of the fabric, revealing the golden contact points underneath.
"Heh, now this is interesting."
Jayton let out a low whistle, lifting the cube to his eyes to examine it closely.
It was a high-density data hard drive, but not the civilian-grade garbage ubiquitous in the Under-Hives used to store low-quality holograms. The casing was made of high-strength polymer, the interface points bore an obvious anti-oxidation coating, and it felt heavy and substantial in his hand.
Crucially, data storage media was an incredibly expensive consumable. Under the constant strain of radiation and magnetic interference, ordinary hard drives would begin losing data within three to five years. Only military-grade or ancient industrial-grade hard drives like this one could maintain data integrity after centuries.
Though Jayton didn't know what kind of blueprints were stored inside, the drive itself was already highly valuable.
"Old Kol, these guys weren't lying. They really brought some good stuff."
Jayton placed the hard drive back into the crate and rummaged through a few adjacent boxes. Inside lay a scattered assortment of firearm components. He picked up a peculiarly shaped pistol; it lacked a magazine slot, and its barrel featured a strange cooling fin structure, with copper cooling pipes embedded into the grip.
"A volkite pistol?"
Jayton recognized the piece—high-end gear usually reserved for the Adeptus Mechanicus and Space Marines. Its principle involved firing a beam of high-energy thermal radiation, capable of instantaneously heating a target's organic tissue to its deflagration point, causing enemies to literally detonate from the inside out.
Although the weapon's energy cell was completely spent, the core activation assembly appeared perfectly intact.
"Looks like this pack of scavengers really struck gold robbing some ancient graves," Jayton judged, continuing his inspection down the line.
The middle three vehicles mostly carried blueprints, microchips, and rare ore specimens. While highly valuable, they all fell within Jayton's established sphere of knowledge.
That was until he and Kolber walked up to the last two vehicles, which were noticeably a full size larger. The suspension of these two trucks was pressed down incredibly low, and the tires were nearly flattened, indicating that whatever was packed into the truck beds possessed immense density.
"Open it up and take a look."
Jayton gestured to a nearby driver to pull back the tarpaulin. The driver climbed up, untied the ropes with trembling hands, and pulled with all his might.
Whoosh—
The tightly bound oilcloth slid away, revealing the object underneath.
It was a massive, black, hermetically sealed container. Its exterior completely lacked handles, featuring only rings of rolling, eerie blue electric arcs snapping rapidly across the black metallic surface, looking exceptionally hazardous.
Jayton turned his gaze toward the caravan leader kneeling on the ground.
"Hey! What the hell is that thing? How do you open it?"
The caravan leader looked up, his face twisted in bitterness.
"My Lord, we... we don't know either."
"We dug this out of an ancient ruin, and it looked exactly like this when we found it. We tried using laser cutters, we tried blasting it with explosives, and we even tried pouring acid on it, but the thing didn't even take a scratch."
"We only know for sure that it's a treasure, but... we don't have the decryption key."
No key?
Jayton and Kolber exchanged a glance.
This was going to be tricky. The more advanced ancient technology was, the more psychotic its anti-theft security measures tended to be. Without the correct method of entry, forcing it open usually yielded only two outcomes: either the container would self-destruct, vaporizing the contents inside, or it would blow the person attempting to breach it sky-high.
Just as the two were fretting over the unopenable chunk of iron, a flurry of hurried footsteps accompanied by heavy metal impacts echoed from a distance.
"Move! Everyone move out of the way!"
The crowd immediately parted to both sides, clearing a corridor. A towering figure came sprinting into view.
He wore an exceptionally flashy, bright yellow robe, with a wide cowl completely obscuring his face, save for two pinpricks of eerie blue electronic light flickering within the shadows. Beneath the robe, hydraulically driven metallic skeletal joints emitted a high-pitched whine from running under a heavy load, kicking up a small cloud of dust with every heavy step he slammed into the ground.
Behind him, Roger and Gamma-9 emerged, panting heavily, clearly left far behind by the yellow-robed tech-man's blistering speed.
Seeing this menacing yellow giant rushing over, the caravan leader shivered in absolute terror, throwing himself flat onto the dirt. He mistakenly assumed this grand figure was furious because they brought an unopenable crate, and was coming over personally to execute them.
"Mercy, Lord! Have mercy, My Lord! We truly did our best—"
However, Andy didn't give them so much as a glance. He rushed straight up to the truck, his electronic eyes locking onto the black box as streams of data flashed frantically across his retinas.
Even without opening it, the STC's deep scanning functions had already read the characteristic wave spectrum of the matter inside.
[Object Identification: Standard STC Material Storage Unit.]
[Contents: Mimetic Poly-Alloy.]
[Viability: 99.7%.]
[Status: Dormant.]
Andy nearly burst out laughing right then and there.
Mimetic Poly-Alloy!
This was absolutely insane. These scavengers had absolutely no idea what kind of holy grail they had transported here! They thought it was just some valuable ancient material, but in reality, within the industrial ecosystem of the Golden Age of Technology, its status was equivalent to modern oil—the absolute lifeblood!
During that era of dazzling technological brilliance, humanity's colony ships had to venture into every remote corner of the galaxy. It was impossible for colonists to carry every single variation of spare parts with them. No matter how massive a starship was, it could never hold every component ranging from a single screw to a nuclear reactor core.
If every single replacement part required a specialized mold and specialized materials to cast, the cost of colonization would be completely unsustainable.
To solve this dilemma, the Iron Men invented this absurd material: Mimetic Poly-Alloy.
It was not a single, static metal. On a microscopic level, it was composed of countless nano-scale "programmable unit cells" invisible to the naked eye. These unit cells were entirely neutral by default, possessing no fixed physical properties.
However, the moment they were connected to a protocol and fed specific coding sequences, they could reorganize their crystalline lattice structure at a microscopic level, perfectly mimicking the physical properties of any metal!
Give it a segment of code, and the unit cells would immediately deadlock, their hardness directly matching adamantium. Swap it for another segment, and the cellular bonds would loosen and become highly elastic, transforming into a cushioning material far superior to ACF. If you wanted, it could turn into a superconductor with zero electrical resistance the very next second.
The most broken aspect was its memory and self-repair capabilities. As long as the core unit cells were not completely annihilated into nothingness, even if it was blasted into fine powder, simply supplying it with energy and a command again would cause it to re-aggregate, reverting perfectly back to its original shape.
For a material like this, the concept of "wear and tear" practically did not exist!
Without the box's environmental protection, its performance would degrade over vast stretches of time, as the internal unit cells would gradually deadlock from losing energy maintenance. But that decay cycle was typically measured in tens of thousands of years. And though over ten millennia had passed, the two boxes before him had clearly remained in a flawlessly sealed state of preservation.
99.7% viability! It was practically indistinguishable from something fresh off the factory floor!
This meant that Andy no longer needed to build a dedicated assembly line just to manufacture a single specialized component. As long as he had this lump of "metallic sludge," he could mold whatever he wanted! A truly universal material!
Granted, the combined volume of these two crates was only about two cubic meters. But for Andy, who was currently in his startup phase, this was nothing short of a gold mine falling straight out of the sky.
Simultaneously, deep within the tech tree of the STC, the long-greyed-out [Modular Technology] branch finally lit up a tiny fraction.
Andy suppressed his rushing excitement. Right now, everyone was waiting to see how he would handle this unopenable container.
"Everyone step back," Andy said, straightening his frame and waving his hand. "Back away at least ten meters."
Jayton and Kolber immediately led the guard detachment in a retreat, while simultaneously driving those still-dazed scavengers back to a safe distance.
Gamma-9 edged closer, staring at the box with a mixture of intense curiosity and dread. "Magos, this... this couldn't be some kind of ancient bomb, could it?"
"It is far more powerful than a bomb."
"Ah?"
He didn't explain further; even if he did, the toaster-priest wouldn't understand.
Andy extended his right index finger. A data probe slid out, tapping gently against an inconspicuous groove on the side of the container, where a concealed induction coil was hidden.
Bzzzt—
The data link connected. A clean, blue interface popped up on Andy's retinas.
[Please verify Administrator Permissions.]
Andy mobilized a string of underlying identification codes from deep within his core logic.
[Verification passed.]
[Welcome back, Autonomous Engineering Unit 7734.]
[Deactivating locking mechanisms—]
The layer of rolling, intimidating electric arcs vanished in an instant. Immediately following, the container body emitted an exceptionally faint click.
The black metallic top plates slid open toward all four sides, exposing the contents within—a pool of silver-white liquid that looked exactly like mercury. Yet, under the brilliant rays of the sun, the surface of this liquid did not reflect light sharply; instead, it presented a deep, matte texture. Though completely liquid, it was incredibly viscous, lacking even a single ripple on its surface, resembling nothing so much as a melted silver ingot.
"This... what is this? Mercury?"
In the distance, Jayton craned his neck, a look of profound disappointment washing over his face. He had originally thought it held some kind of weapon of mass destruction, but it turned out to be a box of water?
Andy ignored their murmurs. He extended his mechanical hand, which was covered in heavy engineering plating, slowly plunging it into the pool of silver matter.
The sensation was highly bizarre, feeling as though he had dipped his hand into a mass of incredibly fine, shifting quicksand. The exact moment his fingers made contact with the substance, a wonderful sensory feedback surged along the neural bundles of his fingertips, transmitting straight back into his brain.
Countless nano-unit cells woke up instantly. Through physical contact, they established a direct link with Andy's logic core.
'Transform.' Andy issued a simple directive in his mind.
The next second, a miracle occurred.
The originally placid silver liquid surface suddenly began to boil violently. The silver fluid crawled up Andy's arm with staggering speed, yet moving with an organic, flawless regularity. It coated Andy's palm, his wrist, and then hardened instantly.
In the blink of an eye, Andy's original engineering manipulator claw vanished, replaced by a silver gauntlet that looked incredibly sci-fi, its surface as smooth as a mirror and filled with streamlined, aesthetic elegance. The gauntlet fit Andy's mechanical skeleton perfectly, every joint sealing airtight.
Andy experimented by clenching his fist.
'Blade.'
Fierce, razor-sharp blades instantly snapped out from the gauntlet's surface, glinting with a deadly chill. The matter had received the command and rearranged itself in an instant, shifting exactly into the shape he desired.
"This is... mimicry."
The caravan leader and his pack of scavengers were already staring in absolute, slack-jawed shock. They had seen all kinds of dark tech in their lives, but metal that could reshape itself at will like actual magic completely exceeded the boundaries of their comprehension.
"A mi—a miracle!"
Gamma-9 dropped straight to his knees. "This is the flesh of the Machine God! This is the bounty of the Omnissiah!"
"Magos, you truly are the Chosen One!"
Andy's brain was operating at warp speed, mapping out blueprints for his future industrial empire. With these two massive boxes of Mimetic Poly-Alloy, the sheer number of things he could accomplish was staggering!
His precision machining centers could receive a massive upgrade now! When repairing the Nova-Bound previously, Andy's biggest headache had been those bizarrely shaped connectors and hermetic seals. Now, he could simply grab a lump of poly-alloy, stuff it in, let it adapt to the contour on its own, and then harden it into a deadlock. A flawless seal, permanently leak-proof!
And further... it was time to forge a proper set of armor for himself. He could use the poly-alloy to cover his entire body. Normally, it would conform to his skeletal frame like a fluid, completely unimpeded. Once he entered combat parameters, it would instantaneously harden into full plate armor, even adapting to manifest shields, blades, or firearm interfaces on demand.
Wasn't this literally a liquid metal Terminator?!
"Revert."
Reluctantly, Andy pulled his hand out of the container. As the connection severed, the layer of silver gauntleting rapidly liquefied, draining back into the box and reverting once more into a placid pool of fluid.
"Transport these two containers to the Core Temperature-Controlled Vault."
Andy stood up and ordered, "This is strategic material of the absolute highest classification, ten thousand times more precious than gold!"
"No one is permitted to approach it besides myself!"
"Bauer, Roger."
"Present!" Two technical supervisors ran over immediately. They hurriedly hoisted the containers onto a flatbed cart and, under the airtight protection of the heavy vanguard escort, pushed them toward the deepest levels of the underground facility.
In a thoroughly excellent mood, Andy looked down at the caravan leader still kneeling on the ground.
"Rise."
With Andy's spirits lifted, his tone had softened considerably. "You have performed a monumental service this time."
"Regardless of what your past identities were, and regardless of what trouble you have stirred up."
"From this moment forth, you belong to Deep Void Industries."
The caravan leader felt as though he had received a divine amnesty, scrambling up from the ground while weeping tears of gratitude.
"Thank you, Lord! Thank you, My Lord!"
"Um... My Lord, there are still a massive number of pursuers right behind us..."