Li Qinwu let out a low whistle.
"Bulldozer… this kind of weapon is perfect for tight, enclosed environments like the underhive nests."
His gaze shifted. One of the core members of the Fertilizer Gang lay collapsed nearby, a strange dual-drum apparatus still strapped to his waist. Without hesitation, Li Qinwu reached down and began removing it.
The man coughed violently, blood spilling from his lips.
"…I think… I'm going to die."
Li Qinwu didn't stop.
"Your intestines are exposed. Chemical pig bite, right? About a minute or so left. Lift your hips."
The man's body twitched as Li Qinwu worked, stripping away gear with cold efficiency. The drum harness was unusual—capable of holding two large magazines at the waist. Valuable.
The pain became unbearable.
"Stop… just stop! It hurts too much… just kill me already!"
Li Qinwu nodded, drawing his dagger.
A subordinate nearby immediately intervened.
"No—don't use the knife. I saw you picking up poison needles earlier. Use those. Three injections."
Li Qinwu paused, then nodded slightly. He sheathed the dagger, retrieved three toxin-loaded needles, and drove them cleanly into the man's neck.
The effect was immediate.
The overdose severed the nervous system's perception—pain vanished in an instant. The man's breathing steadied unnaturally. His eyes lost focus.
As Li Qinwu calmly removed ammunition from his body, the dying man murmured faintly:
"…next life… I don't want to be human…"
His head slumped.
Dead.
Li Qinwu packed the salvaged ammunition into his bag and stood.
"Next life? Go file that request with Chaos."
In this world, death was not an escape.
The Warp—an immaterial hell—waited for unclaimed souls. Without the protection of the Emperor, the ruler of mankind, a human soul would almost certainly be dragged into it, becoming prey to daemons and the Ruinous Powers.
Rebirth?
That was a luxury this universe did not grant.
---
Hours passed.
Neither gang dared commit fully.
Gunners were elites—irreplaceable assets. Cannon fodder could be replenished in months, but trained shooters required time, resources, and trust.
Lose too many, and control over territory collapsed.
Lose all, and even without external enemies, internal rebellion would tear the gang apart.
So both sides chose the same conclusion:
Withdraw.
Temporarily abandon the reactor.
Regroup. Rebuild. Return later.
---
Li Qinwu moved through the battlefield, scavenging efficiently.
Two intact homemade automatic rifles—usable, even rifled.
His bag filled quickly: poison needles stacked high, pushing his carry capacity to the yellow threshold.
A good haul.
Time to leave.
---
Back at Xiao Dao's resting point, Li Qinwu spoke flatly:
"Get up. It's over. Your boss is pulling out."
Xiao Dao blinked, disoriented. He'd been injured while fleeing—nothing fatal, mostly shock. After Li Qinwu killed the three chemical pigs, he'd been left here to recover.
Only now did he realize—
The gunfire had stopped.
The shouting was gone.
Silence.
He staggered to his feet, instinctively turning toward the retreating gang—but Li Qinwu grabbed him.
"How many did I kill?"
Xiao Dao froze, thinking hard.
"…63 chemical insect hounds… and 4 chemical pigs."
Li Qinwu nodded.
"Tell your boss to prepare payment. I'll collect in a few days."
He counted out 300 yuan, stuffed it into Xiao Dao's pocket, waved dismissively—
—and disappeared into the darkness.
Xiao Dao stared at the money in his hand, stunned.
"…Huh? One run… a hundred each?"
---
For the Space King
After wandering for some time, Li Qinwu returned to his hideout.
He took a cold shower, scrubbed off the grime, washed his clothes, then stood naked by the heater, hanging them to dry.
His eyes scanned the fabric.
Worn.
Knees torn. Seat thinning.
Old worker's clothing—coarse, durable—but even that couldn't withstand constant combat movement.
Shoes too. Nearly destroyed.
"I'll need replacements."
Death outside meant everything dropped. Respawn meant returning here—naked.
Spare gear wasn't optional. It was survival.
---
He set a grooved iron plate over the stove, uncorked a bottle of holy oil, and coated the surface evenly.
From a ceramic container, he scooped starch, mixing it into a paste before spreading it thin.
Soon, a crude pancake formed.
He ate.
---
A notification appeared in the corner of his vision:
Divine
The Emperor's protection shields you. Your will cannot be shaken. Corruption cannot enter your body. Chaos cannot invade your mind. Humanity endures.
Energy +5
Duration: 2 hours
---
The effect was immediate.
Warmth surged through him. Clarity sharpened his senses.
More than just an energy boost—the state enhanced perception, stabilized cognition…
…and completely purged Chaos contamination.
---
In this universe, no one was truly clean.
Even ordinary humans carried trace corruption—0.001%.
In heavily corrupted zones, that number could skyrocket to hundreds… even thousands of percent.
At critical levels, the human form twisted—mutating into monstrous aberrations.
But now?
Zero.
Absolute zero.
Li Qinwu felt it clearly—
Purity.
His mind was silent. His soul, untainted.
The difference between 0.001% and 0% was not small.
It was absolute.
---
He didn't waste time.
The remaining starch was quickly processed. Another bottle of holy oil consumed.
Fifteen units of "holy bread" produced.
The ceramic container was washed, dried, and repurposed for storage.
Then—
He slept.
---
Days later, he woke.
Lying still, he reviewed his status.
Attributes:
Strength: 13
Stamina: 14
Energy: 12
Proficiency:
Firearms: 16
Throwables: 15
---
Inventory:
Laser Gun ×1
PDF Semi-Auto Combat Gun ×1
Shotgun ×1
Homemade Automatic Guns ×2
Pipe Shotgun ×1
Homemade Pistol ×1
Magazines and Ammunition:
Laser magazine ×1
30-round drum ×2
Homemade mags ×6
PDF mags ×3
Ammunition stockpile:
8.9×55mm rounds ×340
AP rounds ×76
Homemade rounds ×421
Shotgun shells ×80
Pistol rounds ×15
Explosives:
Poison gas bombs ×6
Smoke bombs ×2
Equipment:
PDF armor (Level 3) ×1
PDF helmet (Level 3) ×1
Drum rig ×1
Medium backpack ×1
Consumables:
Holy oil ×2
Holy bread ×15
Poison needles ×78
Rage potions ×24
Assets:
45,890 fertilizer vouchers
---
After finishing his check, Li Qinwu geared up and left.
Destination:
Fertilizer Gang headquarters.
---
It was quieter than before.
Where crowds once packed the corridors, only scattered figures remained. Even the gate guards had been replaced.
Losses.
Heavy ones.
---
He walked straight to the Nepalese black marketeer's shop.
The man's face was as unpleasant as ever.
Without a word, Li Qinwu dropped three Angry Spines onto the table.
"Payment. Refrigerator. Xiao Dao reported the results."
The black marketeer's expression darkened. He signaled silently.
A subordinate brought out the refrigerator.
Then—
A stack of fertilizer vouchers slammed onto the table.
Li Qinwu counted.
63 hounds. 4 pigs.
20,100 vouchers.
Exact.
---
He took the money, lifted the refrigerator—
"Wait."
Li Qinwu paused, turning.
"Talk."
"We're not done with the reactor."
The black marketeer's tone hardened.
"Electric Eyes is rebuilding. One month, and they'll attack again."
"But the Chemical Cult is expanding faster."
"Poison needles. Insect swarms. Recruitment is accelerating."
A heavy backpack hit the table.
35 kilograms.
Explosive payload.
"Take this. Infiltrate their base. Detonate it in a dense crowd."
"10,000 vouchers."
"And my favor."
---
Li Qinwu didn't hesitate.
Easy money.
"Done."
---
Quest Accepted
Objective: Disrupt Chemical Gang expansion.
Method: Detonate bomb within enemy population center.
Reward:
10,000 vouchers
+2 Favorability (Nepalese Black Marketeer)
---
"How do I prove completion?"
"I have spies inside. They'll confirm the blast."
Li Qinwu nodded—
"Wait."
---
He returned to his hideout.
Dropped everything.
Removed all clothing—shirt, pants, underwear, shoes.
Wrapped cloth around his legs.
Then moved.
---
Map.
Reactor—recorded.
First-floor breach—recorded.
Then—
Teleportation.
---
The Chemical Gang's base came into view.
A hellscape.
Blast furnaces roared endlessly. Chemical processing filled the air with choking fumes.
The crowd—
Emaciated.
Skeletal.
Barely human.
---
Recruitment was underway.
Faster than the Fertilizer Gang.
Chemical hounds waved toxin needles—
And insect swarms gathered in response, drawn into violent submission.
---
Overcrowded.
Every gap filled.
Perfect.
---
Li Qinwu didn't hesitate.
Naked, he sprinted forward—
Diving straight into the mass.
No one stopped him.
No one noticed.
The area was already chaos—infested, crowded, unstable.
---
He pushed deeper.
Twisting.
Slipping.
Like an eel through flesh and bodies.
The insects surged forward blindly, driven by chemical signals ahead.
---
Time blurred.
Pressure mounted.
But he kept moving—
Forward.
---
Until—
He reached the front.