"This golden throne belongs to him—the Emperor's throne. And you, Rudolph—"
"Hey, hey, hey! I'll go, I'll go, alright?!"
Seeing things spiraling out of control, Rudolph hurriedly cut him off. If anyone overheard that kind of talk, his career—and his life—would be finished.
Li Qinwu laughed and slapped his shoulder.
"Well done, Battalion Commander Rudolph! Regiment Commander Rudolph! When you become a division commander, don't forget the brother who paved your way, Marshal Rudolph!"
...
Two hours later, Rudolph reported to his superiors that he would be carrying out a suppression operation against the rebels. He then led a force of about 120 infantry, a Chimera troop carrier, and five military trucks toward the waterline monitoring station.
Inside the Chimera, Rudolph glanced at Li Qinwu.
"Why are you helping me?"
Li Qinwu waved a hand casually.
"Hey, once you become someone important, take care of your brothers, yeah?"
He leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"I've got some business ideas down in the underhive—things that can make serious money. But I lack connections."
"If you can climb high enough to sit at the table of the upper class, we can work together. Make money. Build something big."
Rudolph rolled his eyes.
"To sit at that table, you need at least to be a battalion commander. Our regiment might have an opening soon, but there are at least nine company commanders eyeing that spot."
Li Qinwu pointed at him with mock disappointment.
"Look at you, so pessimistic. Nine competitors and you're already backing down?"
"If that doesn't work, get me a sniper rifle—I'll deal with your rivals."
He said it jokingly, but Rudolph subconsciously took note of it.
After a while, Li Qinwu asked,
"Where's Joel? I didn't see him when you assembled the troops."
He remembered the young man who had escorted him before.
A trace of sadness flashed across Rudolph's face.
"He… got hit by a homemade firearm from the rebels a few days ago. His spine was shattered. He's paralyzed from the waist down… forced to retire."
Li Qinwu clicked his tongue softly.
In this world, fate shifted in an instant.
When the convoy reached a point five kilometers from the waterline monitoring station, Li Qinwu signaled them to stop and stepped out alone.
He turned back toward Rudolph.
"This psyker is unstable. I'll go negotiate first. You wait here."
"If I don't send a signal in an hour, head back. Negotiations failed."
Rudolph frowned.
"What signal? And if it fails, what do you do? Want backup?"
Li Qinwu pulled out a small-caliber pistol.
"If it succeeds, I'll fire three shots into the air."
"Then you come in, clean up the rebel corpses, and claim the credit."
"If it fails…" He shrugged. "I'll find my own way out."
Having spent enough time with Rudolph, he understood him—an incompetent officer, but someone who valued his men.
Li Qinwu waved once and walked alone into the darkness.
Opening the Key Room and Looting the FoodLi Qinwu strolled to the perimeter of the waterline monitoring station without rushing in.
He calmly took out a poison pill and stuck it to the inside of his teeth.
Then, humming casually, he walked inside.
"Hmm-hmm… hmm…"
A figure suddenly dropped from the seventh floor with a heavy thud, landing directly in front of him.
The Silent One.
After nearly two days, his condition had worsened. His eyes were bloodshot, his body more withered than before.
He reached out, fingers trembling, grabbing toward Li Qinwu's neck.
"The demon's voice… it's back! Give me… give me the holy oil!"
Just before his hand could touch him, Li Qinwu smiled and took out a bottle of holy oil.
A few minutes later.
On the seventh floor, the Silent One cried loudly, clutching the bottle as he gulped down the oil in large mouthfuls.
"I thought you weren't coming back! You disappeared in an instant… I thought— I thought it was over!"
He sobbed while drinking, already finishing half of the bottle.
Li Qinwu smacked his lips slightly, feeling a bit nauseated watching someone drink oil like that.
"I told you I'd come back."
He placed the remaining two bottles in front of him.
"These are yours."
The Silent One immediately grabbed them and held them tightly against his chest.
Li Qinwu's tone turned calm.
"Enough. I delivered what I promised. Now it's your turn."
The Silent One wiped his face, then spoke hoarsely,
"Not enough. I want more."
Li Qinwu nodded.
"Give and take. That's how long-term cooperation works."
"Work with me, and you'll have a steady supply."
The Silent One hesitated.
"…Endless holy oil?"
"There'll be enough for you to drink yourself into liver disease."
The Silent One went silent for a moment. Thinking of Li Qinwu's strange ability to disappear, he chose to agree.
"But I don't know how to teach you. I was born with these powers."
Psionic power came from the Warp.
Psykers were merely conduits—channels through which warp energy flowed into reality.
The stronger the body and soul, the wider the channel. The weaker the psyker, the narrower it was.
In theory, anyone could become a psyker.
In reality, forcing that channel open usually led to death—or worse, corruption into something no longer human.
Li Qinwu didn't care.
If he got corrupted, he could simply die and reset.
"Then we'll do it another way," he said.
"Release your power onto me. Slowly."
The Silent One stiffened.
"That's dangerous. You could be targeted by the Warp… you might die."
Li Qinwu stepped closer.
"Just do it."
Reluctantly, the Silent One raised his hand and released raw warp energy—unshaped, uncontrolled.
It wasn't like physical force.
It was like a river crashing directly into the soul.
Pain.
Oppression.
Madness.
Countless emotions flooded in—decay, suffering, despair—like echoes of endless death.
Li Qinwu's expression twisted as he endured it.
The Warp was a reflection of sentient emotion.
And in this world… that reflection was hell.
He endured.
Held on.
Pushed himself further.
Then—
A voice.
"Hm… interesting soul."
Something tugged at him.
His soul—
Being pulled out.
Li Qinwu reacted instantly.
He kicked forward, sending the Silent One flying.
The connection broke.
Both of them collapsed.
The Silent One clutched his stomach, groaning.
Li Qinwu lay on the ground, eyes unfocused, his spirit shaken.
"…Damn. That was close."
Another second, and something from the Warp would have taken him.
The Silent One glared at him.
"If you want to stop, you could at least say something."
Li Qinwu ignored him.
Instead, he checked his system.
Energy: 16
Subspace Resistance: 20
Psionic Resistance: 21
Psionic Proficiency: 21
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Worth it.