Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 525 Discussion of the 3K Era

In Chen Xi's living room, several people were casually nestled on the sofa and armchairs, and a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere filled the air.

32 She practically sank into the single sofa, a chubby orange cat curled up on her lap, dozing off.

She lazily combed the cat's fur with her fingers, her movements so slow it was as if she were about to stop.

On the sofa, Dusk leaned against one of the armrests, an empty Coke can between her fingers, which she unconsciously twirled around.

In another armchair, Guterres sat upright, but his expression was somewhat lazy and relaxed.

Chen Xi leaned forward naturally in the single sofa diagonally opposite.

Several cans of cola were scattered on the coffee table, one of them open, occasionally emitting a faint hissing sound. A little further away, on a low stool, Mai Mai sat cross-legged, a data tablet resting on her lap, her fingers occasionally tracing something across it.

Their conversation, however, was the complete opposite of the languid afternoon atmosphere—it was about the development of the distant and brutal world of Warhammer 40k.

Although these topics could be discussed in the 40k era, people were scattered throughout the galaxy and could only communicate intermittently using devices such as interstellar communication.

It was nothing like now, back in the 3K era, where we could talk face-to-face.

More importantly, in this era, everyone has returned to the appearance of ordinary people.

The atmosphere in the living room became exceptionally relaxed, as if a taut string had finally been released.

Chen Xi's gaze fell on 32, who was petting a cat across from him, and he cut straight to the point: "32, what stage is the Psionic Knight project at? Tell me about the key milestones and bottlenecks."

32's hands didn't stop stroking the cat, his tone carrying his usual laziness: "Overall progress is going smoothly. The spirit bone technology provided by that Elven race with pointed ears has passed the basic framework and core principle verification, and no obvious pitfalls or defects have been found."

Kaul has completed the initial analysis and is now working on cultivating the first batch of spirit bone samples.

He plans to use these samples to create a basic prototype of a psionic energy transfer device, focusing on testing core performance parameters such as the stability of the psionic bone, its energy carrying capacity, and its loss rate. This is the most fundamental of all.

Chen Xi nodded: "It sounds like the basic aspects are fine. But the R&D schedule must be strictly controlled; I need a clear timeline. Within ten years, the first complete prototype of the Psionic Knight must be off the production line, possessing basic combat capabilities for real-world testing."

"Ten years?" 32 finally stopped petting the cat, frowned slightly, and shook his head directly. "It's probably difficult to achieve that timeframe. According to the information that Caul gave back, the stable cultivation and preliminary performance testing of the spirit bone samples alone will, optimistically, take more than five years."

This doesn't even include the subsequent design of the rider's frame, the integration and debugging of the psionic and mechanical systems, and the adaptation of the pilot's neural link...

You know how inefficient the mechanical engineering research process, which involves following a set steps and repeated verification, is.

"Ten years isn't even enough time to build a basic platform, let alone integrate a prototype that can be put into actual combat." Chen Xi's brows immediately furrowed, his tone carrying an undeniable sense of urgency: "We can't give Kaul decades or even centuries to slowly polish the details! Our goal is clear: to produce a prototype with practical combat capabilities in ten years, and then spend another ten years optimizing the production process, establishing the production line, and achieving initial mass production."

Twenty years from now, when the Great Rift tears the galaxy apart, we will need to have a well-organized psionic knight force to deploy on the battlefield!

The conventional efficiency of mechanized training does not meet our current strategic needs.

He emphasized the words "strategic needs," his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "Imagine the scene after the Great Rift opens; we need forces that can immediately take over!"

Realizing that accelerating R&D was both difficult and logistically challenging, Chen Xi's sharp gaze swept over the others present.

"Research and development bottlenecks are one aspect, but bigger problems lie ahead. What practical and feasible methods do you have to accelerate the research process? At the same time, our overall development momentum is good, but the weakness in logistical support is becoming increasingly apparent."

The legionary reorganization of the Ash Knights has begun, and the existing logistical reserves—weapons, ammunition, spare parts, and power armor supplies—are barely enough to support the current scale.

However, if we continue to expand our military as planned, or if there is a high-intensity, sustained battle that drains our resources, the supply chain will immediately collapse. We must address both research and development and production capacity issues simultaneously.

Dusk fiddled with the empty Coke can and proposed a solution: "The most direct way is to place orders with other foundry worlds to share the production burden. For example, Riza or Lucius; they should have surplus capacity in some areas."

We could try to make contact, using the rare technologies captured during our expedition as leverage to acquire their ability to manufacture some non-core but high-demand general-purpose components.

"No, the risk is too high." Guterres immediately rejected the idea, his voice steady and powerful. "Ordering through the Foundry World means going through the Empire's official military procurement channels. Small, sporadic orders might be able to be covered up by claiming they're for war damage replenishment or special needs of the warband."

If we need large quantities, and it's a continuous, large-scale purchase—especially highly sensitive materials at the Astartes level—this will absolutely not escape the notice of the Inquisition.

They'll pounce on us like sharks smelling blood. And the world within those forging worlds isn't monolithic; there's no guarantee that no one seeking advancement won't betray them.

He paused, then explained further: "Strictly speaking, the Rostov sub-sector's current operations are already playing a dangerous game of skirting the rules. Under the guise of the 'Rostov Expedition,' we are massively expanding the number of Space Marines, frantically procuring armaments, and expanding the foundry."

In peacetime, the Inquisition and the High Lords' Council would have already sent a fleet to question them.

But it is precisely because of the 'Expedition' as a shield, and because you, Chen Xi, are very good at interpersonal relationships, and have won over several well-established veteran warbands to endorse and cover for us, diverting some attention, and because you yourself are an Inquisitor and enjoy certain privileges, that Terra has temporarily turned a blind eye.

Don't forget, you actually wiped out a powerful space necromantic dynasty with real weapons and unearthed many valuable technological relics. This pleased some important figures on Mars and, to some extent, tacitly approved of our development.

This is the key reason why, despite having the Titan Legion and the Ash Knights far exceeding the standard size, we haven't been directly suppressed by the Imperial high command.

But all this tolerance is based on our 'moderation' and 'success.' Large-scale outsourcing of arms production is tantamount to handing over a handle against us.

(End of this chapter)