Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 526 The New Primarch
“Guterres is right,” Twilight put down the Coke can, his expression turning serious, and added the information he had obtained from the sector capital.

"During this time, I've been dealing with various departments in the capital and have gotten some inside information from within the Star District Court."

Indeed, some judges have taken notice of us and are conducting a covert investigation.

The objective was clear: they suspected that our Rostov sub-sector possessed an Astartes armed force that was far larger than it should be, and possibly even excessive.

They have begun gathering relevant intelligence and leads, including reviewing military transport records, the circulation of rare materials, and even attempting to contact relevant individuals.

Chen Xi tapped her fingers lightly on the sofa armrest as she pondered, "Does this judge... have any clues about his specific identity?"

Twilight shook her head: "The other party is very cautious, using non-public channels and informants. Their true identity is still under investigation."

However, the direction of the investigation is clear, and the resources invested are increasing.

Chen Xi pondered for a moment: "Hmm... this matter needs to be kept in mind."

Although the threat may not seem significant at the moment—the sluggishness of the Imperial bureaucracy and the vastness of the galaxy are our shields—we must not let our guard down.

There are always some particularly persistent judges who want to make a big splash to get promoted.

"MaiMai," he looked at his companion sitting on the low stool, "you're in charge of this. I need to keep track of the investigation's progress, the key people he's been contacting, and most importantly—his true identity."

"Understood." Mai Mai replied succinctly, her fingers quickly swiping across the data panel without even looking up.

“Speaking of which, shouldn’t we just get straight to the point?” Guterres suddenly interjected, his tone calm but carrying a hint of ruthlessness.

"Find this Inquisitor, and then have my Death Watch 'take care of' him? Create a perfect accident. Tracing missing Inquisitors in Astartes is not uncommon in Imperial history, and most cases end without resolution." His use of "take care of" and "accident" was self-evident. "As long as we keep our hands clean and leave no evidence pointing to us, even if the higher-ups suspect us, they can't do anything to us without irrefutable proof."

We have the capability to handle this kind of 'trouble'.

Chen Xi remained silent for a few seconds, her fingers ceasing their tapping as she weighed the pros and cons.

In the end, he waved his hand and said, "Not for now. Find him first, and send the most reliable and inconspicuous 'eyes' to keep a close watch on his every move around the clock, including the direction of his investigation, which key informants he has contacted, and what potentially threatening evidence he has obtained."

But don't touch him; keep an eye on him. Treat him as a bellwether; the depth of his investigation can reflect the level of attention Terra is paying to us.

Guterres nodded knowingly: "I understand. If he's just going around in circles, looking at some irrelevant, superficial data, let him keep looking; it's a waste of his time and resources."

If he's really close to getting to the heart of the matter... then send him to the Golden Throne to serve the Emperor. Clean and efficient.

“The judge’s problem can be handled this way, with its priority set aside.” 32’s voice forcefully brought the topic back on track.

She scratched the orange cat's chin with her finger, and the cat purred contentedly, but her tone was more serious than ever before: "The most pressing and urgent issue right now is the bottleneck in logistics and R&D capacity! This directly relates to our survival and the success or failure of our plans!" "How do we increase local production capacity in Rostov?" Her voice was anxious. "The foundry's furnaces and production lines are already running 24/7 in three shifts, with mechanics and technicians working beyond their limits, pushing production capacity to its physical limits! The number of workers is also strictly controlled."

“Although you, Chen Xi, strongly promoted and passed the mutant labor bill, which supplemented the workforce,” she said, quickening her pace, “it only just filled the manpower gap of the current production scale, with no surplus at all! The workers are working non-stop, and the accident rate and loss rate are both rising.”

“To expand production capacity,” 32 emphasized, “whether it’s building new foundries or expanding existing production lines, a significant influx of new, well-trained, and reliable labor is needed. This isn’t something that can be created overnight with a single bill!”

"As for the development of the psionic knight," she changed the subject, raising a more serious question, "to produce a prototype within the almost impossible timeframe of ten years, Kaul needs more senior technical priests, stronger data processing capabilities, and possibly more than one secondary research team working on different technical routes simultaneously."

“All of this requires massive amounts of resources—” she practically counted on her fingers, “fuel, rare metals, advanced equipment, and most importantly, qualified technical personnel! We lack everything right now!”

Her words were like a heavy boulder, instantly freezing the slightly lively atmosphere in the living room that had just been filled with discussions about eliminating the judge, and everyone fell silent.

The logistical and R&D bottlenecks are far more difficult and fundamental than dealing with a judge.

"This is indeed the most critical and urgent constraint we are currently facing, and the weakest link in our entire plan." Chen Xi leaned back on the sofa, his brows furrowed, his fingers unconsciously tapping rapidly on the armrest—a habit he developed when deep in thought to suppress his anxiety.

The only sounds in the room were the occasional hissing of cola bubbles and the purring of the 32 orange cats.

The afternoon sunlight seemed to have dimmed a bit.

A moment later, his tapping fingers suddenly stopped without warning, as if he had caught a crucial spark.

He sat up abruptly, leaned forward, and swept his sharp gaze across everyone present, before throwing out a startling suggestion: "If conventional methods can't solve this deadlock... then let's try a different approach."

You say... if we add another gene prototype to our current 'investment,' wouldn't the whole situation... suddenly become much clearer?

"Introduce another Primarch?" Twilight repeated unconsciously, his voice filled with obvious confusion, but even more so with ignited interest.

He casually placed the empty Coke can on the carpet beside his feet, unconsciously leaning towards Chen Xi, and asked, "Who exactly are you referring to?"

Guterres withdrew his hands from the sofa armrests, placed them folded on his lap, and straightened his back even more.

32 The stroking of the orange cat barely stopped, but his gaze shifted from the cat's soft fur to Chen Xi's face.

Mai Mai tapped her finger unconsciously on the edge of the data panel, then stopped operating it completely.

The living room fell silent for a moment.

Finally, Guterres broke the silence, his voice low and filled with disbelief and a hint of barely perceptible excitement: "Who... are you planning to side with?"

(End of this chapter)