Warhammer 40: Starting as a Rogue Trader

Chapter 177 Escaping from Prison
Burns knew the status of these SCVs in the dynasty; the priests of the mechanical order revered them as sacred objects. However, he didn't know the specific effects of the SCVs; he only knew that these mechanical creations had an astonishingly high ability to repair things.
Having served in the Rangers, he had witnessed firsthand how they could repair a damaged siege tank and make it look brand new in a short period of time.

There's no machine that these SCVs can't repair; they can even repair some alien technologies.

With his eyes gripping the cell bars, Burns desperately hoped the SCV could be put back into operation, but the SCV seemed completely broken, leaning against the wall.

The slave owners also thought that this human creation was damaged and carelessly discarded it aside like scrap metal.

"Holy machine above, may the spirit of the machine awaken once more, restore your operation, and save us, the loyal servants of the God-Emperor."

These dark Eldar clearly wouldn't leave anything usable in the cells; they wouldn't give the slaves any chance to escape.

Burns had no other choice but to pray to the SCV like the priests of the order.

He was just trying anything, as if he had no other choice. Deep down, he didn't believe that non-members of the order could awaken the machine spirit. Normally, even the auxiliary technicians would have to light incense, chant hymns, and perform a strict ritual to awaken it.

Of course, SCVs don't need to be pleased; it's just that Gao Yi created this process to give the priests of the Holy Machine Order a sense of holiness.

"Ha, do you really think you're technical priests? Besides, that piece of junk is obviously broken. What a ridiculous attempt."

Gapas continued to mock Burns, saying that his behavior was incredibly stupid.

But suddenly he couldn't laugh anymore. He couldn't help but get up and go to the cell door, gripping the bars tightly, even when the spikes on the bars pierced his palms, he didn't react.

The SCV that had stopped moving actually started moving again.

"Wait a minute, this thing clearly has a driver's cab, but there's no one inside. Who's operating it?!"

The soldiers from the dynasty cheered excitedly in hushed tones when they saw that the SCV had actually come to life.

"Quiet! Don't attract those Dark Elf race members!"

SCV walked towards the prison gate.

But just as the SCV was about to break down the cell door, Gaspar stopped them.

"Stop it! Now is absolutely not the time to act; the noise will attract the slave owners!!"

As it turned out, when he saw a glimmer of hope for escape, Gaspar, who had resigned himself to his fate, suddenly found motivation.

Who would want to die if they could avoid it, especially since death here is an incredibly painful experience?

Originally sentenced to death by the Empire, he joined the Punishment Legion in order to fight for a chance to live. His strong will to survive allowed him to survive several brutal battles.

This shows that he has a strong will to survive!

With Burns' intervention, SCV ceased operation once again.

With the help of the vision granted by the system, Gao Yi has been observing Burns and others and controlling the operation of the SCV.

"Gaspar, what do you mean by this?"

"You have to wait for the right opportunity, Burns! Be patient!"

"So when are we going to get here?!" Burns couldn't wait to leave.

"Wait for the gladiatorial combat in the arena to begin! That will be when the defenses here are at their weakest. We were once escorted away from here to the arena, where those elite Dark Eldar soldiers also went to watch the gladiatorial combat."

They won't miss the chance to watch the gladiatorial combat!

Gaspar had survived four times in the arena. Initially, he refused to accept his fate and kept looking for opportunities to escape, so every time he left the cell, he observed the patterns of these aliens.

As their masters, the slave owners here also didn't want to miss out on the gladiatorial contests of their fine slaves.

The more they won, the more wealth they gained. The masters of the gladiators' slaves also secured a relatively high-ranking position in the arena.

The closer to the front row, the more soul power generated by pain one can obtain.

Dark Eldar who do not absorb souls to fill their own soul voids will age continuously, while a front-row position in the arena is enough to make a Dark Eldar rejuvenate.

"But if that's the case, won't we still be doomed if we're taken to the arena?"

"Slave owners would not send all of their slaves to the gladiatorial arena at once."

"But even so, wouldn't the chosen ones be doomed? Even if they survived the arena, they would have no chance of surviving if they returned here and found that we had escaped."

However, Burns' words did not cause any ripples in the mind of Japas, who came from the Legion of Punishment.

"So what? It's just a matter of making some sacrifices. Not to mention here, even back in the Empire, our Punishment Legion was paving the way for the attack with our lives."

Japas's words surprised Burns as well.

Yes, let alone the Punishment Legion, wasn't it the same in the former Montgomery dynasty? Soldiers' lives were worthless in the past in Agathos. All of this only changed after Gao Yi became a wandering merchant.

In just over a decade, Burns has almost forgotten the miserable life he once lived.

"Don't even think about it. I really don't know how you merchants and ronin soldiers became soldiers. We have no power to interfere with the slave owners' choices. Whoever is chosen to go to the arena is just unlucky. That's fate!"

With that, Gapas lay back down on the ground.

And not long after, the slave owner did indeed arrive at the cell as Japas had predicted.

His gaze swept over the slaves inside, as if he were selecting his own merchandise.

Twenty humans were quickly selected. As the cell doors were opened, poison crystal weapons were pointed at everyone. Anyone who made any unusual movement would be mercilessly shot.

Perhaps because their wounds had not yet healed, only a few soldiers from the Montgomery dynasty were selected to test the waters; the majority were human slaves from the Punishment Legion.

The chosen ones all looked desperate, but not one of them revealed the plan for everyone to escape in exchange for a chance to survive.

Burns looked at his three chosen comrades with a pained expression, and they looked back at Burns with resolute eyes.

"You must escape, sir!"

However, their words unexpectedly drew ridicule from the slave owner, who even spoke low Gothic.

"Escape? Hahaha, I really hope you can do it, but with your lowly monkeys? You think you can bite open these cells with your teeth? If you fight with all your might and win more gladiatorial battles for me, you might live a little longer."

"Hurry up, the gladiatorial combat is about to begin!"

As the cell doors closed again, the slave owner and his guards left the prison.

Calculating the time in his mind, Japas deduced that the slave owner had completely left, and then immediately got up.

"Control this mechanical construct to dismantle the cell! Quickly! We must hurry!"

Temporarily putting aside the pain of losing his comrades, Burns began to pray to the SCV again.

Gao Yi, who possessed the corresponding divine authority, sensed all of this once again.

The SCV started up again, and the drill and industrial clamp on its arms grabbed the cell door. With the power provided by the engine, a gap large enough for a person to pass through was opened.

"By divine intervention, it has truly succeeded! Everyone, follow!"

(End of this chapter)