Warhammer: Starting with Industrial Revolution

When the third squad that Ronin sent entered the cave, the innermost squad had already completed clearing the depths of the cave. They were checking the dark passages to prevent any enemies that might be hiding inside.

After the third squad confirmed that there were no more enemies, Ronin and Viktor finally entered the deep cave.

It must be admitted that, as a true priest of the Mechanicus in the Warhammer 40 universe, Viktor is much calmer than Ronin.

He could completely ignore the grotesque mutants on the ground and their bodies that were constantly oozing pus due to mutation.

But Luo Ning couldn't do that. Although he had lived in this world for a long time, he was still in the human world, and the people around him were all relatively normal humans.

Or at least he still looks like a person.

But the mutants in the cave were completely different. They had long since undergone violent mutations due to the corrosive effects of various toxins. If he hadn't seen those distorted faces, he would never have believed that these monsters were once human.

Deep inside the cave, Ronin and Victor found what they had been searching for.

It was a huge pool of water that looked bottomless.

The pool emitted an indescribable stench, and under the light, a faint wisp of green smoke could be seen slowly rising from it.

Victor reached out and blocked Ronin's body, then cautiously stepped forward and used his prosthetic arm to take a sample from the pool.

Looking at the sample in his hand, the chief priest of the Mechanical Church remained silent for a long time without saying a word.

"Lord Victor?" Ronin asked tentatively. Only then did Victor tightly seal the test tube in his hand, turn his head, and look at Ronin. His expression was clearly wrong.

"It seems this is not a simple mutation." Luo Ning understood what had happened in that instant.

Victor nodded slowly and said, "That's right, this is a corruption from the dark god Nurgle."

Upon hearing the word "Nurgle," Ronin's eyelids twitched involuntarily. For a marginal planet like theirs, the contamination by Nurgle was deadly.

The disease will spread rapidly, and with the accompanying lesions and suffering, the hive will quickly decay and collapse, ultimately facing only the Empire's order of extermination, with no hope of salvation.

"Father, in your opinion, has the underground waterway been corrupted? Is the Nest still safe?" Although it was in the Death Forest, it was too close to the Nest. What Ronin most urgently wanted to know was the condition of the underground waterway. If there was even the slightest connection between the pool here and the Nest's underground waterway, then everything would be destroyed.

Victor did not answer, but slowly raised his head and looked at the pool.

"Lord Luo Ning, there's no need to be too nervous for now. If this level of pollution were truly connected to the Nest City, then the Nest City would have already experienced a large-scale outbreak of plague."

Viktor spoke slowly, but his eyes constantly emitted red laser beams, as if he were scanning everything around him.

"Surrounded by dense and hard granite, the sewage here must be a gift from the plague lord in the darkness to his believers. It is highly likely that this place is not connected to the underground water system."

Only then did Ronin relax a little. However, when he followed Viktor's gaze to a disemboweled corpse by the pool, he saw symbols drawn on the ground—the marks of Nurgle.

Upon seeing this, he instantly became alert again.

"These mutants are worshipping a benevolent father here? No wonder their mutations are so disgusting."

Viktor looked at Ronin, his eyes holding a hint of something intriguing.

"Lord Ronin, this title must never be mentioned again, not even when it's just the two of us. To heretics, he is their 'benevolent father,' but to the Empire and the followers of the God of All Machines, he is an evil god who brings decay and destruction. Any glorification of his name may be seen as a sign of heresy. In this world, even walls have ears."

Luo Ning scratched his head and then changed the subject.

"Lord Victor, do you have a way to purify this place?"

Viktor nodded, then said, "The real problem isn't here. Lord Ronin should be more worried about himself."

Upon hearing this, Luo Ning frowned, but then he realized that the filth of the Necromancer was everywhere.

After entering the cave, he even smelled the stench, which suggests that he may have been contaminated by seeds of warp pollution.

"It seems Lord Luo Ning has understood. After we leave, please do not contact anyone. I will personally conduct the examination and purification ritual for you."

Hearing Viktor's words, Ronin bowed deeply to him, "Thank you for your hard work, Lord Viktor."

Viktor nodded slowly, and then the two walked out of the cave.

After leaving the cave, Ronin quickly retreated and stopped Governor Karl from rushing towards him.

"Your Excellency! There's a terrible source of pollution inside the cave. You must stay away from me to avoid getting infected!"

Upon hearing Ronin mention the source of the pollution, Governor Karl instantly became as docile as a cat, retreating repeatedly.

After Victor came out, he ordered the lower-ranking priests who had come with him to prepare the Mechanicus's hot-melting equipment, sanctification cement, and so on, and at the same time he mobilized the Guardians of the Faith.

The soldiers wounded in the cave were left behind, Viktor said, to purify their bodies, but Ronin already knew their fate.

As for Ronin, his protective suit was purified by Viktor using high-purity chromium.

After Viktor scanned him inside and out several times, even Viktor was amazed to find that there was no trace of contamination on his body.

Just like the dream about Slaanesh that Rhonin mentioned before, it's unbelievable.

However, after Viktor personally verified the data repeatedly, even he could not deny that Ronin's body was completely clean and without any abnormalities.

After Victor's follow-up investigation, Ronin learned the true situation inside the cave.

Decades ago, a small Nurgle cult arrived on this planet and, after discovering caves in the Dead Forest, used them as a secret testing ground.

Of course, they had long since died from the plague they had cultivated, but the filth remained in the pool, and the corruption continued to worsen.

Meanwhile, the mutants searching for food heard the echoes from Nurgle. They gradually lost their last shred of sanity and became Nurgle's puppets, constantly gathering more people to carry out corrupting rituals deep within this cave.

More and more mutants are undergoing more and more mutations, but the corrupt water is also giving them greater strength and vitality.

This also allowed them to recruit more mutants, eventually forming this huge tribe.

However, under Victor's leadership, the Mechanicus conducted a comprehensive pollution test on the entire hive's underground water system and industrial waste discharge areas, confirming that there was no foul pollution.

Only then did Luo Ning finally relax and dare to start drafting the report.

He had already decided on his line of reasoning: he would only mention the eradication of large mutant settlements that threatened the safety of the mine and the handling of biological mutations caused by long-term industrial pollution, without uttering a single word about the filth and the corruption of chaos.

For the sector, all they need is a satisfactory, risk-free outcome, which is also the option with the lowest risk.

But when Luo Ning returned to his room that evening, he discovered a small abscess on his shoulder.