Warhammer: Empire Reboot

A gray-armored assassin next to him tilted his head slightly, seemingly glancing at the child.

The regulator said, "Clean water rationing does not come with a recruitment obligation."

After Daquil picked up his water bottle and left the group, he did not go home immediately.

He turned into a narrow, deserted alley and held a bottle of water up to his eyes.

He unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sniff.

Palin looked up.

"Dad, can I have a taste?"

Daquil stared at the bottle opening. "Let's wait."

"Wait for what?"

Wait until it changes color.

Wait for it to bubble.

Wait until it reveals some kind of trap.

But water is just water.

Daguir took a sip.

He suddenly frowned.

Palin was startled: "Poisonous?"

It's not a water problem.

"dad?"

Daquil tightened the cap.

"go home."

"I haven't drunk it yet."

"Go back and let your mom watch over it while it's being drunk."

"But she doesn't believe it."

That's why we need to let her see it.

He held the water close to his chest and hurried across the corridor.

Along the way, he saw everyone as a thief.

When he got home, his wife, Miri, was already waiting at the door.

She was leaning against the door frame, but stood up straight when she heard footsteps.

"The Iron Throat Gang is gone."

Miri looked at him for a long time before asking, "What do you mean by 'gone'?"

Parin quickly said, "It's on the hook."

Miri's face turned pale.

Daquil pushed the child aside.

Don't listen to him.

"I saw it."

"you shut up."

"You saw it too."

Miri did not scold the child.

She only stared at the water in Daquil's arms.

"Here's some water, nothing else?"

"No."

Miri suddenly reached out, closed the door, and locked the latch.

The room darkened.

Daquil put the water on the table.

This table is made of three old metal plates pieced together, with sharp, jagged edges.

On the table was half a block of nutritional paste left over from yesterday; it was gray and as hard as dried mud.

The four bottles of water placed on top looked like four things that didn't belong to this home.

Palin reached out to take it, but Miri slapped his hand away.

"Wait a moment."

"Dad has already drunk it."

"I didn't see it."

She stared at Daquil.

"You drink first."

Daquil said in a low voice, "I had a sip on the way."

"Drink some more."

"Drink it in front of me."

Daquil understood why she did that.

Three years ago, the man next door bought a bucket of "clean water" from the black market. After the whole family drank it, first the child developed a fever, then the woman vomited blood, and finally the man smashed open the black market dealer's head with a wrench.

The mortuary guild collected seven corpses the following day.

They also took over that room.

Daquil unscrewed the bottle cap.

He took a big gulp.

Miri stared at him intently, and Daquil swallowed.

He swallowed another mouthful.

"How is it?" she asked.

Daquil looked down at the bottle. "Those from before don't count as water."

Miri took it.

She finally took a small sip.

Her expression was strange when the water touched the tip of her tongue.

It felt like being slapped in the face, yet also like wanting to laugh.

“On the day Palin was born, I wanted to wipe his face,” she whispered. “The water was yellow that day. The midwife said, ‘Don’t waste it, the baby will get dirty anyway.’”

Daquil didn't say anything.

Palin looked at his father, then at his mother.

Was I dirty when I was born?

Miri looked at him.

She seemed to want to say something, but in the end she just handed her the water.

"Drink."

Palin clutched the bottle, drank too quickly, and choked, coughing.

Miri quickly patted him on the back.

"Slow down, no one's going to steal it."

After saying that, she froze in shock.

Nobody's taking it.

These four words are never reliable in this family.

Palin recovered, hugged the bottle, and asked softly:

Is there any more tomorrow?

Daquil looked at the water on the table and suddenly didn't know how to answer.

He wanted to say yes.

I'm also afraid that if I say it out loud, everything will go back to the way it was tomorrow.

Miri spoke for him.

"Go queue up tomorrow."

What if it's gone?

Miri touched the bottle.

"Then remember what it tastes like today."

Palin thought about it seriously.

"It has no taste."

Miri smiled.

She covered her mouth with her hand halfway through her laughter.

She hadn't laughed like that in a long time, and even she herself felt a little unaccustomed to it.

…………

At the same time, in the ninety-first industrial layer of the Vesalion Nest City.