Chapter 291: Purification Protocol
And in the private laboratory on Nexum, Ryo stood before the main console.
His dark red mechanical body remained motionless under the cold white lighting of the laboratory; only the subtle, flowing data light points in his optical lenses indicated that he was processing information.
The combat data summary just received, having undergone preliminary encryption by the Inquisition, was now fully displayed on the main console's screen.
The data flowed steadily. The most core part recorded the entire process of Valerie piloting the neural-linked Iron Guard prototype, activating the Sandevistan system at the final moments of the battle, and delivering the fatal blow to the Chaos Sorcerer.
Ryo's attention was focused on several key parameters: the peak curve of neural signal surges, the output efficiency of the power joints under instantaneous overload, and the energy changes produced when the disruption field contacted organic tissue.
He was repeatedly analyzing and modeling these data, searching for performance boundaries and optimization nodes.
"The synergistic effect of the neural acceleration cybernetic and the deep neural link system," Ryo said in a low, steady voice. "Combat data shows the peak efficacy exceeded theoretical expectations by 12.7 percent."
This result aligned with his basic judgment, but the specific numerical value was indeed higher than the best simulation results in a laboratory environment.
His mechanical fingers inputted a series of new calibration parameters on the console, adjusting the system thresholds for the next test.
His thinking did not stop at the technical analysis level.
The procurement intent shown by Inquisitor Karras Walker was a clear signal.
This was not only a potential order but also a direct opportunity to showcase the equipment to the core armed forces of the Imperium.
"An order from the Inquisition is a good start," he evaluated the situation. "It seems the potential application scope of the Iron Guard is broader than Fabricator Locum Volks initially expected."
This judgment prompted him to begin specifically planning the meeting with the Inquisitor.
He pulled up a dataslate and began listing the technical materials that needed to be prepared.
Basic performance parameters were necessary, but he also needed to prepare simulated test data under different environments, as well as a compatibility demonstration plan for the modular weapon interfaces.
The negotiation points also needed to be clarified: the testing costs for the early prototypes, priority supply rights for subsequent mass-produced models, and technical support and resource compensation plans for providing deep modification services to Inquisition personnel.
Cooperating with the Inquisition required a careful balance—he had to demonstrate the practical value of the technology while maintaining the Mechanicus's independence in technical cooperation.
Within the massive system of the Imperium, the interest relations between various factions were always in dynamic flux.
Now, the unexpected performance of the Iron Guard on the Hive World was facilitating the establishment of a new communication channel between the armed factions of the Mechanicus Forge World and the Inquisition.
Ryo knew very well what establishing a direct cooperative relationship with the Inquisition meant.
Stable, high-tier orders could elevate his influence on Nexum and even within the Mechanicus; simultaneously, it came with stricter review standards, more complex factional relationships, and the potential attention of competitors.
However, he was not worried about this.
Within the Mechanicus system, reliable technology tested in actual combat was inherently the most valuable capital and the most effective defense.
What he needed to do now was ensure the continuous improvement of the Iron Guard project, making it exhibit sufficient reliability, adaptability, and practical value in any test and actual application.
When the technology itself possessed obvious advantages, many potential obstacles would naturally become less important.
The value of technology needed to be proven through actual application, and the combat data from the Hive World was providing exactly that proof.
Ryo categorized and archived the data on the main console while beginning to prepare the presentation materials.
He noticed a few technical details requiring further optimization, particularly in energy distribution efficiency and system heat dissipation.
These improvements would be incorporated into the next phase of the research and development plan.
Outside the laboratory, the constant operational hum of the Forge World filtered through the thick soundproofing layers, low and continuous.
Inside the laboratory, Ryo continued to handle various preparatory tasks.
No expression could be seen on his heavily mechanically modified face; only his optical lenses shone steadily, showing his focus on his work.
The meeting with the Inquisitor required comprehensive preparation, and he was proceeding with these preparations methodically.
The wrap-up of the incident on the Hive World of Vesta Prima unfolded step by step.
Inquisitor Karras Walker stayed behind to lead the subsequent cleanup.
The Inquisition's Tempestus Scions and selected Planetary Defense Force troops deemed reliable completely took over the Standard Uniformity factory and the surrounding areas.
The cleanup work followed the Inquisition's standard protocols, emphasizing efficiency and thoroughness.
First was the sanitization of the physical space.
All areas confirmed or suspected to be connected to the Chaos rituals underwent strict treatment.
Large amounts of Promethium and specially formulated holy exorcism oils were sprayed first, followed by a carpet-bombing of incineration using flamethrowers by the soldiers, ensuring no organic matter that might be tainted by Warp filth remained.
As for the damaged production line equipment, any part deemed to have a risk of contamination was dismantled and sent to the furnaces for destruction, with no consideration for repair.
For those few days, the bottom levels of the factory were constantly permeated with the pungent smell of scorched objects and the strange odor of burning Promethium.
Personnel screening and processing was a more complex link.
All surviving workers in the factory, along with anyone who had worked in the core area before or after the incident, as well as low-level management personnel deemed potentially involved based on preliminary screening, were swiftly controlled and detained centrally by the Inquisition forces, without exception.
Against those individuals suspected to be core cult members or active participants, the Inquisition employed mercilessly severe measures.
Inquisition psykers conducted deep, invasive mental probes on the detainees, stripping away their mental defenses and unearthing hidden memories.
Simultaneously, professional interrogators utilized a series of approved interrogation methods designed to break physical and psychological limits.
Mental pressure, high-intensity sensory deprivation, forced injections of truth serums, and even more destructive physical tortures were applied sequentially. The goal was clear: to pry open their mouths and squeeze out every shred of information regarding the cult network, ritual details, potential accomplices, and other possible hideouts.
The confessions and clues obtained from these brutal interrogations rapidly set off wider ripples across the Hive World, and the Inquisition's actions swiftly expanded beyond the factory's confines.
Based on the extorted lists and associated information, arrest operations unfolded in the relevant areas of the lower and even middle levels of the Hive.
It wasn't just the previously detained workers; their immediate family members, relatives and friends with records of frequent contact, and even neighbors and coworkers who were merely mentioned by name or deemed to have had contact were implicated.
The scope of guilt by association expanded drastically under the mutual corroboration of confessions and the Inquisition's principle of "better to kill by mistake than to let a guilty one go."
Ultimately, the scale of this purge far exceeded initial estimates.
All the initially detained worker groups, along with the vastly larger number of family members and other associated personnel arrested in the subsequent guilt-by-association operations, underwent a simplified internal trial process unknown to outsiders. They were then uniformly labeled as "Confirmed Contaminated Groups" or "High-Risk Associated Individuals."
There was no public trial, no detailed tiered screening. They were secretly escorted out of the Hive City en masse, transported to remote quarantine zones specifically for handling such matters, and subjected to indiscriminate "Final Purification."
To thoroughly erase the hidden danger, all official records, household registration files, and employment histories related to these individuals were systematically destroyed or permanently sealed, as if these people had never existed in the Hive City.
The original labor force of Count Gresham's factory was completely eradicated.
Under the supervision of a regulatory committee jointly appointed by the Inquisition and the Departmento Munitorum, the factory management urgently conscripted a brand new workforce that had undergone strict background checks from other areas of the Hive City and even neighboring worlds. Only after completing this thorough, bloody "blood transfusion" was the factory allowed to gradually resume production order under tight surveillance.
(End of Chapter)